Inspite of the car market moving to a negative terrain, Volvo Car India (VCI) works for the expansion plan. The company is optimistic that the current slack phase of the industry will soon be rectified.
The Volvo has already introduced a portfolio of 10 cars to the Indian market including three sedans, one station wagon, two convertibles, and three cross-over model. The company has tested the performance of these cars in the Indian market and is much satisfied with the good response from both the market and the buyers. The company plans to launch two or three new cars and also strengthen its dealer network. It also desires to meet a sales target of about 400-500 vehicles by the end of this fiscal year.
Currently, Volvo has dealers in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chandigarh. It further plans to extend the dealer network to other cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Cochin, and Pune.
Driven by the growing demand of SUVs in India, Mitsubishi plans to roll out its Outlander soon.
There was news that the company plans to roll out its SUV in the first quarter of 2008. The first quarter is now over. No dates are being confirmed for the launch but the newsy air still whispers that ‘Mitsubishi plans Outlander for India’.
Priced at about Rs.15-25 lakhs, the car is expected to compete with the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Honda CRV.
The Mitsubishi cars are already doing wonders in the Indian car market. Mitsubishi Pajero is a successful SUV running on Indian roads and Mitsubishi Lancer has no comparison in the luxury car segment. With such a successful story in the Indian market, Mitsubishi is sure to win applauds and acclamation for its upcoming SUV, the Outlander.
The new car will come with a competitive price tag and superior features. The 2.4 litre MIVEC petrol engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission coupled with paddle shift are the most attractive features.
The company has taste the success in India with only selected models. Does the slogan, ‘slow and steady wins the race’ apply to Mitsubishi brand? Will the Mitsubishi be able to win the race in the highly competitive India market?
The fact whether Toyota Fortuner will make its debut in the Indian market is questionable. Toyota is towing away the launch of Fortuner from the past several months.
There were rumours that the Fortuner is to be launched by the end of 2007. But unfortunately the car has not passed through the Indian boundaries. Even the idea of launching the Fortuner is still behind the veil.
Toyota now plans to give final shot to its thought rather than playing away with the idea. The company has used the same IMV platform as used in Toyota Innova to produce its remarkable Fortuner SUV.
Toyota Fortuner is loaded with an impressive 2.7 litre petrol and 3.0 litre common rail diesel engine. The car if launched will be available at a price tag of Rs 16-20 lakh.
Still there is news that the car will be launch in 2009. But will the car seriously launch in 2009? Or is it still a speculation?
Wow! A luxurious SUV! BMW has recently launched its car studio at Janpath, Delhi. During the inauguration of the first such studio in the country, the president of BMW, Peter Kronschnabl, announced the launch of BMW X6.
The decision to launch X6, a full size SUV, is driven by the increasing popularity of SUVs in the Indian market. Not only BMW, other car manufactures also have plans to roll out their SUV in India.
The X6 is an excellent car designed with elegance and loaded with luxuries. It is adorned with various stylish and classy features that will create a complete new car segment. This outstanding car is expected to roll out in 2009.
Earlier the company had plans to drive in its beautiful car Mini to India but the plan to roll out X6 has pushed back the launch of Mini. In a couple of years, BMW is also considering to bring its hybrid car model to the Indian market.
Why do you think? Will the new SUV from BMW stable be able to record a success in India?
The 2008 Beijing Olympics saw a grand finale bringing pride and cheers to India. Shooter Abhinav Bindra made our country proud by winning a gold medal and for the first time in Indian history, the country bagged an individual gold medal in Olympics.
As a token of appreciation, Abhinav was gifted with a Volvo car worth Rs 39 lakh. Volvo-India Managing Director, Mr. Paul de Voijs handed over the keys of Volvo S-80 to Abhinav.
The Volvo started its direct sales in India last year and incidentally A. S. Bindra, father of Abhinav Bindra was the first buyer of a Volvo car. Among the Indian states, the demand for high-end luxury cars is high in Punjab and that is the reason why Volvo chose Chandigarh to launch its cars in India.
Inspite of the falling sales and high inflation, car manufacturers are planning a slew of car launches. This seems to be confusing. At one end, the car manufacturers say that they want to halt their expansion plans and on the other end they are constantly announcing the upcoming launches. Can anyone guess the true picture behind the scene?
Whatever the case be, currently the news say that the joint venture between Tata and Fiat is planning to change the overall look of their alliance showrooms which includes – style, signage, interiors and ambience. Fiat plans to give a European red look to its brand whereas Tata Motors will showcase its brand in blue. The companies have also changed the size of their logo as an essential part of their branding and promotion exercise.
With the new makeover, both Fiat and Tata are planning to launch a portfolio of cars in the next couple of months. Fiat plans to launch Linea and Grande Punto before the end of this year, whereas Tata Motors plans a new Indigo and Nano in the same period. Tata has recently launched a new Tata Indica Vista with better features, style and engine technology.
Tata-Fiat joint venture is working hard on the marketing and distribution aspect and is hunting out for better and improved measures.
Congratulation Skoda for winning the top rank in sales satisfaction survey!
A survey conducted by J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2008 between March 2008 and June 2008 clearly states that Skoda India ranks the highest in new car owner satisfaction. This is the second consecutive year that the company won this award.
According to the survey, Asia Pacific considered seven factors that contribute to the rankings. These factors include delivery process, delivery timing, paperwork, sales initiation, salesperson, dealer facility, and the final deal.
On a scale of 1000 points, Skoda scores 799. After the announcement of results, Skoda customers are on the seventh heaven. They are actually happy and satisfied with the entire sales process. Almost all the Skoda customers have experienced through the years a hassle-free vehicle purchase right from the initial stage to the final delivery. These consumers are also satisfied with the after sale service of their Skoda cars.
Luxury and comfort conscious travelers have increased in India which has given a new way to the car rent business. Many companies in the country are looking forward to gain profit from the surge in car rental business.
Companies into car rental services are increasing their fleet size and are also reducing their prices to lure more customers.
The Carzonrent is one such company that provides car rental services in the country. The company is in process to increase their car fleet size from 180 cars to almost 500 by the end of this fiscal. With this effort, the company expects more than a 100% increase in the number of reservations.
Car rental services not only include a rented car with a chauffer but it also includes an option of self-drive business. Self drive service is a service where the car rental company rents only the car not the chauffer. Carzonrent lays emphasis on the self-drive business. The company feels that Indian people are not much aware of this kind of business in the car rental industry. To spread the awareness, the company is ready to invest out an amount of Rs 5 crore for marketing and promotion.
Another known company is the car rental services is the Sixt. The company is planning to sign a memorandum with the Maini Reva to add electric cars to its fleet. So far, the company had focused only on the B-to-B segment but now it feels that it is profitable to foray into the retail segment.
Apart from the self-drive business, other car rental companies like Meru, EasyCabs, CoolCabs and Forsche (women’s taxi service) provide cars on rent but with a chauffer. These companies till date have not entered the self-drive business.
Sooner or later, will these companies enter the self-drive business?
After the successful venture of Mahindra-Renault Logan, the joint venture between Mahindra and Renault is planning to impress the consumers with a bootless sibling. Logan is currently creating sensation in the mid-size car segment in the country but still Renault is not satisfied. To comply with its own level of satisfaction, the company desires to roll out Renault Sandero, a hatchback.
Sandero will be manufactured in Renault’s Curitiba plant and will launch the car first in Brazil, followed by Argentina and India.
The Renault Sandero is built using digital designs and is price warrior. A much affordable modern hatchback is loaded with elegant and futuristic features and is comparatively more attractive than the revamped Logan. The car is a blend of European Clio (Renault's popular hatchback) and some Logan features. Spacious and low boot of the car makes it more comfortable and easy for loading cargo. The drive, sitting posture and the comfort is all up to the mark.
When driving to India, Renault will modify some features in order to make the car well suited for Indian roads.
First Nano will Drive in on the Expected Launch Date
Cheer Up! Don’t get disheartened! The first Nano will launch in October!
