Tag Archives: Nissan

An Eye In The Car And No More Backup Collisions

Bringing a car out in reverse from the parking place to land straightly onto a narrow road turns out to be challenging job. This is an unavoidable but common scenario observed in most of the metropolis in India. Security guards often assist the driver in this task by giving signals to communicate with the car and other vehicles that pass on the road. In the absence of such assistance the car can easily be hit by any other speeding vehicle on the road.

Driving a car does have its own downturns when compared to riding bicycles or other two wheelers. A bike rider normally does not have problems related to blind spots as compared to a car driver. Blind spots are typical areas of the road which are not visible to the driver while he/she is sitting in regular driving posture. These areas do not fall under the vision of the driver even through the rear view mirrors. The driver may have to turn his head or come out of his seating position to get a sight of the blind spot.

While a person is trying to bring out his/her car in reverse from the parking area, the main lane turns out to be the blind spot. Need is always the mother of invention and this particular problem has been addressed by the new car, Infiniti JX35 (Infiniti is a unit of Nissan). Backup collision intervention system is the name given to this solution. It comprises of sensors, alarms and also a power assisted braking system to apply brake and avoid the car being hit by another vehicle while moving in reverse.

The sensors of this system are mounted on the sides of the rear bumper. Both visual and audio indicators are used to warn the driver about an approaching vehicle while moving in reverse. The system makes use of actuators to apply brake and stops the car when the vehicle is too close.

This car has many more technological systems which aid in safety. There is huge competition in auto market and car makers are coming up with new ideas and designs to increase the safety of the consumers. All these equipments may not bring an end to car mishaps but the aim is to reduce the probability there by pulling down the number of collision and/or accidents.

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Ashok Leyland unveils Stile MPV at the Expo

Ashok Leyland Stile
The 11th Auto Expo has been a curious and colourful one this time around. We did cover and will be covering the whole lot of vehicles that were launched, screened, unveiled, showcased at the Show. We had brought you a story on the Nissan Evalia MPV which was showcased at the Expo.

This next story of ours is on the similar line. The only thing is that the very same Evalia MPV was showcased in the Ashok Leyland pavilion, but it was named at Stile. The Stile MPV was looking much more uber -centric in approach. Talk about badge marketing. We have seen it all when the Skoda Rapid was brought in, which essentially is the Volkswagen Vento. If that reference did not go well with your thoughts, even the Nissan Micra is being sold as the Renault Pulse with not much change overall.

Well, it is a known fact that Ashok Leyland will be manufacturing the Nissan’s Evalia in India. The Stile MPV is Ashok Leyland’s version of the Evalia MPV and would be sold independently through Ashok Leyland dealerships. The stile would feature 1.5 litre K9K diesel engine churning out either 85 bhp and 200 Nm torque or 105 bhp and 240 Nm torque depending upon what Ashok Leyland chooses to offer the Indian MPV buyer. This is the very same engine that would power Nissan Evalia MPV and is also the same engine which is being employed in cars such as Nissan Micra, Nissan Sunny sedan, Renault Pulse hatchback and Renault Fluence sedanalthough in different states of tune.

The Stile has attractive features such as sliding doors, two and three row seating arrangements, low floor and dual tone interiors. Ashok Leyland has said that the Stile will be used as an ambulance, panel van, courier service vehicle, shuttle bus and hotel shuttle in Indian market. The Stile will be treated as a cargo van also.

The Stile will be available in both CNG and diesel variants. It would be launched in the middle of the year. Ashok Leyland has come up with an alternative name for its new vehicle Stile ie. MFV (Multi Functional Vehicle) instead of MPV owing to its varied uses.

posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 Comments Off links to this post
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Hyundai India mulls of bringing in a Compact SUV

Hyundai Velostar

Hyundai Velostar


Hyundai India has been around quite some time now. Precisely 15 years and counting… In all these years the South Korean auto major has seen tremendous success for its cars in India. Hyundai India, for every right reason has been crowned as the second largest car maker in India and in an attempt to hold on to the title, Hyundai has come out with some outrageous products recently to reaffirm the trust the people have kept in the brand.

The product portfolio of Hyundai India includes entry-level small compact cars, premium hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. But Hyundai India probably is not very satisfied with this product line up and wants to have a compact SUV in its lineup. By the way the Compact SUV market is the IN-thing now in India and we can see that every other automobile major wants a piece of the cake and are all in the process of launching their own versions of compact SUVs.

