Automobile

Car major Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) Thursday said there is a “high” incidence of taxes on automobile sector, saying “cars are more taxed than cigarettes” in the country.

“Today if you look at incidence of taxes on car whether it is excise duty, CST, calamity tax, education cess, VAT, road tax..If you look at all these taxes on car, probably cars are more taxed than harmful things like cigarettes… taxation is extremely high,” company’s Senior Vice President (Marketing and Sales), Jnaneswar Sen told reporters here.

Domestic passenger car sales declined by 10.15 percent to 135,433 units in April as compared to 150,737 units in the year-ago month.

Motorcycle sales last month grew by 8.06 percent to 911,908 units from 843,909 units in the year-ago period, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Total two-wheeler sales in April grew by 11.67 percent to 13,04,447 units as against 11,68,100 units in the same month last year.

Sales of commercial vehicles were down by 24 percent to 43,080 units in April, SIAM said.

Indo-Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota Kirloskar Motor Wednesday launched Etios Cross — its first cross-over between a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and a hatchback — priced between Rs.5.76 lakh and Rs.7.40 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

“The B-car segment is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry. Segment growth comes along with fast changing customer requirements,” Naomi Ishii, managing director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor was quoted in a statement as saying.

With the scooter sales clocking good growth in the two wheeler segment, Suzuki Motorcycle India Ltd (SMIL) is hoping to clock higher sales with its new model and also consolidate its motorcycle business, said a senior company official.

The company will also increase its distribution network to 1,000 points from the current 600 and look at exports to Latin American countries.

Hyundai Motor India on Tuesday rolled out a new variant of its entry level car Eon, priced at Rs 3.83 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The new variant, which comes with 1 litre Kappa engine, will be available along with the current 0.8 litre variants of Eon, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement.

“Hyundai consistently innovates to meet and exceed the demands of the customer and the 1.0 litre Kappa engine now offered in Eon is an extension of our modern-premium brand philosophy,” HMIL Managing Director & CEO B S Seo said.

Well-liked car models Maruti Swift, Swift Dzire and Honda Amaze declined for the first time in years in April. Though companies credited the fall in wholesale front to inventory correction and seasonality, analysts pointed to increasing competition from the likes of Hyundai Xcent and Grand.

In April, volumes of compact sedan Amaze slid 30.85% to 3,355 units while its rival Dzire fell 17.67% to 16,008 units. Swift hatchback volumes slipped 4% to 15,874 units.

Only during the strike in Maruti Suzuki factories did the sales of Swift and Dzire fall in the last five years.

Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Monday recalled 31,226 units of select variants of the Amaze compact sedan and Brio hatchback to inspect them for a possible defect in the brake system.

The company will inspect the proportioning valve of non-ABS variants of both models manufactured between February 28, 2013, and January 16, 2014. The recall is for 15,623 Brio cars and 15,603 petrol Amaze cars, HCIL said in a statement. The proportioning valve is part of the system that adjusts brake distribution pressure to the wheels.

German luxury car maker Mercedes Benz today said it expects a double-digit growth in sales in the current year on the back of new models and expansion in dealership network, even as market condtions are “difficult”.

Expecting Indian luxury car market to grow further, Mercedes Benz said that “very high taxation” on luxury vehicles is the major challenge the industry is facing at the moment.

“Mercedes will grow in double digit,” Mercedes Benz, MD and CEO, Eberhard Kern told reporters here to a query on company’s expectations from Indian market this year.

German luxury carmaker Audi today rolled out the upgraded version of its flagship model A8L, priced at Rs 1.12 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) and Rs 1.14 crore (ex-showroom Maharashtra).

“The new Audi A8L offers luxury connoisseurs in India excellent comfort, superb craftsmanship, strict lightweight construction and a broad portfolio of high-end technologies,” Audi India head Joe King said in a statement.

The new offering is available at all Audi dealerships across India.

Japanese auto major Nissan on Friday reported over four-fold jump in sales in India in April at 5,301 units.

The company had sold 1,239 units in April 2013.

“Datsun GO contributed over 50 percent to Nissan Group’s April 2014 sales with 2,691 units,” Nissan Group of India said in a statement.

Major carmakers, including Maruti Suzuki India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and General Motors India, reported decline in domestic sales in April as demand continued to be subdued due to overall unfavourable macro-economic conditions.

Other manufacturers Hyundai Motor India Ltd, Honda Cars India and Ford, however, reported increase in April sales on the back of their new models.

The country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) reported 12.6 per cent decline in its April sales during the month at 79,119 units.

Ford Motor Thursday nammed Mark Fields its president and chief executive officer.

He will succeed Alan Mulally,68, who will take retirement July 1, Xihua reported.

Fields,53, has been leading all of Ford’s global business operations and most skill teams, including product development, manufacturing, purchasing, and marketing, sales and service since 2012.

Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman said “Mark has transformed several of our operations around the world into much stronger businesses during his 25 years at Ford.”IANS

Automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor India Thursday reported a fall of 11.8 percent in its total sales for April at 50,222 units from 56,953 units in the corresponding month of last year.

However, the company said its domestic sales during the month under review grew by 8.8 percent and stood at 35,248 units — up from 32,403 units sold in the corresponding month of 2013.

