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Honda to hike prices on its cars

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:24:26 -0800

It is official, Honda Siel Cars India will marginally hike prices of its models from January to offset rise in input costs and fluctuating foreign exchange.

Masahiro Takadegawa , President and CEO of Honda Siel Cars India, says that Honda will increase prices of their models by maximum 1 per cent from January next year. This is to offset the rise in input price and fluctuations in foreign exchange rate.

He also said that the prices of many commodities, including steel, have been rising and this has reduced margins for vehicle makers. But he assured the car buyers that the rise in the price would be very marginal. HSCI is a joint venture between Japanese auto giant Honda Motor Company and the Siel Group.

The company sells five models in the Indian market, including the small car Honda Jazz, sedans City, Civic, Accord, and Sports utility vehicle CR-V. Of these, the CR-V is imported from Japan, while the other models are manufactured in India.

Commenting on the recent jump in the sales in the Indian car Market, Takadegawa said, "It is obvious that there is a revival. But I cannot say how long this will continue. A lot depends on keeping the stimulus incentives intact."

This price rise could trigger other car makers also to follow suit.

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Honda to hike prices on its cars

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:24:25 -0800

It is official, Honda Siel Cars India will marginally hike prices of its models from January to offset rise in input costs and fluctuating foreign exchange.

This price rise could trigger other car makers also to follow suit.

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VW buys 20 per cent of Suzuki's stake

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:06:45 -0800

Volkswagen AG’s decision to purchase 20 per cent stake of the Suzuki Motor Corporation for the purpose of providing much needed developmental boost for the company and in return getting the access to improve the small car manufacturing technology has been hailed as one of the important moves the German Auto giant has done in recent times after taking over of the luxury sports car brand Porsche.

As per the information the stake of Volkswagen will rise to the controlling holding of more than one third in the coming year. As per the information available they will be making this decision in the coming week. As per the statement made by the spokesmen of Volkswagen the purchase of 20 percent stake of Suzuki is estimated to cost around 250 billion yen i.e. $ 2.80 billion yen.

As per the executive of Volkswagen which is also the third largest auto car manufacturer and Europe largest automaker, VW has been targeting Suzuki from last year for their small car technology. Suzuki which is Japan's fourth largest Auto manufacturer stated that they are looking to enter with an partnership with VW after they have suffered a huge loss by making ties with General Motors Co. which have banked on for getting the technological help for the purpose of manufacturing the hybrid and other next generation car technology.

Suzuki which has made a strong impact on the Indian market as well as on the Japanese market to manufacture the 660cc mini vehicles also called as “Kei Cars” which is stated to have a market capitalisation of $13.7 billion in comparison with Volkswagen's $45.7 billion. It is further stated that Suzuki captures 20 percent of stake in the treasury stock which is been brought from the GM between 2006 and 2008.

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Citrous Citroen DS(3)

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:25:12 -0800

Citroen DS, an iconic car from the even more iconic French car maker Citroen has lots of fan following. Just to cash in on the celebrity status of the car, the French auto maker has just hit upon a plan to revive the car’s status with its new 2010 Citroen DS3. Now let’s draw comparison taking two of these cars into consideration.

The original Citroen DS was developed in secret for 18 years as a successor to the highly innovative and legendary Traction Avant, while the new car, the Citroen DS3 was just meant to be a replica of the fame carried by its predecessor.

The original car was styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and was launched in 1955 Paris Motor Show where it left the people awestruck for its futuristic, aerodynamic styling. This car featured a self-leveling suspension and set the bench mark for ride and handling in a car of that era.

This car also featured a fiberglass roof for reduced weight transfer during cornering. The car began its innings in the automotive world with a humble air-cooled, carbureted, 1911cc in-line four motor that delivered 75 bhp and ended with a fuel-injected, 2347 cc, 143 bhp in-line four. (Sorry about that humble tone)

Citroen DS was also a car which fetched racing laurels for the company when it won the Monte Carlo rally in 1959 and 1966. This was a car which won admiration from none other than the than French president Charles De Gulle in 1962 when an unarmoured car which he was travelling escaped an assassination attempt on his life in top speed even with two flat, bullet ridden tyres. Whoa! A personal body guard for sure eh?

