American car maker Chrysler is in talks with the Tamil Nadu government to set up a greenfield facility in the state. The company has agreed to send a team to Tamil Nadu to study the feasibility of the project in the state. While the discussion with the Tamil Nadu government is at very early stage, a senior official in the government said that Chrysler was looking at expanding its operations in Asia and India is one market the car maker is keen to enter.
Honda Siel Cars India is planning to source steel from India for its local operations and is in talks with Tata Steel. A Tata Steel spokesperson confirmed that the companies were in discussions. Currently, Honda sources steel plates from Thailand for its Greater Noida facility. Honda models, like the City and Civic, have 74 per cent localisation, while the newly launched hatchback, Jazz, has 77 per cent local content.
The announcement comes close on the heels of the US publication Conde Nast Portfolio's report that 'Nano' would not be sold in the US. "The model (Nano) won't be sold in the US but has the potential to radically alter the market for manufacturers in India. Tata-inspired followers are already revving up their engines," Conde Nast Portfolio said.
The country's second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) on Monday joined hands with Renault-Nissan to launch a small car in India by 2011 that will compete with Tata Motors' Nano on price point - Rs 1 lakh.
After its pullout from the tripartite joint venture with Renault and Nissan to set up a manufacturing plant in Chennai, homegrown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra on Monday said it will invest an additional Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) in its Chakan unit, near Pune in Maharashtra.The company has signed an MoU with Maharashtra government to invest an additional Rs 1,500 crore to the already earmarked Rs 2,500 crore (Rs 25 billion) in the Chakan manufacturing plant.
"We are planning to bring Evo 10 to India through the completely built route (import). This may push the cars' end cost but the company has no plans to locally build the car yet. The response for the car (from the market) will decide whether it can be manufactured here or not," said a company executive on the condition of anonymity. Internationally, the car costs $30,473 (Rs 12 lakh) and $32,697 (Rs 13 lakh) for different variants.
Tata Motors is likely to have one more achievement to cheer about as it gets into the new financial year, when Thailand's Board of Investment (BoI) approves the company's proposal to make an eco-car. A BoI official in Bangkok told Business Standard that the internal approval meeting, scheduled for April 2, 2008, was likely to give its nod to India's third largest passenger car maker to manufacture the eco-car.
The designation of the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and lumping it with the likes of other Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as the Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Tayiba, 'is a no brainer,' and will likely happen before the month is out, senior Obama administration officials told rediff.com.
Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj said the company has, in partnership with Renault-Nissan, developed India's most fuel efficient and least-polluting car engine.
Once behind the wheel, the Volvo drives and feels like any other car, except that it now features another safety innovation, the City Safety System that automatically applies brakes on the car in case there is a lapse in concentration on the driver's part. This is particularly true in city traffic conditions where low speed mishaps are common. Volvo claims it helps lower the possibility of injuries to the occupants of the XC60
Auto component sourcing has touched $3 billion in India and is expected to double by next financial year-end. Such sourcing has provided Indian players with the opportunity to charge a premium that varies between 5 and 10 per cent.
Chennai and Ennore ports are set to become hub for car exports from South India. After Hyundai, the two ports have started attracting global manufacturers like Renault SA, Nissan, and Ford.
Tatas have tied up with Israel Aerospace Industries to manufacture missiles, pilotless drones, electronic warfare systems and other defence equipment.
At a time when corporate slowdown is hitting headlines, IITians are happy that the effect of the weakening dollar has not made any impact on their pay packets.
Bose Corp has decided to enter the auto parts sector, with suspension systems for luxury cars.
The global alliance between Renault-Nissan and Daimler AG announced today is likely to add one more car to the list of small cars jostling for market share.
Increased personal disposable income, healthy economic growth and pent up demand led to milestone sales in financial year 2011.
Mahindra-Renault, a joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra and Renault, plans to source engines from the French firm's proposed plant in Chennai as it looks to increase localisation of its sedan Logan.
