|
|
|
|
| 
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom] |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Monday, 19 April 2010
McLaren started it, Sauber followed and now Ferrari is trying to match its steps with these two teams. You must be wondering what we are talking about. So here is the unravelling of the mystery. McLaren first introduced the F-duct and other teams, including Sauber and Ferrari, have tried to emulate this technology in their vehicles. The idea is quite simple but the implementation becomes a complicated procedure because the cars have been homologated and significant changes to the chassis are difficult to make. So what is an F-duct and what does it do? Let’s fins out. The F-duct is designed to reduce the rear wing drag at high speeds, and downforce on straights. In the McLaren, the F-duct is controlled via the driver’s leg. Once the duct is open, air is drawn into the duct at the front of the car and released just in front of the rear wing. This helps achieve greater speeds by reducing the effectiveness of the rear wing. This may not be considered as a big advantage; however, the effect can be noticeable over an entire lap as it allows the driver to apply more downforce for greater speeds during the turns, while the rear wing stalling to maintain a competitive top speed. Ferrari introduced a host of aerodynamic changes during the Chinese Grand Prix 2010. A new under-body behind the front wing and a new double-decked floor, very similar to the one used by Renault during the Malaysian GP, has been attached. The Ferrari F10’s diffuser now has a revised central section. So what if Ferrari does not have the F-duct feature that makes the McLaren proud. Ferrari has something else up its sleeve. The F10 now has, instead of splitting the airbox in two like on the MP4-25, two small openings, which is also seen on Force India's VJM03. There are two very distinct airflows, which are quite similar to the McLaren. One flows, the bottom yellow line, via the pipe to the diffuser’s top leading edge. The other one, the top yellow line, flows on to the rear wing flap and also features a slot like the on McLaren. All the items have been tested by Fernando Alonso and the data have been collected. The data will be used to build a final version of the solution for the Spanish Grand Prix, which is happening next month. Labels: Chinese-Grand-Prix, Fernando-Alonso, Ferrari, Ferrari-F10, Force-India, Malaysian-Grand-Prix, McLaren, Renault, Sauber, Spanish-Grand-Prix
Friday, 9 April 2010
 “OK is no longer OK”. That was the campaign that Mahindra Group settled on for their Navistar print campaign. And guess what, that particular campaign has been adjudged as the ‘Best Print Campaign in the Country’ by the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI). Mahindra Navistar campaign outsmarted about 300 corporate companies who had also queued up for the award. Mahindra Group performed well in the year end awards. Mahindra Group entered the awards through many of it campaigns launched during the year, and apart from the best print campaign award, bagged a number of other awards including Mahindra Lifespaces, its sustainability project as also the group’s electronic newsletter. The award ceremony was held at the India Habitat Center, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL) is a joint venture between our very own Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) and Navistar Inc. USA. Navistar manufactures commercial truck, school bus and mid-range diesel engine manufacturer in North America. The joint venture manufactures the entire array of commercial vehicles (including Trucks and Buses) from 4.5 tonne GVW to 49 tonne GVW. The new HCV product range, along with technological expertise from Navistar, has been engineered to meet the Indian requirements. Mahindra & Mahindra shares another joint venture with French auto manufacturer, Renault, under which it sells the entry level sedan, Logan. The PRCI is registered national body, a non-political organisation of professionals from various fields including public relations, communications, advertising, education and similar other allied services. Based in Bangalore, the PRCI has pioneered the process for Accreditation of PR and Advertising work in India. The PRCI, for the past four years, has started awards for excellence in PR, Communication and Advertising to recognize work of excellence by corporate companies at an all India level. The award attracts people from across India and abroad. Labels: Logan, Mahindra-and-Mahindra, Mahindra-Group, Mahindra-Navistar, Mahindra-Navistar-Campaign, Navistar, PRCI, Public-Relations-Council-of-India, Renault, Renault-Logan
Thursday, 1 April 2010
 Let me get straight to the point and tell you what is happening between Mahindra & Mahindra and Renault. Now don’t get your hopes very high and don’t even expect any news of a fiasco between the two. Yes, the latest news is that the two car manufacturers are going to get past their differences and announce a new restructured plan for their joint venture, Mahindra Renault Pvt Ltd (MPRL). The restructured joint venture would start kick start with the Logan sedan being repositioned as a small car, with a shorter length and featuring a compact petrol engine. The two car manufacturers had joined hands to sell the entry level sedan, Logan, but it failed to impress the Indian audience, primarily because of its pricing and ordinary looks. The model is currently selling about 500 units annually against the projected target of 50,000 units per annum. The joint venture proved to be a bad show for both and what started as a blame game soon became more action oriented with Renault associating itself with other major Indian and global brands (read Nissan and Bajaj Auto). However, month-long negotiations have enabled the two carmakers to rekindle their joint affair. The restructuring of the JV will