Jaguar, Land Rover expand dealer network in India

After Mumbai, JLR cars will now be available in Delhi, Hyderabad and Ludhiana

Tata Motors Premier Car Division announced today that it has issued letter of intents for Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) dealerships in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Ludhiana. This marks the first phase of expansion of the Jaguar and Land Rover network in India beyond Mumbai.

AMP Motors will represent the two iconic brands in New Delhi, Inline 4 Motors has been appointed as the franchise partner in Hyderabad and Dada Motors, an existing Tata Motors dealer, has been appointed as the Jaguar and Land Rover dealer in Ludhiana.

Tata Motors currently sells the Jaguar XF, Jaguar XFR and XKR in India, while the new Jaguar XJ (which is on display at the currently ongoing Auto Expo in Delhi) will soon be added to the line-up. The 2010-spec Free Lander 2, Discovery 4, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport will also be sold in India via Tata Motors’ JLR dealerships.

Honda showcases superbikes at the 2010 Auto Expo

From top left: The Honda VFR1200F, Fireblade and CB1000R are being shown at the 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi...

Apart from displaying the CB Twister, CBF Stunner and revamped Dio, Honda also brought some of its best high-performance bikes to the currently ongoing Auto Expo in Delhi. These bikes include the VFR1200F sports-tourer, CBR1000RR Fireblade superbike and the CB1000R naked sportsbike. While the Fireblade and CB1000R are already on sale in India, the all-new VFR is also likely to be added to HMSI's line-up, though prices for this bike have not been announced yet.

According to a press release from Honda, the company is looking at sales of more than 1.25 million units in FY 2009-10, and 1.50 million units in FY 2010-11.

Toyota Prius launched in India, priced at Rs 26.55 lakh

In addition to launching the Prius hybrid, Toyota also had the Camry hybrid on display at its stand at the Auto Expo...

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) has launched the latest generation Prius hybrid in India, at the 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi. Two versions of the Prius will be available in India, priced at Rs 26.55 lakh and Rs 27.86 lakh respectively.

The Toyota Prius comes with a 1.8-litre, 135bhp petrol engine, Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive (a high-tech computer-controlled electric drivetrain), a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and safety features like ABS, BA, EBD, VSC, Traction Control and seven airbags. (Incidentally, the Prius was the no.1 bestselling car in Japan in 2009, with Toyota selling 208,876 units of this hybrid vehicle. The Prius' main competitor, the Honda Insight hybrid was far behind, with only 93,283 units having been sold in Japan in 2009.)

A slew of government-sponsored tax breaks and incentives, coupled with highly-taxed and expensive gasoline helped boost sales of fuel efficient vehicles in Japan. Keep in mind that this particular list doesn't include Kei cars, the mini-mobiles powered by tiny 660cc turbocharged engines that also happen to be highly fuel efficient.

‘With the launch of the Prius, Toyota is keen to demonstrate its commitment to offer the latest eco-friendly automotive technology to its customers in India. Since becoming the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle in 1997, the Prius has received worldwide acclaim and is the most successful hybrid in the world, with cumulative sales of nearly 1.5 million units worldwide,’ said Sandeep Singh, DMD - marketing, TKM.

Toyota, which had earlier unveiled its new small car – Etios – during the Auto Expo, also had various other cars on display, including CNG versions of the Corolla Altis and Innova, and a hybrid version of the Camry.

Tata Aria, Venture, Magic Iris unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi

The Tata Aria CUV (above) and Venture MPV (below) were unveiled at the Auto Expo in Delhi...

Tata Motors has unveiled its all-new crossover, Aria, and 8-seater MPV, Venture, at the ongoing 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi. The company also showcases the Magic Iris, a four-seater public transportation vehicle.

To be launched in the second quarter of 2010, the Tata Aria blends the functionality and comfort of a mid-range MPV with the all-terrain assurance and capability of an SUV. Its 2.2-litre direct injection common-rail (DICOR) diesel engine delivers 139 horsepower and 320Nm of torque, and 4WD is available as an option. The production-spec Aria is expected to cost between Rs 12-14 lakh.

The Tata Venture, which can accommodate up to eight people, is a compact MPV that offers the best of both worlds – the compact dimensions and manoeuvrability of a hatchback and the space of a small van. He Venture is powered by a 1.4-litre turbodiesel engine and will be available in 5-, 6-, 7- and 8-seater versions.

The Tata Magic Iris, to be launched this year, is for public transportation, offering safer and more comfortable mobility for those who depend on three-wheelers. Its spacious car-like cabin can comfortably seat four passengers – three at the back and one in the front beside the driver. With its car-like on-road stability and sheet metal roof it provides car-like safety.

