2010 will see the launch of Hyundai Santa Fe

The sporty atmosphere will be furthered with the launch of Santa Fe [images] from Hyundai this year. The car will be a CBU and is the replica of the global launch made in 200, said its MD. According to the Vice President (Mktg and sales) there won’t be clash of the Titans – between Santa Fe and Hyundai’s existing SUV Tuscon [images], since both hail from different platforms. The price of Santa Fe is yet to be revealed public, he added. The proposed small car, at 800cc, is under the progress stage and may be rolled down in the next year. The car will be leveled below Santro and already Rs800 crore has been shelled out for bringing this model.( Read: Hyundai Santa Fe Preview )

The company is so enthusiastic with the reception accorded to the latest variant i20. Hyundai is on the slot of facelift for all its models- Santro [images], i10 [images], i20 [images], Accent, Verna [images] and Sonata [images]. The target for this year is 5.25 lakh cars of which the domestic market will constitute 50%; the dealership too will be increased from the current 289 to 320 before this year end. The spread share of the market for Hyundai is 20.8% in the South which is aimed to be increased to 22% by the end of 2010. Explorations are on for new export markets like Vienna, New Zealand, Russia and Australia in addition to the existing 110 nations, he said.

Yamaha to make India its global Hub for fancy bikes

Yamaha Motor, the forerunner of motorbikes in Japan, is surfacing the Indian infrastructure to make the global Hub for its motorbikes. This comes in the wake of the company’s feat of three fold growth in the export market, marked by the enthralling demand for premium bikes globally. In the fiscal 2010 of Yamaha’s global deals, the net supply was 66904 bikes against 38639 units in the previous fiscal. The countries which regulated the export deal are Srilanka, Indonesia, Colombia, Kenya, Bangladesh and Philippines.

The brands that come under the export deal are Gladiator Type SS, FZ16, YZF-R15, Crux, Enticer, Alba and G5. these are exported from the Indian facilities making the growth to 73% while the demand for the bikes from Yamaha has shot up by 25%. India has been a darling to the auto makers of the world due to the cost effective production in terms of component sourcing. Yamaha has capitalized on this aspect and the company has found the potential in the bikes belonging to high-end 150cc + category. The company has wrapped a share of 12% gain from the $8 million two wheelers against a mere 5% in 2006.

The company intends to increase this share to 20% by adding the deluxe segment, which seems to be the driving force of the net growth of the company. Yamaha joins the elite group of premium motorbike companies in India in the order of Hero Honda, Honda Motorcycles, Bajaj and TVS. In 2009-10 Yamaha has sold out 223307 motorbikes in the domestic market, against 162370 units in 2008-09.

The product platform of Yamaha is soon expanding with its number increasing with a new scooter. The case study for this vehicle is under process and the final product will roll out depending upon the desire of the customers. Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers revealed a data analysis that the FY 2009-10 saw a growth of 26% in the domestic market and 13.54% in the export panel.

Tavera of GM still the hot cake

The operative Bharat Stage IV emission norm cannot force the phasing out of General Motors’ Tavera. Though the car cannot be pressed into service in the 13 metro cities earmarked under the norm, the rest of India still spreads the red carpet for. GM is in not a position to meet the demand and is convincing the customers who are waiting for more than a month’s time. There is a proposal to find out a variant of BS IV in this Tavera but with no time bound.

The implementation of this BS IV norm by the Government of India has made a deep insinuation among the car makers. GM has abode by the norm and has withdrawn the sale of Tavera in these 13 cities but has focused on the other cities where the reception is galore for this car, said the Director and VP of GM. He added that the Tier II cities have been giving a sharp increase to the sale, 60% with the sale in last month reaching 1700 units of Tavera against the demand of 1700-1800 units.

The capacity of the company is 1500- 16000 units from its Halol plant. This Halol unit has the installed capacity of 85000 units spread to 3 shfits but is working under a single shift. With the second shift already started functioning, the Halol unit is making 180 units a day and the new third shift is allotted the production of LCVs. GM is in alliance with the Chinese SAIC for making LCVs. Halol brings out almost all the major brands of GM in addition to the one at Talegaon.

GM gets 10-12% of the net sales from Tavera with the facelift variant coming at Rs6.3 lakhs.

Bajaj not for solo drive in car segment

Sensing the risks involved in the busy car market, Bajaj has thrown open its option to enter the car market under the platform of Renault. The chairman Rahul Bajaj categorically claimed that his company is not desirous of entering into car market which consists of 14 companies offering 25-30 models. The minimum required sale for establishing in the car market, he said, is 2 lakh units per year. Meeting the government norms, Bajaj is seeking its entry into 4 wheeler market by 2012. Initially there will be a Light Commerical vehicle.

The company is agreeable to the compact car manufacturing provided Nissan and Renault share the common platform, he said. Under the pact, Bajaj is given the charge of designing, developing and manufacturing the small car. Renault-Nissan will take car of sale and distribution through dealerships. In the event of this car coming onto the roads, then it will be the cheapest on running costs.

