Monthly Archives: February 2011

Indian Government to Introduce Concessions to Popularize hybrid Cars in India

Reply

2010-toyota-prius Petrol and diesel prices in India are increasing by every passing second. One can say that hybrid cars could be the answer, but Indians are yet to warm up to the idea of buying one mainly because of the limited choices and high prices of these cars in the Indian market. And just when we thought the Indian government was not doing anything to popularize the hybrid concept in India, here comes a shocker.

To protect the environment as well as reduce our dependency on fossil fuel, the government is working on a policy to encourage manufacturing of hybrid cars in India through excise duty concessions. A government official has revealed that the proposal will be piloted by Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Praful Patel. Along with fiscal sops like differential excise on the cars, this policy would also focus on incentivizing research and development for development of the hybrid vehicle, he said.

“To encourage the production of these cars (hybrids), there is a need to upgrade the laboratory knowledge,” he said.

The Department of Heavy Industry has sought the Cabinet’s approval to form a high-level panel on the issue. And once the panel is approved, it is expected to come out with a clear-cut policy by September.

Hybrid cars run on both the conventional fuel as also electricity charged battery. Currently these vehicles are imported in India, thus incurring heavy taxes. The costs of these cars are almost 25 per cent more than the regular petrol or diesel fuelled vehicles. Toyota’s globally popular hybrid vehicle, Prius, is being imported in India and is priced at over Rs 25 lakh. Almost three years back, Honda had launched it Civic Hybrid Priced at Rs 21.5 lakh, which was slashed to Rs 13.36 lakh but has since stopped selling the car due to cost ineffectiveness.

“We have to see as to how to reduce the price to a reasonable level,” the official said.

Another aspect of the research is a study that will be conducted to assess the infrastructure availability and sops needed for the promotion of these cars in the domestic market. Conventional cars that run on petrol or diesel attract excise duty ranging from 10 per cent (for small vehicles) to 22 per cent for sedans. The hybrid technology is pioneered by Japan, the US and Europe.

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Mercedes Benz G-Wagen launched in India at Rs. 1.1 Crore

Reply

Debashis Mitra, Director Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd with the newly launched G55 AMG Mercedes Benz India launched the much-awaited Mercedes Benz G-Wagen at the Juhu Aerodrome in Mumbai today. The ‘G-Wagen’, short form of the Geländewagen (cross country vehicle), is the AMG tuned G55 version which is on sale in India at the moment. Mercedes Benz India has priced the SUV at Rs 1.1. crore (ex-showroom –Mumbai) as it will be shipped into India as Completely-Built-Unit. In spite of the steep pricing, the SUV seems to be popular right from the word go as it already has received 12 confirmed bookings.

The Mercedes Benz G-Wagen G55 is equipped with a 5.5-litre petrol V8 churns out 507bhp at 6100rpm and 71.4kgm of torque at 2750rpm. Despite the G55 scaling at 2.5 tonnes, the SUV can sprint to the 100kph mark in a mere 5.5 seconds with the top speed being 210 kmph.

As we had earlier mentioned in the blog that we had written last Thursday, the G-Wagen’s design has largely remained unchanged for over 3 decades since the production of the same began. The SUV, which was actually built to serve the German military, received rave reviews and soon a civilian version was offered in 1979. This attribute itself speaks volumes about its offroading capabilities.

Mercedes-Benz-G55-AMG

Though the design as earlier stated remains unchanged, the same cannot be said regarding its technology as the G55 that is being offered in India is loaded with all sorts of new technology that can be flaunted off. The Mercedes G-Wagen G55 gets a permanent all-wheel drive with three locking differentials, a 5-speed automatic transmission, ESP and electronic traction control system and high performance 350mm front and 330mm rear ventilated disc brakes.

Other notable features in the Mercedes G-Wagen include Mercedes Benz’s much acclaimed COMAND vehicle interface system, Bi-xenon headlamps, corner-illuminating front fog lamps and scratch-resistant nano-particle paint finish(Note: All these features comes only as standard with AMG spec Mercedes Benz G55 Gelande Wagen only).

