Harley-Davidson keen to assemble more models at Haryana unit

Source: The Hindu Business Line, May 13, 2012

Kolkata: Following the good response to its bikes in the country, iconic bike-maker Harley-Davidson is keen on assembling more (bike) models in its India factory at Bawal.

Of the 15 models it currently sells in India, five are assembled in Bawal, Haryana. Bawal is Harley-Davidson’s second unit outside the US, the other being in Brazil. “We are keen to start assembling more models at Bawal. But such a decision will depend on customer feedback. If there is demand for a particular model we might explore the option of assembling more models here in the country,” Mr Anoop Prakash, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India, said. Mr Prakash was in the city to inaugurate the company’s first showroom in Kolkata and its first in the eastern and north-eastern region.

German car infotainment major Blaupunkt sets up Indian subsidiary, considers assembly operation

Source: The Economic Times, May 10, 2012

The German car infotainment major, Blaupunkt has established an Indian subsidiary Blaupunkt India Pvt Ltd, through a JV between Blaupunkt Holding, Germany and Indian partner AutoSonics India marking a formal re-entry of Blaupunkt into India.

The formation of Blaupunkt India coincides with the launch of a state-of-the-the manufacturing facility in Penang Malaysia to cater to the needs of OE customers world-wide and India could be the next base for local assembly. Dr. Placke, CEO of the Blaupunkt Group, confirmed that local assembly operations are on the roadmap but the exact timeline is to be determined.

Fiat to expand presence in Indian market

Source: The Economic Times, May 09, 2012

HYDERABAD: Italian car maker Fiat plans to increase its presence in India with a network of dedicated dealers and is also looking at introducing more brands from its global portfolio.

Launching Fiat India’s first exclusive dealership in Hyderabad Wednesday, Enrico Atanasio, head-commercial, Fiat India, told reporters that they were originally planning 20 dedicated dealers during the current year but now plan to accelerate this.

Escorts to foray into new vehicles

Source: Business standard, May 10, 2012

New Delhi/Chandigadh: Escorts Agri Machinery, the agriculture machinery vertical of Escorts Group, is mulling to unveil crop solutions and gadgets for advanced agriculture practices to cater to progressive farmers across the country.

Escorts Agri Machinery chief executive officer S Sridhar said the company was working on new strategies for futuristic equipment and gadgets for improving the yield in the Indian farming sector. The company on Wednesday rolled out two new tractor models — Farmtrac 6060 and 6065 and named them executive tractors.

Auto spares industry can benefit from exports to Japan

Source: The Economic Times, May 08, 2012

AHMEDABAD: Smaller units manufacturing machine tools, auto components, castings and forgings can benefit from Japan’s decision to removal customs duties on 86% of products, experts said at a seminar in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The move is part of a bilateral treaty and will enable India raise its share in Japan’s imports.

Skoda Auto infuses 300 crore in Indian operations to expand production, boost volumes

Source: The Economic Times, May 05, 2012

MUMBAI: Volkswagen Group-owned, Czech car major Skoda Auto is undertaking a slew of measures to fuel its growth in India and contribute significantly to its global goal of achieving 1.5 million units sales by 2018. Skoda India has created a new line of leadership under a new organisation structure, ET has learnt.

End of the road for Fiat-Tata Motors distribution tie-up

Source: Business standard, May 03, 2012

Mumbai: Six years after Fiat agreed to sell its cars through Tata Motors dealers, the Italian auto maker has decided to call off its distribution and commercial alliance and go solo in India.

Despite the alliance, the Italian car maker failed to push its sagging sales in the country. It has only 0.6 per cent share of the domestic car market. The company currently sells only two vehicles: Grande Punto in the hatchback and Linea in the sedan segment. Last financial year, the company’s sales saw a slide of 24 per cent at 16,073 units as against industry growth of five per cent.

Fiat will now set up a new subsidiary company in India to look after sales, distribution and service of its own cars. This company will be directly controlled by the Fiat Group. Till now, the distribution and after-sale service responsibility of Fiat-branded cars was in the hands of Tata Motors, India’s largest auto maker.

Automotive Component Manufacturers Association ties up with SAP India

Source: The Economic Times, May 02, 2012

MUMBAI: Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the n odal agency for theIndian auto component Industry, in a special engagement with SAP India will provide customized ERP and business analytics applications to its members. Since its initiation, SAP has seen significant deployments and traction for its solutions amongst the member companies.

April auto sales subdued

Source: Business standard, May 02, 2012

New Delhi: Passenger vehicle (PV) sales in the domestic market last month grew moderately, with eight of the country’s top 19 automobile makers together recording a growth of nine per cent to sell 171,130 units.

Sales in April last year were 157,101 units. These numbers do not include those of Hyundai Motor India, the second largest car maker, which is yet to release its data.

Mahindra & Mahindra proposes to set up Rs 3,000 cr plant in Uttarakhand

Source: The Economic Times, Apr 27, 2012

DEHRADUN: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has proposed to invest Rs 3,000 crore to set up a manufacturing plant in Uttarakhand, according to the state government.

“Mahindra group has proposed to establish a project worth Rs 3,000 crore,” the state government said in a statement.