Nissan unveils Micra at 2010 Geneva Auto Show, to be launched in India in July'10

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive officer, Nissan Motor Co. unveiled the all new Micra, the fourth generation of the iconic city car, at the 80th International Geneva Motor Show. Boasting breakthrough packaging and small-car engineering, the all-new, fourth generation Nissan Micra (known as March in Japan) is on course to create a whole new set of industry standards. Unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show, the Micra has consistently won praise and success for in Europe, Japan and other markets, gaining a reputation as a reliable, stylish, accessible compact car enjoyed by a wide cross-section of customers. The new Micra has been designed to build on that trend – in 160 countries.

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Tata Aria Crossover to hit showrooms by second half of 2010

The Tata Aria Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV), which would be only crossover in India to come with four-wheel drive, is expected to be available in the country by second quarter of this calender year. Speculated to be priced Rs 12.5- 14.5 lakh, Tata Aria blends the functionality and comfort of a mid-range MPV with the all-terrain assurance and capability of an SUV. Its 2.2-litre direct injection common-rail (DICOR) diesel engine delivers 139 horsepower and 320Nm of torque, and 4WD is available as an option. The top-end variant will have all-wheel drive and compete against the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Chevrolet Captiva and Ford Endeavour. However, the company is company is yet to take a call whether to get the all wheel top-variant or two-wheel drive car in the market first.

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Nissan Micra to sport a 1.2 litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine

It seems that the small car from Nissan - the company’s first made-in-India car Micra - could be fitted with 1.2-litre 3-cylinder lightweight and a fuel-efficient petrol engine (which has an offset crankshaft and low-friction piston rings) and five-speed manual transmission.
Japan’s third largest car company had earlier said that it has tuned the engine for drivability and low-end torque to suit Micra’s urban focus. Speculation is also pretty rife that Micra will get a 1.5 litre turbo-diesel, the same Renault K9K unit which powers the Logan. Micra will first be launched in Thailand, in March 2010, and will subsequently be launched in the Indian market - probably by May/June 2009.

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VW Beetle corners 300 bookings and still counting

Expensive hatchbacks have always been a subject of debate and now VW's Beetle has managed to clock 300 bookings with a waiting period of 2-3 months. With a two-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, 115 HP output and six speed automatic transmission, the car comes at a price of Rs 20.45 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The car is brought into the country from Mexico as a completely built unit (CBU) attracting a duty over of over 100 per cent.

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Toyota recalls four models to correct ABS software programme

Toyota Motor Corporation announces a recall related to the software program that controls the antilock braking system (ABS) in current-model "Prius", "Prius Plug-in Hybrid", "Sai" and "HS250h" sold in Japan. The recall, for which TMC submitted notifications today to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, concerns approximately 223,000 vehicles.
"Let me assure everyone that we will redouble our commitment to quality as the lifeline of our company. With myself taking the lead, all of us at Toyota will tackle the issue in close cooperation with our dealers and with our suppliers. Together, we will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of our customers," said TMC President Akio Toyoda, regarding the recall.

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Gulf Oil rolls out Gulf Super Duty VLE 15W-40 diesel engine oil for commercial vehicles

Gulf Oil Corporation strengthened its diesel engine oil portfolio by introducing Gulf Super Duty VLE 15W-40, super high performance diesel engine oil for low emission diesel engines of new generation trucks, buses and construction equipments. The product exceeds the requirements of API CI-4 specification and is approved against Daimler MB Approval 228.3, Volvo VDS – 3 and MAN M 3275. This state-of-the-art technology product meets the requirements of high performance engines in the vehicles conforming to BS III & BS II emission norms and even BS IV vehicles without particulate filters.

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Goodyear India to delist its shares

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced its intention to commence either directly, or through one or more of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, a cash tender offer to acquire any and all outstanding shares of Goodyear India, Ltd. (GIL), a publicly traded company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, and to delist GIL’s shares from the Bombay Stock Exchange (the Delisting Proposal).
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Bridgestone inaugurates Select Super tyre showroom in Pune

Bridgestone India has recently announced the launch of their ‘Select Super’ showroom with ‘Darshan Tyres’ in Pune. The showroom was formally inaugurated on Thursday, January 21, 2010 by H. Mori, director Sales & Marketing, Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd. The Bridgestone Select stores boosts of an exclusive Bridgestone retail ‘Identity and Sales’ in line with the global retail philosophy adopted successfully across the world.

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Force India unveils 2010 Formula one car VJM03

Force India has announced to present the car with which they will compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. The VJM03, which will be raced by the unchanged driver line-up of Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi this season, was unveiled online on Tuesday morning. The Silverstone-based team may have made a name for themselves last season, scoring their first pole position, points and podium, but they are hoping their new Mercedes-engined car will power them to even greater things in 2010. Following its Tuesday launch, the VJM03 will make its testing debut at the Spanish circuit of Jerez on Wednesday.

