Indian Auto Industry Update

06 April 2018

IndustryAuto stocks trade up; Tata Motors climbs almost 4%

Interviews & FeaturesMotherson Sumi is not a Midas touch company, says Chairman V C Sehgal

2018 Honda Amaze, sub Rs 3 lakh sportsbike in India, Harley bikes go expensive, Drive a new BMW everyday & more

Cars, SUVs, MUVsFord Freestyle: More panache and more SUV flavour

Freestylin (Ford)

Luxury CarsAudi to launch RS5 sports coupe in India on April 11

BMW M5 voted World Performance Car 2018

Commercial VehiclesTata Motors launches three new CVs in Malaysia

Satinder Bajwa joins M&M as vice president for SCV business

How Leyland drove to two Deming awards

Construction & Agri MachineryKirloskar Oil Engines to invest Rs 100 cr on developing smart farm tech solutions

2/3 WheelersYamaha commissions 1100 KW Solar Power Plant at its Chennai Facility

Ducati re-opens bookings for Panigale V4 in India

Two-wheeler makers have cause for cheer as sales soar

Kawasaki launches new Ninja 400

Royal Enfield Thunderbird gets new feathers

E-BikesComponents

Continental Appoints Alexander Klotz as new India R&D Center Head

Allied IndustriesInterGlobe Aviation, Avenue Supermarts, MRF hit new highs

Automovil plans to raise $6 million to fund pan-India expansion

Emissions / EnvironmentFinance & InsuranceOil, Lubricants & Alternative Fuels

Crude oil gains on surprise drawdown in US crude inventories

News MagazinesAudi RS5 India launch on April 11

In conversation with Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover

Top 10 fuel-efficient petrol cars in India

New Honda Amaze India launch next month

International NewsGM to stop production of Chevrolet Sonic subcompact car

Peugeot to decide on future of UK Vauxhall car plant in 2020: CEO

For Tesla, 'Production Hell' looks like the reality of the car business

EconomyRupee strengthens to 64.97

Closing

Industry

Auto stocks trade up; Tata Motors climbs almost 4%The Economic Times (Web Edition) New Delhi: Most of the auto stocks were trading with gains during Thursday's trade ahead of RBI's monetary policy outcome,scheduled later in the day. The Nifty Auto index was trading 1.82 per cent up at 11,402 around 11 am (IST). Shares of Apollo Tyres (up 3.67 per cent), Tata Motors (up 3.50 per cent) and Exide Industries (up 3.20 per cent) were the topgainers among the auto stocks. Shares of Mahindra & Mahindra (up 2.62 per cent), MRF (up 2.57 per cent), Bharat Forge (up 1.85 per cent), Hero MotoCorp (up1.80 per cent), Motherson Sumi Systems (up 1.71 per cent), Eicher Motors (up 1.41 per cent), Bajaj Auto (up 1.19 per cent), MarutiSuzuki India (up 1.05 per cent), Ashok Leyland (up 0.96 per cent), Amara Raja Batteries (up 0.67 per cent) and TVS MotorCompany (up 0.36 per cent) were also among the gainers. Bosch (down 0.48 per cent) was the only stock in the Nifty Auto index that was in the red around that time. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/market-now-auto-stocks-trade-up-tata-motors-climbs-almost-4/articleshow/63623492.cms 

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Interviews & Features

Motherson Sumi is not a Midas touch company, says Chairman V C SehgalAjay Modi Business Standard (Web Edition)

V C Sehgal-led auto component maker Motherson Sumi closed its twenty-first acquisition on Monday by taking over French partsmaker Reydel for $201 million. The deal takes the group bit closer to its target of $18 billion annual revenues by FY2020. Sehgalspeaks to Ajay Modi on the group’s focus and shares his views on issues facing the industry.

PKC, the Finnish wiring harness maker Motherson acquired last year is beginning to see a double-digit revenue growth. Will we seePKC emerge stronger?

We are not a Midas touch company that can touch anything to turn it into gold. We are a very human company. PKC has 18,000people. We are asking them how to service customers and how to improve. It is not going to happen overnight. Our job is to seethat in four-five years this company comes out as one of the strongest players in the segment. PKC has all the right ingredients. Iwill not hurry up because people want us to. Adding $10 million to my bottom line is not winning to me, winning comes when themindset of people changes.

How is the company’s debt position? Are you comfortable raising more for future acquisitions?We have enough headroom. We raised 300 million euros in bond last year at a rate of just 1.8 per cent. If needed, we can raisemore debt. We are very comfortable at the moment.

The group now employs close to 130,000 people. For the kind of operations you have, is the number on the higher side?It would rather be less. But we are growing at 30 per cent. You want productivity per employee to go up. Here is a wonderfulchallenge for the group- you want to improve productivity, you want to use less manpower but your growth is such that youdon’t have to chuck out people. We want productivity to go up but we don’t want people to leave us. The only way todo this is by growing.

You operate in multiple countries. How do you see these talks of trade wars between big economies?

