No.1 Car and Bike News Blog In India
Volkswagen which has built the brand in india like no other car manufactuer. It has reaped the benefits with the success of polo and vento. Now its time to dominate the market. Volkswagen which managed to trump the mighty competitors like Honda is battling against its cousin – Skoda in India. Volkswagen has readied the next generation passat and next generation jetta to try its luck another time. The new passat is here.[Click Here To Read More]
More SlideShow
S&T Motors launched two Hyosung bikes GT650R and ST7 in India at a price tag of Rs 4.75 lacs and Rs 5.69 lacs respectively in the ex-showroom,Delhi.The GT650R bike is powered by a 650cc engine and the ST7 bike is powered by a 700cc engine.
Click here to see Pictures of Hyosung Bikes
S&T Motors,the South Korean two-wheeler maker has launched its two Hyosung brand bikes GT650R and ST7 in India at a price range of Rs.4.75 lakhs to Rs.5.69 lakhs.S&T Motors has grouped together with Garware Motors which is a Pune-based company to set up an assembly line at Wai in Maharashtra.It is also seeking for a joint venture with the domestic firm to bring its entire range of products in the next 3-5 years.It is the second entry for the Hyosung bikes in India which appeared for the first time in the country in the year 2004.
The President and CEO of S&T Motors,Taekwon Kim reported that India is really moving in the right direction and so they are here and it is the right time and right place for them.He also added that the company will assemble the two Hyosung products at the newly built assembly facility, set up by Garware Motors, and will sell these as completely knocked down units.
Hyosung GT650R is powered by a 650cc engine in two price options as Rs 4.75 lakhs and Rs 4.90 lakhs.Its ST7 bike is powered by a 700cc engine at a price tag of Rs.5.69 lakhs.
The President of Garware Motors,Shrikant Patankar quoted that they are discussing with S&T to set up a full-fledged manufacturing facility .After this assembly line, the next step can be a paint shop and then finally to have an engine unit in India.He also added that the company is exploring possibilities to move from a simple partnership agreement to a joint venture with the S&T Motors in the coming days.He said to survive in this market, they have to bring in Hyosung’s entire range of products to India. In the next 3-5 years, they are looking at launching their all products, including the mass market motorcycles and scooters in India.
The Managing Director of Garware Motors,Diya Garware Ibanez informed about the sales target of the two newly launched bikes that the price points of the two bikes are very attractive and they are looking at selling 2,000 units in the first year.
Honda launches the new CBR125R in Europe.It has been mainly designed for offering exciting and performance led riding dynamics for the young riders.It features a liquid-cooled,two-valve,single-overhead cam engine.It has a fuel efficiency of 124.7 cube per cm.Its fuel tank capacity is 13 litres including LCD-indicated reserve and it holds 6-speed transmission type.It becomes more efficient than its predecessor model as it holds some advances in fuel injection and catalyser technology.
Click here to see Pictures of Honda CBR125R
Maruti Suzuki India,the country’s largest car maker is now planning to set up a new plant in Manesar in order to increase its sales up to 30 lakh units every year by 2015-16. The company,at present is setting up two new units at a total investment of Rs 3,625 crores inside its Manesar facility.
The sources close to the development informed that the firm has already started internal discussions to set up its 7th plant and a final decision to this effect is likely to be taken within one year.The new plant could be either at the Manesar facility or elsewhere depending on the infrastructure situation once the two new units there are completed.
The Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India quoted that by 2015-16, the passenger vehicle market is estimated to be about 5 million units and they would like to maintain their market share to the maximum possible extent and for that they will be selling between 2.5 million units and 3 million units.He also added that if they run out of capacities, then they will have to look for something else but it all depends on how the existing and upcoming capacities will be utilised, which will go on till 2013.
A company source revealed that in any case, the expansion is likely in Manesar. But the company is also looking at the infrastructure aspect to avoid any kind of congestion in the area… In a year’s time all will be cleared and a decision is expected by March-April, 2012.It also added that if MSI decides that Manesar cannot handle too much of load after the two upcoming plants go on stream, then it will look for a new location for the new plant.
The existing plant of MSI in Manesar produces about 3.5 lakh units per year.Similarly its three units in Gurgaon jointly produce about 8.5 lakh units annualy.MSI currently produces 12 lakh units per year and once when the new units start operating,then its annual capacity will reach up to 17 lakh units.
