Indian Automotive Sector

[Ray]

It looks like a Bunny with it's doors open.

It's a concept car, so I don't think it will hit production.

I don't think it is a concept car because it is stated that (the) 'Indian automobile giant Tata Motors Tuesday showcased the Pixel - its new city car for the European market based on the its compact model Nano'.

If this design was also used in India, it would be selling like hot cakes.

However, since we are space oriented, one wonders if it will have the same space as the Nano.

The design of the Nano does not attract.

 

[pmaitra]

Good looking car.

It's wait and watch for now.

 

[p2prada]

I don't think it is a concept car because it is stated that (the) 'Indian automobile giant Tata Motors Tuesday showcased the Pixel - its new city car for the European market based on the its compact model Nano'.

If this design was also used in India, it would be selling like hot cakes.

However, since we are space oriented, one wonders if it will have the same space as the Nano.

The design of the Nano does not attract.

Yes sir. Google says the car is going to hit European streets soon. It also costs Rs 2.5L and upwards.

Space seems a bit more than Nano since the seats are thin. However the model is petit. Look at the head space available and also the size of her arms compared to the steering wheel. Even the driver seat isn't pushed back completely. So space isn't radically different compared to Nano.

 

[Daredevil]

^^But design wise it is miles ahead of nano. Very aesthetic design.

 

[Ray]

The price Rs 2.5 lakhs could be brought down for this car if sold in India since there would be no requirement for automatic transmission.

One of the photos indicate automatic transmission.

 

[tarunraju]

I'm not really taken aback. That car is unsuitable for Indian roads (ground-clearance too low), but it's a good step forward for TATA. Any car-maker who can design his own concept vehicles is a true car-maker.

 

[chex3009]

Tata Pixel -Zero Turn Drive


Indian car maker, Tata is famous for world's cheapest car, Nano, this week will prove themselves if they are not only able to make a cheap car, but also advanced car.
As reported by the official website of Tata Motors on Wednesday (02/03/2011) This car manufacturers also use the event the Geneva Motor Show that will soon be opened to the public on March 3 this to show a city car that they called, Pixel.

 

[gogbot]

Tata owns Jaguar and Landrover .
They can easily compete with the best of them.

 

[amoy]

It also costs Rs 2.5L and upwards

ï¿¥100=Rs 681.65 so equivalent to 36675 yuan. Quite attractive for a family of 3 without import duties/logistics taken into acct. Of course that bunny doors may have to be modified for a "city" car. Nowadays fewer and fewer knows how to operate on manual transmission.

 

[The Messiah]

I dont like the looks! But i am hard to please

But i do like the hyundai i45 and will hopefully buy it!

 

[Pintu]

Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover records 1.1 billion pound profit in FY-11: Report - The Economic Times

22 May, 2011, 07.21PM IST,PTI
Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover records 1.1 billion pound profit in FY-11: Report

LONDON: Tatas-owned Jaguar Land Rover will this week unveil record annual profits exceeding 1 billion pounds, completing the luxury car maker's remarkable recovery from the depths of recession, media reported today.

JLR is forecast to declare 1.1 billion pounds profit for the year to March 31, compared with a gain of 32 million pounds last year and a 281 million pounds loss in the first 10 months after Tata took over, the 'Sunday Telegraph' reported.

The record profit comes just two years after the car maker sought Government support and warned of a "national emergency" in the industry as sales tumbled.

According to the report, the turnaround has been driven by rapidly growing sales in emerging markets such as India and China where the cars are status symbols for the growing middle classes - and investment from Tata in new models such as the Range Rover Evoque.

A JLR source said the results will be "extremely good" and that the British car maker, which employs 17,000 persons, is the "star" performer for Tata.

The results are expected to be presented as part of the company's annual results on Thursday.

The previous record profit for JLR is 300 million pounds the company made in 2007, the last year under Ford .

JLR made a net profit of 734 million pounds in the nine months to December 31 and sales have continued to grow since then, led by Land Rover.

In March, more Land Rovers were sold in the UK than any other month in the company's history.

Land Rover also secured record March sales in China and India, with sales up 33 per cent and 61 per cent, while Jaguar enjoyed its best month in India as well as a 70 per cent rise in Russian sales and a 49 per cent rise in Germany.

Overall, sales in March rose by 6 per cent for JLR and 13 per cent in the first quarter.