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Fiat 1.3L Multi-Jet Reaches 4 Million Units Production Milestone

Reply

Fiat Multi-jet engines 4000000 units produced If there is one engine that Indians love unconditionally, it has to be the Multijet engine from Fiat. The Fiat engine has been in India for a long time now. In fact, it is so popular in our country that Fiat has sold more Multijet engines in India than its cars. Fiat scores a major portion of its profits in India by selling engines. In fact, Fiat also banked in on the popularity of this engine with the ‘Fiat Diesel Drives India’ campaign.

Just look at the trend in the Indian market: almost 95 per cent of the time, you would find a Multijet engine in a diesel hatchback. Most of the popular diesel hatchbacks as well as sedans in India, such Punto, Fiat 500, Linea, Palio, Ritz, Swift, Swift DZire, Vista, Manza, and the soon-to-be-launched diesel SX4, feature the Fiat Multijet engine.

Even the Chevrolet Beat is expected to feature the revered 3-cylinder Multi-jet engine (chopped-block), to be launched later this year.

All right, we are done with the background of the engine. The Fiat Multijet engine has now clocked another big milestone. The Italian company has announced that the 4 millionth 1.3 16v Multijet engine has left the plant in Bielsko Biala, Poland, on February 4, 2011.This 4 millionth unit, fitted in a Fiat 500, has been sold to a French customer.

The Fiat Multijet engine is available in various capacities ranging from 1.3L to a much mightier 3.0L. The engine is also available in a turbocharged and a non turbocharged format. Another famous thing about the engine: in 2005, the Multijet 75 PS version was chosen as the International Engine of the Year. And considering the number of new cars coming up in the Indian market, we would not be surprised if the many more cars get their power from the Multijet engine.

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Chevrolet Beat LPG launched at Rs. 4.10 lakh

Reply

Mr.-Karl-SlymPresident-Managing-Director-GM-with-the-New-Beat-LPG General Motors launched the Chevrolet Beat LPG in two variants, LS and LT priced at INR 4.10 Lakhs to INR 4.53 Lakhs, Ex-Showroom Mumbai. The LPG Beat compact car is equipped with the new locally developed, state-of-the-art SMARTECH engine. GMI President & Managing Director Karl Slym presided the function.

Speaking on the occasion, Karl Slym said, “India is a key market for General Motors and our Chevrolet brand. We are focused on leveraging our unmatched resources to create value for our local customers in all areas, including price, fuel efficiency, performance, safety, styling, reliability and other product attributes. The Beat LPG and the SMARTECH engine hold the promise.”

The environmentally friendly Chevrolet Beat LPG features next-generation / advanced LPG technology with multi-point sequential injection that provides a smooth transition between petrol and LPG with no loss in power, jerking or backfire. It is the first vehicle in India to use High Pressure LPG Pipes made of High Strength Nylon material, which has less weight, no chance of inside/outside corrosion throughout its life with better routing control and no kinking effects at bends. It generates impressive power of 80.04 PS @ 6400 rpm and torque of 103.8 Nm @ 4400 rpm in LPG mode for spirited driving and best-in-class performance of 13.29 km/l. The Beat has a range of 349 kilometres on LPG alone and 1000 kilometres on LPG and gasoline combined.

Keeping in mind customers’ safety as of paramount importance, the LPG kit parts are designed, installed and validated to meet the crash requirement in the case of any collision. The kit installation meets the stringent safety norms beyond the statutory requirements. The LPG kit fits snugly in the engine compartment, with no compromises on interior space. A sensor-based button allows users to conveniently go from LPG to petrol and back. The Beat automatically shifts to petrol when the LPG is depleted.

Two versions of the LPG Beat – the LS and LT – are offered. Both come with the same industry-first three-year/100,000-kilometre warranty as the petrol version and offer the lowest service/maintenance/parts cost for three years/45,000 kilometres.

With its best-in-class design and performance, the Chevrolet Beat has received an overwhelming response from consumers. Despite being in the market for lesser than a year, the Beat finished second in the Premium Compact Car segment against stiff competition in the prestigious India Automotive Initial Quality Study by J.D. Power Asia Pacific in December.

SMARTECH ENGINE

The new 1.2-litre SMARTECH engine was developed by the GM Technical Centre-India in Bangalore in cooperation with GM’s new powertrain facility in Talegaon for Indian driving and climatic conditions. It will power a range of new models offered by GM in India.

