Automotive Updates - 12th September 2014

• General Motors CEO Mary Barra concluded a three-day fact-finding visit to India yesterday, where she met with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and key stakeholders throughout the country. “India represents a great opportunity for Chevrolet,” Barra said. “With a relatively small vehicle population and rapidly growing, young middle class, India is expected to become one of the world’s three largest markets by 2020. “GM is working to better understand the Indian market so we can give Indian customers what they deserve – safe, high-quality Chevrolet vehicles with exceptional designs that exceed expectations.” (autocarpro.in)

image from team-bhp.com

• As part of her first visit to India, between September 9-11, GM’s CEO, Mary Barra, visited the Talegaon plant to roll out the first ever export car. The car in question is the Chevrolet Beat, which will be made in LHD (left hand drive) specification for export to the Chilean market.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Honda Cars India has initiated the process to acquire land in Gujarat to come up with its third manufacturing plant in the country.The auto company, which currently has two manufacturing plants at Greater Noida and Tapukara, is also looking to start a second shift at the Tapukara facility.(businesstoday)

• Ford Motor Co plans to launch four new car models in India and is looking to increase the amount of locally-made parts to reduce the cost of its vehicles sold in the country, the head of its local unit said on Friday. Ford’s sales in India have increased 9.5% to 84,469 vehicles in the fiscal year that ended on 31 March, pushing up its market share to 3.4% from 2.9% a year ago, industry data showed.(livemint.com)

• Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) today said the operationalisation of its fourth plant in Gujarat will be delayed by about a quarter and will start production in the beginning of 2016."Due to the elections earlier this year, there has been a delay in the start of work at the Gujarat plant. We expect to start production at the plant in first quarter of 2016 instead of last quarter of 2015 as planned earlier," HMSI Keita Muramatsu told PTI here on the sidelines of SIAM annual convention.(ETauto.com)

• Country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India plans to roll out its light commercial vehicles (LCV) project on a limited scale, a top company executive said today."We will begin the LCV project on a very limited scale and take the initiative forward by understanding the marketing and sales experience. We will slowly roll out it as we do not want to rush into it. The commercial vehicle sector is a new sector for us," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Chairman R C Bhargava said on the sidelines of SIAM Annual Convention.(financialexpress.com)

• Suzuki Motorcycles India is developing four new products, including a 100cc motorcycle, which would be rolled out over the next two years. The models in question are two scooters and two motorcycles which are currently being developed at the their headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan. Following the trend these days, the company also plans to make India a manufacturing hub for motorcycles, which would be exported to countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, apart from neighboring countries.(motoroids.com)

• Tata Motors launched Zest sedan with a lot of expectations, hoping that this new compact sedan will contribute positively to the brand’s current market share of 6%. Many considering Zest to be Tata’s make or break product, it seems that Tata is on the right path with the new Zest. Post launch, Tata Motors revealed that the Zest has received over 10,000 bookings, and thus an order pipeline for two months.Launched on 12th August, Tata Motors retailed 2671 units of Zest in the month of August. The company expects to see even more sales over the upcoming festive season and company dealers have already noted increased footfalls into company showrooms.(rushlane.com)

• German luxurious car maker Audi has added a new variant codenamed as Dynamic in one of its best selling SUV’s Q3 and has priced it Rs. 38.4 lakh (ex-showroom price in Mumbai). The newly added variant would be now the top end version of Q3 and which has received some contemporary cosmetic changes so as to place tough competition to upcoming Mercedes Benz GLA. The major features offered in new Audi Q3 Dynamic are 17 inch alloy wheels, panoramic sunroof, Audi Drive Select and Dynamic comfort suspension system, clear lens tail lamps and few more to list. Apart from the new Q3 Dynamic has been offered three passionate colors including mythos black, florett silver and monsoon grey.  (carkhabri.com)

