Desert Storm rally flagged off

The sixth edition of the Desert Storm rally was ceremoniously flagged off by Maruti's Chief General Manager RS Kalsi from Uppal's Orchid on Thursday.But this year, the grueling rally has something for everyone. Not only will the winners of all categories - PRO (for professionals 4wd & 2wd), NAV (for amateurs SUVs) and NAV (cars), get Rs one lakh purse, they will also get to rally for the first time ever at night.The night leg will be held near Bikaner. Rally enthusiasts will also get to traverse over sand dunes, another first, for the competitors.Last year winner Khushwant Randhawa and Sunny Siddhu will be among several favourites for the top honour. "I have missed out twice here in last two years, hopefully I can do it this time," Siddhu said before the flag off. Politician and socialite Nafisa Ali's brother, Niyaz Ali is also among the hopefuls. He is teaming up with Kim for the sole foreign entry in the competition.But interestingly the car that they had built for the rally - Suzuki's Grand Vitara - is stationed in Dubai, as it was lost in transit. They had to borrow Sarika Sehrawat's Gypsy, to participate. "Thanks to Sarika we are in the rally. She lent us her Gypsy," Kim said.The four-day carnival will be officially flagged off from Jaipur on Friday and will cover a distance of over 2200 kilo metres giving the drivers a lifetime opportunity to explore India.

Hyundai ‘Miles & Smiles’ Rally for Verna & i10 owners

A joy ride in your favourite car and an opportunity to win fabulous cash prizes at the same time - Hyundai Owners could not have asked for a more appropriate Sunday morning. The rally found humongous response amongst its i10 and Verna customers with as many as 75 Hyundai cars participating in the rally.

The Hyundai ‘ Miles & Smiles rally’ was organized by Hyundai Motor India for its valued Verna and i10 customers – to give them a chance to gauge the mileage of their car, learn the techniques of fuel efficient driving and also win prizes in the process. The event was co-sponsored by State Bank of India (SBI) and the associate sponsor was Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

The concept of the rally was to promote fuel efficient driving habits among its Verna and i10 customers. Fossil fuel is becoming expensive and a sparse commodity, consequently judicious use of the fuel is a must, if we are to conserve this resource. In this, driving habits make a big difference. It not only contributes to savings on the part of the owners but also saves precious resources.

Before the start of the rally participants were briefed on the techniques of fuel efficient driving and driving styles which will improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicle considerably. The idea was simple. All participants tanked up at the nearby filling stations and their tanks were sealed which ensured that they could not refuel during the course of the rally.

Their trip meter was made Zero and the Odometer reading noted down by the organisers. To ensure absolute transparency the tank was filled up in the presence of the participants, sealed and entries were made in the log book. After this, they were flagged off on the rally. On return, the same procedure was followed. The amount of fuel consumed was measured and the participant who used the least amount of fuel was declared the winner. The contest was held for owners of both the petrol and diesel variants of the Verna. The rally covered an approximate distance of 110 Km and culminated in scenic Khandala

The rally was flagged off from the Hotel Intercontinental at 9:30 am. Drivers in both Petrol and Diesel categories for the Verna and the petrol i10 who got the best mileage out of their cars were given cash prizes. The winners in each category got a cash prize of Rs 15,000. The first and second runners up in both categories also received cash prizes worth Rs. 8,000/- & Rs. 5,000/- each.

The afternoon was as exciting as the morning with plenty of fun, games and prizes galore. The Miles & Smiles Rally is a first Hyundai i10 Mileage Rally organised by Hyundai Motor India after its national launch of i10 in October last year.

