S Kalyana Ramanathan In a move that seems like making up for its delayed entry into the compact car segment, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), a joint venture between Japan's Toyota Motor and Pune-based Kirloskar Group, is planning to launch a series of models with engines varying between 1.1-1.3 litre over the next two to three years to address the 1-million unit compact car market in India.
Government should encourage use of cleaner transportation Honda, the Japanese auto major, has launched a hybrid version of its popular Civic model in India, making it the first hybrid car to be marketed in the country. While this is good news for those who want to reduce the size of their carbon footprints, India's high import duty on completely built units
Pressure is growing on Tata Motors' ability to hold the price tag of Rs 1 lakh for the Nano with leading auto-component suppliers saying they have approached the company for a price increase. With steel prices soaring, the company recently set up a special team to look at ways and means to control the car's manufacturing costs. Now Delhi-based Sona Koyo, which is supplying steering systems for the Nano, and Minda Group, which supplies electrical switches, have confirmed that they and other component suppliers have suggested a price rise to Tata Motors.
Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) has decided to joine hands with Renault-Nissan to launch a small car in India by 2011. Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj, and Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO, Renault, and President and CEO of Nissan, on Monday formally announced that they would form a joint venture company to develop, produce and market the car, code-named ULC, with wholesale price range starting from $2,500.
Targeting the Indi an four-wheeler market, Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) on Monday joined hands with Renault-Nissan to launch a small car in India by 2011 that will compete with Tata Nano. In a joint press statement on Monday, Mr Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, BAL, and Mr Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO, Renault and Nissan, said that they would form a JV company to develop, produce and market the car, code-named ULC, whose economy version would be priced at $2,500.
China's emerging carmakers are often the butt of jokes in industry circles abroad, where they have a reputation for building shoddy cars with knocked-off designs and eccentric model names such as Cool Bear, Tiggo or Dingle. But the derision is dying down as Chinese carmakers begin to produce better-looking and higher-quality cars in a drive to capture local market share and enter foreign markets.
China's carmakers are embracing next-generation cleaner-car technology, motivated more by profit and pragmatism than any special love for the planet. Rising manufacturers like Chery Automobile and Geely are developing or launching hybrid, electric and other alternative-energy vehicles, betting that China can follow its successes in mobile phones and digital technology by becoming a leader in greener cars.
The General Motors Corp will need to offer small vehicles at very low prices to reach first-time car buyers in China and hit the fastest-growing segment of the industry's biggest boom market, a senior executive said on Friday.
Tesla Motors Sues Designer On Competing Green Car US: April 16, 2008 LOS ANGELES - Electric car maker Tesla Motors has sued a well-known automotive designer it hired to style the body and interior of its electric-hybrid four-door sedan, after the man announced plans for a competing vehicle.
US Car Makers Try To Copy Green Halo Of Prius US: April 9, 2008 DETROIT - When Tom Weatherbee swapped his minivan for a Toyota Prius hybrid two years ago, he was mostly hoping to save money at the gas pump. But he was pleasantly surprised by both the requests from friends for a test drive and the grins its aerodynamic profile drew at the grocery store, and he basked in the attention. "Even the people who own more expensive cars acknowledge the Prius as being pretty cool," said Weatherbee, 51, an electrical engineer who lives outside Traverse City, Michigan.
