auto monitor - 19 november 2012

24
Volvo commits `2000 crore investment in India V olvo Group will invest ` 2,000 crore in its Indian operations in the coming years said President and CEO, Volvo Group, Olof Persson. The investment will be direct- ed towards manufacturing, research and development and facilities for trucks, buses and construction equipment. This investment is in addition to the already announced `1,800 crore that’s been self financed by VECV towards modernisa- tion of the Eicher range, the new engine plant, bus body plant, paintshop and test facility. Olof said, “By 2016, the engine plant will produce 100,000 engines, of which, 30 percent will be exported to Europe.” This indicates of a target of selling 70,000 units in the Indian market by then. He further stressed on frugal engineering in the Indian market, saying “it is an area we have developed and Eicher is also very good at.” The company is taking localisation one step at a time. The CEO said that once the engines are done, it will take up other components in a step-wise manner. Auto Monitor INDIA’S NO. 1 MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS “PERSONAL VEHICLE BUSINESS IS A NEW LEARNING FOR US” INTERVIEW Pg 08 Pg 10 NEW MATERIALS FOCUS S wiss clamps manufactur- er Oetiker is targeting to grow by around 65 per- cent in the next fiscal led by higher sales and localisation driven competitiveness. It grew by around 10 percent this fiscal compared to the previous year. Local Sourcing “Oetiker Group manufactures and supplies around 1.4 billion clamps per annum. Of that, 70 percent is supplied to the auto- motive industry. In India, we began production in 2009. Last year we made about 22 mil- lion units, this year, we are at about 24-25 million clamps, and next year, we are targeting to touch around 40 million units,” Country Head, Oetiker India, Ashwani Keswani. Around 80 percent of Oetiker India’s sales come from its key product step- less ear clamps. These clamps are made from slit steel that the company was importing from Europe until recently as the raw material-slit steel- was not available in India. Last year, the company spent around one mil- lion Swiss francs in installing a slitting and oscillating machine that has recently become opera- tional. This has helped in local sourcing of steel, making them cheaper to produce. The company had a four month inventory, a buffer, Keswani said, “is a safety and a contingency buffer, should any- thing go wrong with the new machine, I have four months of inventory. This is something that a customer will like in us that we have a buffer since the process is new. Slowly, we will bring down our inventory. Localising the slit steel has also brought our pro- duction costs down.” The company is looking to introduce a new product for the aftermarket segment next year. For that, the company is setting up a new production line. The challenge in this seg- ment, Keswani said, “is that it is too disorganised. But with organised players coming up like Carnation, TVS service and Bosch service, we will be able to cater to this market.” He added that, “Bosch already uses Oetiker clamps so we automati- cally become their first choice.” Oetiker expects sales of three million clamps from the after- market segment by next year. P ushed by festivity and new launches, the pas- senger car recorded the highest sales growth of 23.09 percent, since January 2011, in October at 172,459 units. Overall domestic vehicle sales have risen by 14.81 percent in October 2012 over October 2011, according to the latest data avail- able from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). However, industry experts feel that the excitement in the market may not last for long because of the vital fac- tors like high interest rate and inflation. “The October figure does not give any sign of recovery of the market. This growth has come because of the festive season as the OEMs have brought new models offered freebees and dis- counts. The market is continuing to be impacted by high interest rates and ‘liquidity crunch’ as well as rising fuel prices. These factors have added to the nega- tive sentiments as far as numbers are concerned. However, there is no doubt that medium and long term growth of the automo- tive market in India is robust,” said Partner (Automotive) PriceWaterhouse, Abdul Majeed. SIAM had also recently done a negative revision of car sales growth forecast for the financial year to March 2013 to between one and three percent from an earlier 10 to 12 percent. Echoing to Majeed’s con- cern, Director General, SIAM, Vishnu Mathur said, “It would be too early to read this as a sign of recovery of the market because high interest rates and fuel prices, uncertain economic environment and low consum- er sentiments may continue to impact adversely. The real picture will be out by November sales.” In the period of April to October 2012, overall growth in domestic vehicle sales stood at around 5.26 percent over the same period last year. The pas- senger car sales grew by 2.84 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Majeed added that if in this financial year the industry main- tains four to five percent growth that will be good enough. “I believe that till March it is going to be a challenging situation for the industry and the revival of the market may start in the next fiscal. Medium and heavy com- mercial vehicles sales are hit badly, so overall the industry is going to face some short term challenges. The slack will contin- ue for the whole of FY12-13. This fiscal even a growth of four to five percent will be good enough,” Majeed said. Oetiker to focus on localisation, scale economies Car sales grows 23 percent, festive season lifts mood Anand Mohan Mumbai Nabeel A Khan New Delhi Scan this code on your smart phone to visit www.amonline.in www.amonline.in 19 November 2012 Vol. 12 No. 39 24 Pages ` 50 NK Rattan, COO, Tractor Business and President, Corporate Sales and Marketing, Force Motors Top 5 Car Makers Company Oct-11 Oct-12 Change Maruti 51,458 96,002 86.56% Hyundai 33,001 35,778 8.41% Tata Motors 28,575 29,951 4.82% M&M 21,065 30,082 42.81% TKM 10,762 12,281 14.11% Top 5 Car Exporters Company Oct-11 Oct-12 Change Hyundai 15,324 23,006 50.13% Nissan 10,038 5,882 -41.40% Maruti 4,137 7,106 71.77% Ford 2815 3371 19.75% Tata Motors 730 271 -62.88% * Source: SIAM/ ** Excluding exports/ *** all sub segments considered/ ^ excluding MRPL DATA MONITOR Anand Mohan Bengaluru NEWS IN BRIEF Abdul Majeed Stepless clamps manufacturing at the Oetiker plant Ashwani Keswani, Country Head, Oetiker India

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'AUTO MONITOR’, India’s leading weekly automotive news magazine, focusses on offering a broad platform to the automotive industry. It strives to facilitate effective interaction among several fraternities of the automotive, auto component and auto allied industries by enabling them in reaching out to their prospective buyers and sellers. It facilitates domestic business exchange and acts as a gateway to international business opportunities for Indian automotive manufacturers. It is recognised by leading associations like CII, SIAM, ACMA, and SIAT.

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Page 1: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Volvo commits `2000 crore investment in India

V olvo Group will invest `2,000 crore in its India n operat ions

in the coming years said President and CEO, Volvo Group, Olof Persson. The investment will be direct-ed towards manufacturing, research and development and facilities for trucks, buses and construction equipment. This investment is in addition to the already announced `1,800 crore that’s been self financed by VECV towards modernisa-tion of the Eicher range, the new engine plant, bus body plant, paintshop and test facility.

Olof said, “By 2016, the engine plant will produce 100,000 engines, of which, 30 percent will be exported to Europe.” This indicates of a target of selling 70,000 units in the Indian market by then. He further stressed on frugal engineering in the Indian market, saying “it is an area we have developed and Eicher is also very good at.” The company is taking localisation one step at a time. The CEO said that once the engines are done, it will take up other components in a step-wise manner.

