Automobile

Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, India`s largest utility vehicle maker, said it would halt production for up to three days this month at its automotive factories to align output with sales requirements.

“The management does not envisage any adverse impact on availability of vehicles in the market due to adequacy of vehicle stocks to serve the market requirements,” the company said in a statement to the stock exchange on Saturday.

The Indian auto industry is facing a second year of falling sales as high interest rates and fuel costs keep a lid on consumer spending in a slowing economy.

Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has apologised “profusely” over a homophobic slur he posted on Twitter.

Clarkson posted a photo on his Twitter account showing him sleeping next to a piece of paper with the offensive message “gay c—’’ written on it and an arrow pointing towards him, according to the Mirror.

The photo appears to have been taken on a plane but it’s not clear who took it. It does however show Clarke’s Top Gear co-host James May in the background.

Ford Motor Co. Is recalling 27,933 Edge crossovers in the US because a damper in the fuel line could crack and cause fuel leaks.

The recall involves Edges from the 2012 and 2013 model years with 2.0-liter engines. All of the vehicles were produced between September 2010 and April 2013.

Ford said an improper manufacturing process could cause the damper to crack, resulting in fuel odor or leakage. Fuel leaks can lead to a vehicle fire.

Ford said it discovered the problem through warranty claims. There have been no reports of fires or injuries related to the defect.

Automobile major Honda Wednesday launched a new variant of its entry-level sedan Amaze with added safety features priced between Rs.622,640 and Rs.712,240 (ex-showroom Delhi).

“Honda Amaze has witnessed great success in Indian market by selling more than 60,000 units ever since its launch in April 2013 and has been a game changer for Honda. We are pleased to introduce ‘SX’ variant of the Amaze with added safety features,” said Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice president, marketing and sales, Honda Cars.

Toyota has unveiled a two-door sports car designed to appeal to the Fast And The Furious generation, as it vowed to stop making boring cars.

The FT-1 concept, which stands for ”Future Toyota”, was unveiled at the Detroit motor show. The car is designed to appeal to a generation of drivers who are slower than ever at getting their driving licence, news.com.au reports. According to the report, Toyota and others are desperate to get teenagers out of the virtual world, away from social media and into a showroom with the FT-1. (ANI)

Audi has developed a system that ensures drivers can only see green signals on their trips. Audi”s Traffic Light Assist detects red signals and drivers will know how long they have got before a light up ahead changes to green so you can adjust drivers” speed to avoid being stuck at a red. According to news.com.au, the advanced technology, which is currently in development and in testing stage, uses local traffic light control information.

The redesigned Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was named Car of the Year at the Northern American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

The awards show turned out lucky for Chevy, as it also took home the top prize for North American Truck of the Year with its revamped Silverado, Mashable reported.

The seventh-generation Corvette Stingray which starts at 51,999 dollars can go from zero to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds.

The redesigned Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was named Car of the Year at the Northern American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

The awards show turned out lucky for Chevy, as it also took home the top prize for North American Truck of the Year with its revamped Silverado, Mashable reported.

The seventh-generation Corvette Stingray which starts at 51,999 dollars can go from zero to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds.

Audi has developed a system that ensures drivers can only see green signals on their trips.

Audi’s Traffic Light Assist detects red signals and drivers will know how long they have got before a light up ahead changes to green so you can adjust drivers’ speed to avoid being stuck at a red.

According to news.com.au, the advanced technology, which is currently in development and in testing stage, uses local traffic light control information.

· Mercedes-Benz India will create new benchmarks in “modern luxury” for the Indian luxury car market

· Excellence will be delivered through benchmark products, services, qualitative network and fascinating brand experience to the discerning customers, who are connoisseurs of luxury

· Excellence is not just limited to external operations alone but pervades across all the internal disciplines

Tata Motors Monday launched Nano Twist, a new variant of its entry-level hatchback priced at Rs.2.36 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

“The Nano Twist will redefine customers driving experience in city traffic with the EPAS (electric power assisted steering system),” said Ranjit Yadav, president, passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors.

“We at Tata Motors will continuously innovate on the Nano platform, catering to the dynamic desires of our growing customer base of young, trendy urbanites.”

India has emerged as one of the fastest growing markets for Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which posted record sales for 2013 today as the iconic British luxury brands sold 425,000 cars worldwide.

The record sales of over 400,000 cars marked the UK-based car maker’s strongest-ever full year global sales performance while the US, Germany and India are now JLR’s fastest growing markets.

German luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz plans to launch about eight new products in India this year as part of plans to continue with the double digit growth that it witnessed last year.

Apart from new products, the company will expand network presence in smaller cities in different parts of the country.

“2013 was the most successful year for Mercedes Benz in India. Our sales grew by 32 per cent in 2013 as compared to previous year. In 2014, we are aiming at double digit growth,” Mercedes Benz India Managing Director and CEO Eberhard Kern told PTI.

