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Monday, 31 March 2008
It has been a bad beginning for the Auto Industry in stock market this fiscal. First it was hike in interest rates, followed by stringent measures adopted by financial institutions and now increases in prices of raw materials. The downward performance this fiscal follows the impressive performance in 2006 - 2007. The higher interest rates, hard financial options have resulted in negative sales figures of automobile companies resulting in poor performance of the auto stocks. But, financial observers see downward trend in car sales figures only as a time phrase which could recover by the second quarter. The Indian auto Industry has been in the global news this week with the Tata Motors clinching the Jaguar and Land Rover deal from Ford Motor. But the stock markets have not been favorable for the Tata Motors yet. Soon after the announcement of the deal on Thursday Tata Motors shares plunged by 6.39 per cent at Rs 636 dragging the BSE Auto Index down 1.79 per cent. Tata Motors share had been on the downtrend ever since Ford announced that Tata Motors was the preferred bidder for its luxury brands in January. Tata Motors on Friday opened at Rs 654 and closed at 645.85 a loss of Rs 9.50. Similarly, Maruti Suzuki which is heavily affected by increase in raw materials opened at 834.75 and closed at 829.25 a loss of Rs 9.05. Labels: Auto market competition, auto share market in India, Car-Sales, JLR deal, Maruti, raw materials, scenario in India auto industry, Tata Motor
Is any one know that how much Ford spent initially to buy luxury car brands-Jaguar and Land Rover? Ford bought these two high end brands in 1989 at a whooping $10 billion. Ford has invested such a big amount in Jaguar and Land Rover but failed to reap profits. Ford suffered a huge loss by selling its luxury brands to Tata for merely $2.3 billion. As far as global players are concerned, they are firmly committed to make their vehicle more appealing and luxurious than their rivals. It is still not known as to why Ford failed to make these brands profitable. Big wigs of world’s auto industry are now thinking of revamping their brands to avoid selling of their brands to any other company after Ford’s failure in Jaguar brands. Labels: Economical buy, Expansion in Indian auto industry, Ford, JLR deal, luxury cars, Tata Motor
Fiat is re-launching Fiat 500 in India soon. It seems that Fiat is planning to give a tough competition to BMW’s Mini. When Fiat will launch its 500 it is expected to take on the costliest hatchback of India BMW Mini. Fiat priced at Rs 13 lakh onwards and BMW Mini priced at Rs 20 lakh. Both these cars carry the retro design, carrying with it the legacy of European history. It will be interesting to see if these European cars carry their magic to India. These car manufacturers will most probably fight for a thin line of consumer segment, which have an option to buy luxury cars or SUV or 500 or Mini. Maybe the consumer will eventually decide on who is the boss of hatch back cars in India. Labels: Car-competition, Fiat, Fiat 500, Hatchbacks, Indian SUV, new car launch
After getting downgraded by rating agencies, Tata Motors is now hopping for a better rating after announcement of a new refinancing plan. But this may take a few months altogether. The refinance plan is expected as Tata Motors clinched a major acquisition deal with Ford to own the Jaguar and Land Rover. Tata Motors have paid 2.3 billion dollars for the deal. Eventually, the deal will be financed through a mixture of debt and equity.
Last week, Crisil, a rating agency, downgraded ratings on the auto major's cash credit facilities from 'AA+' to 'AA-/stable'. But the agency has removed Tata Motors from 'Rating Watch with Negative Implications' list. The auto major has taken a USD 3 billion bridge loan to take over the two iconic brands and meet the working capital requirements with a combination of debt, liquidation of existing investments. The company also plans to raise a fresh equity of USD 1 billion. Labels: Auto market competition, Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata Motors
Friday, 28 March 2008
Many who are expecting reduction in the price of Maruti-800 after Tata Nano’ appearance at Auto expo, will be disappoint to know the fact Maruti will not reduce any price of maruti-800 in future to compete with one lakh car Tata nano as Maruti does not want to compete with nano and is not even thinking to manufacture any new small car on the lines of ultra cheap car, Tata nano. Before Tata nano’s appearance, Maruti-800 was considered as one of the cheapest small car available in the country for many middle class families. When Tata motors have confirmed its production of one lakh car, many had thought that maruti would cut the price of maruti-800 on par with one lakh car to compete with nano. But now that suspense is over as Maruti openly clarified its intention that it will not reduce or cut down the price of Maruti-800 to compete with nano. Such honesty statement by maruti will really create conducive atmosphere in auto market leaving no place for unhealthy competition. Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, Expansion in business, Maruti 800, Nano, One Lakh Car, small cars
All those small car owners who thought that they could now get a DZire sedan by paying just Rs 75,000 more than Swift hatch back’s cost, take note of this. Maruti Suzuki has decided to increase the introductory price for DZire. Rise in input costs of aluminum and copper are forcing Maruti to increase the price of Dzire. The prices are likely to be revised in the next few weeks. So all those who want the new DZire will have to rush to Maruti outlets soon and book your cars, otherwise you will end up paying more than you thought. What with the cost of interest, rising cost of accessory and rising fuel costs. Anything more will certainly burn your pockets. Labels: Car-Sales, hike in car's price, Maruti, small cars, Swift Dzire
India’s dream of becoming a global small car hub may not become reality. Car manufacturers, who are till recently beaming over the reduction of excise duty on small cars, are now considering limiting their exports to maintain profitability as the government has not given incentive to encourage the exporting of passenger cars. Lack of incentive from the government is expected to affect the growth of export business of many car manufacturers. Sale of small cars, sedan and luxury cars is increasing in domestic market but lack of incentive for export and continues depreciation of the dollar, is bound to affect the sale of many cars in overseas market. Discouraged by the government’s disinterest in encouraging export business, largest exporter of passenger cars from India like Hyundai motor, Maruti Suzuki are seriously considering to downscale their original target of exporting 50 productions from India. Government should join hands with car companies to make India a global hub for small cars by giving some impetus to small cars export business. Labels: car incentive, Exporting cars, Hyundai, incentive for exporting, luxury cars, Maruti Suzuki, small cars