It is not so much about component makers; it is more about the car makers. What impact they will have is to be seen. There is athink tank which is working on what needs to be done so that we can reduce the impact if any. We are not so worried aboutAmerica, Mexico, etc. If there is a global war then we are all affected. In our own way, we are looking at what we can do.

India is seeing a debate between hybrid and electric vehicles. The industry is divided...What is your view?

We are agnostic about it. It is a thing that the government has to decide. Electric is an expensive proposition. Every government hasits own priority. The money needed to create charging infrastructure is huge. The government has to decide what is important.There are other pressing problems to address. We do not know the cost of changing the supply chain, what happens to guys atroadside repair shops, at fuel pumps.

How is the company getting ready for BSVI emission norms?

People are very worried about EVs and autonomous vehicles. But you are staring at BSVI in just two years. Our efforts are towardsthat. We are light weighting to be there. I fail to understand how EV stole the real focus that was on BSVI. It is a huge challenge.Wherever I go people ask me about EVs. EVs won’t solve the problem in two years, it will increase the problems.

You supply to every top global car maker. Do you see an opportunity in autonomous vehicles?

Definitely. We are not into powertrain and drivetrain now but we are not going to say no if a car maker agrees to it. Autonomousvehicles take away a very vital element from the imagination of people. I believe an autonomous vehicle will help the driver get a bitof a rest if you are having a long monotonous drive. It will work very well to assist you and it must be add on feature.

Can the Indian component industry create more Mothersons?

I hope so. I spend a lot of time trying to tell people to think differently. But in my experience, I have learnt that very few people learnfrom others. Maybe when I retire I will spend more time on that.http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/motherson-sumi-is-not-a-midas-touch-company-says-chairman-v-c-sehgal-118040300438_1.html

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2018 Honda Amaze, sub Rs 3 lakh sportsbike in India, Harley bikes go expensive, Drive a new BMW everyday & morePradeep ShahThe Financial Express (Web & Print Edition) So, today's biggest auto news is that the Honda Cars dealers have now started accepting the bookings of the new Amaze at a tokenamount of Rs 21,000 confirmed many dealers across the country. 2018 Honda Amaze will make its market debut in India in May2018. Honda Amaze was first launched in India in 2013 and was due to a major upgrade to stay in the competition especially whenthe likes of Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent getting an overall change. Harley Davidson India has recently increased the prices across its motorcycle range in the country from 1st April. The dealer sourceof Express Drives has revealed that the price hike has been implemented in the range of Rs 8000 to Rs 86,000. The manufacturerhas hiked the prices of its CKD (Completely Knocked Down) models in India. The price hike is the result of the Government ofIndia's decision to increase the custom duty on CKD products from 10 to 15 percent. The entry level Harley Davidson Street 750has got the minimum price hike and it now gets costlier by Rs 8,000. The best selling Harley Davidson will now set you back by Rs5.25 lakh in India. On the other hand, the Harley Davidson 1200 Custom has seen the most hike and it is now costlier by Rs 86,000.Having said that, the price of the motorcycle now stands at Rs 10.65 lakh. The fully faired sports bike segment has witnessed the entry of numerous newcomers in India in the last few years. The interest ofthe customers has also grown towards this segment that created opportunities for the manufacturers to launch products in the saidspace. However, keeping in mind the price-sensitive nature of our market, the bikes need to be high on value for money andcompetitive in pricing in order to succeed in the market. Talking about the sub Rs 3 lakh price bracket, one can now pick from someworthy sportbikes that give high value for every penny spent. That said, here we have listed that top five fully faired sports bikes thatyou can buy under Rs 3 lakh. Auto enthusiasts will soon be able to subscribe to a Netflix like service named Access started by German automaker BMW. Themanufacturer has recently started a new members-only program (Access) currently in Nashville, Tennessee under which memberswill receive an unlimited access to the entire fleet of BW cars at a pre-determined monthly fee. Currently this a pilot program and ifsuccessful will see a global implementation. “It’s a very small pilot; just enough to get our feet wet and see whathappens,” a BMW spokesperson told Digital Trends.http://www.financialexpress.com/auto/car-news/2018-honda-amaze-sub-rs-3-lakh-sportsbike-in-india-harley-bikes-go-expensive-drive-a-new-bmw-everyday-more-todays-news-highlights/1122966/ 

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Cars, SUVs, MUVs

Ford Freestyle: More panache and more SUV flavour S Muralidhar The Hindu Business Line (Web & Print Edition) The sports utility vehicle body style has become so popular globally that there is no size class or price segment that hasn’tbeen explored by car manufacturers with their own version. But not all such vehicle categories have been successful, especially theones masquerading as a SUV or SUV-style vehicles. We already have quite a few in this category — the Hyundai i20 Active,Toyota Etios Cross, VW Polo Cross, Honda WR-V and the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. The last two are better executed SUV-style carscompared to the first three, at least in terms of differentiators. But, with a raised stance, higher ground clearance, SUV-styling and, in some cases, improved performance, what is not to like? 