Hyundai probably sees that the time is right now to launch a compact SUV and it is all set to unveil its concept version of the compact SUV during the 11th Auto Expo to be held at New Delhi next month. Of course, there certainly is a catch here. It is very likely that Hyundai India will take advantage of the lower tax rates on models that are shorter than 4 meters and in the process launch a compact SUV. But mind you, the details of the compact SUV from Hyundai at the moment is very sketchy and nothing is concrete.

2012 Ford-Ecosport Compact SUV

2012 Ford-Ecosport Compact SUV

Now back to Hyundai India’s Compact SUV story, the Korean major also will be showcasing its crossover utility vehicle, the Velostar at the expo. The Hyundai Velostar was a runaway hit in the U.S. and Hyundai wants to recreate the same magic here but it would wait to see people’s reaction towards the vehicle at the Expo.

Coming to story behind the models that shorter than 4 meters rule, Back in 2006, when the Union Budget was tabled, the then Finance Minister P.Chidambaram had doled out special benefits to small cars to boost the local production and promote India as a global small-car manufacturing hub. In the process, it was proposed that an 8 percentage point excise duty reduction of 16 percent for cars shorter than 4m and with petrol engines displaying less than 1,200 CC or diesel engines smaller than 1,500 CC.

Like we had mentioned earlier, there are many players looking to exploit this loophole. Premier Automobiles, last year came out with Premier RIO petrol and this year introduced the diesel version of the compact SUV. Following them are Mahindra and Mahindra who are all set to launch their Mini Xylo sometime next year. The development stage is over and test mules have been spotted more than a few times by eagle-eyed auto aficionados.

Renault India and Nissan India have also confirmed their plans to launch their respective versions of compact SUV (Renault Duster) which likely is to be priced at Rs. 8-10 lakh bracket. Ford India is all set to come out with Ford EcoSport compact SUV soon. What’s more? Even passenger car market leader Maruti Suzuki has jumped in the bandwagon and will launch its own compact SUV in a couple of years span. This domino effect started after the fast growing SUV segment began eating into the small car market share in India.

Mahindra Mini Xylo rendering

Mahindra Mini Xylo rendering

As far as the compact SUV segment is concerned, this is fast growing in India and if MUVs, MPVs, SUVs are all added up, the segment accounts for almost 18 percent of the total market, which again is a considerable sum and every auto maker would drool to have a piece of it. The changing mindset of customers is to be blamed for this as the demand for SUVs is more and people aspire to own one.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, December 8th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
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Auto Sales Experience 19 per cent Growth in January 2011

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

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

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

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

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

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, February 10th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
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Japanese Carmakers Choose Thailand Over India

Considering the outstanding car sales figure in India, we would immediately think that automakers would be in favour of having India as their small car hub. Chennai has gained a lot of popularity among global carmakers including Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Mitsubishi, Ashok Leyland, Nissan-Renault and Daimler Trucks among others.

But Japanese car makers are now inclining towards the idea of using Thailand as a global hub for their compact cars in the Asia-Pacific region and parts of Europe. But in contrast, India’s domestic market will be top priority though exports could be conceived later. Another possibility emerging from this phenomenon is importing fully built-up cars back to Japan from Thailand.

The Thai ‘Eco Car’ plan is coming on as a major growth driver of this strategy where car makers such as Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki and Mitsubishi are planning similar models for the Indian auto market too. A case in point is the Nissan March which becomes Micra in India, and Honda’s small car will debut in both the countries by the end of next year.

Since Thailand is a part of the ASEAN Free Trade Area, it eliminates any tariff barriers and subsequently enjoys major advantages over India as a preferred location of Japanese car makers. Japanese car makers have earlier stressed that similar trade packs would help India become part of their global sourcing plans.

Another interesting aspect of the Thai eco programme is the convenience of exporting cars back to Japan. A perfect example would be Nissan, which launched the March early this year. “In a bold move, the company relocated production of its March from Japan to Thailand. Thai shipments to Japan began in end-June and we expect volumes (in Japan) to reach 40,000 units this year and 60,000 units in 2011,” says Mr. Ammar Master, Senior Marketing Analyst, JD Power and Associates.