 

[Pintu]

French car major Renault's 'Fluence' to roar on Indian roads - The Economic Times

22 May, 2011, 06.15PM IST,PTI
French car major Renault's 'Fluence' to roar on Indian roads

CHENNAI: Following its global success, French car major Renault is all set to hit Indian roads with its flagship luxury sedan "Fluence" tomorrow.

After testing the vehicle for over one lakh kilometres in the Indian roads, the auto major will formally launch the car in the country's capital on Monday.

"We will be formally launching the car on May 23 at Delhi", Renault India Country Managing Director Marc Nassif said.

However, he declined to reveal the price of the vehicle saying it would be announced only at the time of launch. According to industry experts, the sedan is likely to come with a price tag in the range of Rs 10 lakh-Rs 12 lakh.

Stating that the parent company in 2010 had sold 2.6 million vehicles worldwide, Nassif said currently Renault has 10.7 per cent market share in Europe, 37 per cent in Russia and 5.3 per cent in Latin America.

Referring to the launch, Nassif said it would be brought to the country as Completely Knocked Down (CKD) unit and be assembled at their joint venture plant with Japan's car maker Nissan at Oragadam near Chennai.

Both Nissan and Renault have embarked on a Rs 4,500 crore joint investment at the Chennai plant spread over a period of seven years. The plant has a initial capacity of two lakh units, which can be ramped up to four lakh units.

Renault India Deputy Country Managing Director, Sudhir Rao, said, the was to sell 1,800 units this year and admitted that the production would be a "constraint" at the facility for at least six months.

Fluence would be available at 12 dealership outlets across the country initially.

"Currently, we have appointed about six dealerships. By the end of May we should be having 12. The plan is to have 100 dealership networks by 2012", Rao said.

According to company officials, Fluence would be available both in Diesel and Petrol versions. The Petrol version is equipped with 2.0 litre 140hp, with Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) or manual six speed gearbox while the Diesel version is powered by 1.5 litre engine.

The car has four air bags, electronic stability control and Brake Assist as its standard features, Rao said.

In 2010, Renault sold 1.30 lakh units of "Fluence" cars worldwide.

 

[Pintu]

Honda City outclassed by Voxwagen Vento :

Volkswagen's Vento overtakes Honda's City in mid-size segment - The Economic Times

Regards

 

[Pintu]

Ashok Leyland lines up Rs 1,200 crore capex this year - The Economic Times

20 May, 2011, 05.25PM IST, Ruchita Saxena,ET Now
Ashok Leyland lines up Rs 1,200 crore capex this year

In order to tap the growing demand for commercial vehicles, truck maker Ashok Leyland will invest about Rs 1,200 crore in the current financial year to raise its capacity. The company plans to raise about Rs 600 crore via debt to fund this expansion, said Ashok Leyland Chief Financial Officer K Sridharan. The company is gearing up for two big launches this year - its light commercial vehicle code -named Dost " from its joint venture with Nissan and the expansion of its U-truck range.

"We will be investing about Rs 500 crore to Rs 600 crore in the JV with Nissan and other JVs like construction equipments. We will also invest Rs 400 crore in the creation of Neptune engine facility and another Rs 300 crore to scale up production at our plant in Pantnagar," he said.

Ashok Leyland is targeting to scale up annual production at Pantnagar plant from 13,000 to 36,000 vehicles by last quarter of this financial year. It has also confirmed that its LCV launch is on track and the vehicle will debut in the second quarter of this financial year.

The Neptune engines developed by Ashok Leyland, says the company, are more powerful and fuel-efficient, will be used in the U-truck range of vehicles. The company had launched some models from U-truck in two states and sold 1,010 vehicles so far. The company is currently losing about Rs 30,000 to Rs 100,000 on the sale of U-truck range because it has been priced attractively during the launch phase. Going forward, the company expects U-truck to contribute as much as 25 per cent of their total domestic truck sales.

However, this year the sales growth will be much slower. Sridharan said, "We expect muted sales growth of 7 to 8 percent this year with our total volumes at 108,000. But we will be able to maintain operating margins at about 10 to 10.5 per cent" The company's stock jumped 5.25 per cent to Rs 51.15 from previous close on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Analysts say it will be difficult for commercial vehicles volume to pick up this year due to high interest rates on loans. Monthly installments on auto loans paid by truck buyers have gone up from Rs 20,000 to Rs 22,000 to Rs 50,000 to Rs 55,000 over the last few years.

