Maruti Sales may Slump Due to Soaring Interest Rates

Many auto manufacturers are facing obstacles in the Indian car industry. One such auto major is Maruti Suzuki. In spite of several hindrances the car manufacturer has initiated the vendor incentive programme last year among its 200-odd vendors.

Due to the ever mounting interest rates and saturation in the Indian car market the company might not obtain the same numbers this year.

Owing to the vendors program the staff bought good sales to the company last year where it sold 4000 cars during the three month period ended July 31, 2007. Maruti Suzuki has carried out numerous focused marketing schemes in the recent past to push it sales in the sluggish market.

Maruti has also offered financing to vendor employees at 8.25 % last year to help them purchase its cars. The principle behind the scheme was to build a strong relationship with the vendors.

The company has also offered numerous discounts that ranged from Rs 12,000 on Maruti 800, Rs 11,000 on Alto and Rs 18,000 on Wagon R and Estillo to promote sales. An exceptional discount of about 4,000 was also offered to its employees.

The auto manufacturer has taken good steps to perk up it sales. It is tied up with Axis Bank that tenders financing at 10.75 % with repayment periods of 3 to 5 years where the current market rates are at 14 -15 %.

Tata geared up to roll out electric car on Indica platform

Indian roads are filled with ample number of cars from diverse global auto manufacturers. Plenty of car models and makes are entering Indian car market everyday. However the ever increasing fuel prices have hampered many of the Indian car buyers.
Now it’s time for the buyers to relax as Tata is all set to rock Indian roads with its first ever electric car by the end of this financial year and has turned to it’s tried and tested Indica platform for its electric vehicle.
The car manufacturer is proving to be an exceptional car player when compared to other manufacturers in the Indian car industry and aims mainly at developing eco-friendly cars.
This awesome electric car will use ion batteries for high energy and power density and would have approximate range of 200 kilometers.

M800 with a Uniq touch

Here is the great news to the Maruti-Suzuki lovers. The company will be rolling out the limited edition called M800 Uniq especially targeting the younger crowd.

M800 Uniq’ will offer its consumers unique and convenient features like body graphics, all new beige upholstery, trendy door trims with fabric patch, smart lower console box, rear package tray, stylish dome decal.

Looks like Maruti-Suzuki M800 is turning sporty with all this new add-ons giving a total new look to M800.this new car will be available only in AC variant.

So those who loved the idea of this new car get set to own it as it will be seen in the showrooms from Aug 4^th.

Logan on Edge

Mahindra Renault very recently launched the special but limited edition of Logan called the Logan Edge. This new latter from Mahindra-Renault’s stable carry the engine capacities in the range of 1.4 to 1.6 litre. Available in both petrol and diesel version will be priced between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs.7.15 lakh.

That is not it, the special edition also promises better fuel efficiency clubbed with special features like reverse parking censor, anti-lock braking, luxurious interiors and some added safety features. It is said that Logan Edge took its shape based on customers feed back. The new Logan is the perfect blend of sleek and good looks, and innovative features.

It is nice to know that the car makers are giving ears to its customers. Hope with the limited time, Logan Edge wins millions of heart.

Toyota to launch Generation Next Corolla and Fortuner

Japanese auto maker, Toyota Motor Corporation (TKC) is planning to roll out a gang of new cars to Indian roads soon. The auto manufacturer is geared up to launch its next generation Corolla and new compact off roader Fortuner this year

The brand new Corolla will be priced at Rs 10-14-lakh range and will vie with the recently launched Volkswagen Jetta and Honda Civic. However the Toyota Fortuner will be in the price range of Rs 15-19 lakh and will be contrasted against the Maruti’s Grand Vitara, Honda CRV, Ford Endeavour and General Motor’s Captiva.

Toyota’s Corolla and Innova has a joint venture in India with Kirloskar Group, which has sold 52,000 vehicles in the last financial year. The car manufacturer is intensifying its operations at the Bangalore site to 1.6 lakh by 2010, and is set to roll out its new small car by 2010. So Toyota is finalizing its vendor support and will commence many of its component-manufacturing subsidiaries in India.

Toyota is also aiming to become a full range car company in the next few years and planning to roll out several new cars which will be both imported and locally manufactured at the Bangalore facility.

Jetta is Launched in India

The exclusively designed German engineered Volkswagen Jetta has finally launched. The car is a complete blend of style, elegance and luxuries.

The new car Jetta is now in the market. The car is loaded with both petrol and diesel engine with 1.6L petrol and 1.9L diesel engines respectively. The petrol version of the car is priced somewhere around Rs 12.97 lakh and that of diesel engine is around Rs 14.22 lakh. The car is embodied with advanced and innovative features like Vienna leather upholstery, 2-zone electronic climate control, 6-CD changer, and electric lumbar adjust.

