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India Auto News Tuesday, 24 Nov. 2009 |
National - Govt may reduce import duty on green vehicles- M&M may hike vehicle prices - Renault-Mahindra JV to continue: Ghosn - Toyota Kirloskar may start engine manufacturing in India - Maruti Suzuki to launch new van to replace Versa - New fuel-efficiency norms to be mandatory from 2011 - Rolls-Royce Ghost previewed in India - Maruti to double exports from Mundra port; sets up driving institute for tribals in Gujarat International - Volkswagen to become world's No.1 automaker after Porsche take-over |
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Govt may reduce import duty on green vehicles
Environment-friendly vehicles may soon cost less in India, according to Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh. Speaking on the sidelines of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers' (SIAM) Environment Friendly Vehicles Conference, Mr Deshmukh said that his department would make a recommendation to the Finance Ministry on reducing the import duty on eco-friendly vehicles. Cars imported as Completely Built Units (CBUs) attract an import duty of over 100 per cent, leading to a twofold increase in their prices when they come to India.
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Mahindra & Mahindra may soon increase the prices of its vehicles if input costs continue to grow. Mr Pawan Goenka, the President of M&M's Automotive Division, said that the company would try to absorb the input costs and not hike prices in the third quarter, but that it would have to do it later if the rise in input costs was as high as last year's. M&M's profit margin in the July-September quarter was 18.2 per cent - its best in many years, but the company will not be able to sustain it if rubber and steel prices are not contained.
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Renault-Mahindra JV to continue: Ghosn
The joint venture between auto companies Mahindra & Mahindra and
Renault to manufacture the Logan in India will continue, according to Renault-Nissan Chief Carlos Ghosn. Mr Ghosn said that that while Renault would continue to develop the Logan with M&M, it was yet to finalise a new marketing and selling strategy for the car. The Logan has done extremely well in Russia, North Africa, Europe and Brazil, but has not been very successful in India. For a long time now, its monthly sales in the country have remained below 500 units.
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Toyota Kirloskar may start engine manufacturing in India
Japanese car company Toyota Motor Corporation is planning to set up an engine plant at its second manufacturing facility in India, in Bangalore. The new facility is being built at an investment of Rs 3,200 crore. Speaking on the sidelines of SIAM's Environment Friendly Vehicles Conference, Toyota Kirloskar Motor MD, Mr Hiroshi Nakagawa, said that the company was keen to build an engine and transmission plant at its second facility in India, to help increase localisation and bring down production costs.
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Maruti Suzuki to launch new van to replace Versa
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) will launch a new van by the end of FY 2009-10 to replace its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the Maruti Versa. The company has already stopped producing the Versa. Maruti's Managing Executive Officer (Engineering), Mr IV Rao, told mediapersons that a new van would replace the Versa by the end of this financial year, but did not elaborate on its specifications and pricing. He also said that the company would be producing one million units annually by the end of this fiscal, by utilising its full production capacity.
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New fuel-efficiency norms to be mandatory from 2011
Fuel-efficiency standards in India will be made mandatory from the year 2011, according to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. Mr Ramesh said at the 4th Environment Friendly Vehicles Conference that the new fuel standards will be notified either through the Energy Efficiency Act or through the Motor Vehicles Act. It will be compulsory for automakers to have energy-efficiency tags on all vehicles they sell from 2011. Mr Ramesh also said that hybrid, electric and CNG-powered vehicles will become more significant in the future. From 2017, alternative fuels will be blended in significant proportions with petrol and diesel to power vehicles, which will help reduce carbon emissions.
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Rolls-Royce Ghost previewed in India
UK-based luxury car manufacturer,
Rolls-Royce, recently previewed its super-luxury saloon, the Ghost, in India. The car is priced at Rs 2.5 crore. Deliveries will start in 2010. The company is hoping to sell 60 units of the car in the first year of its launch. Less expensive than the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Ghost is expected to overtake the former in sales numbers. It comes with a 6.6 litre twin-turbo charged V12 engine and an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
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Maruti to double exports from Mundra port; sets up driving institute for tribals in Gujarat
Maruti Suzuki is expecting to double its exports from Gujarat's Mundra port to over one lakh units this year. It had exported 70,000 units last year. The company also inaugurated the All Gujarat Institute of Driving, Technical Training and Research Centre at Gajadhara village in Waghodia this week. The institute will train tribal communities from 12 districts in driving, road safety and technical education free of cost. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said at the inauguration ceremony that like Tata Motors and General Motors, Maruti too should set up a manufacturing plant in Gujarat.
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Volkswagen to become world's No.1 automaker after Porsche take-over
European auto major
Volkswagen is all set to overtake Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation as the world's largest automaker. It will take over German sports car company Porsche, as per an endorsement by both the companies last week. The acquisition will take place in two phases. VW will acquire 49.9 per cent of Porsche by the end of 2009, and will complete the acquisition by 2011. In the first nine months of 2009, VW and Porsche together sold 4.4 million cars, while Toyota sold 4 million.
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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES - Auto News Roundup, 19-November-2009 - Auto News Roundup, 17-November-2009 |
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