Nissan India opens its flagship dealership in Chennai

In an endeavour to achieve maximum customer outreach, Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd (NMIPL) has opened its flagship dealership in Chennai and 7th dealership in the country. With the inauguration of Sherif Nissan, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd (NMIPL) follows its plans of expanding its network of authorized dealers. More than expanding the number of sales outlets, Nissan is committed to offer its high quality service standards to guarantee consumer satisfaction. Mr. Akira Sakurai, MD, Renault Nissan Automotive India (P) Ltd (RNAIPL) and Grahame Cornforth, SVP & director –Nissan Operations, Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre (RNTBCI) were also present on this occasion. 

Kiminobu Tokuyama, managing director and CEO, NMIPL said, "The launch of our flagship dealership in Chennai, our home-town, marks a significant step towards increasing our ability to reach commercial coverage in more than 38.66% of the national territory. We have come to India to become a major player and Chennai will play an important role in our Indian operations as we gear up for the start of production of our locally made Global Compact Car in May 2010." 

In the process of establishing the Nissan Brand in India, NMIPL - in partnership with Hover Automotive India, its marketing, sales, after-sales service and dealer development arm - is rapidly preparing its dealer network structure to support the up-coming growth in the country. 

Speaking at the launch, G.M Singh, VC & MD, Hover Automotive India (P) Ltd said, "It gives us immense pleasure to launch the new dealership in Chennai, a city which will play an important role in the global growth strategy of Nissan. In our journey to embed the Nissan brand in the hearts of Indian car buyers, we have been successful to engage with dealer partners of a high quality who understand that the difference lies in creating customer value and a superior ownership experience. We aim to have around 12 dealer partners* by start of production in May 2010 increasing upto over 20 by the time of the launch of our compact car in July 2010. We are well on track to achieve our target of over 55 dealer partners by 2012 giving us a footprint of covering 85% of the Indian market." 

This new dealership located at No 133, Velachery Main Road, Guindy, Chennai-32 is directed by Shoukath Sherif, chairman & CEO, Sherif Group. This facility is spread over 3,750 square meters of serviceable area to cater to customer's need of quick and better service. Customer can see, touch, and feel the product in a comfortable ambience. Sherif Nissan's team of sales consultant and service team are trained personally by Hover and Nissan to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction.

The line of vehicle offered by NMIPL is Nissan Teana and Nissan X-Trail. The company is expected to close the fiscal year with approximately 300 unit sales. 

The city of Chennai plays a strategic role in Nissan's growth strategy globally. Nissan with its global alliance partner Renault is setting up the manufacturing plant at Oragadam in Chennai, which will manufacture the first locally made compact car built on the global V-platform in May 2010. The trial production is currently underway and the plant will be inaugurated in March 2010. The Chennai plant will also be the sourcing hub for the global compact car for over 100 countries, especially Europe and Middle East. Nissan, which aims to introduce 9 new models by 2012, will have 5 of these locally produced at this plant. Also, Chennai plays host to the Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Private Ltd (RNTBCI) which is contributing to Nissan's global operations in the key areas of Advanced Research and Development, Advanced CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering), product development, digital vehicle development, information systems development, Indian and global parts sourcing.

New Adam Opel GmbH management board appointed

The Adam Opel GmbH Supervisory Board has appointed the new Management Board where the new CEO and leader of the company will be Nick Reilly. In this capacity, he will be responsible for all Opel/Vauxhall activities worldwide. All Management Board members would be reporting to Reilly. They are : Rita Forst, newly appointed and responsible for Engineering. To date, Forst has been Executive Director, Vehicle Systems & Integration, in the International Technical Development Center at Opel in Rüsselsheim; Mark James; newly appointed as Chief Financial Officer. James has been with the company since 1991; he was most recently Vice President and CFO of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology in Korea; Reinald Hoben (Manufacturing), Holger Kimmes (HR), Tom McMillen (Purchasing), and Alain Visser (Sales, Marketing & Aftersales) continue to be members of the Opel Management Board.
Hans Demant, to date Managing Director of Adam Opel GmbH and GM Europe Vice President, Engineering, will take over new responsibilities for GM as Vice President, Global Intellectual Property Rights.

"Today's appointments represent another important building block for Opel's successful future", said Opel Supervisory Board Chairman Walter Borst. "The new leadership team has the full support of the Supervisory Board. We are looking forward to a good and constructive cooperation with Nick Reilly and his team as our common objective is to move forward the Opel brand."