Since the date, Ratan Tata has established the Singur plant, some or the other obstacles have blocked the road for Nano. Land seizure issues, water logging in the plant, increased input costs and again the land protests have created a bundle of troubles in the production of the Nano. These obstacles have delayed the scheduled launch and price tag of Nano.
Huge numbers of consumers are waiting for the launch of Nano but the current land seizure issues have put a full stop to their thoughts and expectations. People are now in a dilemma whether the car will launch on the expected date or not. This confusion is right as there were news to shift the small car project from Singur. But will these rumors turn to a reality?
No! Even though the company is facing hassles and troubles to deal with the land protests, the first Nano car is still expected to roll out on the expected launch date.
How can one forget the strength, power and capability of Tata Motors? The company has faced several ups and downs throughout the years and today there is nothing that can obstruct the way for Tata Nano.
Audi R8 is scheduled for launch in November this year. The car is priced at Rs 1.3 crore in India and there are many who are waiting for the launch of this car.
The car will be imported from Germany for the Indian market. The imported volume is low and so it will not go through any approval by the authorities. Audi R 8 bears a weight of around 1,560 kg and is an excellent car with a mid-engine, delivering a horsepower of 420. The car has created a benchmark in the global car industry.
Audi's sports car is doing wonders throughout the world and soon going to make its debut in the Indian market. In India, there are many people who are ready to pay this big amount for the luxury, quality and superiority the car delivers.
It is believed that the bookings for the car started in June 2008 and the company has almost registered 15 orders in its bag for the super luxury car. After bagging 15 orders, the company states that the imported car model is sold out for this year.
Sold out! What does this means? This sounds to be strange. The car model has not yet launched but the targeted sale volume is over for this annum. Yes, that's right. Audi R8 has not yet launched but is sold in India. Currently, there are two to three Audi R8s on Indian roads that were bought through direct import.
There is lot going on with Tata’s. They are always in news for some or the other reason. The news of launch of Tata Indicruz by 2009 is the latest buzz. To be built on Safari platform, the car will come with four wheel drive.
Large grille and peeled back headlamp with a modern touch will adorn the car. The interiors are spacious too with well placed dash offering large storage space. The brand has not compromised with the quality either and is expected to present better performance than the Safari and new Sumo Grande. This MPV is likely to compete with Toyota Innova.
Tata’s have a list of new surprises to be launched. They are foraying in every segment, looks like very soon Tata will dominate the car industry in India.
Electric cars and CNG cars are the current wave in the automotive industry. The hike in fuel prices have definitely cut down the sale of petrol cars and increase the demand of CNG cars.
Along with CNG, electric cars have also established a strong platform on the sands of Indian car market. Currently, we only have two electric cars, Reva Maini and Garuda. There are car manufacturers who are working on to produce electric versions of their various car models. But is it good to work on electric versions? Or CNG versions are preferable?
During this era when the infrastructure is not so strong in the country, the industry will benefit more by producing CNG comply engines rather than wasting time to design purely electric engines. This is because India has a huge shortage of electricity. In the recent time, power cut has become a usual thing in most of the metro cities. Even today there are few villages in the country that live in dark the entire year. That’s shocking but that’s the truth.
With such an infrastructure and shortage of power, how can electric cars win the car race? Yes, of course once the power shortage issue is solved, electric cars will top the race. But till then, CNG cars are better.
Today, most of the gas pump stations provide CNG. It is one of the cheapest fuels with the lowest running costs. One kilogram of CNG costs about Rs 22 and the fuel gives a running cost of about Rs 1.3/km. This clearly dictates that one kg of CNG will run the car for one whole month.
It’s high time that Maruti should shift its small car portfolio to high performance sedans and retain its supremacy in the country.
Maruti started the production of its small and beautiful Maruti 800 past 25 years. It was one of the earliest cars in India after the Fiat Padmini and Ambassador. The car was the best during that period and was highly competitive in terms of performance, comfort and drivability. But now, the time has changed.
Today, Indian car market is predominated with a vast number of hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs and MUVs. With so many new cars coming in, the old cars are gradually moving out of the industry. Fiat Padmini is already overpowered by various other Fiat models and the old Ambassador has been replaced by new features including the new engine technology. Now, it’s the turn for Maruti 800.
The Maruti 800 is still running successfully on Indian roads but how long will this small car run? Today Maruti Motors is associated with a sturdy, stylish and elegant car like Maruti SX4, the sizzling compacts Maruti Swift and Maruti Alto. Maruti cars are having a tough competition within themselves. Alto is competing with 800, eventually slowing down the sale of 800.
However, Maruti has the best-in-class technology in all its car models that make Maruti cars a better option. But then, 800 has to drive out to give way to next generation cars.
Drop in car sales due to increasing inflation have pushed auto companies to halt their expansion plans. Along with auto players, many auto component manufacturers have also lined up their investments as they don’t want to venture the market during this slowdown era.
Currently, auto manufacturers have no justified reason for expansion. Some of the car manufacturers like Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Maruti Suzuki India and Ford Motor India are rescheduling their equipment orders just because the industry is facing a jinx.
The Toyota Motors is slowing down its launches, whereas the Maruti Suzuki India has pushed the sales target to 2011 fiscal instead of 2010. The Ford Motor India is also planning to revise its expansion strategy. Ford has already announced an investment of around Rs. 2 crore in the Indian car market but is now confused with its own decision of expansion.
Recently, Skoda and its sibling Volkswagen have announced its expansion plan by launching a portfolio of cars in India. Are they still in the thought of expanding in the Indian market? If yes, will they benefit from the currently slowed down market?
India is believed to be an optimistic country, but will this optimism sway away with the current slack phase of the Indian car industry?
Tata Motors has launched a new face of Indica, the Indica Vista, on a glittering function on Saturday evening.
Indica Vista is believed to be the India’s first fully indigenous car. Yes, this is known to be the first and the Tata’s only car that is manufactured completely in India with all Indian spare parts.
The second generation Indica Vista reflects the economic and brand progress Tata has made since its debut in the Indian car market. Since the time of conception, the company has made various advancements in terms of engine efficiency, design quality, technology and even drivability. The company is not only looking at giving ultra-modern technologies to all its car models but is also ensuring the comfort level of the drivers and the performance of its entire car portfolio.
Vista will definitely rule over its own predecessor with innovative features, best in class engine technology and attractive looks. Available in a range of colours and price segments, Indica Vista is sure to create a benchmark in the Indian car industry.
My boss owns a Honda Accord and faced numerous problems since the purchase of this car. This car is having battery problem which was found old and when complaint was made the problem is not resolved and my boss has to replace the battery at his own expense. This car is having serious problem of engine’s heavy oil consumption. Till date not resolved. Last but most annoying that when there was a puncture on express highway, surprisingly the spare wheel found of another size then what it should have and still the right size wheel is not provided This entire complaint was made to HONDA MOTORS at Delhi and even JAPAN Head Office, they expressed only regrets but till date the problems are not resolved. I have only one question if same incident happened to some of the JAPANESE-AMERICAN-EUROPIAN Customer what will be action of HONDA MOTORS. I hope this will reach to you and think of any foreign company to be checked twice and not to rely just as they are from so called big company. They have worst after sales service I have found. I had very high regards for JAPANESE companies but in real sense they are as rude as any worst company of India.Thanks...
Tata Nano, the much hyped ultra-cheap car is in trouble. There are chances that Nano will face some obstacles at its commercial launch because of violent protests against the Singur plant continues. And if the problem worsens, the Indian top car manufacturers will move its Nano production plant from West Bengal.
Tata has been getting invitation from states like Punjab, Haryana, and Maharashtra and Karnataka to set up the plant. The CMs of these states have clearly expressed their interest in providing land to build the production unit for Nano. There is high probability of Tata to re-set the Nano plant in Dharwad (Karnataka), as this state already accommodates Tata Plant.
If the Tata Motors shifts the plant from Bengal then not only the company will have to suffer heavy loss but also the huge number of employees will be affected who are depend on the enterprise for their bread and butter.