i10 bags 60,000 bookings from the overseas market

Hyundai Motor India, India’s second largest passenger car manufacturer and the largest exporter today achieved another milestone in its remarkable decade old journey in India. Hyundai Motor India had launched its latest compact car on 31st October, 2007 marking the global debut of the i10. Following the India launch the i10 debuted in Europe at the Bologna Motor Show, Italy in December, 2007 and displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in January 2008. HMI started accepting export orders for the i10 from December, 2007 and received 60,000 orders from the overseas market creating a record of clocking the fastest 50,000 units of export orders in just three months. HMI will ship around 26,000 units by March, 2008. The i10 which is manufactured only at the Chennai plant keeping with HMC’s stand of making India the hub for small cars will be exported to all the major markets across the globe covering over 90 countries by the end of the year. And in tune with Hyundai’s philosophy of providing the best sales service HMI has started a training programme to train the staff of all its overseas distributors. Currently, a batch 31 sales Managers from the overseas markets covering about 21 countries from far flung Africa, Latin America, Europe to Asia will undergo a training programme in Chennai from 11th – 14th, March 2008 which will be held in HMI’s Chennai factory premises. This familiarization and understanding of the i10 and HMI as a company will help them to further establish the product in their respective markets. This is also a beginning of a trend which by itself is a first for the industry where overseas partners are trained in India. Following the stupendous response in the domestic market both by the consumers and the media which conferred upon the i10 all the ‘ Car of the Year - 2008’ awards making it the first car to win all the COTY awards including the coveted ‘ Indian Car of the Year’ from a jury comprising of the most respected automotive journalist in India – the i10 is truly on its way to becoming a true global car.

Mahindra launches Alfa Passenger

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), one of India’s leading automotive companies, today unveiled the Alfa Passenger, an ergonomically designed, modern diesel 3 wheeler, which is set to redefine its segment with best-in-class features.
“The new Alfa Passenger 3 wheeler is the first vehicle in its segment which is truly designed and developed by customers. The Alfa is based on extensive customer feedback and incorporates a host of special features which will ensure a smooth and comfortable ride for passengers as well as the driver. In fact, the latter will benefit the most as he often has to drive his vehicle for approximately 200 km a day which can be a very tiring experience,” said Mr. Vivek Nayer, Vice President – Marketing (Auto Sector), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. at the launch of the Alfa Passenger. The Alfa Passenger offers several customer-centric features which add greater value to the vehicle: • Spacious Cabin for both Driver and Passenger: The Alfa’s Spacious Passenger Cabin is its USP over competition. The Floor Panel is 20 per cent larger, while overall height is around 10 per cent more as compared to the competition. This ensures more head room, shoulder room & Leg space for the passenger. The driver also benefits from greater cabin space and more leg room, resulting in a comfortable ride. • Sitting Comfort: Ergonomically designed, best quality non – setting foam material seats provide a greater level of comfort as compared to the PU+PE Material available in vehicles in the same category. • Less Vibration and Low Noise Level: The Engine of the new Alfa has low noise levels and vibrates far less, as compared to the competition due to improved mounting. • Stylish Vehicle: The Alfa Passenger’s stylish, aerodynamic design Strong Superstructure consisting of thick, interconnecting tubes, ensure it stands apart from the crowd. In addition to the above features, the special snorkel allows intake of fresh air to the engine, increasing its life span. The wide wheel base ensures greater vehicle stability, while, the Alfa’s sturdy and durable nature ensures it does not buckle under heavy loads. The Alfa is one of the most successful brands from the commercial vehicle stable of Mahindra & Mahindra and offers features that are best in its class. The Alfa is part of M&M’s leading range of commercial vehicles, which includes successful brands like Alfa Cargo three wheeler and the MaXX Maxi truck. The company will add to this line-up with the forthcoming launch of the CNG and LPG versions of the Alfa in the cargo and Passenger Segments. With annual sales of approximately 2.2 lakh vehicles, the 3 wheeler, 3 seater passenger category is a big potential market and is expected to grow further on account of infrastructure development and increasing transportation needs. The 3 wheeler 3 Seater (passenger) industry grew by 2% in F08 over F07. However, while the petrol segment declined, the diesel segment grew (In which Alfa Passenger has been launched) by 18 per cent YoY. The other major segment contributing to overall growth is the gas segment which grew by 42 per cent YoY. Presently, Diesel sales contribute to around 62 per cent of the total sales of this category, while petrol contributes to 22 per cent and gas (LPG and CNG) contributes to 16 per cent.

