Automotive Updates - 10th October 2014

• Hubli, located in Northern Karnataka had recently missed on luring Hero MotoCorp set-up to lucrative offer from Andhra Pradesh is now wooing Hyundai Motor India Ltd to set up a production plant there. If successful, the benefits would be mutual as the localities would get employment opportunities, whereas Hyundai Motor, second largest automobile brand in India shall get low cost production benefits. An approximate investment of about Rs 1,000-1,500 crore shall provide about 5,000 job opportunities.(carkhabri.com)

• Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy firm, recently voted Nissan as one of the world’s best brands for 2014. Nissan ranked 53, compared to the previous year’s 65 in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands Study. According to the study conducted by the firm, the contributing factors for the vote were aspects such as Nissan’s strong financial performance, vast and diverse product portfolio and current market leadership for its electric cars. (motoroids.com)

•  The government today said it is taking various steps, including help start-ups to get easy loans and opening 500 incubation centres in the country, for boosting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector."We have decided that we will run 500 incubation centres in the country. At present there are only 84 centres. I request the corporate sector to encourage people to open these centres. It will help in providing skills and employment to youths," MSME MinisterKalraj Mishra said here at a CII function.(ETauto.com)

• In an initiative to bring commercial vehicle manufacturers’ technologies and buyers’ aspiration together and introduce new trends in the industry, the three-day International Commercial Vehicle Fair (TICVF) kicked off at the Chennai Trade Center today. The aim is to provide a platform for fleet owners, logistics operators, transport companies, state transport undertaking (STUs) and transport associations across the country. Overall, 55 participants inclusive of truck OEMs, tyremakers, components manufacturers, lubricant makers, vehicle tracking and telematics providers and finance companies have put up stalls at the venue. (autocarpro.in)

• General Motors announced today that worldwide sales of the Chevrolet Beat (Chevrolet Spark in international markets) crossed the 1 million figure. The small car was introduced to India in 2010, and at the Auto Expo this year, the facelift was launched. GM India has sold over 178,000 units of the Beat in India since its inception. Recently, the company started exporting the Talegaon-made Beat to Chile in South America, and going forth, more export markets are under consideration including Africa.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Trying to find ground in the premium space of the auto market, Maruti Suzuki took its first step with the recently launched Ciaz sedan and will soon introduce new products in the Rs. 8 lakh and above segments. While the S-Cross is lined up next for launch in 2015, the Indian auto giant will bring the all new Vitara to India by 2017. The crossover was officially unveiled at the last week’s 2014 Paris Motor Show and will be rivalling the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe internationally, while the Skoda Yeti is perceived as its main rival in the country.(motorbeam.com)

• Ford India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, has announced its first Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) Centre in collaboration with Social Welfare Technical School, ITI Cochin. This program aims to create a pool of talented and skilled professionals for the automobile industry. The first Ford ASSET Centre was inaugurated by P.K. Umashankar, vice-president, Customer Service Operations, Ford India. (motoroids.com)

• The world’s largest two wheeler maker (by volume), Hero Motocorp has filed to trademark its upcoming flagship offering, the HX250R in Europe, as per reports by various international media. The new quarter litre sportsbike which premiered ahead of the Auto Expo this year has been developed with inputs from the company’s US-based technical partner EBR. It is to be noted that Hero Motocorp holds nearly 50% stake in the American superbike maker. (indianautoblogs.com)

• Hyundai today made global debut of its India bound ix25 compact SUV in China, after revealing the concept version at 2014 Beijing Motor Show followed by showcasing the production version at Chengdu Motor Show couple of months later. Prices in China starts from 119,800 RMB (approximately Rs. 11.95 lakh) to 179,800 RMB (nearly Rs. 17.93 lakh).(cardekho.com)

Automotive Updates - 9th October 2014

• Nissan on Thursday appointed Arun Malhotra as the new Managing Director for Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. Malhotra will report to Guillaume Sicard, President -Nissan India Operations. Prior to joining Nissan, Malhotra was the chief of International Sales and Marketing for the automotive and farm sector of Mahindra & Mahindra.(ETauto.com)

• Indian car major, Maruti Suzuki is likely to face legal action for receiving pre-launch bookings of its latest sedan, the Ciaz, without revealing the details of the vehicle. Although pre-launch booking is not an old practice, the move comes after former Railways Minister and MP Dinesh Trivedi filed a complaint. Trivedi claims that he has received many complaints from the public about the company taking pre-launch booking. Consumer affairs ministry has communicated with the car maker and asked why it shouldn’t initiate action under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.(motoroids.com)