Again a hurdle for the little car, the Nano’s launch is getting hotter. Well everybody is now eyeing what new turn the agitation will take?
The demand for four-wheelers in India is growing and the two-wheeler manufacturers are also venturing into the car market. Hero Electric, a subsidiary of the Hero group is planning to foray the car segment with an electric car by 2013. The details of the car like the specifications and the price is not yet disclosed. These cars will not run on capacitors or on conventional battery. The car will carry an instant charger and would also give higher mileage at a lower cost.
The increase in fuel price has given a great pinch to the buyers as well as the car manufacturers and as a practical solution to it, car manufacturers are working on eco-friendly cars. Recently, Tata Motors has also announced the electric-drive version of Tata Nano by 2009. Mahindra & Mahindra is also planning to roll out electric car to India very soon.
As we all know that India does not support electric vehicles much. Looks like by introducing e-cars, car manufacturers are trying to build a green image, but still the actual revenues come from mainstream fuel guzzlers.
Every car manufacture is on the verge of rolling out the new version of the existing model. Recently, Nissan Motors unveiled the latest generation of Nissan Teana at the Beijing Auto Show and very soon Indian roads will also experience the new Teana.
The new car is much bigger and spacious and pampers the passengers with more luxury features like seat ventilation, indirect mood lighting and a floating heads up display giving total comfort. The car gets a V6 engine and is likely to carry the price tag of nearly Rs. 24 lakh. It is expected to give a tough competition to Honda Accord in terms of style and performance but losses out on the price front.
But those who give importance to performance, style, and luxury than money….then the new Teana is the right choice!
Chevrolet’s fans now get ready for the latest model of Optra, which will hit the India roads by 2009. The new Optra will carry the name Chevrolet Cruze and will be expensive than the Chevrolet Optra with the price tag of Rs.12-13 lakh.
The Chevrolet Cruze expected to fall in the Civic and Jetta category in terms of build as well as performance level. Coming to its size, this car is larger than the Volkswagen Passat or Hyundai Sonata.
The car will be available in both petrol and diesel version. The petrol version will be powered by a 1.8 litre engines, whereas the diesel engine will be propelled by a 2 litre engine. The diesel variant is anticipated to be the best performing version in its class offering mind blowing drive. The Cruze will also bag the credit of being the first car model to roll out from the General Motors's new plant at Chakan near Pune.
With the increasing number of car accidents, the demand for advanced safety features is increasing.
Currently, many innovative features have come up in the car industry to ensure both the driver and car safety. Technologies like airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic sensors, crash testing, adaptive headlights, tyre pressure monitoring, rearview camera, and adaptive cruise control have reduced the number of road accidents.
Inspite of so many futuristic technologies, everyday the top headlines of the newspaper dictates one or more number of fatalities due to car accidents. Why are the numbers not reduced? What’s the use of safety technologies if these are not successful in preventing accidents? Many similar questions are still unanswered.
Some say this is because of reckless driving but is that true? Nothing can be commented on reckless driving but what if the accident occurs due to fatigue and drowsiness. Some cases have been heard where the crashes occurs just because the driver is beset by fatigue or some kind of drowsiness. Some drivers, who feel that fatigue is setting in, stop their cars and others who don’t realize it drive on towards a crash. In such cases, what a driver should do?
Whether we may think over it or not but the German luxury car manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz has given a deep thought to it. To combat the issue of drowsiness while driving, Mercedes is working on the lifesaving technological feature, termed as Attention Assist. This innovative safety technology is a simple driver support system which will monitor the linear and lateral motion of the car with respect to the steering inputs and brake pressure.
Attention Assist will alert the driver at different levels of fatigue and drowsiness. In case of a risk, this feature will display a warning message, "Attention Assist. Break!” on the instrument panel. This message will be immediately followed by a warning sound that will compel the driver to stop the car and take a rest.
This innovative safety feature is on its way and is expected to enter the industry by 2009.
Everything is undergoing a transformation with changing generation and so is the car industry. One of the biggest generational changes in car industry is the new K-series petrol engine.
India’s largest car manufacturer, the Maruti Suzuki, is working to introduce this next generation engine technology in all the car models. The production of this series of engine has already been started at Manesar in Haryana. The current production is restricted for the upcoming global car Maruti A Star.
The K-series engine is to be manufactured in compliance to the Euro 4- and Euro 5-emission norms. It is also believed to be one of the highly efficient engines.
Currently, Maruti has four types of engines, F-series, two variants of G-series and M-series. But unfortunately all these are not in accordance to the Bharat 4 emission norms which are soon to be implemented in India. With respect to this, Maruti plans to fit the new K-series engine in all its existing car models and make them compliant to the norms.
The German auto giant Volkswagen has decided to split its sales and service networks for all cars. The company wants to create unique identities and plans to maintain separate outlets and marketing teams for all the three brands.
However, group synergies would be attached for the backend operations like logistics, finance and procurement would be shared amongst the group companies. Currently the group also shares the manufacturing units. But once the Chakan plant becomes ready, some of the models will be shifted to the new plant for production.
Volkswagen models in India are very popular and with the recent launch of Jetta, the company has added another feather to their cap. This stunning sedan is known for its sporty and powerful design coupled with luxurious features.
Well, this strategy will surely help the company to retain elite brand identities for all the three brands.
Maruti Motors, the leading car manufacturers in India, is planning to start car designing from a scratch by the turn of the decade.
In order to turn its plan to a fruitful end, the company is in process to hire more numbers of skilled and talented engineers and designers. The hired professionals would be accelerated to the cause of innovative car designs, electrical features and mechanical car works. The company desires to bring a revolution in the entire Indian operation and plans to make India a global design hub for small cars.
Till now, Maruti has been importing innovative technology from its parent company, the Suzuki Motors. But the company now plans to develop its own design centre. Thereby, it is working hard to turn its ambition into a reality and build new cars from a scratch in India by 2010-2011.
Tata Motors is already an active member in the electric car race. The company is working on the production of electric vehicles that are soon to hit the Indian car market.
A recent speculation states that the Tata is now planning to introduce E-Nano, yes the electric version of the ultra-cheap car, the Nano. Don’t you think this is something exciting…the actual car model is still not out and there are rumours about the versions and variants?
Though Nano is still under the veil, Tata announces the launch of diesel Nano and E-Nano. The electric version is expected to roll out seven months after the launch of Nano. The car is to be built in cooperation with the Miljoebil Grenland, Norwegian electric car specialist firm.
Nothing can be commented on the Nano and its version until the car makes its first appearance in the market.
Logan is winning appreciation and accolades across the country. It is one of the highest fuel efficient cars running on Indian roads. After the success of Logan in India, Mahindra-Renault introduces the car to Nepal.
The jointly manufactured car by Mahindra and Renault is believed to be marketed by Agni Inc., a company that is currently marketing and selling Mahindra cars in the Himalayan country.
The overseas venture of Logan is associated with superior and elegant features. The car will be available in both petrol and diesel engines powered by 1.4 GLE 1.5 DLS, respectively.
Agni feels that Logan is a technologically superior car that will definitely get good response from the consumers in Nepal. Is this true? Will the success of Logan in Indian reflect in the car market of Nepal?
Volkswagen Evaluates the Possibility of Expansion in India
At one end of the spectrum, when Fiat announced to open a R&D centre and Maruti is planning to start a design centre, at the other end the Volkswagen is also working on to open a research centre in India.
The plan of setting up a research centre in India is a step to expand its market share in the mushrooming Indian car industry. The proposed centre is expected to be in line with the accident research centre of the company set up in China almost three years back. In the established research centre, skilled professionals research the causes, aftermaths and other essentials of the car accident and then use the findings in incorporating safety features in the cars. The similar approach is set for the Indian research centre.
The Volkswagen believes that different countries have different cultures, road and weather conditions. These differences invite a need for completely different set of safety measures and features in the cars available in different countries. India also has its own ifs and buts when it comes to car safety and accidents.
