Buying Bajaj bikes becomes easier

At this time of tight market in India Bajaj Auto Finance Limited (BAFL) has announced a new scheme for financing 2-wheelers. Though others are taken back a stem from the financing for the same Bajaj has launched an unique scheme. The scheme is also added with a benefit of free extended warranty on every Bajaj motorcycle. With this initiative Bajaj Auto Finance aims at capitalizing on the emptiness created in the market due to the exit of many Banks and NBFC’s from the 2-wheeler financing business.

The uniqueness of this scheme is the added benefit of FREE EXTENDED WARRANTY on every Bajaj Motorcycle. A customer for a Bajaj motorcycle now not only has availability of finance but also no need to worry for the warranty which is been extended for the ease of customers.

Mr K Srinivas, Vice President Retail Finance, says “For a loan of 36 months tenor the free extended warranty offered by Bajaj Auto Finance extends for the entire 36 months. The customer therefore needs to only ensure timely payment of EMI’s while Bajaj Auto Finance largely takes care of the cost of vehicle maintenance”.

Bajaj Auto has now extended its reach to more than 300 Bajaj dealership locations. Each of these Bajaj dealerships has full-time Bajaj Auto Finance employees to ensure a smooth and hassle free financing to deserving customers.

Steel trap: cars set to get costlier

2008 has already become an unremarkable year; it’s going from bad to worse. Just when the commodity prices had begun to relieve, the re-imposition of 5 per cent duty on steel import is likely to impact car prices again. This will be the second time in this economic that car prices would see an upward revision. “The market is tough and input costs are still high. We are looking into the possibility of another price increase,” said a Hyundai Motor India Ltd spokesperson.

Though steel prices at large have come down by 40 per cent in the last three months, prices of specialized steels like the ones used in automobiles have stayed firm. With over 80 per cent of auto industry’s steel requirements met through imports, the five per cent duty will have a direct impact. A corresponding 16 per cent depreciation of the rupee vs dollar is another add-on.  Dilip Chenoy, director general, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said “Suppliers are asking for a 5-7 per cent increase and though negotiations are on, there may be no option for carmakers but to increase prices in the short term. Along with the rupee depreciation, the impact is over 20 per cent.”

Even domestic suppliers like Tata Steel and Bhushan Steel are asking for a price increase. Nitin Johri, CFO, Bhushan Steel said “Nobody can absorb the 5 per cent duty and that has to be passed on to the automotive industry. Steel prices have hit the bottom and we expect it to firm up again from January. Auto grade steel prices have not dropped much because it is a high value added specialized product with few suppliers.”  Market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has already affected a Rs 2,000-6,000 increase in prices as its primary steel supplier Japan’s Nippon Steel sought a 22 per cent increase in prices. Honda Siel Cars India has announced a Rs 10,000-1,50,000 hike in prices from January as it is impacted by currency fluctuation.

Honda Siel Cars celebrates its first “Honda Fest” across all dealerships in India

It’s good to know that Honda has announced a Fest “Honda Fest” across all dealerships in India. The fest is to coincide with the start of deliveries of all-new Honda City. It will be conducted this weekend on 28 Nov and 30 Nov. In this fest car lovers can enjoy a test drive of all Honda Cars along with loads of entertainment. The “Honda Fest” is an attempt by the company to nurture a sense of belonging with the brand.

Apart from test drive of the all-new City and other Honda cars, the “Honda Fest” will feature entertainment activities like music, dance, painting competitions, puppet shows, quiz contests and more.

Elaborating on the “Honda Fest” concept, Mr.Tatsuya Natsume, Director, Marketing, Honda Siel Cars India said “Honda organizes such customer engagement programmes in several countries, including Germany, Italy and Japan. The objective is to involve customers in important occasions for the company and establish a bond with them. We are beginning this new concept in India with the new City, and will replicate the event after other important launches too. We would like to welcome all the members of the Honda family and even those who are considering a Honda to our dealerships over the weekend to come and enjoy a day with us.”

