BMW unleashes 3 models of luxury segment

BMW’s luxury models- Gran Turismo(Suv), X6M(sports coupe) and super luxury sedan 760Li- adored the Auto Show. Gran Turismo comes as a limited version @Rs63lakhs; X6M costs Rs1.29 crore and the 5th generation BMW 7 series 760Li costs Rs1.3 crore. BMW had a good stint in 2009 by leading the luxury segment. India happened to be the most successful market for BMW, said its President for India.

Mercedes had to lag behind in this segment that BMW could expand its presence by 40% in luxury car sector. SUV X1 was available at the Auto Expo; it will be imported as completely knocked down unit to be delivered out from Chennai plant from 2010. For BMW, X1 is a milestone in the Indian context; further investments will be made in Chennai plant and in Financial services. There will b hiring of additional work force in the unit, he said.

BMW’s sale volume for 2009 was 3619 though the Chennai unit has the production capacity of 3000 units per shift. The Chennai plant produces cars under 3 and 5 series while cars under 6 and 7 series are imported. BMW has acquired license to deal finance under NBFC.

Volkswagen

VW has just come out with its Phaeton-3.6lit petrol engine and an output of 280HP- at Rs75lakhs and the car will be officially launched in March to enter the luxury segment, said its Board Member. Built at VW’s Glass factory in Germany and is a real stunner in luxury sector. The assembly of Phaeton at the unit is transparent to the buyer’s presence- an Indian buyer too can fly to Germany to witness the assembling.

Phaeton can be driven away from 40VW showrooms in the country. VW’s marketing in India is with four brands-Passat, Jetta, Beetle andTouareg- and has done business volume of 3037 cars in 2009 against 1566 in 2008. A big news about VW’s small car –Polo- ready for launch in March.

Ashok Leyland fuses technology and hybrid

HYBUS, the first ever hybrid electric plug-in CNG vehicle was flagged off at the Auto Expo. The bus comes from the Hinduja’s flagship company Ashok Leyland. The company’s MD sought the support from the governments to promote the hybrid buses by slashing tax and duty on lithium batteries from the current 18%. Hybrid buses are capable saving fuel by 20-30% against conventional fuels.

Hybrid buses are slated for Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. This has been another such occasion for the company after the similar one in 1997, he said. The green concept is furthered by ESSI 20 truck, comprising 20 innovative concepts and saving 20% fuel and enabling 20% reduction in carbon emission.

Fiat to run the show with small car in India

Quite on the lines of major car makers in India Fiat is unveiling its small car pushing aside its hatchback Bravo for time. The cazr will be a product arrived at the Tata plant engineered by domestic technicians, said Fiat India President. With no time bound production both this and Bravo will be delivered leisurely.

Bravo was supposed to hit the roads in the early 2009. Fiat’s sale in 2009 was 23000 units, which it now plans to double this year. Exports of Linea, Grande Punto and Palio Stile is targeted to Nepal and Srilanka. Varied versions of Linea, 500 and Punto are available in India.

From Rs1 lakh to Rs 1 crore- Nano

The world’s cheapest car Nano is to be redefined by an auto design firm to be sold for Rs1crore. The car will be on sight in a couple of months and more cars will be designed on demand, said Dilip Chhabria, the designer. The net expenditure for redesigning –by high-end products-will be around Rs 1 crore and Tata has already shelled out 90%.

It is understood that there will not be much offer for this car, but the one will be a showcasing India’s efficiency to the world market he said. Tata has no hand in this process. Dilip Chhabria’s has unveiled its Sports Utility –DC Imperator- and it is effected by Audi 6.0 lit V12 TDI engine and 28inch wheels.

Refined Mercedes AMG Desert Gold in India

Two sensational cars from Merc are at display in Auto Expo. SLS AMG Desert Gold and hatchback coupe concept Fascination steal the show. according to the company’s MD for India, AMG Desert Gold would cost 2 crore when gets launch with necessary modification- right hand drive. The arm of Daimler, it seeks to boost the sale by double-digit this year, a period succeeding a year of its launch. The sale in 2008 was 3250 while it was 3220 in 2009. Benz entered India in association with Tata for trucks (in 1994). Three years later the company made its C,E and S class cars leasing from Tata (till 2008). In February 2009 it launched a unit in Pune.

