50,000 BharatBenz trucks on Indian roads

BharatBenz celebrates an important milestone with the customer handover of its 50,000^thtruck, which marks an unprecedented ramp-up in the Indian commercial vehicle industry. The vehicle, a 4928 TT tractor from the all-new BharatBenz heavy-duty range, was presented at a regional brand event in Hyderabad.

Commenting on the achievement, Mr. Erich Nesselhauf, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles said: “50,000 truck sales in less than five years - no other new market entrant in India has achieved this before. BharatBenz is today firmly established in the world’s toughest CV market and will continue to push the industry limits in terms of safety features, environmental friendliness and fuel economy.”

Mr. Rajaram Krishnamurthy, Vice President of Sales & Marketing added: “We have seen a very positive growth momentum following the introduction of the new BS-IV standard, and we aim to further capitalize on this. Customers understand our superior BS-IV solution based on proven SCR technology. They also clearly appreciate the host of additional features that our new BharatBenz heavy-duty range offers, true to our ‘Profit Technology’ tagline.”

BharatBenz – made in India, made for India

The BharatBenz brand is customer-tailored for the Indian market and its demanding customer requirements by Daimler AG, the world’s leading CV manufacturer with a global reach. First unveiled in February 2011, it celebrated its market launch in September 2012. Soon featuring a full-fledged product portfolio in the medium- and heavy-duty segments, the brand crossed the first major milestone of 10,000 units in April 2014 and has further accelerated its growth from there. With the refresh of the medium-duty range in 2016 and the all-new heavy-duty range in 2017, BharatBenz updated its entire truck portfolio within a short span to give customers even more value for their money. BharatBenz products are sold and serviced through a pan-Indian network of more than 130 touchpoints which is continuously expanded further also beyond the tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

Siemens signs MOU to establish Centers of Excellence across Karnataka

Bengaluru, 2017-Jun-09

Memorandum of Understanding with Government Tool Room and Training Center (GTTC), Government of Karnataka and DesignTech Systems Limited. Partnership paves way for a world-class integrated skill development infrastructure and  benchmarked technical education curriculum.

Siemens Industry Software India Pvt. Ltd, 100% owned subsidiary of Siemens PLM Software, USA, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Government Tool Room and Training Center (Government of Karnataka) and DesignTech Systems Limited to establish four Centers of Excellence across Karnataka. Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software offerings form crucial components of the integrated technology solutions provided by Siemens in India in the space of automation and digitalization.

The partnership paves the way for a world-class integrated skill development infrastructure and benchmarked technical education curriculum with core focus on Industry 4.0, Automation, Mechatronics and Internet of Things (IOT) infrastructure. The four COEs will address diverse industry segments like Automotive, Industrial machinery, Industrial automation, Renewable Energy and Aerospace and Defense.

DesignTech Systems Limited is the execution partner for the four Centers of Excellence and will run the centers for the first two years and continue to provide support for the third year.​

“With Indian industry increasingly adopting automation and digitalization, it also requires a highly-skilled workforce trained in future-ready technologies and processes. Siemens is committed to supporting the Indian economy to enable it to gain competitive advantage by improving its efficiency, productivity, quality and speed. The MoU is yet another step in this journey of modernization,” said Sunil Mathur, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Limited.

Suman Bose, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Industry Software India Pvt. Ltd, present on the day of agreement signing, said, “We aim to build sustainable communities by leveraging Siemens’ competencies and solutions. The collaboration aims to train students on relevant industry processes and help create industry-ready trained personnel. This industry-readiness and relevance of skills is expected to foster further industrial development in the state of Karnataka.”

The COEs are unique in their ability as they anticipate being able to stitch together the virtual world of engineering and manufacturing simulation with the physical world of product development, manufacturing and the Internet of things (IoT). The COEs will be equipped with the latest PLM software solutions from Siemens, such as NX™ software for digital product design and engineering, Teamcenter® software for digital lifecycle management and the Tecnomatix® portfolio for digital manufacturing. They will also feature state-of-the-art industrial automation equipment from Siemens, as well as the latest computer numerical controllers (CNC), programmable logic controllers (PLC), and state of the art manufacturing machinery including CNC milling and turning machines, industrial application robotics cells, Renewable (Solar/Wind) Energy Training System, Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM), Quality Assurance Tools and Gages, and rapid prototyping machines. Each of the COEs will have ten fully equipped laboratories staffed with instructors trained and certified by Siemens.