The company’s exports last month crashed by 39 percent at 14,974 units — down from 24,550 units shipped out during the corresponding month of last year.

India’s largest passenger car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki Thursday reported an 11.4 percent decline in total sales, including exports, for April as the figure stood at 97,302 units.

The company had sold 86,196 units in April 2013.

The company’s domestic sales decreased by 12.6 percent to 79,119 units during the month under review as compared to 90,523 units sold in the corresponding month of last year.

However, Maruti Suzuki exported 7,077 units last month, which was an increase of 4.4 percent from 6,779 units sold overseas during the corresponding month of 2013.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, today reported 11.4 per cent decline in total sales in April to 86,196 units, against 97,302 units in the same month last year.

The company said its domestic sales declined by 12.6 per cent during the month to 79,119 units as against 90,523 units in April 2013.

Sales of mini segment cars, including M 800, Alto, A-Star and Wagon R, declined 25.4 per cent to 26,043 units as against 34,927 units in the year-ago month, MSI said in a statement.

Two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), Monday launched its largest selling scooter brand Activa’s 125cc automatic variant priced between Rs.52,456 and Rs.58,196 (ex-showroom Delhi).

“Propelled by new third plant near Bangalore, Honda is all set to excite customers with new products with speed. In this background, Activa 125 is Honda’s next strategic step towards reinforcing market leadership and facilitating Indians to step up their daily ride for more power,” said Keita Muramatsu – president and chief executive, HMSI.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) has launched the Activa 125cc for Indian market.

The Honda Activa 125cc scooter was first showcased at the India Auto Expo in February this year.

The standard variation of Activa 125 has been priced at Rs 56,607 whereas the deluxe variant comes at Rs 62,588 (ex-showroom Mumbai). The scooter is powered by a 124.9cc, maximum torque of 10.12 NM at 5500 RPM and four-stroke SI engine churingin out maximum power of 8.6 BHP at 6500 RPM.

In a tough market, the country’s largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India today posted a 35.46 per cent decline in net profit to Rs 800.05 crore in the fourth quarter ended December 31.

For the full financial year 2013-14, it registered its highest annual net profit.The company had reported a profit of Rs 1,239.62 crore in the fourth quarter of the previous financial year.

Net sales in the quarter declined 9.48 per cent to Rs 11,818.13 crore from Rs 13,056.26 crore a year earlier, Maruti Suzuki India said in a statement.

What if your car never gets dirty even when you come back home after a long countryside drive? Possible.

Japanese car-maker Nissan has unveiled a ‘self-cleaning’ car with ‘nano-paint technology’ that repels dirt before it gets a chance to take hold on the paintwork.

“The Nissan ‘Note’ is the first car to trial paint technology which could make car washes obsolete,” a company spokesperson was quoted as saying.

The ‘super-hydrophobic’ and ‘oleophobic’ paint also repels water and oils, media reports said.

Country’s largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorpBSE -0.53 % today announced a joint venture with Bangladesh’s Nitol Niloy group and the two plan to invest around $ 40 million (over Rs 240 crore) in next five years.

The joint venture, in which Hero MotoCorp will hold 55 per cent stake and rest will lie with the Bangladeshi partner, plans to set up a new manufacturing facility which will have an annual capacity of 1.5 lakh units when fully functional by second quarter of 2015-16.

Car and commercial vehicle dealers remain concerned over the business environment in the first two quarters of the current fiscal even as the two-wheeler dealers see a ray of hope, according to a survey.

The passenger car automotive dealership confidence index (ADCI) stands at a negative 40 (on a scale of 100), representing a moderately pessimistic sentiment amongst dealers, the Melbourne-based Sewells Group said in its first ADCI survey.

Reflecting the woes of the Indian automobile industry, the country’s car exports remained flat at 5,50,466 units in 2013-14, during which domestic sales fell for the second consecutive year.

Car exports stood at 5,47,222 units in 2012-13, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) and Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), two of the biggest car exporters, posted a decline in shipments, while overseas sales by Nissan Motor India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Volkswagen India increased.

Mazda is recalling 109,000 Tribute SUVs to fix rusting frame parts.

The recall covers SUVs from the 2001 through 2004 model years. Mazda says in documents filed with US safety regulators that the frame can rust and a wheel control arm can separate from it. That could result in a loss of steering control.

The SUVs were originally sold or registered in 20 states and Washington, DC, where salt is used to clear snow and ice from roads.

Dealers will install a reinforcement brace to fix the problem. Mazda says it will notify owners by letter when parts are available.

Tata-owned British luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover will recall 1,923 vehicles in China mainly due to problems with their warning lights, a quality watchdog said Thursday.

The recall by Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Trading (Shanghai) from April 17 covers 1,909 imported 2014-edition Range Rover vehicles in the Chinese mainland, which were produced from May 7 to October 10, 2013, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Audi A3 has been named the 2014 ‘ World Car of the Year’ after being voted by 69 jurors from 22 countries at the New York Motor Show.

The Audi A3, which beat Mazda3 from Japan to win the title, was among five German cars that won in different categories making it Audi’s second win in 10 years, News.co.au reported.

Audi’s North America president Scott Keogh exclaimed that Audi A3 has only been on sale three weeks and already it’s “off to a flying start” and Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi added that the major award win is an achievement for the whole company.