Tata Motors is now Second Largest Manufacturer
Maruti Suzuki dominates the Indian auto scene and Hyundai has been holding on to second place for sometime, but not anymore. Tata motors has overtaken Hyundai as the India's second largest car maker and credit goes to the Tata Nano for this feat.
Tata's new plant at Gujarat has started production of the Nano and the Nano has received more than 7000 bookings in June and Tata has recorded a growth of 63% in this month itself. Even though Tata edged Hyundai by a small margin, a single months figures cannot be taken for granted but we expect the Nano to keep Tata in front of Hyundai for the time to come.
[Via: Motorbeam]
Kia eyeing India entry by 2012
Hyundai India To Launch Santa Fe
Hyundai India is looking to re-enter the premium SUV space with the launch of the latest generation Santa Fe this year. The company plans to launch the much awaited SUV by October and will price it around Rs. 20 lakh. It will be powered by a diesel powerplant and full time four-wheel drive.
[Via: Motorbeam]
Car sales in India, in March 2010
Audi - Audi India reported a jump of 36% in its sales for March this year, at 220 units, as against 162 units in March 2009. During January-March 2010, Audi sold 778 units in India, as compared to 384 units in the year-ago period. Audi is now looking at opening new dealerships across the country, in cities like Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chennai, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Coimbatore and Nagpur.
Maruti Suzuki - During March 2010, Maruti Suzuki sold a total of 95,123 units (79,530 units in the domestic market and 15,593 units overseas), an 11% increase over the 85,669 units sold in March 2009. Maruti sold 1,018,365 units in FY 2009-10 and this was the first time when an Indian car company sold over a million units in a financial year. The figure includes 870,790 units sold in the domestic market, and 147,575 units in exports. The A-Star (sold as the Suzuki Alto in markets other than India) continues to be Maruti's bestseller in overseas markets. By 2012, Maruti Suzuki plans to expand its production capacity to 1,250,000 units per annum. For this, the company has announced an investment of Rs 1,700 crore at its Manesar plant.
Ford - Ford India registered a 203% hike in sales during March 2010, at 9,478 units. The company has also netted 10,000 bookings for its all-new hatchback, Figo, which was launched two months ago. 'We are delighted at the initial response to Figo, and are incredibly proud to have struck such a positive chord with Indian consumers. The launch of Figo is the start of a transformed Ford in India,' said Michael Boneham, President and MD, Ford India.
Tata Motors - Tata Motors sold 27,761 units in the domestic market in March 2010, as compared to 23,649 units in March 2009. During March this year, Tata Motors sold 4,710 units of the Nano, 11,618 units of the Indica range, 7,537 units of the Indigo range, and 3,896 units of the Sumo and Safari range. The company sold a total of 234,930 passenger vehicles during FY 2009-10, as compared to 200,127 units in the previous financial year.
Mahindra - Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. reported an increase of 16% in its domestic sales for March 2010, at 29,944 units as compared to 25,748 units in the year-ago period. During March this year, M&M sold 20,914 units of its utility vehicles (Scorpio, Xylo, Bolero and Pick-Ups), 351 units of the Renault Logan, and 7,695 units of three-wheelers and mini-trucks, including the new Gio and Maxximo. M&M's total sales in the domestic market, during FY 2009-10, stood at 286,713 units - an increase of 30% over the earlier fiscal. Exports during FY 2009-10, at 10,567 units, registered a 24% increase.
Hyundai - Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) sold 31,501 units during March 2010 in the domestic market, a 27% hike over sales in March 2009. HMIL's total sales (including exports) for March 2010 stood at 55,035 units, as against 46,159 units in March 2009, an increase of 19%. HMIL sold 162,273 units during January -March 2010, an increase of 33.5% over the corresponding period in 2009. 'As we close the financial year, it is reassuring to see the market retain its buoyancy which was triggered by the Government's timely announcement of the stimulus package and the consequent reduction in interest rates for car finance,' said Arvind Saxena, Director - Marketing and Sales, HMIL. During March this year, Hyundai sold 50,175 units in the A2 segment (Santro, i10, Getz and i20), 4,276 units in the A3 segment (Accent and Verna) and 44 units in the A5 segment (Sonata Transform).