The company plans to research all the accident sites in the country and then incorporate safety features in accordance to the India specific conditions.
Currently, India has limited infrastructure to incorporate a range of safety features. The company is looking forward to fit in some features while the rest like lane departure indications and night view are not supported by the Indian infrastructure. Volkswagen promises to gradually bring out these features as well.
The Tata Motors had signed a memorandum with Fiat to market and sell the ultra-cheap car, Tata Nano, overseas. Both the companies now plan to extend their partnership for the success of Jaguar and Land Rover as well.
Tata is working on to design next generation engines for Jaguar and Land Rover that will deliver better fuel economy in accordance to the new European CO2 emission norms. Fiat is already in alliance with BMW for parts development, now Tata plans to extend the partnership with Fiat for designing the engine and transmission for Jaguar and Land Rover(JLR).
Currently, Ford Motors supplies engines to JLR. Once the fuel economic engines come into picture, JLR will put a halt to its contract with Ford.
The venture refuses to give any kind of details on the extended partnership. Are the companies still planning to extend the alliance for some other cause? Will they become lifetime partners?
Driven by the emerging and promising Indian car market, the Fiat India is working on to revive its expansion plans in India.
Fiat has great plans to start car exports to the Asia-Oceanic markets like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and UK. The emphasis is expected to lay on right hand drive markets. The company plans to export cars to the right-hand drive from the Indian production base.
Recently, Fiat has launched its legendary Fiat 500 in India and is planning to import its iconic global brands like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati. Later in the fiscal year, the company is also ready to roll out Grande Punto and Linea on Indian roads.
With so many cars hitting the Indian roads, it’s difficult to decide the faith of the Indian car industry? All the car manufacturers are expanding their operations in India. The day is not far, when there’ll be no space for pedestrians on Indian roads, infact less space for all the cars to run on.
With so many car manufacturers reviving their expansion plans in India, Skoda is also planning to strengthen its presence in the most promising Indian car market.
The company entered the Indian market with its successfully running, Skoda Octavia. Thereafter, it has launched Skoda Fabia, Skoda Luara and Skoda Superb. Now, the company plans to drive in eight new models in the next five years.
The first target for the company is to launch a small cars priced below the tag price of Fabia. The company also has plans to roll out its prominent cars Yeti and Roomster hopefully in a couple of years. The new Skoda Superb is also expected to launch in early 2009 after its great success in Europe.
The cars will be available with different price brackets for all type of customers. Not a bad move! Hope these models to get the same fame and success like other small cars in India.
The German luxury car manufacturer Volkswagen is thinking big. The brand is aiming to acquire ten percent of India’s upcoming car market with in five years. Currently, the group holds less than one percent of the Indian market.
By 2009, the Volkswagen will also start operation of its first wholly-owned Indian factory in Pune with investment of nearly Rs 37 billion. This facility will help to increase the Skoda Fabia production. The company is also working on the low-cost car ‘UP’ which will hit the Indian roads soon.
The Volkswagen will also be rolling out the people’s car Beetle also known as ‘Bug’ will hit the Indian market by 2009. Though this small car is going to cost a fortune but still it will be nice to see the ‘bug’ on the Indian roads.
Hyundai Motor Company, a leading car manufacturer in India, is planning to source a small and tiny car from India.
This tiny car is expected to drive to United States. Hyundai promises to source a car that is sized between the Smart ForTwo and the Honda Fit and the speculations are in the air that the targeted car is Hyundai i10.
The Hyundai i10 is performing well in the Indian car market with the excellent combination of better fuel economy, excellent features, high performance and good road stability. If we come to the size of i10, then it obviously falls between the size range of Smart Car and Honda Fit. The actual size of Hyundai i10 is about 140 inches that is about 21 inches shorter than the Fit and 34 inches longer than the Smart. So, the possibilities of driving out i10 from India to US are high.
The car will obviously be loaded with added features including keyless entry, anti-lock brakes, fog lamps and dual airbag.
The performance of i10 in US is questionable. Do you think that the car will deliver the same performance there as well?
Fiat India Automobiles Pvt. Ltd. is planning to set up a car design center in India which will eventually strengthen the Indian car industry and make it more promising in the global market.
Fiat is evaluating the possibility and issues associated with establishing a Research & Design Center (R&D) centre at its Ranjangaon plant in partnership with Tata Motors. Till date, the country drives to the West to design a car but now the emerging Indian market is preparing itself to learn the technical specifications.
India is believed to be a hub of technical expertise, but because of lack of infrastructure, Indians were never successful in implementing print to reality.
With Fiat planning to settle down a design center in India, Indian car manufacturers will get a better hold on the designing and other aspects of their production.
The small car race in India is coinciding with the electric car race.
Along with many other car manufacturers, the Mahindra & Mahindra also plans to roll out an electric car in India soon. The production of the proposed electric car is at the commencement stage and is expected to hit the Indian car market by 2010.
The company promises to make this car bigger and more effective than the currently running electric car in India. Yes, obviously talking about the great Maini Reva. The car will run on lead acid battery during its initial year and later might be replaced by the nickel metal hydride.
Mahindra & Mahindra plans to launch this car first in India and then in overseas. The motive behind launching the car first in India is to establish itself in the car segment and also to analyse the market before making a move in the global car market.
That’s a good thought, learning the market before venturing the market!
It is not just human beings who go to beauty saloons to maintain their beauty. Nowadays even cars follow the way to a parlour. The new trend of car beauty clinics is booming up in India and an array of treatment is provided to protect the paint, prevent fading, and reduce oxidization.
These treatments primarily concentrate on the car exterior. One of the treatment that car clinics offers is the new polymer paint salant that creates slippery, slick barrier which guards the car paint giving the car a new look and shine.
We have couple of car spas in Surat, Secundrabad and few more are coming up in future. These salons provide car beauty therapies like UV treatment that protects the car from dust, germs, moulds and scratches. Just like human skin, even car paints loose its shine and softness due to sunlight and like every one else even cars have to maintain itself to look more beautiful, elegant and appealing.
A Hybrid car is an answer to the rising fuel prices as well as global warming.
Hybrid car are actually a combination of combustion engines and electric motors. Most of such vehicles run on electricity in the city and on fuel while on highways. This helps to save fuel consumption in congested city roads.
Hybrids are definitely a good alternative for fuel cars but they have always been overwhelmed by energy storage problems. With further advancements and technologies, scientists and researchers are working to design and produce high-performance energy storage units. These units are designed with a desire to increase the effectiveness, power and worth of the hybrids already running on roads.
Researchers from round the globe are pooling their expertise and knowledge along with innovative technologies to develop energy storage modules for hybrid cars.
The invention of these energy saving units for hybrids is expected to guarantee high operational reliability, enhanced performance and better durability.
Gone are the days for SUVs when they were highly appreciated and liked by Indian consumers. But rising inflation and high fuel prices have now put an end to the production of SUVs. Car manufacturers across the country especially the ones like Mahindra & Mahindra who are mainly into the production of SUVs are facing a tough time.
These huge cars are numbered as high fuel guzzlers and have a bad eco-image. This has reduced the sale of Mahindra Scorpio, Toyota Innova, Maruti Gypsy and other cars in segment.
With a keen desire to fight the battle and raise the market for SUVs, car manufacturers are now hunting for better and reliable alternatives that can drive the sale of these cars. The Mercedes, BMW, Audi and the Porsche are also planning to enter the SUV segment and produce compact cars in the segment with the combination of off-road qualities and luxury comforts.
The market of car customisation is on the cards. The Indian car industry is now dominated by customised cars.
Legendary cars are undergoing customisation to meet the changing needs of individual customers. The art of customising cars has also given an opportunity to the industry to produce better and more reliable car models.
Now you can jazz up your car with anything you like. Most of the car manufacturers including the Volkswagen, Ford, Chevrolet and the Mitsubishi offer all its customers an incredible opportunity to customise their own cars.
