Indian Auto Industry Thread II

[Innova Cool]

apart from worlds cheapest car TATA's 1 lac ruppee car Nano..who others are going to join this bandwagon of 1 lac rupee car sector..

[ajay_ijn]

Originally Posted by Innova Cool

apart from worlds cheapest car TATA's 1 lac ruppee car Nano..who others are going to join this bandwagon of 1 lac rupee car sector..

no one, only Nissan-Renault-Bajaj are considering a very cheap car but it won't be 1 Lac.

[dreadathecontrols]

The thing with cheap things cars or otherwise is that they are usually , bit not always, crap.Thats why how the nana performs on the road for its owners is the benchmark.And that why most manufactueres wont risk the r&d for bottom rung mini cars .

[phaedrus]

Dilip Chhabria to roll out car design school

ACE car designer Dilip Chhabria will start his own state-of-the-art institute of automobile design in Pune with a proposed investment of Rs 60 crore. The multidisciplinary institute is expected to become operational by 2009.
The DC College of Automotive Studies will have both undergraduate and two-year PG courses, with students designing cars and also marketing them commercially. French major Renault Design will be one of the industry partners for this scalable-up-to-1,500-student college, which is likely to be a deemed university as well. It will be a totally independent facility different from the current outfit ‘Dilip Chhabria Design Pvt.
Speaking to ET, Dilip Chhabria, who has worked with the design team at General Motors to help create a prototype of its Chevrolet Beat, said: “It will be a totally different facility where the students will learn all the nuances of developing a car right from scratch. We want to develop automobile professionals with a practical psyche to not only design, but also to make marketable cars. We will not create pure engineers, but strive to make them entrepreneurs. As we develop both designer and production cars, the new facility will cater to the needs of the booming automobile industry and also satisfy creativity.”
The digital modelling course will start from August 2009, followed by the post-graduate programme in styling & engineering sometime in 2010. “In a fouryear period, we expect a new campus to come up. Already we have had queries from a large number of global original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for crash courses,” Mr Chhabria said.
The course will cost somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 a year in tuition, depending on the length of study.

[economictimes epaper]

[cbeboy]

Volvo to use new Indian facility as Asian export hub


Swedish vehicle giant Volvo plans to turn a new Indian manufacturing facility into a low-cost export hub to tap rising Asian demand for public bus transport, the company said on Wednesday.

The bus unit of Volvo plans to build 450 buses this year at the facility that will open on Thursday in this southern Indian city and increase production to 1,000 units by 2010, said Chief Executive Hakaan Karlsson.

The company is mainly targeting the expanding Indian market where accelerating economic growth and rising middle-class incomes have stoked demand for luxury transport, but also plans to export part of the production to other Asian countries.

"Asian cities with growing populations and traffic density increasingly need cost-effective and modern public transport," Karlsson said.

"With Asia's commercial vehicle market growing exponentially, we see the joint venture playing a role in fuelling the company's future growth across the region," he said.

Volvo Bus, a division of Swedish vehicle maker AB Volvo, is joining manufacturers such as South Korea's Hyundai Motor and Japan's Suzuki in turning India into a low-cost export hub, using cheaper labour and local components.

Volvo Bus, which sold 200 coaches in India last year, set up the Bangalore manufacturing plant in a joint venture with local partner Jaico Automobiles.

The Swedish company has a 70 percent stake in the venture, which already has orders from local customers for half the targeted production this year, said Akash Passey, managing director of the joint venture.

[SarafIndian]

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/01/stor...0155391700.htm

Sub-Rs. 20,000 bike from Xenitis


VYING FOR A PIE: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee (second from left), with Chairman and Managing Director of Xenitis Group Santanu Ghosh (right), Chairman, Indo-China Friendship Forum, Anil Basu (left), and Member, Consultative Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, Tariq Anwar, launching a 100cc motorcycle in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Kolkata-based Xenitis Group, aiming to capture 20 per cent of the market share in the entry level domestic motorcycle segment by 2010, on Thursday announced the national roll-out of its sub-Rs. 20,000 bike.

“We had set the standard in personal computers when we launched the first sub-Rs. 10,000 product. We did the same with sub-Rs 20,000 laptops. We are confident we will be able to achieve the same in bikes,” Xenitis Group Chairman and Managing Director Santanu Ghosh told reporters here.