Volkswagen,the German Luxury car-maker plans to enter into the used car segment in India following BMW and Mercedes-Benz.Mercedes-Benz was the first luxury car maker to inroad into the used car segment in India in the year 2009.After that,BMW entered in June,2010.
The Director of Volkswagen passenger cars,Group Sales India,Mr.Neeraj Garg revealed that they have been in the Indian market for quite sometime. They think there are people who want to change their car after two-three years and hence there is a demand for pre-owned cars here and they think this is the right time to enter the segment.Anyhow,he refused to say when.But it seems that Volkswagen may foray into this venture by May.
Arif Fazulbhoy,the Director of Fazulbhoy Motors which is one of the largest used car dealers in Mumbai informed that the organized sector is hardly four to five per cent of the total used car market. But if considering people like them who are in a way organized, offer warranty and other facilities, it can be said that almost 20 per cent of this market is organized.He also added that the entrance of the automobile companies into the used car business has not affected their business that much. There is a price difference of around 10 per cent between their prices and the prices others offer. For example, they would sell a 2004 model Mercedes for Rs 10 lakh, while others would sell it for Rs 12-14 lakh.
Volkswagen has two other brands under its belt – Audi and Skoda. Volkswagen Finance India, a part of Volkswagen Financial Services AG and wholly-owned subsidiary of the German auto maker, has recently received a license from the Reserve Bank of India to start a non-banking finance company to finance the company’s pre-owned cars.
The super-sports car maker Lamborghini has assigned Autohangar in Mumbai as its second dealer in India.Its first dealer in India is the Exclusive Motors in Delhi.Autohangar plans to set up a large Lamborghini showroom in either Worli or southern Mumbai by the end of this year.Autohangar is already well known for its largest Mercedes dealership in Mumbai.
This step by Lamborghini has been taken in order to compete the other new arrivals of India namely Ferrari, Maserati & Aston Martin and to post a stronger footmark in India.Lamborghini’s first dealer,Exclusive Motors will serve the customers of North India and similarly its second dealer Autohangar will serve the customers of Western India.It also plans to set up its National Sales Company(NSC) in India in order to serve the people of whole India.
Lamborghini is also seeking at its pricing strategy for India and it seems that it will price its cars in order compete effectively with Ferrari.Hence,it would be less expensive compared to other models.The company sources informed that the company has given a special allocation to India of 8-10 Aventadors and there is already a queue of Indian buyers who are willing to fork out Rs. 4 crore a pop for Lamborghini’s 700bhp supercar.
Click here to see Pictures of BMW Bikes
BMW,the German luxury car maker has launched its ten models of bikes in India.The models include R 1200 R,HP 2 Sport Bike,K 1600 GTL, R 1200 RT, K 1300 S sports tourer, K 1600 GT, S 1000 RR, K 1300 R naked muscle bike, R 1200 GS Adv and the R 1200 GS.Of this,the cheapest would be R 1200 R which is priced around Rs 16,06,419 and the costliest would be HP 2 Sport bike which is priced around Rs 29,35,187.BMW plans to sell nearly 45 motorcycles in this year.It seems that it is also seeking at introducing bikes below 1,000cc by 2012.BMW models are well known for its excellent quality and hence the BMW bikes are priced in the range of its car models.
Fiat Linea is soon going to be launched in two new versions namely 1.6 MJD diesel and automatic transmission with a price range of 10 lakh rupees.The launc will be probably in the end of May or early June.
In order to increase the demand of the car,Fiat India will add the Linea with new engine and automatic transmissions.The 1.6 MJD diesel engine known for its fuel efficiency delivers a power of 105bhp and a torque of 300Nm.
The DuaLogic gearbox contains a small, light actuator unit that automatically operates the clutch and move the gears.It is actually a sequential manual gearbox which automatically slows down the speed of the vehicle and it mainly helps in adjusting the downshifts.
The main attractive feature of Linea is its stunning Italian design.In addition to that,its handling,ride and performance makes it one of the most fascinating cars favoured by many people.
Click here to see Pictures of Aston Martin
Aston Martin,the British luxury sports car manufacturer has launched three models in India on Friday with a price tag of Rs.1.35 to 20 crores.The company’s first dealership in India is now in Mumbai’s Kemp’s Corner and it plans to open its second showroom in Delhi by next month.Aston Martin well known for its appearance in James Bond movies is now looking for its progressive growth and has extended its dealership in the world having total dealers of 134 in 42 countries.