Aluminum alloy cylinder heads, an optimized cylinder block and lightweight pistons decrease weight and maximize fuel economy. An innovative rocker-less DOHC cam shaft, long runner plastic intake manifold and lightweight crank shaft with eight balancer weights and low tension rings further improve the engine’s efficiency.

The use of the maintenance-free silent IT timing chain drive system reduces noise, vibration and harshness. Durability is ensured through the application of an epoxy coating on the cylinder block and anti-corrosion coating on cam cover baffles, and the use of stainless steel core plugs and bay to bay ventilation. Extensive testing and validation in India were carried out to ensure top-of-the-line performance.

“Our two new products reiterate GM India’s commitment to becoming a leader in the introduction of environmentally friendly and technologically efficient vehicles and engines,” said Slym. “Our vehicles also demonstrate our commitment to fully leverage our resources in India to offer customers nationwide new products that meet their unique needs,” Slym added.

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Chevy to launch Camaro by 2011 end in India

Reply

chevy_camaro_2012 The American mean machine, Chevy Camaro will be zooming around in India by the end of 2011. Yes, by the reports that we have heard lately, General Motors India, which had earlier planned to bring in the Camaro has now confirmed the reports stating that the muscle car will be launched here in India by the end of 2011.

It only makes sense of the Camaro to be launched in India given the fact that India is soon turning into a hot destination for the luxury car makers such as Ferrari, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, Porsche and others to offload their products here.

Most Indians have a fascination towards Muscle cars like the Camaro or Ford Mustang though it is never available here. When the Chevy Camaro was displayed at the Auto Expo 2010, the Chevy stand was buzz with lot of activity around the car. Chevy should certainly cash in on this fascination and launch the car here in India.

Its now official that General Motors will soon start to manufacture the right hand drive variant for India, which will be imported to Indian as a CBU which will attract heavy import duties. The purpose behind the launch is to strengthen the Chevrolet brand in India. GM is not expecting high sales volume of this premium car and will not assemble or manufacture Camaro in India to reduce the cost.

We expect the ex-showroom price of Camaro in India to be around Rs. 45- 50 lakhs.

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

India to Fall Short on its Passenger Vehicle Export Target: SIAM

Reply

While auto sales have started on a phenomenal note in the Indian market, the export scenario might be a different story altogether. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has predicted that the country is likely to miss the export target for passenger vehicles, primarily because there is a decline in demand for small cars in Europe.

“Earlier we had set export target of 5 lakh units of passenger vehicles this fiscal, but it is unlikely that we will meet it,” SIAM Senior Director Sugato Sen said. Even with a outstretched luck, passenger vehicle exports by the end of the fiscal could reach not more than 4.5 lakh units.

So far in this fiscal, total passenger vehicle (Utility and Multipurpose Vehicles) exports from India stood at 3,58,538 units in the April-January period, as against 3,69,180 units in the same period last fiscal, down 2.87%.

“This is mainly because the European market, the biggest market for Indian small car makers, has not recovered from the slump,” Sen said. During the 2008-09 economic recession, many European countries started to provide incentives for purchase of new car in exchange of old car to boost the sales. But once the sales picked up, these incentives have been stopped.

The two major exporters in the Indian market are Hyundai Motor India and Maruti Suzuki India. Most of their exported cars are sold in the European market. These two carmakers have been busy trying to meet the domestic demand and exports have taken a backseat.

During the April-January period this fiscal, passenger car exports went down 3.34% to 3,53,533 units as against 3,65,731 units in the same period last fiscal. Exports of utility vehicles went up by 50.24% to 3,167 units as against 2,108 units in the same period last fiscal. While the export of mutli-purpose vehicles also increased 40.41% to 1,883 units so far this fiscal compared to 1,341 units in the corresponding period last fiscal.

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Auto Sales Experience 19 per cent Growth in January 2011

Reply

sales-graph The non-stop increase in fuel prices and car prices have become an old story, but is the Indian junta tired of these price hikes already? If we had to take a guess, we would say no. Surprising, but it is true. In January 2011, automobile sales in India grew 19% backed by economic growth, rising incomes and introduction of new cars. According group Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, the total vehicle sales count reached a whopping 1.32 million units, including trucks and other vehicles, in January as compared to the 1.11 million units sold in the same period a year ago.