Besides the 100cc bike Rock, priced at Rs. 19,990 (ex-showroom Delhi), the company made the national launch of its 150cc gearless scooter, ‘Ufo,’ priced at Rs. 34,990 (ex-showroom Delhi). He said the company had already taken booking order for 1.6 lakh two wheelers to be supplied till March 2008. — PTI

[cbeboy]

Hyundai opens second India car plant


Hyundai Motor Co, South Korea's top automaker, on Saturday opened a second plant in India to take on growing competition, cementing the country's position as a global hub for small cars.

The facility in Sriperumbudur, near the southern city of Chennai, will double capacity to 600,000 units, second only to leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd's planned expansion to 1 million units by 2010/11.

The plant, adjacent to the existing facility, will largely be dedicated to making the new i10 for local and export markets, Chairman and Chief Executive Chung Mong-Koo said.

"Hyundai Motor India will play its role of a global manufacturing hub for all of Hyundai's small car models," he said in a statement

[ajay_ijn]

Fiat boss hopes Tata will share Jaguar’s Technology
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle3293977.ece
FIAT has its eyes on technology developed by Jaguar and Land Rover and hopes to use it in Alfa Romeos and Maseratis.

Ford, which owns the two British marques, is in talks to sell them to Tata, the Indian conglomerate. Tata collaborates extensively with Fiat, with several joint ventures in India including vehicle and engine production, and a shared dealer network. Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s chief executive, told The Sunday Times last week he hoped Tata would be successful in acquiring Jaguar and Land Rover.

Marchionne said Fiat’s close association with Tata would make it possible to share Jaguar’s rear-wheel drive chassis platforms and Land Rover’s four-wheel drive systems. The first application would be a new flagship model for Alfa Romeo.

Fiat evaluated the two British premium car brands when Ford put them up for sale last year, but decided not to bid.

Marchionne said Fiat was open to expanding its relationship with Tata into Europe � where Tata sells cars in only a few countries � and that it would “look at the possibilities” for European distribution of the recently launched Tata Nano, which will sell for £1,225 in India.

The possibility of Tata sharing some of its newly acquired technology could answer analysts’ concerns about how it will handle Jaguar. Land Rover’s SUVs look a good fit with Tata’s existing range but the Indians have no experience with luxury saloons and sports cars.

[bobbie501]

Vintage beauties cast a spell

TOUCH OF GLAMOUR: Actress Gul Panag at the ’Haig Vintage Car Display ’ at Secunderabad Club on Sunday.

HYDERABAD: Sunday afternoon in Secunderabad couldn’t get any better.

For those who love cars, it was a day to remember as a number of vintage cars glimmered in their spotless glory, bringing back memories from the days of yore at the ‘Haig Vintage Car Display-2008’.

From Rolls Royce to Willys and BMW, they were all there and each car had a story to tell. Car enthusiasts looked at the vehicles with sheer admiration and some were seen examining minute details like paint work, upholstery and rear view mirrors. Right from the emblem to the tail light, every car was unique in its own way.

Star attraction

Out of the 76 cars, one car that stood out was an 1915 Wolseley Golfers Coupe, the only one of its kind that belonged to a royal family from Britain.

The car was gifted to the Maharaja of Bhagalpur and then was found by Ram Prakash Agarwal, a vintage car enthusiast from Hyderabad. He found the car in an appalling condition but worked on it for six years to restore it. Another car that had history written all over it was a 1936 Cadillac convertible limo.

The car was used by the last Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, Jawaharlal Nehru and First Governor General, C. Rajagopalachari and Governor of Andhra Pradesh Narayan Dutt Tiwari recently. The convertible was used as a State car for the Maharashtra Government at Nagpur.

Adding the glam quotient to the event was actress Gul Panag who was all praise for the cars and for the efforts of the owners in keeping them in an excellent state. Ace tennis player, Mahesh Bhupathi was also at the venue for a brief while. The best car award was given to the 1936 Cadillac convertible limo by Manvendra Singh Barwani, an automotive historian from Indore who judged the event.