There was a time when introduction of a new model took years in India. Going down the memory lane, we could find that Ambassador actually rolled out only one model till late 90’s and Fiat had only two models for India for over twenty years. When Maruti came in the early 80’s it revolutionized car industry, but new models were not forthcoming. But now the time seems to be changing so fast that if you blink you could miss a model. Going a step ahead and breaking all records, one of the most successful sedan manufacturers, Mitsubishi has now decided to launch one new model in India every six months. They are even planning to introduce the sophisticated SUV Outlander in few months, which will be manufactured in India. It seems launching of new small cars, luxury cars, SUVs and sedans within span of short period may soon become a trend among car soon become car manufacturers. Labels: Ambassador, Auto market competition, Indian small cars security, luxury cars, Maruti, new car launch
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Tata Motors has taken the entire world by storm when it unveiled world’s cheapest car Nano at auto expo and earned the reputation of being mass car producer. By acquiring Ford’s luxury and premium brand Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata Motors has also proved its commitment towards producing high end class cars. It added one more jewel in the Tata’s crown. Tata has taken very decisive and bold step by acquiring JLR brand from global player Ford. Tata has become a world-class car maker by clinching this deal for $2.3 billion. With this deal, Tata Motors has set the entire auto world on fire and also proved global players wrong who thought Tata can only make cheapest car than high end model as it will now produce cars ranging from Rs 1 lakh to 1 crore. Labels: Auto market competition, Nano, One Lakh Car, Tata Motors, Ultra cheap cars
It seems that B and C cities are emerging as profitable markets for car companies in the last year. The rising income and easy accessibility to loans have been largely responsible for driving car sales upwards in these cities. As metros have been are soon going to become a stagnant market, it makes sense that car manufacturers look for cities other than metros. Most of these car buyers in these cities are first time car owners and obviously go for entry level cars. It is believed that Hyundai accounts 40 per cent of its sales including small cars and luxury cars are in cities other than the metros and six big cities in India. And the most popular models have been Santro and i10. Labels: Car-competition, Car-Sales, Expansion in business, Hyundai, luxury cars, New i10 model, small cars
Maruti Suzuki India has always been on the forefront to beat competition by providing quality products. Launching its entry level sedan Swift DZire, maruti wanted to rock sedan segment in India. Maruti is very quick to study the minds of its customers and work accordingly as it has suddenly discontinued Maruti Esteem when people felt it was not up to their taste. Now, Maurti has launched DZire that replaced Esteem. Maruti already has achieved a grand success in small car segment by releasing popular brands like Maruti 800 and Maruti Swift. The success of cute, stylish and powerful Dzire which has generated a lot of excitement and curiosity among the car lovers, will be very crucial for Maruti to cement its position in sedan segment. Labels: Car-competition, Maruti 800, Maruti Swift, New Car, Sedans, small cars, Swift Dzire
Maruti Suzuki is fast expanding its business to the rural areas than ever before. The car major is now looking at more income segments apart from the traditional businessman and urban salary groups. Last year the company has targeted government employees including teachers and also shop floor workers. The campaign received overwhelming responses and was a great success as maruti sold a whopping number of 23,000 cars including small cars and sedans under the scheme, last year. This year the company is targeting buyers in rural areas. The company has devised the panchayat scheme to increase the sale of small cars at grass root level. Under the scheme, Maruti's small cars will be available at discounted prices. Panchayat members, employers of regional rural banks, tahshildars and other government employees in rural areas are entitled to avail of this scheme. Let’s hope the other car manufacturers like Honda, Tata Motors, Hyundai may take cue from Maruti to help rural people to own cars. Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, Maruti Suzuki, new schemes, samll cars
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Tata Nano may further become cheaper when it hit the Indian roads in next few months. The appearance of Tata Nano, world’s cheapest car at auto expo has stirred up Indian auto industry and stunned many car manufacturers who thought manufacturing of 1 lakh car was just impossible. It’s all history now. Tata Motor is again waiting to give one more surprise by further reducing the price of Nano. If reports are to be believed, Tata has formed a team to find out ways to cut down the cost of its Rs 1 lakh car. If the price of nano come down further, buyers of this car will be doubled than present one as all most all families would own it by bidding good-bye to their two-wheeler. It’s time to cheer-up for small car buyers! Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, One Lakh Car, Prices, Small Car, tata nano
Some car manufacturers make festivals more colourful than the rest. The Indian car giant Tata Motors is coming up with some interesting offers for this Ugadi. It has cut down the prices of its flagship models Indica and Indigo. The new Indica V2 Xeta will now cost you Rs 39,000 less and the price of Indigo CS has been brought down to Rs 3.60 lakh from the current Rs 4.5 lakh. It would mean a lot of savings for the buyers. So guys! Who are waiting for the new Indigo CS can do so now. Or it will be never. The tradition of offering discounts and special offers during festival season will really encourage people to buy new cars and make the festivals a memorable event in their lives. Labels: Car-Sales, Customer offer, festival discounts, Indigo CS, Tata, Tata Indica
Many car manufacturers are generously offering good discounts and freebies to encourage people to buy their cars. They also reduced price of small cars after excise duty cut in union budget. But it is not sure how long it will be continued as the rise in the price of steels and other raw materials is forcing car manufacturers to withdraw offers and increase the price of cars including luxury cars and small cars. The generosity and enthuse of car manufacturers would not last for a long time and it would always be a short lived. They can now withdraw all offers and increase the car’s price at any time depending on marketing conditions. People, who have kept their plans of buying new cars on hold in anticipation of further reduction in their prices, could loose more money if they wait for another few months. It’s right time to start buying their favorite car. Wait and watch may prove too costly as prices could be increased at any moment. Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, Customer offer, discounts, Prices