Auto MonitorI N D I A ’ S N O . 1 M A G A Z I N E F O R A U T O M O T I V E N E W S , V I E W S & A N A LY S I S

“PERSONAL VEHICLE BUSINESS IS A NEW LEARNING FOR US” INTERVIEW

Pg 08Pg 10NEW MATERIALSFOCUS

Swiss clamps manufactur-er Oetiker is targeting to grow by around 65 per-cent in the next fiscal led

by higher sales and localisation driven competitiveness. It grew by around 10 percent this fiscal compared to the previous year.

Local Sourcing“Oetiker Group manufactures

and supplies around 1.4 billion clamps per annum. Of that, 70 percent is supplied to the auto-motive industry. In India, we began production in 2009. Last year we made about 22 mil-lion units, this year, we are at about 24-25 million clamps, and next year, we are targeting to touch around 40 million units,” Country Head, Oetiker India, Ashwani Keswani. Around 80 percent of Oetiker India’s sales come from its key product step-less ear clamps. These clamps are made from slit steel that the company was importing from Europe until recently as the raw material-slit steel- was not

available in India. Last year, the company spent around one mil-lion Swiss francs in installing a slitting and oscillating machine that has recently become opera-tional. This has helped in local sourcing of steel, making them cheaper to produce.

The company had a four month inventory, a buffer, Keswani said, “is a safety and a contingency buffer, should any-thing go wrong with the new

machine, I have four months of inventory. This is something that a customer will like in us that we have a buffer since the process is new. Slowly, we will bring down our inventory. Localising the slit steel has also brought our pro-duction costs down.”

The company is looking to introduce a new product for the aftermarket segment next year. For that, the company is setting up a new production

line. The challenge in this seg-ment, Keswani said, “is that it is too disorganised. But with organised players coming up like Carnation, TVS service and Bosch service, we will be able to cater to this market.” He added that, “Bosch already uses Oetiker clamps so we automati-cally become their first choice.” Oetiker expects sales of three million clamps from the after-market segment by next year.

Pushed by festivity and new launches, the pas-senger car recorded the highest sales growth

of 23.09 percent, since January 2011, in October at 172,459 units. Overall domestic vehicle sales have risen by 14.81 percent in October 2012 over October 2011, according to the latest data avail-able from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). However, industry experts feel that the excitement in the market may not last for long because of the vital fac-tors like high interest rate and inflation.

“The October figure does not give any sign of recovery of the market. This growth has come

because of the festive season as the OEMs have brought new models offered freebees and dis-counts. The market is continuing to be impacted by high interest rates and ‘liquidity crunch’ as well as rising fuel prices. These factors have added to the nega-tive sentiments as far as numbers are concerned. However, there is no doubt that medium and long term growth of the automo-tive market in India is robust,” said Partner (Automotive) PriceWaterhouse, Abdul Majeed.

SIAM had also recently done a negative revision of car sales growth forecast for the financial year to March 2013 to between one and three percent from an earlier 10 to 12 percent.

Echoing to Majeed’s con-cern, Director General, SIAM, Vishnu Mathur said, “It would

be too early to read this as a sign of recovery of the market because high interest rates and fuel prices, uncertain economic environment and low consum-er sentiments may continue to impact adversely. The real picture will be out by November sales.”

In the period of April to October 2012, overall growth in domestic vehicle sales stood at around 5.26 percent over the same period last year. The pas-senger car sales grew by 2.84 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

Majeed added that if in this financial year the industry main-tains four to five percent growth that will be good enough. “I believe that till March it is going to be a challenging situation for the industry and the revival of the market may start in the next

fiscal. Medium and heavy com-mercial vehicles sales are hit badly, so overall the industry is going to face some short term challenges. The slack will contin-ue for the whole of FY12-13. This fiscal even a growth of four to five percent will be good enough,” Majeed said.

Oetiker to focus on localisation, scale economies

Car sales grows 23 percent, festive season lifts mood

Anand Mohan Mumbai

Nabeel A Khan New Delhi

Scan this code onyour smart phoneto visit www.amonline.in

www.amonline.in19 November 2012Vol. 12 No. 39 24 Pages ` 50

NK Rattan, COO, Tractor Business and President, Corporate Sales and Marketing, Force Motors

Top 5 Car Makers

Company Oct-11 Oct-12 Change

Maruti 51,458 96,002 86.56%

Hyundai 33,001 35,778 8.41%

Tata Motors 28,575 29,951 4.82%

M&M 21,065 30,082 42.81%

TKM 10,762 12,281 14.11%

Top 5 Car Exporters

Company Oct-11 Oct-12 Change

Hyundai 15,324 23,006 50.13%

Nissan 10,038 5,882 -41.40%

Maruti 4,137 7,106 71.77%

Ford 2815 3371 19.75%

Tata Motors 730 271 -62.88%

* Source: SIAM/ ** Excluding exports/ *** all sub segments considered/ ^ excluding MRPL

DATA MONITOR

Anand Mohan Bengaluru

NEWS IN BRIEF

Abdul Majeed

Stepless clamps manufacturing at the Oetiker plant Ashwani Keswani, Country Head, Oetiker India

Page 2: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
Page 3: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
Page 4: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

One of the kickers in the nearly stagnant or ‘muted’ revival in the passenger vehicle seg-ment has been the continuing double digit growth of utility vehicle segment. A cursory

glance over the model wise sales and the industry sales data reveals that this kicker, in turn, has come from four major models in the utility vehicle segment that has lent the X fac-tor to a ‘moribund’ segment.

The runaway growth in the utility vehicle segment, as determined by the data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) could be pinned down to four major launches over the past one year starting with the XUV 500. Industry players point out that larger choice in the segment in the form of ‘family mover’ like Maruti’s Ertiga and the more recent Evalia as well as value offerings like the Mahindra Quanto and the Renault Duster has played a major role in the larger participation of family buyers as opposed to the traditional taxi segment.

Though fuel price differential between petrol and diesel or CNG may have aided the process of this transformation, it does not completely explain the continuing growth over the

past few months. Dealers point out that the infusion of new, attractive models in the segment is helping transform the hitherto commercial or people mover segment into a more interesting ‘utility’ segment. They are optimistic on the growth continuing to be in high double digit with imminent introduction of newer models including Ford’s new compact SUV, GM-SIAC upcoming offering and a new offering from Maruti’s stable as well as additional launches in compact model from Tata Motors and Mahindra.

The halo effect is also beginning to rub on the entire seg-ment with buyers taking fancy to be seen driven around in a larger vehicle. It could be indication of market getting (and opting) for more and better personal transportation choices.

