 |
India Auto News Wednesday, 27 Jan. 2010 |
National - JLR chief executive David Smith steps down; Ravi Kant to take over temporarily- Maruti Suzuki races past parent company Suzuki Motor in overall production - Skoda India to retain luxury tag, says VW will find its own positioning - Ford India launches new Ikon variant - Korean President visits Hyundai India facility - Maruti Suzuki to invest Rs 1,700 crore in capacity expansion - Rolls-Royce forecasts sale of 450 units in Asia in 2010 - Volvo India announces expansion plans, will launch XC60, S60 in 2010 International - Volkswagen may overtake Toyota as world number one by 2018 |
||||
JLR chief executive David Smith steps down; Ravi Kant to take over temporarily
Mr David Smith, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tata Motors-owned Jaguar and
Land Rover, stepped down this week, possibly because of disagreements with the parent company over strategy. While a number of media reports link Smith's exit to the failed negotiations regarding workers' salaries recently, a JLR spokesperson denied any connection between the two. Mr Smith worked with JLR for 26 years. Tata Motors' former MD, Mr Ravi Kant, will take over Smith's duties until the company finds a replacement for him.
|
||||
Maruti Suzuki races past parent company Suzuki Motor in overall production
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) overtook parent company Suzuki Motor's total production in 2009. MSIL produced 966,399 units during the year, while Suzuki's total production stood at 908,302 units. Car sales in Japan, where Suzuki is based, fell by 10 per cent last year. On the other hand, the Indian auto market grew by 19 per cent. It has been estimated that by 2014, 30 percent of the world's auto sales will come from the four BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China. |
||||
Skoda India to retain luxury tag, says VW will find its own positioning
Czech company, Skoda Auto, a subsidiary of Volkswagen (VW), has decided not to re-position its range of cars in India to avoid competition with VW. Skoda has been present in India for a number of years, and is seen as a maker of high-end cars in the country. Though the company says it will not change the positioning of all its products, it is expected to introduce cheaper variants of the Fabia before the launch of VW's Polo. |
||||
Ford India launches new Ikon variant
Ford India launched a new variant of its entry level sedan, the Ford Ikon, last week. The 'Ford Ikon Plus' comes with extra security features and is available with both petrol and diesel engine options. The car's price ranges from Rs 5.17 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the petrol version and Rs 5.77 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the diesel version. Mr Nigel Wark, Ford India Executive Director, said that the new variant was a follow up to the Ford Ikon iKool, launched last year. |
||||
Korean President visits Hyundai India facility
The President of the Republic of Korea, His Excellency Lee Myung-Bak, and First Lady Kim Yoon-ok, visited Hyundai Motor India's manufacturing facility in Chennai this week. H.E. Lee Myung-bak has a background in business administration, and has worked with the Hyundai Group for almost three decades in the past. Meanwhile, Hyundai India has opened a new dealership in Mumbai, increasing its total number of dealerships in Maharashtra to 29.
|
||||
Maruti Suzuki to invest Rs 1,700 crore in capacity expansion
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) last week finalized a plan to invest Rs 1,700 crore in capacity expansion at its Manesar plant. The company will be ramping up its production capacity by an additional 250,000 units annually. The Manesar plant is already undergoing an upgradation process, with Maruti shifting part of the production at its Gurgaon facility to Manesar. Capacity building at the plant will be completed by 2012. Meanwhile, MSIL has reported a net profit of Rs 688 crore in the October-December quarter, 2009. |
||||
Rolls-Royce forecasts sale of 450 units in Asia in 2010
UK-based luxury-car maker, Rolls-Royce, expects its Asia sales to triple to 450 units in 2010. The company is hoping that its relatively low-priced Rolls-Royce Ghost will help push up sales. Additionally, it feels that luxury cars will fare better this year in comparison to last year's sales, given the improving economic scenario. Brenda Pek, head of Rolls-Royce's operations in the South and East Asia Pacific region, said that the company would introduce a whole new range of cars in the region this year. |
||||
Volvo India announces expansion plans, will launch XC60, S60 in 2010
Swedish auto company, Volvo, announced its expansion plans for India in a press statement last week. Mr Paul de Voijs, Managing Director of Volvo Auto India, said that
the company's goal was to become a trusted automobile luxury brand in the Indian market. Significant among the new cars that Volvo India will introduce in 2010 are the crossover vehicle XC60 and the S60. The company also plans to expand its dealership network to cities like Bangalore, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Goa and Kolkata.
|
||||
Volkswagen may overtake Toyota as world number one by 2018
Toyota Motor Corporation, the world's biggest carmaker, witnessed a 13 percent fall in its 2009 global sales, which has substantially reduced the gap between Toyota and number-two carmaker, Volkswagen. In 2008, Toyota had overtaken US-based auto company General Motors to become the world's top carmaker. In 2009, however, the Japanese company's sales fell to 7.81 million vehicles. Volkswagen's sales in 2009 stood at 6.29 million units, up 1.1 percent from its sales in the previous year. VW is hoping to overtake Toyota as the world's number one auto company by 2018 |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES - Auto News Roundup, 21-January-2010 - Auto News Roundup, 19-January-2010 |
||||
|
Send questions, thoughts, concerns and criticism to: editor@driveinside.com How to Advertise About DriveInside.com Unsubscribe from this mailing list. |
||||