• Nissan India has silently launched the Terrano Anniversary Edition on its website. As the name suggests, the edition celebrates the first anniversary of the car, and is limited to 450 units. Interestingly, one can book the Anniversary Edition only through Nissan India’s website. Even if you do approach a dealer, the car will be ordered via the website only, says Nissan.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Farm equipment majorEscorts Ltd today announced implementation of a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) as part of its organisational restructuring under which 350 employees have exited the company."With an operational focus on improving business performance, Escorts Ltd has successfully implemented group-wide future-oriented VRS, aimed particularly at restructuring Escorts Auto Products," the company said in a statement.(ETauto.com)

• Manfred Kantner has been appointed Head Sales India, and Far East at Volkswagen passenger cars wef October 1, 2014. Prior to this he was Managing Director of SEAT Deutschland GmbH. 48 year old Kantner succeeds Dr. Wolf-Stefan Specht (45). The latter has taken over as Volkswagen Passenger Cars Head of Sales Europe since  September 1. Both managers report to Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand.(rushlane.com)

• One of the leading brands of superbikes DSK Hyosung today opened its first exclusive showroom in Chandigarh showcasing bikes costing from 2.75 lakhs to Rs 5.79 lakhs.Shirish Kulkarni, Chairman, DSK Hyosung announced during the launch that this would be our first showroom in Chandigarh and 40th overall in the country. Talking about Punjab and Chandigarh markets, he said that Company already has a showroom at Ludhiana in Punjab. (financialexpress.com)

• Swedish commercial vehicle major Scania is bagging new orders for its vehicles at a regular pace in India. One of its major customers, BGR Mining & Infra has announced that it will add 500 Scania trucks in its off-road truck fleet to serve in its multiple coal mining sites. The Hyderabad-based BGR Mining, one of the major coal mining contract operators, has started buying Scania trucks since March this year. Within a span of six months, BGR bought 149 off-road trucks from Scania. (Autocarpro.in)

• The UAE-basedGulf Petrochem Group has made two acquisitions in India in this fiscal year and is scouting for more to expand its presence here. Gulf Petrochem Group announced on Wednesday that it will make an open offer to acquire up to 26% of Sah Petroleums, which is listed on the Indian bourses, after buying 72.23% stake in the company from its promoters.(ETauto.com)

• Volkswagen (VW) confirmed the news of a new compact sedan which the group is developing specifically for India. VW confirmed that the car will be a sub-4 metre compact sedan based on the PQ25 platform of the Polo and will have the same 2456mm wheelbase. The idea behind this move is that VW will benefit from the excise duty exemptions and that in-turn will make this compact sedan more affordable and also profit VW. The car will be slotted between the Polo and the Volkswagen’s best-selling sedan in India, the Vento. (motoroids.com)

• Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd has launched its new customer care program, Vespa Care to achieve exceptional customer care so privileged Vespa customers can avail of 24×7, 365 days Road Side Assistance across 51 Indian cities.(rushlane.com)

Automotive Updates - 8th October 2014

• Country's leading two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp today launched two new products in the market to cash-in on the festive season.The company launched 100 cc Splendor Pro Classic, which has a cafe racer styling, priced at Rs 48,650 (ex-showroom Delhi) and another 100 cc on-road-off-road bike Passion Pro TR at Rs 51,550 (ex-showroom Delhi).(financialexpress.com)

• Mahindra Tractors, the world’s largest tractor maker in terms of volumes, has launched the Mahindra Yuvraj 215 NXT compact model.The 15 HP tractor is suitable for small land holdings and inter-culture operations. The Yuvraj 215 NXT is the first product in its segment to feature a water-cooled direct injection engine.(indianautoblogs.com)

• BASF India has opened its large production facility in Dahej, Gujarat, India, today. With a total investment of € 150 million (Rs 1,168 crore), the facility is the largest single investment of BASF in India. The site was opened by Anandiben Patel, prime minister of Gujarat, Saurabhbhai Patel, minister of finance, energy and petrochemicals of Gujarat, and Michael Heinz, member of the Executive Board of BASF SE, together. Heinz said: "The strengthening of our production platform in India is part of our investment plans for the Asia-Pacific region, in which we want to invest more than € 10 billion (Rs 77,870 crore)  between 2013 and 2020.  (autocarpro.in)