Wallpaper : BMW M3 Race Version

Yamaha & Mitsui come together to produce bikes for India

Yamaha Motor, the world’s second-largest motorcycle maker, will set up a joint venture with Mitsui to produce motorcycles in India.

Yamaha plans to replace its money-losing Indian motorcycle business with the new venture, called India Yamaha Motor, the Japan-based company said in a statement filed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange today. The unit will begin operating in April. The motorcycle maker said last month it will invest $174 million in the next three years to bolster business in India, where its sales trail behind bigger rival Honda Motor. The tie-up follows Mitsui, Japan’s second- largest trading company, buying a 3 per cent stake in Yamaha Motor last year.

“The reason for dissolving the old unit is because it has had losses since at least 2001," Yamaha spokesman Takashi Kitagawa said at a press briefing on Wednesday. “The company will rebuild the unit with help of Mitsui."

Motorcycle makers are building more factories and introducing new models in India as economic growth boosts demand in the world’s second-largest motorcycle market. Yamaha had forecast motorcycle demand in India to increase to 9.1 million units in 2010 from 7.3 million units last year. The Indian unit posted an operating loss of 8.8 billion yen in 2007. Mitsui, Japan’s second-largest trading company, bought a 3 per cent stake in Yamaha Motor last year. The two companies set up a team to discuss joint programs including purchasing and distribution.

Tokyo-based Mitsui will take a 30 per cent stake in the new Indian venture, Yamaha Motor said. India Yamaha Motor will utilize the same factory and office facilities used by its predecessor Yamaha Motor India., the statement said. Yamaha manufactures motorcycles in the country at Surajpur, near New Delhi in the north. Yamaha currently employs about 2000 employees in India.

2008 Geneva Auto Show : Few Snaps

TVS planning LPG, CNG bikes

The alternative fuel fever has caught up with Chennai-based TVS Motor Company, synonymous with ‘TVS Scooty’. Having entered the electric scooter segment, the company is exploring LPG and CNG two wheelers.

S Srinivas, general manager, marketing, TVS Motor Company, said that the company has been looking at LPG and CNG-run motorcycles, scooters and scooterettes. The company has its R & D centre at Hosur near Bangalore.

However, a time frame for entering the new segments has not been decided yet. The company’s first foray into alternative fuels has begun with ‘Scooty Teenz Electric’ which will make its debut at Ahmedabad.

Rolled out from the company’s Mysore plant, the 800 watt scooter generates an average range of 40 kms per nine hours of charge. This can increase by 50 per cent if the rider opts for lower speeds by using a feature called Range Selector.

Priced at Rs 32,500 (ex-showroom Ahmedabad), the vehicle comes with a load carrying capacity of 130 kgs with a pillion rider. The lead-acid batteries used for the vehicle are tested to last for 1.5 years if the user’s riding average is 25 kms. The company has decided to launch the vehicle at Ahmedabad owing to the high concentration of two wheelers in the city and female riders.

To start with, TVS expects the vehicle to sell around 500 units in Ahmedabad. Following its launch in other western states and other parts of the country by April, the sales are expected to touch 8000 units. The Scooty Teenz petrol has sold 800 units a month in Ahmedabad and is priced at Rs 25,000.

Wallpaper : BMW M6

Fiat India slashes car prices

Carmaker Fiat India has reduced prices of its flagship model Palio Stile in response to tax cuts for small cars announced in India's national budget for 2008-09. The three variants of Palio Stile will cost up to Rs.12,000 less from March 1.

"We welcome the finance minister's move on reduction in Cenvat (central value-added tax) rate and have decided to pass on the benefit to our customers," a company spokesperson said. Fiat India is a 50:50 joint venture between Fiat Group Automobiles SPA and Tata Motors.

Last week, Tata Motors lowered prices of its popular Tata Indica models by Rs.12,000 to Rs.16,000.