The major areas where customisation can be done are car wheels, entertainment systems, restyling products, suspension pieces and under the hood. Today, the car customisation industry in India is powered with vibrant hot rod, street rod and muscle car culture. Hot rods and street rods are adorned with better and more powerful engines whereas muscle cars behold powerful engines. All the modifications are made with deep consideration of the choices, likes and desires of the customers.
The Ambassador, Fiat Padmini and the Mitsubishi Lancer are some of the best modified and customised Indian cars if you are hunting for a hot rod or a muscle car.
There is nothing new to say that Maruti Suzuki is one of the leading
car manufacturersin India that produces a line of high-end car models. The best part about Maruti is the thought that pulls the company to produce a range of models catering to different sections of the Indian society.
Apart from creating top-end models, Maruti now makes a move towards making Indian roads safer than ever. The company in association with the Delhi Government opens driving schools to train car drivers. The move is not only restricted to drivers safety but also ensures safety for the passers by and other people sharing a common road.
Maruti comes up with around 42 new Institute of Driving Training and Research (ITDRs) in Delhi and NCR. The company also plans to extend the association and sign a memorandum with other state governments to open more and more number of ITDRs across the country.
Maruti driving schools are not for profit margins and gains but truly for safety. The company desires to produce an accident free road for its consumers and prepare skilled drivers so that Maruti carsdo not create any havoc on Indian roads.
As the Indian car industry is growing, various other industries in the country are supporting the auto majors.
Indian software companies are now developing software systems for car models to suit various needs. These software are used in various safety devices which include engine operation systems, navigation system (GPS) and even to improve the fuel economy of cars.
It is believed that the first software system for cars was developed somewhere in late 1990s. Gradually with the technological advancement, software industry today comprises about 30 percent of the overall cost of the car. The market for such software is sure to boom in the next few years.
Software companies are now teaming up with Indian car majors to produce new software applications. It is expected that cars loaded with software applications are more user friendly therefore acts as a key factor for driving car sales.
Microsoft and Hyundai have come together to build music and information systems in cars. Apple has signed an agreement with three car majors, the Ford, General Motors, and the Mazda to roll out new car models with iPod connections.
Honda's new Accord incorporates a software controlled airbag system and the top-end electric car, Reva, uses a software application to monitor the production and use of electric energy.
The need for improved safety and enhanced ease of driving rises at a faster pace, eventually, benefiting both the Indian car industry and the software industry.
Nattering away with mobile phone behind the wheels has become a fashion these days.
Certain things are really out of thought and understanding. Why do people have long chat on mobile while driving?
Many people have a misconception that they are above all and follow their rules and regulation. Trust, it’s only a misconception. Infact it’s not even a fallacy but attitude.
The driving laws, road regulations and traffic rules are the same for all sections of people. Whether a person is driving a luxurious BMW or a simple Maruti 800, laws, rules and regulations applies to all. But this thing doesn’t fit in the mind of affluent people driving top-end cars.
Most of the times people driving Porsche, BMW or Mercedes-Benz are found nattering away with a mobile handset held to their ears. These are those people who are not bothered about the rules, safety measures and any other regulations. They are only concern about the high-end luxury car they are driving and the attitude they behold.
This attitude and the feeling of being at the top lead to various car accidents and even fatalities. This is because the use of mobile phone while driving reduces driver’s concentration, perception and alertness.
Recent advancements in technology have made it possible for the driver to make safer calls behind the wheels. But still that’s only for urgency. Alertness and concentration is utmost important while driving, hence, Mobile and Driving can never go together?
During this time of inflation and high interest rate, car sales is declining. In a step to boost car sales, Maruti Suzuki rides on new cars and drives back the old.
Maruti Suzuki comes up with an exchange offer to push luxury car sales. The company is turning their heads towards 15-20 years old cars that are either not working or are in a very bad condition, cars that don’t serve the purpose to their owners. With such an effort Maruti is luring customers to exchange their old useless cars of any model or make for new Maruti cars.
The exchange of old for new is the latest marketing strategy by Maruti with a firm belief that the offer will push car sales. In order to reap more benefits, the company has also tied up with scrap dealers across India who will help the company to dispose of old cars and give a discount offer of about Rs 40,000 to customers. Apart from selling new for old, the company is also inviting bids for old cars from scrap dealers in various cities.
Sometimes it is really difficult to understand the actual motive behind the offers produced by various companies. Most of the car manufacturers give such kind of exchange offers. These manufacturers revamp the old cars and sell it in the market. But will 15-20 years old cars give the actual return even after revamping and refurbishing?
Leading car manufacturers from across the world will drive to India to meet at the SIAM annual convention in September. These manufacturers will together decide the future and faith of the global car industry.
SIAM is currently gearing up the Indian car industry and is planning to make India a premier destination for car manufacturing. Driven by the future plans, the association has invited leaders of global car industry including the Mercedes-Benz’s COO Rainer Schmueckle and General Motor’s President and COO Fritz Henderson.
The convention is mainly held to discuss various issues and concerns regarding the Indian car industry. The government plans to solve the existing and upcoming issues with great deal of perfection and association with leading auto players.
The convention is commenced on September 4, 2008 but the question remains, will this meeting reap benefits for Indian car industry? Will Indian car market be successful in reaching the top?
Fabia one of the most sizzling hot hatchbacks from Skoda is in news again. There was a report stating that the company is calling back its most ‘cool looking car’. But the missing link is that to increase the fuel efficiency and performance of the car, the petrol version of Fabia was upgraded.
Due to incompatible fuel quality in India, Skoda India has made minor alteration in the software to achieve better fuel economy and driving performance. The company also assured that for the existing customers, the company would rectify the problem free of cost and all they have to contribute is about 20-30 minutes at the dealerships.
The competition among the auto players in India is so high that every car manufacturers is on the verge of rolling out new car models to India. This time it is Toyota who is in news for introducing new Corolla by September end.
The new Corolla Altis will be propelled by a 1.8L engine churning out around 140bhp. The engine is a carryover from the existing Corolla and expected to provide better performance. The body of the car will be 10mm longer, 60mm wider and 20mm lower than the current model that will add up an extra interior space and Altis will be 50mm taller than the Civic. The car will resemble Camry in design.
Initially, it will be available only in petrol version and is likely to carry the price tag of Rs13 lakh. So all those Toyota fans wake up and book your all new Corolla right away as the bookings are already opened in Chennai with the initial amount of Rs 2 lakh.
Hyundai Motors will gift India another mind blowing car model by 2010. The large sedan will give tough competition to Toyota’s and Honda’s model in the same class.
The car will be a perfect combination of performance, luxury and value. It will have rear wheel drive with three powertrains – 3.3-litre, 3.8-litre V-6 engines and all-new 4.6-litre Tau V-8. Like all other upcoming cars from Hyundai’s stable, Genesis will also have XM Satellite Radio. The price is yet to be revealed but one thing is sure that it will add another feather to the Hyundai motors.
This Korean car manufacturer has a strong stand in the Indian auto industry and aims to acquire 20 per cent share of the Indian automotive market. The brand is also planning on green cars and will be rolling out its hybrid vehicle very soon.
Earlier car manufacturers offered discounts only during some festive season to attract its customers but now things have changed as the discount seems to be throughout the year. But now as the car industry is facing number of hurdles, it has become difficult to boost car sell.
With the raising interest rates and the fuel prices shooting up, people are thinking twice before investing in car. The car manufactures are trying out everything possible attempt to impress the consumers.
Maruti Suzuki is presenting ‘Freedom on Wheels’ offer in which the top seller Alto will have a cut-price of Rs 30,000 in August, where as the newly launched Maruti 800 Duo will come with a discount of Rs 18,500.
Another offer from Hyundai ‘Freedom of Life’ where the flagship model Santro carries an exchange bonus of Rs 15,000 clubbed with a free insurance package. The Tata Motors is also tuned up and announced an offer of Rs 30,000 cash discount on the Indica hatchback and Indigo sedan range. It is also offering a discount Rs 5,000 on the recently launched Sumo Grande.