• Mahindra’s flagship, the XUV500 will be launched in a hybrid form in 2015. The company says that this new system (termed E-Motor by Mahindra) will bump the fuel economy by a noticeable 18% when it hits the XUV500 in production form and the SUV will be the first manual diesel-hybrid car in the world. We at Motoroids are quite chuffed to see this development in the Indian automobile space and think that this will get the ball rolling for other Indian car makers to come out with similar cars as rivals to the XUV.(motoroids.com)

• Petronas, the Malaysian Oil and Gas company has been a well known brand in the global market. Petronas Lubricants is Indian automobile biggie Maruti Suzuki's new partner for sales and service in the Indian market. As for Petronas, the deal is of immense importance as Maruti Suzuki holds over 3100 service outlets in the country. In India, the Petronas brand operates in India through distributors and collaboration with OEM's like Fiat, Piaggio and Tata Motors. Besides engine lubricant, the company also manufactures and markets machinery, transmission Fluid and other industrial equipments .(cartrade.com)

• Two-wheeler manufacturerTVS Motors plans to produce 10,000 units per month of its newly launched TVS Scooty Zest 100, a company official said here today. Zest, aimed at young girls, would be availabe in the market from October 15, TVS MotorsSouth Zone Manager Satheesh Kumar told reporters after launching the vehicle. (ETauto.com)

• Yamaha Motor India is all set to open its new manufacturing plant in Chennai with an installed capacity of 400,000 units early next month. The new facility, which will start product in CY15, will roll out the 113cc Alpha scooter initially and gradually start producing other scooters. The company, which sold around 450,000 two-wheelers in CY13, is targeting sales of 600,000 units in this calendar year. Export sales last year were 200,000  in 2013 and the same number is likely to be maintained this year. Like its scooter-making rivals in India, Yamaha remains bullish on the scooter segment which has recorded close to 30 percent growth in CY14 thus far. (autocarpro.in)

• We already know that Toyota has been making plans to launch its luxury brand Lexus in India. Now, its ace Japanese rival Nissan too has similar plans. Nissan is coming up with a new strategy to gain a higher customer base in India. One part of the strategy is to introduce the Infiniti brand here. Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury arm. Since we have seen the premium vehicle segments dominated by Mercedes, BMW and Audi growing substantially since the past few years, Nissan too is eyeing these segments and wants to cash in on the demand. The newly-showcased Infiniti Q30 has the ability to compete with the Audi A3, Mercedes A-Class and the BMW 1-Series.(motorbeam.com)

• Hero Cycles bought 47% stake in 105 year old, currently loss making Germany’s largest bicycle maker Mitteldeutsche Fahrradwerke AG (MIFA) in August 2014. Before acquiring controlling interest, Hero has called off the deal.(rushlane.com)

•  Car rental firm Carzonrent andTata Motors have inked a pact to launch an initiative in the Delhi/NCR region, under which customers would be able to hire a Tata Nanocar for self drive at just Rs 399 per day. As part of the 'Myles City Drive' initiative, Tata Motors would supply 200 Tata Nano Twist cars to Carzonrent fleet for self-drive service in the Delhi/NCR region. (ETauto.com)

• Volkswagen India has announced the launch of their 24-day mega carnival ‘Volksfest 2014’ starting today, 8th October. The Volksfest 2014 will be held till 31st October and customers can avail of a range of valuable offers, exciting benefits and assured gifts. Coinciding with the festive season in India, the Volksfest 2014 brings best deals on car finance, attractive offers on new car purchase, after sales services including road side assistance, benefits on selected Volkswagen genuine accessories and merchandise, body and paint services.(cardekho.com)

Automotive Updates - 7th October 2014

• Homegrown auto majorMahindra & Mahindra today said its two-wheeler arm has made an offer to acquire 51 per cent stake in Peugeot Motocycles, part of the 54 billion euro PSA Group based in France. In a statement, M&M said under the "binding offer" made by Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd (MTWL), there would be an "infusion of 15 million euro into Peugeot Motocycles (PMTC) to finance projects implemented through strategic partnership, and further sale of shares by PSA, which would allow MTWL to take 51 per cent stake in PMTC." (ETauto.com)