The latest entrant into this tough-sell segment is Ford with its new Freestyle. Built on the Figo platform, with a brand new three-potengine, the Freestyle will be launched officially later this month. Has Ford managed to crack the code with this? To find out, Itravelled to Jaipur earlier this week to test drive the Freestyle 1.2L TiVCT petrol. DesignThe Freestyle has all the trademark features of a SUV-style vehicle. Being based on the Figo means that its design is meant to be across between a hatch and a vehicle with SUV attributes. Ford calls it a compact utility vehicle and insists that it is very differentfrom the Figo. The Freestyle’s design, though, bears a lot of resemblances to the Figo, especially from the rear. Thedifferences, however, are there to see from all angles. The higher ground clearance of 190 mm gives the Freestyle a raised stance.The front and rear fenders are larger with dual tone effect and faux underbody protectors. Body side cladding running over thewheel arches and extending around the fenders adds to the SUV-style look. The headlamps and tail-lamps look similar to the Figo,but feature a special treatment that gives the Freestyle a more distinctive appearance. The front fender’s more complexdesign and construction featuring a dual layering, including the larger black grille above, the slim air dam below andinverted-comma style fog lamp inserts make the Freestyle look wider. But, the new model is actually wider in terms of dimensionstoo. Ford engineers have retained the width from the Figo up to the suspension mounts in the Freestyle and then extended thewidth to the wheel mount points, allowing for a wider track. With the addition of the side cladding, the Freestyle, as a result,doesn’t look anorexic. The wider 15-inch alloys help too; slightly taller rims would have been better, though they could haveaffected ride quality. There are a few additions like the contrast black door mirrors that we have also seen in the Figo Sport. The roof rails, however, arenot cosmetic additions and are supposedly capable of handling upto 50 kg of weight. CabinThe Freestyle’s cabin is even more similar to the Figo than the exterior. The layout and execution are the same except forthe centre stack, which features the 6.5-inch high-res touchscreen from the EcoSport. The infotainment screen’s display ofcontrols is a little basic, but Sync 3 Ford’s famous connectivity options including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto makes itvery usable. The dashboard here also features a dual tone — milk chocolate brown and dark grey theme. This surprisinglylooks nice, unlike the terracotta orange that didn’t quite sit well in the previous-gen Figo. The dual tone theme extends to theseat upholstery too. The space inside the Freestyle is very much the same as in the Figo, with legroom and headroom at the rearbeing adequate, but not generous. The other feature about the interior of the Freestyle is the number of parts it shares with theother Ford models, including the Figo. PerformanceThe Freestyle test mule I was driving featured the new engine that has been specifically developed by Ford for this model. Internallycalled the Dragon series engine, the 1.2L TiVCT petrol engine delivers 96 PS of peak power and 120 Nm of torque. Thisnaturally-aspirated three-cylinder engine is surprisingly peppy and refined, managing to completely bypass the characteristicroughness that many three-pot mills suffer from. NVH packaging also manages to keep out the powertrain noise effectively. On theroad, the engine doesn’t quite deliver its usable power and torque until the needle swings past the 2,500 rpm mark, so thereis a certain lull initially. But, stomp the throttle and get the engine revving up and the engine feels more like a tuned-up four-cylinder.Ford is setting benchmarks with its three-cylinders. This engine is paired with a new five-speed manual gearbox, which shifts clean and, though it seems like it has been tuned for citydriving for improved efficiency, the powertrain still delivers its share in the key fun-to-drive department. The new gearbox is also saidto be lighter and needs 40 per cent less oil than the older transmission. The other engine on offer in the Freestyle is the 1.5L TDCidiesel engine that features in many Ford models. This engine is also paired with the same new gearbox and delivers 100 PS ofpeak power and 215 Nm of torque. Ford has also given the Freestyle its version of an Active Rollover Prevention, which works with electronic stability control to varybraking efficiency on individual wheels. With the wider track, the Freestyle feels more planted and just that bit more confidentaround corners. But, with the raised suspension, there is a discernable increase in body roll compared to the Figo. BottomlineThe Freestyle’s suspension set-up is the same as in the Figo Sport, except for the taller springs. On the Sambhar salt flatsnear Jaipur and on some of the kutcha roads leading up to it, the Freestyle manages to impress by remaining composed, though itwas thudding through really large potholes and cracks. The EPAS steering feels a bit lighter than in the Figo, which I’m toldwas based on customer feedback and the need to make city driving easier. The Freestyle will be offered with dual airbags asstandard and buyers wanting additional safety can choose the Titanium+ variant, which will have six airbags, traction control and hilllaunch assist (found in the EcoSport). Bookings open for the Freestyle this weekend. Prices should be in the range of Rs.6 lakh toRs.9 lakh.https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/auto-focus/ford-freestyle-crossover-suv-first-drive-test-drive-review/article23447112.ece 

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Freestylin (Ford)The Pioneer (Web & Print Edition)