also save them from an ugly and early divorce. The two are totally geared up and are expected to announce their fresh plans, about the JV and the new car, in the second week of April. Reanult chief, Carlos Ghosn indicated at a truce when he said that the Logan could be repositioned and the JV restructured. Of late, even Anand Mahindra has abstained from criticising Renault publicly. So far, Renault spokesman has not made any comments but Pawan Goenka, head of M&M's auto division, did divulge that they were working on a new plan. But he did not comment any further. Recently when Renault decided to set up an independent production and sales unit in India, everyone thought that that was the end of roads for the joint venture between Renault and M&M. Logan will continue to be manufactured at M&M's Nasik plant and will be distributed through select outlets of M&M’s dealer network. However, the Logan will go through the tweaking, mostly engine and dimensions, that was long overdue. M&M had come up with the tweaking options long back, but Renault was reluctant to give in.  The Logan’s overall length will be reduced below 4 metres so as to comply with the Indian government’s understanding of a ‘ small car’ and attract lower excise of 10%, against the current 22%. This will allow for a competitive pricing. Even the petrol engine capacity will be brought at 1200cc, against the current sizes of 1400cc and 1600cc.The diesel engine car, which has a 1500cc engine, will continue. Labels: Anand-Mahindra, Carlos-Ghosn, Logan, M-an-M-and-Logan, Mahindra-and-Mahindra, Mahindra-Renault-Pvt-Ltd, Renault
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Tamil Nadu already boasts of being home to major automobile manufacturers that include BMW, Daimler, Ford, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, and now it has one more plant added to its ever increasing list. Yes, I am talking about the Renault Nissan car manufacturing plant that was inaugurated yesterday by the Tamil Nadu CM, M Karunanidhi. Mr. M Karunanidhi, speaking on the occasion said, “I have a dream to make Chennai as one of top 10 centres for automobile manufacturing in the world,” and added, “With the establishment of Renault- Nissan car project, Chennai has become the home for seven auto majors out of top 20 global automobile manufacturers.” Tamil Nadu has always been a fore-runner in investor friendly policies and no wonder Chennai appears as one of the most favourite among the car manufacturers for setting plants. But there is a glitch; Chennai does not have advance facilities for vehicle testing and this becomes an inconvenient factor as the manufacturers have to take the vehicles to Pune for testing and certification. Excited by the State government’s initiatives, the Union government is implementing the National Automotive Testing Research and Development Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) in Oragadam at a cost of about Rs. 450 crore. The State government has already granted 304 acres of land to this project. This project is aimed at facilitating the introduction of world class automotive safety, emission and performance standards in India and ensuring seamless integration of the Indian automotive industry with the global industry. Nissan's first made-in-India car-Micra or March will roll off the production line from the Nissan Renault plant at Oragadam. This plant will also serve as the sourcing hub for the global compact car for over 100 countries, including Europe and Middle East. Labels: Nissan, Nissan-Micra, Nissan-Renault, Nissan-Renault Oragadam-Plant, Renault
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
After Bajaj Auto and Renault, it is Ashok Leyland for the Japanese car manufacturer, Nissan. Nissan is in talks with Hinduja Group’s flagship company Ashok Leyland for developing an ultra-low cost small car for the international market. Nissan has zeroed in at a price tag not exceeding USD 5000. Nissan has already announced its plans to develop a low cost car with Bajaj Auto and Renault. However, the project is yet to come up with a solution for developing such a cheap car. China would be the top market for the small car, where the segment is growing in a big way with about 2 million units. India along with countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia and some Latin American nations will be the other possible market options. In India, the car would be competing with Tata Nano at the lower end and Maruti Suzuki Swift at the higher end. India already has a number of small cars from some very established car manufacturers including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Chevrolet. And this year is going to witness plenty of small car launches from newcomers in the small car segment in India including Honda, Ford and Volkswagen. And not to forget, Nissan is launching its Micra this year. Nissan has a formal agreement with Ashok Leyland for making light commercial vehicles in India and apart from that Nissan also uses Ashok Leyland’s engineering services for various purposes. So it should not come as a surprise if Nissan partners with Ashok Leyland for its low cost global car. The two firms had formed multiple numbers of Joint Ventures for manufacturing LCV’s (Light Commercial Vehicles), powertrains and developing technology, and setting up a manufacturing plant near Chennai. There has been some delay in setting up the manufacturing unit due to problems in land acquisition and so the partners have started producing LCVs from their respective facilities and plan to launch them by 2011. All this and some more small cars! Bring it on, says India. Labels: Ashok-Leyland, Bajaj-Auto, Maruti-Suzuki, Nissan, Nissan-Ashok-Leyland-JV, Renault, Tata-Nano
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