This car which was a sign of the French ingenuity remained in production from 1955 to 1975 and also was ranked third in the car of the century competition of 1999. This car also has won the beauty contest after it was named the most beautiful car of all time classics and sports car magazine after a poll of 20 world-renowned car designers.

The old Citroen DS looked very much like a blend of Jaguar E-Type, a Porsche 911, a boat and a frog. What do you have to say? Beautiful ???

Now back to the present, This car Citroen DS3 was developed to bring the legendary name back to life. The car features the flamboyant eccentricity of design that Citroen is famous for, as this car has a shark-fin B pillar that stands against the blacked out green-house. The car has humongous space inside it which is highly practical with large stowage space and huge boot.

Citroen DS3 will be manufactured at Poissy in France and will be powered by 90 and 110 bhp diesel engines while the 95,120 and 150 bhp engines will do the trick for the petrol versions.

We have just one sentence to say about this car while comparing the older version of the car. It will never be as revolutionary or evocative as the original as Originals always and will be originals.

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Maruti Suzuki Ships Out 100000th A-star

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:37:06 -0800

Maruti Suzuki has done it again. It looks like Maruti Suzuki is all set to break the records that are there in the record books. The Sachin Tendulkar of cars in India, Maruti Suzuki has yet again done it with its home grown A-Star.

Maruti Suzuki A-Star has crossed the export mark of 1 lakh units after its latest shipment from the Mundra port. And this achievement of Maruti Suzuki came after less than a year after its first shipment to Europe in January in the start of this year.

Maruti Suzuki’s A-star which was launched in India in November 2008 is manufactured at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant that holds the reputation of being a sole base of production of A-Star. The car is being exported to 69 countries.

Europe has emerged as the major export destination for A-star, where the car is sold as Suzuki Alto. Maruti Suzuki has exported 93,562 units of A-star to Europe alone. Currently, A-star sells in 19 countries in Europe. UK, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France are some of the major markets. With the K-series engine, the A-star has been rated as number one environmental friendly petrol car in Germany. The European version of A-star sports a Euro V compliant engine that emits CO2 as low as 103 gms per kilometer. The Australian version of A-Star won the Australian fuel rally recently with a mileage of 50kpl.

Other major markets for A-star, where it is sold as Suzuki Celerio include Chile, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria and UAE. Like European countries, the car is sold as Suzuki Alto in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand markets.

In the first phase of A-star export plan, Maruti Suzuki has already covered many key markets in Western Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. In the second phase, Maruti Suzuki will target East European markets.

The A-star has led Maruti Suzuki’s export growth this fiscal so far. During April-November this fiscal, the company has exported 91,731 units whereas, during full fiscal last year, Maruti Suzuki’s export was 70,023 units.

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Bulletproof vehicles drive car sales

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:51:11 -0800

It’s not just PM Manmohan Singh who drives around in a high-security, bulletproof BMW car. High net worth individuals like that of industrialists, corporate honchos, celebrities, politicians and, the so-called wannabes are warming up to the idea of zooming in special protection vehicles.

Whether it’s for one’s protection or a style statement or just a new high in luxury, the demand for such cars has more than doubled over the past five years. Special protection vehicles (SPV), better known as security vehicles, are built to withstand attacks from grenades, gunfire, and even explosions caused by RDX. The price tags of these SPVs are upwards of Rs 2 crore.

“We get a lot of requests for such cars, but when we tell them the price, people change their mind,” said a director of a luxury car dealership in Bangalore. Luxury car makers Mercedes Benz and BMW are known to be the biggest sellers of such vehicles in India.

Since these cars have to be custom-made at the factory, they are generally imported as completely built units, attracting high import duties. While Mercedes offers three variants of SPVs, the EGuard, S-Guard and G-Guard, BMW offers security variants of its 5-series, X5 series and 7-series cars.

“We received good response from this niche segment. Government and embassies, international delegations, politicians, celebrities and high-profile industrialists are some key customer groups,” said a Mercedes Benz India spokesperson.

BMW did not want to comment on this, citing confidentially clauses it signs with customers. But according to leading English daily around 15% to 25% of BMW’s 7 series sales in India comprise the security variants.

A Toyota official said that despite the company not offering such vehicles, requests pour in. “If a customer does get a Toyota car bulletproofed by a third party, then we will revoke the warranty on the car,” said the official.

