Indian Autos blog

On this special Monday morning, Ford India is going to open a new chapter in its India story. Ford has just finished the ground breaking ceremony of its second plant in India in Sanand, Gujarat. The construction of the new plant will commence shortly and the plant will be fully operational by 2014. The manufacturing plant will be built on 460 acres and the site is adjacent to Tata’s Nano  [ Read More ]

Ford India has sent us a press release announcing its foray into Gujarat for a second manufacturing plant. It will be a 4,000 crore rupee investment with the first vehicle and engine scheduled to come off the line in 2014. All the details are packed into a comprehensive press release attested to this blog post.

This begs the question – Could the next generation Ford Ka roll out of this plant in 2014 sporting a Made In India 1L 3cyl Ecoboost engine?

Press Release

Ford Says “Namaste Gujarat!” Announces Manufacturing and Engine Plant in India

· Ford India signs MoU with the State of Gujarat to build assembly and engine plant in Sanand

· Ford will invest4,000 crore (approximately US$1 billion) and create 5,000 jobs on a 460-acre site

· The state government has prioritised land adjacent to the site for supplier operations

click Continue for full details

After the infamous tumultuous journey, the most eagerly anticipated car of 2009 (as per our polls)- The Tata Nano, may finally roll out on January 26. Tata dealers and Auto experts say that Republic Day would be a preferred day to bring out the ‘People’s Car’. So, the Tata Nano is now all set to reach the homes of the People, but bookings will not open until March 2009.

Tata Motors is in the process of analyzing a port at Simar to export its global car –Nano – to overseas markets. Gujarat is all set to become an important auto export hub in the country, with Mundra Port already setting up a dedicated car terminal for Maruti Suzuki.

Is trouble Tata Nano’s middle name? As it appeared like the decks were cleared for a delayed launch of the car, more trouble has come for Tata Motors in the form of extended delays of future variants. Even before it could hit the Indian roads, the Tata Nano has a huge demand in developed markets in Western Europe and understandably, as their need for cheap transportation is similar to India’s.  [ Read More ]

Gujarat has yet another ‘cheap car’ to offer to the world. This time, in the Electric-car segment. It comes from ‘Ajanta Group’ – well established in the electric 2-Wheeler market under the brand name ‘OREVA’. When Ratan Tata cruised into Gujarat, Nano was the globally, the cheapest car; now, a few days later, this Gujarati company has announced the impending launch of a small car that will match Nano’s price(How  [ Read More ]

Nano — “an orphan without a home”, as Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata called it — has finally found its home 25 km from Ahmedabad, at Sanand. After the bitter battle fought by Tata against the West Bengal opposition party, ended in walk out from Singur, this news is of immense consolation to the Tatas. The capacity of the new plant is to be higher than that of the abandoned  [ Read More ]