It is common knowledge that one of the easiest ways to bring down car prices and get a foothold in the very competitive automotive market is to manufacture the vehicles locally. This brings down the car prices to a considerable extent, since the import duty on cars in India is way too high. One automotive manufacturer who has taken a similar lesson is none other but Nissan. The latest manufacturing unit, developed jointly with Renault, is ready for its launch in the month of March. This facility will roll out the latest promise of Nissan, which is Micra, to the Indian customers. A company official has also revealed that the facility will be inaugurated by the Chairman and CEO of Renault-Nissan alliance Carlos Ghosn on March 17. The Chennai manufacturing plant is developed by Renault-Nissan Automotive India Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between the French auto manufacturer Renault and the Japanese auto manufacturer Nissan, with an investment of Rs 4000 crore. Now, beat this. This facility will have a mammoth capacity of producing four lakh units annually. India has become a favorite with global manufacturers, especially when it comes to the small car segment. This year is going to witness multiple small car launches. According to industry sources, Nissan is all ready to face the competition from the small car manufacturers when it launches its compact car, Micra, in May 2010. Nissan officials, however, declined to comment on the model of the car. Nissan will announce its global plans for the compact car, which will be manufactured in India along with other four countries, at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March Earlier this year, Nissan had said that it will shift its Micra production base in the UK to India, which will also serve as the export base for the company. Nissan currently sells three models in India, the Teana sedan, SUV Xtrail and 370Z, a sports coupe. But come 2012 and Nissan will be all geared up to launch nine models, out of which five will be manufactured locally. The Indian car market which is currently at 1.2 million units has done its charm to bring the Japanese automaker to India with its full force. Nissan has a global market share of 5.5 percent and that’s the target that Nissan is trying to achieve in India too. Way to go, Nissan! Labels: Micra, Nissan, Renault, SUV-Xtrail, Teana
Monday, 22 February 2010
A little bit of inspiration does not really hurt, does it? When most of the leading car manufacturers are running to the Indian automotive industry with their small car offerings, why should Renault be the one lagging behind? Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of both Nissan Motor Corporation and Renault SA, recently announced that a small and cheap car would be launched for the Indian customers. Ghosn also said that they are looking at manufacturing a car as cheap as $3000 and this time again their partner of choice would be Mahindra and Mahindra. This super low-cost car will not be competing directly with the Logan, which is currently priced between Rs. 428,000 to Rs 547,000. Ghosn said that Nissan and Renault are speeding up their negotiations with suppliers in India and are already in the process of analyzing all aspects of producing their super low price car. “If it makes sense, we’ll be ready to start it,” he said, but declined to give a timeframe. And that’s not all. If they decide to go ahead with the manufacturing of their small car, they will be rolling out two cars from the same platform, one from the Renault and another from the Nissan stable. The upcoming cars are likely to sport trusted parts like the Nissan strut mount, engines and stylish accessories but will be made available at a much cheaper rate. Ghosn wants to be prepared for any kind of surprises that may come from competitors launching small and cheap cars in India. He also said that though they have not finalized the deal yet their obvious choice would be Mahindra. By the end of the year 2010, annual car sales in India are likely to double and reach an all-time high of two million, with small cars making almost two-third of the contribution. And that’s exactly the reason that major car manufactures are shifting the gear to small cars. Labels: Low-Price-Car, Mahindra, Mahindra-Renault-Logan, Nissan, Renault, Renault-Small-Car
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Renault will present India the connoisseur of France. The French car maker is all set to drive in the Fluence. The stylish Fluence will mark Renault’s debut in the luxury car segment. Renault had earlier showcased this awesome luxury car at the 2010 Auto Expo that concluded yesterday. At present, Renault has only the Logan to offer in India. The Logan is a practical sedan which the French car maker has introduced with its Indian counterpart Mahindra & Mahindra. The Logan is spacious and very efficient, but it is equally dull. This is the main reason why the Mahindra-Renault Logan failed in the Indian car market. The Fluence will be available in both petrol and diesel engines. It will be pitted against the likes of Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic. The Fluence is developed by Renault in association with Samsung and sold as the SM3 in Korea. However, the Fluence carries a lot of Renault styling cues. In fact, it looks very similar to the Renault Laguna. The Renault Fluence is handsomely designed. The sunken headlights look super attractive and the sharp ridge along the bonnet and the wave over the front wheels is unique. Even the taut rear and distinguished taillights are mind-boggling. The Fluence is just not about good looks. It can impart the most impressive ride and manoeuvrability. Its suspension is known for being very refined and silent. The soon-to-be launched Fluence is fuel efficient and comes with the option of 6-speed manual as well as a Nissan-sourced CVT auto gearbox. The Fluence is expected in late 2010 for around Rs 10-12 Lakh. But before, Renault launches the upmarket Fluence in India, the car maker has to shed of its impression it has created with the Logan. It has to prove the country that Renault can make great cars and has a great heritage. Labels: Fluence, Logan, Nissan, Renault, SM3