Hyundai To Shift Manufacturing i20 To Turkey
Hyundai India will now ship its i20 CKD units to Turkey for assembling the models in Europe. It will save on import duties making the car cheaper and more competitive in the European markets. Hyundai i20 is an extremely successful model in Europe and HMIL currently exports both 5-door and 3-door models to European countries.
"As of now the i20 cars are being manufactured from Chennai plant and going forward we will move part of i20 production to Turkey to meet the growing demand for this car in Europe and other countries. We're moving only the three-door production, while the five-door will continue from here. We will send them out as completely knocked down kits (CKDs) and initially a batch of 50,000 units would be shipped out. We foresee that the export demand for i20 in 2010 will shoot up and then we cannot meet the increasing demand just from India alone," said Hyundai spokesperson.
Hyundai also stated that it will continue manufacturing the car in India only but will export the CKD units to save on import duties. It also said that it will vacate the assembly line for manufacturing other popular models of cars in India. Hyundai faced severe labour problems in Chennai last year and it had tough time dealing with the situation. Then, it had announced that it will shift its part manufacturing capacity elsewhere in Europe.
Festival Delight “Win a Car” From Honda!
Honda is here to add to the festival delight of the customers in India. It has launched "Win a Car" contest from September 07, 2009 to attract more customers. The new contest is a part of "Great Honda Fest" where one lucky Honda customer across India will win his favorite Honda car every week. The contest will be valid for those who purchase a Honda car between 7 September and 31st October 2009.
Apart from winning one Honda car every week, customers also stand a chance to win lucky existing accessory package for Honda models like Jazz, City, Civic, Accord or CRV. "HSCI has exciting plans for this festival season. The Great Honda Fest is our first offering this festive season to celebrate and share the festivities with our customers. We are confident that the contest coupled with the new launches during this period will fuel positive growth for the company," said Mr. Jnaneswar Sen, VP Marketing & Sales, HSCI.
Honda Jazz was the last new model which was added to the Honda product portfolio in India. The model is an exclusively premium hatchack model but falls short in making high sales volume due to its hefty price tag. On the other hand, Honda City continues to be India's most popular sedan and keeps marking healthy sales figures every month.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Hyundai launches 7th nationwide Free Car Care Clinic
Starting from 7th up till 20th September 2009, the Free Car Care Clinic will be conducted at 375 Hyundai dealer workshops across the country. For the first time, the customers can also avail this free check-up service at 30 Hyundai Authorised Service Centres (HASC) across India
Hyundai Motor India Ltd., the country's leading passenger car exporter and the second largest automobile manufacturer, in an effort to extend the advantage of its excellent services and free check-up to a larger number of its customers, today launched its seventh nationwide Free Car Care Clinic.
Starting from 7th up till 20th September 2009, the Free Car Care Clinic will be conducted at 375 Hyundai dealer workshops across the country. For the first time, the customers can also avail this free check-up service at 30 Hyundai Authorised Service Centres (HASC) across India.
The Free Car Care Clinic will offer a comprehensive 80 point check-up and a thorough examination of the engine, transmission, electricals, under-body, AC, exterior etc. The privileged Hyundai customers can also avail free car wash and special discounts on Oil & consumable and other value added services. In addition to this, Hyundai is offering an attractive 10% discounts on spare parts & selected accessories as well as 20% discount on labour charges and on Extended Warranty.
To honour and reward the customers attending the camp, daily attractive gifts and prizes are being offered during the entire period. These include exciting prizes like 10 Free extended warranties for the entire duration of the camp which will be held for 14 days making it a total of 140 extended warranties.
Prizes will be given in each of the 8 regions and the winner will receive a 32 inch LCD TV while as the first runner up will get a digital camera and the second runner up a DVD player. In addition to this there is a Bumper prize of 32" LCD TV with DVD player combo for one lucky customer.
Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Arvind Saxena, Sr. Vice President - Marketing and Sales, HMIL said: "Hyundai's Free Car Care Clinic has become a stand out service activity which symbolises the bond Hyundai shares with its esteemed customers.
