The hike in customes duty on fully built imported vehicles from 75 per cent to 100 per cent in the Budget 2013-14 has disappointed the industry but given its small size, the impact may not be significant.

Speaking to The Hindu , Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Partner, Roland Berger Strategic Consultants, and former MD & CEO, Mercedes Benz India, said, “the fully imported vehicle market in India is around a mere 3,000 units per annum. If one considers the big three German players — Audi, Mercedes Benz and BMW — fully imported vehicles constitute 7-10 per cent of their portfolio here.’’

Calcutta, Aug.

The West Bengal government may move court against Hindustan Motors (HM) to seek compensation of Rs 200 crore on grounds that the sale of land at the company’s Uttarpara plant was a loss to the state exchequer.

Following a state vigilance inquiry into the alleged irregularities by the C K Birla Group automobile company in selling 314 acres of excess land at the plant in Hooghly district, the state government has put its demand for Rs 200 crore in compensation from the company.

Japanese auto major Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) plans to join compatriots Nissan Motor Limited and Suzuki Motor Corporation in setting up a global hub for manufacturing small cars in the country.

The company is far behind its aggressive Japanese competitors, selling only 4,000 vehicles annually. It is exploring the possibility of coming to India on its own and start by manufacturing its 1.2-litre small car, ECOCAR Mirage.

Hindustan Motors launched VEER, a 0.8-tonne (800 kg) small commercial vehicle (SCV) here on Monday saying that more launches are in the pipeline within this fiscal year.

KOLKATA: The political agitation at Singur near the Tata Motors project site cast its shadow on the operations of another automobile company, that of Hindustan Motors Ltd.

The C. K. Birla group company on Wednesday put up a notice at its factory gate shutting down its production for a day.

An official spokesperson of the C. K. Birla group (which controls HM) said that the factory had advanced its weekly off from Saturday to Wednesday in view of the congestion on the Durgapur Expressway.