• Close on the heels of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US of the A, the world’s largest largest motorcycle manufacturer in terms of sales, Hero MotoCorp is about to launch their motorcycles and scooters in America. Hero has already started filing trademarks for eight models with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Amongst the models which have been filed for trademark on August 19th include the Hero Splendor, Pleasure, Karizma, Hunk and Eco Deluxe. On August the 29th, the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world filed additional trademarks for the Xtreme Sports, Splendor Pro Classic and the HX250R.(motorids.com)

• JCB India Limited furthers the Government of India’s endeavour to promote Make-in-India campaign. The company has introduced concept of Telehandler called Loadall 530-70 and Loadall 530-110 in India beside Indian built Skid Steer Loaders SSL 135 and SSL 155. Both these models are made in India. Loadall is to be used across all industries such as Agricultural Logistics, Construction and Process Industry. It promises efficient handling of material and mechanized handling processes. SSL is also known as the Robot and regarded as the safest in the world.(rushlane.com)

• Car market leader Maruti Suzuki is aiming to sell initially 60,000 to 70,000 units of its newly launched mid-size premium SedanCiaz in the country."The initial plan was to sell about 60,000 to 70,000 units in the country. About 10,000 customers have already made their bookings of which 60 per cent are for diesel cars and 40 per cent for petrol vehicles", Ram Suresh Akella, Commercial Business Head (Southern Region), told reporters here today.(ETauto.com)

• Tata Safari Storme will undergo a minor facelift; the company is believed to have started testing the facelift version of the SUV. Launched in 2012, Safari Storme could not garner the kind of response company had expected it would. Hence this is a much needed makeover Storme is going through to survive amid fierce competition it has around it.(cartrade.com)

• Toyota is looking to enter small car segment in India to compete with Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. The company is planning a sub-compact car under Rs. 7 lakh mark where the company has least presence. News about a new Toyota small car for India was revealed in an interview by Economic Times with Naomi Ishii, one of the youngest Managing Directors at Toyota. According to Naomi Ishii, Toyota is weak in under-7-lakh segment which accounts for 70% – 80% of the car market.(rushlane.com)

• Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd (GOLIL), which manufactures and markets long drain engine oils , and Mahindra & Mahindra, the world’s biggest tractor maker (by volume), have announced their partnership for the tractor segment in India. Under the agreement, Gulf Oil will manufacture and supply ‘Mahindra Genuine Oil’ under the ‘Mahindra M-Star Super’ brand name for its dealer workshop network along with Mahindra-Gulf Co-branded lubricant line for the ‘Bazaar segment’ under the ‘Gulf XHD M Tractor’ brand name based on M&M’s ‘MKM’ (Mileage ka Master) platform, giving an extended drain interval of 350 hours. (autocarpro.in)

• Autocar Professional reports that Pune-based DSK MotoWheels, a company which assembles and sells the Hyosung motorcycles in India, is looking to expand its horizon by entering into a partnership with Italian sportsbike maker Benelli. According to the publication’s sources, DSK MotoWheels is on schedule with the partnership arrangement and would bring the century old sportsbike brand to the country sooner than later.(indianautoblogs.com)

•  Toyota Kirloskar Motor, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Corporation and its nationwide dealer network, has announced the launch of its advanced training model for Automotive Service Advisor under the Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP), at Government CPC Polytechnic, Mysore. T-TEP, a special training module in which Toyota has tied up with industrial training institutes, was launched in 2006 in India. After a span of eight years, T-TEP is now associated with more than 36 Institutes (Industrial Training Institutes and Polytechnics) under the program. (autocarpro.in)

Automotive Updates - 06th October 2014

• Maruti Suzuki India, the country's top car maker, on Monday launched its first new sedan car in seven years. Maruti has priced the new Ciaz sedan at a price range of Rs 6.99 lakh-9.80 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).While the petrol variant pf Maruti Ciaz is priced between Rs 6.99 lakh to Rs 9.34 lakh, the diesel variant will sell for Rs 8.04 lakh to Rs. 9.80 lakh.Maruti aims take a second stab to break into a segment where it has had little success previously. Maruti Suzuki's previous car in this segment, SX4 sedan - launched in 2007 - has faced tough competition from rivals.