[bobbie501]

Bajaj small car to roll out by 2010

VIJAYAWADA: Bajaj Automobiles, leading manufacturer of two-wheelers and threewheelers, is likely to roll out a fuel-efficient car by 2010, Bajaj Auto Limited CEO S Sridhar has said.

Speaking to newsmen here on Tuesday on the occasion of Varun Bajaj completing a sale of one lakh vehicles, he said Bajaj always gave priority to fuel efficiency and its proposed car too would have fuel efficiency.

Sridhar said he saw no threat to the two-wheeler industry from Tata’s Rs 1-lakh small car, Nano. “One can buy a car but fuel efficiency and maintenance get top priority,” he said. Bajaj plans to introduce highperformance bike, Sprint, as it perceives great demand from the student community for such bikes. The Sprint is likely to be priced within the reach of students and will be priced Rs 15,000 lower than Pulsar’s. Bajaj XCD 125 DTS-Si won the Bike of the Year award, he said.

[Subra]

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...0950722100.htm

The Ashok Leyland and Nissan joint venture for manufacturing light commercial vehicles is to come up at Vallam village in Sriperumbudur circle. The factory will have a capacity to manufacture over 200,000 vehicles a year.

The Government has also cleared Ashok Leyland’s expansion plan to make medium and heavy commercial vehicles. This manufacturing facility to come up at Pillaipakkam village near Ennore to the north of Chennai will have a capacity to manufacture over 100,000 vehicles a year.

[Suncity]

At Mumbai's Kalaghoda festival - Reva Electric Cars

photo copyright Humayunn

[dreadathecontrols]

any more pics or news on that fest?.Missed by a week last time i was there but its interesting.Art & ricksaw racing! only in India.

[Euromast]

Domestic tyre makers – Apollo, Ceat, MRF and JK Tyres – are defending their market share from the onslaught of global majors by expanding capacity, which will take their combined capacity to 4.4 million units by 2010.

As Bridgestone, Michelin, Yokohama, Goodyear and Pirelli are making inroads into the country’s Rs 19,000 crore tyre market, local manufacturers are setting up new plants or expanding the existing facilities to take on the competition.

Apollo Tyres is investing Rs 320 crore to increase the output. The company is setting up a greenfield radial facility in Tamil Nadu for trucks, buses and cars. Besides, it has planned an off-the-road tyre facility in Gujarat.
Apollo Tyres Joint Managing Director Neeraj Kanwar said, “International players have given us a wake-up call. It will force us to improve our productivity and efficiency in terms of cost and other factors.”

Ceat Tyres, the country’s fourth largest tyre maker, will pump in Rs 800 crore to set up two facilities of 230 tonne/per day capacity. JK Tyres, which has reportedly bagged the order for Tatas’ much-awaited Nano, will invest Rs 150 crore in a new plant.

India’s largest tyre producer MRF does not want to sit on its oars either. It is planning a new facility in Tamil Nadu.

Source

[kronik]

just look at what our auto manufacturers have been up to. Sheer Sweetness!

All thanks to the forum members at Bharat-Rakshak, Militaryphotos.net and other contributors. Merci.

Ashok Leyland's new Field Artillery Tractor (from their website)


From Yahoo: Ashok Leyland Ltd Light Specialist (R) and Field Artillery Tractor vehicles.




8x8 High Mobility Vehicle from Tata

[kronik]

Tata's Light Specialist Vehicle






Tata's Light Armored Troop Carrier


All these are pictures from the Defexpo currently underway in New Delhi. Today was the last day actually. It is Asia's largest arms convention.

[kronik]

one complete picture.....



I think this is from an Indian company too...



The Mahindra Marksman..



The Mahindra Axe...

[KB335ci]

AWESOME STUFF!!
I love the Mahindra Marksman, and the Ashok Leyland vehicles. I want to buy the Tata 8x8 for suburban Bombay trips - to run over rickshaws!

[Illusionist]

marks man looks the best... i like its angled design to deflect the bullets and a clear view of all directions...
i hope it get inducted for counter insurgency operations..

[IndiansUnite]

Originally Posted by Kronic

I think this is from an Indian company too...
http://media.bharat-rakshak.com/29642-1/DSC00058.JPG

It's known as the Mine Protected Vehicle and is made by the OFB (Ordiance factory board of India)