The Chevrolet Spark is also available wrapped in a very attractive price tag. How can all these offers not tempt the buyers?
The second facility by General Motors,which is located at the Talegaon in western Maharashtra, will be operational next month. Initially, the plant will have the capacity of producing 140,000 units of small car annually. This plant was opened to satisfy the growing demand of the Chevrolet cars.
Currently, General Motor's plant is located in Gujarat which manufactures the Chevrolet Aveo and Chevrolet Spark hatchback, as well as the Chevrolet Tavera multi-utility and other models. The company is also working on rolling out another small car to India, which will cost lesser than Spark.
The model Chevrolet Spark is doing well in the market and has also pushed the company's sales graph still higher.
Long back Mahindra & Mahindra notified that it would be rolling out the Mahindra Ingenio in 2006 and there were lots of reports and information related to it but sadly it remained as news because the car is not yet launched.
This model hails from the MUV (Multi-utility vehicle) class like the Toyota Innova, Qualis, the Tata Sumo Grande and the Chevrolet Tavera. Now we heard that the model is undergoing several tests and is expected on Indian roads very soon. But how long this launch will take is still a mystery.
The same is repeated with Toyota’s Fortuner which was supposed be launched but is still on hold. Hope the car manufacturer prepare well for the launch before announcing and later disappearing with it.
With a keen desire to strengthen its position in the car market, the Fiat has planned strong strategies to place itself against the big players. Fiat is thinking of exporting cars from India especially to right-hand drive markets like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and UK.
The company has recently launched, the Fiat 500, one of the most expensive cars in the small car segment. The brand will be also rolling out latest cars from its stable the Grande Punto by this year end and Linea sedan next year.
In future it is possible that Fiat may make India its hub for the production of cars. Known for its performance and technology, the car manufacturer is spreading its wings wide with an aim to compete with the luxury car players.
Hope the reviving plans bring fruitful results to the company and further increase its potential in global market.
The 3rd generation Honda city is here! Honda is all set to launch the new Honda City by 2008 end worldwide. The stylish new car will challenge the most dominated sedan Maruti Suzuki SX4. Built on the Civic platform, the car will be adorned with more of European design. Wow! It seems the next generation Honda City will get dashing looks.
The design offers sportiness clubbed with striking body panels and gorgeous rear that gives a touch of BMW 3 series. The new model is expected to be powered by a 1.5 litre engine churning out 118 bhp. It will be more spacious with sharper handling.
The price of the new Honda City is not yet revealed but with all the sporty features it will be definitely more than the existing City model.
Luxury car lovers were excited when there was news of Hummer and Cadillac coming to India by 2008. But it seems that the launch of the SUVs has been postponed. The further launch is not decided but looks like there will be a delay as the General Motors will be concentrating more on manufacturing small cars.
General Motors aims at increasing the production of its popular small car the Spark. This cool looking model has clicked well especially among the younger crowd. It carries style and performance. Following Spark's success, the company will be rolling out another small car that will be cheaper than Spark.
It is little disappointing for the SUV lovers who were waiting to own Hummer or Cadillac but the good thing is that the launch of these sturdy vehicles is still on… though little delayed.
Toyota is shooting new models to India. The company is testing on its model called Yaris, a cute small car for India.
The car is known for its style and design. It’s a compact little car with short overhangs on both ends, stout hood and large headlamps. The rear of the car is also unique in its class. Yaris will be motorized with 1.0L VVT-i or the 1.3L VVT-i engine. Inspite of being small in size, it can comfortably accommodate five occupants.
The company is also looking forward to increase its market share and to give a shape to the plan it’s likely to roll out a couple of new models in India. The hybrid version of Prius is one of them. Toyata is in the right path to establish itself in the India market. Well in this era of inflation, Yaris is surely going to lure the India consumers.
The auto giant with four rings - Audi India is shining in terms of sales. Though the car industry is facing hurdles due to rising interest rates and fuel prices. The luxury car manufacturer had a great six fold growth in sales for July 2008 compared to July 2007.
More than 125 cars were sold in July compared to 20 cars last year. These figures show their growth in India. Their success is touching the sky and will further go up as the Indians are bitten by the luxury car 'bug'.
The company also wants to expand its dealership in India. Presently there are 7 dealership across the country and now more new facilities are taking its shape in cities like in Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Chennai and Kochi.
It is the time for Honda Motors to call for a celebration as it crossed the milestone of 3 lakh customers in India. And to mark this occasion Honda has launched the limited edition sports variant of its sedan Civic.
This limited edition model will have no difference with the existing Civic in terms of engine and will be enhanced with additional and attractive features like front and rear spoilers, white alloy wheels with sports badge with the price tag of Rs. 12.36 lakh.
Honda had entered India in a joint venture with Siel Limited and formed Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. (HSCI). It rolled out the first car in 1997 and now witness many successful models running in Indian Roads. Now they also bagged the credit of being the first car manufacturer to introduce hybrid cars in India.
It has been too much about the Tata Nano now. The Tata Motors is always in the news for their new developments or acquisitions.
Everyone is eagerly waiting to see the Nano in the roads, which is expected to hit the market by this Diwali. This one lakh car has always carried some spicy news either with regards to price, production, booking or its competition with the rivals.
This time the Nano has ‘powerful’ reason to be in speculations. It is said that the company will use a diesel engine for the car which is developed by the German powertrain maker FEV. The engine will carry a 2 cylinder CRDi turbocharger and also fuel injection system developed by Bosch.
But one has to wait for the Nano with CRDi turbocharger engine as it will make the entry in to showrooms only by 2009 mid.
Tata Nano has gained most attention among upcoming cars. There is list of cars waiting to hit the road. And one such model is ‘A-Star’ which was unveiled in the 2008 Auto Expo.
The car is expected to make a grand appearance by 2008 and few prototypes have been caught testing indicating that it should be ready for the people by this Diwali. The car carries 3 cylinders with 1 litre capacity engine churning out 64 bhp. It will also offer 1.2 litres, 80 bhp petrol units and would compete with the recently launched Hyundai’s i10 Kappa.
Now the most awaited part, the price! It will carry the price tag ranging between Rs.3-4 lakh and the high model will be enhanced with airbags and ABS (Anti-lock brake system). The car looks like an animation movie car with its ‘cute’ front design, sporty rear and sturdy bumpers.
Now only time can tell us who will celebrate Diwali in full swing. Will it be the Nano who will steal the show or A-Star will add another star to Maruti-Suzuki?
Skoda from the house of Volkswagen always offers posh and stylish looking cars. They never lag behind in terms of power and performance too. But this hot brand cannot be afforded by everyone as it is little expensive compared to other cars.
Skoda’s latest model, the Fabia, is one of the best hatchbacks. Though it surpasses other models, its only drawback is that it is expensive. Skoda is now slowly getting into the ‘affordable price’ and the brand will launch a new car model with the price tag lower than the Fabia in India within the next three years.
Currently, Skoda India sells the Octavia, Laura, Superb and the Fabia and is working on another model Fabia Combi, the Roomster which will be built on Fabia platform.
The Fabia Combi which is expected to carry 1.9 L engine will fall close to the D-segment with respect to the price tag.
Here is the reason to feel proud as India overtook countries like the Italy, China, Brazil and Singapore and is ranked as one of the top global auto manufacturer among the top 15 car manufacturers.
This rating was done by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in its 2008 International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics. World’s top three car manufacturers are Japan, US, and Germany. Indian bagged 12th position overall where as a developing country it came in fourth position after the Mexico, South Korea and Iran.
The Indian auto industry is growing at a very fast rate. It has proved well with its products and very soon will be seen on the top five lists. Foreign auto manufacturer also see a great potential for their products in India and are strengthening their position and spreading their glory by not only rolling out new models but also setting up their plants in India.
Honda has already started the ‘green revolution’ in the Indian auto industry by rolling out the Civic hybrid and Toyota will soon follow the lead by introducing the hybrid version of the Prius to India. And now it is the turn of another major car manufacturer, the Hyundai, to join the revolution.
