Malaysia's vehicle sales are expected to dip 16.5 per cent in the second half of the year due to higher fuel costs and rising inflation, the Malaysian Automotive Association said Wednesday.
The industry body said the bulk of the drop in auto sales will come from a 28 per cent reduction in the volume of commercial vehicles sold, while sales of passenger vehicles are expected to slide by 0.5 per cent.

Pankaj Doval & Rupali Mukherjee | TNN

New Delhi: Auto and consumer durables industries are fearing a slowdown as interest rates are expected to rise after RBI's decision to hike CRR and repo rate.
Sales may go down as customers would not be much inclined to enter showrooms with auto loans rates are going up, say car makers. "This will put further pressure on growth, as the market sentiment is already down,' says Arvind Saxena, Senior V-P at Hyundai India.

Chanchal Pal Chauhan NEW DELHI

MAHINDRA&Mahindra (M&M) and French carmaker Renault are discussing the possibility of selling cars made in Renault-Nissan's manufacturing facility in Chennai through Mahindra-Renault, their 51:49 joint venture.

Refuting reports of any break up with the French carmaker, utility vehicle major M&M clarified that both the auto companies are chalking future strategies jointly and are in advanced talks to sell Renault's new cars that will roll out from its (Renault's) upcoming Chennai facility in 2009-10 through the joint venture company.

Global carmakers and others who fight a feverish technology battle to push hydrogen as affordable and clean fuel in their vehicles may soon have an Indian research team to thank. Scientists led by K. Vijayamohanan Pillai at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in Pune have tweaked a material that is at the heart of a hydrogen-based fuel cell in such a way that the electrochemical device is capable of delivering more power for the same set-up.

It could well be the most sought-after stretch of land in India. Five global car majors, two commercial vehicle companies, one tractor manufacturer, three earth moving equipment companies, a tyre major and over 100 auto parts producers have either made it their home or will do so soon.

Looking at making an electric car

To enter into defence equipment production

DAUNTING YEAR: Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata addressing shareholders at the company's annual meeting in Mumbai on Thursday.

MUMBAI: The current fiscal is going to be a difficult year with policy uncertainties, fuel price rise, increasing costs and inflation, Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata said here on Thursday. "It will be a difficult year and a daunting year but it is not necessary that it will be a bad year,' he said, addressing the shareholders at the company's 63rd annual general meeting.

Bloomberg / Dearborn (Michigan) July 25, 2008, 0:45 IST

The company will shift focus from money-losing trucks to fuel-efficient vehicles.

Ford Motor Co, the world's third-biggest automaker, posted a record quarterly loss of $8.7 billion and accelerated a conversion to fuel-efficient vehicles to wean itself from money-losing trucks.

BS Reporter / Mumbai July 25, 2008, 0:33 IST

Says fuel price increase and subsequent rise in input prices pushed overall costs.

Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors said that rising costs of fuel and raw materials are the biggest worry for the automobile industry. Tata also warned of tough times for the company as its market share slid in the last financial year.

The company's market share fell from 19.21 per cent in 2006-07 to 15.78 per cent last year, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

Swaraj Baggonkar / Mumbai July 23, 2008, 0:50 IST

A year after its joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra got off the ground, French car maker Renault has decided to revise its sales strategy for India following the Logan's lacklustre performance.

The JV begun selling the mid-sized sedan in April-May last year through M&M's dealerships across the country.