Comments can be sent to [email protected]

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QUOTESDan Akerson, GM, Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and Renault CEO on Nissan’s EV

sales to Bloomberg

Recommendations that we ‘cut and run’ show you that some people simply do not see how important Opel is to our success

We’re trying to convince more cities and states to invest in this infrastructure. We recognize the fact that the increase of sales is taking more time than we thought at the beginning

Auto Monitor

EDITORIAL

FOUNDER & EDITOR, NETWORK 18

Raghav Bahl

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Senthil Chengalvarayan

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Abhishek Parekh, Features Editor

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Jagdev Kalsi

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

Varuna Naik

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Mexy Xavier

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Page 5: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
Page 6: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

New environmentally friendly material to aid in downcycling rubber 10Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute recently succeeded in optimising the recycling of rubber waste materials into products like wheel and splashguard covers with a new material mix

CONTENTSNEW MATERIALS

Mazda’s SHYACTIV tech to offer better fuel efficiency 18Mazda’s SKYACTIV technology promises to deliver environmental-friendliness and maintain performance without resorting to the smaller engine displacements

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales increase in October 18JLR sold 25,176 vehicles in the month of October, an increase of 10 percent from a year ago and 294,291 vehicles in the first ten months of the 2012 calender year, 35 percent growth

Increasing congestion leading to anxiety with commuters: survey 20A recent Ford sponsored poll shows most Europeans remain committed to car ownership, but have growing concerns about traffic congestion, the cost of driving and the environment

GLOBAL WATCH

Magneti Marelli forms joint venture in China for exhaust systems 16Magneti Marelli, Hefei Jianghuai Automotive Co and Hefei Lingdatang Collective Assets Management Co have set up a joint venture for production of exhaust systems for the Chinese market

Fair, but prolonged process in defence sector: ALDS 09Months after the government opened defence sector for the private players, ALDS is yet to get any order and there doesn’t seem to be any major uptake for the coming three years

Oetiker India counting on global relationships to drive growth in India 11Entrenched global relationships with major OEMs and tier one suppliers to the automotive sector are likely to play a key role in driving the growth of clamps manufacturer Oetiker India

UV sales lead growth in passenger vehicle segment in October 11Utility vehicle continued impressive performance with over 60 percent growth in the period of April-October 2012, compared to the previous year in the like period

Honda develops single motor hybrid drive, to power next gen Accord 12Honda is developing a new lightweight and compact one-motor hybrid system for small vehicles, called the Sports Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system

12

11

09

10

09

CORPORATE

10

Page 7: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
Page 8: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

819 NOVEMBER 2012

Do you think Force Motors missed on the last-mile-connectivity front as that segment has seen growth?

Force Motors was one of the leaders once in the three wheeler mini-door category. Somehow the business focus was with the MAN JV over the last few years. So we may have ignored such changes. The three wheeler focus moved towards four wheelers. In last-mile-con-nectivity area, there are many players who have entered and have good products. We as a com-pany thought of small 0.5 tonne products well in advance, but due to focus on bigger vehicles, we could not introduce them on time.

How serious is Force Motors on the per-sonal vehicle division?

It (personal vehicle division) is a new learning. Any personal vehicle, according to the current market scenario, needs a huge brand position-ing, a big network and high performance levels. We need to strengthen all these areas. We’ll expand our network to 40 by the end of this fis-cal year. Then we also have only one variant for the Force One, we are coming up with new vari-ants of the SUV as well.

What are your investment plans for future?

We are investing around `1,000 crore in the next three years. This year we have already invested `50 crore on the development of Traveller26. We are now working on Force One variant expansion. We are also developing a new line for a new MPV that’ll come in 2013-14 from Pithampur plant. This year we’ll be spend-ing close to `200 crore.

Kindly elaborate on the MPV that Force Motors is planning to launch in 2013-14?

We are developing a new line for a new MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle) that’ll come in 2013-14 from our Pithampur plant. The MPV will be a high-end Daimler based product. We have bought their plant, machinery and technol-ogy. We have bought the platform for the Viano van from Daimler. We plan to launch it as a high-end personal use product. There’s one and a half year pending in the launch of this MPV and we expect it to give good numbers.

I N T E R V I E W

We as a company thought of

small 0.5 tonne products well in advance, but due

to focus on bigger vehicles, we could not introduce them on time

How are you preparing for challenges in your new role at Force Motors?

I have a background in agri-cultural equipment segment. I have worked in tractors and machine tools division in HMT. I know a fair bit about engineer-ing aspects of the products and agricultural aspects of the rural masses. In HMSI, I learnt about urban products in mass segment for individual use. There are two divisions in Force Motors, an agri-cultural products division and a personal vehicle division, and I am familiar with the custom-er segment for these products. Third division is the commercial vehicle division that I have never dealt with. In the commercial vehicle segment, end customers have less say. They are operators

or service providers and are very cautious of aspects like durabil-ity, economy, and longevity of a vehicle.

What lies ahead for Force Motors?

It has proven and recog-nised products like Matador, and Tempo Traveller in its port-folio. It has recently exited from the MAN JV and, in the process, has acquired financial resources. Now money and knowhow both are available. The company is trying to unlock value, assets as well as skills. We have expand-ed to Traveller26 and a personal vehicle, Force One.

Why did Force Motors opt to exit the Force-MAN JV?

It (Force-MAN JV) was never easy. The organisation put up some eight good years in estab-lishing JV and products for India

in medium and high commer-cial area. But, MAN itself had many changes. It isn’t an inde-pendent company now but a VW

group company. So, the tie-up vision wasn’t getting through and that’s why Force amica-bly exited. Company has learnt

a lot during the JV and when required, the knowhow can be used in the middle and heavy commercial area.

“Personal vehicle business is a new learning for us”Force Motors is planning to invest around `1,000 crore over the next three years. It is eyeing the personal vehicle segment and last-mile-connectivity with deep intent. Auto Monitor caught up with Chief Operating Officer, Tractor Business and President, Corporate Sales and Marketing, Force Motors, NK Rattan on what lies ahead for the Pune based auto manufacturer.

Jagdev Kalsi

Page 9: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

C O R P O R A T E 919 NOVEMBER 2012

Months after the gov-ernment opened defence sector for the private players,

Ashok Leyland Defence Systems Limited (ALDS) is yet to get any order and there doesn’t seem to be any major uptake for the com-ing three years.

The company, recently split from its parent company Ashok Leyland, is relying on the fair

play that has come in the sector. “Not only us but also none of our competitors have got any orders so far,” said Executive Director, ALDS, Nitin Seth. ALDS feels the lack of coordination is pulling the things for the long period.

“Various government tenders that are in process, at least now you have a fair play. Earlier a single PSU gave the equipment and there was no choice. One good thing has happened since the whole episode, it has opened up non Tatra based vehicles to be considered for DRDOs or other similar organisations. It is a long drawn out process since they have never tested our or our competitors’ vehicles, now they have started discussing this with us and are trying to configure their equipments on our vehicles but it is a long tedious process,” he added.

Ashok Leyland’s stallion and super stallion are recognised brand as armed forces have been using them for certain tasks but these vehicles have never been considered for mounting spe-

cialised equipment. This is for the first time; the government is looking at drawings and designs by the private players. Every year it supplies anything upwards of 3,000 stallions.

The government has recent-ly announced an expression of interest for procuring mine pro-tection vehicles for which ALDS has participated. Mine protection vehicles is for homeland secu-rity that comes under Ministry of Home Affairs. Expression of interest document was published in October, expression of interest will become an RFI and subse-quently trials happen. The tender is worth around `1,500 crore.

The company has signed a technical collaboration with Panhard. The vehicle is already being used by the French army and if it wins the order it will bring it here and localise. The partner will support in design and development process.

“Tatra has supplied to army is 7,000. All of them are running some of them will be phased out. So the market you are looking

at is 7,000 vehicles market over a period of, say, till they retire,” Seth explained.

Government is yet to sign any major project which involves vehicles. So many of them are in tender stage, for example mounted gun system, radars on vehicles all these are fresh pro-jects but none of these have been finalized.