The Hyundai is working on to develop its own hybrid technology and once completed the technology will mated with the small car in India. As per their strategy, they expect to roll out a gasoline-electric hybrid version of its sedans by 2010, which will be later implement in larger hybrid vehicles.
But before all this, the company will launch the world’s first hybrid vehicle (Avante) to be powered by LPG and will be the first to adopt advanced lithium polymer batteries.
Hope they also plan to roll out similar vehicles (Avante LPG hybrid) in India.
Hyundai’s i10 is raving with its popularity and now it is the turn of i20 to take up the crown. The premium hatchback ‘i20’ will be soon seen on the Indian roads and the interesting part is it will be manufactured solely in India.
There were also rumors about Getz and Santro being phased out but was later clarified denying the information. The price of the upcoming model is not yet revealed but it will be little more than Getz and will be competing with Skoda Fabia and Ford Fusion.
Looks like Hyundai is on the verge of starting series of cars for India. The i10 made its debut and turned into a great success and will be soon followed by i20. In future we can expect i30 with more advanced and attractive features.
Looks like even the luxury car manufacturers have discover the potential of used car market in India. Major players like the Maruti-Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra has already achieved a good market in the used car segment and now the Volkswagen is also interested in trying its fortune in the pre-owned car business.
This is a good start from Volkswagen as this will open the gate of more sales. With the entry in used car market, the brand can attain good market share in India as well as more customers.
Presently, the company is shining the Indian roads with its sedan Passat and Toureg from the SUV class. It is also in the news that the Volkswagen follows top to down strategy where they will first concentrate on the premium cars and then get into the small car segment.
This luxury car manufacturer has made the right step with the decision to enter into the used car market as this a perfect way to build customers.
To further strengthen their presence in India Volkswagen also plans to roll out its iconic car 'Beetle alias Bug' in India.
The luxurious E-class from the legendry car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is the most popular and successful model in India. This is now under the threat from another big player BMW’s 5-series.
The imperial E-class has ruled the Indian road for a long time, but now the BMW 5-Series is slowly taking the legacy. And the credit for this goes to the BMW’s all new 530d model, which made recent news of its launch. It is creating a new standard of luxury and performance in its class.
The luxury car demand in India is growing that is pushing the car manufacturer to introduce more models with unique features as the competition is very high. Another fat player who is trying to butt in this battle is Audi A6 with its luxury charm.
It’s just a start with the new 530d model. The coming time will only tell who will dominate the luxury segment.
India will be soon turned into a global hub for small cars! Hyundai Motors has recently announced to make India its global hub for small car. The company has a very transparent picture about the Indian market. The Hyundai i10 is successful in gathering the customers’ attention and now i20 is on the way to roll out.
The car will be solely manufactured in India. Hyundai i20 is a hatchback sedan from the “B” segment and will compete with Skoda’s Fabia and Ford Fusion.
This auto player from South Korea had entered the Indian market ten years back and has rolled out successful models to country.
The brand also carries an attractive campaign with the heartthrob bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan and the bubbly tennis ace Sania Mirza as its brand ambassadors.
Tata Motors is in news again, this time they are likely to sell Jeep Wrangler SUVs in India and other Asian markets as an alliance with Chrysler.
The company is already in deal with Chrysler for developing a battery-powered version of the Tata mini-truck Ace for distribution in the western markets. Sixty percent of the bus and the truck markets are taken over by the Tata brand. The Chrysler expects the Indian brand to sell its Wrangler jeeps in Indian and specifically speaking to the Indian army.
The Chrysler is aiming at expanding its brand to Asian countries like other European and US auto manufacturers. The venture with Tata for Wrangler sale in India and other Asian countries witness the first step towards expansion.
The sales of SUVs in US have dropped by 15% as the Americans are shifted towards small fuel efficient cars due to hike in fuel price. This sudden change of the consumers demand has driven the auto manufacturers to restructure their distribution.
It’s is really difficult to predict that this redistribution will help the US auto manufacture as inflation has occurred globally.
Driven by the rising fuel prices, car owners have shifted to carpooling.
The rising fuel prices have affected all sectors of the society. Most of the car owners are now accepting the option of carpooling. It is simply defined as a method of sharing a car to a same destination in order to reduce fuel costs and pollution.
Many commuters who are travelling to a same destination every morning and afternoon are pooling their cars so that they can save on fuel prices. All the commuters share the fuel prices of the shared car and give it to the car owner on a daily or monthly basis. This not only helps to cut down the fuel use and save fuel prices but is also a good way to reduce environmental pollution.
Even if you are someone who drive a car to office or work daily, then you should opt for the same fuel saving option. If anyone at your work place resides near your house then carpool will help you gain money. If not for the environment then at least give a thought over it for your pressurized pocket.
Chevrolet is trying out different ways to please the Indian consumers and this time the special offer is tagged with the small and successful car from GM’s stable, the Chevrolet Spark.
The new cars buyers will have a reason to smile as Spark will come at a special price for a limited period. The car will be available at a starting price of Rs 2.66 lakh for a limited period.
The limited offer is the result of improved localization and the last date is yet to be decided. The ‘winker’ which is very popular among the younger crowd has sold more 20 lakh units in more than 100 markets across the world over last few years and has also won the "Best Value 2008" award for cars this year.
So all new car buyers this is the best time to buy one. Hurry up! before the limited offer closes.
Tata is now all set to roll out its dream car, the Nano by October this year. The company has high ambitions to lure first time car buyers and two-wheelers. Tata has also established itself to beat the leading small cars from Maruti with increased production of the Nano.
The company is excited for the launch but yet there is a dilemma after announcing the launch of the Tata variants that are expected to be better in all terms in comparison to the original Nano. Is this really going to affect the launch of Nano this year?
Tata Motors has already acquired the Land Rover and Jaguar luxury brands from Ford Motors. Tata promises to increase the brand value and recognition of Land and Jaguar without shifting production operations from their own facilities.
After the great Nano launch, Tata has also announced to start over with the production of electric cars. The announcement of electric cars launch is credited to the urgent need of fuel efficient cars with reduced emissions and high mileage. The company plans to market and sell the electric vehicle overseas as well.
Tata also plans at reviving the lost image of Daimler brand presently owned by Jaguar.
In short, Tata is moving ahead with high ambitions and determination to expand the car portfolios in all segments of the Indian car market. Tata is not willing to leave any segment untouched.
The Sonalika Group's ambitions cannot be measured until the ambition is implemented to action. The group is determined to produce world cars by 2010 in collaboration with Pininfarina.
Sonalika is known for the Rhino RX SUV and now ties up with Pininfarina to develop a portfolio of cars in both petrol and diesel version. The initial plan is to introduce a 5-seater high-end luxury car and a 7-seater luxury SUV which will develop a strong platform for future cars.
These world cars will also be exported to European countries and therefore the company is putting in hard efforts to make the car engines comply with Euro emission norms. The company is ready to take the first step towards its determined ambition with an investment of Rs 700 crore.
Many car manufacturers are laughing at this ambition of the Sonalika but their focus and strong determination will definitely reap the fruits of success.
Many people have a misconception that premium gasoline is better than regular gasoline. But that’s only a costly misconception.
The effectiveness of gasoline is judged on the octane ratings, defined as a measure of its knocking resistance. This rating checks the condition when fuel is burnt uncontrollably in the combustion chamber of the car engine. Knocking leads to engine damage.
Regular gasoline has an octane rating of about 87 whereas premium gasoline has a rating of 93. The higher the octane rating, the more resistance fuel provides. Using premium oil does not do any good in terms of performance or effectiveness. It’s only the price that misguides the car owners.
Most of the Indian car engines operate well on regular gas and even engines recommended to use premium engines can run fine on regular gas.
So, where does the need of premium gas come? No one would like to increase expenditure of fuel during this era of fuel prices hike and inflation.
There are some engines that require high compression ratio and can work only with premium gas.
