After a downward revision of the Jazz’s prices, Honda faces challenges at the supply end with demand exceeding expectations. According to a report on Live Mint, the Jazz is sold out till March 2012 and Brio till January 2012. But there’s a catch.
Despite a recent hike in the level of localization, there are certain electronic components for the mini cars that come from Japan. The country is still recovering from the double header that rocked the country in the form an earthquake and Tsunami during March this year. As Japan limps back on to its feet, another ecological disaster has struck Honda SIEL.
Heavy rains has caused severe flooding in Thailand, an important sourcing base for Honda in India. Visuals on television showed manufacturing parks submerged in the uncontrollably rising levels of water that brought parts of the country to a standstill.
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If you recall General Motors tested the Beat EV in India back in June to understand electric car’s ability to acclimatize to our conditions. It was part of the global testing program which GM India, through the showcase, used to pump up the Beat’s brand equity.
Later GM India said the infrastructure to commercialize electric cars in India isn’t ready and a release was not planned anytime soon.
Read about the Chevrolet Beat EV for the Indian market
GM then showed a production model in America, redesigning parts of the car to meet safety standards for a 2013 release. General Motors could adopt a similar design direction on the petroleum-fueled Beat facelift that usually arrives 3-4 years into the model’s life.
Recently GM furnished information on the motive force of this urban runabout GM bets big on, not only in America but globally. It will be assembled using kits flown in from Korea at their facility situated in the state of Maryland.
The Beat EV generates 116PS, compared to the measly 60hp produced by the test mule that visited India. The Indian mule used the Volt’s battery pack that produced 20 kWH providing the Beat a range of 130 km under normal driving conditions. It takes about 8 hours to reach full charge from a 240V power socket. GM has not provided details on the range after this massive power increase.
American customers use powerful cars, giving performance precedence over fuel economy, viewed as the reason behind the power bump.
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The zig-zaging of Nano sales puts forth a whole lot of different questions – Has it got to do with the Nano’s bare-bones nature? Is it the relatively vacant segment leading to people walking away? Is it the Nano’s price that’s playing games with people’s minds? Is it the absence of features or power? Is it the confused target audience? Or has it got to do with the way Tata Motors has handled the product?
The Nano was conceptualized as a bridge for Indian families on two-wheelers to cross over to land of car ownership.
Whatever the reason are, things are looking up for Tata Nano in the neighboring country of Sri Lanka. The Nano’s distributor DIMO (associated with Tata models for the last 50 years) has told Lanka Times that they are not able to keep abreast with demand levels.
Besides families or the second car owner, DIMO is using the Nano to penetrate into the leisure and transport sector. Earlier in 2011, it delivered a fleet of air-conditioned variants to the cab company ‘Nano Cab’ which charges customers a slight premium over the Bajaj autorickshaw.
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Over the last week, Toyota has launched the Innova facelift in Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Borneo. For the Malaysian market, Toyota has put out three variants (2.0E manual, 2.0E AT, 2.0G AT). The Malaysian market, unlike ours, is ruled by petrol engines. In the Innova’s case, it is the 1TR-FE 2.0 liter inline-4 delivering 136 PS @ 5,600rpm and 182Nm @ 4,000rpm, married to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission.
See live images of the Toyota Innova Facelift
You will be shocked to learn that TKM offers the petrol choice on Innova which is seen as a sign of optimism rather than a business case.
In the Indonesian island of Borneo, Toyota played out a similar act with the launch of the three vari
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Ford India is unveiling a car on the 7th of November. The preparations for the media event are underway and there are strong signals that this isn’t going to serve as stage or launchpad for the second of the eight products Ford has promised by mid-decade.
Is it a variant of an existing model. Could it be the Fiesta AT? Or is it a new variant of the Ford Figo after assessing the stiffening competition?
Earlier it was believed that the AT model did not feature in Ford India’s 2011 business plan. Given the slow start of the Fiesta manuals, could Ford have changed its mind?
Ford India isn’t willing to share the details yet, but stay tuned for further updates.
The official unveiling of the refreshed Audi A4 is complete in Europe with the car sporting a redesigned grille, revised headlamps and new hood. The 2012 model also gets a new diffuser, redesigned tail lamps and a dual exhaust. No word on the prices yet but don’t expect a significant difference. For now Audi has released data and photographs of the new model.
See images and video of the 2012 Audi A4 testing in Mumbai
The cabin also has a fair share of additions with revised steering wheel, chrome accents, updated infotainment system and buttons for seat warmers.
Powertrain options for the European market are also detailed in the press release
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At the International Busworld fair 2011 in Mumbai, Tata Hispano displayed a Hybrid urban bus capable of running on Diesel, CNG or electricity. Designed by Tata Motors, the company says that this bus offers an optimal ecological efficiency.
Madrid has placed an order for ten buses last year. The dual purpose served at this Expo is the bus is a medium to showcase the technologies developed by Tata Motors and as batteries are expected to reach a lower price point over the next few years, sending the important message out on to the market that Tata Motors is future-ready.
Tata has listed the merits of the CNG-Diesel hybrid model in a press release and they include
- Electric traction system from Siemens employed in over 2000 buses worldwide.
- A full electrical model, possible for zero emission operation, for short distances.
- Common hybrid drive for Diesel-Electric and CNG-Electric, which can be extended to Pure Electric, CNG micro turbine and hydrogen fuel cell buses.
- Overall cost over the lifetime of the vehicle is lower, due to savings in running costs. Procuring cost is significantly higher.
- Regenerative electronic braking allows reuse of energy dissipated during braking.
- Very low and transient engine operation.
- Electrically driven auxiliary systems.
- Automatic Electric mode.
- Lithium-Ion battery pack provides better performance compared to Lead Acid pack.
- Smaller engine gives rise to less noise.
- Energy management strategies allows tuning to suit specific customer requirements, depending on the operations.
Before we dive into the post, Team IAB wishes its readers a very happy, prosperous, safe and awesome Diwali. In the form of fire crackers, sweets, greeting cards, hugs, blessings and wishes, this auspicious day brings the most joy and the strength and excitement to face new challenges in 2012.
In 2011, there’s hardly a car manufacturer without presence on social networks. The importance of connecting with customers and fans on the world’s most networked social network – Facebook – is felt strongly.
In this IAB special, we’re bring you digital greeting cards of manufacturers conveying wishes through their product fan pages.
Renault Koleos
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