News and views about the Auto sector in India

Weekly news updates on trends and happenings in the Indian Automobile Industry

Suzuki Motorcycle is seeking to expand its manufacturing capacity and dealership network. Maruti Udyog, which has been rechristened Maruti Suzuki India, has received the approval of India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board for its joint venture with Futaba Industrial Company. This week’s new launch has been the Superb Comfort automatic variant from the Skoda stable. The launches to look forward to are Azure and Continental GTC convertibles from Bentley.

- Chillibreeze Business Research Team

Suzuki Motorcycles gears up to boost capacity

Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIL), the subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, is looking at increasing its manufacturing capacity to 3.5 lakh units from 1.7 lakh units at present. The company is also seeking to increase the number of its dealerships from 145 to 290 by 2009. To aid these plans, SMIL is planning to invest Rs 150 crore through internal accruals.

September 24, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Maruti gets board's nod for joint venture

Maruti Udyog has obtained the approval of India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board for its 49:51 joint venture with Futaba Industrial Company of Japan. The joint venture is intended to manufacture exhaust system components in Haryana. Maruti’s joint venture with Futaba, which is a chief exhaust system components manufacturer, will now seek the approval of the Finance Minister of the Indian government.

September 21, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Skoda launches Superb’s new variant; cuts prices by Rs 2 lakh

Skoda India has unveiled the automatic variant of Superb, its luxury sedan. The new variant, called Superb Comfort, a 2.5 liter TDi engine along with several safety features like airbags, rain sensors, ABS and climate control AC. Superb Comfort, which is the third upgrade on Superb, is priced lower than the present model at Rs20.41 lakh to increase sales in the upcoming festive season. Further, the new variant is expected to cater to customers’ demand for advanced customization of the Superb.

September 21, 2007
Source: Economic Times

DaimlerChrysler sells 1,681 cars during Jan-Aug

DaimlerChrysler, the luxury car manufacturer, has registered sales of 1,681 cars in India during January-August 2007. This represents a 22% increase over the India sales by the company during January-August 2006.

September 21, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Porsche to assemble cars in India

Porsche will start assembling cars in India, thus providing more of its vehicles at cheaper prices in the country. The company intends to increase its majority stake in Volkswagen and collaborate with it for making Porsche cars in India. Porsche has already set up an office in the country, and expects to roll out its cars in the Indian market by 2010.

September 21, 2007
Source: NDTV

Bentley Azure, Continental GTC for India

Bentley will soon introduce Azure and Continental GTC, its two new convertible models, in India. While the Azure will be priced at Rs 3.80 crore, the Continental GTC will cost Rs 2.10 crore. The company aims to sell around 25 units of the two vehicles in India in 2007 through its existing dealerships. It will also add new dealerships in the country.

September 20, 2007
Source: Dance with Shadows

Maruti Udyog is now Maruti Suzuki India Ltd

Maruti Udyog Limited has changed its name to Maruti Suzuki India Limited with the approval of the Registrar of Companies. The new name was earlier approved by the company’s shareholders on September 6, 2007. With the new name, Maruti is expected to gain greater visibility and share in the global markets. It is well known that Suzuki Motor Corporation, the leading global automaker, is Maruti’s parent company.

September 20, 2007
Source: Dance with Shadows

Ford India sees sales recovering

Ford India, which has sold about 42,000 units in the country and exported around 20,000 units in 2006, is forecasting its sales to perk up. The company has blamed the soaring interest rates and poor infrastructure for its drooping sales. Ford is seeking to bank on the growth in the diesel auto market besides augmenting the exports of its Fiesta and Ikon cars. It is also expanding its dealer network to 135 centers in 2007.

September 19, 2007
Source: Economic Times