Ford India is about to drop the Ford Freestyle in India, a car they describe as a ‘Compact Utility Vehicle.’ Is there amarket for such a car? We drive it around Jaipur to find out

The world is moving to larger Sports Utility Vehicles, so rest assured the multiplying numbers of Hyundai Cretas you see on theroad are not an Indian thing alone. And SUVs are not the giant hulks that they once were, smaller cars have had their suspensionsraised. But the idea of the rough-road small hatchback has never really picked up. Not just in India but also in China and Europe,and of course, the United States, where people will look at you strange if you say you drive a hatchback, since most of them can fit

on bed of a Ford F-150. In India we saw the Etios Cross from Toyota and the Polo Cross from Volkswagen, cars that both acquireda lot of plastic cladding and slightly raised suspensions with bigger tires. Neither of them set the sales charts alight.

So why does Ford think they will succeed with the Freestyle? I’ll get on to the drivability aspect of it but there are couple ofreasons off the very top. The first is that there is no brand confusion. While there is no doubt that the Freestyle is asecond-generation Figo, it has a new name. And the second reason, Ford believes and I have back them up here, is that theFreestyle gets a lot more than your standard Figo — a brand-new petrol engine, the excellent SYNC3 infotainment systemcomplete with a 6.5 inch touchscreen, both of which I have to say are best-in-class. The car has also been raised (duh!) and nowhas a ground clearance of 190 mm, which when coupled with its shorter wheelbase, means that it does not need to worry about badroads and particularly those small hillocks that are described as “speed breakers.”

But let me move on to what is the biggest change from the Figo and its Figo Aspire sedan to the new Freestyle, the all-new 1.2 litreTiVCT petrol engine. As Bharat Stage 6 fuels begin to be sold in the capital and manufacturers needing to adhere to the stricteremission norms for their vehicles as the norms become standard, diesel engines will get impacted. The need to meet the newemission norms will increase the price of diesel-powered cars, which may not be a deal-breaker for expensive cars as the absolutecosts will remain more or less the same for all diesel engines but that will make small diesel cars much more expensive. Thiscoupled with the shorter shelf life of diesel vehicles in some markets will see more petrol cars coming to the fore and Ford justupped the ante with this new engine.

The major headline on the new engine is its power output, which is 96PS in this case, much more than the 88PS on the Figo andAspire. The Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing — which is what TiVCT expands to — means that the intakeand exhaust valves are controlled by independent camshafts that can be run at different speeds depending on the throttle positiondelivering a blend of power and performance. The TiVCT technology is also present in the Figo, but this is a new engine derivedfrom what Ford calls the “Dragon” family and is essentially a smaller variant of the 1.5-litre petrol on the faceliftedEcoSport, maintaining the same three-cylinder layout. Ford claims that the car will deliver a fabulous fuel economy of over 19 kmper litre, but with some very vigorous driving — we were on the Sambhar Salt Lake after all sliding around in the first andsecond gear — I still got more than 11 km per litre.

If you were to get so much power from a small engine earlier, you would usually fit a turbo like Ford’s earlier EcoBoost or theBoosterJet on the Maruti Baleno RS. This car on the other hand is naturally aspirated. So there is no huge kick when you go past acertain point in the rev range, and the power delivery is linear. In fact, this engine, like its bigger brother on the EcoSport,  deliversmuch of its power at the middle of the range. We did not get a chance to see the power and torque charts but that is plainly obviouswhen you push the car. And despite the power, you do get the sense that the Freestyle has been geared to provide economy. Thatis not saying it is not fun.

I had a soft spot for the old Ford Fusion, which I drove during my early days of reviewing cars. The Fusion handled like a car onrails, this at a time when most cars in India had severe understeer. And the Freestyle, well despite the suspension and othertweaks, handles superbly. If one were using the functional roof rails to carry two mountain bikes as Ford’s promotionalimages showed off, the Freestyle definitely does not compromise on that front. So, the Freestyle ticks off the boxes, economical,rough-road capable, fun to drive and has a nice infotainment system.

But would you buy one? As mentioned earlier, attempts by Toyota and Volkswagen did not exactly set the market alight. Ford hasmade changes to the Freestyle that might appeal to some buyers and it is sufficiently different from the Figo. But the question asalways is one of price. Now Ford did not announce the price of the Freestyle, but I am guessing it will not get into EcoSport territoryeven at the top of the range. Ford is promising that the Freestyle will come with the SYNC3 touchscreen even at mid-trim modelsand that all variants will have airbags with the top Titanium-spec getting six airbags. The Ford Figo with a petrol engine currentlycosts around `5.3 to 6.3 lakhs and the base model of the EcoSport with a more powerful engine costs `7.7 lakhs, these prices beingex-showroom Delhi. I can only predict that the Freestyle will slot in around `5.75 - 6.75 lakhs for the variant we drove. Is that goodvalue? I think so but markets are stranger than you think.www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/freestylin.html