 

[Pintu]

India to protect automobile industry in free trade agreement with EU: Commerce and Industry Minister - The Economic Times

21 May, 2011, 06.56PM IST,PTI
India to protect automobile industry in free trade agreement with EU: Commerce and Industry Minister

ADDIS ABABA: India will protect its automobile industry as it has reached the final stages of negotiations for a free trade agreement with European Union .

"They (our negotiators) have a mandate to ensure that the interest of the domestic (automobile) industry is taken care of and adequately protected," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said here.

He was responding to a question about the concerns raised by Indian automobile industry on the India-EU agreement.

Indian automobile industry has apprehensions that with the FTA , the import duties on passenger cars may be slashed.

At present, high-end passenger cars attract import duty of over 100 per cent (basic plus other levies).

The fear is that if India agrees for aggressive cuts in these duties, there would not be any incentives for global auto majors to set up their manufacturing base in the country.

With drastic cuts in import tariff, they would be able to capture the fast growing Indian market without even manufacturing them in the country.

"I would urge the industry not to be misled into reacting based on speculations and incorrect reports," Sharma said.

India and EU are negotiating a Bilateral Trade and Investment agreement since 2007 and the talks have reached advanced stage.

He is leading a CII business delegation here for the 'India Show'.

India has established a strong base for the automotive manufacturing particularly in the passenger car segment, both for domestic market as also exports. Even, the luxury car manufacturers like BMW , Audi and Mercedes have set up their assembling units in India.

 

[BangersAndMash]

Jaguar Land Rover Opens India Plant; Starts With Freelander Assembly

PUNE, India (Dow Jones)--Jaguar Land Rover, the U.K.-based unit of Tata Motors Ltd. (TTM), Friday opened its first assembly plant in India, a step that will let the U.K. auto maker intensify its competition with BMW AG, Daimler AG and Audi AG in the country's growing market for luxury vehicles.

The plant at Pune, in the western state of Maharashtra, will initially assemble Land Rover's Freelander 2 sport-utility vehicle from completely knocked down kits shipped from the Halewood manufacturing plant in Liverpool, U.K.

Assembling vehicles in India will let Jaguar Land Rover--the biggest contributor of revenue globally to Tata Motors--grow volumes by selling its vehicles at prices competitive to those of rivals such as BMW, Audi and Daimler, which already operate plants in the South Asian country.

India's federal government levies a more than 100% tax on fully built imported vehicles, but those whose engines and gear boxes are assembled in India attract an import tax of 10%, while those with pre-assembled engines or gear boxes attract a 30% import tax.

"There is a taxation benefit which will be rolled over to our customers," Carl-Peter Forster, chief executive and managing director for the Tata Motors group, told reporters. "But setting up an assembly plant shows Jaguar Land Rover is increasingly becoming a part of India. It shows we are more rooted, more grounded in the Indian market and we have a larger commitment than just selling a few cars."

Following the start of assembly operations, the Freelander 2, which is offered in two versions, will cost about INR400,000-INR500,000 less than those imported currently. Prices of the vehicle will now start at about INR3.39 million at showrooms in Mumbai.

The Pune plant will initially have 500 workers, Forster said. However, he declined to disclose the investments that were made to build the plant.

Tata Motors also imports and sells the XJ, XF and XK sedans from the Jaguar range in India and the Freelander, Discovery and Range Rover SUVs from Land Rover. Jaguar Land Rover sold 891 vehicles in India in the financial year ended March 31.

The expansion into India is part of Jaguar Land Rover's overall plan to expand into emerging markets to gain from their growth and partly offset any slowdown in the key markets of North America and Europe. Jaguar Land Rover is continuing talks with the government in China and with companies there to build an assembly plant, Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Ralf Speth said Thursday.

Forster also said Jaguar Land Rover will gradually increase localization of vehicles by sourcing parts from vendors in India. He declined to elaborate.


Jaguar Land Rover Opens India Plant; Starts With Freelander Assembly - WSJ.com

 

[BangersAndMash]

 

[Armand2REP]

Now I know why they are closing the UK plant.

 

[p2prada]

Now I know why they are closing the UK plant.

Isn't it obvious.

Manufacturing will obviously move to lower cost regions to remain competitive. After all Indian Managers go that extra mile.

 

[Godless-Kafir]

Both Jag and LR are over priced peace of junks that no one was interested in, you could get all the tech they offer in a smaller car like the Skoda Yeti or Merc C-Class. Its a total rip off and thanks to TATA he made it into a profit making industry.