Audi recalls 6,758 A4 sedans in India

Luxury carmaker Audi is recalling 6,758 units of A4 sedans in India, manufactured between November 2011 and October 2014, the company said Saturday.

“This activity is specific to Audi A4 cars manufactured between November 2011-October 2014. There are 6,758 Audi A4 identified for this software update campaign,” Audi India said in a statement.

(IANS)

Maruti Suzuki’s total sales dip in Oct

India’s passenger car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd Saturday said it sold 103,973 units last month down from 105,087 units sold in Oct 2013.

In a statement issued here Maruti Suzuki said the company sold 97,069 units in the domestic market last month up from 96,062 units sold in Oct 2013.

The company’s total sales was pulled down due to lower exports last month. It shipped out 6,904 units last month as against 9,025 units exported during the comparable period last year.

Maruti Suzuki’s sales dipped in the volume segments (Alto, WagonR, Ritz, Celerio, Swift, Dzire).

General Motors India sales down 45 percent in October

General Motors India sold 4,263 vehicles in October against 7,715 units sold in the corresponding period last year — a drop of 44.74 percent, the company said Saturday.

“Even though the lower fuel prices are encouraging, the market is not showing any movement apart from new entries. Even the festival season did not bring the expected momentum in the market. The turnaround of the automobile sector is still not visible in the short-term,” P. Balendran, vice president, General Motors India, said.

Maruti Suzuki India sales dip 1.1% to 1,03,973 units in October

Country’s largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) today reported a 1.1% decline in total sales in October at 1,03,973 units as against 1,05,087 units in the same month last year.

The company said its domestic sales rose by 1% during the month to 97,069 units as against 96,062 units in October, 2013.

Sales of mini segment cars, including M800, Alto, A-Star and WagonR, declined by 9.2 % to 35,753 units compared to 39,379 units in the year-ago month, MSI said in a statement.

Affordable driverless cars for everyone within a decade

Driverless cars could be within the price range of the average person in just ten years, Australian researchers claim.

This will be made possible by a new ‘eyes and ears’ technology developed by researchers from Curtin University in Perth.

The technology comprises a dozen different sensors installed in an average car, paired with an algorithm that processes the large amount of data received.

This creates meaningful information which tells the car the nature and location of obstacles, researchers said.

READ ALSO: Driverless cars on British roads by January 2015

Maruti Suzuki Q2 net up 28.69% at Rs 862.54 crore

The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Thursday reported a 28.69 percent increase in net profit at Rs 862.54 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2014-15 on the account of growth in domestic sales.

It had posted net profit of Rs 670.23 crore in the same period last fiscal, MSI said in a statement.
Net sales during Q2, 2014-15, stood at Rs 11,996.33 crore, up 17.47 percent as against Rs 10,211.83 crore in the same quarter of last fiscal.

Maruti net up 29 percent in Q2

India’s leading car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd Thursday reported net profit of Rs.863 crore for the second quarter (July-September) of fiscal 2014-15, registering 29 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth.

“Growth in domestic sales and cost reduction contributed significantly to bottomline growth during the quarter,” the Gurgaon-based company said in a statement.

Net sales for the quarter under review grew 18 percent YoY to Rs.11,996 crore.

The company sold 3,21,898 vehicles, including 34, 211 units for export, posting 17 percent YoY growth in the quarter.

Maruti Suzuki reports 28.6% rise in Q2 profit, stock rises

The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Thursday reported a 28.69 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 862.54 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2014-15 on account of growth in domestic sales.

It had posted net profit of Rs 670.23 crore in the same period last fiscal, MSI said in a statement.

Net sales during Q2, 2014-15, stood at Rs 11,996.33 crore, up 17.47 per cent as against Rs 10,211.83 crore in the same quarter of last fiscal.

Hero Electric launches AVIO e-cycles, priced up to Rs 19,290

Two-wheeler maker Hero Electric today launched two models of e-cycles under Avior range, priced at between Rs 18,990 and Rs 19,290 (ex-showroom Delhi).