• The Volkswagen Group is moving towards becoming the largest car maker in the world. They are only marginally behind Toyota now and have recorded a further rise in deliveries in the period to August, handing over 6.52 (January-August 2013: 6.17; +5.6 percent)* million vehicles to customers. Developments during the month of August were also positive, with the company delivering 740,500 (August 2013: 720,900; +2.7 percent)* units worldwide.(motoroids.com)

Automotive Updates - 11th September 2014

• Mercedes-Benz India today launched the top-end Mercedes E350 CDI variant at the Pune plant for a price of INR 57.42 lakhs (ex-showroom, Pune) . The E Class is India’s best selling luxury saloon with over 25,000 units delivered. The E350, like other variants in its brand, is assembled in India. It is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine that outputs 261.4 bhp and 620 Nm of torque, with a 0-100 kph time of 6.6 seconds. The car is driven via a 7-speed (7G-TRONIC) automatic gearbox..(indianautoblogs.com)

• German luxury car maker Audi today launched Audi Q3 Dynamic with Audi drive select in the Indian market priced at Rs 38,40,000 (ex-showroom Mumbai). The Audi Q3 is the largest selling luxury SUV in India and this new addition will further strengthen the brand's dominance in the luxury SUV segment, the company said in a statement. (economicstimes.com)

• General Motors Co plans to launch 40 new cars in India and in other international markets excluding China, north America and Europe, Chief Executive Mary Barra said on Thursday.The U.S. carmaker "sees a lot of opportunities in India from a market perspective," Barra told reporters in the Indian capital. The company has started exporting cars from India to Chile, she added.(financialexpress.com)

• Swedish commercial vehicle major Scania has got orders to supply 300 buses in India.   According to Anders Grundstromer, managing director of Scania Commercial Vehicles India (SVCI) and senior vice-president, Scania Group, said the company has so far supplied 38 Scania Metrolink coach buses in India, primarily in South and Western region like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. (autocarpro.in)

• Auto-parts maker Visteon Corp is exploring a plan to split into two companies focused on electronics and climate controls, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Visteon, once a part of Ford Motor Co may consider selling or spinning off the electronics business, the report said.(ETauto.com)

• Expressing confidence for M&M's growth prospects, Pawan Goenka told ET Now that the automobile major will launch two Compact Utility Vehicle platforms and one Commercial vehicle platform next year. "We have several refreshes happening over the next 15 months. We are counting on the three primary new platforms that we are launching next year to give us much higher volume growth than that seen in the last 12 to 18 months," Goenka told ET Now. (economicstimes.com)

• Being a huge name in the passenger sector, it was a bold step on the part of Maruti to launch itself in the commercial vehicle segment. It has been developing Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) with the codename Y9T, which will be the first launch of the brand in this segment. This machine will be powered by a new diesel engine and will be launched by the end of this financial year. However, some issues might have cropped up during the launch of this product and Maruti has decided to delay the process. If things are exactly the same as it seems, the product will be launched in the market by the next financial year.(cartrade.com)

• A while ago Competition Commission of India (CCI) had imposed a heavy total penalty amount of about Rs. 2,545 crore on 14 popular car brands in India stating ignorance of these car-makers to make available genuine spare markets in the open market. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has opposed this decision and indeed have stated that government department work with narrow mandates and work in isolation.(cartrade.com)

• Tata Technologies today announced Warren Harris  will be promoted to CEO and managing director. Harris, formerly the company’s president and COO, succeeds the retiring Patrick McGoldrick, who spent over 20 years leading the global engineering services and product development company. McGoldrick is retiring at age 65 as per Tata group policy. (autocarpro.in)

• Suzuki might discontinue the Grand Vitara and the Alto in the European markets. A report in a publication claims that this might happen by year end.  While it is certain that the Alto will be replaced by the new Celerio when it goes on sale in Europe, replacement for the Grand Vitara is not yet confirmed. The report also claims that Suzuki has nothing in the pipeline to replace the Grand Vitara with. This also means that Suzuki will concentrate more on the SX4 S-Cross. (carwale.com)

