Nissan launches Luxury Sedan Nissan Teana, against Accord & Camry

Japanese carmaker Nissan on Thursday rolled out its second vehicle in India - the luxury sedan Teana to tap the growing luxury car market in India. The Nissan Teana is a front wheel drive mid-size automobile produced by Nissan of Japan, introduced in 2003.

The vehicle will be completely imported from Nissan’s Kyushu Plant in Japan and is priced at Ex Showroom price of Rs. 2,047,000- at Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad and Rs. 2,067,000 - at Mumbai.

“When we decided to launch our second vehicle, we wanted to take advantage of the growing luxury segment. Our research shows the Indian customers’ expectations of a luxury vehicle matches what Teana offers,” Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd Managing Director Yoshie Motohiro said in New Delhi.

Author Review : The price range seems a bit above from the popular mid-size price range i.e 12-16 lacs. The Teana’s market range is right now rules by the Toyota Camry and much popular Honda Accord. Teana is the second model to be launched in India following the launch of the Nissan X-TRAIL SUV in 2004 and marks the next step in Nissan’s expansion into this fast growing market.

Specification

Engine : 2.3 litre VQ23DE petrol
Max Power : 125kw (170ps)
Torque : 224N.m (22.8kgm)

New Chevrolet Spark [Review], GM’s war against WagonR, Estilo, Santro & Getz Prime

The new look for the deawoo Matiz, which was out of sight for long as the company could not survive in Indian Conditions. But the same car, face lifted by General Motors, has a new hope. Launched in India as Chevrolet Spark, redesigned from roof to tyres, GM is forging ahead with its plans to grab a share of the economy car sector.

Its rival however don’t seem to be bothered as Maruti & Hyundai has two cars each - Maruti WagonR, Maruti Zen Estilo, Hyundai Santro & the recent addition of the Hyundai Getz Prime. As per the GM chairman & CEO Rick Wagoner, “India is an important country to our business strategy as we feel that to succeed globally we must succeed in the emerging markets like India.” GM has sold over 2 million units of the Spark worldwide and has effected changes in the gear ratio, air-conditioning and engine management system to suit the Indian conditions.

Review
The car is being offered in four trim levels but the base variant does not have air conditioning and power steering as standard fitment. A slightly larger body means more cabin space. Its capacity has increased from 140 to 170 litres and the rear seats now fold 60/40 to make things even easier. Other improvements include a revised rear axle, gas-assisted shock-absorbers all round and new engine mountings to reduce noise.

Specifications

Price : Rs 3.09-3.89 lakhs

SAARC car rally completes Sri Lanka, Convoy travels over 9000km through six countries in 29 days

After covering nearly a 1000 km in the last three days, the SAARC Car Rally today completed the Sri Lankan leg of the Rally and returned to Colombo from Kandy. The route provided a glimpse of the amazing contrast in landscapes that Sri Lanka has been blessed with. While the picturesque Colombo-Tissamaharama coastal road is dotted with numerous beach resorts, the winding road through the tea estates of Nuwara Eliya is a unique experience.

After the night halt at Tissamahara lake resort, the Rally headed for Nuwara Eliya, a beautiful hill station with numerous tea estates, on day 28. The rally was received at Kandy by the Hon’ble Governor of Kandy and taken to Sri Dalada Maligawa, also called the Temple of the Tooth. It houses Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic - a sacred tooth of Lord Buddha. The Temple is one of the most important centers of pilgrimage for Buddhists. The rallyists were permitted to pay their respects at the sanctum sanctorum, a rare privilege.

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March report : Car sales up 3%, motorcycles down by 3.5%

According to figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic passenger car sales stood at 1,14,195 units as against 1,10,978 units in the same month a year ago.

The slow growth in March acted as a dampener on an otherwise good fiscal year 2006-07, in which domestic passenger car sales grew by 22.01 per cent, while motorcycles posted a healthy 12.79 per cent upswing.

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Bajaj Platina to cost 3000Rs less

Thanks to the opening of Bajaj Auto’s new plant at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand, The Bajaj Platina may be Bajaj Auto’s last 100cc bike but it still remains a large volumes player. Bajaj has recently announced a Rs 3,000 price cut on the Platina.