The pact got cleared after a hiccup for two years over the technical sharing among the partners. Hence the delivery of car is delayed by a year, due to the tussle between Renault and Bajaj over pricing and fuel efficiency. Bajaj has evolved a new ploy rather avoiding its brand name for certain two wheelers(Pulsar, Boxer and Discover) and three wheelers. Mr.Rajiv Bajaj had earlier indicated such a move of diluting the brand- quite common in consumer goods like bulbs to insurance. But the chairman Mr.Rahul Bajaj maintained that the present brand value will continue for automobiles.

Nissan pins on $3000 car in India

Nissan Motor has shed its much hope on its $3000 cars in the Indian market. The company has entered into a JV along with Bajaj and Renault for making small cars in India. Nissan feels that Bajaj enjoys more profit through its three wheelers than Nissan could do with its cars. Nissan foresees an operating margin of 4% till March 31 2010 against Bajaj’s 10.5% in the same period of 2009. Bajaj is yet to spell its target for this fiscal.

Nissan aims to penetrate the Indian market with its low cost car in 2012 to counter Tata’s Nano. To attain this, the company is tracing the low cost concept and exprtise of Indian technology. The cars in the Indian market have more than 50% of the ones priced below $8000. Nissan is too critical to compare with Bajaj, that the latter enjoys much profit from the three wheelers. It is to be seen the value of Bajaj’s technical acumen applying for four wheelers. Bajaj and Nissan are to sit and set out strategies for arriving at the cost and sharing of platforms for four wheelers.

Nano to undergo fire protection process

Notwithstanding the criticisms poured against Nano, Tata has formed a viable solution process to wipe out future casualties. A team of engineers and technicians will diagnize the flaw of fire to trace a solution. The process will be carried through the remaining days of April. The Chairman of the company, Ratan Tata has instructed his technicians to make the car sturdy and strong in addition to be trouble free. The inquiry on the nature of fire is on. The once popular world’s cheapest car has come into clouds since the news about the fire spread like wild fire.

Incidentally, Mr.Ratan has been contemplating Nano for global market. However, there has been no word to the customers about the status of the car. The company is waiting for the exact cause of the incident only to propagate the remedy. The entire car is under scan for locating the fault keeping aloof the design and technology. The initial trace of the incident indicated a flaw in electrical wire connection. Experts feel that the suppliers might have played the venom by offering inferior quality to compromise the price of the car(Rs1 lakh). The company has since changed the suppliers post-fire incident.

Yet another group of industry analysts feels that the incident may be a stray one. The dealers are at ease that there has been no decline nor recall of bookings made for this world’s cheapest car. Tata has sold 30000 units of Nano so far, since last year, by way of manufaturing 4000 units a month in its Pantnagar unit. Sanand facility, which has the capacity of 2.5 lakh annual units, has started the trial production.

Online becomes the order of the day in Orissa for transport payments

The citizens of Orissa state can hereinafter have a sigh of relief to pay transport fees. Online payment system has come in handy for them, making the state as the first one to introduce online payment for tax, application, processing of license and issue of vehicle permits. Termed as e-DISHA, the online system offers value based for the people of Orissa. It will be easily accessible and largely available. The users of this system can have the necessary data for reference at any time.

The system is operative under the tie-up with Smart Chip Ltd through a dedicated portal. The official bankers for this system is State Bank of India. To avail this facility, the users must possess an account with SBI on Net Banking facility. At a later stage the system will be co ordinated with other banks. The Transport department of Orissa state has been in the practice of employing the services of Private Public Partnership, through the assistance of SmartChip. The e-Governance activities are carried out through these means. Now on everything goes under smart card process.

More Kawasaki ranges from Bajaj

The runaway success of Ninja from Kawasaki has made Bajaj to ply more such ranges in high end products. In a span of six months since its launch, Bajaj has sold 500 units of Ninja 250R at Rs2.69 lakhs ( price on par Maruti Suzuki Alto car). The sale is on a pact between Bajaj and Kawasaki Heavy Industries for import and sale of higher end engine bikes in India. Subsequently, Bajaj takes the task of after sale service.

To penetrate more in the Indian market Bajaj is on the expansion bid by offering more similar products. This will include assembled bikes and imported super bikes, said the MD Rahul Bajaj. Currently Ninja happens to be the only global performance bike to be assembled in India while rest are exclusive imported bikes. Bajaj assembles this bike in its Chakan facility to be marketed through Probiking, a chain of select outlets. Bajaj tries to overcome the wait period for this Ninja 250R, which is currently 3 months and targets to sell 1000 units before October 2010.

Upcoming: Hyundai i10 Diesel

Catch Preview on Hyundai i10 Diesel @ http://www.vicky.in/slideshow/hyundai-i10-diesel-to-heat-up-indian-b-segment/

Introduction | Hyundai i10 History | Hyundai i10 Exteriors | Hyundai i10 Interiors | Hyundai i10 Diesel engine | Hyundai i10 Safety Features | Conclusion

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