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Luxury Cars

Audi to launch RS5 sports coupe in India on April 11 Naveen Soni The Times of India (Web Edition) New Delhi:  Audi India is all set to launch the new RS5, which is actually a high-performance sports coupe version of itslatest-generation A5, on April 11, 2018. Currently, the German carmaker is offering the Sedan, Sportsback and Convertiblemembers of its A5 family in the country. At the heart of this four-seater coupe sits a new 2.9-litre, twin-turbo petrol V6 engine which is significantly smaller and lighter thanthe previous generation's V8 motor. Still, the new powertrain offers an exciting performance with 450PS of power and a peak torqueof 600Nm. The engine comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission along with the Audi's popular Quattro all-wheel-drivesystem. The new Audi RS5 claims a 0-100kmph sprint time of just 3.9 seconds along with a top speed limited to 250kmph. The companymight also offer the optional RS Dynamic package in India as well -- that comprise lighter components, reducing 60kg from the kerbweight -- which can be used to push the top speed to 280kmph.  

The two-door Audi RS5 will get 19-inch alloys as standard while, while 20-inch wheels are expected to be offered as an optionalextra. Besides that, a host of high-end equipment and cycle parts will be offered with the new model. The sports car cabin will feature sport-seats with Alcantara leather upholstery, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and Audi’sVirtual Cockpit digital instrumentation among the other key highlights. In the Indian market, the Audi RS5 will take on the likes of the BMW M4 which currently comes with a price tag of Rs 1.33 crore(ex-showroom).https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/auto/cars/audi-to-launch-rs5-sports-coupe-in-india-on-april-11/articleshow/63630585.cms 

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BMW M5 voted World Performance Car 2018The Financial Express (Web & Print Edition) The BMW M5 has been voted the ‘World Performance Car 2018’, making this the seventh time the Munich,Germany-based luxury car player has received a ‘World Car’ award from the organisation World Car of the Year. Theaward ceremony was held on March 28 at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. There were a total of 11 vehicles in thiscategory this year—all performance-oriented cars, of which at least 2,000 units are produced per year and which areavailable for purchase on at least two continents from January 1, 2017, until May 31, 2018. The selection and voting in allcategories was carried out by an international jury made up of 82 leading automobile journalists from 24 countries. The BMW M5 isfitted with the latest version of the 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine with M Twin Power Turbo Technology. “An output of 600horse-power and a maximum torque of 750Nm guarantee supreme propulsion and a phenomenal driving performance—theV8 biturbo engine accelerates the M5 from 0-100kph in just 3.4 seconds,” the company said in a statement. For enhancedstability and performance, the new M5 features the M specific all-wheel drive system M xDrive. And power transmission is takencare of by the new 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic. The company added that, in conjunction with M xDrive, thisensures that the power of the high-revving turbocharged engine is transferred to the road in an almost perfect fashion. (The all-newBMW M5 is available in India at an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.43 crore; it was launched at Auto Expo 2018.)http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/bmw-m5-voted-world-performance-car-2018/1123105/ 

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Commercial Vehicles

Tata Motors launches three new CVs in MalaysiaThe Economic Times (Web Edition) Kuala Lumpur: CV maker Tata Motors, along with its authorized distributor DRB-HICOM Commercial Vehicles Sdn. Bhd. (DHCV),has launched the Tata Super Ace and the Ultra range of commercial vehicles in Malaysia. These vehicles have been designed forthe modern commercial vehicle customer, with modern cabins, high load carrying capacity and flexible body-load configurations,according to a company statement. The Tata Super ACE can be customized for various small scale business operations, for the transportation of construction items,food grains, fruits, FMCG and white goods or could be configured to be a food truck, an ice cream truck or a mobile store onwheels.is a 1 ton mini-truck from Tata Motors, for inter-city and intra-city transportation solutions. Powered by a 1405 cc diesel engine, combined with a new body design the Tata Super Ace will offer customers an opportunity tostart their dream business with a very small investment. The Super Ace is based on the popular Tata Ace mini-truck. It has sold over a million units since it was first launched in 2005. The second ULTRA platform, will enable Tata Motors to enter the Intermediate commercial vehicles space in Malaysia. Acombination of driver comfort, high load carrying-capacity and safety, along with life-cycle cost, makes this new offering from TataMotors, versatile for various applications. The Ultra 814 is powered by the new generation NG 3.0 Lt CRDI engine coupled with a next generation transmission. Available in4.5T payload with highest body option of 5.5M, Tata Ultra provides customers complete flexibility, for varying businessrequirements. The ULTRA 1014 offers faster turnaround time and enhanced profitability for any goods carrying business, making it an idealwork-horse for movement of materials across distances. DRB-HICOM’s Dato’ Abdul Harith Abdullah, Chief Operating Officer, Automotive Distribution, Defence andManufacturing & Engineering said, the launch was a key milestone for the Group in getting a foothold of the growing CV market inMalaysia. 

