Audi A1 supermini launch not for India at the moment

Audi India, which has achieved a remarkable growth in the last few quarters, has said that it has no plans to introduce the A1 supermini in next few years. It was reported pretty recently that Audi India’s parent company has revealed the details of its A1 model and is also going to unveil the model at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. The sales of the initial 3-door A1 model are anticipated to start in continental Europe in the summer of 2010, followed by the United Kingdom in September 2010. A 5-door A1 Sportback model is also expected to be launched later. As a newcomer in the compact segment, it appeals to a modern customer group – a young, urban, lifestyle-oriented public. A1 customers – many of whom are expected to be women – are interested in design, music, fashion and sports. The entry-level model will be priced at around 16,000 Euros.

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Adrian Sutil takes over for Force India in Jerez

Force India's Adrian Sutil took over the VJM03 for the penultimate day of testing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit today. In hugely improved weather conditions, Adrian completed 69 laps of the Spanish track as he worked through a programme of long and short runs, weight distribution and race preparation.Tonio Liuzzi will resume driving duties tomorrow for the final day of the four day test.
Adrian Sutil said, "Today was our first proper shot at dry running this test and it went pretty well. In the morning we did a few short runs and some set-up work and then in the afternoon moved on to longer runs and getting more information on the new tyres.
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Volkswagen to make India its export hub for auto components

Following its cues from other global auto biggies like General Motors, BMW and other Volkswagen AG is also jumping on the global sourcing bandwagon as the German luxury carmaker has decided to source auto components in huge sums within the next couple of years. As reported earlier, that Wolfsburg-based company has already set up its International Purchase office (IPO) in the country and is currently evaluating several component manufacturers in order to identify potential suppliers. But now, media reports suggest that it has already started sourcing components for our global operations — particularly for plants located in Russia and some European countries — in a small way Furthermore, VW aims to earmark India as an export hub for components to Europe in the next fre years.
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Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2010 promises to be even tougher

The 8th Edition of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2010 which was flagged off by Shashank Srivastava, chief general Manager (Marketing), Maruti Suzuki, from Noida, promises to be tougher than ever before as the terrain is worse and the distances are longer this time around. This year is witnessing the highest ever participation by motorsport enthusiasts. The 250 rallyists with 100 odd cars and 20 bikes will be traversing over 3,000 km through the interiors of Rajasthan and along the Gujarat coastline before culminating at Udaipur in Rajasthan.
Compared to the last edition of the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm where rallyists have had to drive 20-30 km of tough terrain at each leg, rallyists will now be driving through at least 100-200 km of rough tracks every day. While it will put the vehicles and the drivers under tremendous stress, the rallyists with their cars and bikes are undeterred.
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Mahindra First Choice in talks with auto companies to procure used cars

Mahindra First Choice Wheels, India’s largest multi-brand pre-owned car company, is reportedly in talks with car manufacturers like Tata Motors, General Motor, Maruti, Volkswagen, Skoda, Ford to source pre-owned cars. It is to be mentioned that Mahindra First Choice is the country’s preferred pre-owned car mart and is India’s only organized multi-brand player, with 100 plus outlets in over 60 towns across India. The company plans to expand this number to 300 outlets in the next three years. This implies that customers will soon be able to choose from a range of certified pre-owned cars throughout India, including the metros and tier-2 towns and cities. As part of it transparency efforts, the company would also be launching a new mathematical pricing model on its portal soon. It registered a turnover of Rs. 220 crore last fiscal and expects to close the current fiscal with around Rs. 400 crore.
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