• Mahindra Two Wheelers, the two-wheeler arm of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), is set to become a co-owner of Peugeot’s scooter business. An announcement to this effect is likely to be made later this week. According to sources, the Indian company is set to acquire a majority stake in the business with an option of having full ownership later. It may be noted that M&M entered the two-wheeler industry with a similar step. It acquired an 80 percent stake in the Pune-based Kinetic Motor Company. (Autocarpro.in)

• Tata Motors’ flagship product, the Aria, has been a slow seller for the company. In a bid to make the car seem more attractive, the company introduced a revised version of the Aria in May this year. And now, to further push sales of the people carrier, Tata is offering a price cut of INR 1 lakh on the Aria. The base LX 4×2 variant which had a starting price of INR 9.95 lakhs, now carries a price of INR 8.95 lakhs.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Suzuki is developing a small capacity 800cc engine and it has been reported on several occasions. Now, it seems like the Japanese company is developing a new four-cylinder 1.5-litre diesel engine for the Indian market.The new engine might be built on two capacities - 1.5-litre and a 1.6-litre. The 1.5-litre derivative is mainly targeted at India to avail of the tax benefits, whereas the 1.6-litre engine will be for Europe. (carwale.com)

• After witnessing one of the longest spells of slowdown, the medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) segment has now started showing some canonical signs of a turnaround. Over the past five months, the segment has been witnessing improvement in fleet utilisation, freight rates and resale price; all of them considered to be indicators of a recovery.Volumes for heavy trucks - having capacity of more than 16 tonnes - grew more than 18% between April and August. Truck manufactures cite fleet-replacement demand for the trend and are confident that the industry won't witness yet another year of falling sales, which would have been the third in a row.(ETauto.com)

• Arun Malhotra, who has quit from his role as head of international sales and marketing at Mahindra & Mahindra, may join Nissan Motor India. Sources say Malhotra may join Nissan Motor India as its managing director. The move reflects Nissan’s strategy to build a strong team to take care of its sales and marketing operations. The Japanese OEM had earlier outsourced the distribution, sales and marketing operations of Nissan vehicles to Hover Automotive India. The partnership was called off in February this year. (Autocarpro.in)

• The Government is taking positive steps towards improving road safety and traffic discipline in India. In the upcoming winter session, the new Government is about to introduce a new Road Transport and Safety bill, which proposes much needed changes in the archaic Motor Vehicles Act followed in India. If the new bill is passed in the parliament without any hiccups, driving an uninsured vehicle may cost you dear. According to the new bill, If a motorcyclist is caught riding without an insurance policy, the penalty will be Rs 10,000 while owners of light motor vehicles and auto-rickshaws will have to cough up Rs 25,000. (motorids.com)

• Japanese car manufacturer, Honda has unveiled the new Jazz, CR-V facelift and HR-V compact crossover at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Out of the three vehicles, the company will launch new Jazz and CR-V facelift in the Indian car market next year. Honda is also contemplating a compact SUV for India, but the company hasn't revealed the name of the product.(cartrade.com)

Automotive Updates - 4th and 5th October 2014

• The 197-billion Volkswagen Group, the automobile manufacturer with 12 brands, including Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche, will open an IT development centre in Pune next month as it takes steps to secure critical technical knowledge, quicken in-house processes and cut down dependence on outsourcing. ET learns that the regional competency centre is expected to house over 1,000 engineersover the next three to four years. Milan Kumar will head the centre in India, which will provide IT support to all its companies across the world by leveraging the talent available in the country.(ETauto.com)

• In a recent statement, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said that the Italian motorcycle marquee will make an official comeback to India in the first half of 2015 with the all new Scrambler motorcycle as part of its range of offerings for the country. To be produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Thailand, the Ducati Scrambler is expected to be available at a price of Rs. 9 lakhs and will be positioned above the Monster 795 in the company’s lineup.(motorbeam.com)

• Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M), India’s largest utility vehicle and tractor maker, plans to reduce its supplier base by 10% each year over the next five years, bringing down the total number of suppliers from the current 650 to 450, Hemant Sikka, the company’s chief purchasing officer (automotive and farm equipment sectors), said in an interview last week. Meanwhile, following the integration of the two-wheeler and truck business into the parent company in the last one-and-half years, M&M has centralized purchasing of parts across two-wheelers, commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles and tractors.(livemint.com)

• Japanese auto major Nissan will drive in its second model from the Datsun portfolio, a multi- purpose vehicle Go+, in the first part of next year in India as part plans to enhance its presence here.The company is looking to increase sales of both Nissan and Datsun branded vehicles in India to meet its target of capturing 8 per cent market share in the country. (ETauto.com)