Force India Formula One

Vijay Mallya, co-owner of the newly-launched Force India Formula One team, posing with the team car during an unveiling function in Mumbai.

Millions of Indians, home and abroad, will cheer Force India's gold, tungsten and white cars race past the chequered flag at Albert Park, judging by the media build up in the run up to its debut season. The new Force India team, which is the former Spyker team, is now jointly owned by Mallya and the Mol family from the Netherlands.

Flamboyant Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya posing with Force India F1 team (C) poses with Indian Bollywood Actresses (L to R) Lara Dutta, Sammera Reddy, Shilpa Shetty and Shamitha Shetty at the unveiling of the team car in Mumbai.

Bankrolled by beer-to-airlines tycoon Vijay Mallya, this repackaged version of the Ferrari-powered former Spyker team is injecting patriotism to fire up India's cricket-obsessed public in an unfamiliar sport.

Mallya, a lawmaker and businessman whose empire extends from breweries to airlines, has chosen the slogan 'force of a billion hearts' to attract Indians to the team. India was hooked to Formula One when home-grown Narain Karthikeyan raced for Jordan in 2005 and test drove with Williams over the past two years and now New Delhi has been provisionally awarded a Formula One race in 2010.

F1 updates : Ferrari still quickest - Massa

With ten days to go until the first grand prix of 2008, Ferrari's Felipe Massa has questioned suggestions that McLaren's new car moved ahead of the pack at the recent final group test of the pre-season.

Previously, although Ferrari conducted some of its more recent on-track preparations away from the bulk of its opponents, the Maranello based team was widely acknowledged to have produced the fastest single seater. But to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Massa insists that the true pecking order may not have changed at all at the recent Barcelona test.

"When your rivals are testing for qualifying conditions, it is obvious that they will be quicker than you if you are testing for the races," the Brazilian said.

"We did qualifying testing the previous week, and I beat the track record. In Australia we will understand (the real situation), for sure," he added.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Massa revealed that he has no plans to start looking around the paddock for an alternate team, after joining Ferrari as a race driver in 2006.

Ford March Masti

This March Ford is giving you a host of exciting offers & you get to choose exactly what you like. Accessorizing your car is what drives you? Or maybe a dream finance scheme? They got it all here for you this March.

FORD FIESTA

Choose your offer for the month. When you buy a Ford Fiesta this March pick from either one of these great deals.

• Get your Fiesta at an incredibly low Interest rate of 7.5 %*
• Get a Kenwood MP3 player, anti-theft system and whole lot of other accessories worth over Rs 22,000/-* absolutely free

FORD IKON

Hassle free ownership.

• Get free insurance worth Rs 15,000/- on every Ford Ikon this March

FORD FUSION

Now music comes free with every Ford Fusion.

• Free MP3 player with every Ford Fusion this March

Walk into your nearest Ford Dealership or register online to test drive your preferred Ford vehicle.

Formula 1 : The begining

There was no ‘formula’ for motor racing during the years 1894, when the first ‘organised’ motor race took place from Paris to Rouen, until 1900. The then existing vehicles were simply raced. However, a differentiation was made between those cars on the basis of their method of propulsion (petrol or steam), and their number of seats.

During that time, cars always had at least two seats and it was not until the end of 1920 that single-seater cars were used for racing. The ‘invention’ of the rear-view mirror made an important contribution to this development, since one of the mechanic’s tasks in the 2-seaters was to warn the driver that someone was trying to overtake him!

The ‘FIA Formula-One’ World Championship was created early in 1950 and its first even was held on 13th May 1950 at ‘Silverstone’ Tracks in the U.K., which continues to be one of the most sought after ones even these days.

Wallpaper : Volvo S 80

Gallery : Volvo cars - India

Volvo Car Corporation, known for manufacturing some of the safest automobiles in the world began making cars in 1927 and has pioneered the field of car safety ever since then. Today they are a global corporation with sales companies in all major markets. Volvo cars are built on the principles of safety, quality and environmental care. Since 1999, Volvo have been owned by the Ford Motor Company. Under this new ownership structure they are part of the Premier Automotive Group, Ford's division for premium car brands, which includes Jaguar and Land Rover.