ALDS had bedded a multi-bar-rel rocket launcher with Larsen & Toubro and the system is under-going trial for last three years. “For me it’s a process which takes three years. That is sad. If you want it, take a year or two and go with it,” Seth said.

The demand from armed forc-es, particularly Indian armed forces, is for an integrated sys-tem and not just a vehicle. The company has not ventured in the exports market as most of these markets demand a left hand drive vehicle with stallion. The compa-ny has recently developed a left hand drive vehicle and is scout-ing for export opportunities in Africa and South East Asia. “We have just developed a left hand vehicle. We have one stallion and one super-stallion. Like India they all aren’t as strict in terms of trial, and it is also an India approved vehicle, so there is an edge,” Seth said.

The Ma laysia Ex terna l Trade D e v e l o p m e n t C o r p o r a t i o n (M ATR ADE) is organising the sixth annual international trade

and export exhibition, International Trade Malaysia 2012 (INTRADE 2012), with the theme ‘Energizing Export Growth’. INTRADE is an annual international trade and export exhibition to enhance networking, business matching, exchange of ideas and knowledge amongst the business communities from dif-ferent countries, especially those seeking to venture into the global market.

Focus On AutomotiveThis year INTRADE will focus on four

specific industry sectors that will stimulate economic growth and provide ample business opportunities. Focus sectors at the exhibi-tion are automotive, electrical & electronics (E&E) and Information & Communications Technology (ICT), manufacturing support and lifestyle. Speaking about the benefits of exhibiting at INTRADE 2012, Hadi Kadir, Consul (Trade), Consulate General of Malaysia says, “INTRADE provides exhibi-tors the opportunities to explore new markets, establish contacts and develop strategic alli-ances. It is a unique platform for exhibitors to launch new products, reach out to first hand real buyers, meet decision makers and export to a target set of customers who are ready to buy.“

This year, INTRADE expects to host over 300 trade buyers from 30 countries and anticipates participation from over 9,000 visitors across the world. In 2011, INTRADE witnessed a participation of 433 exhibitors comprising 367 companies from 15 countries and 8,972 visitors from 77 countries. The potential sales value of the fair was RM 973.87 mil ($314.15 million).

Malaysian exhibition to cater to auto sector

Nabeel A Khan New Delhi

Our Bureau Pune

Fair, but prolonged process in defence sector: ALDS

The exposition expects to host over

300 trade buyers from 30 countries and anticipates

participation from over 9,000 visitors across

the world

Nitin Seth, Executive Director, ALDS

Page 10: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

N E W M A T E R I A L S1019 NOVEMBER 2012

Rubber residues can be downcycled to f loor coverings and safe-ty crashpads, and for

the first time, also processed into high-quality plastics. A new kind of material makes it possible: the environmentally-friendly material mix is called EPMT.

Each year throughout the world, up to 22 million tons of rubber are processed and a large portion of it goes into the pro-duction of vehicle tires. Once the products reach the end of their useful life, they typically land in the incinerator. In the best case, the waste rubber is recycled into secondary prod-ucts. Ground to powder, the rubber residues can be found, for example, in the floor cover-ings used at sports arenas and playgrounds, and in doormats. But until now, the appropri-ate techniques for producing high-quality materials from these recyclables did not exist. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT in Oberhausen recently succeeded in optimis-ing the recycling of rubber waste materials. They have developed a material that can be processed into high-quality products, like wheel and splashguard covers, handles, knobs and steerable castors.

Collaboration EffortThe new plastic compounds

are called elastomer pow-der modified thermoplastics or EPMT for short. They are comprised of rubber residues crushed into elastomer powder that are blended with thermo-plastics. “In the first step, the rubber residues – that can be meter-long rubber pieces are granulated to three-millimetre large particles. The particles are cooled with liquid nitrogen and then ground into elastomeric powders. This is then conduct-ed to the melt-mix process with thermoplastics and additives. Here we use, for example, poly-propylene as a thermoplastic material,” as Dr Holger Wack, scientist at UMSICHT, explains the production process. Working jointly with his colleagues Damian Hintemann and Nina Kloster, the trio collaborates on the ‘EXIST Research Transfer’ project sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology BMWi, where they work meticulously on various recipes for new blends of mate-rials that are already protected by patent and trademark rights.

The compound stands out from a number of different perspectives: The crushing of rubber waste is more envi-ron menta l ly-f r iend ly a nd resource-efficient than produc-ing new rubber products – an important aspect in view of the rising costs of energy and raw materials. “EPMT may contain up to 80 percent residual rub-ber; only 20 percent is made up by the thermoplastics,” says Wack. EPMT can be easily pro-cessed in injection moulding and extrusion machines, and in turn, these products are them-selves recyclable. The physical and mechanical material prop-erties of the substance – like elasticity, breaking strain and hardness – can be individually modified, according to the cus-tomer’s wishes.

Service PackagesAltogether, three basic reci-

pes have been developed that collectively can be processed on the large technical produc-tion machines. The researchers are capable of producing 100 to 350 kilograms of EPMT per hour. Spurred on by this success, Wack and both of his colleagues found-ed Ruhr Compounds GmbH. In addition to the production and the sale of EPMT materials, this Fraunhofer spin-off offers cus-tom-made service packages: ‘We determine which of the custom-er’s materials can be replaced by EPMT, develop customised reci-pes and also take into account

the settings required at our cus-tomers‘ industrial facilities,’ says the scientist. The widest array of industries will ben-efit from the expertise of these professionals: processors of thermoplastic elastomers can obtain EPMT and further pro-cess it into products. Industrial companies whose work involves elastomers – such as the indus-trial and construction sectors, or car-makers and athletics – could recycle these products, make EPMT from them, incor-

porate them into their existing products and thereby close the materials cycle.

Nike tests EPMTIn the ‘Re-use a Shoe’ pro-

ject, sports gear maker Nike has been collecting used sneak-ers for a while now, recycled their soles and under the label ‘Nike Grind’, reprocessed them as filler material for sports arenas and running track sur-faces. The EPMT compound of the Fraunhofer researchers

enables Nike to place new prod-ucts on the market. As one of its official promotional partners, ‘Tim Green Gifts’ created the first EPMT-based promotional articles under the ‘Nike Grind’ brand, like frisbees, shoehorns and boomerangs. Discussions about using new EPMT com-pounds in the original portfolio, such as zippers, bag bases and sports equipment, have also been initiated. ‘We are extremely excited about this collaboration,’ says Wack.

New environmentally friendly material can aid in downcycling rubber residues

EPMT may contain up to 80 percent residual rubber;

only 20 percent is made up by the

thermoplastics. It can be easily processed in injection moulding

and extrusion machines, and in turn,

these products are themselves recyclable.

The physical and mechanical material

properties of the substance – like

elasticity, breaking strain and hardness – can be individually modified, according

to the customer’s wishes

Page 11: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

C O R P O R A T E 1119 NOVEMBER 2012

Entrenched global rela-tionships with major OEMs and tier-I suppli-ers to the automotive

sector are likely to play a key role in driving the growth of clamps manufacturer Oetiker India. Oetiker Group’s goal for India is to integrate the growth in the ASEAN region as part of the Indian development. The Indian region has the capability to cater to this region and individual-ly each ASEAN country will not have the volumes to make man-ufacturing feasible.