With the demand of small cars soaring high, Toyota also plans to roll out a bunch of small cars. All the proposed small cars will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. The slew of launches is credited to consolidate Toyota’s position in the fastest growing Indian market.
The company has pumped in an investment of Rs 1400 crore and plans to change the fortune of India by making the country a big-volume car market. Almost 75% of the total market comprises of small cars and Toyota desires to explore the choices in the segment, eventually resulting in higher share of the Indian market.
On a common platform, the company plans to roll out a small car by 2010 and others in the same segment will follow in the consecutive year. All the cars by Toyota will have a petrol engine below 1200cc in petrol and diesel engine below 1500cc.
Who else will participate in the race? Will small cars start dominating the Indian car market?
Maruti Suzuki reported a 7 % fall in the first quarter of the fiscal year. Maruti’s net profit dipped from Rs 499.6 crore in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year to Rs 465.9 crore in April-June 2008. Even though the sale in the first quarter of the fiscal year rose to about 18%, the net profit skids.
What can be the reason of the low net profit? The answer is simple and straight. In the past few months, the company has witnessed depreciation of assets and spike in expenses which has eventually reduced the profit margin. High inflation and increasing material costs has forced the company to absorb some portion of the input or production costs. This action by Maruti resulted in higher number of car sales but unfortunately, the net profit of the company dipped.
Another reason for the lower net profit was the extra Rs 62 crore that the company paid for the new depreciation policy. Apart from this, the company had made huge expenses in advertising and branding activities to lure waning customers during inflation. These activities helped the company register a good percentage of domestic sales but failed to earn profits.
Is this the condition for all car manufacturers or only Maruti has suffered a loss?
Influenced by Tata, Maruti and Fiat, Ford also plans to roll out some interesting and exciting small cars to India.
Ford Motor has shifted all its focus towards the production of small cars with desires to target all the sections of car buyers. The company has plans to roll out a portfolio of small cars in various countries round the world including India. Ford also desires to realign its facilities and factories to manufacture more fuel-efficient engines.
The company is also in a mood to make its Mercury brand an essential part of the small car production strategy. This clearly states that Ford plans to imitate some of the attractive features of Mercury and place them in its line of proposed small cars.
So many small cars are entering the market. Will this hamper the market for huge sedans and luxury cars?
We all are aware of the increasing fuel prices, so why not take an initiative to support the government than to curse. Every day in newspapers and magazines we are blaming the government for putting the country on the edge of inflation. Has anyone of us ever thought that why the government is increasing the fuel prices? There must be some reason behind it. No government is keen in shaking its own economy.
Oil consumption in India these days crossed the total amount of oil production and oil imports. The US has also increased its barrel then how can our government stick to the same old price. It is true that there is only one thing in life that stays constant and that’s ‘Change’.
One day or the other this change has to come. If not today then definitely tomorrow! We all are equally responsible for the rise. We want comforts and luxuries, which result in more number of cars and eventually requires huge load of oil. There are many cars that are actually termed as ‘oil tanks’ but still we buy those cars because of their design and style as we want to show off. We also require oil for various home and industrial application. Have you ever thought from where will all this oil come?
To meet our requirements, government has to increase the oil imports as well as the local production. So, now it’s high time when we should stop cursing our government and support them.
Car manufacturers are also with head and heart in search of fuel efficient engines. They are actually lost in the market and searching for a way to come out. If can’t design a fuel economy car for them but at least support them by reducing our dependency on cars. This act may be distressing to the car manufacturers but this would fuel them to make more fuel economy engines for Indian cars.
Further, we can outfit fuel efficient engines in our cars. We can also give a halt to useless long drives that waste a lot of fuel. We should stop that as well and walk the distance to the market if it is really close.
There are many other ways that can be helpful in reducing the burden on the government and even the car manufacturers. You just have to sit and think. Why not now?
British auto manufacturers, Jaguar and Land Rover, are now Indian. Recently the leading Indian auto major, Tata Motors, have taken over these two brands and the great Ratan Tata is now the chairman of these companies.
Both Jaguar and Land Rover now drives to India with Tata. The powerful Tata is now putting in assiduous efforts to expand the reach of these brands in the growing markets across the globe. India is their first target and a team from the company is driving to India to study the high potential Indian market along with the possibilities, opportunities and challenges in offered by the country.
Even though Jaguar and Land Rover are British companies, these are well known in the Indian market. Tata will not face much problem in selling these brands. Ratan Tata has promised to increase the brand value of these companies in the growing Indian market. The only challenge that Tata will face in selling these brands in India is the high import duty. High duties will make these cars costlier and beyond the reach of Indian customers.
Tata is expecting the luxury car segment to grow in India at a very fast pace. This expansion will definitely ease out the problem of high price tag.
Is Tata right in saying that the luxury car segment is growing? Will Tata be successful in taking Jag and Landie to a specified height? All are just answered questions!
Mercedes-Benz drives its most striking car, the C63 AMG to India. A tough competitor for M3 coupe!
Priced at around Rs 78 lakh, the car is brought to the country through the import route. It is a highly modified version of Mercedes C class.
The C63 is outfitted with a powerful V8 engine with a capacity of 6.3 litre generating a maximum torque of 600 Nm. The car has the ability to propel 0-100 in just a span of 4.5 seconds. That sounds amazing!
The company is excited and glad with this launch in India and plans to bring more AMG variants to India.
Like other car manufacturers Mercedes also wants to increase its share in the country. So many car manufacturers are competing with each other and it has really become difficult to say who will hold the maximum market share at the end?
BMW, the Munich-based auto company is planning to strengthen its presence in the fastest expanding market, India. The company has high hopes from the optimistic Indian car market and desires to be an integral part of the India’s success story.
The BMW has invested an amount of $30 million at its Chennai plant, exclusively to fulfill the domestic demands with highest production and quality standards.
There are many ups and downs in the market with varying growth speed. But still, the BMW is confident that in the long run, India will have a better and brighter market with higher business potential. The unstable growth speed does not affect the desire and ambition of the company because the company has successful entrepreneurs and corporate executives as their prestigious customers. These customers are already aware of the commercial risks in every business.
The BMW also wishes to strengthen its existing car portfolio in the country. After the launch of 3, 5, 6 and 7 series, the company is now eager to launch BMW 1 series along with the introduction of the car ‘Mini’.
With changing demands and requirements, the company is also wish to mould the base of its existence in the country and develop innovative technologies to fulfill the expectations of Indian customer.
Rolls Royce is in plans to roll out its cheaper and smaller sedan in India soon. The company has released the pictures and details about the car to lure customers and excite them much before the launch.
Christened as RR4, the compact Rolls share some features with the excellent BMW 7 series. Rest the car is built on a completely new platform. The wheelbase of the car is somewhere between the Rolls Phantom and BMW 7 series. It will be powered with the unique Rolls Royce engine based on V12.
There will not be a higher price difference between Rolls Phantom and RR4. The car is expected to launch in 2009 with a price tag of around Rs 2.6 crore. This seems to be a very high cost for Indian audience but Rolls is still free from worries because the company always targets the corporate audience and highly paid kings of the country.
The company has a firm belief that a high cost like this for all its amazing and elegant cars will further strengthen its presence in the country.
The Nissan Motors plans to start the production of its upcoming car, the Micra, at its new facility in Chennai.
The facility in Chennai is a joint venture between the Nissan Motors and Renault. The Renault agrees to the production which is expected to start soon so that the car is launched at the scheduled period in 2010. The starting price of Micra will be around Rs 4.5 lakh.
Nissan is laying more pressure on complete localization of the car to meet the costs and gain a profitable margin.
The company has also signed a partnership with the Hover Automotives in India. This partnership is restricted to the marketing, sales, after-sale services and dealer development of the Nissan cars. The Hover is also putting in great efforts to increase the Nissan dealers from 5 to 55 and earn market coverage of about 80%.
Will the alliance between Nissan and Hover give profitable returns to Nissan? This is a big question because currently many car manufacturers are in race to earn maximum market coverage and hold the highest amount of share in the Indian economy.
