Monthly Archives: November 2010

SIAM praises govt’s move to incentivise electric vehicle production

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electric-car-station Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) recently welcomed the government’s decision to incentivise production of electric vehicles and said steps like this will encourage development of alternate fuel technologies in the country.

“The industry is encouraged by the initiative taken by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy… The extension of the existing scheme to cover all categories of Indian individuals and institutional users would go a long way in encouraging development of such vehicle technology in India,” SIAM President Pawan Goenka said in a statement.

The government has recently announced an Rs 95 crore-incentive package to the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers for each such vehicle sold in India during the remaining part of the 11th Plan, which is 2010-11 and 2011-12.

“We hope that this support would continue even as part of the 12th five-year Plan of the government since this is a ’technology leap’ programme and would require support for an extended period,” he added.

Goenka said the industry also appreciated the move to encourage indigenous development as against only imports by introducing the requirement of minimum 30 per cent local component usage in these electric vehicles to avail the incentives.

Earlier the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) had said that it expected electric two-wheeler market to witness 100 per cent growth following the incentives. At present, the Indian electric two-wheeler market stands at about 85,000 units annually.

Mahindra Reva NXG

The EV promotion scheme, effective November 11, envisages incentives of up to 20 per cent on the ex-factory prices of the vehicles, subject to a maximum limit.

The cap on the incentive will be Rs 4,000 for low speed electric two-wheelers, Rs 5,000 for high speed electric two-wheelers, Rs 60,000 for seven seater three-wheeler and Rs one lakh for an electric car.

It is nice to see the Government of India put its green foot forward to spread awareness regarding the electric vehicles in India and it’s also equally be a pleasure to see new electric vehicles ply on the Indian roads with this much needed booster of a incentive.

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Volvo S60 to make inroads in early 2011

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2011_volvo_s60 As we were looking at the Volvo’s Indian OEM site for more details on the newly launched Volvo XC60 SUV, we came across many other Volvo models that was also displayed there.

Being curious enough, we decided to get hold of that much-needed information (read scoop) and finally did find some. We were sorting out the models in the line-up that could possibly be brought to the Indian shores, and we were impressed when an insider did confirm S60’s arrival next year.

The source also said that Volvo was keen on bringing in its entire line-up to India looking at the growing potential of the Indian car market. After all, there would be no better and bigger publicity unless a new product is launched.

Volvo, which has already started to make its presence felt in India, has also been associated with sports and Indian cinema of late. It wans to grow in India by increasing more dealers and the count will be only better when it reaches 14 dealerships by the end of 2011 as compared to the existing 9 dealers.

Volvo-XC70

Now that we have mentioned that the Volvo S60 will make it to India in early 2011, Volvo might come out with two new engine options for the car, a 2.4 liter twin-turbo diesel which produces 205 bhp and a 3.0-liter 6-cylinder T6 petrol engine enough to pump out 300 bhp. The car also could see a variation of 2.0 liter engine as well later.

The Volvo S60 is slated to be pitted against the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3-series.

Now that we know that Volvo’s main focus is sedans and SUVs as they make up about 90% of the volume for its competition, we thought there might be more SUVs like XC70 and sedans such as S40 coming in. However, that thought of ours was a damp-squib, as it was not happening now or even later.

volvo-s40-

The S40 is the smaller of the two sedans that Volvo sells globally, while the XC70 is a rugged station wagon with off-road capabilities. Volvo India’s Managing Director Paul De Voijs has said that S40 lacked adequate leg space at the rear, a crucial requirement for the rear-seat loving Indian luxury car buyer. The XC70 will not be brought here as there was no market for the station wagon in India.

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Dr John Chacko appointed as the new Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India

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Dr-John chacko The German automobile major, Volkswagen Group has appointed Dr John Chacko the Group Chief Representative, President and Managing Director of Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, with effect from December 1.

The 58-year-old Dr Chacko will succeed Joerg Mueller (48), who has recently moved on to a new responsibility at the newly formed Volkswagen Group Trucks Division. Dr John Chacko played a significant role in the operations of the Volkswagen Group in India as the Technical Managing Director of Volkswagen India.

The Delhi-born engineer with a B. Tech degree from IIT Madras, Dr John Chacko has been a part of the Volkswagen Group since 1978. He has played a key role in the setting-up of the Group’s production facility near Pune in the Chakan Industrial Park as a Technical Project Leader.