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New Ford Fiesta to make its US debut in LA Auto Show

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:00:45 -0800

The new Ford Fiesta will be unveiled to its North American customers at the 2009 Los Angeles Show this month. New Fiesta, first shown in China in November 2008 has been doing well with more than 500,000 units having been sold already across the world.

The Fiesta, which will go on sale in the US in 2010, will be available in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback versions there. The Fiesta sets a new standard for delivering an expressive and desirable small car in the US. Ford is continuing to build on the Fiesta’s worldwide momentum to deliver a new generation of small cars for a new generation of North American customers.

Ford is already confident that the success that they are enjoying with new Fiesta in the European market will transfer to North America as customers there come to understand that small can mean stylish and sophisticated, as well as fun.

Ford Fiesta that’ will do the duty in US will be fitted with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 118 horsepower. Along with spirited performance, the engine is also quite economical, providing 17km/l. The car’s standard five-speed manual gearbox has ratios that have been selected to provide a good mix of lively acceleration as well as fuel economy, while a six-speed automatic will also be available on the US Fiesta.

This Fiesta, rather than the one currently sold in India, seems to be a vehicle that could allow Ford to successfully take on cars like the Honda City and Maruti Suzuki SX4 in India. However, whether Ford India will actually bring this car here remains to be seen. We suppose all shall be revealed at the Auto Expo in Delhi next month…!

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Hybrid cars of Nano – Tata’s strategy

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:07:47 -0800

The world’s cheapest car Nano will soon be going green. Tata Nano is soon getting a hybrid version, meeting the environment-friendly norms. According to its Chairman Ratan Tata there is more scope for low-priced goods than high priced goods in India, the trend which is likely spread globally.

The India’s biggest car maker Tata believes that the car industry would decide the future of economic-friendly models. However, no detailed picture could be got about the cheap hybrid versions. Nano spread the revolution at the price factor of $2000 and entered the roads in last July.

Mr. Ratan Tata briefed that his company has plans to export the light truck Ace to South Korea and also assembling and manufacturing the truck in South Korean plant. By promoting bio technology and bioengineering, he said the company wants to play on the nutrient-enriched food market.

Tata is exploring its potential in Vietnam and the US markets before making any active participation. Simultaneously, the company is assessing the investment in automobiles, software and hotel lines along with bio fuel in South American belts like Brazil and Argentina.

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World's cheapest car Tata Nano goes green

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:55:41 -0800

India's Tata Group says it is planning to produce hybrid versions of its Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car.

Ratan Tata, the chairman of both Tata Group and Tata Motors - the biggest vehicle producer in India - made the comments on a visit to South Korea.

A hybrid vehicle typically uses two or more distinct power sources to move it, usually petrol or diesel and a battery. Mr Tata also said that low-priced goods would drive sales faster than high-end ones in India.

And he predicted this so-called price revolution would also continue to spread across the world. The chairman did not provide any further details on the possible launch of cheap hybrid versions.

The Nano, whose basic model costs 100,000 rupees was first delivered in India in July this year.

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An Electric Tata Indica

nobody@vox.com(Carazoo.com) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:34:59 -0800

Tata Motors is planning to roll out an electric version of it Indica Vista in India.

The Tata Indica Electric was unveiled at the 2008 Auto Expo. But at that time, this electric car was not meant for India. The Indica Electric is being developed by Tata Motors along with a Norwegian company. This electric car is planned for a launch in Britain, Norway and Denmark in 2011.

The Indian car company, famous for its SUVs, must have pondered about the unfavourable environmental affects in India. But Tata Motors will do a research before it rolls out the car in India. If the feasibility study in India shows positive signs, the car will be launched in India in the same time as it will be launched in the European markets.

The launch of the Tata Indica Vista Electric in India would depend on numerous factors like the cost factor, as the car is definitely going to be expensive. Pricing should not be a problem for Tata Motors as it has always been wise on this part. Another difficulty the auto manufacturer has to face is the availability of electricity for the car in the country.

Of late, many car makers are considering to bringing in their electric car line-up to India. The Toyota Prius will be launched at the upcoming 2010 Delhi Auto Expo and the Hyundai i10 Electric is on the way along with the NXR and NXG models from REVA’s factory.

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