Monday, 11 January 2010
The cars that we have seen from Renault until date in India seems to very much in contrast from what the French car maker decided to show at the Auto Expo 2010 held in New Delhi. Renault, which trying to gain the foothold of the Indian car market with its JV with Mahindra and Mahindra to produce the Logan here in India showed the stunned visitors what it had in its kitty other than the drab looking Logan. Renault displayed the models which it will be launching in India some time in 2010-2011. The Renault pavilion at the Delhi Auto Expo was abuzz with activity. They showcased cars like the Renault Fluence, legendary Megane, Laguna, Koleos, eco-car Twizy and Formula One car. Need we say more? Lets talk about Fluence. This is the car which is yet to be launched in India, but this car will mark Renault’s independent entry to the sedan segment in India. This car should make the likes of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and the Skoda Laura worry for their position here in India for the sheer presence of flowing design and classy looks of the car. The company though did not specify the engine options it would come with or the price. The other car which attracted a lot of eyeballs towards it was the unique copper red coloured Renault Megane. The interiors of this Megane looked stunning with interiors dine in grey though it carried a simpler tone. This car will be the second offering to India after its entry level sedan Renault Logan. Renault Laguna was also a hit amongst the visitors to the Renault pavilion. This car carried class from bumper to bumper. This premium sedan could be imported to India via CBU kits. This car competes with Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and VW Passat in the international markets. We hope that the competition is also stretched to the Indian shores. Other car from Renault that stunned the onlookers was the Koleos which was shining in dark black. This SUV will soon make inroads to the Indian car market to take on other counterparts in the SUV segment. Also in display was Renault’s eco-friendly Twizy Z.E concept which left the visitors awestruck. This unique looking car was undoubtedly a star of the Renault Pavilion. But the main attraction in the Renault stand was the 2009 Formula One car and the V6 Megane sports car. The F1 fans were in for a treat when the R8 F1 2009 car that was raced by Nelson Piquet junior was kept as a part of display. Labels: Delhi-Auto-Expo-2010, Formula-One, Renault, Renault- Koleos, Renault-Fluence, Renault-Laguna, Renault-Megane, Renault-Twizy, SUV
Monday, 28 December 2009
It just seems like the Tata Nano will no longer have a contender in its segment, at least not for now. Bajaj Auto, India’s two-wheeler maker who also was in news for quite some time with its proposed launch of its Ultra-Low-Car (ULC) tying up with Nissan and Renault to venture into the Indian Car Market has just backed out from the project and dumped the project to concentrate more on the growing two-wheeler market in India and abroad. So you can go out shopping for the Nano than hoarding the money to buy Bajaj’s ULC. Rahul Bajaj, the Chairman of Bajaj Auto is of the opinion that producing and launching of the ULC (Costing Rs 1 Lakh) is no longer a great idea. The inside sources say that car if at all launched would not even carry a Bajaj brand name which peeved the Bajaj boss man. According to Rahul Bajaj, “There appears to be no point in launching a new car when there are already so many models in the market - from Mercedes to Nano. We did want to launch a low-cost car but now we have changed our mind”. He also added “Let the company focus on bikes and then think of cars. First, the company can upgrade the three-wheelers. Maybe, we can add a fourth wheel to it and make something like a carry van, but it will certainly not be a car.” The ULC project didn’t go too well with Bajaj Auto due to branding, product details and pricing that Nissan and Renault had laid out in front of Bajaj Autos. Bajaj Auto’s managing director Rajiv Bajaj, who is Rahul’s son, was reported to have said that since there is an excess capacity in the global car market , “the company thinks that ULC, being a standalone project , will be vulnerable to business cycles” . Source: Economic Times Labels: Bajaj-Autos, Nissan, Renault, Ultra-Low-Cost-Car
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
It looks like Renault is having a very tough time ahead. Its joint venture with Mahindra and Mahindra seems to be heading nowhere. And now when both the companies have realized that the joint venture is not bringing them any treasure to fill up their coffers, they have finally decided to talk it out. It is still not known what will be the final decision of both the companies. But of the many issues that the companies are facing right now, the most important is the unsuccessful tenure of Logan, the only car that is launched of the joint venture between the two companies. It does not look like the Renault will walk away from the partnership or the Indian car market. And the very obvious reason is that the Renault still wants to have its fingers dipped in the Indian car market pie, which is the most happening car market of the world at the moment. In a joint venture between the two companies, 51 per cent of the stake is held by Mahindra and Mahindra while the rest of 49 per cent is being held by French car maker Renault. The companies will be discussing on whether it is feasible to launch a new car at this time and what should be the future plans to remain in the business. We desperately hope against hope that both the companies sort it out in a cordial way and will not think of a break up. Renault’s ultra-low cost car plan also seems to be affected by the perplexity that is happening between the two companies. Bajaj, its partner in producing the ultra-low cost car, seems to be not happy with the proposal of partnering only with Renault, leaving aside Mahindra & Mahindra. Bajaj already had brand issues with Renault. And the company is not comfortable in joining hands with Renault, which is already in turmoil. Well as the companies are still in discussion, let us all keep our fingers crossed for an intelligent decision from the companies. Labels: Bajaj, Joint-Venture, Logan, Mahindra and Mahindra, Renault, Ultra-Low-Cost-Car
