You may be frustrated because of reservations. In India, though the places are scarce reservations are plenty. Starting with the seats in colleges to government jobs reservation has become the way of life here. But this reservation is sought for a car, yes, for Tata’s Nano. Even at the press conference, one senior citizen and a reporter requested Ratan Tata to reserve some Nano’s for senior citizen and rural areas. Now opposition party has made written request Ratan Tata for the same. BJP National Secretary Vijay Goel asked Ratan Tata to give preference to lower income group while making bookings for the car whenever it is ready for a commercial launch.In a letter written to Tata, who is the Chairman of Tata Motors, Goel said precautionary measures should be taken while booking the car in order to avoid black marketing or hoarding.”My fear is that at the time of booking, it is possible that the richer agents of the black market may book the car or even someone who can afford a bigger one may block the car from reaching the target consumer,” The former Union Minister said.To prevent the same, it would be a great idea to take some precautionary measures and give some preference to those who come from a lower-income group, he added. He said asking for income tax return or some other proof at the time of booking could help in identifying the income class of the consumer.
Toyota Innova recalled
Toyota will recall about 20,000 units of its popular multi-utility vehicle, Innova, in India to repair a defective part that could lead to oil leakage. “The problem, we have found, is in the differential carrier mounting nuts, which becomes loose, and on long usage could lead to oil leakage. It has been detected in about 20,000 Innovas,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor Deputy Managing Director, K K Swamy, told. He said Innovas manufactured only between April and October 2007 have been recalled to repair the faulty part. “This is still a small number considering that the total number of Innovas on the road is about 1.3 lakh. Also, we have experienced this problem only in India, probably due to the road conditions here as the same vehicle elsewhere in the world are not facing any such problems,” Swamy added. Toyota said it would take about an hour to repair the faulty part. If the part was not repaired, in worst scenario it could lead to stalling of vehicle. Innova is Toyota’s best selling vehicle in India and it sold 34,786 units in the April-December period of the ongoing fiscal.
TVS Scooty Teenz Electric
Scooty teenz electric is the first electric scooter from TVS. Lured by the growth of the ebikes and escooters TVS forayed into the segment with this new scooter. TVS scooty teenz electric is powered by 800W electric motor and hence it can reach a maximum speed of 40kmph which in turn means to ride a scooty teenz electric, registration is must. TVS says the charging time is 8 hours for the scooty teenz electric. The scooty teenz electric is targeted at women who need mobility, but at lower ownership costs and whose daily travel is limited to around 15-25km per day. Acoording to TVS, Scooty Teenz electric has a maximum range of 50 km per charge,has a long battery life and maximum utility space.
Volkswagen Touareg awarded
To escalate the enthusiasm among the Auto Expo visitors and to celebrate its maiden entry in the Delhi Auto Expo, Volkswagen organized a step-wise raffle draw game. As the Auto Expo drawn curtains yesterday,Volkswagen announced the winner of the contest. The lucky winner of the raffle draw conducted at the Volkswagen pavilion Mr. Dipish Khurana is awarded an exciting Touareg experience.
Mr. Dipish Khurana, an entrepreneur from Delhi, won the Touareg experience along with a four days and three nights’ trip to Dubai. “It is ecstatic and so not expected. I am a big fan of Volkswagen and the entire brand”, Mr. Khurana expressed. The prize was given away by Mr. Thomas Kadicheeni, GM, Sales & Dealer Development (Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd.).
