Indian auto sector saw an export of 179,130 units. According to Vishnu Mathur, Director General, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the total overseas sales for all categories in last month were the best ever in the month of May.
Compared to the export figure of 1,19,749 units in May 2009 there was a 49.59% rise.
Two-wheeler producers were major contributors posting an impressive 1,16,832 units. The two-wheeler segment saw a growth of 49.11%.
Bajaj Auto, the largest bike maker of India, sold 77,762 units in the overseas market, a 51.23% rise compared to 51,149 units in May 2009.
Chennai-based TVS Motor Company sold 15,587 units overseas, a 50.89% rise compared to 10,330 units in May 2009.
Passenger car export stood at 32,649 units. Compared to 26,619 units in May 2009, it is a 10.23% rise. Mr. Mathur said, “The sales in export markets were very impressive. It is despite the fact that the scrappage incentives offered in some European countries for passenger cars are over."
Hyundai Motor India Limited, the largest exporter of India saw a dip of 2.33% at 19,657 units against 20,125 units in May 2009.
On the contrary, Maruti Suzuki, the largest passenger car producer in India, saw a rise in export by 33.38% to 12,020 units against 9,012 units at the same time last year.
The three-wheeler segment export increased by more than two-folds at 19,918 units against 7,576 units in May 2009. Bajaj Auto exported 18,202 units of three-wheelers against 7,107 units at the same time last year.
On January 6, 2009, famous South Korean automaker, Hyundai unveiled its electric version of Hyundai i10 at the 10th Indian Auto Expo. The petrol version of the car, with internal combustion engine, was launched in India in 2007. The company also told reporters that it is interested to launch more electric models in future. The electric version of the Hyundai i10 was first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor show in September 2008. Hyundai has plans to release limited number of the electronic version in its domestic market. Famous Bollywood actor, Shahrukh Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of Hyundai, unveiled the car at the show. Latest News reports
Khan, on this occasion, also reminisced how during his childhood days he used to visit his father's shop at Pragati Maidan.
"We are going to present to you certain innovations, technologies and other stuff that of course Hyundai is famous for all across the world and has brought to India. I was very nostalgic coming to Pragati Maidan, my childhood was spent here in Pragati Maidan, my father used to have a small shop there," said Khan, who is also the brand ambassador of Hyundai.
The electric variant of the Hyundai i10 is powered by a 49KW electric motor that produces 67Kw power and a maximum torque of 21.4 kg. The car will be able to reach a speed of 0-100 Kmph within fifteen seconds. The car is equipped with a Lithium Polymer battery that will provide the car enough power to run up to 160 km on a single charge. The car has dual battery charging option and it takes five hours to fully charge the battery.
Arvind Saxena, Director of Marketing and Sales, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., told reporters that rising interest in electronic vehicles in India would further cement the car maker’s position in the ever growing Indian auto market. Already Hyundai isthe largest car exporter and the second largest car manufacturer in India. Mr. Saxena did not divulge the release date of the car but he said that his company would first conduct a research to understand the potential of electric vehicles in the Indian market.
At the 10th Indian Auto Show, green technology had been given huge emphasis. Several companies are going to introduce electric cars and hybrid cars. Tata Motors, announced its plan to build an electric version of its popular Tata Indica Vista in collaboration with a Norwegian company. General Motors will also unveil its Spark mini electric car. GM and Reva Electric car of Bangalore are jointly building the car. Famous Japanese automaker, Toyota Motors will also display its popular hybrid car Toyota Prius.
For the last couple of days, I have been covering about the 10th Indian Auto Expo, one of the biggest expos in the world. Though the automotive industry is in a critical condition, the expo is expected to attract lots of people and many new models will be unveiled. In this post, I give some of the car models that will be launched in the auto show.
Toyota Kirloskar Group will unveil Toyota Etios, a compact car specially made for India. Codenamed 800 L, the compact car has a 1.2 litre gasoline engine and it will be launched in stores by the end of 2010.
German auto maker Volkswagen will display its super-mini Polo that will be launched in March 2010.
Along with its existing car models, General Motor will display Chevrolet Beat which will also be launched in March 2010. It will also showcase its SUV model, Chevy Camaro. The company will also display its hybrid, Chevrolet Volt. The car will have 1.0 litre petrol engine and battery E-flex system.