•  Auto major Tata Motors has joined hands with UK-based Microlise to launch advanced telematics and fleet management services in the Indian market.Under the partnership, which is for an initial period of five years, both sides intend to utilise their respective strengths to deliver services through Tata Fleetman platform, a vehicle management and tracking system, which the Mumbai-based auto major had launched in 2012.(ETauto.com)

• On September 9, Ashok Leyland rolled out the 100,000th vehicle from its facility at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. Housing the latest technology and processes, this fully-integrated plant which was set up in 2010 manufactures trucks and buses. Spread over 200 acres of land and with an annual capacity of 70,000 vehicles, the plant also produces aggregates such as engines, gearboxes and axles. (autocarpro.in)

image from mlive.com

Automotive Update - 10th September 2014

• Suzuki Motorcycle India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, plans to double its production capacity to 1 million units in three years and launch new scooters to tap fast-growing demand in the segment, a top company executive said.(ETauto.com)

• Rajkot-based three-wheel manufacturer Atul Auto is in process of acquiring land to build a greenfield facility near Ahmedabad. The company has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange in a filing that it is ‘looking at the upward movement of business growth and exploring various options for capacity expansion’. As part of expansion strategy, it has identified approximately 70 acres of agriculture land near Bavla, of which it has acquired 35 acres. (autocarpro.in)

• Updating its SUV for the 2014 model year, Skoda has launched the 2014 Yeti facelift in India, priced from Rs. 18.99 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi), making it much more expensive than the outgoing model (around Rs. 2 lakhs dearer). The very capable crossover gets a cosmetic makeover on the outside, while the cabin is now loaded with much more equipment that makes this SUV a bit more fun. (motorbeam.com)

• Valvoline Cummins Ltd. (VCL), a joint venture between Ashland Inc. and Cummins India Limited, today announced the opening of its new laboratories for R&D and Product Development along with a training facility, at its Ambernath plant, close to Mumbai.The new R&D facility is integrated with the Valvoline Global R&D facility at Lexington, Kentucky, USA. This facility will undertake research and development for futuristic products and technologies. (ETauto.com)

• Chung Mong-koo, Global Chief of Hyundai Motors Group is on a three day visit to India. Chung Mong-koo arrived in India on Saturday night and was accompanied by a 14 member group from the Korean company that consists largely of technical experts.(rushlane.com)

• Renault India Pvt. Ltd. today announced the appointment of Rafael Treguer, as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Renault India. Treguer brings with him more than 20 years of international experience within the Renault group.(motortrend.com)

• According to a report in Economic Times, the country’s UV leader Mahindra is preparing itself to launch three sub-4 metre SUVs in the 18-24 months. It’s already known that the Ford EcoSport rivaling Mahindra S101 which is testing extensively is due next year. The second product would be the next gen Bolero codenamed U301 which also has been spotted on test quite a number of times in Chennai. ET reports that the third mini SUV is the facelifted Quanto codenamed U215 which is currently undergoing a design overhaul at the company’s Italian design centre.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Two-wheeler maker TVS Motor Company has appointed Sudarshan Venu as its joint managing director with immediate effect.24-year-old Sudarshan Venu is the only son of Venu Srinivasan, chairman and managing director of TVS Motor, and Mallika Srinivasan. He was a whole time director with the company. (ETauto.com)

Automotive Updates - 9th September 2014

• Hinduja Group flagship firm Ashok Leyland  has received orders for around 4,000 buses from State Transport Undertakings valued at Rs 1,500 crore. A total of 22 State Transport Undertakings (STUs) across the country including Calcutta State Transport Corporation, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation and Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation have placed large orders for the buses, Ashok Leyland said in a filing to BSE. (economicstimes.com)

• Suzuki Motorcycle India which launched its 155cc Gixxer motorcycle in New Delhi hopes to get 80 percent of its sales from tier 1 towns, Atul Gupta, executive VP, SMIPL told Autocar Professional. Gupta said he is confident that the bike will rack up sales of 50,000 units within six months. The company has already received 1000 bookings with a majority coming from South. In September-October festive season, Suzuki hopes the Gixxer will bring in 12,000 units. (autocarpro.in)

