Some of the Nissan Micras that are being exported to European countries from the company’s manufacturing unit at Oragadam, Chennai are facing a technical glitch that has forced the company to make some minor changes in the car.
Reports suggest that there was a weird noise coming from the engine bay when the ignition is switched on in extreme cold weather. To solve this problem, an oil has to be changed.
Nissan says that there will not be a recall of cars as this is not a safety issue. The company said there is no reliability issue as the problem was identified during the technical checks itself, even before the cars reached the European dealers.
Around 2500-3500 cars were sent back to Chennai to resolve the issue. Between October & November the company has exported 15,000 Made In India Micras and the company has said that this issue will not change their export plans.
If there’s one company that has very little idea about its strength, it certainly has to be Toyota. Toyota has been extremely cautious about its approach in India since the very beginning, and perhaps this strategy has not worked very well.
Within 7 days of its launch, Toyota dealerships in India, 130 in number, have taken in nothing less than 8,100 orders for the Etios sedan.
If Toyota prices the Etios hatchback at about four lakh rupees (3.5 lakh-5.5 lakh rupees segment makes up for about 70% market share in the Indian car industry), can’t they be making new records with bookings? But why did they plan only for 70,000 cars in 2011? Won’t they exhaust that number in six months or less?
Mr Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) Toyota Kirloskar Motor -
It’s good response from the customers. We are planning to manufacture 9,000 units of Etios at our Bangalore plant in the first four months
Etios’s top three variants G, V and VX have accounted for about 90% of the bookings. If the going is this good, there will be two exceedingly long lines outside Toyota showrooms, one for Fortuner, and another for Etios. We bet there will be a six month waiting period for the Etios if you don’t book one soon.
Image – Suzuki Alto Lapin – A recently launched small car in Japan but has NO connection to the story whatsoever.
While many continue to incorrectly believe the Wagon R-category Suzuki Cervo from Japan will serve as the Maruti 800 replacement, Autocar India has stated that the company is working on a sub-600cc car to take on Hyundai’s HA scheduled for 2012 and the Piaggio NT3 speculated to come in the next three years.
Codenamed YE3, Maruti Suzuki might be looking to plug the gap opened up by the retiring Maruti 800 in the next couple of years with the YE3. There is no information available on the bodystyle, though it’s immature to assume that it won’t be a hatchback with four doors.
Speaking to a representative from the engineering division of Maruti Suzuki at the launch of the Alto K10 in Chennai, IAB was told Maruti never tested the Japanese Suzuki Cervo in India. Though there were spyshots of an orange Cervo doing rounds near Maruti’s plant before the launch of the Ritz (which it was mistaken for), Maruti Suzuki, even if it intends to launch the Cervo, can’t position it under the Alto.
Apart from the low cost YE3, Maruti Suzuki is also believed to be working on a 2-cylinder engine for the Alto. Currently, the basic Alto comes with a 800cc 3-cylinder engine.
The YE3 will almost certainly be based on an all-new platform. Could Volkswagen assist them with this project? If so, then how?
Last year BMW overtook Mercedes Benz to become India’s best selling luxury brand. Mercedes Benz faced absolutely no threats to its numero uno position in India since its arrival in India in the mid 90s.
Headaches however began from the time arch rival BMW announced its entry into India. Once the Chennai facility began operations, it was seen on track to clinch the coveted title of India’s most selling luxury brand. After releasing all sorts of models, from performance convertibles to weird looking crossovers, it has taken hardly three years for BMW to stamp its authority in India.
According to the most recent Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) report, BMW sold a total of 5,345 units in the last 11 months of 2010 compared to 5,109 units by Mercedes Benz.
2011 will only be better for BMW as it prepares to launch the X1 crossover, which according to the company is pegged to be the least expensive model in its portfolio.
Mercedes Benz has said many times in these two years that it isn’t about number 1 or number 2. For them, profitable growth is key and offering their customers with the best brand experience counts more.
This doesn’t mean Mercedes Benz isn’t interested in being the market leader. In a press release issued on the 6th of July 2010 giving an account of its sales performance in 2010, Mercedes Benz had unusually cited BMW’s lower sales figures and noted “Therefore, Mercedes-Benz India continues its leadership in the luxury marketspace.”
With the X1 arriving in the next few months, BMW is looking good to continue leading for the third continuous year in a row in India.
About forty percent now of all of the people who buy Figo are first time car buyers. So if we do this right it is a huge opportunity for us to hold those car buyers through their lifecycle of their car purchasing life.
Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India revealed in a chat at the Australian School of Business.
It’s been almost three years since the Yamaha YZF-R15 came out in India and going by these spyshots, it looks as though Yamaha is working on bettering the motorcycle.
Click HERE to view spyshots of new Yamaha R15
Click HERE to view spyshots of new Yamaha R15
Click HERE to view spyshots of new Yamaha R15
Click HERE to view spyshots of new Yamaha R15
Economic Times reported Nissan is seriously considering the SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) route for the Teana to make it more price competitive. We can expect Nissan to begin the SKD operations during the middle of 2011 at the Oragadam plant.
If Nissan are to announce a price revision, bringing in a cosmetically different model during the announcement will help in increasing consumer interest. If you’re wondering what kind of a facelift will see a downward price revision, the answer is right here.
This isn’t the first time we’re bringing you photographs of the Nissan Teana facelift. As we explained twice before, the changes are minor with fog lamps, wheels, grille, rear bumper, tail lamps and knobs being exchanged for new, glamorous replacements.
Apart from the aforementioned, there is also the addition of a red back-lighting as well as a fresh layout for the satellite navigation controls.
For a slightly lower price, Nissan will offer a somewhat better car. Will that be enough for the Teana to pick up in India?
click through to see image gallery
We have brought you fully revealing shots of the Honda Civic as well as several artist-generated drawings of the upcoming model on our blog. The new Civic doesn’t have any radical departures, but based on what we’ve seen, we can say the replacement model borrows design elements from the Honda Insight and the currently running City.
We have previously reported that Honda is working on a small diesel engine for cars like the City, Civic and even Jazz. Diesel will drastically enhance the appeal of the entire Honda range in India, but they are not arriving immediately.
Interestingly, unlike other car manufacturers creating larger and more comfortable replacements, the new Civic could be a touch smaller than the outgoing version.
The new Civic (codename – 2HC) should be available in Japan and certain other markets by the middle of 2011. There is no doubt Honda will look to introduce the new Civic as soon as possible in India. We expect the new Civic in India in the first half of 2012. Recent models like the Skoda Laura facelift, and Chevrolet Cruze have had a ball of a time in that segment.
Stay tuned as we get more information on the new Civic.
