In a message sent out to his fans and page viewers, NDTV’s Siddharth Vinayak Patankar says Maruti has registered over 80k bookings for the Swift. This problem of plenty is not new to Maruti and while it knows ways to deal with this type of pleasurable problem, it is grappling with striking workers at the Manesar plant where the Swift is made.
Its simple to understand – If assembly line workers don’t cooperate, cars cannot be made.
Maruti asked the Manesar workforce to sign a good conduct bond before entering the premises to which a section of the workers turned down the request and reacted by taking to protests. Maruti issued a circular to workers after it found defective cars with dents, severed wire harnesses and wrong parts during a surprise inspection at the factory yard. Maruti is only managing 200 units/day compared to the 600 units/day Swift production target if the 80k bookings have to be eroded quickly.
While worker strike has hit production and quality levels, customers have to wait longer at dealerships. Waiting period has risen from the officially-announced three months to ten months in some parts of India for a new Swift. If some reports are to believed, all Maruti Suzuki dealerships have stopped taking any further bookings.
The worker agitations are believed to stem from vested interest groups outside the company motivating a section of workers to sabotage production. Maruti has assigned shop floor rolls to the recently trained ITI graduates at Manesar to ramp up production.
IAB reader Reji Joseph sent us a snap of the Renault Koleos undergoing final tests in Chennai as countdown to the launch begins. Renault will launch the Koleos in two forms tomorrow – Manual and Automatic.
IndianAutosBlog.com was the first on the internet to bring official photographs of the facelifted Koleos from a company presentation. We followed it up with spy shots and the brochure in a recent post.
The Koleos comes with a 2.0-liter diesel engine producing 320Nm that lets it accelerate from 0-100kph in under 13 seconds. Prices are rumored to start at just around 18.5 lakh rupees (ex-showroom) for the manual. Select dealers have put the facelift on display and test drives should begin as soon as the launch unfolds.
IAB will air live updates from the launch, so stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com.
Overdrive Magazine is speculating on Hyundai’s refreshed i20 making its local debut at the Auto Expo and there’s a fair chance of that happening. Wrapped-up mules have been spotted testing in Europe hinting at a year-end launch in European markets.
A bulk of the i20 production was shifted from Chennai to Turkey. The demand for the premium hatchback in India is strong and Hyundai should try out new variants with more power or offer the Verna’s 1.6-liter diesel with the AT. Shouldn’t Hyundai cash in on the demand or the need for a diesel automatic hatchback?
Many of you may have seen teaser images of the Skoda MissonL concept on the internet with the VisionD design vocabulary. In the press release issued along with the photographs, Skoda states that MissionL will be a compact sedan in the Indian market whereas it will be sold in overseas markets China and Russia as a liftback (where the boot and windshield are glued and top-hinged).
Besides the liftback feature, the Indian market version of the Skoda saloon does not use the VisionD design elements. Skoda has styled the sedan to make it seem like a mini Laura. The international version looks more like a Vento with Polo headlamps.
If Skoda had brought the liftback model to India it would given yet another dissimilarity to the uncomfortably-close cousin VW Vento. What make Skoda stay away from the liftback design? We’ll have to wait till the launch to find out.
Skoda says that production of the car will begin in India this year. Can we expect a November launch for the Skoda saloon?
Volvo has upgraded the aging XC90 with cosmetic elements. Let’s quickly look at what’s different on the 2012 XC90 that we expect Volvo India to launch in India next year.
2012 Volvo XC90 interiors
- 3-spoke steering wheel
- Aluminum trim as standard
- watch dial-like instrument panel design with white lighting
- split tailgate
- leather grab handle for third row passengers
- A top-end Executive variant equipped with soft leather seats that have ventilation and massage functions
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For those of us who waited for Ssangyong’s Rexton and Korando C to be launched in India, I am afraid we have to hold our breath a little longer.
Mahindra does not intend to launch Ssangyong SUVs in India this year, the reason being M&M wants to focus on its key products such as Bolero, Scorpio, Verito and more importantly the soon to come XUV500.
Ssangyong was acquired by Mahindra&Mahindra in February 2011 as a part of its global expansion plan. Once the acquisition was finished, M&M has made it very clear that it wants to launch Ssangyong SUVs in India to cater to the luxury market. Mahindra also believes that the Korean vehicles will help them fill up voids in segments above the Scorpio and compliments its existing lineup beautifully.
Since then the Rexton (below) and Korando C (above) have been spotted testing on the Indian roads fueling rumors that M&M will launch them by this year end.
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In the 21st century, all auto manufacturers are in search of alternative fuels that will keep the Auto Industry going when fossil fuels run out. Right now the industry is divided between Hydrogen and Electricity to power the future. Every company is testing its capability to jump on either side of the wagon.
Skoda, being a part of the VW group, is betting big of electricity. At Paris Motor Show 2010, Skoda displayed the Octavia (Laura in India) E line which was as an estate version of our Skoda Laura powered by lithium ion battery. The idea was to demonstrate that EV’s don’t have to be small hatchbacks; they can also be large luxurious cars.
Skoda has managed to take the next step and will produce 10 cars as a part of its test fleet to test its emission free technology. These test cars will help the Skoda collect valuable data to be used in future applications that will reduce its average CO2 emissions.
The car features a 26.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack placed under the floor and an electric motor with a constant output of 80HP and 270 Nm of torque. It accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 12.0 seconds and reaches an electronically limited top speed of 135 km/h.
Like this car? Click past the break to read more details
As IAB readers are aware, BMW dominates the luxury car market in India. It is especially shocking when you know that BMW entered India a few years ago and the fallen giant Mercedes Benz has been around since ages with over 35,000 of its cars on our roads.
With effective marketing strategies and a portfolio of unique products, BMW India has managed to stay ahead of the competition. Three key products have helped BMW win the top slot – corporate 3 Series, BMW 5 series and the hot selling BMW X1.
A couple of other reasons why BMW India have outrun Mercedes is they have priced their products at lower levels (both brands are uttered in the same breath) and there’s the uncontrollable factor called as “brand fatigue” which is like the wrinkles on human skin – you can’t control age and its effects!
The X1 has been the cherry of the eye for BMW. In the recent months, the X1 has sold more than all other BMW products put together. Mercedes Benz is aware that in order to take the market leader position back they need a competitor for the X1. Considering Audi is also set to launch the Q3 by early next year, the three-pointed star needs to bring something to the Indian shores quickly.
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