Volvo XC70:



Volvo S80:

Volvo S40:

Volvo C70:



Volvo C30:



Volvo V70:



Volvo V50:



Volvo XC90:

Wallpaper : Suzuki SX4 rally concept

Gadgets for your car

Your car is your mobile castle these days--and so deserves to be appropriately outfitted with the latest gadgets. And there's no shortage of gear for doing that.

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, equipment makers of all stripes were on hand to show off their latest and greatest for making your car into something far more than a mode of transportation. The newest global positioning satellite systems, for instance, let you talk your way to a destination without ever taking your hands off the wheel. Other gadgets aim to help you buff up your ride's status symbol. Still others cater directly to the kid-toting crowd.

Start with the fun stuff. Bazooka, Earthquake, Titanium Power and Magnadyne--these aren't exactly weapons but companies with sound systems that will make the ground shake and put a dent in your eardrums. We were overwhelmed by the JackHammer SuperWoofer from MTX Audio. There's nothing lightweight about this subwoofer. It weighs in at 369 pounds. It incorporates magnets powerful enough to wipe out the data on credit cards that come within 25 feet. This is the ultimate, "competitive" sound system.

Frequent nighttime drivers might appreciate the Flir PathFindIR thermal imaging camera, which can spot animals and pedestrians up to 2,000 feet away--much sooner than you can eyeball them. This is no toy system; military and police vehicles have tried out this technology. It's also priced accordingly.

You can get lost evaluating all the GPS systems available these days. Happily most are priced within the budget of typical consumers. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, the Magellan Maestro Elite was the only on-board system that lets you use Google Local search to look up locations. Garmin's nuvi 880 features speech recognition so that you can talk to your direction system, rather than touching a screen to figure out where to go next.

Microsoft and Ford Motor have created Sync, an "in-car connectivity system" that first debuted last year but will become more widespread in 2008. The latest Sync is designed to generate vehicle diagnostic reports and automatically call 911 if an air bag goes off in an accident. And here's the cool part: Sync also lets motorists call up songs on their iPods and other MP3 players via voice commands. Ford plans to make Sync available in most of its high-end vehicles by the end of the year, but it can be purchased separately, too.

There are other ways to make gadgets work in your car even if they weren't exactly built that way. Add Scosche's BlueLife DIY Bluetooth Receiver into a car that isn't equipped with Bluetooth and your cell phone and music devices will get channeled through the car speakers.

Sirius and Ford together have developed a "Travel Link" navigation system, which the carmaker will roll out during 2008. The subscription service features an in-dash screen that provides live information about local gas prices, traffic conditions, sports scores and local movie listings. Included in the hardware for Travel Link, although technically separate from the service, is a 10-gigabyte voice-command "jukebox" that can hold up to 2,400 songs and display complete track information and album cover art thanks to technology provided by Gracenote.

Then there's Azentek's multimedia PC--the Atlas CPC-1200, designed explicitly for cars. It uses an Intel Core Duo processor and can do anything you need--run Microsoft Vista, play high-definition radio, run a GPS system.

If that seems too elaborate, there are ways to amuse your children in the car for a more modest price. Sirius Satellite Radio has launched an automotive satellite TV service. Only three channels so far--but they are the ones that most kids want to see: Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and a special mobile edition of the Cartoon Network. It's available in some Chrysler models now, and more broadly available in the second quarter of this year.

Ford Fiesta's new Pace Petrol : New excitement on Indian roads

The New Year promises to be very exciting for Fiesta lovers as Ford India introduces the Fiesta Pace Petrol series for 2008, the new series line-up that will offer customers tremendous performance and driving dynamics on their cars, available in three variants – the 1.4 EXI, 1.6 ZXI and 1.6 SXI

The new series takes forward Ford’s assurance of launching fun to drive, high performance cars in India. The Petrol Pace series is fitted with Duratec engines which results in a superior combination of performance, drivability, refinement and fuel economy, with its exciting 'drive-by-wire technology’, delivering an ultimate balance between fuel economy and performance.