• The Maruti Ciaz will be offered in petrol and diesel engine options and currently comes with a waiting period of 2-4 months on the base and mid-range models and 4-5 months on the top-end petrol automatic and diesel models. Maruti Suzuki has definitely stirred up the right spirits with the Ciaz sedan across the country. Making a big comeback to the premium space after the debacle known as the SX4, the company has received a positive response for the Ciaz garnering 6000+ bookings.(motorbeam.com)       

• Daimler has struck a cooperation deal with Nissan Motor Co. on transporter vans, deepening a strategic alliance between the German and Japanese automakers.Nissan will supply Daimler's Japanese commercial vehicles unit Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) with a transporter van to be sold under the Fuso brand in key export markets, the companies said on Friday. (ETauto.com)

• Benelli could make it to India later this year with a choice of products ranging from 300cc going up to 1131cc. They have some real drool-worthy products in their arsenal. DSK Motowheels best known for handling the South Korean motorcycle maker Hyosung in India, plans to bring another international motorcycle brand in the country. With news coming in from the 2014 Intermot Motorcycle Show held in Germany, it is believed that DSK is currently in talks with iconic Italian motorcycle maker Benelli for bringing its range of motorcycles to India.

• AGC Automotive Europe, member of the world-leading glassmaker AGC, has announced that its light control glass Wonderlite has been selected for the Magic Sky Control panoramic glass roof available as an option for the new Mercedes-Benz S-class Coupé, which was released on the European and North American markets on September 27, 2014. (autocarpro.in)

• Travelling in a three-wheeled autorickshaw may soon become "outdated" in Delhi with four-wheeled autorickshaws making a entry in the national capital. We have introduced four-wheeled autorickshaws in the national capital. For the trial run, we have given three-four permits for operation of such four-wheeled autorickshaws. The new rickshaw will be a three-seater like the three-wheeled autorickshaw," said a senior official of the transport department.(ETauto.com)

Automotive Updates - 3rd October 2014

• French auto major Renault plans to enter new verticals, including used car business in India next year, besides launching two new models, to make its presence felt in the market which it sees as "the biggest challenge".The company, which is targeting a market share of over 5 per cent in India, is also leveraging on its 4,500 strong R&D Centre in Chennai to come up with products which are "right for the country".(financial express)

• Leading auto-components manufacturer Minda Industries, will partner Japanese multi-national Panasonic for manufacturing automotive batteries in India.The 60:40 joint venture between Panasonic and Minda Industries, is being set up to make batteries and cater to OEMs and as an aftermarket supplier for two-wheeler and passenger vehicle segment.(ETauto.com)

• Daimler and Renault-Nissan said on Friday they would extend a manufacturing alliance to include engines and gearboxes.In a joint press release, Daimler and Renault said the partnership would include an agreement for Renault to supply Daimler with a 1.5 litre four cylinder diesel engine for use in its Mercedes-Benz C-Class.Mercedes in turn will supply its 2 litre four cylinder gasoline engine for use by Nissan's premium brand Infiniti.Nissan has been granted a licence to make Daimler's 9-speed automatic transmission for use in Infiniti vehicles.(financial express)

• Mercedes-Benz has no plans to increase its stake in Aston Martin at present, according to Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche. The two car companies forged a technical partnership last year that resulted in Daimler owning five percent of non-voting shares in Aston Martin. Speaking at the Paris Motor Show, Zetsche said the current five percent stake Mercedes has in Aston is ideal because it “would not be in Aston’s interests to be incorporated into a big corporate organisation, as it would include risk”. (Autocarpro.in)

• US auto giant General Motors on Friday urgently halted deliveries of two 2015 flagship model pickup trucks after discovering a fault in their airbag safety system. The firm is contacting a “small” number of customers who already bought the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado or the GMC Canyon to urge them to bring the cars in for repair as soon as possible.(livemint.com)

•  Foreign investors have been allowed by the RBI to buy up to 45 per cent of the paid-up equity capital in Apollo Tyres."Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)/Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs), through primary market and stock exchanges, can now purchase up to 45 per cent of the paid-up capital ofApollo Tyres Limited under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS)," RBI said in a notification.(ETauto.com)