"I am very pleased that the Management Board is in place now," said Nick Reilly commenting on today's decisions. "The new Opel/Vauxhall leadership team will address our tasks quickly and with plenty of energy. With our Insignia, the Astra, the new Meriva and several other upcoming new products, we in particular will be on the offensive and will want to increase our market share in Europe. Our recent product and sales successes are motivating and reassuring at the same time."

With his appointment as CEO of Opel/Vauxhall, Nick Reilly has retired from the Opel Supervisory Board.

Nissan to begin first made-in-India car production by May 2010

Nissan Motor Company, which had earlier announced its plans to shift production of its Micra cars for the European market from the U.K. to Chennai plans production of its first made-in-India compact car by May.

 

According to PTI, the Japanese auto giant, which also aims to use India as an export hub for Africa and the Middle East, has recently indicated that its Chennai plant would become operational by May 2010 and it will be the sourcing hub for the global compact car for Europe. In India, Nissan plans to add 55 dealerships, some of which would be owners of multiple outlets by 2012.

"The result of the first production trial is good. We will start rolling out the cars in May," said chief executive and managing director Akira Sakurai at the launch of a Nissan Motor dealership in Chennai. In the first trial, more than 30 units were produced and the trial production of power train is on. Sakurai said the company has 97 vendors and the local content of the first model that will be rolled out will be 85 percent.  The staff strength at the plant will be increased to around 1,500 people by May from 1,000 currently, as told by him.

Furthermore, Nissan is also exploring the feasibility of reconsidering its import strategy for bringing down the costs of its luxury cars - Teana and X-trail. The official spokesperson of the company has indicated that it is weighing options of switching from its current model of importing completely built units or CBUs. Instead, it could be considering importing completely knocked down kits (CKDs). The move, if implemented, could yield significant cost reduction on its luxury cars, said Nissan India's spokesperson. "We have not decided yet but are studying alternatives," he said, adding, "The price point of Teana and X-trail is high because of its positioning in the premium segment and the high import tax."

Following its cues from domestic automakers a number of international and domestic auto companies, Nissan India is also drawing up plans to either bring its vehicle-financing arms or enhance its presence, in a bid to accelerate the sales of its current and future vehicle sales. It is widely believed that the decision comes on account of the financial credit crunch due to tightening of lending norms by banks (especially the private ones) and other financial institutions in addition to imminent steep interest rates.

When contacted the spokesperson of the company said, "Rolling out a finance arm is just on the drawing board of the company. We are looking at wholesale and retail financing to improve sales. But we have not arrived at any decision and have to approach the RBI for a non-banking financing license." 

IANS reports that the automobile engineering design and research company Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Pvt Ltd (RNTBCI) will soon shift the fuel cell research team from near Chennai to IIT Madras Research Park in the city.  It was reported earlier that a 50:50 joint venture between Japanese Nissan Motor Company and Renault of France, RNTBCI works in the areas of advanced research and development, advanced computer aided engineering, product development, digital vehicle development, information systems development, Indian and global parts sourcing. A sum of Rs.645 million ($13 billion) has gone into the venture.

"The new centre will have around 100 research engineers. They will study ways to improve the performance of fuel cells," Grahame Cornforth, senior vice president and director, told reporters here Monday on the sideline of a Nissan Motor dealership launch. He also stated that the company is progressing as per plans and the headcount will go up by 300 to 1,500 by March 2011. He said the company does engineering design for Nissan's global operations and not restricted to their Indian car plant. According to Cornforth the company is working on couple of upstream projects. "Nowadays building prototype vehicles are not in vogue. A vehicle is designed and engineered in a computer and finally a real car is rolled out for final testing," he said.

2012 Delhi Auto Expo may not happen at Pragati Maidan

The 2010 Auto Expo which was termed as the biggest auto show in the world with maximum number of footfalls and over 10-12 global launches, also saw the darker side of the show, which has been reflected in the shortcomings which global auto participants had much to share.

 

Even though global auto biggies are betting big on the Indian market, they are quite downbeat about how the gala event panned out. With virtual stampedes, poor administration, lousy crowd management plagued the venue, Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Organisers are seriously looking for a resolution.

 

Now, if HT is to be believed, the 11th edition (scheduled for 2012) may be split into two venues. Chances are highly likely that the venue may not remain the same, and areas in the NCR like Gurgaon and Greater Noida are under consideration. For the 2012 Auto Expo, the number of participants is bound to go up further with fresh additions in the form of Ford, Nissan, Peugeot, Citroen, Proton, Ducati and Triumph.

 "This has become a very big show and the obvious solution right now appears to be to either move this out to another place or split it into two or three expos," said Dilip Chenoy, director general, SIAM. "We have to look at it in the light of what happened on Sunday."  A split may cause heartburn, but is a necessity, said Chenoy. "One solution would be to have a separate show for cars and bikes and another for components and commercial vehicles," he added.