• The KTM RC390, arguably the most anticipated motorcycle in recent times, has been launched in India at INR 2.05 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi). The price is introductory.Based on the Duke 390, the fully faired RC390 is propelled by the same belligerent 372.3 cc single-cylinder fuel injected engine which impresses with 42.9 bhp and 35 Nm of torque on tap. The gearbox is a 6-speed unit. (indianautoblogs.com) 

• Mahindra & Mahindra is lining up three major offerings in the compact sport-utility-vehicle segment for launch over the next 18-24 months, as it aims to reclaim space lost to the Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster over the past couple of years.All the three vehicles will be less than four metres long, a segment that industry experts say is going to be a key driver of passenger vehicle sales and where M&M has only a limited presence. (economicstimes.com)

• British luxury carmaker, Jaguar has unveiled the XE, its smallest sedan yet, in London. The XE slots below the XF in Jaguar's model line-up and competes with the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class. The XE follows the same design language as other Jaguar sedans. The front fascia is similar to the XF and XJ with a similarly styled grille and headlamps with "J-Blade" day-time running lights.(teambhp.com)

• J.D. Power Asia Pacific’s 2014 India Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study indicate that Toyota has achieved the highest score of 866. New car buyers have rated Toyota well across all factors – delivery process, delivery timing, salespeople, sales initiation, dealer facility and paperwork.(motortrend.in)

• KTM Motorcycle has drawn its mid-term plan, which aims at annual sales of 2,50,000 motorcycles globally by 2020. Of that number, Bajaj Auto’s Chakan facility, where KTM bikes are currently manufactured will contribute 1,00,000 units for that year, or a significant 40 percent On the sidelines of rolling out the KTM RC 200 and RC 390 bikes in Pune, Stefan Pierer, CEO, KTM Sportmotorcycle AG said “We aim to sell 1,40,000 bikes globally in 2014, against the total sales of 1,23,859 units last year (2013). Our EBIT margin stood at 7.7 percent last year and we expect that it will touch 9 percent this year.” (Autocarpro.in)

• The Tata Xenon for the Australian market has received a 2015 model year update which sees the double cab variant garner a more than respectable four-star safety rating (out of a maximum five stars) at the ANCAP (Australian New Car Assessment Program) crash test.(indianautoblogs.com)

• The Mahindra Group today announced a donation of Rs. 2 crores to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to aid in ongoing disaster relief operations in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.(Motoroids.com)

Automotive Updates - 8th September 2014

• The government is expected to provide tax incentives to units in special economic zones (SEZs) which are mainly into manufacturing activities, a move which will help in attracting investments in the zones.Export promotion body for special economic zones has asked the Finance Ministry to roll back or reduce the minimum alternate tax (MAT) and dividend distribution tax (DDT) on SEZs. (ETauto.com)

• Maruti Suzuki has two huge production facilities in Manesar and Gurgaon, Haryana. The company is in the process of developing a new R&D and testing centre in Rohtak in the same state. The huge facility will be built over an area of 600 acres and it was expected that the testing centre will be functional by 2015. However, the R&D centre has hit a roadblock and currently the facility is stalled. According to the Environment and Forest Minister from the previous government, any industry that wanted to construct a premise of over 20,000 sq.metres was required to seek an environmental clearance.(motorbeam.com)

• Mahindra & Mahindra is looking to strengthen its global presence even as its sales have been shrinking in the local market, and industry experts say alliances with global auto majors could play a key role. The Mumbai-based company is working out a joint entry strategy in key markets with Korean unit Ssangyong Motor and exploring alliance opportunities with Swedish carmaker Saab and Peugeot Citroen of France, people in the know said. (economicstimes.com)