CK Birla Group company Hindustan Motors has finalised an agreement with Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors to launch automatic variant of the premium sports utility vehicle ‘Pajero Sport’ during next fiscal, a top official has said.

“The company has finalised an agreement with its long time collaborator Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Japan to launch an automatic version of the renowned SUV Pajero Sport…,” Hindustan Motors Chairman, C K Birla said at the company’s annual general meeting, held at Kolkata recently.

Domestic passenger car sales declined 4.52 per cent to 1,32,561 units in December compared with 1,38,835 units sold in the year-ago month.

According to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), motorcycle sales last month fell 4.24 per cent to 8,08,281 units from 8,44,046 units in the same period of the previous year.

Total two-wheeler sales in December rose 2.32 per cent to 11,63,465 units from 11,37,081 units.

Total sales of commercial vehicles were down 25.53 per cent to 46,757 units in December from 62,786 units, SIAM said.

The “automated parking valet” created by French equipment maker Valeo is among the technology innovations on display at this week”s Consumer Electronics Show. French equipment maker Valeo has come up with an interesting innovation that self-parks the car by detecting available space. According to News 24, the self-parking is directed by an app which is capable of detecting, controlling and maneuvering its way into available parking space. Car drivers can activate the feature from their smart phones and use the app to park and summon the car back.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor today launched refreshed versions of its sedan Etios and hatchback Etios Liva, priced between Rs 4.53 lakh and Rs 8.30 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The company introduced new grades, VD and VD (Safety Package) as top of the line variants in Etios Liva Diesel, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said in a statement.

Carmaker Audi has reportedly incorporated what can be called as a ‘ panic buzzer ‘ if the driver of the self-driving car dozes off.

At the ongoing CES 2014 in Las Vegas, Audi demonstrated several high-tech car demos including a tested system that feeds upcoming traffic light data directly into the cockpit.

According to The Verge, the traffic data system indicates when the next light on the road is indicated in green with a suggested speed next to it prompts if the driver can make the light with the current speed.

Annual car sales in India declined for the first time in 11 years in 2013, posting a 9.59 percent dip, as the auto industry reeled under a prolonged demand slump due to the economic slowdown.

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Industry (SIAM), domestic car sales last year fell to 18,07,011 units from 19,98,703 units in the previous year.

“The decline in annual car sales that we witnessed in 2013 was the first time after 2002. The negative sentiments have deepened due to the current state of the economy,” SIAM Director General Vishnu Mathur told reporters here.

In an innovative move, Dominos and Ford have jointly come up with a new in-car pizza ordering technology, which ensures that the pizza is delivered at your home by the time you reach.

Recently, Ford announced a new set of apps at CES and the Dominos app is one of its conventional innovations.

Ford’s Sync TM technology is basically a voice-activated system that includes features like hands-free music, audio text messages and medical assistance.

Honda Cars India today launched its fourth generation sedan ‘City’, in both petrol and diesel variants.

The City diesel is priced between Rs 8.62 and Rs 11.10 lakh, while the petrol version is priced in the range of Rs 7.42-10.90 lakh, ex-Navi Mumbai.

The carmaker, a subsidiary of Japanese auto giant Honda Motor Co Ltd, has received 9,400 bookings so far, a company official said.

Home grown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra today said it has sold over 75,000 units of its global sports utility vehicle XUV500 in just over two years since its launch.

Mahindra & Mahindra is the top most player in the SUV segment in the country.

“We are overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response from customers to the XUV500 that has led to impressive sales of more than 75,000 vehicles in just over two years since its launch. This is a benchmark for sales among high-end SUVs,” Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd’s automotive division chief executive Pravin Shah said in a release.

Despite the current slowdown, the used car market is expected to be almost double the size of the new car market in the next 5 years with Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd aiming to sell 60,000 units this fiscal and growth of 30 per cent over last year, a top official today said.

Total size of used car market is 3 million units, with oraganised sector share at 15 per cent.

The used car market is already bigger than the new car market and is growing at a much faster pace compared to the new car market, Dr Nagendra Palle, CEO Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd, told reporters here.

High duty structure and lack of infrastructure and after-sales service remain roadblocks in the growth of super car market in the country, industrialist Gautam Singhania said here today.

“The government has levied a 170 per cent import duty on super car. It is ridiculous. Moreover, absence of good infrastructure like quality roads are also hampering the growth of the segment,” textile major Raymond’s chairman and managing director and founding chairman of Super Car Club Gautam Singhania told reporters here.

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz today introduced the latest version of its S-Class luxury sedan in the country, priced at Rs 1.57 crore (ex-showroom Delhi).

“We are launching the all new S-Class in India just three months after its global launch in October last year, following up on eight new products we launched in 2013 here,” Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Eberhard Kern told reporters here.