Eaton Corporation Delivers First Hybrid Power Systems for Buses in India
Eaton Corporation announced that consumers of its hybrid systems have collectively accumulated more than 160 million KM of service, reducing fuel consumption by 15 million liters of diesel fuel and harmful emissions by 40,000 metric tons. Most recently, Eaton introduced its hybrid electric system into the Indian city bus market with debut on the Tata Motors used for transporting special foreign delegates during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Tata Motors jointly operated these 4 buses with the Delhi Transport Corporation on specific routes during the games.
Eaton worked with Tata to specially design the system for buses that run on Compressed Natural Gas. The hybrid system combines a 5.9-litre Cummins CNG engine rated at 230bhp with an electric motor that has a peak power output of 44 kw. Eaton matches the system to an automated 6 speed Eaton transmission and stores energy in four lithium-ion batteries that are mounted under the seats. Additionally, Eaton equips the buses with its unique start-stop technology that automatically switches off the engine when the bus is stationary and turns it back on when power is needed. This system dramatically reduces emissions, especially at bus stops.
Krishnakumar Srinivasan, managing director – Eaton Truck Division in India said, “Tata is an innovative leader in the Indian bus market and is making important progress in reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Eaton is well positioned to deliver effective power management technologies that help our customers control costs and reduce their energy requirements. Hybrid-powered buses have the potential to impact environmental sustainability in a very big way. We have seen many positive results from customers in North America, Europe and Asia, and we hope that today’s debut will lead to greater acceptance of hybrid technology throughout all of India.”
Tata Nano launches its first ever television commercial for Nano
Tata motors, India`s leading auto manufacturer launches the first television commercial of Nano. The TV commercial was launched in a bid to revive the sales of Tata Nano Car which dipped to 509 units last month. The commercial was created by Rediffusion Y&R, and portrays the Nano as a roomy and sturdy car. The Nano is shown as an enviable car by virtue of its looks and performance. The all new Tata Nano needs a touch- feel advertisement to make a phenomenal feeling in our minds. The tag line- “key to your happiness” is aptly projected in the television commercial.
A little girl is shown asking her grandmother when the Tata Nano will come home. The Tata Nano finally arrives, getting admiring glances all the way. The yellow Tata Nano car truly stands out as is drives through rough terrains to reach the house on a hilltop. The small town neighborhood gathers to see the brand new Tata Nano car. The little girl hugs the car and the family prepares a traditional welcome. As is the belief in India, the girl applies some of her eyeliner on the car to prevent the ill effects of the prying eyes. This innovative ad signals a U turn in the marketing strategy for Nano. Besides, Tata motors have launched a multi-crore media campaign to rebuild Nano’s brand image, which had taken a beating a while ago. Tata motors have geared up for a countrywide system to sell Nanos including 1,000 odd special Nano kiosks, off the shelf. It also aims to reach higher volumes of 12,000-15, 000 units per month by April 2011. The Tata Nano commercial, conveys the simple message that two-wheeler and three-wheeler owners may easily shift to Tata Nano. According to advertisement executives, the company is also planning another TV campaign early next year.
Tata Motors launches express loans to rescue Nano sales..
Tata Motors is putting their best effort to rescue Nano. After witnessing disappointing sales figures of Nano in November 2010, Tata Motors is prepared with plans to save the little master. Senior officials from Tata Motors pointed out that non-availability of funding is a major cause for Nano’s sale
decline. Tata Motors Finance (TMF) announced the launch of express loans for Nano, which will be accepted within 48 hours after submitting application. TMF will be sanctioning loans up to 90% of cost of the Nano at reduced rates. This is second major proposal by Tata, last week company announced four year manufacturing warranty of Nano. “The Tata Nano will now come with a four year/60,000 km (whichever is earlier) manufacturer’s warranty, at no extra cost. Besides being applicable on new deliveries, the warranty is also being extended to all existing owners of the car,” said Tata Motors.
According to Tata Motors “customer satisfaction studies with present Tata Nano owners indicate that over 80% are satisfied or very satisfied with the car, because of it being little yet spacious, its performance, manoeuvrability, durability, mileage and safety." But the ground reality is, even after putting their best attempt Tata Nano sales are not picking up. What could be the reason behind this sudden change in mood among small auto buyers?
Tata Motors to Develop Double-trailer Truck for International Market
Tata Motors working on a double-trailer truck in its Prima range of world trucks for the overseas market. This automobile is expected to be prepared for sale by end-next financial year, a senior company executive said. The tonnage capacity of the automobile is not known as of now. “We are developing a double-trailer truck under the Prima stage for the overseas market. The truck is estimated to be ready for sale by the end of next fiscal,” the executive said on condition of anonymity. When asked why the trucks are being developed only for the worldwide market, he said, “We understand that there is no good demand for this type of truck in the domestic market, but we feel its demand will be good in overseas markets.”