Maruti Suzuki will display its Kizashi sedan which it displayed at the last expo. It is the first premium car from Maruti Suzuki. The car sports six-speed manual transmission. It will compete with Honda Civic, Skoda Laura and recently launched GM Cruze.
BMW will display the X1, its entry level SUV. Merecedes-Benz will launch the SLS AMG with gulf wings doors and C250 CGI. Infibeam reports:
This turbocharged direct injection petrol motor displaces 1796cc and will be the first of Mercedes’ CGI motors to be sold in India and the car will deliver 200bhp (up to 204bhp) with 31.6 kgm torque.
The C250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY will come with the 1.8 liter turbocharged gasoline engine that can generate 204hp and 310Nm (229lb-ft) of top torque, enough to propel the sedan from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.2 seconds. It combined fuel consumption is 7.2 liters/100km (32mpg).
Czech car maker, Skoda, will launch Skoda Yeti, its luxury SUV, the most successful model of the company. Scheduled to launch in 2011, the car that will compete with Ford Endeavour, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Toyota Fortuner in India. Priced at Rs.1 million, the car will be imported as Complete Knock Down (CKD) units and will be assembled at its Aurangabad plant.
Hyundai will launch its SUV Santa Fe. To promote environment friendly cars, the company will launch the electronic variant of its Hyundai i10 which was unveiled in October 2007. Among its other eco-friendly vehicles it will also launch the CNG and LPG versions of the Hyundai Santro, the Hyundai Accent and the Hyundai i10 in India.
Tata will also launch Tata Indicruz and its luxury sedan Tata Prima, Tata Indica Vista Ignis, Tata Prima and Tata Penguin. The company will also showcase the electric version of its India hatchback which will be launched in Europe later this year.
Honda Motorcycle India will launch its first mass-market motorcycle, Twister.
At the Delhi Auto Expo 2010, electric scooters will be major attraction. Many of you might not like the electric scooter because it is not so powerful like the traditional motorcycle but it is an ideal ride for city people. In cities, you can not ride vehicles at a high speed. Moreover, due to traffic jams and traffic stops, you would go at a slower pace and make frequent stops. The best thing about electric scooters is their smaller size which makes them highly maneuverable in congested streets and most importantly, they save lots of money because they do not run on fuel. Such a ride is very good for students and low income people.
Green technologies is a major focus in this years auto expo. Aside from hybrid, LPG and CNG driven vehicles, there will be e-scooters and taxis. Emmel Vheelers is one such company. Set up in 2008, it is an e-bike manufacturer.It has a production facility at Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra that can produce 3,000 units per month. At the expo,Emmel Vheelers, will display a hybrid three-wheeler, e-motorcycles, high-powered scooters. Its major electric scooter models inclue- Vee Elite, Vee Sharp, and Vee Dhoom. Manoj Laxmeshwar, President, Emmel Vheelers said:
“The market for electric two-wheelers is picking up. In the last month, around 3,500 units were sold. Last year, around 40,000 electric vehicles were sold against a market expectation of one lakh. This was because of recession. But now the market is picking up,”
Currently, the Indian market for two-wheeled electric vehicles is estimated to be Rs.4 billion and there are 300,000 electric vehicles on the road. Already, many companies are looking forward to foray in this segment.
Tube Investments of India Ltd, a subsidiary of the Murugappa Group, already inaugurated an electric scooter plant in Chennai with a production capacity of 100 units per day. Initially, it will launch three low-speed models priced within Rs. 25,000.Later, it will also produce two high-speed models which will have a base price of Rs.36,000.
Hero Electric, which already sells electric vehicles in India, recently announced its plan to assemble e-scooters in foreign markets. The company will form collaboration with local players and might enter into agreements in 2011. The company signed a MoU with Canada’s Electrovaya to produce lithium-ion batteries in December 2009.
Eko Vehicles, a Bangalore based company, launched a hybrid motorcycle that run on a combination of 70cc petrol engine and electric motor. It also has plans to launch an electric scooter.
Famous auto magazine, OVERDRIVE, will be giving 24X7 live coverage of the Delhi Auto Expo 2010 that can be seen on CNCB-TV18 and CNN-IBN. OVERDRIVE and its sister publication, Auto Monitor, will have three stalls at the expo. Adrian Sutil, the Force Indian F1 team driver, will be at the stall on January 7, 2010 at 12 p.m. He will sign the copies of OVERDRIVE to the first twenty five people who would come to the stall. Lucky coupon winners will receive Ford Endeavour and a fashionable high-end bike. Those who would subscribe to OVERDRIVE at the show will win one gift. There will be hourly special prizes and contests. The magazine will organize spot quizzes where winner would get car accessories and merchandise from Yamaha, MP3 players OVERDRIVE merchandises, two sets of JK tyres and many more.