Oet i ker Group CEO, Dr Thomas Meier-Bickel, who was recently visiting the com-pany’s facility in India said, “We will not just bring new products but also localise a lot of prod-ucts from our global portfolio for which we see high potential in the Indian market.” On the company’s penetration in the

Indian auto industry, he said, “The automotive industry is a low hanging fruit for us. Being a global player, we have glob-al accounts so a Volkswagen when it comes to India, uses Oetiker clamps because it’s in their designs. We manufacture and supply around 1.4 billion clamps every year and of these, 70 percent is supplied to the automotive industry.”

The Indian operations are still in its nascent stage. Compared to India, Oetiker’s China unit makes around 240-260 million units. The plant has been operational since 1996. Dr Meier-Bickel said, “We expect the growth here to be faster. Because it’s in the initial stag-es but even in the mid-to-long run, India will overtake China.” Keswani added on the impor-tance of India in Oetiker’s global plans saying, “40-50 million Swiss Francs is expected from developing economies of which, India is an important player.”

A typical Indian car, said Keswani, has 50-60 clamps. Of these, Oetiker clamps largely go into the driveshaft, steering, safety equipments like airbags and fuel lines. That’s about 14-15 clamps in every car.

In 2013, the company is like-

ly to introduce a new product for the aftermarket segment. For that, the company is setting up a new production line. The chal-lenge in this segment, Keswani said, “is that it is too disorganised currently. He pointed out that organised players like Carnation,

TVS Services and Bosch, bode well for the company’s products. He added that, “Bosch already uses Oetiker clamps so we would be a preferred supplier to them here.” The company expects sales of three million clamps from the aftermarket segment by 2013.

Oetiker India counting on global relationships to drive growth in India

The utility vehicle continued impres-sive performance with over 60 percent growth in the period of April-October 2012, compared to the previous year

in the like period. Passenger vehicles segment grew at 10.53 percent during April-October 2012 over same period last year. This growth was driven by utility vehicles segment, which grew by 60.54 percent during April-October 2012 as compared to same period last year. Total pas-senger vehicles sales grew by 33.65 percent in October 2012 over same month last year.

The overall commercial vehicles segment registered growth of 4.26 percent in April-October 2012 as compared to the same period last year. While Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles (M&HCVs) declined by around 13.99 percent, Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) seg-ment grew at 18.19 percent.

Three wheelers sales recorded growth at 2.57 percent in April-October, 2012. Passenger carri-ers grew by 6.48 percent during April-October, 2012 and goods carriers registered de-growth at (-12.19) percent during this period.

Two wheelers registered a growth of only 4.47 percent during April-October 2012. Scooters, mopeds and motorcycles grew by 22.27 per-cent, 3.67 percent and 0.32 percent respectively over same period last year. However, in October 2012, scooters, mopeds and motorcycles grew by 32.39 percent, 23.21 percent and 6.71 percent respectively over same period last year.

“Till March, it is going to be a challenging situation for the industry and the revival of the market may start in the FY 13-14. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles sales are hit badly, so overall the industry is going to face some short term challenges. This fiscal even a growth of four to five percent will be good enough,” Partner (Automotive), PriceWaterhouse, Abdul Majeed said.

The overall growth in domestic sales during April-October 2012 was 5.26 percent over the same period last year. However, in October 2012 overall sales grew by 14.81 percent over October 2011. The car sales growth was mainly pushed by growth of 86.56 percent at 96,000 units in October 2012. Utility vehicles segment saw a surge in domestic sales at 53,285 units, up 87.74 per cent from last year and M&M recorded 42.8 percent growth at 30,082 units in October.

Utility vehicle sales lead growth in passenger vehicle segment in October

Anand Mohan Mumbai

Our Bureau New Delhi

Dr Thomas Meier-Bickel, Oetiker Group CEO Oetiker India’s Pune Facility

Page 12: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

T E C H N O L O G Y1219 NOVEMBER 2012

Honda is developing a new lightweight and compact one-motor hybrid system for

small vehicles, called the Sports Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system. This new hybrid system will be the latest addition to the Earth Dreams Technology series of new generation power-train technology that combines performance and high levels of fuel economy.

Together with the Sport Hybrid Intelligent Multi Mode Drive for mid-sized vehicles and the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Sport Hybrid Super Handling - All Wheel Drive), the new sys-tem will join the line up of three SPORT HYBRID systems that can accommodate different vehicle sizes and characteristics. This new system will offer high levels of fuel economy and acceleration that is more powerful than that of existing models to ensure driver enjoyment and performance is not sacrificed.

This new drive unit com-bines a newly developed inline four-cylinder 1.5L Atkinson cycle engine with a seven-speed DCT2 system. The built-in high-output motor and lithium-ion battery improve efficiency by more than 30 per cent compared to a conven-tional one-motor hybrid system. The adoption of high-efficiency /high-output motors offers quick acceleration with an EV-like driv-ing feel and high fuel economy.

This hybrid system achieves the world’s highest efficiency by combining a newly-developed engine dedicated for hybrid vehicles - the Earth Dreams Technology new 2.0L Atkinson cycle engine, an electric CVT coupled with two built-in motors and a lock-up clutch, a lithium-ion battery and a smart system which can switch modes to match driving styles and situations.

The system switches the oper-ation among the following three driving modes depending on driving conditions and the bat-

tery charge level- ‘EV Drive’ for driving by the electric motor using electricity from the bat-tery and regeneration during deceleration, ‘Engine Drive’ for medium-to high-speed cruising with the engine and axle direct-ly connected by a lock-up clutch and engine power is mechanical-ly transferred to the wheels and ‘Hybrid Drive’ for urban driving and powerful acceleration using the motor with electricity gener-ated by the engine.

This hybrid system, which is also suitable as a plug-in hybrid sys-tem, will be installed to the North American version of the Accord, scheduled to be introduced to the market in January 2013.

The combination of a V6 engine and this high-output three-motor system achieves acceleration performance equiv-alent to that of a V8 engine with fuel economy better than that of an inline four-cylinder engine.

A new V6 3.5L direct-injection engine is installed in the front of

the vehicle and combined with a newly-developed 7-speed DCT system with a built-in motor. This unique Honda technology uses two motors installed in the rear to control torque distribution to the right and left rear wheels.

Using independent motors for the right and left rear wheels, positive torque is applied to the outside wheel and negative torque is applied to the inside wheel, making independent con-trol of torque distribution to the rear wheels possible without rely-ing on engine output. Depending on the radius of the curve, the

energy generated by the inside wheel is recovered electrically and applied to the outside wheel to self-generate torque necessary for the vehicle to make the turn.

These latest advancements in electric vehicle technologies further progress Honda towards making the Sport Hybrid, such as the forthcoming new NSX model, a reality. It also further highlights Honda’s continued commitment to reducing the impact of its products on the environment, as well as working towards a lower carbon lifestyle and ensuring the sustainability of its vehicles.

Honda develops single motor hybrid drive, to power next gen Accord

Honda recently unveiled the ‘Micro Commuter Prototype’, a micro-sized short distance EV commuter. This vehicle was developed in consider-

ation of the vehicle categories for micro-sized mobility products that are currently being dis-cussed under the initiative of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan as well as for the regulations for the L7-category in Europe*1.