• Hyundai has showcased two new turbocharged petrol direct injected (T-GDI) engines at the Paris Motor Show including a 1.0-litre triple that will be installed in the new i20 next year. The engines are 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre units which are part of a new generation of engines from the Korean company's Kappa family. The smaller unit is a 998cc triple that's based on Hyundai's existing Kappa 1.0-litre MPI engine, albeit with various enhancements and new technologies, including direct petrol injection and a small, single-scroll turbocharger. Developed at Hyundai's European Technical Centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, can be tuned to produce up to 118bhp and 127lb ft of torque. (Autocarpro.in)

• Setco Automotive's foray into theaftermarket business has helped the clutch supplier offset the loss of revenue from medium and heavy commercial vehicle, or MHCV, makers in one of the longest spells of slowdown in the industry over the past decade.The component maker is the largest clutch supplier to MHCV makers, accounting for 100% requirement of automakers such as Tata Motors, Eicher Volvo and AMW, and nearly 65% of Ashok Leyland's requirement.(ETauto.com)

Automotive Updates - 1st and 2nd October 2014

• Magna International Inc has announced that one of its subsidiaries has signed an agreement to acquire the Techform Group of Companies, an automotive supplier of hinges, door locking rods and other closure products.  The acquisition combines Techform's product technology and processing expertise with Magna Closures' system integration, global footprint and world class manufacturing capabilities. On completion of the transaction, Magna will acquire Techform's facilities located in Penetanguishene, Ontario; Portland, Tennessee; and Hefei, Anhui China. (Autocarpro.in)

• Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMS) fourth manufacturing unit in India is all set to come up in Gujarat. After establishing facilities in Manesar (Haryana), Tapukara (Rajasthan) and Narsapura (Karnataka), this will be their fourth plant in the country. Situated close to Maruti Suzuki plant, HMSI plant in Gujarat will have manufacturing capacities of 1.2 million two wheelers (scooters + motorcycles) per annum. (rushlane.com)

• Maruti Suzuki has recalled 69,555 vehicles due to a potential faulty wiring issue, making it one of their biggest recalls in the country.This recall exercise has been called for around 55,938 units of the old Swift Dzire, 12,486 units of the old Swift and 1,131 units of the Ritz manufactured between March 8, 2010 and August 11, 2013.The company said that this exercise is limited to vehicles within the above specified range and does not pertain to any other vehicle of the company or its exports. (carwale.com)

• The Panasonic Corporation of Japan and the UNO Minda Group have entered into a joint venture to develop, manufacture and sell lead acid storage batteries in India. They will float a new joint venture company to address the growing market for lead acid storage batteries for two- and four-wheeler vehicles, some for mainly for the aftermarket and UPS in India leveraging the knowhow and technology from Panasonic while tapping the mutual customer base.( Autocarpro.in)

• Honda To Invest Rs. 1100 Crores In New Gujarat Two-Wheeler Plant, The new Gujarat plant will attract an investment of Rs. 1100 crores and will churn out 1.02 million two-wheelers every year from the facility.(motorbeam.com)

• Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) and its employees are contributing Rs 2 crore to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund in helping relief and rebuilding efforts for Jammu and Kashmir flood victims.(rushlane.com)

• Mahindra Two Wheelers will begin shipping its first global scooter – the 110cc Gusto – launched in Delhi today within 10 days. It has an introductory price of Rs 43,000 for the Dx variant and Rs 47,000 for the Vx version (all ex-showroom Delhi). The targeted export markets are Nepal, Sri Lanka, Latin America and Africa. The first lot of Gusto scooter exports will kick off with shipments of a few hundred units with total exports constituting 10-12 percent of total sales. (Autocarpro.in)

• Honeywell Aerospace (NYSE: HON) and Tata Power’s Strategic Engineering Division (SED) has signed a licensing agreement to produce Honeywell’s Tactical Advanced Land Inertial Navigator (TALIN) in India.(rushlane.com)

• Petronas has signed up with Maruti Suzuki (MSIL) as their Genuine Lubricant Partner to supply MGDO 5W40 for its diesel vehicles. As a Maruti Genuine Lubricant Partner, Petronas benefits through this partnership. Petronas now gets access to Maruti Suzuki’s sales and service, network in India, which stood at 3,100 service workshops in over 1,445 cities on last count. Petronas’ MGDO 5W40 is being supplied in Bazaar trade. Rest assured, Petronas stands to benefit from MSIL’s outreach owing to its large network in India. (rushlane.com)

• Honeywell Turbo Technologies, a leading developer of automotive turbochargers, sees great promise in the use of turbocharges over the next few years. Global Turbo Forecasts released by the company indicate that the industry will generate $12 billion (Rs 72,000 crores) by way of revenue with equipping 49 million vehicles with turbochargers by the year 2019. (rushlane.com)

Automotive Sales India - September 2014

This report have the details of  following category on the basis of result declared by respective organisation .