NISSAN’S INNOVATIVE CAR FOAM WASH SAVES 6.1 MILLION LITRES OF WATER IN INDIA

Nissan in India has conserved 6.1 million litres of water over the past three years by using an innovative car wash technique. The substantial water savings were achieved thanks to Nissan’s advanced Foam Wash technique to clean cars at its service centres across India, and underlines the company’s commitment to deliver sustainable mobility to customers and society. 

Car washes at service centres are a major component of after sales and servicing of customers’ vehicles which require a large amount of water. Traditional car washes generally require around 160 litres of water to clean one car. The Foam Wash technique, introduced in 2014 at Nissan service centres, uses only 90 litres of water per car which reduces water consumption by 45 percent. The amount of water saved by the company is equivalent to the water consumption of around 25,000 households in India for one day. 

Commenting on this eco-friendly achievement, Sanjeev Aggarwal, VP- After Sales, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Nissan always aims to deliver innovative and best-in-class sales and after sales service to its customers. Using the foam wash technique for our customers’ cars saves their time and a significant amount of water. That’s a winning combination for both Nissan and Datsun customers and for the environment.”

International Experts Congratulate Indian Government On Key Road Safety Bill

Indian and International experts came together to applaud the progress the government of India has made in improving road safety and collaborate on ideas for the best way forward, based on lessons learned from around the world following the monumental passage of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2017 in Lok Sabha in the April session of Parliament.

During the Round Table discussion held in Mumbai, international experts lauded the Government’s commitment to passage of strong road safety legislation in the Parliament, while encouraging continued efforts towards passage and implementation of the Bill. Kelly Larson, Program Director at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said, “The passage of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha is a big step forward for road safety in India. The international road safety community congratulates the Government and calls for immediate passage of this life saving bill in Rajya Sabha.”

The participants universally agreed that the Bill represents a significant accomplishment towards safer Indian roads across various aspects of road safety, while also highlighting specific policy gaps that still needed to be addressed to bring it in line with international best practices. The CEO of the Global Road Safety Partnership, David Cliff, stated, “The Global Road Safety Partnership applauds the passage of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill by the Lok Sabha and hopes that the Rajya Sabha will also pass the Bill in the next session of the Parliament.  The Bill reflects significant improvements to the provisions of road safety in the existing law.  Strengthening the provisions for regulating road users’ behaviors will contribute to the reduction of road traffic deaths and injuries in India.”

Members of the international community in attendance also commended the Indian government’s innovation in addressing the problem of road traffic injuries and fatalities. “It is very encouraging to see the Indian Government apply UN crash test standards to new models in October this year and all cars in production by October 2018. This is a huge step forward in passenger car safety in India. It is impressive also to see the Government mandating anti-lock brakes in motorcycles. More progress is needed and we hope that India will now plan to make electronic stability control mandatory for new cars, buses and lorries by 2020,” said Jess Truong, Programmes Director & Asia Pacific Coordinator at Global New Car Assessment Programme.

Global Road Safety Lead, Soames Job of the World Bank also recognized the government’s ownership and multi-sectoral approach to the safety of its citizens on the road, adding, “The World Bank believes that the passing of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016 by the Lok Sabha is an important step towards addressing the enormous challenge of the road safety being faced by India. The effort from the government has been enormous. In order to achieve the intended outcomes of this effort to reduce fatalities on Indian roads, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and State Governments need to develop a joint strategy and implement a time bound action plan.”

Given that Indian roads witness over 5 lakh road accidents each year resulting in 1.46 lakh fatalities, The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2017 is an important step towards strengthening the legal framework for improving road safety in India. In addition to the staggering loss of life and enormous trauma for injury victims and their families, road accidents also result in an estimated 3% loss in the GDP. The Bill closes major gaps in the legislative framework that governs road safety in the country by amending the 28-year-old Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (MVA). The next step in the legislative process is passage of the amended Bill in the Rajya Sabha during the upcoming August session. As a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration, this is also a huge step forward for India in working towards its commitments to halving the injuries and fatalities in India by 2020.

The roundtable was jointly organized by the Road Safety Network consisting of organizations working on road safety, and committed to continued partnership with the government in the implementation phase.