The Pantnagar plant enjoys tax cuts and excise sops from the Uttarakand state government. It has one million units or 10-lakh annual capacities, which can be scaled up to 30 lakh in a few years. The Platina will be made solely at Pantnagar now and the plant is unique as in that all the vendors have also set up shop within the same premises in Pantnagar.This is all being passed on to the consumer says Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto. It now expects Platina sales to jump about 25 per cent given the greater capacity and the price cut. The Platina shifting to Pantnagar also frees up space at Pune for the Pulsar models and the soon to be launched new platform that is expected later this year.

Reliance Retail & Honda Siel used-vehicle market space

Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Retail, is planning a second-hand car market venture on the lines of Maruti`s True Value and Mahindra`s Automart, reports Business Standard. The venture marks an addition to its plans to set up multi-brand car servicing stations at its retail outlets and its auto finance business. Reliance Retail, plans to cover 1,500 cities with over 1,500 supermarkets and 1,000 hyper-markets.

Reliance Retail, is in talks with Corghi SpA, an Italian automotive firm, to offer customers at its outlets vehicle servicing facilities. Corghi manufactures tyre changers, wheel balancers, wheel aligners, and lifting and testing equipment. Industry estimates, put the annual second-hand car market at 1 million units, almost as big as the new-car market (1.3 million units). Both markets grew 20% in 2006-07 and are expected to grow at 20 to 25% in the coming years.

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Getz Prime : Great car, low price . Hyundai to try Getz Prime againt Maruti Swift ?

Hyundai launched its new premium hatchback ‘Getz Prime’, one that qualifies for the small car tag (1.2-litre engine) and consequently the lower excise duty. Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) has, with a starting price from Rs3.89 lakh onwards. Hyundai is targeting to sell about 30,000 units of the vehicle in the Indian market and 40,000 units abroad in the remaining part of this calendar year. The company also plans to join the price war by introducing another compact car in October. Getz Prime will be available with two engine sizes, one with the 1.1-litre capacity and the other with the 1.3-litre. The base model of Getz Prime is equipped with a 1.1-litre petrol engine and will be cheaper than the base model of Maruti Swift (Rs3.99 lakh) by a good Rs10,000.

Hyundai has introduced four variants of the Getz Prime. The base 1.1-litre Getz Prime will be available in two variants — GLE and GVS, and the 1.3 Getz Prime will also come in two variants, GLS and GLX. These come with an introductory price range of Rs3.89 lakh and Rs5.24 lakh.

It is not much different from the normal Hyundai Getz, a set of new headlamps and tail-lamps, a new front airdam / fog-lamp setup, a new three-spoke steering wheel, a revamped centre console and changes in the plastic grain finish.

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First car rolls out of Tata-Fiat JV

The Rs 4,000-crore Tata-Fiat joint venture took off on Monday, with the new Palio Stile being rolled out from the Ranjangaon facility, 60 km from Pune. The JV will generate 4,000 jobs and another 20,000 indirect jobs, with the total investment being made over a five-year period. The facility will be a platform for a slew of new generation Tata cars as also more cars from the Fiat stable — Grande Punto and Linea — by 2008. The plant, with a capacity to manufacture one lakh cars and two lakh engines and transmissions, is a unique venture where two leading car manufacturers are sharing the same facility.

“The Ranjangaon plant is a firm step in the progression of the strategic alliance between the two organisations. The plant will help our products benefit from Fiat’s global manufacturing practices and technology. The production capacity will be shared amicably” said Ravi Kant, MD, Tata Motors.

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Mahindra-Renault may up Logan capacity in India

Renault and joint venture partner Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. will raise the capacity to produce Logan cars in India and improve local content to cut costs, senior officials said on Tuesday.The no-frills Logan sedan, which marks the French car maker’s foray in the fast-growing Indian market, is being produced at a Mahindra plant in Nashik in Maharashtra with an initial capacity of 50,000 units a year. This can be ramped up quickly if there is more demand.