 

Also there are talks that smaller shows could be held every year as well. Watch this space for more in coming days.

M&M eyeing to establish full-fledged R&D centre in Chennai

 India's leading utility vehiclemaker, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) is reportedly looking at setting up an integrated R&D and engineering center in Chennai and is in talks with the Tamil Nadu government to allot 253 acres of land to set it up. The The proposed center would amalgamate operations of the company's various existing research and development units in different parts of India, including Nasik, Pune, Haridwar and Igatpuri.

M&M President (Automotive Sector) Pawan Goenka said at the 10th Auto Expo in New Delhi, "The company was in the process of setting up a plant in Chennai, and the project plan was submitted to the state industries department. He did not divulge the investment details. M&M hopes to operalionalize the new center in four to five years employing around 1,500 personnel. The new center will support both automotive and tractor business of the company.

It may be recalled that Anand Mahindra, Mahindra group Vice-Chairman, was quoted as saying to reporters a few years back,"I realised the moment I saw it, that this was our best chance of competing in the global market." S, the work will begin on Mahindra's obsession — a $100 million R&D and product development centre — which he says will flaunt amenities comparable to the best in the world."

Skoda Yeti to be rolled out from Aurangabad plant by second half of 2010

According to reports in the media, Skoda Auto is looking to roll out its Yeti mini-SUV model by second half of this calendar year. It has also been learnt that the Czech carmaker will initially launch the 2-litre diesel version in the country, followed by petrol and other low-powered versions.

 

While the company is not ready to disclose the pricing of the vehicle, it is expected to cost about Rs. 14-17 lakh and will be sold as a completely knock down (CKD) unit in India with the kits being imported from its parent company's Kvasiny plant in the Czech Republic. The vehicle, which was launched in the global markets around five months back, was also showcased at the just-concluded 2010 Auto Expo.

An extremely buoyant Reinhard Fleger, Member of the Board, Sales and Marketing, Skoda Auto, stated, "The Indian automobile industry continues to be among the most promising car industries across the globe and it shall continue to grow in the coming year backed by an estimated GDP growth of about 7 per cent. Skoda has a share of around 25 per cent in the mid size segment where we have operated since the last 9 years. We have aggressive plans for the Indian market and aim to emerge as a major player in the Indian automotive industry's growth story. The Yeti is an integral aspect of this plan. "  

Speaking at the unveiling, Thomas Kuehl, Member of the Board, Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto India, said, "The highly agile Yeti is compact, attractively styled with excellent handling characteristics and is bound to create a stir in this segment with the potential of  having a cult following. The 4×4 variants are also characterised by outstanding off-road capability and excellent traction. These, coupled with superb emission values and low fuel consumption meet the needs of a socially acceptable SUV. I am very confident that the Yeti, with its intrinsic Skoda values combined with our growing network expanse across India, will fuel fresh energy in this segment contributing to the overall growth. We hope Yeti will help us capture 10-15 per cent share in the SUV market. Overall, we are doing exceptionally well. Globally, India will emerge among top five markets for us from the 11th position now. Initially, the top-end variant would be made available in India followed by more engine and model options." 

"Globally, we have 1.2 litre and 1.8 litre petrol versions and a 2.0 litre diesel variant of Yeti. The company is currently evaluating the technical and commercial feasibility of the vehicle in India and we have the option of bringing in both the versions in India as we launch the vehicle in the second half of 2010," Ashutosh Dixit, senior general manager (marketing), Skoda Auto India told reporters recently. He added, "We are expecting 33 per cent jump in sales next year at 20,000 units as compared to 15,000 units in 2009 and Fabia is expected to constitute nearly 10,000 units as we enhance the production of the vehicle from an average of 800 units now to 1,200-1,500 units next year, depending on the growth of top-end category in the compact segment," Dixit said. The company has shifted the production of Fabia to its Chakan plant where the vehicle shares the assembly line with Volkswagen Polo.

Carnation Auto wins ET-Zigwheels 'Automotive Idea of the Year’ Award

Jagdish Khattar promoted Carnation Auto won the 'Automotive Idea of the Year' award from ET-ZigWheels at their annual car and bike award ceremony held in the Capital recently.

Jagdish Khattar, chairman and managing director, Carnation Auto stated, "This award validates the concept of Carnation Auto which is that of an Independent multi-brand auto solutions company.  At Carnation, we have deep-dived into the minds of our customers, to understand their needs and operational requirements. We are delighted by this recognition by ET-ZigWheels which reinforces our belief in our efforts, acceptance of the model and helps bring us an important step closer to our aim of maximizing the ownership experience of car owners."  