Fiat India to launch Palio CNG in 2009

Fiat India says that the company is now looking at multiple fuel options for its product range. The Italian carmaker has already put in place a plan for production of three lakh engines, of which diesel alone will account for two lakh units and petrol engines the remaining one lakh.  Next on the agenda is the strategy successfully experimented in Latin America, which banks on providing multiple fuel options such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ethanol-blended gasoline in its models. “With a little modification, we can produce CNG engines in our petrol engine lines. This is something that we have in mind,” said Mr Mauro Mollo, Powertrain Division Head, FIat India.

Fiat produces CNG engines in parts of Europe and Latin America. In 2006, its Brazilian arm launched the Fiat Siena Tetra Fuel, which operates on CNG, ethanol, gasoline and ethanol-blended gasoline. Fiat produced 50,000 natural gas-fuelled vehicles in Italy last calendar year. In India, Fiat will kick start its green models with the launch of Palio in 2009.

Mr Rajeev Kapur, CEO, FIAL, said “Company would launch a CNG version of the Palio in 2009. This initiative is in line with the Indian automotive industry’s move to shift to environment-friendly fuels, which promise less operating cost and lower emissions. For instance, Indica, Santro, Wagon R, Ikon and Marina have both CNG and LPG options.”

Fiat has also drawn up an export agenda for cars produced in India as part of its efforts to optimize the production base in terms of costs and capacity utilization. Mr Kapur said 800 units were targeted for this fiscal. This could include the Linea, which recently rolled out of the Ranjangaon plant near Pune. The company had begun exporting the Palio to South Africa and efforts are underway to target all right-hand drive markets spread across Asia. Nepal and Sri Lanka are on the immediate radar.

Mahindra launches teaser campaign for Xylo

Mahindra Xylo (popularly known as Ingenio) is all set to hit the roads in December. To ignite a buzz, Mahindra has started a teaser campaign. Xylo Mahindra’s second MUV after voyager is not just meant for Indian markets but also for international markets. Mahindra has been heavily testing the Xylo for many months as the scorpio maker wish to ensure higher standard of quality.

Xylo would be powered by a common rail 2.6L diesel engine producing over 100bhp+ max power and 283Nm of max torque. Initially the Xylo would come with a manual transmission and down the line we can expect an autobox for Xylo. Xylo will be priced between Rs6.5 lakh to Rs7.5 lakh.  In India, Xylo will take on the Toyota’s Innova.

To know more about Mahindra Xylo visit http://mahindraxylo.co.in/

Thumbnail Pictures of Mahindra Xylo

Suzuki launches Hayabusa and Intruder M1800R in India

As expected, Suzuki today launched two hyper sports bikes – Hayabusa and Intruder M1800R in India. “This launch is very significant when we are globally surrounded by uncertainties… Suzuki has been delivering superior technology, which has been proven world-wide. We intend to showcase the same in India,” Suzuki Motorcycle India  Vice-President (Sales & Marketing) Atul Gupta told. The bikes will be available in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Hayabusa and Intruder M1800R are both priced at Rs 12.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Last year Yamaha launched its two superbikes -RZF R1 and MT01 in India. Launching the charismatic bikes Mr. Atul Gupta, Vice President (Sales and Marketing) said, “Suzuki has been delivering superior technology which has been proven worldwide. We now intend to showcase the same in India. With the launch of the two bikes, Suzuki is all set to support the craziest and sportiest young enthusiasts who are looking for these mean machines.”  Speaking on the launch Mr. Katsumi Takata, Joint Managing Director, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. said, “This launch is in line with our aim to deliver outstanding technology and performance to the Indian market. We are pleased to offer exciting riding experience to pro-bikers.”
Update: Hayabusa will be available in four titillating colours –  Solid Black / Metallic Majestic Gold and Pearl Nebular Black / Metallic Phantom Gray.  The intruder M1800R comes in pearl nebular Black and candy Dark Cherry Red.

Tata Motors to launch Xenon super CNG in Thailand

Tata Motors will launch the Xenon Super CNG pickup truck at the forthcoming Bangkok International Motor Expo 2008. The expo will be held between November 29 to December 10. The TATA Xenon Super CNG is Thailand’s first pickup truck with a factory-installed 100-per cent CNG system. It offers one of the better energy-saving options available in Thailand and therefore one of the more cost-effective alternatives for the Thai customer. The Xenon Super CNG X-tend Cab CLE is being introduced at a special price of ? 519,000.