The Indian vehicle manufacturer launched the Prima variety of world trucks in May last year. It is now also producing engines for its medium-and-heavy commercial vehicles (trucks and buses) at its Jamshedpur facility. Tata has an equal JV with US-based Cummins to produce engines for commercial vehicles at its Jamshedpur plant. Tata is also working on a set of fuel-efficient engines for light commercial vehicles (trucks), which would help increase its sales in the international market. “We are developing a set of fuel-efficient engines (three-litre and five litre) for light trucks, the new engines are likely to be used on a new vehicle platform for light trucks,” he added.
Tata to produce Indica Vista Electric in UK
Tata Indica Vista EV (2011), the much looked-for electric car, will be assembled in UK. Tata Motors is scheduling to set-up a manufa
cturing element in Coventry (UK) for this electric car. While the electric batteries for Vista EV will be produced in Norway, the drive trains for the automobile would be produced in Canada. Indica Vista EV has been designed as a small family car and is capable of running up to 177 km on a single charge. The top speed of the car is 115 km/h. Initially, the company will produce only 100 units of this car in year 2011, with a team of only 25 experts and workers. However, once the demand for electric cars picks-up, it will ramp-up its manufacturing capacity to up to 1,500 cars per year.
The car is expected to hit the roads by mid-2012 in the markets like UK and some selected European countries. The Tata Indica Vista EV is one of nine cars that were cleared by the Department for Transport this week to qualify for a 5,000 pound government subsidy. However, there are no plans of the company to open the car in its domestic market India, in near future, as the country lacks the necessary infrastructure and facilities for enhancing the usability and popularity of the electric cars.
Tata Nano Catches Fire In Delhi
Yet another Tata Nano (probably the sixth in the country) burst into flames, this time in south Delhi. Fortunately no one was injured. The accident took place in a parking lot in Aurobindo Marg. There were sparks from the rear of the car as soon as the ignition was switched on. Within a few minutes, the fire engulfed it. A fire tender was rushed to the site and the fire was doused within a few minutes.
The sky blue Nano owned by SC advocate Ravinder Narayan in May last year. It had done 34,000km and had been serviced once. The cars driver Patrick John was driving from Connaught Place to Hauz Khas with the advocate's manager. The car had done 9 kms since morning. John noticed sparks coming out of the rer (engine) and leaped out just in time. This news comes at a time when Tata Motors is planning to open bookings of the Nano throughout the country in a phased manner.
[Via: Motorbeam]
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]
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).
Tata Indica Vista 1st Anniversary Edition Launched
Tata Motors is celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the Indica Vista with the launch of Limited Edition Indica Vista. Component wise there is not much changes except some minor tweaks. This includes a new set of alloy wheels,TAN leather strips in cock pit and door trims. which comes in an exclusive colour combination - porcelain white bodywork with a black roof and royal gold with earth metallic finish roof and outside rear view mirrors.
Tata has further added ebony black interior and special S-TEC seats to this special edition India Vista. It will also enhance your in car entertainment experience as it comes with integrated stereo as well. Tata is offering the Special versions in two shades, Royal Gold and Porcelain White.
In addition to the features available in top model of Indica Vista the 1st Anniversary Edition comes with:
- All New Alloy wheels
- Ashen Color S-TEC Leather Seats
- 1st anniversary emblem
- 2 DIN Music System
- Ebony Black Color Interior Scheme
- Tan Leather On Cockpit & Door Trims
- Available In Royal Gold and Porcelain White
- Roof & Outside Rear View Mirros Painted In Earth Metallic Shade
The Indica Vista 1st Anniversary Edition Diesel is priced at Rs 5,20,000 (Ex-showroom Mumbai), while the 10th Anniversary Safire Petrol Indica Vista is priced at Rs 4,27,000 (Ex-showroom Mumbai). The prices of 1st Anniversary Edition are around thirty thousand more in comparison to the price of top model of Indica Vista.
[Via: Cars India ]
Tata Nano To Get New Features + Minor Facelift
Tata Motors is in the process of upgrading the world's cheapest car Nano in the coming few months. Acting on the feedback from the market, the car will get small but significant upgrades with in the next six months. The Nano will get a higher rev limit at 6000 rpm compared to the conservative 5000 rpm earlier. The higher rev limit will improve performance especially in the first two gears allowing greater pull from the engine, important when going up an incline with full load, but the top speed will remain the same at 105 kph.
Other changes include a newly modified outside rear view mirror which is less cumbersome owing to the movement of the mirror with in the casing negating the need for moving the whole assembly while adjusting. The newer design will also make it possible to introduce electric adjustment in the future if Tata Motors wants to. The doors will also have check straps to limit the door opening. The most significant upgrade in the coming months will be the tailgate which can be opened improving the utility. The present sealed glass unit is inconvenient especially when there are passengers sitting on the rear seat.
The limited capacity is also a blessing in disguise for the company as the changes can be in-corporated before the production is shifted to the main plant in Sanand, Gujrat. Tata Motors is also in advanced stages of the development of the Tata Nano Diesel which will be introduced by the end of 2011. The all new twin cylinder engine will be one of the smallest diesel engine with common rail technology and will develop a healthy 40 bhp.
[Via: Cubiccapacity]