All the green car entrepreneurs take note of this. This may be your biggest chance to win a prize of 10 million dollar prize amount and also get your green car manufactured across the world. This is all about a competition organized by the Progressive Automotive X Prize Foundation. It was unveiled by the New York mayor at the New York International Auto Show this month. The final competition will be held in September 2009 where the newly developed green cars will be tested across the country in US. Now, the tough part is that the car has to achieve at least 100 miles per gallon. It will add one more feather in India’s cap, if any Indian achieves this feat. The entries are still open for contestants. Labels: Auto market competition, Auto-Shows, Environment friendly car, green cars
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Audi has always been synonymous with luxury and comfort. It would never give any chance to its customers to blame it for quality as it keeps releasing new version of its luxury cars very frequently to attract more customers. Now, Audi is releasing the new A4 luxury sedan in July with certain modification and additional features. The A4 will be sold at the price of locally assembled car in India. Though the new A4 will be imported initially, it will sport the price tag of a locally assembled car. The new version of A4 was already launched in Europe a few months ago and became a grand success there. Audi India will assemble the A4 at its plant at Shndra and expects to sell 500 units of the new A4 in the first year. Labels: Audi, Audi-A4, Luxury car segment, Luxury sedan, new car launch
It’s quite common that most top ranking officials engage themselves in writing books or memoirs after retirement. But Jagadish Khattar is exception to this. Even after his retirement, his enthuse and spirit to do something new in the auto industry never died away but is still fresh. Khattar, a former bureaucrat who has become an entrepreneur now wants to launch his own chain of multi-brand car service station. The service stations starting from 2009 will offer service to all brands of cars under one roof. If you own several brands, you need not go or search any specific service station for each car. With this service station, all your vehicles get all the servicing required under one roof. It is amazing to see him setting up an enterprise after retiring at the age of 65 from Maruti Suzuki India Limited. Services of such persons might be driving force behind Maruti which has been appreciated for having easy access to service station for all these years. Labels: car services, Growth in Indian auto industry, Maruti Suzuki
Indian auto industry is undoubtedly becoming a hottest hub for global players. Launching of new luxury cars, SUVs and sedans have become common these days in India by foreign car manufacturers like BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz in collaboration with Indian car manufacturers. Now, Toyota has joined this bandwagon by announcing the launch of Lexus cars in India. Lexus brands have already captured the luxury car market globally and became hit all over the world including USA. Lexus is highest selling global marquee and will reach the Indian market through Toyota. Lexus cars are crafted with elegant design, powerful engines and superb interiors to woo people to buy these brands in India. Toyota does not want to release any of the Lexus brands in hurry but will take at least a year to launch them. It will launch LS 450 sedan first and later on LX 470 SUV. Surely, slow and steady wins the game! Labels: Auto market competition, Lexus brands, luxury cars, Luxury sedan, new car launch, Toyota
Swift sedan Dzire is making a sudden appearance on Wednesday and not on Saturday as aired before. It it will be launched on Wednesday. It could give Maruti Suzuki two days of publicity and long queues of buyers booking it over the weekend. Whatever, it is a clever strategy by MSIL to make quick sales and ensure long demand over several months. Its only sedan in market now SX4 which is already on top of the charts and Dzire seem to repeat history. Many believe that though the car similar to Swift in appearance has several firsts in its features. Labels: Maruti, Maruti Swift, Maruti SX4, New Car, new car launch
Monday, 24 March 2008
Many of us have been hooked on to the Formula one car racing ever since India made its debut with force India recently. Many Indian were heart broken to learn that it crashed out of the race in the very first lap. It was a disastrous start but it has left some hope in many Indians that there is a tomorrow. In the Malaysian Grand Prix, Force India did not disappoint and came in 12 after completing all rounds. This is great news. Maybe in future Indian name will figure in many more places apart from cricket.
Labels: car racing, Force India, Formula 1 racing, World endurance race
Think of the ultimate muscle car in India and you will immediately think Ford Endeavour. It is not just its excellent driving dynamics but its rugged looks which has captivated many car enthusiasts. Muscle SUVs have become the latest fascination for all those who want to live life king size. But did you know that the men in blue also had a passion for SUVs. While Ford Endeavour comes first is owned by Bhajji and Kumble and newcomer Praveen Kumar, Hyundai Tucson is owned by Rahul Dravid.
Labels: Endevour, Ford, Hyundai Tucson, SUVs enthusiasts, SUVs in India
It seems that old partner have become new foes. Mahindra and Chrysler are locked in a battle over an advertisement of jeep. Now it all started when Mahindra in its ad published in a newspaper in South Africa used a jeep picture. Nobody in India would make a big fuss about it knowing that Jeep was being assembled and marketed by Mahindra in India. Mahindra has been associated with Willy’s Jeep, for India operations since 1945. Even today Jeep is much sought after vehicle by off road enthusiasts. But outside India, when Mahindra is making a foray into foreign lands, it's a different ball game. Labels: Auto market competition, Car market, Chrylser, jeep, Mahindra
All those who thought that tinkering with cars was a mechanics jobs, wake up. The car sector has undergone tremendous change in the last few years. Mechanics alone will not be able to do all the jobs. Believe it not!
The car industry requires as much as 10,000 automobile engineers in the next decade. They are required by the best names in the industry like BMW, Mercedes, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Ford Motors and others. They are even hiring freshers for their most enterprising jobs. All those who want to associate themselves with the greatest upcoming cars can look into these careers.
