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India Auto News Thursday, 17 Dec. 2009 |
National - Tata Motors, M&M interested in Fiat's Termini Imerese plant in Italy- Rahul, Rajiv Bajaj differ on Bajaj Auto exiting scooter segment - General Motors to display 6 concept cars at January Auto Expo - Ruia Group acquires 60 per cent stake in German auto component company Henniges - Tata Motors launches Sumo Grande MK II - BEE proposes star rating vehicles based on energy efficiency - Nissan India to launch sports car 370Z in January 2010 - Delhi Govt fines Tata Motors Rs 4 crore for fires in low-floor buses - Volkswagen-Suzuki to develop hybrid cars in India International - Toyota to launch plug-in Prius in 2011 |
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Tata Motors, M&M interested in Fiat's Termini Imerese plant in Italy
Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra are reportedly in talks with Italian car company Fiat to take over its manufacturing facility in Termini Imerese, Italy. The Imerese plant manufactures a three-door hatchback, the Lancia Ypsilon, and has a daily production capacity of 400 units. The Economic Development Minister of Italy, Mr Claudio Scajola, told a business daily that while he was not aware of any negotiations between the Indian car companies and Fiat, both companies were welcome to invest in Italy.
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Rahul, Rajiv Bajaj differ on Bajaj Auto exiting scooter segment
Bajaj Auto Chairman, Mr Rahul Bajaj, said this week that he was not convinced by his son's decision to exit the scooter segment. Rajiv Bajaj, the company's Managing Director, had announced last week that Bajaj Auto would stop manufacturing its last scooter model, the Kristal, by the end of this fiscal year. His father Rahul Bajaj, however, is not happy with the decision and said he felt sad and hurt by it. Rajiv Bajaj, on the other hand, said that he cared less for emotions and more in the 'magic of logic'. |
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General Motors to display 6 concept cars at January Auto Expo
American automaker General Motors (GM) said this week that it would showcase six of its concept vehicles and its upcoming small car Chevrolet Beat at the Delhi Auto Expo in January 2010. The vehicles to be displayed include the hybrid car Chevrolet Volt, sports car Chevrolet Camaro, SUV Chevrolet Captiva Extreme, the electric version of the Spark, the CNG version of the Aveo and racing car WTCC Cruze. The company will also showcase some of its existing models at the Auto Expo. |
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Ruia Group acquires 60 per cent stake in German auto component company Henniges
Dunlop India owner, Mr Pawan Kumar Ruia, recently bought a 60 per cent controlling stake in German company Henniges Automotive Grefrath. Henniges, which manufactures automotive sealing systems and does business with auto companies like BMW, Audi, Daimler and Volkswagen, posted a turnover of 83.5 million euros in 2008. It has a world class manufacturing facility at Grefrath, Germany, and employs 400 people.
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Tata Motors launches Sumo Grande MK II
Tata Motors this week launched an upgraded version of its utility vehicle, the Tata Sumo Grande. The Grande MK II is available in three variants, priced between Rs 6.43 lakh and Rs 7.50 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and is compliant with the Bharat Stage III emission norms. Mr Rajiv Dube, the head of Tata Motors' passenger car division, told mediapersons that the vehicle was targeted towards large families that wanted the looks of an SUV and the comfort of an MPV.
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BEE proposes star rating vehicles based on energy efficiency
The Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) recently proposed rating automobiles in the country on the basis of their energy efficiency. The proposal suggests charging a registration fee of Rs 2,000 per vehicle to rate the fuel efficiency of its engine and another Rs 1,000 to assess its energy consumption. However, several government officials feel that the rating process will not serve any useful purpose except generating additional revenue for the BEE. A five-star energy rating will cause duplication of the emission norms already present in the country.
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Nissan India to launch sports car 370Z in January 2010
Japanese auto company Nissan will introduce its sports car 370Z in India in January 2010. Nissan India spokesperson, Mr Suresh Rangarajan, said that the 370Z would be the third car from Nissan's stable to be imported fully-built in India. The company already sells the Teana and the
X-Trail in the country, and plans to introduce another SUV sometime soon. Its upcoming production plant in Chennai will be operational by May 2010.
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Delhi Govt fines Tata Motors Rs 4 crore for fires in low-floor buses
The Transport Minister of Delhi, Mr Arvinder Singh Lovely, said this week that the government had stopped the payment of Rs 4 crore out of the Rs 10 crore that it was to pay to Tata Motors for the maintenance of its low floor buses. The government took the step to penalize Tata Motors for not ensuring proper maintenance of its low-floor buses, six of which have caught fire in the past three weeks. Tata Motors said that it had not found any inherent manufacturing defects in the buses and that they had started showing certain mechanical issues only recently. It added that it would take appropriate corrective measures soon.
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Volkswagen-Suzuki to develop hybrid cars in India
German carmaker Volkswagen AG said recently that it was planning to develop hybrid and electric cars with Japan's Suzuki Motor in India. The company wants to use Suzuki's R&D centre in the country for the purpose. VW AG board member, Mr Jochem Heizmann, said that while it was too early to give details of the JV's concrete product plans, the companies would definitely work together on hybrids and electric cars.
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Toyota to launch plug-in Prius in 2011
Japanese auto company Toyota Motor is planning to launch the plug-in version of its hybrid car Prius in 2011. The company said that a limited number of plug-in models of the Prius would be made available to government and corporate clients in the US, Europe and Japan on lease, within this month. The car is powered by lithium-ion batteries and runs 23.4 km on a single charge before switching to the regular gas-electric mode. It has a fuel efficiency of 57 km/litre.
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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES - Auto News Roundup, 15-December-2009 - Auto News Roundup, 11-December-2009 |
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