The Magic’s 611-cc water cooled diesel engine, backed by a 10-litre fuel tank, is capable of running longer distances with a top speed of about 55kmph.

Other vehicles displayed at the Tata stand included the Nano, the battery-powered Indica Vista EV, the Pr1ma Concept, Indica Vista Sport and the Xenon XT pick-up.

Renault reiterates commitment to the Indian market, announces upcoming new launches

The Fluence and various other new Renault cars will be launched in India over the next few months/years. Renault is finally ready to move on from the Logan...

Renault, which is participating in the ongoing 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi, today re-confirmed its commitment to India and announced the launch of several cars from their portfolio in the Indian market.

Speaking to the media at the New Delhi AutoExpo 2010, Katsumi Nakamura, Executive Vice President – Asia/Africa for Renault S.A.S., said, 'Renault has always maintained that our commitment to India remains undiluted and, today, we extremely happy to confirm our commitment to India through the launch of a comprehensive line-up. This means that the investments that were earmarked for India, and frozen for a while, are now back on track, and India will be seeing a re-energised Renault very soon. The Renault-Nissan Alliance greenfield manufacturing facility in Chennai is well on track and is a key asset for our ambitions in India.'

Elaborating on Renault India’s ambitious plans, Marc Nassif, Managing Director of Renault India, said, 'Our plan involves introduction of several new cars within 18-24 months and a full range in a 48-month timeframe. These cars will be produced in Chennai and we also plan to launch Fluence and Koleos models in 2011. Our range will have small to luxury cars and will be mix of Renault models and shared platform cars within the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including a crossover. We are also close to finalising our plans for a distribution network and will definitely be in a position to announce our plans in the first week of February 2010.'

Maruti Suzuki RIII concept unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi

The Maruti Suzuki Concept RIII, unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi...

Maruti Suzuki unveiled this futuristic looking MPV concept - the RIII - at the Auto Expo in Delhi. We're quite sure this will be toned down quite a bit before it actually goes into production, which we suppose will happen by 2011-12. As a stylish, spacious people-carrier, this MPV should easily be able to get the better of the Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo etc.

More details on the RIII / R3 concept coming up soon...

Volkswagen Polo unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi

The new Volkswagen Polo prepares to do battle in the small car segment in India...

Volkswagen today unveiled its much awaited hatchback – the new Polo – at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi. The company also showcased the Race Polo for the Volkswagen Polo Cup, which will commence in India with the inaugural race event in June this year.

The VW Polo, which will go on sale in India by March this year, will be available with 1.2-litre petrol (75bhp, 110Nm) and 1.2-litre diesel (75bhp, 180Nm) engines, five-speed manual gearbox and three trim levels. Depending on the trim level, the Polo will come fitted with 15-inch alloy wheels, CD/MP3 player, dual airbags, ABS and an anti-theft immobiliser.

The Volkswagen Polo will be built at VW’s plant at Chakan, in Pune, and will be available across VW’s 40 dealerships in the country. The car's pricing will be announced later.

Chevrolet Beat launched in India, killer pricing starts at Rs 3.34 lakh

The new Chevy Beat will give a few headaches to Maruti and Hyundai...

General Motors India (GMI) has launched its stylish new hatchback –the Chevrolet Beat – in the Indian market. And the car is priced to kill competition from Maruti, Hyundai, Ford, Tata and others – the base model costs just Rs 3.34 lakh, the Beat LS is priced at Rs 3.54 lakh and the top-of-the-range Beat LT is priced at Rs 3.94 lakh.

The Chevy Beat is fitted with GM’s 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that develops 79 horsepower. This 16-valve DOHC ‘S-TEC II’ engine, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, offers a claimed mileage figure of 18.6 km/l.

Depending on the variant, the Beat features things like an automatic climate control system, music system with USB connectivity, 60:40 split folding rear seats, drive and front passenger airbags, ABS, EBD and alloy wheels. The car comes with a 3-year/100,000km warrarnty.

With its fabulous styling, innovative and cutting-edge stylish interiors, very reasonable pricing and spacious cabin that can seat up to five adults, the new Chevy Beat sure looks like it’s going to take on cars like the Maruti Swift and Ritz, Hyundai i20 (the base model, with the 1.2-litre engine), Ford Figo, Tata Indica Vista, VW Polo and all other contenders in the segment in a very big way. The Beat could well drum up a whole new chapter for General Motors in India. The competition had better watch out!

Mercedes-Benz GL350CDI, S500L launched in India

The Mercedes-Benz GL350CDI, yours for a mere Rs 65 lakh...

Mercedes-Benz has launched the GL350CDI and the S500L in India. According to the German company, GL is the biggest and the most exclusive SUV on sale in the country, while the S500L is the “most premium” made-in-India luxury saloon available here.

