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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GM India to source batteries for e-Spark from Indian vendors

GM India which had earlier said that the electric version of its small car Spark will hit the Indian roads by October this year, has told reporters that it would be sourcing lead acid batteries from Indian vendors rather the ones from China or Japan. It was reported year General Motors India and Bangalore-based Reva Electric Car Company (REVA) have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop electric version of the former’s models like Spark, etc, for the Indian market. This unique partnership will bring together two companies, established in their own field to develop car platforms, electric vehicle technology and advanced control systems.

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Lifting of anti-dumping duty on steel demanded by auto industry exhaust manufacturers

Automotive exhaust system manufacturers and exporters in the country, using high grade imported stainless steel for producing critical exhaust components for cars and other vehicles have urged the Ministry of Finance to immediately withdraw Anti Dumping (AD) duty on import of certain category of cold rolled stainless steel used by the industry.

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CARE seeks immediate impementation of Kirit Parikh report

Credit Analysis and Research (CARE) Limited has called for the immediate implementation of the Kirit Parikh Committee report that has recommended freeing of petrol and diesel prices and a steep hike in LPG and kerosene rates.
It was reported last week that An experts group, headed by former Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh, submitted its much awaited report on pricing policy for four major oil products, namely, petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG. The committee has recommended that prices of petrol and diesel to be market-determined, both at the refinery gate and retail levels, whereas the prices of kerosene and domestic LPG can be partially raised by Rs 6 per litre and Rs 100 per cylinder respectively.

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Indian operations insulated from global product recalls : Toyota Kirloskar

Close on the heels of Japanese automaker's chief apologising for global recalls, Toyota Motor Corporations’ Indian arm has categorically maintained that the situation in the US is not at all related to the Indian market. It is to be mentioned Toyota has officially announced that it has recalled more than 7.5-million cars worldwide and will suspend US sales of eight models including the Camry and the Corolla.
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BMW India to roll out refurbished 5-Series in India by Q3 of 2010

Even after being toppled by Mercedes during January 2010 in the luxury car segment, BMW India has said it is quite upbeat on its Indian operations and is looking to regain its marketshare on the back of couple of new launches. Even though the company didn’t reveal the names of its upcoming models, speculation is pretty rife that the German luxury carmaker is gearing up to launch the sixth-generation 5 Series sedan , which will be available with a host of new technologies, new engines and an optional 8-speed automatic transmission.

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'Inspired by Mercedes' by fashion designer Manish Arora at Mercedes Golf Trophy 2010

The 10th edition of the Mercedes Golf Trophy in India began at the Eagleton Golf Club, Bangalore with a tee-off by Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, CEO & managing director of Mercedes-Benz India. The tee-off was also attended by the presenting partners: Puneet Chaddha, managing director and head, Commercial Banking, HSBC India and Ramnath Krishnan, managing director and head Private Banking, HSBC India.

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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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Maruti Suzuki aggressive overtures to maintain leadership position

With the arrival of new models and market hotting up for 2010, Maruti Suzuki the numero uno is pulling out all stops to defend its 50+ per cent market share in the domestic market. There are reports that is reportedly working on a new engine which would replace the engines (F8D) of Alto (800cc) and Wagon R (1100cc) as also indicated in a report in The Financial Express. It is expected that once the engine is replaced, the price points would be brought down significantly and help Maruti asell more of these cars. The business daily adds that the new engine is expected to be more powerful than the current one and is expected to be a revolutionary change. The engine, which has a codename – Yp3, will be available in cars by the end of 2010. While the Alto will have 2 cylinders, there would be 3 cylinders for WagonR. It is widely believed that this methodology has been envisaged after the successful run of KB series engine in Estilo (1.0 litre), Ritz (1.2 litre) and A-Star (1.0 litre). Alto and WagonR will get the codenamed engines YP3 which will replace the current F8D engine.
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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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Mercedes Benz keen to launch hybrid cars in India

After Honda and Toyota, it now seems Mercedes Benz India has been bitten by the hybrid bug. Even though its India may not see the Merc-branded car in the near to medium term, it could be a possibility in the distant future. Mercedes-Benz India chief executive officer and managing director Wilfried Aulbur recently told reporters here, “We are very keen to launch hybrid cars in India. But it would be possible only when these cars hit the right-hand drive markets.”
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Honda Siel recalls 8,532 units of 2007 City sedans

Honda Siel Cars India has officially announced that it would call back 8,532 units of 2nd Generation City sedans manufactured in 2007 for a preventive part replacement of power window switch.
According to the HSCI’s official statement, “The company is proactively replacing the part in these vehicles related to the potential problem of smoke coming out from the Power Window Switch if water enters the driver window when window is left open during heavy rain or is exposed to any other liquid due to spillage.”
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Jaguar to celebrate 75th anniversary in 2010

Year 2010 marks the 75th anniversary of the Tata-owned Jaguar, and 75 years of looking forward, designing and building cars that represent the very best of technical innovation, design leadership and sporting success.
Mike O'Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar Cars, said: "In 2010 we celebrate our past, and 75 years of designing and building cars that celebrate the art of automobile making. We're also celebrating the promise of the future, and the introduction of the all-new XJ.
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Audi Quattro Cup 2010 to kick off on 30th January, 2010 in Gurgaon

Audi Quattro Cup 2010 which begins its third season in India at Gurgaon from January 30th, 2010 will be the biggest in India with 12 tournaments in 11 cities – Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

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