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
We are still not the first, but we are certainly among the best small car market in the world. The Indian car market is now the second largest small car manufacturer. This is of course an achievement we can boast about. But this should not be a surprise for those who know the booming demand for small cars in India. The demand for small cars in India is not a new trend. The passion for small cars has a long history in the Indian car market. Most of the favourite cars of India are small cars. The Maruti 800, Maruti Alto, Hyundai Santro have all been successful for their compact nature and affordable pricing. And the auto makers were also happy to boost the small car sales bringing out more small cars. And this has now resulted in India becoming the second largest small car market in the world, where Brazil adorns the first place. The Indian small cars are in demand not only in the domestic market but there has also been a huge requirement globally resulting in a very high export percentage. Maruti has contributed a major part in the increasing sales of small cars. It has launched, in the past one year, very famous small cars including A-star, Ritz and facelifted Estilo. The future of small cars in the Indian market is also bright and gay. There has been a huge list of small cars that is awaiting its entry into the Indian small car market. Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo, and Chevrolet Beat are just a few among them. Major companies like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Renault will be launching their new small cars in the near future. Meanwhile, companies like Toyota and Honda has already requesting the government to change the criterion that specifies a small car. It seems that the Indian small car industry will witness a huge change and it will be driven by the never fading demand for small cars. Labels: Maruti, Nissan, Renault, Small-Car, Toyota, Volkswagen
Thursday, 24 September 2009
True partners render and seek help at the hour of need and that is exactly what is happening between the French car maker Renault and Nissan. This year, Renault had a very sad first half, and now Nissan will be launching its compact car in India, using the compact car platform of Nissan. And this will be of great help for Renault as it will not have to spend on any product development. Both the cars, Nissan’s Micra and the Renault-Nissan compact car, which shares its platform with the Nissan compact car, as both the cars will be manufactured at the still constructing Chennai plant and will have similar component sourcing facilities and production lines. Now, this will be an altogether different car and is not the low-cost car that the two companies have planned to manufacture together with the Indian motorcycle manufacturer, Bajaj Auto and is expected to launch in 2011. Nissan has great compact car plans for India for the next few years. By the mid of next year Nissan is expected to launch a compact car with the seating capacity of five. And by 2012 three new cars will be launched using the same platform. Not only will Nissan be using the same platform for manufacturing other cars but Renault will also be using them for its compact car or sedan, or for both. This will be the first occurrence in the Indian car market where two manufacturers are using the same platform for manufacturing many cars. But don’t you think that sharing the same platform makes two cars look alike, no it is never so, Maruti Suzuki Ritz and Swift and Honda City and Jazz share the same platform, but don’t they look different? But one thing is for sure, the Indian car market will, in no time, be flooded with compact and small cars. Labels: Compact-Car, Honda-City, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, Nissan, Renault, Small-Car
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
 Once again we bring you more information on the ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show. If you think, we are going overboard with Frankfurt Motor Show, just remember it is the most happening thing in the automotive world now at this moment. All car enthusiasts are talking about the Frankfurt Motor Show and will be talking about it only for another fortnight. Lots of excitement revolves around this International Auto Show. The most important thing about this year’s Auto Show is that most of the car makers are showcasing their latest eco-friendly car creations. As we told you earlier, the theme of the Frankfurt Motor Show is ‘Blue’ and ‘Green’ and hence Renault is exhibiting its products in ‘Blue’. The French car company is unveiling four electric car concepts at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The four EVs unveiled are the Twizy, the Zoe, the Fluence and the Kangoo Zero Emission (Z.E.) concepts. The Twizy Z.E. is a two-seater equipped with a 20 bhp engine which can run at a top speed of 75km/h. The Zoe Z.E., Fluence Z.E. and Kangoo Z.E. are fitted with a 94 bhp electric motor and have a range of 160km. All these four electric cars will have multiple options for recharging, including standard recharge, quick recharge and quick battery swap. Renault will start selling its affordable production electric vehicles in 2011, with the Renault-Nissan Alliance targeting number one status in mass-market zero-emission vehicle sales. Labels: Frankfurt-Motor-Show, Renault, Renault-Nissan-Alliance, Zero-Emission