• Yamaha Motor India Sales today launched its two new models to comprise its very successful FZ Series in the city.The company is selling around 18,000 units per month of the FZ series making it the second largest selling brand in the deluxe segment. With the launch of these two variants, it expects to increase the sales around 24,000 units per month, a company release said. (ETauto.com)

• Back in April this year, the news was revealed that Volkswagen is planning to set up its first car plant in Thailand. Now, a German magazine reveals that this new Thailand plant will be built at an investment of €1 billion (Rs 7,797 cr or $ 1.29 billion).(rushlane.com)

• Auto components firm Bharat Forge has sold 50 per cent stake in its joint venture company Impact Automotive Solutions Ltd for Rs 10.80 crore."The company has divested its 50 per cent stake in Impact Automotive Solutions Ltd," Bharat Forge said in a BSE filing today.(ETauto.com)

• Spy photographers have caught the Suzuki Baleno/Maruti YRA hatchback undergoing preliminary testing, further confirming that Suzuki is indeed working on a brand new vehicle. The upcoming hatchback will sit above the regional-favorite Swift, and will compete with new rivals like the 2015 Hyundai Elite i20 and the 2014 Honda Jazz/Fit.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Volvo’s first vehicle to be sold online - the XC90 First Edition was sold out in just 47 hours after going on sale in a few international markets. About 1927 personalised models of the Volvo XC90 First Edition were created to celebrate the launch of the SUV.It is said that majority of the cars were sold within an hour which works to about seven cars being sold every minute at peak time. “The huge interest in the XC90 escalated to astronomical levels after the world premiere last week,” said Volvo’s sales and marketing chief Alain Visser.(carwale.com)

image from hemantmishra.in and carwale.com

Automotive Updates - 6th and 7th September 2014

• Tractor maker Sonalika Group is investing Rs 500 crore to more than double production capacity of its plant at Hoshiarpur in Punjab to 2 lakh units annually. Sonalika Group Vice-Chairman A S Mittal said currently the plant in Hoshiarpur has a capacity to produce 90,000 tractors of 18-90 horse power (HP) range annually. When asked about the investment for the expansion, he said it would be Rs 500 crore. (economicstimes.com)

• A report on the Economic Times states that Maruti-Suzuki, India’s largest car maker, has received over 3,000 bookings for the upcoming Ciaz sedan. The company started accepting orders on September 3 for INR 21,000 at all 1,370 sales outlets in the country. Maruti has also received between 10,000 – 12,000 enquiries for the car.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Minda Furukawa Electric Pvt. Ltd (MFE), a Joint Venture Company between, Spark Minda, Ashok Minda Group of India and Furukawa of Japan has set up an Automotive Component manufacturing unit at Tihar Jail, New Delhi under the PPP model for its Customer Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The inauguration of the facility was made on 5th September, 2014 by the Tihar Jail Management. (motoroids.com)

• Revealed through its official Facebook page, Mercedes-Benz India will launch its much awaited GLA-Class on the September 30th. Dealers have already started taking the pre-bookings for the vehicle.(cardekho.com)

• To expand cooperation in manufacturing of automobile parts and enhance investment, a delegation of Taiwan-based traders and investors will visit Delhi, said the department of investment services Taiwan."In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Come and Make in India' inviting manufacturers from across the world to invest in India and help boost India's industrial growth, Taiwanese automobile manufacturers are looking forward to exploring the possibilities of business cooperation for the Taiwanese auto parts and automobile electronics makers in India," Ambassador Chung Kwang Tien, representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India said. (ETauto.com)

• Autocar India reports that the updated 2015 Rapid will be launched as soon as this month on 30th September. They had spotted a Rapid mule under tests some time back and they say they have the confirmation that this is how the new 2015 Rapid will look like ie not without any significant changes to its looks.(motorbash.com)

• Fiat is going all aggressive to promote the Avventura ahead of the launch in the coming weeks. With the festive season commenced, vehicle sales are going to witness a high and the Italian automaker surely does not want to lose out on the demand. As Fiat the calls it, the Compact Utility Vehicle or CUV will be put up on display on the 6th and 7th September across three major cities including Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi that for prospective customers to witness the car before the official launch.(motorbeam.com)