“With these new products unveiled today, which are competitively priced with superior features, we are confident it will gaintraction amongst our target users in the near term. DHCV’s deep expertise in the area of importing, assembling anddistributing foreign marques in Malaysia is well established since 1979. Our local knowledge coupled with a robust dealer network across the country has been crucial to our success thus far. With ourpartner Tata Motors, we are confident about making a significant impact in the selected commercial vehicle categories and thusgrabbing market share incrementally in what is a very competitive niche market. The economy is poised to grow this year whichbodes well for our joint venture with Tata Motors.” Harith added that they are very confident about the market acceptance of the new Ultra variants and specifically, Tata Super Acewhich is expected to be popular with small business owners across Malaysia.   Rudrarup Maitra, Head - Commercial Vehicles, International Business, Tata Motors, said, “Malaysia is one of our keymarkets in South-East Asia and we are delighted to be a part of one of the fastest growing ASEAN nations. An integral part of ourpresence here is DRB-HICOM, a partner that has showcased tremendous enthusiasm and passion over the years. With thispartnership we can truly establish a long-term relationship with our customers in Malaysia.” DHCV and Tata Motors say they will continue to explore new potentials, customer’s preference and conduct researches fornew product variants to sustain their growth and expansion for the medium to long term. Customers in Malaysia are currently served by a network of 24 outlets located at strategic locations and in major townships,nationwide. DHCV aims to expand this reach in tandem with sales growth and market. https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/commercial-vehicle/lcv/tata-motors-launches-three-new-cvs-in-malaysia/63628199 

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Satinder Bajwa joins M&M as vice president for SCV businessThe Economic Times (Web Edition) New Delhi: Satinder Bajwa has joined Mahindra & Mahindra as vice president, who will lead sales and customer care functions ofsub-1 tonne segment of small commercial vehicles (SCV). He will be reporting to Veejay Nakra, Chief of Sales & Marketing (Auto Division). "M&M is recognised as an auto OEM with the widest portfolio of products. Increasing need for exploiting opportunities in smallcommercial vehicles and growing the business on one hand and a dedicated and undistracted focus required in personal vehiclesegment on the other hand has now necessitated structural interventions," said Rajan Wadhera, president of the automotive sector,M&M. "The process of formation of a separate front-end will be spread over next six months to ensure a smooth transition. This newvertical will be responsible for Alfa, Supro, Jeeto, E-Riksha," he said.  Bajwa had been instrumental in establishing sales for Nissan and Datsun India. He was working as director, Sales, Network andCustomer Relations at Nissan India. Prior to Nissan, he had worked with Hyundai and the country’s largest carmaker by volume Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) foraround six years. He had worked with MSIL at various levels between March 2007 and April 2013. In the past, he has also held key positions with Piaggio and Bajaj Auto. https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/commercial-vehicle/lcv/satinder-bajwa-joins-mm-as-vice-president-for-small-cv-biz/63622502 

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How Leyland drove to two Deming awardsVinay Kamath The Hindu Business Line (Web & Print Edition) It's a balmy day in Hosur. A gentle breeze blows across a pond that’s surrounded by a large patch of shaded green lawn,lush enough to hurt your eyes. Geese swim lazily while a few waddle about on the grass, honking noisily. Farther up, there's aclump of multi-layer, dense forest — over 8,400 trees packed in a 2,500 sq m area —part of an aggressiveafforestation drive. Beside the young trees, there is a clump of older trees. And beyond these, one comes upon a large lake spreadover two-and-a-half acres, whose sparkling waters are rippling in the morning breeze. 