Tata Motors another top carmaker is going to showcase Tata PR1MA, the company’s concept luxury sedan, at the 10th Delhi Auto Expo. Tata PR1MA, along with Tata Nano Europa and Tata Indica Vista, were displayed at the 79th Geneva Motor show. The Tata PR1MA was designed by Pininfarina, an Italian car design and coach building firm based in Cambiano, Italy. The Tata PR1MA has a wheelbase of 2.70 meters and comes with lots of interior space, the trademark of a luxury sedan. It has an elegant style look.
The upcoming Delhi Auto Expo 2010 will see more than ten new car launches by reputed domestic and International auto makers.German automaker, Audi, will display its luxury sedan, Audi A7, at the show and it will also unveil the new logo of Audi. Audi A7 will be launched in India in 2010. Maruti Suzuki will display the hatchback version of its popular SX4 sedan. One India reports:
The powerful J20B engine on the SX4 hatchback on display raises the maximum torque to 190Nm/4,000rpm while enhancing environmental compatibility by cutting CO2 emissions. Lower piston friction in the engine contributes to enhanced fuel efficiency, output, and torque. A Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gives greater driving excitement.
The Prussian Blue Pearl SX4 hatchback has a 2.1 litre machine and it has been exclusively imported to be displayed at the show. The SX4 hatchback is very popular in the European market. It is available in 2.0 litre, 1.6 litre and 1.5 litre engine.
The 10th Indian Auto expo 2010 will showcase the national and International autoparts manufacturers. This year, the Indian auto sector saw an unprecedented rise in passenger car sales. Moreover, the country very quickly recovered from the economic meltdown. For this reason, the 10th Indian Auto Expo holds great importance to the auto parts producers. My Digital FC.com reports:
“Indian auto component companies have consolidated their position to be the key suppliers for small cars. The global auto industry realised the real capabilities of Indian auto parts firms after the launch of Tata Nano. There will be significant opportunities as these new small cars, to be unveiled at the Auto Expo 2010, need to have higher local content to make their presence felt here,” Vishnu Mathur, executive director, Auto Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) told Financial Chronicle.
About 1000 Indian firms are going to participate along with international firms from 30 different countries. Several Chinese firms are also participating in the show. The firms will showcase locally produced auto parts such as navigation controls, management systems, security systems etc. Green vehicle and green technology will be given lots of importance and this will also open up new possibilities for auto parts manufacturers.
The year 2009 had been a rough year for auto makers in developed countries but not for India. Though sales declined, it quickly went up and the industry observed a “historically high” quarterly profit in the passenger car segment. Already, India has zoomed past China and Japan and became third largest car market in Asia with a big appetite for small inexpensive car. For all these reason, organizers are expecting that the 10th Indian Auto Expo will attract lots of visitors.
In various developed market around the world, auto companies posted huge losses. The Indian auto market on the other hand, saw thirty new launches and high quarterly profits at the end of the year. Indian economy battled with credit crunch, high inflation and then global economy. In the first three months, sales went down. In the next quarter, the car sales saw a decent rise. In November, new car sales in India increased by 61 percent on year-over-year basis to 133,687 units. Thanks to government’s stimulus package and duty and vat reduction. According to Mr Rakesh Batra, Partner and National Leader, Auto Practice, Ernst & Young, in the current financial year, number of Indian passenger vehicle will cross two million units.
It is now clear that the Indian auto market cannot and should not be ignored. The 10th Indian Auto Expo, which will be held from January 5, 2010, to January 10, 2010 will is expected to attract 1.8 million visitors. A total of 2100 companies will participate in the show. Rajiv Kaul, Chairman, 10th Indian Auto Expo said that the area of the fair has been doubled to 125,000 square meters. More than ten new launches will happen throughout the fair and eight hundred international companies will participate in the show. Even now, many companies are contacting to participate in the show but all the pavilions have been booked already.