Labels: Auto market competition, BMW-Cars, job scenario in Indian auto industry, Maruti, Mercedes-Benz, Upcoming Cars
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Hyundai’s women’s day with Santro scheme has worked magic. The company followed a soft approach towards the rising number of working women drivers and managed to successfully attract customers. It had offered a women’s day special scheme on the Santro Xing model starting March 1st.
A 50 % waiver on loan processing fee and loans at 0.75 % lower rate of interest than market rate were offered that brought the car loan percentage to 13.5 or 14 percent. After the success of this scheme, Hyundai has extended the scheme for the entire month of March. Labels: Car-Loans, Car-Sales, Hyundai
The process of acquisition of prestigious British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover is finally nearing completion. It seemed to drag on forever. Ford is finally signing on the dotted line to hand over the brands to Tata Motors. They hope to wrap the whole thing up by 26th March. The JLR deal has generated much interest in the global media. Tata Motors got very bad press coverage from US and UK. Inspite of it all, they have finally closed the deal. There were a series of hurdles in Tata’s way towards these acquisitions. After clearing these hurdles one at a time, the company is finally set to acquire Jaguar and Land Rover completely. Labels: british cars, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tata Motors
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Small cars are evolving even as luxury cars are imbibing the culture of the west. A centre instrument cluster is not seen only in car like Mercedes. The owner of Chevrolet Spark will feel he/she is seated in a luxury car as well. Spark has its speedometer and other gauges housed on the centre of the dash rather than behind the steering wheels as is seen in all other small cars in India. It is surprising that General Motors has sought to bring in this feature for small cars. They have sought to deviate from the regular looking dashboards in small cars and given it a feel of a luxury car.Spark has really brought in some new aspects to designing small cars. Labels: Chevrolet Spark, India, luxury cars, small cars
The car manufacturers have now moved from big cities to sell their products. They have found out that the B and C cities have a high market which is waiting to be tapped. Car manufacturers feel that the smaller cities have a higher market for lower segment cars. However, the problem lies in arranging finances as most rural people borrow from private from moneylenders.
Assessing this need, market leader Maruti Suzuki has partnered with Chennai based Shriram finances. General Motors, which is already leading in urban areas, has now set its eyes on rural areas. The company has tied up with Reliance, Tata Capital, ICICI and GMAC for special financing schemes. Labels: Car-manufacturers-in-India, General Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Reliance
The ‘Spark’-ling success of Chevrolet seems to have created new hopes for General Motors in India. The company is set to come up with a new small car exclusively for India with a cheaper than GM's current lowest priced car in India. It will be a new addition to the already crowded portfolio of Chevrolet which currently has cars for all segments like Spark to Tavera to Optra Magnum.
Surprisingly, General Motors is doing well when others are witnessing low sales performance. The company is planning two huge facilities and is now planning a small car. Nothing seems to be stopping the Generals’ growth. Labels: Chevrolet, General Motors, India, Optra Magnum, Small Car, Spark, Tavera
The steadily increasing car ownership numbers has also opened vistas for careers in car care. India is still new to automated car wash facility. It is estimated that the car wash business could be billion dollar enterprise. As people have little time to take care of their car maintenance and washing is certainly on their top list of things-to-do-for-the-week. In USA the car wash business is estimated to be worth $5 billion. That is a virtually a mini nation. There are a whole lot of possibilities, in this regard. The first and foremost is that such enterprises could open a lot of job opportunities. May be somebody could start in India making and it will definitely be a hit! Labels: Automated Car Wash, car maintenance, cars-India, India
If you are looking forward to buying the new Honda Accord for Ugadi or Gudi Padva in March, its time to change your plan. You don’t have to entirely give up on the car though. You are just going to have to postpone your plans of buying it.
Honda has put a stop to the production of the new eight generation Honda Accord. The car will be available only in May. The new date is also not fixed. Honda is re-designing the car and making it longer by 2.5 to 3 inches. A new car model could be stuck in the car design phase for a long time and nothing is certain until it’s over with. So, the launch date can’t be fixed with certainty yet. But one thing is for sure - The new Accord is going to be a real treat to the eyes and well worth the wait! Labels: Car-Designs, Honda, new car launch
It’s great news for the hunchback car Maruti SX4. It has topped sales in the midsize car segment beating the likes of the elegant Honda City ZX and the very fuel-efficient Hyundai Verna (especially the diesel version). When the SX4 was launched, it was recognized easily because it looked ‘different’. As with all cars, some people liked the design and some didn’t. And now, with news of its successful sales, we know that ‘many’ liked it.
Suzuki is finally growing out of its small car image in India. An image created by the popular Maruti 800 and Alto. Labels: Car-competition, Car-Sales, Maruti, midsize cars
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
The recent success of the Chevrolet Spark seems to have rekindled the spirit of General Motors in India. The company is coming up with a new small car exclusively for India. But not immediately. It’s going to take some time – 2 years. They already have a decent line up of small cars like the Aveo U-VA, the SRV, and the one we just mentioned - the Spark. The car they are planning will be a refreshing new addition to this already crowded small car portfolio. Labels: Chevrolet, General Motors, launch, new car launch, small cars
The Nawabi Lucknow-ees had a taste of auto fair over the weekend. It was organised by a major newspaper company. The enthusiastic lot of people thronged Balrampur gardens over the two days. Many small car and midsize car manufactures like Mitsubishi, Honda, Maruti, Skoda, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Toyota, and Mahindra presented their products to the eager crowd. Many first time drivers got to test drive their favourite cars and the seasoned ones tried almost all of them just for fun. The auto fair in Kolkata at Salt Lake Stadium just got over on March 16 and that turned out to be a popular event as well. This year has been packed with quite a lot of auto fairs and other related shows and exhibitions. Labels: auto fair, Auto-Exhibition, Auto-Shows, midsize cars, small cars
How could the cars be far from cricket? After all, we have seen so many cars be displayed in cricket stadiums and then be given away to winners. The Indian Premium League has been all over the news for the past few weeks and car manufacturers have been just as eager to join the band wagon as have been the filmstars involved in it. The first IPL matches are commencing in April and Hyundai has already become an associate sponsor. They have bought an air time of 200 seconds per match for advertisements and other promotional campaigns. Hyundai is the only car manufacturer showing its products during the IPL matches.