The e-cycles that aim to tap corporate professionals in metro cities will also be available in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.

“This is primarily targeted at the young working class of the corporate houses, who love to reach their office from their nearby home in an eco-friendly way,” Hero Eco Group Managing Director Naveen Munjal said

FIAT launches Avventura at Rs 6.12 lakh in Tamil Nadu

Automaker Fiat Group Automobiles India, the fully owned subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, on Tuesday launched compact sports utility vehicle Avventura here at a price starting from Rs 6.12 lakh.

The car manufactured at the company’s Ranjangaon plant in Pune, Maharashtra, is priced from Rs 6.12 lakh for the base petrol variant to Rs 8.35 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai) for the top end diesel version.

“The Avventura showcases FIAT’s commitment to India to produce cars designed for India and

Honda recalls 2,338 Brio, Amaze, CR-V in India

Honda Cars India (HCIL) is recalling 2,338 units of its hatchback Brio, compact sedan Amaze and sports utility vehicle CR-V manufactured between September 2011 and July 2014 to replace a faulty part related to airbags.

As part of a global recall by its parent Honda, the company said it would carry out preventive replacement of driver side air bag inflator of 1,040 units of Honda Brio, 1,235 units of Honda Amaze and 63 units of Honda CR-V.

Honda to replace air bag inflators of three models

The Indian subsidiary of Japanese automobile group Honda Motors Monday said it is replacing driver side air bag inflator in its Brio, Amaze and CR-V models.

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), in a statement, said that it is carrying out preventive replacement of drive side air bag inflator of 1,040 Brio units, 1,235 Amaze units and 63 Honda CR-V units manufactured between Sep 2011 and July 2014.

The company said it is part of Honda’s global recall regarding a possible incorrect assembly of the baffle plate in the inflator.

Ashok Leyland ties up with Bank of Maharashtra for financing

“Ashok Leyland and Bank of Maharashtra signed an MoU whereby Bank of Maharashtra will extend retail financing to customers of Ashok Leyland’s commercial vehicles,” the company said in a BSE filing today.

“With this tie-up Ashok Leyland will have access to 1,700 branches of Bank of Maharashtra and will be able to provide more efficient and effective service to its customers,” it added.

Commenting on the tie-up, Ashok Leyland CFO Gopal Mahadevan said: “The tie-up will help our customers get greater access to finance, especially in the West and South India.”

New Alto K10 with auto gear shift to be launched in November

With an eye on reviving growth in its bread and butter mini car segment, the country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India will launch a new version of its Alto K10 equipped with automated gear shift next month.

Maruti is positioning new car as a mass market product equipped with ‘futuristic technology’ to cater to “very demanding, value for money conscious customers”.

It has been developed at a cost of Rs 200 crore on the existing platform of the model by its engineers along with counterparts at parent Suzuki Motor Corp in Japan.

Maruti’s Guj plant: LIC, MFs say awaiting shareholders meet

Domestic financial institutions led by state-owned LIC and mutual funds, who together hold around 21.3 percent in Maruti Suzuki, are likely to firm up their stance after the auto major’s shareholders meeting next month about its plans to set up a car plant in Gujarat as a fully-owned subsidiary of its Japanese parent.

While LIC is the single largest minority investor in the country’s largest car maker with 6.8 percent holding, mutual funds hold around 6.53 percent and domestic financial institutions hold 7.95 percent.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars to rule the roost in future

They may be exorbitantly expensive at the moment, but cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells have the potential to challenge the dominance of petrol and diesel cars in the near future, said a researcher from Loughborough University in Britain.

“They have significant advantages over traditional cars,” said Michael Whiteley, who is three years into a four-year project on hydrogen fuel cell technology.

In these cars, the fuel tank is filled with hydrogen instead of petrol or diesel and the fuel cell converts this to electricity, which powers the car.