Honda will begin demonstration testing in Japan in 2013. The demonstration testing will verify the potential of the vehicle in various uses including supporting everyday short-distance transportation for families with small children and for senior citizens, home delivery servic-es, commuting and car sharing. Advancing the Micro Commuter Concept that was first introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show 2011, this prototype model realised a cabin space to seat one driver and two children in the micro-sized body.

The adoption of the Variable Design Platform positions components such as the battery, motor and control unit under the floor and in the rear space to concentrate the vehicle driving func-tions into a compact space. This made it easier to develop and produce a body and interior that accommodates various uses and customers’ needs than existing vehicles.

Other features include user-owned tablet device for the application of functions such as meter display, navigation, audio and back-up camera display, and the ability to charge the battery of the tablet using solar cells mount-ed on the vehicle roof. Honda is continuing research of onboard solar cells to provide solar energy to assist the driving. Collaboration with the Honda Smart Home System (HSHS) that has already begun demonstration testing in the city of Saitama in Japan, Honda is planning to veri-fy the CO2 reduction effect from the optimised energy management in everyday life and the values this vehicle can provide for customers when it is used not only as an electric vehicle but also as a household battery.

Honda unveils micro electric vehicle

Page 13: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
Page 14: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

A N A LY S I S1419 NOVEMBER 2012

-43.27%

-12.23%

2.85%

4.96%

-11.30%

-9.96%

-1.44%

-0.12%

-20.42%

46.65%

88.41%

876.05%

2.84%

Passenger Vehicles

Passenger Cars

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

BMW* 5,895 5,174

Fiat 9,316 5,285

Ford 50,502 48,062

GM 51,650 38,165

HM 1,774 1,285

HSCI 29,552 43,339

HMIL 213,427 219,511

M&M 10,525 9,336

MSIL 432,070 453,497

Merc 4,055 3,651

Nissan 12,412 23,385

Renault 597 5,827

Skoda 14,939 18,019

Tata 123,810 122,033

Tata JLR - 1,243

TKM 43,354 43,303

Audi 3,381 5,174

VW 45,301 36,049

Porsche - 93

Total 1,052,560 1,082,431

MPV

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

Force 132 10

M&M 14061 18569

Maruti 88,361 67,957

Tata 32,465 47,341

Total 135,019 133,877

Commercial Vehicles Two-Wheelers

LCVs (PC+GC)

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

ALL 1,024 19,267

Force 13,836 12,876

HM 102 92

M&M 69,550 80,775

MNAL 5,742 4,704

Piaggio 7,122 1,920

Swaraj 2,620 2,128

Tata 140,358 163,590

VECV - Eicher

5,735 5,507

Total 246,089 290,859

3-Wheelers (PC+GC)

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

Atul 14,739 17,614

Bajaj 116,431 125,524

Force 8 1

M&M 39,481 37,989

Piaggio 110,089 106,198

Scooters 9,401 9,004

TVS 7,937 9,408

Total 298,086 305,738

M&HCVs (PC+GC)

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

ALL 42,035 40,535

AMW 6,016 3,767

JCBL - -

Daimler* 85 -

M&M 0 0

MNAL 1,620 2,269

Swaraj 4,258 4,650

Tata 113,058 89,817

VECV - Eicher

20,069 19,715

VECV - Volvo

310 346

Volvo Buses

367 434

Total 187,818 161,533

Scooter/Scooterettees

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

BAL -

HML 225,199 293,225

HMSI 627,025 847,925

IYM - 15,866

M&M 2W

92,168 69,827

Piaggio - 17,604

SMIL 144,996 191,375

TVS 302,170 265,652

Total 1,391,558 1,701,474

Mopeds/Electric

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

TVS 439,909 456,048

Electrotherm* NA

Total 439,909 456,048

Motorcycles/StepThroughs

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

BAL 1,552,349 1,482,136

HDMC 100 628

HML 3,248,023 3,116,266

HMSI 411,992 678,523

IYM 210,856 186,844

M&M 2W -

RE 43,929 65,892

SMIL 30,709 51,468

TVS 389,629 324,955

Total 5,887,587 5,906,712

* Data not available since August 2008 onwards** BMW monthly data not available

UV

OEMs 2011-12 2012-13

Force 2,316 2,822

Ford 1,664 879

GM 13,414 12,007

HM 1,315 1,013

HSCI 165 186

HMIL 1,009 490

ICML 281 260

M&M 108,868 146,746

MSIL 4,116 47,766

Nissan 148 245

Renault 150 14,236

Skoda 906 777

Tata 23,564 27,478

TKM 34,671 54,241

VW 4 34

Total 192,591 309,180

1781.54%

-18.08%

-6.94%

-9.80%

-73.04%

16.55% 30.21%

22.27%

18.19%

35.23%

31.99%

-24.24%

-12.06%

-4.52%

-4.06%

-11.39%

-16.60%

528.00%

64.69%

-

50.00%

67.60%

0.32%

3.67%

0.00%

-3.57%

00.00%

40.06%

9.21%

-20.56%

-1.76%

-13.99%

11.61%

18.26%

-51.44%

-7.47%

-14.24%

21.85%

-22.97%

45.82%

-23.09%

-0.85%

32.06%

-10.49%

-47.18%

12.73%

19.51%

18.53%

2.57%

7.81%

-87.50%

-3.78%

-3.53%

-4.22%

-27.56%

-4.83%

-26.11%

16.14%

-18.78%

-3.98%

The passenger car segment grew by 2.84 percent during the April-October period this fiscal, while the utility vehi-cles grew by 60.54 percent and the multi-purpose vehicles declined by 0.85 percent in this fiscal.

Renault led the passenger car segment with a growth of around 876.05 percent from 597 units to touch 5,827 units this fiscal, as compared to the previous period. Renault also registered the highest growth in the utility vehicle segment with 9390.67 percent growth to touch 14,236 units in April-October 2012-13 period.

The overall commercial vehicles segment registered a growth of 4.26 percent in April-October, 2012-13 as compared to the same period last fiscal to touch 452,392 units. M&HCVs sales declined by 13.99 percent to touch 161,533 units compared to 187,818 units in the same period in the previous year. The LCV segment grew by 18.19 percent to touch 290,859 units in this fiscal, compared to 246,089 units in the same period last fiscal.

Three-wheeler sales were stagnant at 305,738 units in April-October period compared to 298,086 units in same period last year. Passenger carriers rose by 6.48 percent in April-October while goods carriers fell by 12.19 percent.

ALL registered the highest growth in the LCV segment to touch 19,267 units. Atul Auto registered highest growth in three-wheeler segment to touch 17,614 units.

Domestic two-wheelers sales witnessed a growth of 4.47 percent in this fiscal to touch 8,064,234 units against 7,719,054 units during the same period in the previous fiscal. Mopeds, motorcycles and scooters grew by 3.67 percent, 0.32 percent and 22.27 percent respectively.

The motorcycle sales grew to 5,906,712 units in April-October period as compared to 5,887,587 units in cor-responding period in the previous fiscal.

In the Motorcycle segment, Honda Motorcycles sales were up by 64.69 percent in April-October period this fiscal, while Bajaj Auto’s sales declined by 4.52 percent to 1,482,136 units compared to 1,552,349 units in same period last fiscal.

