Monthly Archives: January 2008

The Car that paved Volkswagen’s way into India

Of course I am talking about the Volkswagen Passat, or as the German’s would pronounce it Pah-saht. The obvious reason that Passat was used as a launch pad by Volkswagen was because it is globally the most successful car from Volkswagen after the Beetle and Golf. The car ranks among the top in Europe and is placed at number four worldwide. Definitely a great record to have when you want to launch your brand in an unexplored territory.

I saw a Passat pass by today and was stumped with gorgeous looks. I checked it out on your website and have also read the detailed review you have. It’s pretty cool. Do you have any idea when they will start building this car in India, so that the price comes down? Please let me know if you can.

Article Submitted by K Srivastava

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It’s all about money honey

The sale process of Tata buying Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) is almost done. Throughout the process, the entire auto industry analysts have unanimously said that the $2-billion reported bid price by Tata is too high and that JLR would be difficult buys at any price looking at their past history.

Ford Motors acquired Jaguar in 1989 and Land Rover in 2000. Both companies are now valued at $2 billion. Ford had paid $2.5 billion for the Jaguar and around $2.7 billion for the Land Rover from BMW. It still remains to be seen if Ford will decide to sell these brands to Tata Motors for a loss. The fact that even though these brands saw major losses in 2006, the year 2007 has seen a major turn around. These brands have churned out a profit margin that not only made a mark in 2007, but also covered their losses in 2006. This recently revealed fact is definitely not a good sign in favor of Tata if they are looking for a good bargain. On the other hand, this could encourage Tata to go all guns blazing and acquire the two brands at any cost.

I just hope that one of my fav Indian car companies who has seen so much success in the last few years, does not get blinded by the big names that Jaguar and Land Rover represent and dig a hole for itself in the coming year.

Article Submitted by J C Bose

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Winning the Localization Game

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has come up with a new study, which says that the world’s leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers have been moving assets, products, and manpower to China as well as India. The move is not just to sell cars but also to set up their R&D facilities and their manufacturing and exporting hubs from these two countries.

As an Indian, I am definitely hoping that these big-wigs, when the time comes, will choose India. A move to India completely will not only increase inflow of money, but also provide millions of jobs that will improve the basic standard of living in society. However, with the Indian government at its height of corruption, there is little hope of us winning this battle. I heard one of my friends say that China is giving massive amounts of land with major facilities to whichever manufacturer wants to set up there. The only advantage we have over China is the mass of skilled working people affluent in English. Once China can bridge this gap, they will have the upper hand.

Article Submitted by EC Pandit

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Hydrogen-driven vehicles to be tested

The government should stress on research for Hydrogen vehicles. Hydrogen is abundantly available in the world. Harnessing this energy for vehicle consumption will free the world not only from pollution but also the green house gases.

The Scandinavian country, Norway, will be testing Hydrogen-powered vehicles sometime this summer under the project named ‘Hynor’. The test will be conducted over a 580 km route from the national capital Oslo and Stavanger.

The cars will be supplied by the Japanese car manufacturer, Mazda Motor Corporation. Other car makers who are already researching in this field are Honda Motors and Toyota; both of these manufacturers have already churned out successful Hybrid cars.

If the project becomes a success, then such tests can be conducted worldwide and replicated. This will ensure a greener tomorrow for the future generation and Indian car manufacturers should start thinking about developing these factions in their upcoming R&D facilities.

Article submitted by Rajiv Shukla

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Reliance takes first step into the auto industry

Reliance Retail is already into every field of business and now they wanna explore the auto industry. They are setting up a chain of auto stores that will sell all auto accessories. Their first AutoZone will be launched near its Reliance Industries refinery in Jamnagar in Gujarat. The group always starts with a chain of outlets and is expected to open 400 AutoZone stores across the country in another 3-4 years.

The store will also provide a service center for both cars and bike and will concentrate on the buying and selling of used cars shortly. With the Indian auto sector booming, Reliance has, once again, found the right pulse to follow.

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Captiva ruling Indian SUV hearts!

