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

10 New Models At Delhi Auto Expo

Global auto makers will unveil 10 new car models at the upcoming New Delhi Auto Expo as part of their strategy to tap the growing Indian market, where annual car sales are forecast to grow to 3 million units by 2016.

"We expect nearly 1.8 million visitors to the expo," said Rajive Kaul, chairman of the steering committee for Auto Expo 2010. "We have cut short the auto expo by two days this year as we were not certain about the global economic conditions."

Makers including Suzuki Motor Corp. (7269.TO), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (HMC) and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO) will be among those unveiling cars at the expo, which Kaul says will have 2,100 participants from 30 countries.

"(Delhi Auto Expo) will be the largest show in terms of footfalls as some of the auto shows overseas saw reduced participation," said Dilip Chenoy, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

The global economic slowdown didn't severely affect demand for new cars in India, prompting several global auto makers to increase their focus on Asia's third-largest market after China and Japan.

Local sales in India started rising in February, after declining for four months, and surged 61% in November to 133,687 units, the largest percentage gain since February 2004.

The Indian unit of Toyota Motor--Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd.--will globally premiere a concept version of its small car, the company's first small car for the Indian market, at the auto show. The model, with a 1.2 liter gasoline engine, will be commercially launched in India by end-2010.

Honda Siel Cars India Ltd., a unit of Japan's Honda Motor, will also showcase the concept version of its second small car model in India, which is likely to be launched in the country in 2011.

Small cars comprise nearly two-thirds of annual car sales in India.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (532500.BY), India's largest car maker by sales, will display 17 vehicles at the expo, it said.

Ford Motor Co. (F) and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (7201.TO) will, however, be among the notable absentees from the Jan. 5 to Jan. 11 show.

Source: Online.wsj.com

General Motors Working with the Blind to give Electric Cars a Little Noise

General Motors will announce Wednesday that it's working with one of the largest advocacy organizations for the vision-impaired to find ways for the next-generation electric cars to make enough noise that pedestrians can hear them coming.

General Motors says it's working with the National Federation of the Blind on technology to make sure that near-silent electric cars and hybrids don't sneak up on unsuspecting walkers or runners.

It's potentially a growing problem as the nation switches to battery-powered cars as an alternative to high-priced gasoline. A bill that would direct the Transportation Department to regulate a solution — the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act — was introduced in Congress earlier this year.
One study already points to dangers. Walkers and bicyclists are being struck at a greater rate by hybrid vehicles than by conventional cars, concluded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in September.

"I've had probably 25 blind people in the country tell me they've almost been hit by these cars," says NFB President Marc Maurer. Vehicles brushed up against some or crushed their white canes, he says.

Maurer says he believes electric cars of the future will need to be equipped with a forward-directed sound device that operates without interruption while the car is in motion. All electric vehicles will have to make roughly the same artificial noise, he says, so that blind people will be able to distinguish them as moving vehicles.

Automakers balk at going that far for the moment. Toyota, the largest producer of hybrid cars, says it is still studying the issue. So is Nissan, which plans to introduce the all-electric Leaf next year.

GM already is equipping its new Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car with a driver-activated warning system. The car will emit a short audible horn pulse about as loud as the ring of a telephone when the driver pulls back on the turn-signal switch.

"We want to make sure it is something friendly and not startling," says Volt's chief engineer, Andrew Farah. He says they already believed the sound had to be "clearly automotive" in nature. And the collaboration with the federation is aimed at seeing if something more is needed.

Other automakers aren't so sure. Tesla, which already has sold about 900 all-electric Roadsters, is reluctant to make noise.

"One of the top attributes that our customers bring up is that (the car) is so quiet," says spokeswoman Rachel Konrad. "The majority of the sound is not from the engine. It's tire noise and wind resistance."

As a result, she says, Tesla is monitoring research and regulations around the issue as it might affect its $109,000 two-seater, but probably won't add a noisemaker unless there is a "compelling reason."

Source: www.usatoday.com

Ford Unveils Small Car 'Figo'

US auto giant Ford Motor Co Wednesday unveiled its first small car for the Indian market, "Ford Figo".
The Figo, which is colloquial Italian for "cool", will be manufactured at the company's Chennai facility and launched in markets by early 2010.

The Chennai unit is undergoing a $500-million upgrade as Ford seeks to make India a global production hub for its small cars.

"The Figo is designed to compete in India's small car segment, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the market," said Ford's global president and chief executive Alan Mulally, who unveiled the car at a function here.

The company, however, declined to give specific details like price and engine capacity.

"Ford is reserving further details about the car till its launch in early 2010," said Mulally. Asked about the price range of the Figo, Michael Boneham, Ford India president and managing director, said: "It's going to be very competitive with the current market leader and will offer a tremendous value for our consumers."

Maintaining that Ford Figo would be "a big game changer" for his company, Boneham said: "It will transform our brand into a volume player in India."

Ford is also planning to double its manufacturing capacity at its Chennai facility to 200,000 units per annum by 2010.