Monthly Archives: July 2009

Volvo Spread out its Franchises in India

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New Jaguar XKR Cars in IndiaThe Indian subsidiary of the Swedish Volvo Cars company has suddenly stepped up its activity in India. The company plans to increase its presence in the Indian luxury car market and thereby increase its market share in the Indian car market.

Volvo now has set its eyes on rich cities like Ahmedabad, and Bangalore for its venture in India. Currently, Volvo has a dealership presence in seven cities across India, but the number will soon increase to 12 dealerships by early 2010.

The company now plans to gear up its product portfolio by introducing new models. It has already queued up the luxurious XC60 for the country. It is already marketing three cars – the Volvo C70 convertible, Volvo S80 and the sporty Volvo XC90 SUV. All of these cars come with a price tag of over Rs 30 lakh.

The company is keen on creating a consumer base in the country. As such, all attempts will be made to increase visibility of their cars in the country. Right now, the most visible luxury cars are the BMW and Mercedes. Volvo is far behind in terms of visibility and sales figures. However, it is upbeat about the growing Indian economy and wants to increase its market share in India.

The luxury car market has been largely insulated by the economic slowdown and has sold nearly 8,000 units in the last fiscal year. In the year 2009, the numbers are likely to go up to 10,000 to 12,000 units.

Even though the total market size for luxury car market is small compared to China, luxury car manufacturers are making all attempts to win more customers. Even though, Volvo entered India in 2007, it has been a low key player so far.

Volvo cars offer a great value for money in the luxury car segment. They offer satellite navigation system covering 200 cities across India. All its models in India have the latest safety technologies like the collision detection and pedestrian safety systems.

Volvo cars also offer adaptive cruise control which helps prevent collision by automatically slowing down the car speed.
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Nissan Micra to be Made in India

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New Nissan Micra Cars in India
Nissan Motors India is readying to launch a new hatchback in India by early 2010. The small car will be manufactured at their new plant in Chennai. This new plant is expected to be operational from next year.

Nissan India has set up a new manufacturing unit in Oragadam near Chennai in association with the French auto maker Renault. The new facility will not merely cater to the domestic needs but also the overseas demands of models from both the companies.

The unit will have an initial manufacturing capacity of 200,000 cars per year. The factory will then scale-up production to 300,000 cars in about four year’s time. It has been revealed that it has become difficult for Nissan and the French car maker, Renault, to make profitable cars in Europe for sale.

The upcoming small car is known as the March is Japan, but the Indian version will be christened as the Nissan Micra. The Micra will be available in both petrol and diesel versions. The Nissan Micra will stand against the Tata Nano.

Initially, it will be the Micra which would be followed by a derivative of the small car and then a sedan which is expected to be launched in 2011. In addition to the Nissan Micra, the company also aims to launch four to five models in next five years in the Indian market.

Currently Nissan Motors sells the completely built units (CBU) of Nissan Teana and Nissan X-Trail in India.
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Hyundai and Maruti Cars to Shed Weight

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Hyundai and Maruti are seriously working towards reducing weight of their cars in the next couple of years. By reducing weight of the cars, the companies will be able to bring down expenses and also increase fuel efficiency and performance.

Several new cars launched by Maruti Suzuki have already shed weight by using lighter panels. Maruti has a designated research team to work out the load shedding process.

Hyundai has set up a specialized team of engineers and a research and development team to come up with ideas that will help reduce weight of their products. Indian and Korean engineers will work on the project to make lighter vehicles.

Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have a neck to neck competition in the Indian car industry, particularly in the small car segment. The companies feel that higher fuel efficiency of hatchbacks means higher sales. The marketability of the car will be easier.

Reducing weight of the cars is not a new idea in the automotive industry. Many superfast cars of the world have been able to deliver higher performance thanks to light weight body construction. Now the same technique seems to be used for small cars.

However, what is surprising is that small cars are already lighter than cars in other segments. They have smaller powertrains too which further reduce weight. Now with lighter body panels small cars will undoubtedly achieve higher fuel economy. Getting a fuel efficiency of 20 km/l won’t be that far now.

But car companies need to take care that lighter body panels also offer stricter safety technologies. It should not be a case of pound wise penny foolish. Whatever the thing is, we will be seeing some of the leaner and meaner cars rolling soon from the factories pretty soon.
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The All-New Bentley Continental Supersports

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New Bentley Continental GT Cars in India

Bentley, after the fiftieth birthday celebration of its legendary 6.75-liter V-8, is all charged up to roll out its first car ever to run on bio-fuel. Bentley calls it the Continental Supersports, which will mark the first phase in an initiative planned to spread technology across its entire lineup by 2012.