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Maruti Suzuki to up R&D headcount to 1,200 during 2010-11

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), which had earlier decided to hire 1,000 professionals for its Engineering,Research,Design and Development Division by 2010, is now looking to ramp it up further to 1,200 in the next financial year. It is to be mentioned that currently 970 people are stationed in their R&D centre and other 30 will be roped in shortly. The company is also hopeful to strengthen its capability in developing new models from the R&D team in India. Moreover, MSI is keen to develop its in-house capability with Suzuki's support and will also act as the designing and manufacturing hub for small cars for the ASEAN region. Currently, Maruti Suzuki’s existing boffins are busy developing a made-in India car that is slated to hit the market by 2012-13.
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Toyota files voluntary safety recall on select vehicles for sticking accelerator pedal

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc announced it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models. This action is separate from the on-going recall of approximately 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to reduce the risk of pedal entrapment by incorrect or out of place accessory floor mats. Approximately 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles are subject to both separate recall actions.
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Tata Motors lines up multiple rollouts for its European operations

In its bid to expand its presence in the overseas markets, Tata Motors is looking to introduce a host of models in the European market in the next few years. India’s largest vehicle maker, which currents exports Indica, Indigo Marina, Safari through its own distributors in the European market, is now looking to add Indica Vista, Indica Vista EV, Aria, Indigo Manza, Nano Europa et al. The company already markets Tata branded vehicles in countries, like Italy, Spain, Turkey, is now firming up plans to introduce Tata branded vehicles in the UK, as also Norway and Denmark in 2010. It may be recalled that Tata Motors earlier withdrew its Indica hatchback sold under the name Cityrover, from the UK after it recorded consecutive months of poor sales.
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Ashok Leyland to build a new bus platform

Ashok Leyland, which recently had a new truck platform release at the Auto Expo in New Delhi has announced that it is now working on a new bus platform, which will offer a higher level of comfort and safety in public transportation. The flagship company of the Hinduja Group , Ashok Leyland is also holding discussions with certain agencies for orders of this product and is targeting government bodies, NGOs and the defence forces as prospective customers. Its bus portfolio includes high-floor buses comprising the Viking & Cheetah series, vestibule and double-decker buses, semi-low-floor buses, and airport transfer air-conditioned coaches.

Incidentally, the company has also announced its plans t roll out hybrid buses. Powered by two 65 kW electric motors and sporting a three-litre CNG (compressed natural gas) engine to charge the batteries only, it translates into 20-30 per cent fuel savings.

The Hybus offers an ultra low entry at 390 mm and a noise-free engine and has also incorporated pedestrian safety features such as sound and light alerts, camera-assisted reversing aid, while it has been designed to absorb impact on collision. Additionally, the company also showcased the 'iBus2', a bus designed as a mobile communication centre to be used as a healthcare unit or as a security control room. In an MoU with Cisco, the company has outfitted the bus with high-speed connectivity to provide tactical capabilities to specific customers. The bus can act as a mobile healthcare unit where a doctor in a city can check a patient being treated in the bus in some remote village through video conferencing. On the other hand, it can be outfitted as a security control room, where agencies can monitor developments close to the crisis area and stay connected with the base all the time.

At the same time the company has said it needs incentives and other facilities for future-ready buses. "We have tied up with the Delhi Government to provide three such buses for the upcoming Commonwealth Games this year .With the initiatives being launched by the Government to improve urban public transport, we expect subsidies to be announced soon for hybrid vehicles," said a senior representative of the company on the sidelines of launching of unveiling the country's first plug-in CNG hybrid bus- Hybus- at the Auto Expo in New Delhi. He added, "Everybody is looking for a subsidy, which is important to drive the popularity of such products. It won't be long before the Government will look for clean technology under initiatives such as JNNURM. He also stated that the lithium ion batteries in the Hybus can be charged from a normal 220V home socket in about eight-nine hours.

"For Indian cities where CNG is available, the Hybus is the greenest option with high performance, enhanced fuel efficiency and low greenhouse emissions. It heightens both economic and ecological gains, said R. Seshasayee, managing Director, Ashok Leyland.

Nissan India to launch 370Z sports sedan on Jan 20, 2010

In its bid to provide more offerings to its Indian customers; Nissan Motor Company has decided to launch its new sports sedan named 370Z in India on 20th January this year.
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Tata crossover utility vehicle Aria coulod be between Rs. 12.5 -14.5 lakh

The Tata Aria Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) which was showcased with much fanfare at the recent 10th Auto Expo in New Delhi will now be launched by the end of April.

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Mahindra Renault to unveil Logan Tourer at 2010 AutoExpo

Mahindra Renault will launch a new variant called Logan Tourer at the upcoming 2010 Auto Expo. The Logan Tourer would be available both in petrol and diesel options and in 3 colors – java brown, mist silver and diamond white.

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Suzuki Motorcycle India to roll out Gladius bike by 2010

According to latest reports in the media, Suzuki Motorcycle India is planning to enter a new segment of big bikes, also known as naked bikes in the overseas markets.
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Suzuki SX4 hatchback to debut at Auto Expo 2010

Maruti Suzuki will be showcasing a hatchback version of its popular SX4 at Auto Expo 2010. The Prussian Blue Pearl SX4 hatchback on display at the Auto Expo is a 2.0 litre machine that has been exclusively imported for display at India’s biggest auto show.

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Delphi to showcase its products at 10th Auto Expo 2010

Delphi Corp., a leading global supplier of mobile electronics and transportation systems will showcase its latest automotive technologies at the 10th Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi from January 5-11, 2010.

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GM India to display Volt plug-in hybrid electric vehicle at 2010 Auto Expo

General Motors India, which has officially announced that it will display six production and concept vehicles at the upcoming Auto Expo, has now confirmed that Volt plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is one of them.

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