Japanese car maker Honda is expected to adopt a similar plan too, where its small car will be part of the Thai eco project and exported from there to Europe and Asia (and even back to Japan). And as far as the Indian market is concerned, the company will focus on catering to the large domestic market.

Toyota is also planning to launch the Etios in India, and speculations suggest that the car will find its way into Thailand’s eco car plan too. Suzuki is expected to launch the Swift in Thailand while Mitsubishi is working on an eco car that could also enter India as part of an alliance with PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Now, the most important question. Is India losing out to Thailand as a hub for compact cars? Industry experts do not quite agree with this view, showing the cases of Ford, General Motors and even Nissan, which exports the Micra to nearly 100 countries in Europe. “India offers the best mix of costs and quality even while Thailand has the advantage of free trade pacts and Japanese patronage,” sources say.

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, September 24th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Daimler Seeks Japanese Help for Hybrid Technology

Mercedes-Benz-S500-hybrid-side-view-image
When it comes to hybrid technology, we all look up to Japanese car makers, and when it comes to luxury, we rush to the German ones. So when we heard of collaboration between a German luxury car maker (Daimler) and a Japanese hybrid vehicle leader (Toyota Motor), we could not help but take notice.

The Japanese carmakers have always been the forerunners in alternative energy and hybrid technology. Mazda, Nissan, Honda, they all have showcased their electric/hybrid vehicles at various motor shows in the past years. But Toyota has left everyone behind in the race and has been successfully selling its hybrid cars the world over.

Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has earlier tried its hands on developing its own hybrid technology. But apparently Daimler’s is not as good as the hybrid technology featured in Toyota‘s lineup of gas-electric vehicles. It is not surprising then that Daimler has turned to Toyota for help. Daimler, much like Nissan and Mazda, has now accepted the superiority of Toyota’s technology and negotiating a tie-up that would provide the company with key components for its future hybrid vehicles.

According to a few reports from Japan, negotiations between the two leaders began more than a year ago and the final details, like which Daimler models would receive Toyota’s technology, have been almost worked out. The deal would soon be made official. Toyota’s credibility as the global leader in hybrid technology is unsurpassed and has helped the company shore up gas-electric-related deals with automakers in the past.

Toyota had earlier said that it wanted to share its hybrid technology with others to reduce production costs. Toyota introduced the world’s first hybrid car 13 years ago and continues to dominate the market for the fuel-sipping gasoline-electric cars with its flagship Prius model. Toyota also supplies its hybrid technology to Nissan for the Altima sedan.

The sources have been quoted as saying “Toyota hopes adding Daimler to the list of companies it cooperates with on hybrid cars will counter the global auto industry’s current trend toward developing electric cars.”

A supply deal between Toyota and Daimler confuses us a bit because Daimler is already working with rival premium car maker BMW AG on hybrid vehicle development. Daimler also recently formed a partnership with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co, and the three companies had said that the cooperation would also work on hybrid, fuel-cell and other next-generation vehicles. Daimler introduced its first hybrid car in the high-end S Class last year using “mild” hybrid technology developed jointly with BMW.

All said and done, it would be something to see top-of-the range hybrid technology featured in a super luxury car from Daimler.

posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Breathable Vitamin C in New Nissan Cars

The Nissan Leaf interior. Nissan announced Wednesday its next-generation cars will come with vitamin C-dispensing air conditioners, helpful speedometers and NASA-engineered bucket seats.
Driving is fun, and more than anything else a necessity. But, without suggesting an idea to regress to the pre-car era, we would like to add that driving can be harmful and stressful too. Just think of all the stale air that you breathe in your AC car, the long distance drive causing backaches, and so forth. But now, you can bury your worries.

Nissan Motors, in a bid to console those who think that reliance on cars is unhealthy, has come with features that will enhance not only your driving experience but even the environment inside your car. Nissan has revealed that its new cars will be equipped with air conditioners that will release breathable vitamin C and stress-reducing seats.

Now forget having a row with your spouse after forgetting birthdays, anniversary dates and so many other occasions that you are supposed to remember. Nissan Group is also looking at installing “friendly” speedometers that can further enhance the in-car atmosphere with timely reminders of wedding anniversary dates or birthdays, in the event the driver forgets.

“We want drivers to feel that they are healthier staying in the car instead of on the outside,” a Nissan engineer said Wednesday at a test drive event outside Tokyo.