Bentley’s aim is to reduce carbon emissions of its overall fleet by 15 percent and its advanced powertrain technology will help cut fuel usage by up to 40 per.

The Continental Supersports will mark the use of the first FlexFuel technology in a Bentley car to which the company believes that bioethanol fuels will become a sustainable and ethical alternative to fossil fuels in the future. From well to wheel, the Continental Supersports offers a net reduction of harmful CO2 emissions by 70 percent.

The German car honcho has termed its new Continental Supersports coupe as the company’s “fastest, most powerful car ever.” The Green car will come with a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 engine that puts out 621 bhp and can reach a top speed of 328.3 kmph.

The new Bentley Continental coupe will look like the “regular” Continental GT, but the Supersports Continental will get a new fascia, some funky wheels and a first-class interior. Bentley gave the Continental Supersports vertical vents for improved air flow to the superchargers’ intercoolers. The vents on the bonnet also help with air flow by removing hot air from the W12’s engine bay. The car will flaunt smoked headlamps that impart an aggressive look.

The uniquely shaped oval exhaust outlets and smoked taillight lenses further accentuate the look of the coupe. The 8 mm deck lid spoiler gives a sportier look and added stability at high speeds. Bentley tries to emphasize the importance of its Continental Supersports by offering the car in exclusive new color and materials never before seen on a Bentley.

The Continental Supersports will be displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in August and will be available in the showrooms by October.
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GM Daewoo Embraces Green Technology

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GM Daewoo Auto & Technology is planning to present a hybrid car in South Korea as the domestic market there is showing its willingness to embrace green car technologies.

It is revealed that the Korean car maker is carrying out experiments to build environment-friendly cars, including a hybrid model. It is said that the models of the new cars would be a joint effort between GM Daewoo and its Detroit headquarters.

The development and production of hybrid models were included in a union-management agreement. It is expected that the production of the hybrid car might begin in 2011, but an exact time has not been fixed.

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology is the Korean unit of the troubled General Motors in the United States. It was established on October 17, 2002. The company has five manufacturing facilities in Korea as well as an assembly facility in Vietnam.

In addition, General Motors Daewoo provides market and brand-specific vehicle kits for assembly at GM facilities in China, Thailand, India, Colombia and Venezuela.
In 2008, GM Daewoo sold in Korea and exported more than 1.9 million units, including Completely Knocked down (CKD) products. GM Daewoo now produces cars and kits to offer in more than 150 markets on six continents.

Daewoo will be the second car manufacturer to develop hybrid models in Korea, following Hyundai-Kia Automotive.
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Bugatti Comes Up With Stratos Concept

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People talk a lot about car designs, the features and the front and the back of the vehicle. Whenever a new model arrives they are quick to point out how and why it looked exquisite. Most of them are least bothered with the technicality involved in making a car better in terms of performance. This is exactly the path taken by Bugatti in the inception of the Bugatti Stratos.

The Bugatti Stratos can be suitably described as “designed to delight the senses”. The concept of this supercar is a result of extremity of imaginative power of Bruno Delussu. Bruno Delusso didn’t want to be bothered with the engineering and mechanical issues that afflicted the average concept car. All he wanted to do was to create something overwhelming. He let his imagination flow to create what pleases the eye.

Bruno Delussu used his creative vigor to sketch out a futuristic car that takes inspiration from Bugatti Type 57 and Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Mille Miglia and Raymond Loewy’s locomotive designs. And the outcome is a retro-futuristic concept called the Bugatti Stratos.

The Bugatti Stratos Concept car looks more like a shiny little pod that has dropped out of a futuristic space shuttle. The design is simple, sleek and enticing enough to floor you the moment you set your sight on it. In other words, it is a candy for your eyes!
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Car Sales in South Dive Due To Slowdown

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In a region wise survey by a leading English daily of India, the cars sales in the south dipped while the northern region is buying more and more cars.

Experts opine that the IT sector largely fuelled the growth of automobile sector in the southern region. The IT professionals were car savvy and influenced other professionals in other sectors too. But now the economic slowdown cast a deep shadow on the cars sales in southern India during the fiscal year ending in March this year. The downward trend has also been witnessed in the western regions of the country.