Observing that tranquil scene, you could think you were wandering about in a resort. But just metres away is the bustling plant ofbus and truck maker Ashok Leyland, which believes in intense greening of the land around its plants. We are at Hosur 2, its secondplant at this industrial estate in western Tamil Nadu about 60 km from Bengaluru. This plant was awarded the prestigious Demingprize for its Total Quality Management (TQM) by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) in 2017, the second plantof Leyland to win this award after the first was awarded in 2016 for its plant in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.  "Earlier we were the only commercial vehicle manufacturing company to have won a Deming Prize outside of Japan. And now weare the only CV manufacturer in the world to have won this Award twice in two years," declares P Harihar, Senior VP, Manufacturingand Project Planning and former Plant Head of this Hosur factory and one of those who spearheaded Leyland's TQM journey. Inside the factory, the humming of machines and whirring of pneumatic nut runners is loud as workmen methodically work on alarge upturned truck chassis, fixing numerous components on to it. Many of the improvements in Leyland's TQM journey of fiveyears have come from the suggestions of workmen, or associates as they are called at the plant, explains C Unnikrishnan, VP,Manufacturing. Arumugam, who has worked 20 years at this plant, came up with a suggestion that not only enhanced productivity, but alsoobviated the need for awkward bending in adjusting the clutch play setting for Leyland's bestselling light commercial vehicle, Dost.As Arumugam explains, earlier the workmen had to bend to reach the clutch pedal connection area inside the cab. He crouchesinside the cab to demonstrate the cramped position they had to be in to adjust the end-play; also using standard tools meantadditional time taken and tedium in completing the activity "Without much space for hand movement meant we could only do half aturn with the spanner, so we cut the spanner handle in half to allow us more free play," he says. A quality circle team was formed, led by Arumugam, and it applied several problem-solving tools and techniques, resulting in thedevelopment of a set of creative, three-pronged counter-measures to resolve the problem. What emerged was an improvised toolthat allowed the workmen to complete the task of clutch play adjustment from outside the cabin, from a comfortable vantageposition, leaving only the nut tightening activity inside, thereby ensuring a smooth flow. The upshot: the cycle time of the settingprocess was drastically reduced from seven minutes to 2.5 minutes, while simultaneously improving the EEI (Effort and ErgonomicIndex), from 264 to 69 points. "Productivity improved and we eliminated daily loss in production numbers," says Unnikrishnan. This is only one of many such improvements that have been implemented. Cumulatively, Unnikrishnan points out, 51,196improvements in various manufacturing functions were successfully implemented across the plant in the past five years. A consequence of this is that defects per vehicle (DPV) prior to thefinal inspection stages drastically reduced from 110 DPV to 8 DPV per vehicle, on an average. The vision for the Hosur plant when Leyland started its TQM journey in 2012 was three-pronged: to have a flexible plant with a widerange of products and to have operational efficiency, says Unnikrishnan. The role of the JUSE examiners deputed for the Demingexamination was to validate if the objectives of the three-point vision translated all the way down to associates like Arumugam in theplant. "A huge mindset change and interventions are required to make people think differently. We wanted have a cultural shift froman intuitive way of problem-solving to a data-based one using scientific ways. Done this way, the improvements are comprehensiveand sustainable. TQM is meaningful only if it translates into excellence in business results," says Harihar. Leyland embarked on the TQM journey in 2012. In 2012-13, the commercial vehicle industry was down in the dumps, and Leylandwas steeped in debt. "We wanted to do something dramatically different -- not just incremental in nature but somethingtransformational. We needed a mindset change," recalls Harihar. The TQM journey began with the appointment of a Japaneseconsultant, Prof Yukihiro Ando - Ando San to everyone in the plants - who would be Leyland's TQM sensei or guru. R Sivanesan, Senior VP, Quality, Sourcing and Supply Chain, who had spent over two decades at Maruti, seeped in the Japaneseculture, also joined Leyland a few years ago. "TQM is creating a mindset to continuously improve. One is a top-down, managementdriven mindset, but a bottom-up approach is equally important. We have to get people from the ranks below to think and act, as theyare in contact with the machines and their work-stations every day. To change the culture, don't blame them for the mistake, insteadenable them to tell us how it could be avoided and improve. This is the kaizen culture or continuous improvement," explainsSivanesan. The worker then comes up with solutions on what can be done to address the issue. He is more open and also responsible forimplementing the suggestions. As a result of the TQM way of doing things, the number of kaizens carried out by employees in eachof Leyland's manufacturing plants has gone up to 10,000-plus a year, from around 1,000 a year, and all employees, irrespective oftheir roles and responsibilities, participate in this continuous improvement drive. Two important factors form the nuts and bolts of the TQM process: Policy Management and Daily Management. The formeressentially refers to a leadership intervention and is usually a direction at the corporate level. But how does this policy translate intosomething that impacts the worker on the shop floor? Leyland established cross-functional management teams (CFMs) that focuson five areas: Quality, Cost, Delivery, New Product Introduction and HR practices. These cover all key functions in a business unit. For example, to improve product quality and reduce defects, it can't be done merely on the shop floor. HR is told to recruit, train forskills and motivate the right people. The production department will then have to build 'mistake-proof' methods in theirmanufacturing processes which, in Japanese, is known as poka-yoke. "In a mobile phone, for example, you cannot fit your SIM cardexcept in one way. In many high-end cars if the seat belt isn't locked it simply won't start. There is no way you can make a mistakein such cases and that’s poka-yoke. One of the critical focus areas in manufacturing is to ensure all parameters that are critical-to-quality are covered by poka-yoke systems,"explains Harihar. This will help build quality in manufacturing as opposed to ensuring this through inspection and, in turn, the CFMon quality. On a broader level, HR's role is to ensure that whoever is deployed on the shop floor has the required level of skills andjob abilities, and enables the associates to read and comply with written instructions as under the TQM process, everything isdocumented and catalogued for reference and traceability — there is simply no room for verbal descriptions or instructions.