Nissan Motors plans to introduce air conditioners in its new cars that can spray vitamin C that can moisturize you skin as well as air purifiers developed by Sharp. And that’s not all: Nissan is also expecting to equip its cars with heating “easy chairs” that incorporate NASA research to enable better blood circulation. These chairs will reduce your chances of developing a back pain during long distance drives.

These health innovations were announced along with a slew of driver safety features the Japanese auto manufacturer wants to include in its upcoming cars. In the next two years or so, you will see a range of new safety features, including anti-collision technology, included in Nissan cars.

Over the years, the concept of automobiles has traversed past the traditional boundaries of transportation. And as competition among car makers increases day by day, consumers are being showered with more and more value added features.

“The emotional aspect of a car has become increasingly important and as customer needs diversify,” said Nissan engineer Kenichi Tanaka.

The anti-collision warning technology, which resembles the radar systems used by airplanes and ships, monitors the distance with a vehicle in front and can prevent collisions at forward speeds of up to 60 kilometers (40 miles) per hour.

The system reminds the driver to decelerate with the sound of a beep, and automatically slows down vehicle by raising the accelerator pedal and partial braking, Nissan officials revealed.

These updated design and technologies come as Nissan prepares itself for the launch of the of the all-electric Leaf in Japan and the United States towards the end of this year. A lot of Nissan’s green dreams are revolving around the success of Leaf. While Japanese rivals like Toyota and Honda have moved ahead in the green car race, Nissan currently offers only one hybrid, the Altima, which uses Toyota’s technology.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, July 29th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Maruti’s Quest of Market Share Takes it to Rural India

suzuki-logo
The metamorphosis of the small car segment in India has been nothing but phenomenal in the past few years. And car makers which earlier enjoyed unrivalled supremacy in the segment are now finding it difficult to maintain a firm grip on their market share. There was a time when people rushed to the Maruti Suzuki dealers for all their small car needs, but the newer players in the trade have changed the way one shops for small cars now.

As we have said a number of times before, times have changed. And Maruti Suzuki’s market share has been taxed greatly by the new entrants, such as Chevrolet, Hyundai and the more recent ones including Ford and Nissan, in the small car space. Since the start of 2010, Maruti has seen a minor drop in its total market share across the country compared with the earlier 57 per cent.

But all hope is not lost yet. Maruti Suzuki, which is the top most car manufacturer in the country, is now planning to regain its lost glory by pushing its sales in the rural regions of India. Though the export operations of the car maker would continue like before, Maruti would now pay more attention towards the domestic market. Maruti Suzuki plans to increase its share of rural sales from the current 17 per cent to 20 per cent.

Maruti Suzuki believes that the increased sales push in the rural Indian market would compensate well for its dipping market share in the urban markets.

“In rural India many of the vehicles that we have do extremely well like the Alto, Omni and Maruti 800. These are all models which are tailor made for the rural markets,” said Shushank Srivastava, CGM – marketing of Maruti Suzuki India.

Maruti is also expecting the monsoon to bring some joys in the camp by providing a rural boost. But there are other strategies in the kitty too. Maruti Suzuki has appointed rural sales executives to target remote areas that currently have no dealerships.

Maruti is also planning to incentivize sales through attractive promotional sales and service packages. But this will come at a cost, alright! While Maruti will achieve volume sales, it will do so at the expense of a dip in margins.

Maruti’s troubles don’t end just there. The company is facing another difficulty where the company’s suppliers are not able to meet the huge market demand. This creates the much-hated situation where Maruti will have to wait for the cars to get into pipeline and increase the waiting period.

Maruti has always been at the pinnacle of the small car market in India, but with the increasing competition, the company is planning to aggressively target the other segments too.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, July 15th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Bajaj Low-cost Car Project in Trouble?

Bajaj-Renault-Nissan-ULC-Small-Car
It has been long since we last spoke about the Nissan-Renault Bajaj Ultra Low Cost Car project. And really, we did hear reports of the ULC project co-developed by the alliance getting in some trouble. Simon Sproule, Director, Communications, Nissan-Renault, has said that since the last November, the company has made no formal announcements.

“We watch the headlines in India and every month we see something being announced as ‘new’. In fact, there is really no new news since the partnership was announced last November,” he said.

