Aston Martin unveils cars in India

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.

The industry officials informed that the company will sell luxury cars, including V8 Vantage Coupe, Rapide, in the price range of Rs 1.35-2.75 crore.Aston Martin has chosen Performance Cars (a division of Infinity Cars) as its dealer in Mumbai.

The chief commercial officer of Aston Martin,Michel Van Der Sande quoted that India represents a new opportunity for them and their decision to bring the Aston Martin brand to India is driven by a strong level of interest from potential customers in an emerging luxury market.

The Director of Performance cars,Mr.Lalit Choudhary informed that they will launch the Cygnet in India once they get homologation for the car and he also added that is a lengthy process but they will launch it in India next year. It will be the cheapest Aston Martin to own.

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.Following Aston Martin,more brands including Ferrari and Alfa Romeo are also expected to make their entry into India over the next 12 months.

Ford Fiesta Images

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Ford India plans to launch its new version  mid size sedan ‘Fiesta’ in the month of July.It features eye-catching kinetic design, world-class quality, convenience, and comfort, with rich interiors and voice-activated entertainment and communication consoles.Its Digital ambience, imagery and activities invite all to see, touch and experience the car.The all-new global Fiesta brings a mix of comfort, performance and connectivity that extends an `always connected’ feel which is  previously unseen in its segment.

Ford India hikes cost of Figo

Ford India,the carmaker on thursday has announced a hike of 1% in the price of its small car Figo to compete the rising input costs.Figo will be available at a premium rate from this month onwards. After the hike,the prices of the petrol and diesel versions of Figo is to be priced between Rs 3.59 lacs and Rs 5.48 lacs(ex-showroom Delhi).

The President and Managing Director of Ford India,Michael Boneham reported,”There has been a continuous cost pressure on our products as input cost are growing. We did a small price increase of one per cent on Figo at the beginning of this month”.He added,the impact of increasing commodity prices is there and the company is assessing similar steps on other models as well.

The company had already declared that by 2015,it will launch its eight products in India.Following this declaration,the company is now going to launch its mid-size new version sedan ‘Fiesta’ in India in the month of July.

Boneham revealed about the new ‘Fiesta’ that,”This is a premium product and is the first of our new line up of eight cars. The car will be launched around July this year.The company will produce the new ‘Fiesta’ locally at its Chennai facility. The plant has a production capacity of two lakh cars on three shift bases and 2.5 lakh engines every year.”

The Executive Director of Ford India,Nigel E Wark commented,”The industry is estimated to grow around 15 per cent this fiscal. We think we can do better than that.” In setting up a new plant in Gujarat,Wark reported,”We continue to work on a long term plan. We still have capacity at Chennai. Beyond that we cannot comment anything.”

Nissan India to launch a new sedan and an MUV

Nissan,the Japanese auto major plans to  introduce two new vehicles in India by 2012. The Managing Director and CEO of Nissan Motor India,Kiminobu Tokuyama reported,”The sedan will be built on the same platform on which the Micra is built. It will be launched first in China. It will be manufactured in our Chennai plant for Indian market. We will launch the vehicle in 2011″.He also said there has been no impact on the Indian manufacturing process though there could be some affect on European markets due to the Earthquake and Tsunami occurred in Japan.

According to him,a global sedan will be in market this year and another vehicle, which is expected to compete with Toyota’s Innova, will be launched in 2012 and the company expects to export 1.1 lakh units of Micra to Europe, Africa and West Asia. He added,”We started exports in October last and we have so far exported 55,000 units to Europe Africa and Middle East (West Asia). We expect to export 1.1 lakh units by October this year”.

Nissan hikes cost of Micra

Nissan Motor India Private Ltd (NMIPL),the car maker on Monday has announced a hike in its small car Micra due to the increasing input costs.The hike will be up to Rs.11,170.The prices of the petrol version of Micra ranges between Rs 4.06 lacs and Rs 4.36 lacs and similarly the Micra-Diesel car ranges between Rs 5.59 lacs and Rs 6.05 lacs in the existing ex-showroom, Delhi.