As the battle of IPL begins, so will the battle of car promotions. Maybe we will see some cricketers endorsing cars for small towns as they too hail from such places. Like Dhoni from Ranchi, Harbhajan from Mohali, Irfan Pathan from Baroda, and Zaheer Khan from a small town in Maharashtra. In the past, Sachin Tendulkar had endorsed the Fiat Palio for some time. Follow the little master! Labels: Car-Advertisements, Hyundai, Sports
Soon you will be able to transport your cars over long distances on railway car carriers at reasonable prices. Presently, the Indian Railways lacks the container facility and so has a very very small contribution in transporting cars.
Now, they are doing away with the conventional way of moving cars around on decks. They are introducing double-decker car carriers specially designed for transporting cars. They are trying to implement a car carrier project that is similar to the one in use in the US. They are currently testing the system and should finish the trial runs by the end of March.
Once these containers are ready, it should be pretty cheap to get your favourite cars around to most parts of the country. Labels: car transport, Indian Railways
Friday, 14 March 2008
Every auto fair is big news these days. The New Delhi Auto Expo was huge and set the car industry on a roll. While it was a hit in North India, the ‘Vaahan Yatra’ was just as successful in South India. Now East India is hosting a gala car fair. The one week auto fair will be held in Kolkata at the Salt Lake Stadium from March 16 onwards and you should try and catch this event. It’s no small fair mind you. All the big car manufacturers like Tata Motors, Toyota, Maruti, General Motors, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are attending.
Submitted by AutoFairKolkata Labels: auto fair, Auto-Exhibition, Auto-Expo, Auto-Shows, Car-manufacturers-in-India
If the new government norm on fuel efficiency is introduced, 60% of the cars being sold in showrooms will never see Indian roads. As per new standards, most of these cars consume a lot of fuel and are pretty low on mileage. It’s high time that these fancy sets of wheels got fancy numbers for fuel economy.
Only 40% of the car models today qualify. None of the SUVs meet the new fuel efficiency norms and aren’t suitable to off-roading anywhere in India. If enforced, the new norm will bring the current car bonanza to an abrupt end.
To discourage low fuel efficiency cars, the US government has levied a gas guzzler tax on such models. Though not exactly same, this is something on similar lines from the Indian government. We don’t know when the new norm will be enforced but this news should get all car manufacturers working feverishly on newer engines and technologies. Labels: Fuel economy, Indian cars, Indian Government
BMW is very impressed with its success in India as has continuously added new car models to its model line for the country. It has now launched the elegant M3 coupe.
The M3 coupe boasts of a powerful 4.0-litre V8 engine and delivers an impressive 420 bhp of power which will makes it more powerful than any of its rivals in India. BMW has studied the pulse of luxury car buyers in India and is introducing new models which live up to the buyers’ mark. BMW has pinned a lot of hopes on the new M3 and is hoping to make waves with it in the luxury coupe segment in India. Labels: BMW-Cars, luxury cars, luxury coupes, new car launch
The month of March has so far been the most exciting for car buyers. Buying a car this month has been like going to a restaurant and finding out that someone else has ordered something better. There’s so much on the menu to choose from. The number of car models on sale is unbelievable. The price cut on small cars after the new union budget has unleashed a car shopping spree. Ever since Maruti, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tata and Fiat cars have become cheaper, there has been a mad rush at car showrooms.
Now, Ford too has entered the race. Ford’s new March Masti programme is really interesting. Read this - you can get a loan at an interest rate of just 7.5 % and a whole lot of interesting accessories worth Rs 22,000 completely free with a new Ford car! Labels: car buying, Car-Discounts-India, Car-Sales, Ford, small cars
If you thought that plastic was only for the interior of a car, think again. In the future, almost all of the car could be made of plastic except the really essential components like the engine. That would probably have to remain in metal casings.
Car manufacturers have been experimenting with polycarbonates and carbon fibre. Not only are these materials lightweight, they also have strength and durability. In fact, the Hyundai QarmaQ car model is believed to have been made using recycled PET bottles. The car boasts of 30 new features all made from plastic. It looks more stylish than ever before. Labels: Car-features, Hyundai
Everyone knows that luxury cars, apart from being luxurious, come with large and powerful engines that give low mileage. Luxury car manufacturers take pride in their powerful gas guzzlers and talk loudly about their cars’ power and performance. Mercedes-Benz wants to shift from that notion.
It is soon to unveil the first hybrid car to use lithium ion batteries as a power source. They are calling the car ‘S400 Blue Hybrid’. It will come with a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine that will be accompanied by a 15 KW electric motor. No more re-fuelling your luxury car. It’s expected to come some time is 2009. Labels: hybrid cars, luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz, new car launch
The good old Ambassador car from Hindustan Motors is slowly moving out of government patronage. It was like the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the car industry. It was always there when younger and newer car models kept hitting the roads and it hung around for a very long time.