The GL350CDI, which can seat up to seven people, is fitted with a common-rail diesel V6 that produces 224 horsepower and a mighty 510Nm of torque. Despite its heft, the GL can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 9.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 210km/h. Oh, it also consumes 9.7 litre of fuel per 100km and is fitted with 4MATIC permanent four-wheel, which makes it a ‘proper’ SUV. The vehicle is priced at Rs 65 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi.

The S500L, fitted with a 5.5-litre petrol V8, is priced at Rs 95 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi.

Honda small car concept shown at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi

Honda's new small car will go on sale in India in 2011...

Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) unveiled its all-new small car concept at the 2010 Auto Expo today, in Delhi. This concept is being developed as a production-ready vehicle for India and other emerging markets, and the emphasis is on maximized cabin space and passenger comfort.

Developed at Honda’s automobile R&D Center in Japan, Honda’s new ‘Small Concept’ is designed to be a family car with a capacity to comfortably seat 5 adult passengers. The car will be launched in India in 2011, said Koichi Kondo, Executive Vice President and Representative Director, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

More details on Honda small car concept coming up soon…

Toyota Etios unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi

The Toyota Etios compact car will soon be running around on Indian roads...

Toyota unveiled its new compact car – Etios – at the 2010 Auto Expo, which kicked off in Delhi today. The car has been developed especially for Indian conditions, claims Toyota, and will first be launched in India later this year, after which it will also be launched in various other markets.

The Toyota Etios will be sold in sedan and hatchback versions, fitted with 1.5- and 1.2-litre petrol engines respectively. TKM aims to sell as many as 70,000 units of this car in India with a year of its launch.

More details on the Etios coming up soon...

The Toyota Etios hatchback (above) and Etios sedan (below)


Promo video for the Toyota Etios

Transformer: The US military wants flying cars!

Who would have thought the US Army also wants flying cars, just like the rest of us...

The US military has announced a new program which it's calling ‘Transformer,’ which will be handled by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). And get this – the objective of this program is to develop cars that can fly, for military use.

‘The objective of the Transformer program is to demonstrate a one-to-four-person transportation vehicle that can drive and fly, thus enabling the war fighter to avoid water, difficult terrain, road obstructions and ambush threats. The vehicle will be capable of driving on prepared surface and light off-road conditions, while flight functionality will require Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL),’ says DARPA, which will organise a workshop on the 14th of this month, where companies interested in working on the project will be given more detailed information on the project.

While people have fantasised about flying cars for decades, DARPA is being quite realistic about the whole thing, with the aim being to develop a robust military-use vehicle that maximises utility at low/reasonable costs. DARPA is considering the usage of adaptive wing structure, ducted fan propulsion, composite material, hybrid electric drive and advanced battery technologies for its flying car.

Various flying cars already exist, though these are at varying stages of development and have rather limited capabilities and may not really be very practical for the vast majority of those who may be interested in such a vehicle. For more information on these existing flying cars, visit the Moller and Terrafugia websites. Don’t, however, expect to be able to trade in your Maruti 800 for one of these flying cars anytime soon…

Via The Inside Line

Motorcycle sales in India in December 2009

Hero Honda

Hero Honda, which sold 4,415,298 units in 2009, logged a 22% growth over 2008 sales (around 3,600,000 units). During December 2009, Hero Honda sold 375,838 two-wheelers, as compared to 215,931 units in December 2008 – an increase of 74%.

Yamaha

Yamaha India sold 218,000 units in 2009, as compared to 136,000 units in 2008 – a jump of 60%. During December 2009, the company sold 13,612 units as compared 16,043 units in December 2008.

TVS

TVS Motor reported a 34% hike in cumulative sales (including exports) during December 2009, at 119,000 units, as against 89,285 units in December 2008.

TVS’ domestic sales during December 2009 were up 42% at 102,000 units, as against 72,355 units in December 2008. Motorcycle sales during the month, at 49,560 units, were up 24% while scooter sales, at 21,566 units, were up 45%.

TVS’ exports during December 2009 stood at 17,222 units, as compared to 16,930 units in December 2008 – an increase of 2%.

Between December-January 2009, TVS sold a total of 1,109,000 units as against 1,006,000 units in December 2008 – an increase of 10%.

Bajaj Auto

Bajaj Auto sold a total of (including exports) 219,920 motorcycles in December 2009, an 86% increase over the 118,510 units sold in December 2008. Total two-wheeler sales (including scooters) during December 2009 stood at 220,429 units, an 85% increase over last year’s sales figures.

Bajaj’s cumulative three-wheeler sales (including exports) during December 2009 stood at 31,575 units – a 38% increase over the 22,948 units sold in December 2008.