Several car makers such as Toyota Motor, the world’s biggest, and Nissan Motors are introducing new models and expanding their production in India’s fast growing automobile market. Industry analysts say that the rate of growth may become difficult to maintain as rising interest rates, higher fuel price and increasing costs of raw materials raise the cost of ownership. The growth rate, which was at 31% last year, may come down to 15% this year.

“We have already seen an increase in fuel and interest rates on a constant basis. If excise duty goes up, the growth may come down to 10-11%,” said Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer (marketing and sales) at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. “Commodity prices are also on the rise. So, these put together will make things difficult for the auto makers.”

The unusual increase in January sales may be the first indication of an upcoming moderation in the industry after the spectacular performance of last year. Compact cars introduced last year include the Figo from Ford Motors, the Micra from Nissan and the Beat from General Motors. Toyota started selling its Etios sedan in December. In the past one month, fuel prices have increased by at least Rs.5.50. And India’s central bank has increased interest rates almost seven times in the past 13 months.

“What we are seeing now is moderation,” said Sugato Sen, a senior director at Siam. “Sustaining 30% growth wasn’t feasible.”

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Mercedes India to launch G Wagon on Valentine’s Day

1

Mercedes-Benz-G-Class-11 Come this Feb 14th and most of us will be celebrating. Yes, the day itself is quite special being Valentine’s Day, but we will be celebrating for another reason altogether. The arrival of the Mercedes Benz G wagon on the Indian soil. The news is quite official.

Mercedes Benz G wagon, people, is one of the best and finest offroading machines that the world has. G-Wagen (short for Geländewagen, which means a cross-country vehicle) is certainly not the Mercedes Benz, you and we know. Utilitarian in every sense, yet luxurious is what we call the G Wagon. The G-Wagon is raw, basic, out and out country type and so to sum it up, an SUV in its truest form.

This little beast from Mercedes Benz has the distinction of being in production for the longest time in Daimler’s history. 30 odd years it is. This fact certainly would speak volumes about the car. The Mercedes Benz G-Wagon though has changed tremendously technologically, the design remains as is even after 30 odd years after being produced. Here is another trivia for those who love the Armadas, Boleros and Sumos. All these Indian SUVs and MUVshad an inspiration in the G-Wagon. Though the design looks boxy, it is what drives the G-Wagon’s success.

Mercedes-Benz-G-Class

The German SUV, originally was conceived by the Germans to serve the German Army. Was is not that Ford and Willys Jeeps, Land Rover Defenders, Toyota Land Cruisers and Hummers were all conceived for the army? Yep, that’s the catch. Make no mistake. The army spec G-Wagon serves 63 armies around the world including German Armed Forces, Canadian Army, NATO and US Marine Corps. The army spec G-Wagon became soon became popular hit with the city people and Mercedes Benz brought a civilian version in 1979.

The Mercedes Benz G-Wagon is equipped with a 5.0 liter V8 engine that pumps out 382 bhp at 6,000rpm and 391 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm and is mated to a 7-speed auto transmission. For the price of the SUV, we suggest you to get back here on Feb 14th.

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Force India VJM04 Breaks Cover

Reply

2011-Force-India-VJM04-F1 The Force India F1 Team has unveiled its 2011 challenger car online ahead of its track debut later this week. The team, which finished seventh in the 2010 constructors’ championship hopes that the Mercedes-engined VJM04 will power them to even greater things in 2011.

For the 2011 season, Adrian Sutil and reigning DTM champion Paul di Resta, who was the team’s third driver in 2010, will drive Force India cars. Former Williams’s racer Nico Hulkenberg has joined the outfit to replace Di Resta as third driver.

Team principal and owner Dr. Vijay Mallya said, “2010 was an exceptional year for the team.” He also added that, “We were seventh in the championship with only teams who had previously won world titles ahead of us, which demonstrated we are still on target to achieve our goals. And this year there is even more to be optimistic about. We’ve got three race drivers that are hungry to take the next steps in their careers, whether that be points, podiums or wins.”

“We have an experienced technical team that have the ingenuity, flexibility and drive to adapt to the new wave of rule changes, and we also have the tools and resources in our partnerships with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines to aim even higher. Not to mention the very special event, and one that I personally can’t wait for, the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. What better place would there be to reach some of those aims than on our home soil?”

So what is new with the VJM04? The car has been designed in-house at the team’s UK facility in Silverstone by a unit led by technical director Andrew Green. The car, VJM04, though is an evolution of its predecessor; the car is very different thanks to 2011’s rule changes and features a moveable rear wing, a KERS system and a new-look roll hoop.