The ET-ZigWheels Car and Bike of the Year awards is considered as one of the most credible of all auto industry awards. In its second edition, the award ceremony was attended by the who's who of the auto industry. The Times Group was represented by Dr. Bhaskar Das, executive president, the Times Group, Ravi Dhariwal, CEO, BCCL and Adil Jal Darukhanawala, editor-in-chief, ZigWheels.  

Carnation Auto is an initiative by Jagdish Khattar, with a vision of developing India's largest independent multi-brand automobile sales and service network. Carnation is setting up a state-of-the-art network of integrated multi-brand auto sales, services and related solutions across the country to enhance the overall experience of owning a car and to optimize the cost of ownership. Carnation provides complete solutions for almost all brands of cars, starting from quick servicing, mechanical repairs, body repairs, accessories, insurance, pre-owned cars, car customization solutions with DC Design and even doorstep service through a chain of workshop on wheels. They have recently tied up with Magneti Marelli a $7 Billion subsidiary of the Fiat Group to service premium cars and to market spares in the Independent aftermarket. Carnation Auto already has 14 Auto Solution Hubs operational across India; one each in Amritsar, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Karnal and Kochi; two each in Chennai, Noida and Hyderabad and three in Mumbai and is in the process of opening around 30 by the end of this fiscal. 

Carnation Auto had raised its first round of funding of Rs108 crore from marquee investors PremjiInvest and IFCI Ventures. Recently, it received debt funding of Rs 170 crore from Punjab National Bank for executing the nation-wide rollout of its multi-brand auto solution hubs. It has many strategic international business partners 3M, GardX, Akzo Noble, Castrol and Bridgestone.

Tata Motors to roll out new range of LCVs by 2010-end

On the sidelines of showcasing its range of commercial vehicles at the just-concluded Auto Expo , Tata Motors has told reporters that it will roll out its new range of LCVs in the 3.5-9 tonne category by the end of this year. The range will comprise school buses, contract carriers, short distance intercity transport and the platform will also capable of rolling out 14-40 seater buses.

Furthermore, India's largest commercial vehiclemaker has lined up around 12-15 new models in the commercial vehicle segment, including Prima range of world trucks, over the next 12 months. However, Tata Motors is looking to roll out a 40-seat bus based on the 9 tonne LCV platform in the initial phase.

"The company has developed all the new range of LCVs platform in the 3.5-9 tonne category based on the Prima range of commercial vehicles. The range will be launched in the next financial year starting October," Ravi Pisharody, president, commercial vehicles, Tata Motors \told reporters at the Auto Expo. The range of LCVs will also have newly developed common rail, diesel injection engine compliant with Bharat Stage IV emission norms that will come in to effect from next financial year, he added.

With respect to building of the bus, R Ramakrishnan, head, sales and marketing, commercial vehicle business unit, told DNA (a newspaper) that the company has four possibilities. "It can be either built by Hispano or Marcopolo or by Automobile Corporation of Goa (ACGL) or by an independent maker who can take our chassis and build the bus." He further said, "What the Prima platform has done for the medium and heavy commercial vehicles, the new platform will do for our LCVs. The light truck will have advanced engines, chassis etc. The platform is entirely developed by Tata Motors and is designed to build LCVs with lower kerb weight and high payload capacity."

Tata Nano, Indigo Manza, Indica Vista have won 17 awards since their launch

The new generation Tata Motors cars – the Tata Nano, the Tata Indigo Manza and the Tata Indica Vista – have been recognised by auto critics, reflecting in the 17 awards that the cars have received since their respective commercial launches, from auto publications/television channels of India. Tata Motors, as a company, has received two awards. The company has always been rewarded by its customers, making it among the top 3 best selling passenger vehicle makers in the country.

The Tata Nano, which was launched in March 2009, has been declared as the 2010 Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY), an award instituted jointly by six publications – Auto Bild India, Auto India, Business Standard Motoring, Car India, Overdrive and Top Gear India. It has been individually declared as the Car of the Year by CNBC TV18 Overdrive Awards, the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards, and the Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards. The Nano has also received the Jury Award (Business Standard Motoring Car of the Year Awards), Compact Car of the Year (CNBC TV18 Overdrive Awards), Entry-level Mini Car of the Year, Viewers' Choice Car of the Year,  Indian Automotive Design of the Year and the Most Value for Money Car of the Year (all in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards), Small Car of the Year (Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards), Aajtak Viewers' Choice Car of the Year (Auto Bild India Golden Steering Wheel Awards) and a Special Award, as the Micro Car of the Year, in the NDTV Profit Car & Bike of the Year Awards.