Of the above figures, total exports (including two- and three-wheelers) stood at 91,369 units, a 26% increase over the 72,744 units logged in December 2008.

Between April-December 2009, Bajaj sold a total of 1,794,359 motorcycles - an increase of 17% over the sales figure for the corresponding period in 2008. Total three-wheeler sales for April-December 2009, at 244,655 units, was also up 17% on the sales figure for the corresponding period in 2008.

Suzuki

Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. registered a 61% increase in sales during December 2009, at 14,806 units as against 9,196 units sold in December 2009.

Car sales in India in December 2009

General Motors India

General Motors India (GMI) reported a 101% hike in sales during December 2009, at 8,258 units, as against 4,041 units in December 2008. This was also GMI’s biggest ever sales figure for any month since the company’s inception in the country in 1996!

During December 2009, GMI sold 4,147 units of the Spark, 1,519 units of the Tavera, 616 units of the Cruze, 493 units of the Aveo U-VA, 374 units of the Aveo, 168 units of the Optra and 82 units of the Captiva. The company has also sold (pre-sold?) 859 units of its brand-new hatchback, the Beat, which will be displayed at the upcoming Auto Expo in Delhi next week.

GMI’s sales for the April-December 2009 period stood at 55,724 units, as against 47,786 units in the corresponding period in 2008.

Skoda India

SkodaAuto India reported a 52% increase in sales during December 2009, at 1,113 units, as against 732 units in December 2008. The company is all set to launch the Yeti CUV in India later this year, and also scale up its dealer network from the current 65 outlets to around 75, by the end of 2010.

Hyundai India

Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) logged a 22.6% growth in cumulative sales (including exports) during December 2009, at 47,217 units, as against 38,502 units in December 2008.

In the domestic market, HMIL sold 22,252 units in December 2009 (as against 15,602 units in December 2008) while exports during the month stood at 24,965 units, as against 22,900 units in December 2008.

During December 2009, HMIL sold 44,129 units in the A2 segment (Santro, i10, Getz and i20), 3,068 units in the A3 segment (Accent and Verna) and 20 units in the A5 segment (Sonata Transform).

Between January-December 2009, HMIL’s total sales (including exports) stood at 559,880 units as against 489,343 units in 2008 – a growth of 14.4%. Domestic sales accounted for 289,863 units in 2009 as against 245,397 in 2008 – a growth of 18.1%. Exports during the year stood at 270,017 units, as against 243,946 units in 2008 – a growth of 10.7%.

Mahindra

Mahindra & Mahindra logged a 114.8% hike in cumulative sales (including exports) during December 2009, at 24,001 units, as against 11,172 units in December 2009.

M&M’s domestic sales during December 2009 stood at 22,754 units as against 10,253 units in December 2008 – an increase of 121.9%. Exports during the month, at 1,247 units, were up 35.7%.

Mahindra-Renault also sold 308 units of the Logan sedan during December 2009, as against 272 units in December 2008.

Maruti Suzuki India

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) reported a 50.6% increase in sales during December 2009, at 84,804 units, as against 56,293 units in December 2008. Domestic sales during the month, at 71,000 units, were up 36.5% over the 52,029 units sold in December 2008.

Maruti’s sales in the A2 segment (Alto, Wagon R, Estilo, Swift, A-Star and Ritz), at 52,236 units, were up 41.8%, while sales in the A3 segment (Swift Dzire, SX4) during the month, at 7,843 units, were up 20.2%. The company also sold 2,574 units of the 800 – an 11.5% decline over the 2,908 units sold in December 2008.

Maruti’s exports during December 2009, at 13,804 units, were up 224% compared to the 4,264 units exported in December 2008.

Tata Motors

Tata Motors reported sales of 12,944 cars during December 2009, a 54% increase over sales in December 2008. During December 2009, Tata Motors sold 3,610 units of the Nano, 4,228 units of the Indica range, 5,106 units of the Indigo range and 1,710 units of the Sumo and Safari.

Exports during December 2009 stood at 3,454 units, a 161% increase over 1,325 units in December 2008.

Honda

Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) registered an 11% increase in sales in December 2009, at 4,061 units, as against 3,668 units in December 2008. HSCI sold 3,269 units of the City, 269 units of the Jazz, 363 units of the Civic, 113 units of the Accord and 47 units of the CR-V during December 2009.

HSCI’s cumulative sales during April-December 2009 stood at 43,626 units, a 30% hike over the 33,700 units sold during the corresponding period in 2008.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) reported a 221% increase in sales during December 2009, at 7,657 units. Total sales in CY 2009, at 55,497 units, were up 107% over the sales figures logged in 2008.

According to TKM, its recently launched SUV - the Fortuner - is doing particularly well, with 3,154 units having been sold between August-December 2009.