Tata Motors resolves Long-Term Wage Settlement issue in Sanand

The long-term wage settlement (LTS) between the Tata Motors Sanand Union and Tata Motors was amicably agreed upon and has been signed today for a period of 5 years, w.e.f October 2015 to September 2020.

The total wage package allotted is Rs. 16,000/- and will be spread across the LTS term uniformly. In addition to the amount, the company has also introduced a performance linked payment, which is accounted as 10% of total salary and will be linked to productivity, quality & safety. This new measurement of performance has been well received by workmen. The Annual Bonus linked to performance covering all permanent workers was also agreed upon.

Additionally, other benefits like Transport and Canteen facilities and various other facilities, like rationalization of leave rules and block closure days up to 24 days per year were mutually agreed.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gajendra Chandel, Chief Human Resource Officer, "Tata Motors shares cordial working relationships with workers and members of its internal Union. We have strived to resolve the LTS issue and today are delighted to have resolved the matter for a long term, ensuring our business operations’ competitiveness on one hand and taking care of the well-being of our shop-floor colleagues on the other. I would like to thank all the workers for their incessant support. They have been very co-operative and have supported the Company at all times. Moreover, the Union which has been recently formed, is very supportive in ensuring workmen derive maximum benefits through this wage settlement. In the true spirit of the Tata culture, I personally urge all the workers to follow suit."

Honda Cars India Ltd. grow 13% in May 2017

New Delhi, June 1^st, 2017 Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of passenger cars in India, registered monthly domestic sales of 11,278 units in May 2017 against 9,954 units in corresponding month last year, registering a growth of 13.3%. The company continues to receive strong demand for the new City and WR-V. 
Mr. Yoichiro Ueno, President and CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd. said “We are happy to have achieved positive growth in May sales. We continue to receive strong demand for New City and Honda WR-V. The government’s plan for timely rollout of GST & a better monsoon forecast will aid in sales growth in coming months.” 
HCIL also exported a total of 498 units during May 2017.

Model wise sales break-up for May 2017:
Brio	378
Jazz	1,818
Amaze	1,323
City	4,046
WR-V	2,814
BR-V	870
CR-V	29
Domestic Total	11,278
Exports	498
Grand Total	11,776

SsangYong Motor Posts Profits during 2016 Q1-Q3 with Highest Sales Volume in 14 Years

• Company reports profits during 2016 Q1-Q3, with sales and revenue growth of 7.5% and 8.8% respectively
• Domestic sales (highest in 12 years) and exports (largest in 7 quarters) contribute to highest sales performance for first three quarters since 2002
• Company expects to turn to profit this year by increasing sales of upgraded models and operating efficient production system

Seoul, S. Korea, October 19, 2016: SsangYong Motor Company(CEO Choi Johng-sik; www.smotor.com), part of the Mahindra Group, today announced that for three cumulative quarters of this year from January to September 2016, the company has recorded sales of 111,683 units, revenue of 2.6279 trillion won, operating profit of 20 billion won and a net profit of 23 billion won.

This performance (through the end of Q3) was supported by the strong global sales of the Tivoli brand models, which grew by 39.7% year-on-year. YTD sales and revenue rose by 7.5% and 8.8% year-on-year respectively, resulting in the highest sales performance in 14 years. This is the first time in 9 years since 2007 that the company reports a profit during this period.

In the first three quarters of 2016, its domestic sales recorded 73,929 units with an increase of 6.8% year-on-year. These are the highest domestic sales in 12 years since 2004 (75,669 units) supported by the popularity of the Tivoli brand models which are growing at 37.6%. Its domestic sales performance has been improving for seven consecutive years.

In Q3 2016, SsangYong's exports achieved the highest quarterly sales in 7 quarters since Q4 2014 (15,278 units) thanks to expanding export of the Tivoli brand models. The company's January-September 2016 sales grew by 9% over the same period last year showing a healthy sales uptrend.

SsangYong posted a net profit for four consecutive quarters from Q4 2015 to Q3 2016 based on strong sales growth. It resulted in 20 billion won of operating profit and 23 billion won of net profit in the first three quarters of this year, indicating a steady turnaround since Q4 2015.

In Q3 2016, the company posted sales of 37,106 cars, revenue of 850.8 billion won, operating loss of 7.3 billion won and a net profit of 2.7 billion won.