Speaking on his new responsibility, Dr Chacko said, “I am excited as well as looking forward to the challenges in my new role. India is a strategic long-term growth market for the Volkswagen Group. It has been an enriching experience being a part of Volkswagen’s India journey through the initial build-up phase and I am confident of successfully steering the Group towards establishing a prominent presence in the Indian automotive market with the support of every member of the Volkswagen India family.”

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Toyota Etios hatchback to be named Etios Liva

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Toyota Etios Liva As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, the sedan version of the Toyota Etios will be launched at Bangalore tomorrow, on Dec 1. We did mention in the blog that the bookings for the same will commence from tomorrow and the bookings for the hatchback version of the car will begin in March 2011.

We guess even Toyota Kirloskar and Toyota Motor Corporation was fed up calling the car as Etios sedan and Etios hatchback and in a bid not to prolong our confusions regarding the car names, have hit upon a novel idea of coming up with a new name. The result seems good enough with Toyota preferring to call the Etios hatchback as Etios Liva.

Toyota Etios Liva will have a 1.2 litre petrol engine producing 70 bhp plonked in it when it will be launched in March 2011. A powerful version would probably soon follow as we have seen have seen in Volkswagen Polo 1.6, Fiat 90 HP and Tata Indica Vista 90 HP.

etios-hatchback-rear-photo

The Etios Liva, like Etios sedan will be lighter than its competitors which translates into better fuel efficiency. This tactic should go well with a country obsessed with mileage. On the space front, Toyota Etios sedan wins hands down as the car has ample amount of space in the interiors that will suit the Indian public. The case is pretty much the same with the upcoming Etios Liva also as it has already been billed as the most spacious hatch in its segment.

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Sultan of Brunei’s Car Collection for Sale, Anyone Interested!

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Sulthan of Brunei As of now, they are nothing more than rumours. But if these rumours have any bit of truth in them, we are sure that quite a few rich ones would go in a frenzy to lay their filthy rich hands on some of the cars in the exotic collection of Sultan of Brunei.

Rumour or truth, but somebody is trying to sell the Sultan of Brunei’s private collection of exotic cars. Thirty-three exotic cars out of a private collection are being offered for sale somewhere outside New Zealand. The list of cars includes 3 Lamborghini V12s, Jaguar XJ 220, Cizeta V16, ItalDesign Nazca V12, 2 Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight and 25 Ferraris that include an Enzo, an F50, an F40 and a custom 512 TR Spider.

sultanMS

Now, we have a number of prominent and wealthy collectors of exotic supercars on Earth, but there is something that makes the Sultan’s collection absolutely unique and extra desirable. All these cars are not only unregistered but have only delivery mileage on them. According to the seller, these super cool vehicles were all ordered brand new from the factory and delivered to the owner who, for some unknown reason, never took any interest in driving them. Such a shame!

The Sultan of Brunei’s collection has been a subject of much conjecture for a long time, with only few occasional leaks that revealed its contents. The broker is based in New Zealand and the car collections are rumoured to be located currently in Singapore. But he is not willing to disclose the liquidating owner, but it is more than obvious that few others than the Sultan of Brunei and his controversial brother Prince Jefri could have collected such an army of exotic cars.

Sultan-Of-Brunei's-Garage-2

But what is not obvious is this: what could necessitate the Sultan of an oil-rich state to sell his cars to raise funds? A possible speculation is that the Sultan might have generously donated some of his lesser automobiles to his brother, Jefri Bolkiah. The “Playboy Prince” Jefri Bolkiah, who has recently been the subject of legal battles with former lawyers for not paying their fees, and with the Brunei Investment Authority for spending $40 billion dollars on his lavish fancies, might be auctioning the cars.

The Sultan owns an amazing collection of cars that include more than 500 Mercedes Benz, 360 Ferraris, 180 Bentleys, and 160 Porsches. And we are not even counting the cars that he has in less than 100 units.

You can also check the car collection that has been put up for sale here http://ferraricollectionforsale.com/cars.html

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Di Resta’s F1 Dream Gets a Boost after DTM Title Victory

Paul di resta champagne Paul di Resta, Force India’s reserve driver, has become the 2010 DTM champion after finishing second in the season finale of the prestigious German touring car series. And now, the Scottish driver hopes that this success will enhance his chances of securing a race seat in the next year’s Formula One Championship.