The Jetta will belong to the lower D segment that will compete with other cars of the same segment like Skoda Laura, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. Competition between Jetta and Laura will be the toughest because both these car are cousins priced somewhat equally.

Jetta is also outfitted with standard safety features like 8 airbags, ABS and ESP that helps to increase the safety measure for both the car and the occupants.

After the launch of Jetta, Volkswagen is also planning a slew of launches.

The car will definitely be a great success with all standard features, exclusivity and appealing design. What do you say?

Car fair from Maruti Suzuki

Looks like the car wars are on but is going on in a healthy way. To attract more buyers Maruti Suzuki has been organizing rural car fests. Recently Maruti Suzuki took a bold step by organizing a car fair at Singur, where Tata Nano’s production base is located. This reveals the guts of the car maker to take on the imminent battle with Tata Motors.
Under its panchayat scheme, the company has been offering special deals along with a special finance desk and as a result received impressive sales by selling 20 cars on the first day. As there are no car showrooms in these areas, the car fair is doing wonders to the company’s sales growth further strengthing its position in India.

The panchayat scheme has turned into a great success and has been receiving tremendous response across India and through this new concept of selling Maruti has sold 32,000 vehicles with 1000 cars sold in West Bengal. Maruti has rightly identified the pulse of the Indian market with the rural crowd.

Fiat Launches 500

The news were in the air that Fiat has plans to roll out revamped Fiat 500 in India but no one was sure whether this is a pondering plan or a proposed launch. But now the speculations are over, here comes the Fiat 500!

The much awaited, Fiat 500, finally made its debut in India. Fiat 500 being an icon of Italian style was accompanied by an Italian style celebration that was filled joy and excitement echoing in the Taj Land’s End in Mumbai. Celebrated in an Italian style, the launch was witnessed by the moons and stars of Mumbai.

Fiat 500, popularly known as Cinquecento in Italy, is launched as a great combination of success and style. The car was originally designed by Dante Giocosa and first launched in Turin 1957. If you calculate the numbers of years in between, it is exactly 50 years that the car travelled on a comeback trail to announce its new arrival in one of the most growing economies of the world, India.

The re-launch of this new car after 50 years has generated nostalgia among all its car lovers. But, Fiat promises to offer much more than this to all ardent lovers of Fiat 500. The comeback is not restricted to the likes and dislikes of the existing customers but the launch is widespread on a broader scale of enhanced performance and effectiveness to lure more number of customers.

Fiat 500 will be available in two trims and 11 unique colors. Both the trims, Lounge and Sport, will be powered by a 1.3 multijet engine generating 75bhp of power.

The car will also be outfitted with a significant in-car communication, infotainment and entertainment system known as “Blue & Me”. This is the voice activated in-car communication system designed and introduced by the Fiat and Microsoft venture.

This new small car also has a provision of modification and customization to meet the varying interest of the customers and ensure uniqueness of every Fiat 500. Priced at around 15 lakh, the car will be launched only in selected cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Pune, where the super-affluent class can walk into the Tata-Fiat showrooms and drive out with the elegant and stylish Fiat 500.

This new car is expected to create a strong base for the entry of Fiat upcoming cars, Linea, Punto and Bravo.

Tata Nano thinks over to issue license to foreign car dealers

Tata Nano is ready to hit Indian car market by this year-end. The auto maker is getting flooded with its cheapest car Nano related queries from universal auto markets.

Tata Motorsis thinking over the licensing path for heap manufacturing of the Nano overseas. It is getting enquiries from anonymous car makers in the US, Latin America, Europe and South-East Asia for manufacturing and marketing Nano in these countries.

However the auto maker is casting to issue licenses to specific car maker in offshore markets who would essentially manufacture Nano there. The technology-transfer and manufacturing related awareness issues would be communal only by Tata Motors.

The auto maker is yet to make a decision on the method of sourcing and in which countries it is going to market its super-cheap car Nano. Tata Motors believe that the company’s imminent spotlight is India, and worldwide marketing will take place only after a few years.

Continental AG sets up an Electronic Manufacturing plant in India

Even with so many fluctuations happening with the Indian car market structure there is one more automotive company that has established its plant in India. The German automotive major, Continental AG, has set up a Greenfield plant in India’s IT focusing to manufacture electronic components for the growing automobile market in the sub-continent.However this plant is located in the Bommasandra Industrial Area on the outskirts of the Bangalore city and has made an investment of Rs 2.2 billion high-tech facility, with a research and development centre.

This centre will manufacture instrument clusters for cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers, electronic control units for power-assisted steering and body control units for interiors, immobilizers and engine management systems for diesel and gasoline engines,.

The company senses that the flourishing Indian automotive market has become deliberately important for them to expand their business in the sub-continent.

However the Continental AG is catering electronic components and systems to Indian global OEMs like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors, Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra, General Motors, Ford, and Skoda.