Catch Merceds SLS AMG Picture Gallery @ http://vicky.in/gallery/autoexpo2010/mercedes/sls/

9 for (20)10 from Nissan

The year 2010 will see launches of 9 models from Nissan to cope the rival market giants. The CEO of Nissan told on the eve of Auto Expo, (not participating conspicuously) it is not too late to enter the Indian market. Nissan’s presence in the Indian market is feeble – just 400 X-Trail suvs and the sedan Teana. However, the motive is now to launch new ranges to push behind Honda Motor which has settled the India as the export hub.

The compact car from Nissan will leave from the Chennai plant jointly owned with Renault and will export 110000units to Europe in 2011 and this may expand to 180000 units soon. Nissan intends to create the equivalent global share 5.5% in India. March / Mirca will be replaced by a compact car and will be a hatchback followed by sedan version and diesel versions in subsequent years. There was a talk in the air about the launch of a model in V platform matching its own global compact car.

Further, there will be two local models- LCV (a joint-production with Ashok Leyland) and one with Nissan brand – from the Chennai plant. Apart from these, there will be an ultra low cost car developed by Bajaj to be marketed by Renault and Nissan. The dealer network will be increased to 55 in 2012 (presently 7).

The ideology of Renault and Nissan faced hitch on financial grounds. Renault has strengthened its mind to invest in India, for muscling Fluence and Koleos premiums (unveiled at the Auto Expo). The JV is on the look out for global sourcing of parts though it has 97 suppliers in the domestic market contributing 85%.

Hyundai spreads its wings to enfold domestic market

India’s largest car exporter Hyundai has changed its strategy by focusing large presence in the domestic market thereby curtailing he export task. The company is aware of its limited presence and is badly in need of an increase said its MZD for India. The reduction of export will be to 2.5 lakh from the current 2.75lakh. this will mean the increase of domestic market from 2.9lakh to 3.1lakh units. Elaborate details on the methodology are yet to be publicized. The current capacity from the two units in Chennai is 6 lakh units a year. The units will spare efforts on maintenance work too.

Strong path foreseen for trucks in 2010

2010 promises to be a resuscitating phase for the truck market in India as a result of rapid industrial move and feasible consumer financing. The mood was upbeat in the Auto Expo as Tata Motors, Volvo and Ashok Leyland smiling at the feedback poured upon the truck. These companies expect an expansion of 8% in te current fiscal and further leap in the next fiscal.

The sale of buses and trucks put together in the country has hiked to 12.4% in 8 months starting February 2009 apart from compensating the downfall of 22% in 2008. Tata’s official expressed the hope of further enhancement in 2010. For Ashok Leyland the projected increase for this year is double-digit proceed by the current figure of 63000 units till March. For Volvo the projection is outsmarting the industry’s growth of 20% in this year.

The reasons cited for the increase are – reduction in gate taxes from late 2008 but the companies are now confident of boosting the sale devoid of this cut. Only thing that matters for these companies is the hike in commodity prices. Tata has already hiked its trucks by 1% but on contemplation for further increase. Ashok Leyland is raising the price in March while Volvo’s has risen by 3-5%. The sale of CVs in India till during April-November has been 304000 units against 384000 units in 2008-09. M&M is in the fray with its newly launched truck in association with Navistar International. The Auto Show had the occasion to witness a new truck unveiled by Daimler.

Chevrolet to launch electric spark

e-spark soon

GM Chevrolet which recently announced a tie-up with electric car manufacturer Reva will soon its first electric product in India. Christened as e-spark (electric spark), electric spark based on the existing spark platform will run on a battery. Electric spark uses an electric Drive AC Motor which provides 100% torque on tap as soon as the accelerator pedal is pressed down. The e-Spark (electric car) will have a Regular Drive Mode and a Boost Mode that will provide power to the vehicle through a high torque AC electric motor. The Boost Mode will provide additional torque to the driver for a short duration to manage driving style and during those critical moments on the go! The e-Spark will be launched end of 2010.

Chevrolet electric spark Pictures

Chevrolet electric spark Pictures http://vicky.in/gallery/autoexpo2010/gm/spark_electric/