Over the years it came to symbolize bureaucracy. The government has now decided to replace the fuel guzzling ambassadors with the more stylish and fuel efficient Ford Ikon Flair. This comes after a recent approval for the Hyundai Accent. The golden age of the Ambassador is finally at an end. Labels: Ford, Government, Hindustan Motors, Hyundai
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Everyone is aware of the fact that the Tata Nano has re-defined the term 'small car' after its appearance at the last auto expo. So much so that even global car manufacturers like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz have shown interest in this car segment. BMW will launch their popular small car brand MINI in India soon. This luxury small car is a stark contrast to the Tata Nano. Once it arrives, the BMW Mini will most probably be the most luxurious and costliest small car in India. Compare that to Tata's world's cheapest car and you get to see the contrast. Overwhelming response to its luxury cars such as X3, X5, 3 series, and 5 series in India might have stimulated BMW to consider launching luxury small car. The MINI will be priced at around Rs. 20 lakh. Going by its price, BMW's small car doesn't register in Tata Motors' book of competitors for the Nano. Labels: BMW-Cars, Car-competition, luxury cars, Small car market in India, tata nano
Maruti has been an impressive company over the years and it still remains a first choice for many people who look forward to buying small cars and mid-size sedans on a reasonable price budget. Now, Maruti has earned the reputation of being the first car company to train women in driving. Maruti hit upon the idea of opening driving schools across the country and it has gone down well with women car enthusiasts. Their Driving school largely attracts women and most of the students are women. It has registered an impressive number of aspiring women drivers to learn the skills. So far, about 15,000 women have graduated from this school leaving the men spellbound. This is a really unique initiative from Maruti. Labels: driving school, Indian small cars security, Maruti, Sedans, women in driving
New cars are continuously finding their way to the Indian car market. There's a flood of new car models and variants. One more variant is now added to the hatchback line-up. Ford has launched a new variant 'Fusion Plus' for its car model Fusion. The newly launched Fusion Plus variant will be available in 1.6-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel versions. Its packed with exciting new features such as height adjustable driver's seat, power adjustable outside mirrors, all new anti-lock braking system and alloy wheels. Ford is encouraging buyers to go for it by giving an introductory offer this month that includes a car MP3 player. All of the Fusion's performance qualities and driving pleasure are retained in the Fusion Plus. Labels: Expansion in Indian auto industry, Ford India, Fusion, Hatchbacks, New Model
Mahindra is going from strength to strength as every year passes by. Many international car manufacturers are eyeing Mahindra as a partner for their South Asia operations. A lot of are coming Mahindra's way. Development of new cars with great styling has given Mahindra an edge over the others. In recognition of this fact, they have been bestowed with the ‘Excellence in Innovation’ award Mahindra is the first company to unveil a Bio-diesel SUV and is the only Indian company to come up with a hybrid SUV. The Scorpio hybrid beats off the costly technologies on Honda Civic hybrid and Toyota Prius. Labels: Car-competition, Hybrid technology, Indian SUV, Mahindra
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Grabbing the market and attracting customers has become a challenge for car manufacturers in India. Many car companies are coming up with new ideas to get a good hold on sales. General Motors is one among them and it has gone a step ahead of the others this time. Buying a Chevrolet Spark is now easier. You can drive one home without any down payment at all. Don't worry about saving up to buy a car and you don't need to have a fat bank balance. If you have a decent salary, you are eligible to buy it. A copy of your salary slip and a few other documents are all you need! Labels: Car-competition, Car-Sales, Chevrolet, Customer offer, Spark
Here's something that Ford has come up with to help car buys benefit from the excise duty cut in our latest union budget. It has reduced the price of Fusion's diesel variant by Rs. 22, 000. The very day the union budget was announced, Indian car manufacturers like Maruti and Hyundai reduced the prices of many of their small cars. Taking a cue from them, Ford too dived in and thus the Fusion diesel story. If the current trend continues, we could see even more car manufacturers reducing prices of small cars pretty soon.
Labels: Car-competition, Car-Sales, Ford India, Hyundai, Maruti, Reducing model price
The cute i10 is already making waves in the small car segment and recently walked away with a lot of awards and appreciation. Now, Hyundai is waiting to launch the new i20 hatchback and is expecting a repeat of the i10's success story. i20 is next in the i-series from Hyundai of which the i10 has already arrived. With the i10 being so impressive, many wonder what the i20 will be like and expectations are really high for this upcoming car. Hyundai is undeniably setting new standards and raising the expectations of car buyers. The i20 is coming to India some time later this year. Labels: Hatchbacks, Hyundai, Hyundai Santro, i20, New Car, New i10 model, small cars
Maruti is known for its commitment to provide cars at affordable prices and has proved it with the huge number of Maruti 800 cars it has sold over the past two decades. When most car companies are targeting urban customers by offering good discounts and free after sale services, Maruti is focussed on rural customers. Maruti will encourage rural masses to buy its cars by lending financial help to them. They have tied up with Shriram City Union Finance to help rural people get timely and hassle free financial assistance. Labels: Car-competition, Car-Sales, Finance, Maruti, Maruti 800, Maruti Alto
Saturday, 8 March 2008
If we go by news, the Tata Nano is launching in October this year. Some people have been speculating the launch date and others have been eagerly counting days till October. There’s some good news. Tata Motors is starting bookings for the Nano from June; across the country but in select cities only. Which cities exactly? We still don’t know. Also, the news of the booking though reliable, hasn’t been officially announced yet.
Whether the Nano will actually arrive in September-October isn't known yet. With so much demand for the car, why wait? Prepare to book a Nano for yourself! Labels: car bookings, Car-Launch, Car-Sales, tata nano
It’s a story of Tortoise beat the Hare in a “car race”. Last month, the Mahindra-Renault Logan suddenly sold out in large numbers to overtake Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki SX4. The Logan has always been appreciated for being a good mileage car. But for a long time, its price wasn’t helping sales. Promotional campaigns weren’t going its way either. The ‘most spacious sedan on Indian roads’ was unable to make much space for itself in our highly competitive car market. It was slowly drifting into oblivion.