The Fiesta's Pace Petrol variants are available at an extremely competitive price range of Rs. 5.93 lakh, Rs. 6.20 lakh and Rs. 6.90 lakh. [Ex- showroom Delhi], for its 1.4EXI, 1.6ZXI and 1.6 SXI range respectively.

Scott McCormack, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford India, said, ''Fiesta is class leading in terms of performance, handling and drive quality. In fact the 1.6 petrol Fiesta is the only car that goes from 0-100 in under 12 seconds, making it the fastest in the segment. Fiesta owners are people who take pride in their driving abilities and love enjoying new experiences that Fiesta helps them gain.''

In addition to the Pace Petrol series, in the new 2008 line up, customers can choose three Fiesta Duratorq (Diesel) variants, the 1.4 EXI being offered at Rs. 7.03 lakh, the 1.4 ZXI at Rs. 7.49 lakh and Rs. 8.09 lakh for the 1.4 SXI - all prices ex- showroom Delhi. The new top end SXI variants in both Petrol and Diesel offerings, now has a driver-side Air Bag and classy Turn Indicators on Outside Rearview Mirror [ORVM]. The SXIs also have ABS [Anti-Lock Braking System], making Ford Fiesta one of the few manufacturer's amongst the segment players offering ABS as a standard fitment.

The entry level Fiesta EXI [Pace Petrol and Diet Diesel], comes complete with standard features including power steering, power windows, tilt adjustable steering column, distance to empty trip computer, tachometer, door ajar indicator, central locking and two-tone interiors. In addition to superior feature enhancements in the new line-up, starting this month, Ford India has introduced free 2nd year factory warranty on its entire vehicle line-up, aimed at providing Ford customers greater satisfaction, safety, reliability and hence complete peace of mind on our product and service offerings.

Fiesta holds the Limca Book of record with impressive average of 22.43 km per litre in petrol and 31.48 km per litre in Diesel. Coupled with new offerings and some of the best in class features, the new range will surely reinforce Ford’s legacy of crafting cars that break new grounds.

News : Car manufacturers reduces prices of models

India's top car maker Maruti Suzuki Ltd Friday announced a reduction in prices of some of its models following Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's proposal to trim excise duty by four percent. The prices of all six models that qualify for the lower excise benefit - Maruti 800, Omni, Zen, WagonR, Swift Diesel and Alto - will be reduced. The price reduction ranges from Rs.6,500 for Maruti 800 to Rs.18,030 for Swift Diesel (ex-showroom Delhi), the company said in a statement Friday evening.

Tata Motors has reduced the prices of Indica and Indigo model by Rs 8,500-Rs 15,300. The price cut is a result of the 4 per cent excise duty cut announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Friday. While the Indica will see a price cut ranging between Rs 8,500-RS 14,600, the Indigo compact sedan (CS) will witness a drop of Rs 12,700- Rs 15,300 across variants. The company has also cut prices of its commercial vehicle range, which includes trucks and buses, by 2 per cent.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd intends to cut the prices of its Santro by Rs.12,000 while its Getz and i10 would be cheaper by Rs.14,000 and Rs.12,000 respectively.

According to an official of General Motors, the company would reduce the prices of its Spark and Aveo U-VA models. The price reduction will be between Rs.7,500 and Rs.14,000.

Among the tyre manufacturers, JK Tyre and Industries Ltd has announced its intention to reduce the prices of its radial and bias tyres fitted on trucks, car and farm vehicles from March 1, 2008, onwards.

K.J. Rao, chief financial officer of Ceat Ltd, said the company would pass on the two percent reduction in excise duty to the customers.

News : TATA Nano to Russia

The biggest draw at the international trade fair being organised at St. Petersburg from March 11 to 14 will be the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, tagged at just $2,500. According to the organisers, the Russians are eager to see the car, though it is not clear whether the car will be brought here.

