Industry sees second-highest monthly growth after November.
During September, Maruti said it dispatched 1,375 units of the soon-to-be-launched sedan Ciaz.
The production and concept vehicles which are to be displayed include the company's hybrid sedan Chevrolet Volt, sports-car Chevrolet Camaro, sports utility vehicle Captiva Extreme, electric version of its small car Spark, CNG version of Chevrolet Aveo and its race car WTCC Cruze.
Europe's largest car maker, Volkswagen AG, today started production of its small car Polo at its plant in Chakan near Pune. Stating that the company would launch a saloon by the middle of next year, Volkswagen AG said it was aiming for a 10 per cent share of the domestic auto market in the next four to six years.
The GM-SAIC tie up follows GM India-Reva collaboration to launch electric vehicles in the market.
Come New Year, cars will be costlier with automakers like Toyota and General Motors on Tuesday saying that they will hike prices by up to three per cent due to rising input costs, while the country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India is still evaluating the situation.
Senior officials of Nissan Motor stated that the company had largely frozen the design and concept of the sedan, which will be positioned as a premium product that would perhaps take on the likes of Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Altis.
Electric car manufacturer Reva is planning manufacturing facilities abroad under a franchise model to penetrate those markets.
Green vehicle set to hit Indian roads next year.
The electric version of General Motors India's small car Spark will hit the Indian road in the next 12 months, said its vice president P Balendran.
The Manza is basically the sedan version of the indigenous hatchback, Indica Vista.
GM India has last week announced plans for launching four new models in the Indian markets in 2010. "The new mini-car will be in the market by January next year and we will produce more than 40,000 units in the first year. Of this, we will export 20 per cent overseas, including to the European and the Asia-Pacific markets," GM India president and managing director Karl Slym told reporters on the sidelines of the SIAM annual convention in New Delhi.
Beleaguered General Motors on Tuesday said it will acquire its strongest operations, including the Indian business, once the company steers itself out of bankruptcy.
The list of '10 Cars That Changed The World' also features the Ford Model T, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Trabant, the Porsche 911, the Ford Mustang, the AMC Eagle, the Jeep Cherokee, the Dodge Caravan and the Toyota Prius. 'These vehicles changed people's lifestyles and habits as well as automakers' long-term strategies. Some even changed governments,' the magazine said in an accompanying report.
By industry estimates, less than five per cent of the passenger car market in India would comprise electric cars over the next five-seven years, at 1,75,000 units, when the industry size would double to 3.5 million units, as against over 1.6 million in 2009.
Aiming to bolster its sagging auto sales and ultimately getting into the black, General Motors is set to emerge leaner and cost-competitive through drastic restructuring, according to the firm's bankruptcy filing.
General Motors India had completed all investments intended for the country well before its parent's bankruptcy filing, said Karl Slym, president & MD.
American car maker General Motors is likely to pull out of its technological partnership with REVA Electric Car Company, after domestic auto major Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd bought 55.2 per cent equity in the Bangalore-based company to stake its place in the fledgling electric vehicle market.
Asked if it is looking at the Maruti 800 and the Chevrolet Spark segment, Nigel E Wark, executive director, marketing, sales and service, Ford India, said: "Yes, we will be launching the small car in this segment broadly, but there are sub-segments and this is where we will differentiate ourselves. We will be competing in the largest volume segment. India and China are the two markets where small cars are in huge demand and we will be focusing on these countries."
Saif Ali Khan's paradise was almost ruffled when he barely missed running into his former girlfriend, Rosa, at Mumbai's Taj Lands' End. The actor was promoting Chevrolet at a press conference in the hotel, not knowing that Rosa was in the very next room promoting her new television show, 9X's Yeh Hai Jalwa.
Earlier this year, Toyota Motor Corp was fined $1.2 billion for concealing problems related to sudden acceleration of some of its vehicles.
Earlier this year, Toyota Motor Corp was fined $1.2 billion for concealing problems related to sudden acceleration of some of its vehicles.