A new price strategy from Mahindra-Renault has come to the Logan’s rescue. The family sedan now comes cheaper at Rs 4.5 lakh for petrol and Rs 5.75 lakh for diesel variant. Now, the car is most probably filling Mahindra Motors’ balance sheets alongside the Scorpio. We thought the new union budget might encourage Mahindra-Renault to come out with a smaller version of the Logan but that’s not what they have in mind. It will remain just the same. We hear there’s a new brand campaign in the works though. Labels: Car-Discounts-India, Car-Sales, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra-Renault, Maruti Suzuki
As we mentioned before, the Tata Nano is basking in glory at the Geneva Motor Show and so are its designers. But it’s not just they who are being appreciated. The Indian team of engineers and their Japanese counterparts, who designed the Maruti A-Star concept car, are also receiving praises for their work. While the Nano has been stealing most of the attention, the A-Star has been well received at the motor show and has managed to make a few heads turn towards it. Labels: Concept cars, Geneva motor show, Maruti, tata nano
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Indian car enthusiasts have always been passionate about luxury cars. They have an undying spirit and love for owning such cars. This obsession with luxury cars may be one of the strongest reasons for the success of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and the likes. Within a span of a few years, the Indian car industry has started to become swarmed with famous global car brands from renowned car manufacturers who have globally proved their mettle. These car companies have received a great response to their luxury cars. Most of their sedans, small cars and SUVs have become a grand success inspite of being highly priced. This trend is clearly seen in the successful sales numbers that each of the luxury car makers have achieved over the past few years. Last month saw 241 BMWs sold. BMW is so confident of the market that they have set themselves a sales target of 10,000 cars by 2010. Audi and Mercedes-Benz have similar success stories to tell. Labels: Audi, BMW-Cars, Car-Sales, luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz
Tata Nano has once again become a show stopper, this time at the ongoing 78th Geneva Motor Show at Geneva in Germany. People are thronging to the Tata Motors’ pavilion. Since the Nano was unveiled at the Auto Expo in New Delhi recently, curiosity about the world’s cheapest car had left people around the world waiting eagerly. At the motor show, there are several expensive cars on display such as the new Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8, Toyota iQ and not to forget the Porsches, Ferraris, Mercedes-Benzs and BMWs. For several years these high-tech marvels have allured and captivated people at the auto show but now a cheeky car such as the Nano has stolen the limelight completely. Tata Motors has been participating at the Geneva Motor Show for the past 11 years but has never before seen so many interested spectators. Now, because of the Nano, even famous car manufacturers are queueing up to check out the $2500 car. Tata Motors has been flooded with enquiries about the Nano’s version that they will launch for Europe. Labels: Auto-Expo, Auto-Shows, European, Geneva motor show, Tata Motors, tata nano
People waiting to buy a small car at a very good price now have a reason to smile as a few big car manufacturers in India are reducing prices of their cars. The excise cut for small cars announced in our new union budget has tempted many people to now consider making a purchase.
Maruti, Tata and Hyundai have announced huge reductions in prices of their car models to encourage people to start buying and to bring the benefit of the excise duty cut to the common man’s doorsteps. Prices cuts range from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 20,000. And it’s not just the old and established models like Maruti 800 and Tata Indica that come with this. Even the newly launched models like Tata Indigo CS are available with a huge discount. Truly a season of celebration for car lovers! Labels: Car-Sales, Low budget cars, Maruti, Small cars market in India
Hyundai Motors is keeping track of its customers by following them wherever they go. They aren’t even sparing their customers out on their jogging or shopping routines. It’s all for a very good reason – to maintain a lasting relationship with customers.
Hyundai is on a mission to provide good after-sales service to its customers. It’s ‘Always Around’ campaign aims at providing free car check-ups to customers. Service teams from Hyundai will render their services at various locations like parks, shopping malls, and apartment complexes. It seems Hyundai has realized the importance of maintaining good customer relations after a car sale. Labels: Auto market competition, car services, Hyundai, sales strategy
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Indian car industry has assumed great importance globally after the Tata Nano was unveiled at the 9 th Auto Expo and recently at the Geneva Motor Show. Many global car manufacturers, who have announced the launch of their cars in India in the near future, are not taking any chances and are already announcing the exact year of launch and if it will be sedan, hatchback or SUV.
Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Ford have already joined the bandwagon of Indian cars and are making waves. Volvo luxury cars in India are the latest entrants. Volvo is now in queue to capture the SUV segment in India and has announced that it will release its much awaited XC60 SUV next year. Mercedes-Benz wants to bring more of its diesel engine cars to India. Car manufacturers, who had nurtured the habit of making announcements of car launches without any commitments to implement them, are now realizing the potential of the Indian automobile industry and are working hard to materialize their promises. Labels: Expansion in Indian auto industry, Global players, new cars, Volvo
Car manufacturers are becoming increasingly clever at sales strategies to boost sales. It’s now a popular business strategy of many car manufacturers to offer special discounts during festivals and other special occasions to attract people to buy their cars.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd. is trying to make the International Women’s Day on March 8th more special for women. It’s offering a discount of Rs.14, 000 on the Santro Xing automatic transmission model to commemorate this special event. This special offer, which has started from March 1st itself, will surely tempt many women into driving home a Santro. Labels: Car-Sales, discounts, Hyundai, sales strategy, Santro Xing
With global car manufacturers moving to India, luxury car makers like BMW, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda are now seeking the government’s assistance to test their cars in India. The manufacturers want to test their cars for durability and performance in Asian markets.
