Bajaj will launch two 125+cc motorcycles by fiscal end
A Bajaj official has said the company will introduce two motorcycles in India which will have engine capacities of over 125cc by the end of this fiscal. Apart from this addition, Bajaj is also looking at revamping one product in its existing portfolio.
Sources say this new motorcycle is codenamed Sprint with engine capacity of around 135cc. The report also says Bajaj will revamp the Pulsar and Discover line-up this year. I'm not sure what they would change, but the DTSi 2.0 series of engines could be installed on the bikes.
Another report in the media says Bajaj is planning new variants and models in the 100 cc category once Discover sales touch 80,000. Last month, Bajaj was able to sell 65,000 and the 80,000 mark is spitting distance away taking into account the purchasing mood of people in the festive season that has begun to gather steam.
[Source: HT]
Audi Q5 to Be Assembled in India
Audi India is planning to assemble its compact SUV Q5 in India at its Aurangabad plant. The plans are expected to come into effect by early next year towards the end of the first quarter. Audi currently assembles luxury sedans Audi A4 and A6 at its Aurangabad plant and intends to set up a new line to assemble nearly 500 SUVs.
"We will start local assembling of our SUV Q5 at the Aurangabad plant. This year we are expecting to sell 200 units of the car, while it should go up to 500 units from next year," Audi India Managing Director Benoit Tiers said.
The company has recorded remarkable sales in 2009 in India by selling 1128 cars till now. It is expecting nearly 70 percent sales growth in the current year in India as compared to last year. It is eyeing to become the most successful luxury car brand in India by 2011. Currently, BMW leads the market followed by Mercedes-Benz.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Honda Scooters India sales up by 13.82%
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has announced a 13.82% increase in total sales during August this year, at 96,149 units, as compared with 84,476 units in August 2008. Motorcycle sales in this period went up from 30,454 units to 37,108 units, while scooter sales went up from 54,022 units to 59,041 units.
HMSI is looking at increasing production capacity at its plant in Manesar from the current 1.07 million units per annum to 1.5 million units per annum, by mid-2010. The company will also be investing about Rs 200 crore towards R&D activity in India and towards upgrading its two-wheelers to make sure they comply with BS-III norms.
3 New Electric Scooters From Ultra Motors
Ultra Motor Company will launch three new electric scooters in India by 2010. There is a rising demand for electric scooters in India and the company intends to cater to this demand in the country. It will launch one high end-scooter and two low priced models in India by next year. It already sells three models - Marathon, Marathon Light (low speed) and Velocity (high speed). All the models fall in the range of Rs. 18,000 - 34,000.
The new high speed model slated for the launch next year will be imported as completely-built from its mother plant in the UK. The company intends to invest Rs. 150 crores in India to increase its production capacity as well to manufacture the upcoming new low-priced models. It has already achieved a sales figure of 24,000 units in India last year which account for 22 percent of the total sale of electric vehicles in India.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Tata Secures Loans for JLR Revival
Tata Motors has been successful in securing a 175 million pound (600 crore) private sector loan for its ailing luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover from Burdale Financial Ltd.
Burdale Financial Ltd, a member of the Bank of Ireland Group has confirmed that it will provide loans to Tata Motors that will include a three-year commitment to finance the parts and accessories' inventories and receivables of the Land Rover, which needs a huge amount of cash for it to work smoothly, in the United Kingdom and the United States. "JLR is pleased to have concluded this facility which is an important element of our working capital financing arrangements," said Ken Gregor, CFO of the JLR.
"This additional funding will allow JLR to invest in future models and successfully launch the new XJ saloon on schedule and updated Land Rover models later this year. The government had offered bridging finance from the automotive assistance programme if necessary. We understand the Tata group will now be successful in resolving longer term financial needs but we are willing to help again if necessary," said Peter Mandelson, Business Secretary.
It can be recalled that Britain had pledged to guarantee up to 2.3 billion pounds of loans, including 1.3 billion pounds from the European Investment Bank in January, to help its ailing car industry cope with a slump in demand. More than 14,000 workers are employed at Jaguar Land Rover's five British sites. Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in June last year for about $2.3 billion.
[Via: carazoo]
Bullet Classic spied in Bangalore!
Here are some pictures Bullet Classic. The Indian version, which is expected to be launched at the upcoming Auto Expo in Jan'10 will sport a similar look to the UK models. It will also sport the same EFI (fuel injected) 500cc UCE engine with twin-spark technology. Brilliant!
The 500 Classic would be priced around Rs 1.4 lakh and has a top speed of around 130km/h (true) and can cruise happily all day long at 110km/h. Royal Enfield will also be looking at launching the Machismo 350 and 5S Electra with twin-spark and EFI at a later stage.
[Via: BIKEINDIA]
Maruti SX4 Diesel Faces Delay
Maruti Suzuki wont be able to launch the SX4 Diesel this year. Maruti is running into delays in procuring the diesel engine from Fiat. Fiat is already a supplier for Suzuki's SX4 range in Europe with a 1.9 litre engine. In India, Maruti is keen on a 1.6 litre engine to help keep the price tag relatively lower but currently Fiat has licensed Suzuki to make only the 1.3 litre unit in India, not the 1.6 or 1.9 litre engines.
Maruti was keen on launching the diesel SX4 since the new Honda City came in to the market in October last year. But Fiat does not want a clash with its new Linea that came into India this January. Fiat is expected to first launch a more powerful diesel Linea and that's why the SX4 gets pushed to next year.
This may not be great for Maruti as the SX4 has been steadily losing share with the Honda City now outselling the SX4. In the last six months, Honda sold 15,000 Citys while Maruti sold just 8000 SX4s. Maruti is hoping the diesel SX4 sets the sales chart on fire as the SX4 is cannibalised by the Swift Dzire.
[Via: motorbeam]
New bike from Bajaj in four months time
Bajaj India is going to launch a new bike in next four months. The new bike would be Bajaj's attempt to put some speed breakers in the path of the Splendor and Passion motorcycles from Hero Honda, which rule the roost.
Bajaj has a meager 9% market share in the 100cc segment while its rival Hero Honda has 80%. It had launched the Discover 100cc motorcycle last month to give it some hope of moving ahead and not losing more to HH. The 100cc segment contributes to one-third of the total motorcycle market in India.
Hero Honda's 100cc models are CD Dawn, CD Deluxe, Splendour, and Passion while Bajaj has just the Discover and Platina. Naturally, progress will happen only if Bajaj fattens its line-up. With the new launches, Bajaj hopes to inch towards its previous overall 2-wheeler market share of 36%, which now has slipped to 21%.
[Via: IAB)