- Passenger Vehicle

- Two Wheeler

- Commercial Vehicle

- Tractors

- Three Wheeler

Automotive Updates - 30th September 2014

• Mercedes-Benz India launched its GLA entry-level crossover today. Based on the same platform as the A and B Class hatchbacks, the GLA rivals the likes of the Volvo V40 Cross Country, Audi Q3 and BMW X1. The GLA is available in two versions in India. (Indianautoblogs.com)

• Suprajit Engineering has acquired the speedo cable business from Coimbatore-based Pricol Ltd. In a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange, the company said it executed a business transfer agreement with Pricol for the acquisition on a slump sale basis. The business has annual sales of around Rs 10 crore with major OEMs and aftermarket customers. The company is in the process of transferring the plant and machinery from one of its facilities at Bangalore.(Autocarpro.in)

• Delphi Automotive PLC has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire media connectivity module supplier, Unwired Technology LLC, expanding its data and media connectivity capabilities. Unwired Technology LLC is a market leading designer and supplier of high-speed USB connectivity modules and wireless headphone systems for the global automotive industry. (Autocarpro.in)

• Maruti Suzuki India will recall 69,555 diesel vehicles (55,938 units of the pld Dzire, 12,486 units of the earlier Swift and 1,131 units of the Ritz) manufactured between March 8, 2010 and August 11, 2013. The recall exercise is for inspection and repair of the wiring harness fitment in the specified vehicles and does not pertain to exported vehicles. Maruti Suzuki dealers will contact owners of all the affected vehicles. The dealer workshop technicians will inspect the wiring harness fitment condition and carry out the necessary repairs, free of cost. (Autocarpro.in)

• Honeywell Turbo Technologies, the leading global developer of automotive turbochargers, released its Global Turbo Forecast that estimates the industry will generate $12 billion (Rs 73,692 crore) in revenue by equipping 49 million vehicles with turbochargers annually by 2019. The Honeywell Global Turbo Forecast is a proprietary analysis and estimate of automotive industry trends and is based on comprehensive data received from global vehicle- makers, third-party analysts and industry experts. (Autocarpro.in)

• Japan's Panasonic Corp said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy a 49 per cent stake in Spanish auto-parts maker FicosaInternational SA for an undisclosed amount as part of a "capital and business alliance".In a statement, Panasonic said the companies plan to combine their know-how to accelerate the launch of electronic technologically advanced automotive mirrors that support safe driving.(ETauto.com)

• In an interaction with Takashi Hata, Chairman of Nissan in India, Africa and West Asia, it was revealed that there are some big announcements in store for India. Not only Nissan plans to enter the luxury car market, they also want to get their GT-R sports car to India. For luxury brand Infiniti, they are also mulling plans to commence local production in the country so as to ensure that pricing is competitive. The Indian luxury market as on date is dominated by BMW, Audi and Mercedes and Nissan wants a slice of this pie as well.

• Girnar Software Pvt Ltd, owners of auto portal CarDekho.com, and ibiboGroup have announced an agreement whereby GirnarSoft will acquire Gaadi.com, one of India’s leading auto portals, for an undisclosed amount. With the combined volumes of CarDekho.com and Gaadi.com exceeding 15 million monthly visitors, this transaction positions GirnarSoft as the undisputed #1 player in auto search and lead generation business in India,.(cardekho.com)

• Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), which is yet to make a mark in the two-wheeler space, today launched a new 110-cc scooter 'Gusto' as the homegrown auto major seeks to challenge the supremacy of Japan's Honda in the domestic market.Gusto, priced Rs 43,000 onwards (ex-showroom Delhi), is pitted against Honda Activa, HeroMoto's Maestro and TVS Jupiter.The scooter will be available in the western and northern markets of the country to begin with.(Financialexpress)

• Maruti Suzuki’s new mid-size premium sedan, the Ciaz, will be launched in India on October 6. This car was unveiled at the Auto Expo in February this year and will be the SX4 replacement. (carwale.com)

image from livemint.com and nissan - magazine