• Volkswagen plans to invest 1 billion euros ($1.30 billion) to build a new manufacturing plant to produce fuel efficient cars in Thailand, a German magazine said on Saturday.The Thai government is expected to grant Volkswagen approval for the plant on Tuesday, Wirtschaftswoche magazine reported, without citing sources.(ETauto.com)

• As part of its social responsibility, Ford India announced the launch of its Happy School program in 21 schools across Chennai. The Happy Schools program will work towards improving access to holistic education in primary schools by addressing identified gaps in academic support, health, nutrition and infrastructure. The event marked the beginning of ninth annual Global Week of Caring in India.(motoroids.com)

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Automotive Updates - 5th September 2014

• Maruti Suzuki has postponed its car manufacturing project in Gujarat by a year, citing sluggish market conditions. Its facilities in the western state are now expected to be commissioned in 2017. Addressing the auto maker's 33rd annual general meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, chairman RC Bhargava said the project will be financed by the parent, Suzuki Motor Corp (SMC), but will function as a unit of Maruti. (economicstimes.com)

• Skoda has officially confirmed that the new Yeti facelift will be launched in India on September 10. Though it is based on the old Yeti’s platform, the new car adopts a more elegant look based on Skoda’s current design philosophy. The new Yeti made its Indian debut at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo and has been on sale in the European markets for quite some time now.(carwale.com)

• Maruti Suzuki will finally launch the XA Alpha compact SUV in 2016 in the country. Showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo, the XA Alpha has been much delayed in the segment that is currently being ruled by the likes of the Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster. Our sources confirmed that work has commenced on the XA Alpha and Maruti will be using Indian engineers and R&D setup to develop the upcoming SUV. This was also the reason why the launch of the compact SUV was pushed from its original timeline.(motorbeam.com)

• Audi revealed the 2015 facelift version of its premium saloon - A6. The new car will feature exterior and interior styling changes as well as additional equipment.Visually, the new A6 appears to resemble other sedans in Audi's range. The face of the new A6 has styling changes to the front grill and air-dams. Audi's new Matrix LED headlamps will also feature on the facelift version of the A6 along with revised tail lamps with 'sweeping' rear indicators.(team-bhp.com)

• Bandra in Mumbai is the location of Harley Davidson India’s second brand store in the city, and 15th in the country. Seven Islands Harley Davidson Brand Store was inaugurated on September 4, 2014 and is the iconic cult bike maker’s 15th Harley Davidson dealership facility in the country.(rushlane.com)

• Shriram Automall India Ltd (SAMIL), the 100 percent subsidiary of Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC), has tied up with Escorts Ltd to assist its authorised dealers in the disposal of pre-owned tractors. “India, being an agricultural land, portrays great growth potential for the tractor industry. The current fiscal is expected to witness robust growth in infrastructure due to which tractors’ journey in India is likely to pick up pace. A tie-up with Escorts is structured on the ground of providing a completely organised and transparent platform through which they can carry out the disposal of their pre-owned tractors,” said Sameer Malhotra, CEO of SAMIL. (autocarpro.in)

• Bangalore-based Suprajit Engineering decided to venture into new areas about five years ago when it was the dominant supplier of auto cable to two-wheeler makers and accounted for 80-100% of the requirement of leading players such as Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motors.Its move to diversify into the four-wheeler segment, exports and non-automotive industries paid off handsomely. The four-wheeler segment accounted for 29% of its total revenues in 2013-14, compared with less than 5% five years ago.(ETauto.com)