Overall, Ssangyong's business performance and major indices such as sales, revenue and profit & loss are continuously showing an improvement since the turn to profit in Q4 2015.

The upgraded models including the Korando Sports 2.2, launched in Q3 with a stronger powertrain, as well as the 2017 Tivoli featuring high-tech safety technologies have just started to be sold globally, and the company expects to further sales growth in Q4 2016.

Choi Johng-sik, CEO of SsangYong Motor Company, commented, "Despite economic uncertainties including the depression in the emerging markets as well as domestic market, and the unstable exchange rate, the Tivoli brand continues to grow which helps the Company maintain its profitable trend," adding, "We will achieve a profitable year with strong sales of the face-lifted models and a more efficient production system."

2016 Q3 Sales

(in units)

	2016		2015		Yoy(%)
	Q3	YTD	Q3	YTD	Q3	YTD
Sales Valume	37,106	111,683	34,074	103,874	8.9%	7.5%
Domestic	23,233	73,929	23,833	69,243	-2.5%	6.8%
Export	13,873	37,754	10,241	34,631	35.5%	9.0%
(Full-CKD)	-	90	(1)	(223)	-100.0%	-59.6%

2016 Q3 P&L

(unit : billion won)

	2016		2015		Yoy(%)
	Q3	YTD	Q3	YTD	Q3	YTD
Revenue	850.8	2,627.9	819.5	2,415.3	3.8%	8.8%
Operating income(loss)	-7.3	20.0	-3.6	-57.7	Expanded loss	Turn to profit
PBT (loss)	2.7	23.0	-27.1	-81.1	Turn to profit
Net profit (loss)	2.7	23.0	-27.1	-81.1	Turn to profit

* Based on consolidated financial statement

2016 Quartlerly Sales and P&L

(unit : unit/bil. won)

Q1		Q1	Q2	Q3
Sales		33,666	40,911	37,106
P&L	Revenue	813.2	964.0	850.8
	Operating income(loss)	8.1	19.3	-7.3
	PBT	2.4	18.0	2.7
	Net profit	2.3	18.0	2.7

Vehicle manufacturers will have to give details about the emission and noise levels of each vehicle they produce

Come 1st of April 2017, manufacturers of all kinds of motor vehicles as also E-rickshaws and E-carts will have to give detailed declaration about the emission levels of the vehicle they have manufactured. Through a recent notification, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has amended Form 22 under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, through which manufacturers provide the Initial Certificate of Compliance with Pollution Standards, Safety Standards of Components Quality and Road –Worthiness certificate for all vehicles. Earlier, Form 22 only certified that the vehicle in question complied with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and rules there under, including the relevant emission norms – Bharat Stage I/II/III etc.

From 1st April, 2017 however, the vehicle manufacturers will have to provide emission details for each vehicle in the revised Form 22 . The Form will include the brand, chassis number, engine number (motor number, in case of battery operated vehicles) and emission norms – Bharat Stage - IV / VI /Bharat (Trem) Stage-III/III etc of the vehicle and specify the levels of each pollutant like carbon monoxide, hydro carbon, non-methane HC, NOx, HC + NOx, PM etc for petrol and diesel vehicles and also sound level for horn and pass by noise values. The amended rules will apply to all vehicles run on petrol, CNG, LPG, electric, diesel and hybrid, including agricultural and construction vehicles, as well as E-rickshaws and E-carts. Form 22 will be issued with the signature of the manufacturer. In the case of E-rickshaws and E-carts, this Form will be issued with the signature of an authorized signatory of registered E-rickshaw or E-cart association. 

Hyundai Motor Company Opens New Plant in Cangzhou, China

Hyundai Motor Company Opens New Plant in Cangzhou, China 

 

• Cangzhou Plant is Hyundai Motor Company’s fourth manufacturing facility in China and has an annual capacity of 300,000 units

• Hyundai Motor Company aims to seize the initiative in China with its ‘New Plant, New Model and New Strategy’ approach

• Chinese strategic model ‘Verna Yuena’ to be produced at Cangzhou to expand market share further

• Cangzhou Plant creates 6,000 new jobs, benefitting the local community

                                                                  

October 18, 2016 - Hyundai Motor Company has opened its fourth manufacturing plant in China in the strategically-important city of Cangzhou in north eastern China. The new plant, Beijing Hyundai Motor Company Cangzhou Branch, has an annual capacity of 300,000 units.