The company has informed that,”The hike will be applicable to both petrol and diesel versions and will be in the range of Rs 2,500 (0.5 per cent) to Rs 11,170 (2 per cent)”.It added that the company, however, did not raise the prices of its imported models such as sports utility vehicle X-Trail, luxury sedan Teana and sports car 370Z.

The CEO and Managing Director of Nissan Motor India,Mr.Kiminobu Tokuyama revealed,”There has been a steady increase in the input cost over a period of time. It has come to a situation now that the price hike is inevitable and we have decided to increase the price of Micra.”

In order to compete the rising input costs, almost all the major carmakers have raised the costs of its products.Maruti Suzuki,India’s largest carmaker hiked its price up to Rs.9,000 for all its models and Mahindra and Mahindra auto major hiked up to Rs.15,000.Similarly,Tata Motors increased up to Rs.36,000 which had already become effective from April 1 onwards.Following all these activities,Hyundai Motor India is planning to take this similar step.

Tata Motors seeking for Nano’s fresh capacity

Tata Motors,the giant auto maker announced that it will seek a way for Nano’s fresh capacity.This plan by Tata Motors is to run the Sanand plant in Gujarat at full capacity within few months.At the Sanand plant,the company for a month produces about 12,000 units and the manufacturing capacity of this plant is 2.5 lakh units per year.

The Vice-President of Tata Motors,R.Ramakrishnan informed,”The Nano sales have been very good. Last month, we sold over 8,700 units and within a few months time we will be running the full capacity of 20,000 units per month at the Sanand plant.Where we would add the fresh capacity will be decided in due course of time, but the advantage that we have is the flexible production capability for Nano that we have”.

He said,”When we started, around 80 per cent of Nano customers were buying it as a second car and 20 per cent were first-time buyers. Now the ratio is about 50:50 and ultimately, we are looking at 80 per cent first time buyers purchasing the car, which is what we had aimed when we started off”.

He added,the company is receiving over 1,10,000 enquiries about the Nano a month from across India and the company expects an increase in the number of first-time car buyers actually purchasing the Nano.The company expects the sales of its Indica hatchback to pick up after suffering a slump last year due to the non-availability of Bharat Stage-IV compliant version.Now that we have the Indica eV2, which is BS-IV compliant, we expect to make up for the loss we had last year, as most of the sales are in the cities where the BS-IV norm is followed.

Tata Motors sold about 8,707 units of the Nano in March whereas 85 per cent more than this rate in the same month last year.

Piaggio Aprilia RSV4 Images

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Piaggio,the Italian Auto Manufacturer has unveiled the Aprilia RSV4 FACTORY in India during the month of January at the Mumbai International Auto Show.Its engine is the most innovative and powerful engine of all the products of Aprilia.In order to achieve the superior performance,the engine is provided with a sophisticated electronic injection system with 2 injectors and adjustable height ducts.

GM India launches the all New Chevrolet Cruze

The new Chevrolet Cruze has been introduced by the General Motors India with a price tag of Rs.11,92,602 (ex-showroom, Delhi).It features with jet black interiors and will be available in two different colours namely Switch Blade Silver and Sandrift Grey.

The President & Managing Director of General Motors India,Karl Slym told,”The new Cruze combines powerful performance with jet-black interiors that redefine luxury. The introduction of the new Chevrolet Cruze is a testament to the importance that GM India attaches to maximize customer satisfaction. At GM India, we always try to work on the feedback we receive from our customers. We have made some exciting changes in the Cruze to make it even more alluring and attractive.”

The new Chevrolet Cruze includes three variants namely LT, LTZ & LTZ AT and is available across all Chevrolet dealerships in the country from now onwards.Depending on the various models,it possess some new features including Bluetooth connectivity in audio system,Automatic Climate Control and Illuminated vanity mirror.

In addition to that it also features Audio Controls on Steering Wheels,USB Port for audio system,Automatic inside rear view mirror,Rear seat with new seat cushion design and Advanced 6 speed automatic transmission which will surely make the new Cruze an unique car in the Indian Automobile Industry.