• Sharing of car platforms and technology is common, especially among alliance partners like Volkswagen-Skoda and Renault-Nissan. But the concept hasn't delivered the desired result in India so far, because of a very thin line of differentiation between models, and the auto makers are correcting their strategies The Volkswagen Group is following suit. VW is reworking on a product portfolio strategy, which clearly looks into deeper differentiation of products sold by Volkswagen and its Czech unit Skoda in India, along with entry-level cars from Audi, said Mahesh Kodumudi, managing director of Volkswagen India and the German group's chief representative in the country. The aim is to avoid the brands of Skoda Volkswagen eating into each other's sales. (economicstimes.com)

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•  image from clubauto.in

Automotive Updates - 4th September 2014

• Maruti Suzuk  has postponed its car-manufacturing project in Gujarat by a year, citing sluggish market conditions. Its facilities in the western state are now expected to be commissioned in 2017.Addressing the auto maker's 33rd annual general meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, Chairman RC Bhargava said the project will be financed by the parent, Suzuki Motor Corp (SMC), but will function as a unit of Maruti. (economicstimes.com)

• The apex body representing auto component manufacturers Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) has said that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) intervention over trade practice of select OEM will help in evolution of Aftermarket in India. CCI has issued an order on August 25, 2014 regarding trade practices of select OEMs covering aspects including procurement and sale of spare parts from component manufacturers and after sales service. (ETauto.com)

• Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India will now pay royalty to parent Suzuki Motor Corp in Indian rupees instead of Japanese yen.  Addressing shareholders at its annual general meeting, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Chairman R C Bhargava said the move would insulate the company from foreign exchange fluctuations. "Royalty to Suzuki will now be paid in Indian rupee price and not yen, so that we won't be affected by foreign exchange fluctuations," Bhargava said.(carkhabri.com)

• Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) launched a refreshed version of its Hayate commuter motorcycle yesterday. The updated bike is available in SMIPL’s showrooms across the country, and is priced at INR 44,969 ex-Showroom, New Delhi.(indianautoblogs.com)

• Steel Strips Wheels Ltd (SSWL), the Punjab-based automotive steel wheel manufacturer, has bagged an export order to supply 110,000 wheels to the Russian passenger car aftermarket. The company claims the worth of the order is around Rs 6.04 crore. In its filing with Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), SSWL says it will execute the order starting from November this year.(autocarpro.in)

• Tata Motors owned Jaguar Land Rover today launched a special edition of sports utility vehicle Land Rover Freelander 2 priced at Rs 44.41 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).This new edition is powered by a 2.2 litre diesel engine and will be available only in limited numbers, the company said in a statement. (ETauto.com)

• Yamaha Motor India Sales today launched its two new models to comprise its very successful FZ Series in the city.The company is selling around 18,000 units per month of the FZ series making it the second largest selling brand in the deluxe segment. With the launch of these two variants, it expects to increase the sales around 24,000 units per month, a company release said.(financialexpress.com)

• According to an Autocar India report, Fiat is developing an all-new SUV based on the company’s 326 platform (used on the Palio). The compact sub-4 meter SUV is codenamed X3U, and is likely to be showcased at the 2016 edition of the Auto Expo, as engineers are already putting final design touches on the car. (indianautoblogs.com)

• Mercedes-Benz’s luxury SUV’s will now be available in India in an all new stance, and size with the compact GLA-Class ready for launch on 30th September, 2014. The luxury compact segment in India sees BMW X1 and Audi Q3 as key players, and the new MFA platform based crossover from Mercedes-Benz is much awaited.(rushlane.com)

• Wabco Holdings Inc, a global supplier of technologies for the CV sector has inaugurated its fifth manufacturing facility at Lucknow. The new plant which expands the US company’s footprint in India that currently includes four plants - two in Chennai and one each in Jamshedpur and Pantnagar.  The new plant is spread over 11 acres  (40,500 sq. meters) and will provide jobs to about 150 people. This number may increase to 300 once the factory reaches full production capacity by end of 2015. (autocarpro.in)

• General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who's had to fend off accusations in the US that the company covered up safety issues in the years before she took over, may be faced with complaints from employees over poor working conditions at the auto maker's Gujarat plant in case an expected visit to India goes ahead later this month. (economicstimes.com)

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Automotive Updates - 3rd September 2014

• Hyundai Motor India Ltd today launched 'SportZ Edition'of its compact car Grand i10 to celebrate its first anniversary. 