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
 Mahindra Renault Logan, an offspring of the joint venture between the Indian car manufacturer Mahindra and Mahindra and the French car manufacturer Renault though fetched good prospects initially for the company, has soon run into trouble and is hardly selling 500 units per month. The company started realizing that the much hyped model of theirs is not bringing them profit and that their future is at stake. They had realized this some time back but did not bother to look back to rectify the problem as they did not want to figure out the problem! But now the company is finally ready to accept it and is getting ready to revive the sagging sales of Mahindra Renault Logan. The company currently is in the lookout for more and more options to revive and boost the sales of the car. Of the many options that the company is considering are, to bring in a new model, abandon the Logan, and refresh the Logan and so on. This mid-sized sedan, which has supported the existence of the joint venture, will not be deserted by the company but instead will be given little tweaks here and there to make it a small car; in fact little tweaks will be too little to do the magic so perhaps some major ones. Mahindra and Mahindra is in talks with the Renault to see whether they can dress up Logan as a small car and thus reducing the excise duty of the car by including it in the small car sector, which piggy backs on low duty. Let us all wait for a new Logan which will be not only seen in the green paint with a yellow number plate. Labels: Mahindra-and-Mahindra, Mahindra-Renault-Logan, Renault
Monday, 25 May 2009
The launch of a low cost ultra small car, proposed by Bajaj Auto and Renault, to compete with the Tata Nano is likely to get delayed following differences over branding between the two partners. Both the partners are already sparring over issues like design, positioning, and some technical specifications of the new car. And the final joint venture between the two that was supposed to be signed in November 2008 has still not been signed. The design work of the ultra low cost car was frozen in September 2008 but the work on the powertrain continued till Bajaj Auto sought redoing it all again and abruptly called off the work. Bajaj Auto is in favour of a cost competitive car which can challenge the Nano in the highly price conscious Indian car market. Bajaj and Renault both are eyeing to produce a unique car that no global car manufacturer can design and engineer in terms of profitability and viability. Both have the same goal but still there are differences over the design and engine specifications. However, they are trying to bridge the gap created due to the differences. The latest differences are also affecting the ambitions of both Bajaj and Renault. For Bajaj, the joint venture and the launch of this low cost ultra small car is significant to reposition itself as a complete automobile manufacturer rather than just being known as a two wheeler manufacturer. And for Renault, India is crucial to increase sales and expand its global market share following economic recession in the West. Labels: Baja-Renault, Bajaj-Auto, Renault, Ultra-Low-Cost-Car
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Mahindra-Renault, Paris-based car manufacturer, has selected India to be its car design hub for its proposed ultra-cheap car. The car is under development under the joint venture with Bajaj Auto. Till date, Renault has designed its entire range of cars in Paris but now with the growing opportunities in India, the company decided to target India and establish a design center in Mumbai. Though the main car design framework will be rolled out from the Mumbai centre, small inputs on designing will also be received from Nissan design team and other Renault’s design centres across the world. At present, it is believed that almost 10-12 Indian car designers are working on the Renault’s small car project. The key motive of the joint venture is not to produce a cheap car but to design a car with improved fuel economy and the one that meets the emission standards. After forming a design framework, the car will start its production in the Chakan facility in Maharashtra. Expected to roll out in 2011, the car is follows the vision of this joint venture. Labels: Car-Design, Indian-Car, Nissan, Renault, Ultra-cheap-Car
Friday, 1 August 2008
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. Labels: Micra, Nissan, Renault, Small-Cars, Upcoming-Cars
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Excellent! It’s good to know that people are doing research on Indian tradition and cultural. The biggest French auto major, Renault, is driving down to Indian roots to learn the cultural considerations of the country. This step is taken by the company in order to grab the domestic market. Students from top notch management and engineering colleges of France are sponsored by Renault to visit India and learn the cultural legacy of the country. Students are visiting cities and analysing the cultural diversity. This learning is definitely a part of a big business plan by Renault, but still it’s a superior feeling that people are taking interest to learn the core of the country you are living in. The age old belief now gets confirmed, ‘Prosperity is hidden in the Indian roots’. Labels: Expansion -in-Business, Renault
Friday, 4 April 2008
Renault made its debut by launching Logan in India through a joint venture with Mahindra a few years ago. After it’s entry into India, Logan has somehow managed to give good competition to its rivals in mid-size segment but it failed to impress and attract more customers as expected by Renault. Now, Logan is being revamped and presented with new style.