Speaking on the introduction of this first-of-a-kind pickup vehicle, Mr. Ajit Venkataraman, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Motors (Thailand) Co Ltd, said, “We are very pleased to be a part of Thailand’s automobile industry and to provide options to Thai customers that are both innovative and distinctive. Tata Motors’ pickup trucks are designed keeping in mind the requirements of pickup vehicle customers – low operating cost through low fuel consumption and low cost of maintenance. Vehicles that use alternative fuels, especially compressed natural gas (CNG) like the Tata Xenon Super CNG, are going to be more advantageous as the government’s policy is to maintain CNG price to at least half of the price of diesel. We are confident that customers will find the Xenon Super CNG a vehicle of their choice.”

The Xenon Super CNG comes with a 2.1 litre, DOHC multi-point injection engine with a maximum output of 115 hp and a maximum torque of 175 nm at 3,750 rpm. According to Tata Motors. the CNG options will result in cut the operating costs by up to 30 to 50 per cent.
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Vicky.in contributes for Dainik Bhaskar

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What wikipedia says about Dainik Bhaskar

Dainik Bhaskar is a Hindi-language daily newspaper of India. It started in 1958 from Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh. Currently it is published from many cities of North India. The Rs 2200 crore Bhaskar Group is a leading news services group in India with a strong presence in the Media Industry, Entertainment, Printing, Textiles, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Oils, Solvents and Internet Services.  Its Media business includes ownership of Print Media, Radio Stations and TV channels. The group is the largest read newspaper group of India with a total readership of Rs 2.67 crores, as per NRS 2006. Its flagship Hindi daily newspaper, Dainik Bhaskar, and the Gujarati newspaper, Divya Bhaskar collectively make it the largest read daily newspapers.

Hyundai extends discount offers to Government employees

Hyundai has extended its special scheme for government employees till November end taking in to account the success of the scheme. Earlier, Hyundai launched the scheme in October in response to the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission.

According to the scheme, Hyundai offers a discount of Rs 17,000 on Santro non-A/C model, Rs 22,000 on Santro GL/ GLS variant, Rs 10,000 on its premium compact car i-10, Rs 22,000-27,000 on Getz and 31,000 on its sedan Verna. In case of non government employees, it is an insurance and a three-year warranty on Santro, Rs 3,000-5,000 discount on i10 and Rs 4,000-8,000 discount on Getz models.

Yamaha to scale up output

“Yamaha Motor India is happy by the response to its recently launched 153 cc FZ-16, a 100% subsidiary of Japan’s Yamaha Motor Company Limited, plans to rise up its production from 350 units per day to 500 units per day at Surajpur plant in Uttar Pradesh,” said Pankaj Dubey, national business head, division head sales and marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Private Limited.

He added that the sales target for the bike is purely dependent upon supply, which at present is inadequate. “We had set a target of 25,000 units of FZ-16 in three months (October, November and December),” he said.
Sanjay Tripathi, division head, product planning and marketing, Yamaha India says, “We have 22,000 paid-up orders for the FZ-16. The company will ramp up production in a phased manner as it does not want to compromise on quality. FZ-16 was launched in October at a price of Rs 65,000 ex-showroom (All India)”.
Currently, the bike has a waiting period running from 28 days and going up to 50-80 days. According to sources, few dealers of the company are resorting to asking for Rs 10,000 money extra on the bike for the quicker delivery. Last month, the company produced 8,000 units and claims to have sold all. “The demand for FZ-16 has surpassed YZF-R15 (150 cc),” said Dubey. The company has sold 18,000 units of YZF-R15 so far.
It will be launching two bikes in the 125 cc above segment next year and is also exploring the market for its gearless scooters. Yamaha has assigned an investment of Rs 800 crore for the upgradation of plant, marketing and dealership expansion for the next three years. By 2010, the company is looking at a total capacity of eight lakh units per annum from the existing four lakh units per annum, taking Faridabad in Haryana and Surajpur together. Further, the company plans to have about 1500 dealers, touch points and sub-dealers taken together around the same time. At present, it has 330 dealers in the country.