Around 140 Indian companies will be participating in the trade fair with those from 16 other countries, including Germany, Denmark, Britain and China, will participate in the four-day event.

"The first day of the fair will be devoted to Indian industry to commemorate the Year of Russia, which is now under way in India," said Igor Kirsanov, director general of the Restek Company and organiser of the event.

The latest innovations in the fields of engineering, metalworking, metallurgical products and car parts will be displayed at the four pavilions of the Lenexpo exhibition complex. The huge Indian delegation to the fair in St Petersburg is a clear indication that Indian companies are interested in cooperation with their Russian counterparts. The Indian companies are keen on supplying car parts for the automobile assembly plants here.

Toyota launched its assembly plant in 2007 and General Motors in February this year. Nissan, Suzuki and Hyundai will also set up their ventures soon. Ford has its plant in the Leningrad region.

According to Mikhail Oseyevsky, deputy governor of St Petersburg, besides the automotive industry, Indian businessmen are also interested in cooperation in the information technology and metallurgical sectors. Alongside the Indian delegation, companies from the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Britain, China, Turkey, South Korea, Austria, Croatia, Belarus and Ukraine will participate in the fair.

Global giants such as General Motors, Ford, Electrolux, Siemens and Bosch will showcase their products in the exhibition.

India's Sharp Tools and Russia's Elslar are likely to sign an agreement for a joint venture company - named Esweld - that will manufacture components for welding operations in the Elektrostal region near Moscow.

News : February sales down for two wheeler gaints

India's largest two-wheeler maker Hero Honda on Saturday reported a 5.7 per cent dip in motorcycle sales during February at 2,65,431 units, against 2,80,515 units in the same month last year. The company said it expects sales to improve post the reduction in excise duty. It is passing on the entire benefit of the duty reduction to the customer and has cut prices by up to Rs 2,400.

"Hero Honda has taken the voice of the customer to the government, and consequently the excise duty on two-wheelers has been reduced to 12 per cent from 16 per cent. This is a welcome move, and we are happy to pass on the entire benefit to customers. The reduction in excise duty cut will enable us to draw more customers to our fold," Hero Honda Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer Pawan Munjal said in a statement. He said issues like credit financing have not been addressed, which were required to push sales.

"The basic factors causing the industry slowdown still remain unattended. Credit Financing has been withdrawn in some key markets, while interest rates on consumer loans also remain very high. This credit squeeze continues to be the most critical factor adversely impacting industry growth," Munjal said.

Bajaj Auto Ltd, the second-biggest motorcycle maker, on Saturday said vehicle sales in February fell 9 per cent to 183,807 units from 202,212 units last year. It said motorcycles sales fell 8 percent to 158,662 units from 171,780 units, and total two-wheelers sales also fell 8 percent to 159,508 units from 174,220 units.

Sales of motorised three-wheelers fell 13 per cent to 24,299 units from 27,992 units last year, Bajaj added in a statement. The company, which is studying the feasibility of making a $3,000 car with Renault and Nissan Motor Co, said exports rose 65 per cent to 63,182 units from 38,228 units. Bajaj said it expected its focus on 125 cc motorcycles and international markets to result in positive overall growth for 2008/09.

Excise duty cut : Cars n Bikes going cheap !

If you are planning to buy a vehicle this year, rejoice. Two and three-wheelers, cars, buses as well as four-wheelers will are likely to set you back by less.

Cars could be cheaper by Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 19,000, depending on the model and its variants. Two-wheelers would be cheaper by Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 5,000, industry experts said.

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited said it has passed on the full benefit of excise duty reduction to customers. The company has announced price reduction in all six models that qualify for the lower excise benefit: Maruti 800, Omni, Zen, Wagon R, Swift Diesel and Alto.

Hyundai said the company has decided to pass on the benefit of the excise duty cut to customers on three models, Santro, i10 and the Getz with immediate effect.