This year, the 10th Indian Auto Expo has been cut short by two days due to uncertain economic conditions. The auto makers around the world are looking at various ways to cut expenditures. Hence, many auto makers like Nissan and Ford are not participating in this show. In 2008, the fair was held for one week, starting from January 9, 2008 to January 17, 2009. Rajive Kaul, Chairman, 10th Indian Auto Expo said that after taking feedback from their participants and members they decided to cut short the fair to save expenditures.
Still, the expo will attract many visitors. Dilip Chenoy, Director General, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said that the expo would attract 1.8 million viewers making it one of the biggest expos in the world. Through out the fair, there will be more than ten new launches and 800 International exhibitors from Canada, China, the U.S, France, German, Myanmar, Pakistan and the U.K are going to show their products in the expo. This is a 40% boost compared to the number of international exhibitors at Indian Auto Expo of 2008.
A total of Rs. 10 billion has been earned from order bookings. There are many companies who are showing interest to attend the show at the last moment but organizers are facing huge difficulty as there is no extra space at the current venue.
Mr. Kaul said that they are looking forward to shift the expo venue to somewhere in Haryana but they will first discuss the matter with the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Commerce Ministry.
In the 10th Indian Auto Expo, major car makers of the world such as, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Suzuki, BMW, General Motors, Mitsubishi, Daimler Motors are going to participate. Among Indian auto makers, Maruti Suzuki, Tata and Mahindra & Mahindra are going to participate in the expo. More than ten new cars are going to be launched in the show. More than ten cars will be unveiled at the show.
Due to uncertain economic condition, the show has been cut short by two days. Still organizers are expecting it to be one of the biggest auto expo in the world attracting 1.8 million visitors. The Indian auto sector, despite observing declined sales in the last couple of months, have been growing at a fast pace which increased the importance of the Indian Auto Expo.
In the expo, Mahindra & Mahindra will launch two new products including one utility vehicle and a new truck jointly produced by Mahindra and Navistar. Volvo, another top truck maker of the world, will launch a new truck and Daimler Motor will unveil its new buses. Nissan Motor Co. of Japan and Ford are not participating in the expo this year.
Despite being cut short by two days, organizers are expecting the upcoming 10th Indian Auto Expo 2010 will be the biggest in the world in terms of number of visitors. In 2009, thirty large auto shows were organized around the world. Most of these shows were held in the U.S., Europe and China. The New York Auto Show which was held in April, 2009 saw 1.2 million visitors. The Shanghai Auto Show, the third largest autoshow in the world had 6,00,000 visitors.
Pawan Goenka, President, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and President, Mahindra & Mahindra said that the 2010 Auto Expo will be bigger, brighter and better than the previous shows. The growing number of visitors shows India’s growing importance in the world auto market.
The New York Auto show goes on for ten days and it attracts a lot of crowd for it is located at the center of New York. It is also promoted as a tourist attraction. The Shanghai Auto Show goes on for nine days. The 10th Annual Indian Auto Expo which will be held at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi will start from January 5th and end at January 11, 2009.
The major reasons behind such big crowd is India has a fast-growing car and
two-wheeler market and there are more room for growth because India has only seven car owners per 1000 citizens. Indian and China were two economies to observe the fastest recovery from the worldwide economic recession. This year, the top car and truck producers of the world skipped many major auto shows including the Tokyo Motor Show. Now, they are looking forward to participate at the 10th Indian Auto Expo 2010.
On June 4, 2009, Audi AG, the famous German luxury automaker, launched its compact SUV, the Audi Q5, in India. Famous Bollywood actress, Katrina Kaif, was present at the official launch party of the Audi Q5 in South Mumbai, along with fashion designer Manish Arora and actor Rahul Khanna. Dressed in blue, Katrina praised the car’s spacious. Since Katrina is taller, she needs a car that offers lots of leg space and the Audi Q5 is just the ideal car for the actress. Once, high-end foreign luxury car was unthinkable in India. Now, the scenario has changed a lot. India today is one of the emerging car markets in the world. Last year, the country observed a major surge in the sales of SUV and other high-end luxury vehicles. Though economic recession dented car sales, automakers kept on introducing new SUVs and other high-end cars in the Indian market.
Audi India is looking forward to sell 100 Audi Q5s this year and 400 in 2010. The Audi Q5 was launched in Europe last year. It has been voted the best off-road vehicle by “Auto Motor und Sport,” a top German auto magazine. The Audi Q5 has been awarded the Golden Steering Wheel. The Audi Q5 is a crossover which “combines a sports sedan with a quattro permanent all-wheel drive.”