India is one of the most diverse environments in the world ranging from very hot to very cold, which makes it a suitable base for not only manufacturing cars and other vehicles, but also for vehicle testing, which was earlier confined to the European Alps and American deserts. These changes will not only bring in further employment opportunities, but also help manufacturers customize luxury cars to suit Indian roads and Indian drivers instead of just importing tweaked and often completely revamped cars. Labels: BMW-Cars, luxury cars, Toyota, Vehicle performance testing
The hydrogen revolution has come to India. Tata, Honda, and Toyota are already conducting research on hydrogen-run buses, trucks, and cars. The First hydrogen fuelling station for these vehicles is said to open in the last quarter of 2008. The Indian Oil Corporation is likely to base this fuel station in Delhi as part of a government policy to convert 20 % of vehicles to natural gases. These 20% vehicles could be either public transport like buses or private transport like cars (mainly luxury cars). The fuelling station will supply hythane and hydrogen to all vehicles powered by natural gases. This is a positive move from the Indian government to save the environment before it is too late. In the near future, if small cars also join the hydrogen vehicle line-up, then pollution could soon be a topic of the past! Labels: Environment friendly cars, Honda, Hydrogen fueled vehicles, small cars, Tata
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
The city of Ludhiana in Punjab boasts of 700 Mercedes-Benz cars, the highest for any city in India. It is amazing that the city is able to afford so many Mercedes. Punjab has a total of 1500 luxury car Mercedes-Benz. It must be a visual treat to watch one Mercedes after the other lined up in a traffic signal.
Mercedes have also become the new status symbol of the business class there. Grooms are being gifted with Mercedes-Benz is now passé in Punjab. In 70’s green revolution in Punjab brought in tractors for the first time in India, and now Mercedes on city roads may be proving that there is a luxury car revolution, taking place. Labels: Luxury car segment, luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz
The race is on to capture the small car segment in India. While many car manufacturers are toying with ideas of releasing small cars at ultra-low costs to reach out to the common man in India, foreign car manufacturers are also thinking the same.
BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Volvo and Fiat for example are striving hard to make their cars affordable in India and also to enable at the least upper-middle class to be able to own their cars by shelling out decent amounts. Not to be left behind, Fiat has already decided to roll out its most popular European small car Fiat 500 and the Fiat Bravo at Rs.10 lakh in India. Volkswagen and BMW are waiting to release the Beetle and Mini Cooper brands respectively within the limit of Rs. 20 lakh. The entry of foreign cars with competitive price tags in India will surely make Indian car manufacturers to give good cars at reasonable price. Labels: Audi, BMW-Cars, Fiat, Foreign cars, Small car market in India
Most cars in the Indian car market today are front wheel drive. The reason for this is that the front wheel setup is simpler and cheaper to build compared to the rear wheel drive. The construction of rear wheel drive is slightly more complex. Also, front wheel drive cars are more popular in India because they are lighter (meaning that they give more mileage) and they perform well in slippery surfaces (meaning that they are better suited for Indian roads and for the rainy season). All these factors have killed the rear wheel drive cars in India which actually give better acceleration, better braking, and a better feel of driving. Rear wheel cars are more zippy and fun to drive. Comparatively Front wheel drive is slightly boring. The rear wheel drive concept is now limited only to a few MUVs, commercial vehicles and expensive luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Labels: cars-India, Front wheel drive, luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz, rear wheel drive
The Chevy Spark sold over 2000 cars in February 2008, a majority of which are owned by women drivers. Spark has charmed its way into women’s hearts posting an 80% increase in sales and topping the list of highest-sold cars for the month of Feb. The other car that has women swooning is the cute Chevy Aveo U-VA.
The sudden rush to buy the Spark has increased GMs market share beating that of its US rival Ford. This may very well be the first step towards women turning into major car market swingers – something that was pre-dominantly considered to be “a guy thing”. Labels: Car-competition, Car-Sales, Chevrolet, Ford, Spark
The Indian SUV manufacturer launched the Mahindra Scorpio SUV and the Getaway pick-up range in Peru, a country in the South American continent. Mahindra is aggressively promoting itself in the overseas market especially in the Latin American countries. This Indian manufacturer is thinking of quadrupling its exports and doubling its domestic market share in the next two years.
Mahindra has only recently seen market success in India that started with its Scorpio. Neglecting the domestic market for greener pastures overseas may not be a very wise move, but it definitely makes a statement to the world that India is stepping onto their shores and rising to become one of the world’s greatest economic power in a few years. Labels: car export, Indian SUV, Mahindra, Mahindra Scorpio, SUVs
The Tata Sumo Grande is the next generation Sumo. It hit the market carrying a lot of expectation from its manufacturer and from people who like SUVs but can’t really afford an expensive one. Its predecessor was one of the first SUVs to reach the Indian market. I remember that the demand for the Tata Sumo was more than Tata Motors could supply. Now it is more popular as a cab because of its tough and rugged body.
The new and improved Sumo Grande has many more features and has an exciting and fresh appearance. I know its too early to say, but this new dynamo may just make a lasting impression on the Indian market and in Indian hearts.
Article Submitted by Harsh Kanuj Labels: New launch, SUVs, Tata, TataSumo
Monday, 3 March 2008
China is famous for piracy, whether it is to do with films, music, or technology. The piracy-den tag has robbed china of becoming a major hub for the expensive cars in the world. If you look at the number of research labs and production facilities coming to India, even though China offers better infrastructure and cheaper labour, you can’t help but wonder why?
Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and even Ferrari have set up their bases in India for fear that their technological wonders may no longer remain unique if their ideas and technical innovations are exposed to the Chinese market to be forged, duplicated, and sold as good imitations at much cheaper rates. More car manufacturers like Volvo and Volkswagen are also setting up their facilities here. After all, car manufacturers have to not only pay attention to profit and sales, but also to technological innovations that will help them grow better and faster than their competitors!
Labels: Auto market competition, BMW-Cars, Mercedes-Benz, Piracy in Chaina's auto industry
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