Indian Autos blog

Toyota Camry – causing more problems for Toyota in US

Toyota is completely focused on customer service in the US. That is definitely good. Providing the best customer service is key to growth and loyalty.

Bob Carter, Vice President, Toyota Group remarked -

We have a singular focus today – taking care of the customers on an individual basis. That’s everything that we are doing. Quite frankly, nothing else is important.

I read through Mr.Carter’s remark twice before making any logical conclusions. Focusing on customer service is fine and he could have stopped with that.

Honda City – Deserve a diesel heart

Some good news for Indians who have been waiting for a diesel car from Honda. The company is conducting studies to develop a diesel engine for Indian market. Let us be more specific and set the expectation straight. The development is at initial stages and at best indicative. Honda wants to flourish in emerging markets and realizes that a small diesel engine is required to sell more cars.

No time lines are available on the launch and specifications of the engine. We are very much awaiting the diesel City or even a diesel Jazz. The diesel option on these cars could be a very attractive package and provided the pricing is sensible, these cars could be game changers for Honda.

BMW X6 – 2010 models recalled in US

It appears that Toyota and Honda are not alone in the recall game. Joining the bandwagon is the premium car maker BMW. The company has intimated the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in US of a fault in X5 and X6 models manufactured between December 14, 2009 and December 16, 2009.

There have been no reports or complaints filed with NHTSA by customers. This is a notification by the company to the administrator of a safety defect in case of a rollover crash.

We do not know the number of vehicles under the recall, but this could be merely in hundreds. What is of more significance is the nature of the notice and the probable safety issue being reported.

Chevy Cruze – 300 Series Platform fueling growth for GM India

If we talk of growing trends, here is one that certainly happening. Car makers appear to be targeting tier II and tier III markets. We saw it in the case of Ford, which has just opened 13 dealerships in these markets. Now GM India is pursuing a strategy to improve sales in rural markets.

The Chinese will also be entering the Indian commercial and passenger vehicle markets by 2011. Recently, Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC) took a 50% stake in GM India and will enter the Indian market in 2011.

Carl-Peter Forster – Group CEO, Tata Motors

Tata Motors has appointed Mr. Carl-Peter Forster as new CEO of the group. Mr. Forster will be in charge of overall Tata Motors operations including Jaguar and Land Rover. Mr. Forster was the former head of GM Europe operations. On behalf of IAB, we would like to congratulate Mr. Forster on his appointment.

A tough job lay ahead for Mr. Forster, but he could not have come at a better time. The economy is recovering, money is back in the market, Tata Motors domestic sales in January was great considering competition and prior months. Well it could be the January effect (new year sales etc), but certainly a good month for Tata Motors.

Figo to be next growth engine for Ford

Ford India has opened 28 new dealership across India. With these additions, Ford currently has 164 dealer across 97 cities in India.

Clearly the focus is on growth. They may have got the right product in the Figo and with competitive pricing, this is the next growth engine after the Fiesta and Ikon.

Toyota Corolla Altis sold in India

Ok, we are so near to hearing the worst news for the automotive world. Toyota is very close to announcing a recall of the Corolla in US, which is plagued by steering problems. So much for the best selling car in the world.

Now, what puts me off is why do these things never impact the cars sold in India?

My hypothesis is simple. As an average person, I would only expect the steering components to be similar for the Corolla, irrespective of the geography where it is sold. Of course, the left/right hand drive is a visible difference and the specifications associated with it, but the overall components specifications may not necessarily be different. It does not make business sense otherwise.

The Chevrolet Beat keeping GM India busy

These are busy times for GM India. The company has announced that it would introduce a second shift at its Talegaon plant to meet the order book of Chevrolet Beat. The shift is being introduced as the Talegaon plant manufactures the Spark and the Beat and both these cars have received a good response in the market.

GM will also be introducing a third shift in their Halol plant which manufactures Aveo, Optra and Tavera to meet market demand. Here is an example of how different markets work.