When Di Resta went into the Shanghai event, he was trailing series leader Bruno Spengler by three points. But the difficult conditions at the Chinese street circuit made Spengler make quite a few mistakes, while Di Resta maintained his poise and followed his Mercedes teammate Gary Paffett home, securing enough points to overhaul the Canadian.

After starting from the pole position, Di Resta was leading in the opening part of the race, but he slipped behind Paffett after a delay during the first pit stop. Paffett, who is also the 2005 DTM champion, led the rest of the race while Di Resta had to settle down for the second place, 3.7 seconds adrift, which was sufficient to earn his first title. Spengler finished 13th, more than 30 seconds behind Di Resta. Later Di Resta paid tribute to his friends and family with a special thanks to his father.

“This championship is great for me and the team, but it’s especially important to my family, my supporters and, most importantly, my dad,” he said. “He was the one who gave me the opportunity to go racing when I was a kid and if it hadn’t been for his commitment and belief, I wouldn’t be where I am today. At the end of the day he’s put way more effort into this than anyone else. So I’ve got to say a big thanks to him. This smile won’t be off my face for a long time. Fortunately, my flight is only booked for Monday. I would have liked for more family members to be here to celebrate with me. But now, I will celebrate with the team. Today, it was more about the title rather than victory in the race. That has worked out”

Paul Di Resta

During the 2010 Formula One season, Di Resta has been one among the busiest test drivers, getting Friday outings at no less than eight Grands Prix with Force India. This, in turn, has raised speculations that the Force India team might consider him as the potential replacement for Adrian Sutil or Vitantonio Liuzzi next season.

posted by carazooblog @ Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Toyota all set to launch Etios sedan on December 1

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Toyota-Etios-sedan-Concept Toyota Motor Corporation, the World’s biggest automobile company is all set to launch its mass market offering in India, the Etios.

Yes, The Toyota Etios will be launched on Wednesday, December 1st. The Auto major, though a late bloomer in the Indian auto Industry, has finally realized the importance of the growing Indian automobile market.

The Japanese giant which is present in the country through a partnership with Kirloskar group had been successful with its few products like sedans Corrola and Camry and the famous utility vehicle Innova and Fortuner. However, the carmaker will launch the sedan version for the car to begin with followed by the hatchback version of the car probably in the first quarter of 2011.

Toyota Corp President Akio Toyoda is exclusively flying down for the event on Wednesday, which is seen as a very important event for Toyota in India. Toyota Kirloskar Motors wants to ensure that this car will change the road map of the company in India with its mass appeal.

While the bookings for sedan start from December 1, the bookings for hatchback will begin from March.

According to agency reports, TKM’s Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) Sandeep Singh has stated that bookings for Etios sedan would begin on first of December with delivery to start from January 1st. Nevertheless, it also reported that Singh declined to talk about the price of Etios before the launch but said the sedan would compete with the likes of Swift Dzire and Tata Manza and the hatchback with Hyundai i20, Maruti Swift, Ford Figo and Polo of Volkswagen.

The reports stated that TKM targets to sell 70,000 units of Etios in the first year. “We are very excited about the launch. We are sure the customers will be very happy. Reviews of auto journalists are very, very good,” Singh added, according to the report.

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Skoda India Rolls Out 1,00,001st Car from the Aurangabad Plant

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skoda It has been quite a journey for the Czech car maker Skoda in the Indian market. And now Skoda India has added yet another feather in its cap. The company has rolled out the 1,00,001st car from its plant at Aurangabad. And what makes the occasion more special is the fact that the 1,00,001st car was none other but the recently launched Yeti. Gracing the occasion were H E Mr. Miloslav Stasek, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in India, and Mr. Stackmann, the Board Member for Sales and Marketing at ŠkodaAuto a.s. and Chairman of ŠkodaAuto India. Skoda showed its commitment to the environment during the occasion by planting trees on the factory premises.

Marking the occasion, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in India, H E Mr. Miloslav Stasek said, “This, the biggest investment in India by a Czech company, ŠkodaAuto India, has achieved incredible growth. The world=class products provided by ŠkodaAuto India, offering high quality with a human touch, are the strongest pillar of its success.”