 

At the plant’s opening, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-Koo looked ahead to a 10 million cumulative sales target for the company in China, declaring a new vision and greater resolve for Hyundai Motor in the country. Chairman Chung said, “Completion of our Cangzhou Plant is the foundation that enables Hyundai Motor to make a new leap forward in China. Together, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors can now produce up to 2.4 million cars annually in China with plants in operation at eight strategic Chinese sites.”

 

The opening of the Cangzhou manufacturing plant coincides with Hyundai Motor’s 14^th year of operation in China after it started exporting automobiles as Bejing Hyundai Motor Company (BHMC) on October 18, 2002. Recording exponential growth every year, BHMC achieved cumulative sales of eight million units in August 2015.

 

New Plant – ‘Cangzhou Plant’

By opening its new plant, Hyundai Motor Company sets out to seize the initiative in the incrementally-competitive Chinese market with its ‘New Plant, New Model and New Strategy’ initiative. Cangzhou Plant begins operations just four years after Hyundai Motor’s third plant opened in Beijing in 2012. Cangzhou Plant’s competitive edge lies in its strategic location. It is situated only 200km southeast of Beijing, aligned with existing parts suppliers and Tianjin Port, Hyundai Motor’s logistics base.

 

Built on a 1.92 million square meter site, with a floor space of 250,000 square meters, Cangzhou Plant is fully equipped with press, body, paint and assembly lines, in addition to an engine plant. The facility’s initial capacity of 200,000 units will manufacture strategically important small cars. It will expand to its maximum capacity of 300,000 units by 2018.

 

A smart and environmentally-friendly plant, Hyundai Motor’s Cangzhou facility uses the latest automation facilities in press, body, paint and assembly, as part of a flexible production system to ensure maximum efficiency and capacity utilization. In particular, the body line features a 100% fully-automated system that utilizes 299 robots. Also, Cangzhou Plant will implement a comprehensive recycling system, including recycling gas emissions, water and waste.

 

New Model – ‘Verna Yuena’

At the Cangzhou Plant opening ceremony, Hyundai Motor unveiled Verna Yuena, the first model to be produced at new plant. Displaying Hyundai Motor’s determination to penetrate the Chinese market further, Verna Yuena is a strategic model designed after careful consideration of the needs of Chinese customers.

 

Verna Yuena was developed specifically to satisfy the demands of Chinese customers as a smart urban family sedan that competes successfully in this price-sensitive sector. Its concept was first introduced at the 2016 Beijing Motor Show boating dynamic and refined design, the greatest interior space in the segment, plus the latest safety and convenience features.

 

Verna Yuena’s exterior design features Hyundai Motor’s ‘Modern Elegance’ approach with dynamic and refined styling, a large hexagonal grill, and ample interior space. The Cangzhou Plant will produce the new model with a choice of two engines, a 1.6-litre, 120ps unit and a 1.4-litre with 100ps. Verna Yuena comes with latest safety technology, including VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) and also latest convenience feature such as band type smart key ‘H-Band’, smart trunk, heated front row seats, and a sunroof. Verna Yuena will also fully support Apple CarPlay and Baidu CarLife.

 

New Strategy – ‘Blue Melody’

Hyundai Motor also announced its future strategy in China under the name ‘Blue Melody’. Encompassing Hyundai Motor’s future direction, the name Blue Melody takes the first letters of Hyundai Motor’s ‘Blue’-branded products and services: Blue Ecommerce, Blue Link, Blue Outlet, Blue Drive and Blue Youth.

 

The Blue Melody strategy focuses on customer satisfaction through systematic customer management and differentiated service. Through Blue Ecommerce, Hyundai Motor will utilize big data to enhance convenience for customers by establishing an integrated customer-tailored platform as part of its digital marketing.

 

In addition, Blue Link provides a new customer experience by applying Apple CarPlay and Baidu CarLife on Hyundai Motor flagship models. With Blue Outlet, Hyundai Motor will continue to enhance its sales competitiveness in key regions across China.

 

Blue Drive continues its proven success in enhancing competitiveness of eco-friendly cars especially in China where competition is intensifying in this key area of focus. Last but not least, Blue Youth strives to improve the company’s brand image by providing creative experiences for people in their 20s and 30s in China.