• The Grand SportZ variant would available in two variants -- U2 1.1 litre CRDi diesel engine and 1.2 litre Kappa petrol engine. Launched in September 2013, Grand i10 has been sold to over 1.1 lakh customers, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement. (economicstimes.com)

• Hero MotoCorp, the leading two-wheeler manufacturer in India has launched the Splendor Pro Classic, which was officially unveiled during the Auto Expo in 2014. However, the looks have changed a lot for this bike and sport an appearance, which is pretty uncharacteristic of the bike. It has a café racer sort if an appearance currently.(cartrade.com)

• To cash in on the festive season, Japanese two-wheeler maker Honda Motorcycle and Scooter today rolled out the 2014 edition of its 110-cc mass segment bike, 'Dream Neo', priced at 45,067 (ex-showroom Mumbai).The company had launched the bike in India last year.(financialexpress.com)

• Ricardo, the global, world-class, multi-industry consultancy for engineering, technology, project innovation and strategy, has been selected by Tenneco (Suzhou) Emission Systems Co. Ltd of China to provide diesel particulate filter (DPF) control software and development support. Ricardo, which is a leading developer of next-generation fuel-efficient and clean technologies, has been doing business in China for over 25 years and has a well-equipped engineering facility and team in Shanghai. (autocarpro.in)

• Ford India announced a special offer for teachers across all its dealerships in India. The special offer will enable teachers to avail exclusive benefits of Rs.16500/- on select variants of the Ford Classic and Rs.9000/- on select variants of the Ford Figo.(ETauto.com)

• Recent reports suggest that Fiat is developing an EcoSport rivalling compact SUV that has been codenamed ‘X3U’. The upcoming compact SUV is said to be based on Fiat’s modular 326 platform that also underpins the Palio hatchback and is receiving the final design touches from the automaker. The sources further add that the upcoming Italian automaker’s X3U compact SUV will be aggressively styled and will also offer class-leading handling as well as powertrain options.(motorbeam.com)

• Japanese tyre maker Yokohama’s fully owned subsidiary, Yokohama India, has tied with M/S Tyre Plaza to open Kerala’s first Yokohama Club Network (YCN) store. Located at Trichur alongside the most important highway of Kerala, the new YCN is well suited to service customers with latest technology equipments along with comfortable ambience. The newly opened YCN also showcases latest and large variety of alloy wheels to jazz up one’s existing ride.(motoroids.com)

• Suzuki has sold about four million units of its supermini, the Swift. Introduced in 2004, as the company’s global strategic model, the Swift has taken about nine years and nine months to complete this milestone. The Swift hatchback was first made and sold in Japan and in 2005, production and distribution began in Hungary, India and China. It got a facelift in 2010, and in March 2012, production and distribution also began in Thailand.(carwale.com)

• Suzuki India is about to hit a sixer in a nation obsessed with the game of cricket. The much awaited Suzuki Gixxer 155 will be officially launched on the 9th of September. The motorcycle is already available with some unauthorized dealers in the city of Mumbai and the bike buying junta is already queuing up to take a good look at the bike. The Suzuki Gixxer 155 will compete against the refreshed ‘Lord of the Streets’, theYamaha FZ 2.0, the Honda Trigger and the Hero Xtreme. (motoroids.com)

• Volkswagen India recently revealed its plan to expand its foothold in India and acquire a sizeable chunk of market share in the exponentially growing automotive market. To achieve its goal the company is planning to overhaul its current portfolio and foray in new segments through its new models. Polo and Vento being the most popular among its India range remain to be the focal point for car maker; hence after rolling out Polo in avatar the company is now gearing up updated Vento launch.(cartrade.com)

image from overdrive.in and livemint.com

Automotive Sales India - August 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