2011-Force-India-VJM04-F1-car-2

“Everything is different, but visually a lot of it is subtle,” explained Green. “The most obvious visual change is that we’ve gone away from a conventional roll-hoop to a blade. This gives us a small packaging improvement compared to a more conventional style. The engine cover is different, in-line with the abolition of the F-duct system. But there are a lot of differences under the skin that people won’t necessarily notice.”

The ban on double diffusers this year has left the team with a downforce shortfall, but Green is confident they have recouped most of what they lost. Speaking on the car, Mr. Green said, “We’ve recovered a lot of the aerodynamic performance, we believe.” He further added, “We still have a little bit to go, but we are still in the process of the realignment after the end of last season, because it does take a long time to move aerodynamically from one position to another. The moveable wing is a whole new game, and we’ll be trying to exploit its performance to the max.”

Both the Force India Team drivers, Adrain Sutil and Paul Di Resta are thrilled with their new car and spoke of their hopes for the season ahead: “I’m genuinely excited about the 2011 season,” said Sutil. “I just missed out on the top 10 last year in the drivers’ standings – I’m pretty hopeful I can get in there this season! The progress the team has shown over the past two years has been very impressive and what I’ve seen in the factory and at the wind tunnel over the past weeks indicates that the rate will continue this year. I feel very good and confident; the team and I know each other very well and we know how to get the most from each other.”

2011-Force-India-VJM04-F1-car-3

Di Resta added: “I don’t want to say exact targets on record as there are so many factors that can come into play. What I do want to do is to have a positive approach, finish, be consistent and contribute strongly to the team’s overall performance. We’ve got high aims of finishing in a good constructors’ championship position and I know that I’ve got to play my part in this.”

Following its launch on Tuesday, the VJM04 will make its testing debut at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on Thursday, as the second multi-team pre-season test session gets underway at the Spanish circuit.

    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Ford India to discontinue the IKON

1

fordikon1 People of India have finally said “Nay” to Ford Ikon. The entry-level sedan from Ford India, which has been soldiering around for over 12 years now, would be discontinued.The reason? You ask. The car did not woo any customer in the whole of India for the month of January 2011 and even the Ford dealers have stopped stocking the Ikon as the sales numbers started dipping. The dealers are no longer taking any fresh orders for the Ford Ikon.

As you read it in the above paragraph, no Ikon was sold in January. Yes, the number stood at 0, while the new hatchback from Ford, the Figo sold some 8000 odd units in January alone. This itself speaks volumes about both the cars that we are speaking about and there comes no surprise that the company is planning to discontinue the Ikon in days to come.

Ford-Figo

Well, the sales of Ikon saw a sharp decrease since last April after the BS-1V norms kicked in. Following stringent Bharat Stage 4 laws, the Ikon could not be sold in 13 prominent cities of India. Though the car, which is a BS III compliant, was being sold in other tier 2 and tier 3 cities, the dealers reduced their inventory levels of the car.

The Ford Ikon was an important and strategic product from the Ford India stables. The car that has been in production from the later half of 1999 was designed and developed specifically for India and many other emerging markets. The car had a distinct fun-to-drive factor, which was missing in many other cars being offered during the time. The Ikon was initially offered in two petrol and one diesel variants and did see a barrage of constant updates throughout.

Fiesta

In 2005, the company discontinued its 1.7-litre diesel engine and 1.6-litre Rocam petrol model, while offering the 1.3-litre Rocam model in BS-III cities and continued with its 1.3-litre push-rod petrol model in BS-II cities. Ford India reintroduced the diesel motor in the Ikon known as the TDCi, which also does the duty in the Ford Fiesta and Ford Figo.

The hint of Ford India trying to discontinue the Ikon model from the market came when Ford decided to bring down the price of the existing Fiesta and would be labelled as the Fiesta Classic. As far as the Fiesta is concerned, expect a new Ford Fiesta sedan to drive in by June or July. We presume the new Fiesta would feature a new 1.6-litre petrol engine with over 110 bhp and a new 1.6-litre diesel engine with around 90 bhp and would be priced sensibly around Rs 7-9 Lakh.

2011_Ford_Fiesta_sedan
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post