Comprehensive packages at attractive discounted prices are being offered to customers in order to acknowledge their belief in our quality service and brand. Keeping in view the strong support from our customers in the last two camps, we further expect a good response and turnout for the seventh nationwide free check-up camp."
[Via: Infibeam]
Hyundai’s Domestic sales up 12.9% in August 2009
Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) has reported a 12.9% increase in sales in the domestic market during August this year, at 24,401 units, as against 21,610 units in August 2008. Exports went up from 23,100 units in August 2008, to 25,120 units during August this year.
During August 2009, HMIL sold 45,495 units in the A2 segment (Santro, i10, Getz, i20), 3,979 units in the A3 segment (Accent, Verna) and 47 units in the A5 segment (Sonata). The company did not sell any units of its SUV, Tucson, during August this year.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
Hyundai Introduces Updated Santro
Hyundai Motor India Ltd., the country's largest exporter and the second largest car manufacturer today introduced the new model of its flagship brand Santro. The new Santro has been designed with luxurious interiors and improved exterior features to further enhance its appeal to the customers.
Commenting on the launch of the new Santro, HMIL MD, H. S Lheem said, "Santro has been a phenomenal success in India right from the time of its launch up till now. The customers have shown tremendous faith in the technology, design and safety that this product offered. This is why even today Santro's success continues unabated in India even after a decade. Through the launch of new Santro, we intend to thank all our customers who have chosen to drive this product and make Hyundai into what it is today. The new version of Santro is further aimed at delighting our customers with luxurious interiors, advance styling and enhanced comfort."
The original 'Tall Boy' Santro has been continuously improved to meet the changing customer needs and has kept itself abreast of the latest technology and design. While the new Santro continues to be powered by the trusted 1.1 eRLX Epsilon engine that develops a whopping 62 Bhp at 5500rpm as maximum power and 98 Nm at 3000rpm as maximum torque and has a proven fuel-economy, durability and power-efficiency.
The new Santro has many added features to considerably raise the bar for cars in this segment. On the exterior the new Santro will be distinguished by a body coloured Radiator Grille and Full Wheel Cover and the rear gets decidedly more sporty with the addition of a Rear Spoiler which further highlights the new look Santro.
Inside, the new Santro boasts of several significant design revisions with premium sophisticated new fabric in Dual Tone Beige & Brown with premium silver touches at multiple locations which adds significantly to the spacious interiors and enhances the visual appeal of the interiors. A Rear Parcel Tray has been added to provide convenient storing for utility items. The new sporty front seats add to the style and comfort factors.
To add the excitement the new Santro will be available in 8 exciting colours to choose from: Crystal White, Black Diamond, Sleek Silver, Electric Red, Dark Grey, Silky Beige, Berry Red and Sparkle Blue. The hugely popular 'Made in India' Santro has sold around 1.5 million units till date and recently two dual fuel models were added as the Santro went 'Green' with its CNG and LPG variants.
Santro re-defined the concept of driving at the time of its launch and since then, it has made a niche for itself with its styling, safety and comfort, in addition, to its time-tested quality and reliability the all new Santro with its host of exciting new features is all set to achieve customer delight and help ensure that the Santro continues to be a very popular car in this segment.
Hyundai To Export i20 To Non-European Countries
Hyundai India is all set to step-up its export of the i20 in the non-European markets. In light of Hyundai Motor India's growing role to make India as a manufacturing hub, it plans to increase its export base to 42 new non-European countries.
The Hyundai i20 which was revealed at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008 was earlier being shipped to approximately 47 countries predominantly the European market and a few countries in Middle East, Africa & Latin America.
In order to meet the growing demand, Hyundai has stepped up the production of the i20 at its Sreeperumbedur plant, outside Chennai so that it can increase its penetration in the countries of Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Asia & Pacific, South Africa and even Australia. Hyundai aims to increase its export volumes manifold and enhance its presence in Europe as well as non-European markets.
While Hyundai cars ply in all five continents, amongst the non-European markets, Libya has emerged as an important export destination. Hyundai has already received initial orders from new countries like South Africa, Isreal and Indonesia.
[Via: motorbeam]