Tata Motors has opted unconventional mediums like web search, viral marketing and innovative public relations-driven campaigns, where the news in brief is called 'Nano news' in some papers and television advertisement breaks are called 'Nano breaks.' There is also Nano merchandise like T-shirts and key chains. Unlike most car launches, it is not supported by a television campaign, leading to a big saving for the company.
There was a time when one roamed the Expo halls at Geneva and wondered what to file back home. Not any more. Almost every serious carmaker worth its powertrain has at least one serious car meant for India.
The mini car is likely to be based on the auto maker's Beat concept, showcased at the New York Auto Show two years ago. It would offer the option of diesel or petrol engines and will be the third small car in GM's offering in the country after Spark and Aveo U-VA. India would be the company's export hub for the mini car, said Karl Slym, president and managing director, General Motors India.
"We have so far invested $1 billion in India and there is no question of puting a cap on it", Karl Slym, president and managing director of India operations, told reporters in Bangalore after unveiling the SUV Chevrolet Captiva Automatic, a premium Sports Utility Vehicle and small car Spark Muzic Special Edition.
The new year has brought good news for almost all car manufacturers, with market leader Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, General Motors and even Fiat, posting their highest monthly sales since their inception.
These companies are keen on having a presence in the segment below their current range of premium sedans, whose market is relatively smaller in size.
In a chat with Sohini Das, GM India president and managing director Karl Slym says, with the launch of the new compact car, Beat, and a positive response to the Cruze, GM plans to cross the 100,000-unit mark this year in sales.
Contrary to expectations that car sales dip in December, auto majors Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor India are poised to grow 30 per cent in sales (the two companies control 72 per cent of the domestic market). General Motors is looking at 70-80 per cent increase in sales.
Czech automaker Skoda is planning to introduce as many as eight models in the next five years to make India amongst the top-five of its global markets.
General Motors announced it will launch its new mini compact global car in 2010. It also announced that it would launch the Chevy Volt -- its first electric car, in the Indian market next year. But it ruled out an entry into the Rs 1 lakh car segment. The company is also looking at India as an export base in the coming years as it increases the capacity of the newly commissioned car and engine plant in Maharashtra from 140,000 to 300,000 vehicles.
The blue and orange factory Aston Martin race cars successfully defended their GT1 title at Le Mans.
Excise duty cut of Rs 6,000 on big cars to be passed to customers; LCDs cheaper by Rs 3,500.
The company also said the falling sales of General Motors India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the US firm, were mainly because of customers' perception on the months-long uncertainty over the future of GM, which finally filed for bankruptcy protection in a New York Court on Monday.
The Italian car giant surprised the recession-hit global auto industry with an announcement that it is bidding to take over the GM's struggling Opel brand to consolidate its global base. Though Fiat entered India almost six decades ago, it is facing rough competition from car manufacturers from Japan and South Korea. It tied up with Tata Motors for building a manufacturing plant near Pune to increase its supply capacity in 2007.
General Motors has said that it will launch a second small car in India in the next two years as it looks at emerging markets to make up for sluggish sales in the US. A late entrant in the country's small car market, GM sells the Chevrolet Spark at around Rs 300,000.
Japanese automobile company Mitsubishi Motors may launch a compact car in the B segment in the country. The car is expected to hit the roads in three years. Though Mitsubishi sells Pajero SUV and Lancer sedan in India, they have not generated adequate volumes for the Japanese automobile company. The compact car will take on Maruti Swift, Hyundai Getz, Skoda Fabia, Fiat Palio, Chevrolet U-VA and Ford Fusion
Ten autos that combine great gas mileage and speed.
Industry analysts say the display of mileage data will help buyers take informed decisions. "Studies conducted by us reveal this fact. Customers who were over-promised on mileage developed dissatisfaction that was four times higher than customers who were promised the actual mileage. So, the resultant transparency actually boosts the brand image of the car manufacturer," said Mohit Arora, senior director of Singapore-based JD Power and Associates.
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