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Stackmann, the Board Member for Sales and Marketing at ŠkodaAuto a.s. and Chairman of SkodaAuto India, said, “India, as a very important future market, was entered by Skoda ten years ago in a great spirit of entrepreneurship. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our employees, the Indian government, our suppliers, our business partners and, especially, our valuable customers. Over the past decade, Skoda has reinvented itself as a strong, sensitive and, more importantly, a clever player in the automobile sector. Our factory at Aurangabad is our strength and will play an even more important role in the future, as our plans for expansion in the Indian market are ambitious. We at ŠkodaAuto are very proud of our current achievements and want to take this opportunity to congratulate all our stakeholders.”

Skoda India manufactures Superb, Laura and the newly launched Yeti at the Aurangabad plant. The Aurangabad plant also manufactures parent company, Volkswagen’s Passat and Jetta, as well as Audi’s A4, A6 and Q5.

ŠkodaAuto India recently joined forces with government-run training organizations, Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), Aurangabad, by donating five units of Skoda Fabia for practical technical training purposes.

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Mercedes-Benz appoints Peter T Honegg as new India MD & CEO

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honegg It seems that Mercedes Benz India’s search for a replacement for the out going current MD and CEO Wilfried Aulbur has come to end after it appointed Peter T Honegg as the head of the Indian operations from the first quarter of 2011.

The company in a statement said, “Peter T Honegg will succeed Wilfried Aulbur as the new MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.”It also stated, “Honegg has rich experience of managing high growth markets and is expected to take upon his new role in first quarter 2011.”

The newly appointed Honegg has been with Daimler AG since 1976 and is currently the President and CEO of Mercedes Benz Malaysia.

It must be recalled that earlier in September, the company had announced resignation of Aulbur, a move that surprised industry people. Mr. Wilfried Albur would complete five years, as the India Head of Mercedes Benz by the end of 2010, is likely to move out of the automobile sector but remain in the country.

A German by birth, Aulbur did his doctoral and post- doctoral studies in physics in the US. For a short period, he was with Mercedes-Benz India in the early 80s. Later, in 2005, he joined the company again as India Head.

Mercedes Benz India started assembling its vehicles within the country at a facility in Chakan, Maharashtra in January 2009. The facility has the capacity to produce 5,000 cars and 1,200 commercial vehicles, mainly Actros range trucks, every year.

After being the numero-uno luxury car-maker in India for years, Mercedes-Benz lost its leadership position to rival BMW in 2009 and reported a decline of 10.43 per cent in sales in the country last year.

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Maruti Suzuki in no Mood to Consider Price Rise

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In this year so far, we have seen multiple car price hikes and if the rumours are to be believed, we will soon be subjected to another one. Rising input costs have been blamed time and again, and it’s not any different this time around. But Maruti Suzuki India emerges as a Good Samaritan in the midst of all this.

We all know that the price of raw materials in recent months have increased by 20-30 per cent, but MSI is not contemplating any price raise in its car portfolio for some time. Maruti, the country’s largest car maker, wants to maintain its pricing advantage by absorbing the rise in input costs, as rivals prepare to expand sales operations and launch new models.

Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and chief executive officer of MSIL, said, “Right now, I am not thinking of any price increase. We will absorb the raw material price hike as much as possible. Definitely, there is pressure on margin. The competition is tough but because of it, the market is moving. There is always pressure on market share and we will defend it.”

The archrivals of Maruti, General Motors and Tata Motors, had earlier hinted that a rise in car prices was coming up. A senior official at General Motors had recently said that an upward revision in its car prices was being considered by the company.

Industry experts say that the prices of important raw materials such as auto grade steel, rubber and copper have risen sharply over the last eight-nine months, compared to the same period last year. Even the auto component suppliers are also under pressure, and domestic steel makers have already sounded out a hike in prices by three to five per cent in December.

Japanese carmaker Toyota is launching its hyper-publicised compact car Etios in January 2011. The car is expected to be positioned in the space where Maruti’s successful models like Swift and Ritz are sold.

Additionally, Ford and Volkswagen are also expanding their network coverage to reach out to the masses in huge numbers. Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo, both the models are enjoying good sales despite having order backlog of three months.

Nakanishi added that Maruti would continue its plan of launching one model every year, in addition to offering upgrades and face-lifts. The Indian company is also in the process launching its new plant at Manesar to address the waiting period.

“This year, we should be doing about 1.23-1.25 million vehicles. Then, there will be an addition of 250,000 units’ capacity coming in from Manesar. Then, there will be a third plant, which will add a further 250,000 capacity.”

MSI is collectively investing more than Rs 3,600 crore for adding an annual capacity of half a million units, which would take its total capacity to 1.7 million units.

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