The business community engaged with agri-tool and auto-part industries of Daska has urged upon the Punjab government to take initiatives for tracking both industries on modern production lines. Daska is a famous hub and had a special repute in producing the agricultural inputs with traditional techniques and without any support of the government catering the needs of farmers and cultivators.

Setting aside the speculation, Tata Ryerson MD Sandipan Chakravortty assured on Friday that the Tata small car Nano will be rolled out in October from the Singur factory only. Tata Ryerson is one of the key component manufacturers of Rs 1 lakh car, Nano.

The government should get into discussions with the world's leading car manufacturers, almost all of whom have now set up (or are setting up) shop in India, to encourage the local production of cars that run on dual fuels or even entirely on fuel cells. The benefits will be seen not just through reduced consumption of hydrocarbons but also through a reduction in automobile emissions. While Honda has just introduced its hybrid Civic in India, more such cars are being produced overseas (like Toyota's Prius).

Swaraj Baggonkar / Mumbai June 19 Ganesh Gaikwad (name changed on request) has been working at a Tata Motors outlet in the central suburbs of Mumbai for more than two years now. But none of the company's models during this period excited him as much as the Nano, which is targeted at the first-time car buyers.

India got its first hybrid car on Wednesday with Honda rolling out a petrol-electric version of its Civic sedan. The car will be more eco-friendly and fuel efficient (for its class) than any other in the market but will remain a niche product. The reason? The Civic hybrid has come with a prohibitive price tag of Rs 21.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), twice the price of the petrol Civic, thanks to accumulated duties, including customs, of 104%. This virtually makes the country's search for green and fuel-efficient options a non-starter.

Japanese car major Honda on Wednesday launched its first hybrid car in India, Civic Hybrid, priced at Rs 21.5 lakh. Masahiro Takedagawa, president and CEO of Honda Siel Cars India told reporters, the high price tag was partially due to the 104 per cent customs duty on the vehicle. The company is importing Civic Hybrid from Japan as a completely built unit. Takedagawa said they have approached the government through SIAM to clip the import duty.

It is a coming of age for the small car. Just as India and the world focus on ultra-cheap cars, the original small car seems to be acquiring a big status globally as more and more people choose to drive small. Importantly, the trend is catching up in Europe and the US. Uwe Achterholt, global head of automotive practice for consultancy major KPMG, speaks with Pankaj Doval: Is the small car phenomenon restricted only to emerging markets like India or is it spreading to the developed markets?

Chanchal Pal Chauhan NEW DELHI THE impact of the imposition of the specific excise duty on big cars will be more than originally anticipated. From Monday, bigger cars and SUVs will be dearer by Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000, as auto companies finalise their price tags to adjust the burden of the specific duty slapped by the government.

Vehicles above 1500-1999 cc face duty of Rs. 15,000 Those with 2000 cc and above will cost Rs. 20,000 more In a firm move to discourage fuel guzzlers on the road in the wake of rising fuel prices, the government on Friday imposed a stiff additional excise duty of about Rs. 15,000-20,000 as a specific levy on large cars, MUVs (multi-utility vehicles) and SUVs (sports utility vehicles).

India has introduced a fuel-guzzler tax, making heavyweights of the road heavier on your pocket. Big cars will cost Rs 15,000-20,000 more with the Centre slapping an additional excise duty in what officials claimed was an attempt to discourage fuel consumption and emission. The levy, which will help the government mop up extra revenue, drew howls of protest from the automotive industry. However, the green lobby, which had been advocating a discriminatory tax on big vehicles, welcomed the step.