The Indigo Manza, the new generation sedan of the company launched in October 2009, has received two awards. It received the Best Entry-level Sedan of the Year Award in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards. It has also been adjudged as the Best Value for Money Car of the Year in the Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards.

As a company, Tata Motors was declared as the 2009 Car Maker of the Year in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards, and the Tata brand the Best Value for Money Brand in the Auto India Best Brands Awards.

This appreciation from auto critics of Tata Motors' new generation cars began with the accolades received by the Indica Vista, after its launch in August 2008. UTV Autocar Awards for that year rated the Vista as the Best Value for Money Car of the Year. It had also bagged the Jury Award in the Business Standard Motoring Car of the Year Awards.

David Betteley appointed JLR’s new financial services director

Tata Motors' owned, premium vehicle manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover has announced the appointment of David Betteley as director, Financial Services. David, who takes up the position on 18th January, from Toyota, where he held the position of Vice President with responsibility for financial services in the UK, Europe and Africa. In his new role, David, who is the current Chairman of the Finance and Leasing Association in the UK, will direct Jaguar and Land Rover financial service activities worldwide.

"I am delighted to be joining Jaguar Land Rover at this time," commented David Betteley. "Offering optimum financial services opportunities have never been more important, particularly in the premium vehicle segments and I am looking forward to delivering new levels of excellence for Jaguar and Land Rover customers." 

David will report to Mike Wright, Director of Customer Services at Jaguar Land Rover, who commented: "The Financial Services product portfolio we offer to dealers and customers for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands across the world is a vital element in us taking leadership in delivering an outstanding customer experience. Having someone of David's expertise and knowledge joining Jaguar Land Rover is a reflection of our determination to provide the highest standards in every area of our business."

Jaguar Land Rover is in partnership with a number of financial services providers worldwide, including Fiat Credit Agricole in Europe, Chase Manhattan in the United States and Wesbank in South Africa. These arrangements replace the Ford Credit partnership that previously existed when Jaguar Land Rover was under Ford ownership.

David Betteley started his career in Financial Services as a graduate trainee with Lloyds and Scottish Finance (part of the Lloyds Bank Group) in Manchester in the late 70s. After working his way up the ladder through various management positions he left Lloyds Bowmaker (as it was then called) in 1989 and joined the International Motors Group (IM) to set up their in-house Finance Company in the UK to support the Hyundai and Subaru brands. Staying with IM, he moved to Sweden in 1992 to run the vehicle distribution operations for IM in Scandinavia. This gave him valuable insight into the automotive business from a completely different perspective; and also life in a foreign country. These two experiences he feels have been valuable assets in his subsequent career choices. After almost five years in Sweden, he moved back to the UK to become MD of Vauxhall Finance (GMAC) and immediately set about managing the major transition from seven branches to one central location.

Volvo Cars offers luxury experience at Aircel Chennai Open 2010

Volvo XC90, a luxury SUV that embodies vibrancy, energy and sportiness was experienced by all dignitaries and participants/ players when they travelled in Volvo cars which was the Official Car for the Aircel Chennai Open 2010.

Ravi Krishnan, managing director - IMG South Asia, Senior Vice President - IMG said "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Volvo Auto India for their support to the Aircel Chennai Open 2010. The brand's commitment to the tournament has been invaluable and I can confidently say that Volvo has now become an integral part of the Aircel Chennai Open. We look forward to their continuous support in the future."

According to Paul de Voijs, managing director, Volvo Auto India, "We were happy to partner the Aircel Chennai Open 2010 and hope to be back together next year. Aircel Chennai Open 2010 was an adequate and potent tool that communicated Volvo's brand attributes of excitement and liveliness."

It is to be mentioned that Aircel Chennai Open 2010 was held from 4th-10th January, 2010 at the SDAT stadium, Chennai. The tournament featured an impressive line-up of stars including Robin Soderling, Marin Cilic, Stanislas Wawrinka, Carlos Moya, Somdev Devvarman and Indian team sensation Yuki Bhambri. Both Indian and International participants competed for the titles of one of first ATP of the new season.

Volvo Auto India is a new operator in India, a fast-growing market and one of the most competitive in the world. Volvo established a presence in India just over two years ago and has since then worked intensively to market the Swedish brand. With a corporate office in Gurgaon, Volvo Auto opened its first dealership in March 2008 and currently market's its products through its dealerships in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kochi, Pune and Chennai. So far Volvo currently sells two models, the Volvo XC90 and Volvo S80 but the coming years they are lining up more new models. The first one to be launched during 2010 is the Volvo XC60.