It’s not so impressive performance and heavy price tags have forced many customers to opt for other cars than Logan. When people are going crazy for small cars in countries like India, it will be really challenging task for car manufacturers to increase the sale of mid-size sedans like Logan. So, Renault has determined to revamp and add some more frills to Logan. It will launch revamped version of Logan in next few months to take on its competitors mainly Maruti Swift Dzire. Let’s hope Renault will achieve success this time. Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, Logan, Mahindra, Maruti Dzire, midsize cars, Renault, small cars
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Renault, the French car manufacturer who brought out the car Logan along with Mahindra, and Nissan are holding a series of talks with Bajaj Auto on creating an ultra-cheap car like the Tata Nano. That’s all I keep hearing these days.
Renault keeps saying that it’s interested in a joint venture with Bajaj for creating a small car that will compete with Tata’s Nano. The news of this alliance has been just news for a long time now. Doesn’t look like the talks are getting anywhere. Bajaj Auto had displayed their one-lakh concept car at the Delhi auto expo in January but it’s not known if anything happened after that.
Article submitted by Frenchbeard Labels: Bajaj, Mahindra, One Lakh Car, Renault, tata nano
Thursday, 7 February 2008
I am looking at the newspapers every day and going through all these websites and one thing that keeps popping up at unexpected moments is CARS! Cheap cars and foreign cars and small cars and just more cars! Now, I am a designer by profession, trying to make it big in the fashion world, but I may just steer a different course. I came across this car survey by an audit company that said that the average annual wage of an Indian car designer is now merely close to Rs 3 Lakh per year, but this profession could be the next IT salary wave! US firms pay an average of Rs 28 Lakh per year for an entry-level car designer and UK firms shell out Rs 25 Lakh per year for the same. Calculating with these numbers, it is easy to see that these guys can easily employ 5 to 8 people in India for the salary of ONE person in US or UK. Needless to say these big guys would want to slowly move to India for designing and developing their future cars. The French company, Renault, has already set up base in India and Maruti Suzuki is using Indian engineers to develop their global cars, and GM has recently set up its research lab her as well. Many other companies are set to follow. How cool will a job designing cars be? Labels: Car-Designs, Cheap-Cars, Renault, small cars
Friday, 21 December 2007
The struggling French car maker Renault is thinking of launching a new low-budget car into Indian market. It is expected to be priced at about $3,000. Renault is to unveil some 20 new models in the coming year. As if this is not enough, it can bring some low-cost autorickshaws in an aggressive global strategy to push up the static sales graph. But the Indian market is no piece of cake. Indigenous car manufacturer Tata Motors has already announced introduction of its 1-lakh car in the middle of coming year. It is learned to be in its final leg of manufacturing. Even the autorickshaw market might prove a hard nut to crack as the Bajaj Automotive has a stranglehold on the market. Most of the autos running on Indian roads come from the Bajaj factory. Of late, India has become a lucrative car market along with other BRIC countries. Renault do has its presence in India, but in the sedan car sedan and that too in collaboration with Mahindra & Mahindra Labels: Auto rickshaw, Bajaj, Renault, Tata Motors 1 lakh car
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
As India is emerging as a global hotspot for four-wheelers, top guns in the auto industry are inventing ways to capture the largest share and fiddling with the buzz word - ultra-cheap cars. Renault- Nissan is looking at replacing auto rickshaws from Indian roads completely. They have already entered an agreement with Ashok Leyland to churn out low cost trucks and with Bajaj Autos to engineer a $3,000 car by 2010. India's Tata Motors aims to launch its long-awaited $2,500 car in 2008. Maruti is currently out of the ultra-cheap car loop. Tata is still in the fray even after a lot of political turmoil in their small car plant in West Bengal. It is time for consumers to ponder about how the Renault- Nissan combo is going to compete with the three-wheelers in India. Labels: Ashok Leyland, Bajaj, Buses and Trucks, Maruti, Nissan, Renault, Tata, Three-wheelers, Ultra cheap cars
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Honeymoon days for small cars seem to be over, now experts are looking at them from a critical standpoint. The Japanese mini-car specialist, Suzuki Motor is taking a cautious view to the race to build a $3,000 car in India. India's Tata Motors has previously said it plans to introduce a $3,000 car into the market by next year, while Nissan and Renault are also considering jointly launching a similarly priced vehicle in India by 2010. Wonder how environment protection has suddenly become an issue to the Japanese car maker? Suzuki is worried about the low-cost cars meeting global standards of emission and automobile safety. Whether these cars would include airbags or seatbelts is yet to be seen. The Maruti Suzuki India Limited market share majority is owned by the Japanese automaker, which now has a market share of more than 50 percent in India. However, its dominance is increasingly challenged by global automakers who will not rest until they take a large bite out of the extremely delicious Indian auto market pie. Labels: Auto market competition, Low budget cars, Maruti Suzuki, Nissan, Renault, Small car market in India, Suzuki, Tata