However, the Northern region is showing more interest in buying new cars than before. An abundant rural economy is considered the prime reason for growth in new car sales. There has been an upward swing in sales of multi-utility vehicles and SUVs. The biggest market in this region, to date remains Delhi and Punjab.

However, there are no state wise details about cars sales. There is a clear trend that South is turning frugal while north flourishes with it bounty. It has been this trend that Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motors are targeting. Both these companies have gained significantly by sales in the hinterlands.

If the trend of slowdown continues for another year in the southern regions, car manufacturers will be forced to consider a different strategy to push up sales.
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Best Cars Offer Little For Greener Future

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Everybody is talking about greener cars and fuel economy cars. Even the government has pitched in and has made it mandatory for car companies to go open with the fuel efficiency for every model on the date of its launch. That way the car buyers in India are informed about the fuel economy of the product they buy.

We give you here the list of cars with lowest fuel efficiency in the world. As per the Environmental protection agency (EPA), in United States, report on 2009 model cars, Lamborghini Murcielago and Lamborghini Murcielago roadster top the list with lowest fuel economy. It offers a mere 3.4 km/l (8 MPG) in city and 5.5 km/ (13 MPG) on the highway.

The lowest scorers in other categories include Aston Martin DB9 with 4.6 km/l and 7.2 on the highway in the mini compact sedan category while Bentley Continental GTC offers 4.2 km/l in city and 7.2 on the highway in the subcompact car category.

Bentley Azure in the compact car segment gives 3.8 km/l fuel economy in city and 6.3 km/l on the highway. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti automatic in mid size car delivers 3.8 km/l fuel efficiency in the city and 6.8 km/l on the highway. Bentley Arnage RL has the lowest fuel economy in the large car section has a fuel efficiency ratings similar to Bentley Azure.

All the car models mentioned above represent the best of engineering and car design in the world. They are the cars people dream to own someday but few can afford it. But what is baffling is that while they have revolutionised the car structure, little has been done on the fuel efficiency front.

They had the best of the knowledge, resources and people at their disposition and could have led the world to a greener future. They could have shown that man and machine can achieve great speed and fuel economy too.

If the best in engineering has failed to bring about a change in fuel efficiency after so many days, it is difficult to envisage that these cars will survive the new green wave sweeping the world.
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Toyota to Launch Small Car Code Named 800L

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor has been contemplating on introducing a small car to the Indian market for quite some time now. There is a huge demand for small cars in India. So, Toyota is anticipating that launching a small car in India will boost their market share in this growing economy.

Toyota is aiming to become a giant in India. It is working on the small car codenamed 800L which would be mass produced in India. This compact car will play a major role in boosting the sales of Toyota and it would stand against with Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors.

The Japanese car giant has targeted a market share of 10 per cent in India between 2015 and 2018. The company had, earlier, set itself the same 10 per cent share for 2010 but has set back the date.

Toyota had planned to join hands with its subsidiary, Daihatsu, to make a small car but shelved the idea because the economics were not working out. This small car has also been planned to Brazil, Russia and China as well.

Honda is also planning for a small global car to be launched in India and which will also debut by end-2011. So, the small car codenamed 800L from Toyota Kirloskar Motor will also have to stand against Honda.
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India Ranks High in Big Luxury Car Markets

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When it comes to dreaming of owning super luxury cars and luxury cars contrary to the popular environment friendly cars, people in India do not take a backseat.
In a global survey done by a research firm Synovate, at least 47 percent of Indians responded that they loved to flaunt luxury cars, while 30 percent of the people from India chose environment friendly cars.

Experts believe the survey result was the mirror image of the stupendous economic growth potential of India in years to come. The luxury car brands have been making bee lines to India lately when compared to the rest of the world. Sales of luxury cars have been consistent compared to the small car segment.

The passion for luxury cars amongst the Indian public is also the reason why the top luxury car brands are flocking to India even though the market size is a puny 6,000-7000 units a year. Big luxury car brands like Mercedes Benz and BMW have established assembly plants in India. Meanwhile other exotic car brands like Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Bentley, Jaguar and Land Rover have a healthy market in India. Italian car manufacturer Fiat has already shown interest to bring in Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands to India.

Further, luxury car brands have introduced new cars with the latest technology just like Porsche Cayenne Hybrid. Hence India is in a position to bypass the phase of fuel guzzling luxury cars. The country has been receiving the newest of luxury cars with higher fuel economy since last year.

In the same survey India also stood out in 38 per cent of Indians saying they wanted to buy a new car in the next one year against the global average of 15 per cent.
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