Honda to Recall 437,763 Cars Worldwide over Airbag

Japans second- largest automaker Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it will recall a total of 437,763 vehicles globally to fix a defect in the driver's airbag installed on certain models produced in 2001 and 2002.

The recall, the third related to the same defect since 2008, will cover 378, 758 units in the US, 41,685 units in Canada, 4,042 units in Japan and 13,278 units in Mexico, Taiwan and Australia, the Tokyo-based firm said in a statement. "Based on our ongoing investigation and analysis, we decided to expand the recall, which has included a total of 514,355 units in North America, Japan and other regions since November 2008 and June 2009," it said.

The latest Honda recall covers seven models sold in the US, including 2001 and 2002 Accord and Civic cars, Odyssey minivans, CR-V sport-utility vehicles and 2002 Acura TL cars. In Japan, the affected models are Inspire, Saber and Lagreat.

Honda said the driver's airbag inflators in the vehicles may deploy with too much pressure and rupture the casing, causing injury or fatality to vehicle occupants. 12 persons were injured in the US in connection with the defect by July 2009, "although there have been no incidents since the previous recall" last year, it said.

Honda's recall came one day after Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest automaker, announced massive global recall of hybrid vehicles worldwide, including its best-selling Prius, to fix brake problems, putting a dent in the Japanese automaker's reputation.

Source: Khabrein.info

Maruti Clocks a Sharp Growth in Car Sales on January

Leading automobile major Maruti has clocked a record growth in car in January this year and has cited an increase of 33 percent over the previous month. The impressive numbers clocked by Maruti comes at a time when the automobile industry is preparing itself for a high growth seasons with most analysts predicting huge sales in coming months for most major vendors.

Though Maruti has done wonderfully well in its domestic market, it exports too has sharply risen to 14,500 in January and this also serves as an indicator that Indian made small cars are increasingly finding acceptability across world markets. Apart from Maruti many other automobile manufacturers in Indian including the likes of Tata Motors and Mahindra are looking to tap the export market which has over the years become more receptive to Indian brands which offer a good option of affordable price and standard quality.

It is also important to note that the robust revenues clocked by Maruti is adding to the bottom-line of its parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation. The Japanese small car behemoth has announced a 18 billion yen for its third quarter and it owes a great deal of this growth to Maruti. In order to tap into the increasing demand for its cars, Maruti has firmed up plans to spruce up its production capacity and it aims to manufacture more than a million cars this fiscal, which if achieved would be a landmark figure for the company.

Source: Economynews.in