Maruti Suzuki to launch new Alto K10 next month

With an eye on reviving growth in its bread and butter mini car segment, the country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India will launch a new version of its Alto K10 equipped with automated gear shift next month.

Maruti is positioning new car as a mass market product equipped with ‘futuristic technology’ to cater to “very demanding, value for money conscious customers”.
It has been developed at a cost of Rs 200 crore on the existing platform of the model by its engineers along with counterparts at parent Suzuki Motor Corp in Japan.

Tata’s JLR opens first foreign manufacturing unit in China

Tata’s Jaguar Land Rover Tuesday rolled out its premium luxury Range Rover Evoque at a colourful ceremony here inaugurating its first overseas factory in China with an investment of over USD 1.7 billion to consolidate its position in the world’s largest car market.

Tata Group’s Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata, group Chairman Cyrus Mistry along with top British and Chinese officials took part in the inauguration of the new plant where JLR is set to manufacture new Jaguar models in a joint venture with China’s Chery Automobile Company by 2016.

Fiat launches CUV Avventura

Automobile manufacturer Fiat Group Automobiles India Tuesday launched its ‘contemporary urban vehicle’ (CUV) Avventura priced between Rs.5.99 lakh to Rs.8.17 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

“The Avventura showcases Fiat’s commitment to India to produce cars designed for India and manufactured for India,” said Nagesh Basavanhalli, president and managing director, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, India operations said.

4.7 million vehicle owners urged to repair air bags

The US has urged owners of more than 47,80,000 vehicles to replace their defective air bags, even as Toyota recalled about 2,47,000 automobiles over the parts flaw.

These vehicles are from almost all major car manufacturers including Toyota, Honda, Mazda, BMW, Nissan and General Motors, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said.

In a statement yesterday, the Transportation Department’s safety agency urged owners of these motors vehicles to “act immediately on recall notices to replace defective Takata airbags.”

Hero’s Neemrana plant goes on stream

Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp Monday said that its new plant in Neemrana, Rajasthan, on which its has invested Rs.1,050 crore ($175 million) has gone on stream.

According to the company, the new plant has an initial capacity of manufacturing 750,000units per annum. The new manufacturing capacity has taken the combined installed production capability to 7.65 million per annum.

The company has an objective of setting up capacity of 12 million units annually by Year 2020.

Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover plans factory in US

Tata Motors’ owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is working on an ambitious plan to set up a factory in the US, in a first for a British carmaker in the world’s second-biggest automobile market.

The West Midlands-based luxury carmaker is reportedly talking to several southern states of America, including South Carolina, about building a plant in the US, The Sunday Times claimed today.

JLR is capitalising on a turnaround in its fortunes after Tata acquired the struggling brand for around 1.3 billion pounds back in 2008.

Auto industry seeks government support to increase exports

Up against road blocks in traditional car export markets, Indian auto industry is looking to government support in its effort to enter new geographies.

Due to various regulatory issues in big export markets like Algeria and Sri Lanka and slowdown in Europe, in the April-September period, passenger car exports are down 8.27 percent to 2,68,727 units as compared to 2,92,952 units in the same period of previous fiscal.

Now car makers are looking at new avenues and have identified about over 20 new regions to keep overseas sales ticking.

Isuzu enters Uttar Pradesh, launches SUV, pickup range

With an aim to strengthen its presence in India`s third largest consumer base, commercial vehicle manufacturer Isuzu Motors India Friday inaugurated its first dealership in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

“This development marks our entry into the third largest economy of India which contributes to approximately 15 percent of the total automobile sales in the country,” said Takashi Kikuchi, managing director, Isuzu Motors India.

Hero MotoCorp’s second quarter net profit up 59 percent

Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp Thursday reported a 58.62 percent increase in its second quarter net profit which stood at Rs.763 crore from Rs.481 crore in the corresponding quarter of the 2013-14.

The company’s turnover which includes proceeds from net sales and other operating income rose by 20.76 percent to Rs.6,915 crore from Rs.5,726 crore reported in the second quarter of last fiscal.