“We can make 50,000 units on a double shift, so we can add a third shift and increase output by 20,000-25,000 units quite easily,” Pawan Goenka, president of Mahindra’s automotive sector, said after the launch of the Logan in Mumbai. The Nashik plant has a capacity for 150,000 units a year, which is evenly divided between the Mahindra Scorpio, the Logan and the Mahindra Ingenio, scheduled for launch in 2008.

The Logan, priced at 430,000 rupees to 640,000 rupees ($9,977-$14,850) for 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel variants, will be rolled out nationwide by November. “This launch marks a new step in our global development programme,” said Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn. “India is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world and offers significant potential for profit growth,” he said. The Logan will compete with models from Ford Motor Co., Tata Motors and Suzuki Motor Corp.’s Maruti Udyog Ltd., the leader with nearly half the market. Mahindra, Renault and Nissan Motor Co. have a separate venture to spend $905 million in a greenfield project outside Chennai to make 400,000 cars in seven years’ time.

About 50 percent of the Logan is made from locally sourced components, and the two firms will increase the degree of localisation to cut production costs and compete better. “We would like (localisation) to go to beyond 90 percent,” said Patrick Pelata, Renault’s executive vice president. “That will happen when we are also able to get engines locally, once the Chennai plant comes up.”

Engines are currently being imported from Romania and Spain. Parts in India are 10 percent cheaper than in Romania, where the Logan is already being built at the Dacia subsidiary, and Renault has “fairly significant” internal targets for parts exports, he said. Renault may export Logan cars from India if demand is less than 50,000 units a year, Pelata said. Intended for emerging markets such as China, India and Russia, the Logan concept has become a hit even in mature European markets and inspired other automakers such as Volkswagen, Fiat and Toyota Motor Co.

India’s low-cost manufacturing advantage will give Mahindra-Renault an edge, despite its late entry, Goenka said. “The combination of a sense of frugality and low-cost of innovation is the reason why every major manufacturer in the world wants to be in India,” he said. General Motors Corp. is gearing up for the launch of its small car, the Chevrolet Spark, in the next couple of weeks, as it adds the Indian market to a global autos battlefield between U.S., European and entrenched Asian rivals. Analysts estimate the Spark, modelled along the lines of the defunct Daewoo Matiz, will have a sticker price of around $8,000.

Small cars make up more than two-thirds of the Indian market, where annual sales of passenger vehicles are expected to nearly double to 2 million units by 2010. The next model of the Logan will be launched in Brazil towards the end of 2007, before a European launch in 2008.

Source : Reuters

Mahindra and Renault launch the Logan, prices begin at Rs 4.28 lakhs

Mahindra-Renault today unveiled the much awaited ‘Logan’ - an entry-level no frills sedan - with prices starting at Rs 4.28 lakhs for the base petrol variant. The joint venture company between India’s Mahindra and Mahindra and French auto maker will be rolling out 50,000 units of Logan this year from Mahindra’s Nashik facility set up at a cost of Rs 700 crores. While the 1.4 litre petrol engine variant is priced at Rs 4.28 lakhs (ex-showroom Mumbai), the 1.61 litre carries a price tag of Rs 5.69 lakhs. The 1.5 litre diesel engine car, which has two variants, comes at a price of Rs 5.47 lakhs to Rs 6.44 lakhs.

Initially, Logan will hit the roads in the top 10 cities of the country in the second week of this month. “We aim to sell the entire production capacity of 50,000 units per annum from the Nashik plant in the Indian market and we do not have plans to export the product at the moment,” M&M Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Anand Mahindra said here at a function to unveil the car. Renault SA President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said the joint venture entity, in which Mahindra holds 51 per cent, would ‘ramp up production’ if the market so demands.

The sedan, developed by Renault and its Romanian affiliate Dacia is modern but stripped of costly design features. It is almost a runaway success in the European market and has sold almost 450,000 units worldwide since its launch in 2004. “Almost 50 per cent of the parts used in the car are sourced from Indian OEMs. Engines, however, are being sourced from Romania and Spain,” Mahindra said, adding that the company would use local engines on a later date.