Launch will be under separate brand name
Swedish behemoth Volvo has charted out an aggressive strategy to become a leader in the country's heavy commercial vehicle sector, following its alliance with the Delhi-based Eicher Motors.
Honda's chief executive on Sunday disputed the low-cost business model championed by India's Tata Motors, saying that bad roads and high petrol prices would keep many emerging market travellers on motorcycles for years to come.
Mahindra & Mahindra, the Indian carmaker, confirmed Tuesday that it had pulled out of a $1bn joint venture with Renault and Nissan to set up a factory near Chennai.
Bajaj Auto expects to launch its small car in the next four years in partnership with Renault and Nissan.
Now, sources in Bajaj Auto have confirmed that it is expected to offer a sneak preview of its small car, priced at roughly Rs 1.17 lakh, at the Expo. The country's second largest two-wheeler company had announced a tie-up with Renault and Nissan in October to develop an ultra-low cost small car for India.
Tata Motors says the budget car will get run 25 kilometers to a litre and match Maruti 800 in performance.
As if unsatisfied by the success story of Maruti, the new chief of the Indian arm of Japanese auto giant Suzuki Motor Co's on Friday claimed it will overtake the parent company in the next two years.
Companies, which are jumping into the bandwagon, include MNCs. For instance, the world's leading component company Bosch has committed an investment of Rs 2,650 crore (Rs 26.50 billion) through four subsidiaries in India. Funds will be used to set up manufacturing facilities for gasoline systems, electronic control units and ABS systems.
German auto maker Daimler Trucks has zeroed in on the Munjals of Hero Honda for a joint venture to make commercial vehicles in India. The announcement is expected before Christmas. According to sources, Daimler has been directly involved in talks with the Munjal family.
At the core of the new joint venture is an attack on Tata Motors, which dominates the commercial vehicle sector in the world's fourth-largest market for heavy trucks.
A-Star has been developed by Maruti Udyog and its Japanese parent, Suzuki Motor Corporation for the global markets.
Brilliant half-centuries by S H Kotak and J N Shah helped Saurashtra score 220 for 5 at the close on the opening day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match against Rajasthan at the KL Saini stadium in Jaipur on Friday. Shah and Ravindra Jadeja were unbeaten on 62 and 13 respectively at the draw of stumps.
The deal size ranges from $200 million to $300 million. The 27-year-old S P Metal Forgings has been a large exporter to Europe, the UK and Israel for over three years. It provides parts for BMW, Peugeot and Renault and also services the after-market and non-automotive companies.
Cars from Infiniti are priced in the range of $34,000-$52,000 (Rs 16 lakh to Rs 21 lakh) in the US market.
The ultra-low-cost small car being jointly developed by Bajaj, Renault and Nissan is expected to hit Indian roads by 2010. Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who was on a visit to Bajaj Auto in Pune on Monday, said that he hoped the prototype of the car will be completed by the end of this year. The car is expected to cost US $3,000 and will compete with Tata Motors' Rs 1 lakh car due next year.
Carlos Ghosn, the iconic CEO of Nissan Motors and Renault, is on a whistle-stop visit to India on Monday to finalise a joint venture and small-car blue-print with India's second-largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto. Renault, Nissan and M&M also have a three-way equity tie-up to make passenger vehicles in Chennai, for which the facility is yet to be built.
Following Tata's footsteps, other companies like Bajaj Auto and Mahindra & Mahindra are also developing their respective products in the segment, while three-wheeler major Piaggio has already introduced "Ape Truk" to take on "Ace". Ashok Leyland has announced a tie-up with Nissan for developing and manufacturing LCVs in India.
According to the Auto Component Manufacturers Association, the apex body of component makers in India, global sourcing of components from the country will double from $2.95 billion to $5.9 billion in 2008-09, and is slated to hit $20 billion in seven years.
A diversified workforce can help improve performance and growth, but it has its challenges too
Just a decade ago, a kind of muscular nationalism was the leitmotif for talent management within Indian corporations. Any suggestion of bringing in foreign talent had managers bristling with indignation.
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