In the Scooter segment, the sales of HMSI grew by 35.23 percent while TVS Motor sales declined by 12.06 percent in this fiscal.

Suzuki’s motorcycles sales grew by 67.6 percent for April-August to 51,468 units over the same period last year. India Yamaha’s April-October motorcycles sales declined by 11.39 percent to touch 186,844 units against the same period in the previous fiscal.

TVS Motor Company reported total domestic motorcycle sales of 324,955 units in April-October registering a decline of 16.6 percent. Honda Motorcycles India registered 64.69 per-cent growth in domestic motorcycles sales to touch 678,523 units in April-October period this year.

20.62%

53.03%

1060.50%

9390.67%

56.44%

750.00%

16.61%

60.54%

34.79%

65.54%

-92.42%

3.67%

-37.38%

-100.00%

Page 15: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
Page 16: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

G L O B A L W A T C H1619 NOVEMBER 2012

Magneti Marel l i, Hefei Jianghuai Automotive Co (JAC) and Hefei

Lingdatang Collective Assets Management Co (Lingdatang) have signed an agreement to set up a joint venture aimed at the production of exhaust systems for the Chinese market.

According to the agreement, Magneti Marelli will own 51 per-cent of the capital of the new company called ‘Hefei Magneti Marelli Exhaust Systems Co Ltd’, while the Chinese partners will own a 37 percent (JAC) and a 12 percent (Lingdatang) stake.

The JAC Group is engaged in the production of light commer-cial vehicles, heavy vehicles and buses. Lingdatang, on the other hand, is a financial company oper-ating in the area of investment funds and in the real estate sector.

The JV will deal with the research, development, design, production and marketing of exhaust systems for motor vehi-cle engines, including intake manifolds, exhaust pipes, cata-lytic converters and mufflers. The JV will also provide technical consulting, assistance and other after-sales services dedicated to the carmakers operating on the Chinese market.

The industrial facilities of the new JV will be located at Taohua Industry Park, in the city of Hefei, province of Anhui, an area approx-imately 500 km west of Shanghai characterised by strong industrial growth. The production plant will be built upon a pre-existing facili-ty. Production is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2013, with an initial workforce of 160 employees with capacity to exceed 900,000 units per annum.

Magneti Marelli has been operating in China since 1996 with production facilities and research centres in the areas of Shanghai (powertrain and lighting areas), Wuhu (lighting and powertrain), Guangzhou (electronic systems), Hangzhou (JV with Wanxiang Qianchao Company for shock absorbers), Changchun (JV with FUDI for powertrain components) and in

Changsha (exhaust systems).The Exhaust Systems segment

represents an important mar-ket and business in China, said Eugenio Razelli, CEO of Magneti Marelli – especially in relation to the issues of emission control and management and to comply with environmental regulations established at the government level. This venture comes close on the heels of another JV in the shock absorbers area with Wanxiang and the JV with Fudi for Powertrain components, Magneti Marelli continues to consolidate and expand its oper-ations in the most important automotive market in the world.

The Italian component manufacturer designs and man-ufactures advanced systems and components for the automotive industry. With its 83 production units, 12 R&D centres and 26 application centres in 18 coun-tries, over 34,000 employees and a turnover of 5.9 billion Euros in 2011, the group supplies all lead-ing carmakers in Europe, North and South America and the Far East. Its business areas include electronic systems, lighting, powertrain, suspension systems and shock absorbers, exhaust systems, aftermarket parts & services, plastic components and modules, motorsport.

Production is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2013, with an initial workforce

of 160 employees with capacity of 900,000 units

per annum

Suzuki GB is keen to ensure drivers are well-equipped to tackle the worst the weather can throw at them by offering a great value winter tyre promotion with

prices on average 10 per cent lower than last winter and with storage facility thrown in.

By fitting cold weather tyres to their vehicle, Suzuki owners can increase safety just when they need it most. Michael Le-Flay, Suzuki Aftersales Marketing Manager, explained, “Many people are unaware of the fact that when temperatures drop below 7°C, the rubber in standard tyres becomes harder and less flexible, which affects braking and cornering perfor-mance.” The compound used for cold weather tyres, and their tread design are tailored to cope with adverse conditions, so that the best levels of car control can be maintained.

Fitting cold weather tyres can also be an investment as motorists travelling an average annual mileage could get two or three years use from a set. Switching over tyres for the winter months can also mean the difference in reach-ing a destination safely rather than having to postpone the journey, or at worst, having to abandon the car - a common sight on the roads if snow arrives.

Suzuki has quality tyres available for all cur-rent models; for convenience, the cold weather tyre programme consists of a ready to fit wheel and tyre set and, taking Alto as an example, are now available at just £99 each including VAT with a full set of wheel trims available from £33 including VAT.

To help customers further, Suzuki is offering an annual storage facility across its dealer net-work for a recommended retail price of £49.99 which includes a wheel / tyre inspection and wheel balance of winter and summer tyres.

Suzuki offers winter tyres at discount in promotional offer

Magneti Marelli forms joint venture in China for exhaust systems

Page 17: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
Page 18: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

G L O B A L W A T C H1819 NOVEMBER 2012

Wit h Ma z d a’s SKYACTIV technol-ogy, the company engineers have

been able to deliver environ-mental-friendliness without resorting to the smaller engine displacements.

Some manufacturers have introduced smaller engines into their CD segment model ranges in a bid to win over com-pany car drivers searching for low emission, fuel-sipping models. However, with models such as the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat the com-promise is a loss of power and therefore performance. Mazda’s SKYACTIV technology delivers major fuel savings and emission reductions without any power or performance compromise.

The ‘low power’ version of Mazda’s 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D offers 150ps on tap, the low-est CO2 emissions figure in the class of 108g/km and 67.3mpg with all three numbers signifi-cantly better than those offered

by the 1.6 Mondeo TDCi and 1.6 Passat TDI.

As a result, the all-new Mazda6 Saloon SE Nav with a P11D value of £22,340 has lower emissions than the equivalent Passat (£21,710) and the rival Mondeo (£21,740), which means that company car driver benefit-in-kind tax bills are lower (see chart below). Diesel sales are expected to account for around 90 percent of all-new Mazda6 company car CD segment sales.

The all-new Mazda6 range goes on sale in January next year in Saloon and Tourer body styles with company car drivers hav-ing a choice of two diesel and two petrol engines and six trim levels. The diesel engines are the 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D 150ps and 175ps and the petrol engines are the 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G 145ps and 165ps.

“The all-new Mazda6 is the no compromise choice for com-pany car drivers. They can have power, performance and driv-ing fun with low emissions

and excellent fuel economy due to our SKYACTIV technol-ogy. That cannot be obtained from rival manufacturers who have resorted to smaller engine displacements in pursuit of emission and fuel economy improvements,” Mazda Head of Fleet Steve Tomlinson.

The all-new Mazda6 will be the second of the manufactur-er’s new generation models to be launched with SKYACTIV technology following the arrival earlier this year of the all-new Mazda CX-5.

All-new Mazda6 SE Nav stand-ard specification include satellite

navigation with TomTom technol-ogy, 17-inch alloy wheels, daytime running lights, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Traction Control System (TCS), cruise con-trol, air-conditioning, integrated Bluetooth and Mazda Multimedia system with a 5.8-inch colour touch screen display.

