Sunday, May 30, 2010

Leaf-like Car that Absorbs CO2 and Spews Oxygen

Taking cue from the plants' ability to photosynthesise, Chinese automaker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has developed a new concept car that could take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

SAIC, which has a partnership wtih General Motors in China, showed designs for the photosynthesizing YeZ Concept Car recently at Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

YeZ (pronounced "yea-zi") is Mandarin Chinese for "leaf," and it is the apt title for the open buggy-like vehicle, which has a roof shaped like a leaf only, reports Discovery News.

The technical details haven't been articulated, but according to a report in Xinhua, YeZ designer Ma Zhengkun has said that the roof "absorbs solar energy and transforms it into electricity while spinning rotors on the four wheels generate power from the wind."

According to CNET Asia blogger Juniper Foo, the two-seater car would have a "metal-organic framework," which would work to absorb CO2 and water, turning them into electricity that would get stored in a lithium-ion battery.

Source: news.yahoo.com

Thursday, May 6, 2010

* Auto companies may plan expansion in Uttarakhand

Dehra Dun, May 6 (PTI) Auto companies in the state are likely to go on an expansion drive buoyed by better-than anticipated sales over the past few quarters.

Tata Motors, Hero Honda and Bajaj Auto, which have set up their manufacturing units here, are in talks with the state government in this regard, industry sources said.

The government, on its part, is collecting information on free land that could be given to companies that want to expand.

"We have got information that most of the auto companies are expanding their units in the state," said Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who is keen to develop the state into a hub for automobiles manufacturing.

Several large companies, including Tatas, Hero Honda and Ashok Leyland, have set up units in the Uttaranchal state drawn by its investor-friendly investment policy that offered excise exemptions.

Source: PTInews.com

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Bajaj car to be world's cheapest

Bajaj's ultra-low cost car being manufactured jointly with Renault and Nissan promises to give hot chase to the Tata Nano. On Monday, Rajiv Bajaj (BAJAJAUTO.NS : 2101.05 0), MD, Bajaj Auto confirmed the $2,500 (Rs 1.1 lakh) price tag for the car, announced first by Renault chairman & CEO Carlos Ghosn at the company's shareholders' meet late last week. The Renault announcement comes a few days after it pulled out of its loss-making Logan venture with Mahindra & Mahindra.

The Bajaj car will be cheaper than the Nano, which comes at Rs 1.23 lakh-1.72 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi ). After the launch of Tata Nano, the race for the No.2 position in the ultra-low cost car segment is under way in India , which as emerged as the Mecca of this segment. However, other automakers' plans to enter this segment are still on the drawing board.

At Renault meeting, Ghosn said: "In India , Renault and Nissan are developing an ultra-low-cost vehicle with the Bajaj group, benefiting from its expertise in light vehicles and knowledge of the Indian market." He reiterated the affordability of the vehicle for the Indian market by citing the targeted low price tag.

"We are combining our strengths with Nissan, notably in India , Russia , Brazil and Mexico ," Ghosn said. "The alliance product strategy has been finalised in India and Russia , and Renault and Nissan will pool their production capacities and platforms there to fully deliver on these developments," he added.

The car was initially scheduled to hit the market this year, but has been postponed to 2012. Bajaj Auto displayed the prototype of the small car at the 2008 Auto Expo. However, the three partners were stuck at various levels of branding and engineering the car till last year. According to industry observers, the project also got delayed as partners were stuck on pricing issues as well. While Renault wanted a low-cost car, Bajaj was keen on a car that would sport high mileage and low maintenance.

It was during his India visit that Ghosn finally announced the finalisation of the project. "As per the agreement, the design, engineering, sourcing and manufacturing will be handled by Bajaj Auto, while marketing and selling will be (done) by Renault-Nissan Alliance," he said. But he had declined to comment on the pricing of the car.

Officials from the alliance have said the car will be smaller than Maruti Suzuki's Alto, which is the biggest selling model in India .

In March, Collin Dodge, executive vice-president, Nissan Motor had said: "It is over two years that Bajaj is trying to produce the car. The physics of it is very difficult. We have not yet found a solution as there are a lot of engineering solutions required." Nissan is also in talks with Hinduja group company Ashok Leyland (ASHOKLEY.NS : 62.45 +1.5) to develop a small car for the global market that could be priced around $4,500-5,000.

"We have a formal agreement with Ashok Leyland for making light commercial vehicles in India . In addition, we also use Ashok Leyland's engineering services for various purposes. At the moment, we are talking to them and many other partners in China , Indonesia for a price centric vehicle," Nissan Motor Co executive vice-president Collin Dodge had said at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Source: in.biz.yahoo.com

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