The AudiQ5 has two variants. One variant of Audi Q5 features a 240-horse power 3.0 liter V6 turbo diesel engine and the other variant of Audi Q5 features 2.0 liter TFSI gasoline four cylinder engine that has been used in Audi A4. Both the engines are direct injection units with turbocharger offering high power and great fuel efficiency.
Dimension and color:
Length: 4629 mm
Width: 1880 mm
Height: 1653 mm
Front wheelbase: 1617 mm
Overall wheelbase: 2807 mm
Colors: Stratos Blue, Garnet Red, Ice Silver, Meteor Grey, Phantom Black and Ibis White.
Engine specifications of Audi Q5 3.0 TDI Quattro
Engine type: V6 cylinder diesel engine with turbocharger and second generation common rail technology.
Audi Hold assist: While driving in hilly region, the “Audi hold assist” makes sure the car remains stationary in one place. Users do not need to use handbrakes. The driver can activate the system by pressing a button. If the “Audi hold assist” remains activated for a long time, the system automatically activates “electromechanical parking barkes.”
Advanced parking system: The advanced parking system uses eight ultrasonic sensors fitted into the car's bumpers. They detect any obstacles and provide instant feedback to the control unit. This enables driver to park the car in tight spaces.
The driver's seat of the Audi Q5 comes with memory function. It allows the driver to store his preferred settings and restore it if it is changed. The memory even stores mirror settings of the exterior mirrors.
Electromechanical parking brake system: Compared to old handbarke system, the electromechanical parking brake system is a combination of functions. After the driver fastens his seat-belts, the brake is released automatically. It can be activated by pulling a lever.
The exterior mirrors can be folded if the car is parked in a tight space. The anti-glare system allows the mirror to dim progressively if the vehicle from the rear emits brighter light. It enables the driver see the vehicle.
The folding front passenger seat helps to create more space if you are carrying long objects.
High-beam assistant determines the amount of light necessary at any point in time.It manages between main beam and dipped beam automatically. The driver does not need to manually adjust the light.
SUVs are also made to run offroads. The hill start assists make sure that upon releasing the brakes, the vehicle does not roll back.
The two-part luggage compartment of the Audi Q5 allows the owner to carry lots of luggages without any hassle. There is also a twelve volt socket. There is a big net that reduces sliding of objects.
Multifunction leather steering wheels allow the driver to gain full control of the vehicle with great ease. It allows the driver to focus on traffic. The steerings are available with or without gearshift. They allow the driver to control audio, radio, telephone and a host of other devices without moving his hands from the steering.
If you need more air, just open up the sun roof. It complements the airconditioning.
Rear seat bench plus increases the luggage compartment. It also helps to maximize the comfort of the rear passenger.
Audi music interface allows the user to synchronize his iPod or MP3 player with the car’s Audi MMI through a USB port. You can chose titles, genres, artists, albums using MMI controls of your multifunction steering wheel. It will also charge your portable media playing device.
The Bang and Olufsen Sound System provides great audio and video experience to the passenger. Tuned to the sporty interior, there are fourteen high performance speakers that are fitted with exclusive aluminium trim covers. They are powered by a ten channel amplifier.
Driver Information System (DIS) brings a wide range of information and shows the current operational status of the car. It shows open warning for door and luggage compartment. There is also auto check control, radio station name and frequency, outside temperature display (including ice warning), speed warning function, on-board computer, automatic gear-box selector lever settings and telephone number and names in the telephone book. In addition, it also checks the brake and light systems.
MMI High system provides great entertainment to the passengers of Audi Q5. It includes a high quality radio, a 7" high resolution colour display, MMI control panel with joystick, two SD memory card readers, speech dialogue system, vCard function which enables the user to transfer all his stored contracts in vCard format to cellphones or PDAs via Bluetooth.
The Audi Q5 has mobile phone preparation system that allows you to make calls, swap data and charge your mobile phone inside the car. The car can support a wide range of telephone models with Bluetooth.
Price:
Interestingly, according to the famous automobile website, Edmunds.com, the price of the Audi Q5 in India is twice the price of its US version. The base 2.0 TFSI model costs Rs. 3.829 million and the 3.0 TDI variant will cost Rs.4.4 million.Users can also have accessories such as panoramic sunroof, reverse camera which will cost more. The AudiQ5 is now available in all the eleven dealerships of Audi including Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi.