He also said that the two parties are currently in the working phase of the project. But they are yet to decide on a number of other aspects, such as what the vehicle would look like, where it will be built, what would power it or where it will be sold, of the project. He confirmed that the alliance was based on around an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) exchange rather than a joint venture. The Renault-Nissan Alliance spokesperson has denied any rumours of a problem in the alliance and said that the vehicle was on track to be in the market by 2012. The vehicles will be priced around $2,500 (Rs 1.17 lakh).

So how does this alliance work on the ULC project? Well, Bajaj will be contributing to the cause by developing and manufacturing the car, and Renault-Nissan will take care of branding, marketing and sales in both the Indian and overseas markets.

“We have expertise in certain sectors of the market and other manufacturers have better expertise in others. This is why we are working with Bajaj at the entry level, low cost market, given their experience in making motorbikes, scooters and three-wheelers at a very competitive price.”

Sproule once again said that the idea behind the project was to benefit from the expertise of the two partners. From the outset it, was clear that Bajaj’s technology, manufacturing capabilities and supply base would be of prime importance to the project, and the much needed expertise in four-wheeler sales would come from the house of Renault-Nissan.

He said that the alliance believes that the entry level car market in India will eventually get fragmented, and open up multiple opportunities for car makers to launch new types of vehicles at the price which is currently being dominated by the Tata Nano.

Bajaj-Renault-Nissan-ULC

Sproule acted diplomatic and denied that the car-in-progress was intended as a direct competitor to Nano. He said, “It is more focused on a price point than a specific vehicle configuration at the moment”.

While he was talking, he also cleared some clouds surrounding the new partnership with Ashok Leyland for the manufacture of another small car. He said that the future remains unknown, and for the moment the alliance was working with Ashok Leyland on commercial vehicles only.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, July 8th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Peugeot to Re-Enter India?

peugeot_1998_emblem
Everybody knows that the Indian car market is growing and PSA Peugeot Citroen too has finally realized it. PSA Peugeot Citroen, France’s biggest car maker may revive a plan to set up a manufacturing facility in India to meet the country’s growing demands.

Peugeot is believed to be spending about 700 million euros ($886 million) on the factory with annual production capacity of 100,000 cars in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The car maker may raise the funds from French banks for the project. We have also heard that Peugeot executives have planned a meeting this month to decide on the project before getting a nod from the car maker’s board and starting negotiations with the state government.

Mounting losses had forced Peugeot to leave India in 1997. At that time, Peugeot was in the country with local partner Premier Automobile Ltd. tied with Fiat SpA of Italy. Peugeot and Premier had a 32 per cent stake each in the company, PAL-Peugeot Ltd. that built the 309 model.

Now, it certainly looks like the car maker is all set to be back with a bang. It also seems like the right time to get back, a time when increasing disposable incomes are boosting demand for cars in the world’s third-fastest growing major economy. However, Peugeot will have to be over-prepared as main rival Renault SA is also set to resume selling cars in the country next year. Renault is building a factory in Chennai for the purpose. Renault had pulled out of a partnership with M&M, India’s biggest sport-utility maker, in April after sales of the Logan car plunged.

An analyst at J.D. Power & Associates says, “There is enough space for manufacturers to grow as the Indian economy expands and aspirations rise. It is a good thing if PSA enters the market as it’s the last major global automaker left to come to India.” However, Pierre- Olivier Salmon, a spokesman in Paris said that Peugeot is studying opportunities in India. Nothing about the country has been decided yet and there is no timetable for a decision.

Peugeot Citroen Executive Vice President Gregoire Olivier had said around four months ago that the car maker had put on hold its plans for India as it was negotiating with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. about a tie-up. That was on 2nd March, and later that month, Peugeot broke off talks over a share swap with Mitsubishi.

2009-citroen-c1

If what we’ve heard is true, Peugeot’s Indian expansion plan may strengthen the competition. We already have Maruti Suzukiat the top with a 50 per cent share. The surging car sales in the last financial year, which were the best in six years, have inspired Toyota and Nissan too to introduce new models in the country.

A forecast by the government predicts sales of around 3 million units by 2015 and car makers including Toyota and Volkswagen have already announced plans to spend over $6 billion to expand in India. Toyota has just said that it will spend 5 billion rupees ($107 million) on a facility at its local unit to build engines and transmissions for the new Etios model that is getting ready for a debut later this year.

posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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