Friday, 23 November 2007
Buying a car is no more a luxury for Indians, it’s a necessity. For the global automotive industry, China is now a passé, India grabs all their attention. Last year, car sales in India totaled in 1.1 million with compact hatchbacks accounting for nearly three quarter of that. Time for Maruti, Tata, or Mahindra to pull up their socks, foreign automakers like Nissan, Hyundai, and Renault are aiming big in India. A recent auto survey says that the car market in India is growing at an average of 20 percent a year, outpacing even China. Nissan already made its entry to the Indian market with Renault SA of France and Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and sold its Logan like hot cakes early this year. Japan’s carmakers are not behind in this race, the biggies like Toyota and Honda have already pronounced their presence here loudly. Maruti 800, Alto, or Santro says small car is always a big hit in India. Incited by Tata's super-cheap People’s Car next year, Nissan and Renault are projecting a car that may sell for as little as $2,500. And now India’s two-wheeler giant Bajaj and Renault are discussing the possibilities of ultra inexpensive cars. With this pace, bicycle and two wheelers may look like extinct products of the auto world. Labels: Bajaj, Car manufacturers in India, Car-competition, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra, Mahindra-Renault, Maruti, Nissan, Renault, Tata, Toyota
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Nissan wants to make a $3,000 car. Nissan recently confirmed that it is confident of being able to develop a $3,000 car in India with proposed partner Bajaj Auto Ltd. The Renault-Nissan alliance has been doing serious research for the production of this new $3,000 car. Tata quoted its One-Lakh-Car would be a rear-engine, 600-cc, four-door hatchback. A series of question is still in the air. What are the features the car will host? How can a car offer the essential safety measures with such a price tag? Will the engine and power be enough to carry four or in some cases five people? Nissan is confident about the $3,000 car’s production for India and Tata’s claim is still not disproved. Let’s wait and watch to see what new turns the Indian auto market will take. Labels: Bajaj, Car-competition, Indian low budget cars, Nissan, One-Lakh Rupee Car, Renault, Tata
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Liked the news of coming 20 models in India for the year 2008? Maybe you’ve been following the filter of information flowing out of our portal about the coming 2009 models also. The world of automakers has booked the year 2009 as well. Let’s check the year 2010 now. We're finally starting to list out some solid information on the 2010 year models. Hooray, here’s the first one. The car majors Nissan and Renault, along with their local partner Bajaj Auto have confirmed the plan to launch a US $2500-car in India. Howz that??? We have seen Renault’s strong relationship with another local partner Mahindra. I think it’s from M&M that they learned the importance of working with local partners. Now it’s Bajaj to ride Nissan and Renault’s new car in India in 2010. The names of the cars are yet to be known. The rumor is that the talks have been going on among them on the car from early 2007. The trios dream to manufacture a $2500 (1 Lakh) car felt possible in India. But they encountered major hurdles in exporting the vehicle to markets such as Europe, China, Brazil, Mexico, and United States. As India is turning to be a die-hard play ground of global automakers for small cars, the trios decided to fully concentrate on making the car for India and making it competitive. Will catch up with you with more 2010 launches in India. Check out our Blogs and Articles section at Carazoo for auto news before it happens. Labels: Bajaj, Launches in India, Mahindra, Mahindra-Renault, New Car, Nissan, One-Lakh Rupee Car, Renault, Small Car
Thursday, 27 September 2007
After the success of Mahindra-Renault Logan, Renault is speculated to enter the market in the second half of 2008 with another Logan-based model called Megane. The seven-seater MUV Megane will join the Mahindra-Renault family is also expected to produce a hatchback in the not-so-far future. The booming MUV market in India is expecting more multi utility and sports utility vehicles in the coming year. The technologically high-end Megane stands out from the crowd with its pronounced, bulbous exteriors. The Megane is the top selling MUV in the Australian market. Its interior has plenty of storage space and a generous dose of standard equipments that can be expected from a European car. The Global sales of Renault have seen a significant growth of 11.4 percent in the past two months. New models, like Kangoo, Megane, and Clio have contributed to this success. Renault's Megane is expected to release both its two and four-wheel drive options in India. Labels: competition, Imported cars, Indian car market, launch in India, Mahindra, Mahindra-Renault, Renault
|
|