General Motors are pampering their ‘Captiva’ in a big way. After its launch in Delhi and Kolkata, GM launched this premium SUV in Kochi (Kerala). It looks like the Captiva is picking up the Indian car market with unique styling, power, comfort, and last but not least best-in-class safety.

This SUV is best suited for urban driving because of its sleek and elegant body and smooth handling. The interior flaunts classy features, smart technology, and cutting-edge design cuts. Captiva is going to be competing against the Mitsubishi Pajero, Nissan X-Trail, Endeavour, Hyundai Tucson and Honda CR-V.

I can’t wait to get my hands on this beauty. I have been following its progress for some time now and will be the first in-queue to get behind the wheels and be captivated when it reaches Bangalore.

Article Submitted by Ashok

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Schumacher racing towards India to say “Don’t Drink and Drive”

The Formula One living legend, Michael Schumacher, is coming to India in February as part of a campaign to create public awareness on drunken driving. This “Don’t Drink and Drive” was last held in Germany, where it saw grand success with the drinking and driving accident numbers reducing drastically. Schumacher has been associated with several road safety campaigns earlier and is currently acting as the global social responsibility ambassador for 2008 for beverage major Bacardi-Martini Limited.

It is believed that he never drives a car when he consumes liquor. Young men in India should take a cue from this racing master. I got into a fatal accident a couple of years back and lost movement in both my legs. It is getting better now with constant physiotherapy. The reason was a young student driving drunk in his car with his friends.

Drunken driving has resulted in several deaths. Inspite of warnings by the police and various NGO institutes, it seems to have had little impact on the number/rate of accidents. According to statistics, over a million people die, or are seriously injured, or are rendered permanently disabled in India every year.

Be aware. Get educated. It may not be only your life that you take, but someone else’s life as well.

Article submitted by Ratan AK

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Matiz goes topless

Prahalad Kakkar, I don’t think this person needs an intro. The ad guru is the creative brain behind the several major ad campaigns like Pepsi, Britannia and many other successful ads.

Though he is not a car freak, he still keeps his first car, an old Vauxhall converted into a Dune Buggy. He learnt driving in this car; he still owns it because of emotional reasons. He currently drives a Daewoo Matiz, re-desgined by another style guru DC (Dilip Chaabria), who converted it into an open-top ‘buggy’.

Prahlad had his own idea of how his car should look; he wanted the car to be topless completely, except the windscreen, but he couldn’t turn his idea into reality coz it could weaken the Matiz’s body. So the car was revamped removing the roof planks and also fitted with few metals bars for safety purpose. The four-door Matiz was amputed to two-doors. This is what we call ‘Brains with Beauty’. I wish I had the money to revamp any car I owned!

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Asli-Naqli: Be aware and informed about genuine auto products

This desi flavoured blog may help you differentiate between fake and genuine products in the auto market. In the recently concluded auto show, an ‘Asli-Naqli’ stall came up with noble products to increase awareness and provide information to car lovers about fake car and vehicle parts.

The display not only informed visitors about counterfeits in the market, but also helped them learn how to distinguish genuine products from fakes. The ‘Asli-Naqli’ stall had leading component manufacturers participating to create increased awareness against counterfeiting. A study showed that counterfeit auto products account for almost 35 percent of auto products sold in India.

Wake up and know the Asli from the Naqli!

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Ratan Tata nominated for Padma Vibhushan

Nano’s godfather Ratan Tata has been nominated for the second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan. He has already received the Padma Bhushan award in 2000. A little peep into his personal life will reveal the secret of his success.

Born to Parsi parents, he is one of the most respected and successful businessmen. After pursuing his assignment for a short period in Los Angeles, California, he returned to his home country and took up responsibility of his family business, turning down an offer from IBM. His hard work and dedication gave him the position of a group chairman in 1991. The first Indian passenger car ‘Indica’ was rolled out by them in 1998.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I admire this guy and the achievement he has made shows that anyone, including me, can make it to the top!

Article submitted by Crown Jewel

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