We will be cutting the prices of our small cars between Rs 7,500 and Rs 14,000, General Motors India vice-president P Balendran said.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has proposed that the excise duty on small cars, two, three wheelers, buses and their chassis is brought down to 12 per cent from 16 per cent, while in case of hybrid cars the duty will be lowered to 14 per cent from the current 24 per cent.

Small car is defined as one with petrol engine capacity upto 1.2 litres and diesel engine upto 1.4 litres and 4 metres length.

Honda Siel Cars India senior general manager G. Sen expressed disappointment that the gap in excise duty between small cars and big cars has been further widened, but exuded confidence that the reduction in excise duty on hybrid cars would enable the company to import hybrid vehicles from the parent Japanese car company.

Hyundai Motors India Ltd. vice-president (marketing and sales) Arvind Saxena said the government decision to reduce excise duties was a welcome decision. The move will help the auto industry grow, specially the small cars segment which constitutes 78 per cent of the market, he said.

News : Hero Honda reduces prices of bikes

Subsequent to the announcement of the excise duty cut in the Union Budget, Hero Hero on Friday announced a reduction in the prices of its motorcycles in the range of Rs 1,000- Rs 3,400 across all its models. In response to the budget, earlier during the day, Hero Honda Managing Director, Mr Pawan Munjal had said "It is an extremely well-alanced budget. The excise duty cut will be passed on to the consumers."

News : Honda Siel expects approval for Civic Hybrid soon

Mr T. Oyama, President & CEO, Asian Honda Motor Co, and Mr M. Takedagawa, President & CEO, Honda Siel Cars India (right), at Honda’s new production facility at Greater Noida on Monday.

Honda Siel Cars India on Monday said that it expects to receive homologation for its Civic Hybrid from the Automotive Research Association of India within the next 10 days.

The company also said that while it did not expect much volumes from the hybrid car, it was primarily to showcase its technological competitiveness.

“Even if we sell 300-500 units of Civic Hybrid, it is okay. Our purpose is to show the technology which has been present in other countries,” said Mr Masahiro Takedagawa, President and CEO, Honda Siel Cars India, at the inauguration of its facility in Greater Noida.

Mr Takedagawa said that the company planned to sell 90,000 units next fiscal, a growth of 35 per cent compared to the current fiscal. Its new sports utility vehicle CR-V, sedans Accord and Civic Hybrid would contribute to increased sales. Honda is also looking at expanding its dealership network over the next three years to establish its presence in newer cities.

“By the end of March, we would have 80 dealerships in 51 cities. In the next three years, we would double our dealerships to 160 by adding 39 new cities,” said Mr Jnaneswar Sen, Senior General Manager, Sales.

Honda has expanded its capacity at its plant in Greater Noida to one lakh units from 50,000 units. Besides this, the company’s second plant which is being commissioned at Rajasthan could also be scaled to over 2.5 lakh units per annum from its initial capacity of 60,000 units.

The company plans to use its Greater Noida facility to manufacture its current range of products and the second plant in Rajasthan for compact cars. This includes Jazz, a premium hatchback, which is being considered, and another small car for which the company has begun work and expects to roll out in three- four years time.

Maruti receives appreciation award from CBEC

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on Monday said it has received an appreciation award from Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Finance Ministry, for its contribution to the national exchequer.

The company has paid a gross excise of Rs 2,635 crore to the government during the April-January period of the current fiscal, up 26.7 per cent over the same period of last fiscal, MSIL said in a statement. The appreciation award was given to the company by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on February 24.

News : Maruti pays Rs 2,635-Cr. excise

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) has been awarded by the Central Board of Excise and Customs under the Ministry of Finance for paying a gross excise of Rs 2,635 crore during April-January 2007-08, an increase of over 26.7 per cent compared to the corresponding period the previous fiscal. The Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, presented the award for its contribution to the national exchequer. The increase in excise payment in this fiscal is on account of higher sales by the company and a faster growth in higher value models, Maruti Suzuki said in a statement.