Caparo T1 world’s safest car
Caparo T1 dubbed as one of world’s safest ultra-performance cars is all set to launch by April this year.Caparo T1 manufactured by Caparo Group – the global technology company founded by NRI businessman Lord Swraj Paul – and designed by senior engineers from the team that developed the legendary McLaren F1, the T1 uses a blend of race-car and road-car technologies to deliver astonishing performance that surpasses even today’s fastest and most expensive super-cars. Caparo T1 features 1,000bhp per tonne around twice the power-to-weight ratio of a Bugatti Veyron the world’s fastest road car. Caparo T1 reaches 60 mph from standstill in just 2.5 seconds and zero to 100mph in less than five seconds. Top speed exceeds 200mph and the patented Caparo AP braking technology can stop the caparo T1 from 100mph in less than three seconds. Caparo T1 is also one of the safest cars on the road, with energy absorbing nose, tail and side structures and an exceptionally strong protective passenger cell constructed using Caparo’s new carbon composite forming technology. The Caparo T1 is now undergoing final development testing before the first production cars are hand assembled at a dedicated facility in the UK, at the heart of the global motorsport industry.Caparo T1 will be sold across the world.Caparo T1 will cost around 235,000 pounds. http://www.caparot1.com/
Honda’s new CRV to co-exist 2.4L CRV
Honda’s 2008 plan
* The new variant of CRV that will co-exist with the existing one, the new CR-V would be equipped with a 2-litre engine as compared to the current 2.4 litre engine.
* In case of the new Accord, it will replace the existing model with six airbags and would be more expensive and fuel-efficient.
* Honda Motor will introduce its 20 per cent ethanol compatible cars in India in the current calendar year.
* Honda Siel would also launch its Hybrid Civic during the year, the required homologation clearance over the coming 2-3 months.
Yamaha’s Bike Station
Yamaha motors India which is set to capture 10% market share by 2010 in Indian motorcycle market, launched its first lifestyle store ‘Bike Station’ today. Besides selling motorcycles, aparrels and accessories, Bike Stations would also provide ambit of services such as video games, internet surfing, music and coffee bars. Yamaha is planning to open 10 Bike stations in various parts of the country by the end of current year in the first phase and in the second phase, plans to convert more than 50 per cent of its existing 400 dealers into such concept stores.”The opening of these stores is a part of our strategy to biking lifestyle culture in India,” Yamaha Motors India Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Takahiro Maeda told. Takahiro said the company’s proposed investment of Rs 800 crore in India includes the opening such stores in the country while declining to give further details.”We are targeting a 10-per cent market share in the domestic market as this volume is the minimum needed to exist in the market,” he added. Yamaha is planning to launch four new bikes in 2008 and these bikes would be launched in a phased manner.
AMW to launch LCV in India
AMW a prominent HCV player plans to foray into the burgeoning LCV segment. AMW showcased its LCV at the Auto Expo. AMW LCV will be an 1.5-3 tonne vehicle. This mini truck segment is currently dominated by Tata’s Ace and Piaggio Ape truk. Recently, Force motors forayed into this segment with its new M4. The light commercial vehicle (LCV) market which is expected to grow to 2.32 lakh units in the current fiscal.
Auto Expo Concludes
The 9th Auto Expo 2008, which began on January 10, concluded on Friday with a joint address by industry bodies and organisers CII, ACMA and SIAM. The Auto Expo 2008 was the biggest ever in terms of size, number of participants, visitors turn-out and business. Preliminary estimates indicate that the auto carnival attracted about 1.8 million visitors and generated business worth about Rs 20,000 crore at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Overall, 9th Delhi Auto Expo reflected the India’s presence in Global Automotive Industry.
Bajaj to buy stake in Triumph
Bajaj which chased Triumph and Ducati earlier finally put off the plans because of high valuation. Now Bajaj gets another chance, yes, Triumph plans a indian foray and hence it actively scouts for an Indian partner. Who else than Bajaj can be perfect mate for selling cruisers. Indications are that Triumph may be open to offloading some equity stake to Bajaj in a bid to enter the Indian market, just like KTM. Earlier this week, Triumph’s export manager Nick Bloor had said his company is keen to establish presence in India. “Triumph is looking to expand its global network. We are looking for an established partner in India which has extensive knowledge in the motorcycle and automotive business and who clearly understands the brand’s value.” He said the company should have an Indian partner in place within six months. Recently, Bajaj has raised its stake in KTM to 25%.