Jaguar Land Rover sold 25,176 vehicles in the month of October, an increase of 10 percent from a year ago. The two brands retailed 294,291 vehicles in the first ten months of

the 2012 calender year, an increase of 35 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

October sales were up in all major markets apart from the US, which was impacted by the hurricane in the last week of the month and in anticipation of new 13 Model Year products for Jaguar.

Jaguar Land Rover has experienced strong sales growth across all major markets in the 2012 calender year to date, with increased sales in North America (up 15 percent), UK (up 21 percent), Europe (up 41 percent), China (up 78 percent) and Asia Pacific (up 38 percent).

“We have seen a strong sales performance across both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in the first ten months of this year,” Director of Group Sales Operations, Jaguar Land Rover, Phil Popham.

“During a very competitive year for premi-um car sales, and in an increasingly uncertain economic environment, I am delighted to see strong demand for our products and that we are still performing well across all our key markets.”

October retails for Land Rover were 22,166 vehicles up 3,235 units (17 percent) from 2011 with Evoque, Range Rover Sport, Discovery, and Freelander all up. Since the start of the year, Land Rover has retailed 249,414 vehicles (up 41 percent). The all new, high aluminium, Range Rover will go on sale to customers in December.

Jaguar retails for the month of October was 3,010 vehicles down 929 units (24 percent) pri-marily due to the impact of the hurricane in the USA and in advance of the introduction of the 2013 Model Year XF and XJ model ranges across all major markets later this year. Key new products include the XF Sportbrake and all-wheel drive and smaller engine options in the XF and XJ. For the first 10 months of 2012 Jaguar delivered 44,877 vehicles up 8 percent from a year ago, reflecting the strong performance of the Jaguar XF.

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales increase in October

Mazda’s SHYACTIV technology to offer fuel efficiency on existing engine platform

JLR notched strong sales growth across all markets in the 2012: NA (15%), UK

(21%), Europe (41%), China (78%) and Asia (38%)

Page 19: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012
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Auto Monitor

G L O B A L W A T C H2019 NOVEMBER 2012

A new Ford sponsored pol l shows most Europeans remain committed to car

ownership, but have growing concerns about traffic conges-tion, the cost of driving and the environment.

Ford commissioned the sur-vey conducted by “The Futures Company,” a leading consul-tancy, to better understand the opinions and attitudes of Europeans across a range of mobility issues - from car shar-ing to green driving to the future of the internal combustion engine.

The Ford survey showed the majority of people say life would be “impossible” without a car; however 76 per cent of Europeans say they are affected by stress from traffic conges-tion and fuel prices. The survey

shows 74 per cent use public transport, 37 percent share cars

when making the same journey and 3 per cent use formal car sharing schemes.

Other key findings of the survey- 74 percent identify car ownership with independence while 52 percent use pub-lic transport less than once a month or never. The survey also found that 53 percent say cli-mate change was world’s biggest problem and 77 percent would not cut car usage to help tackle environmental issues. Around 72 percent of the respondents say fuel efficiency is one of the areas they consider most when buying a car and 50 percent would use a more environmen-tal driving style if they better understood the financial bene-fit while 57 per cent say elected bodies bear most responsibility for reducing transport impact on the environment

Growing Vehicle NumbersOf those surveyed, 28 per

cent say they would consider buying a vehicle with an elec-trified powertrain; though few have first-hand experience of such vehicles (eight percent have owned or driven a hybrid elec-tric vehicle and six percent have owned or driven a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or pure battery electric vehicle). By comparison 66 percent of those polled have owned a petrol engine vehicle and 38 percent have owned a diesel engine vehicle.

The number of cars on the world’s roads is projected to rise from around one billion cur-rently to between two and four billion by 2050. The European Commission foresees that con-gestion costs in Europe will rise by 50 per cent to 200 billion per year in the same time frame.

Earlier this year in Barcelona, Bill Ford outlined the company’s “Blueprint for Mobility,” a vision for how mobility issues can be addressed through collaboration among all stakeholders and the application of new technology.

Multiple CollaborationsFord is collaborating with

multiple partners to ensure a holistic approach in identi-fying and working towards a future vision of transportation. Experts from the Ford European Resea rch a nd Adva nced Engineering Europe Centre in Aachen, Germany, are leading and contributing to a number of high-profile collaborative research projects that look at delivering car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communications capability, improved traffic inte-gration and intelligent driver assistance features; all of which are key enablers in easing traffic congestion and improving safety and fuel efficiency.

These include simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility - Testfield Germany) - a joint research pro-ject supported by the German government that began in 2008. It is testing car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communi-cation systems under real-world conditions in a large scale test

environment. Such systems could deliver road safety and efficiency improvements from existing traffic infrastructures, potentially improving traffic flow and reducing CO2 emis-sions. 120 vehicles, including 20 Ford S-MAX cars began daily field operational tests in Frankfurt in July 2012.

Compatability, ScalabilityDrive C2X (DRIVing implementation and

Evaluation of C2X communication tech-nology in Europe) - a joint research project supported by the European Commission that began in 2011. It is testing the compatibility and scalability of cooperative car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communication sys-tems under real-world conditions. The Drive C2X reference system is used to demonstrate cooperative vehicles in real-world traffic in cooperation with the Car2Car Communication Consortium and Testfeld Telematik.

eCoMove (Cooperative Mobility Systems and Services for Energy Efficiency) - a joint consortium of automotive industry, f leet operators and traffic management providers supported by the European Commission that began in 2010. It is targeting improved traffic flow and reductions in CO2 emissions through cooperative systems.

Driving AssistanceinteractIVe (Accident Avoidance by Active

Intervention of Intelligent Vehicles) - a consorti-um of 29 partners led by Ford and supported by the European Commission that began in 2010. It is testing the performance of implemented driver assistance systems through active inter-vention. These include autonomous braking and steering in critical situations and aims to avoid collisions and mitigate impact severity.

In 2011, Ford spent €4.1 billion on research and development globally, in areas including car-to-car communication, driver assistance features, materials development and manu-facturing.

Increasing congestion leading to anxiety with commuters: Ford sponsored survey

28 per cent of respondents say they

would consider buying a vehicle with an

electrified powertrain; though few have first-

hand experience of such vehicles (eight percent have owned

or driven a hybrid electric vehicle and six

percent have owned or driven a plug-in

hybrid electric vehicle or pure battery electric

vehicle)

Systems could deliver road safety and efficiency

improvements from existing traffic infrastructures,

potentially improving traffic flow and reducing CO2

emissions. 120 vehicles, including 20 Ford S-MAX cars began daily field operational tests in Frankfurt in July 2012

Page 21: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

C L A S S I F I E D S 2119 NOVEMBER 2012

Tej Control Systems Pvt LtdPlot No.329/331, Road No.25,

Wagle Industrial Estate, Thane(W) - 400 604. Tel. +91 22 2583 8191 to 98, Fax: +91 22 25838199Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Website: www.tejivs.com

The leading source for automotive parts, components & accessories.

Page 22: Auto Monitor - 19 November 2012

Auto Monitor

2219 NOVEMBER 2012

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