 Daily Management (DM) comprises all routine activities that must be carried out efficiently. It provides a framework to managefunctions and processes which are defined, standardised, controlled and improved upon by the process owners. Here, daily doesnot necessarily mean at a 24-hour frequency. Rather, it extends to weekly, monthly or even annually done routine activities and isapplicable from supervisors to top management. One obvious example of daily management at the plants is the review of production plan vs achievement, gap analysis and reasonsand corrective and preventive actions for improvement. As Unni explains, the shop floor relentlessly follows the PDCA cycle, whichstands for Plan, Do, Check and Act. Both these initiatives- PM and DM – carried out from the top floor to shop floor ensurethat the Hosur unit's objective of a flexible plan, wide range and operational efficiency are met. While the general perception of the Deming award is that it is a product quality certification, this is essentially incorrect, clarifiesHarihar. The Deming examiners check for alignment with the business vision and excellence in whatever a company does, at everystep and stage. "What they actually check is if one step is linked to another and together do you achieve the vision of the company.It's all about business process validation. The Deming award is a recognition of the state of maturity of TQM practices in thecompany," he explains. "The journey is TQM, Deming is a milestone, an expert who sees and endorses that you are on the right track, or if you need to domore. The philosophy of TQM is they don’t give a prescriptive process," says Sivanesan. In Leyland's case, the objectivewas to have a customer-oriented business. The second step is to ensure that the company has the framework through which it canrealise this objective in a systematic way and by involving everyone. "You can achieve it in many ways, but it has to be a systematicand catalogued process. And third is to check if the stated objectives are met following these processes, and if the results reflectthat," he adds. Leyland's Pantnagar plant, established in 2010, produces only its bigger vehicles with around 4,000 employees. It received theDeming Award in 2016. As a manufacturing plant is more amenable to processes involving statistical quality controls, Leylandchose the youngest and most modern of its seven plants for the Deming certification in 2016. Hosur 2 presented a completely different challenge. It was an older plant, established in the early 1990s, with legacy practices anda unionised work-force and a certain way of doing things. Besides the final leg of preparations for the Deming examination werebeing driven at a time when the vehicles were migrating from Euro 3 to Euro 4, and an imminent wage settlement was pending. As ifthis was not enough, Hosur also produces the widest range of vehicles, from LCVs to medium and heavy-duty vehicles. However, an amalgam of all the TQM systems followed and actions taken resulted in a substantial improvement in the quality levelsof Leyland's products from all its plants. "Once the focus areas are frozen at an organisation level, each function then aligns itsgoals towards these areas and synergy is created, enabling a faster, more efficient and effective method of realising the goals,"explains Sivanesan. A true reflection of this is the significant improvement in the company's market share from 23 per cent a few years ago to 32 percent in the last two years in commercial vehicles. Leyland is also close to its objective of being among the top five in buses and thetop 10 in trucks in volume terms. Its global ranking rose from 17 to 14 in MHCVs in three years while its bus ranking improved from6th to 4th position. Its derring-do and the Deming Awards are pushing Leyland to achieve more.https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/auto-focus/how-ashok-leyland-won-the-japanese-deming-award/article23447248.ece 

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Construction & Agri Machinery

Kirloskar Oil Engines to invest Rs 100 cr on developing smart farm tech solutions The Economic Times

New Delhi: Home-grown engine and pump manufacturer Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL) on Thursday said it is investing Rs 100 croreon developing smart farm technology solutions for small and marginal farmers . For this, KOEL has designed and developed the ‘Mega T’ Power Tiller after studying the farming requirements. Kirloskar addresses this need of small farmers by its complete range of KMW products viz. Mega T 15, Mega T 12, Min T 5, Min T8, etc. Antony Cherukara, VP -- Corporate Strategy & Business Head Agriculture, said: “The KMW products by Kirloskar is focusedon transforming and enriching farmers’ lives through innovative technology, products and delivery.” “Today, success in farming is about smart investment, farm yield can only be increased through mechanization which shouldbe affordable and should create ownership, and this is why we at Kirloskar are there. I urge the farmers, especially small andmarginal, to make full usage of this Smart Machine to increase farm productivity.” “Kirloskar has always been with the farmers and with investments of over Rs 100 crore, our aim is to ultimately benefit eachand every farmer in India in the long run.” Nearly 57.8 per cent of India’s rural households are engaged in agriculture. Around 60-70 per cent of the Indian population(directly or indirectly) depends upon the agriculture sector and currently it contributes to 17-18 per cent of GDP. 

Of them, over 69 per cent possess or work on marginal land holdings, and 17.1 per cent, on small landholdings. These farmers have been facing some major constraints and obstacles related to procuring technological support, rise in fixed costsassociated with agricultural equipment such as tractors and submersible pumps, hiring of agricultural labourers which has becomeexpensive, etc. RR Deshpande, joint managing director, expressed his satisfaction and said that, “Continuous and proactive planning andstrategic measures have made KOEL one of the biggest and most sought after engineering solution providers globally. Theintroduction of the entire KMW range of the Power Tiller & power weeder shows our commitment to the farmers and our support tothe government’s Make in India initiative.” “The overwhelming acceptance of our products and services particularly amongst the farmers in all the regions reinforces ourbelief that we are on the right track of our Vision in the larger perspective.”https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/automotive/farm-equipment/kirloskar-oil-engines-to-invest-rs-100-cr-on-developing-smart-farm-tech-solutions/63632502

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2/3 Wheelers

Yamaha commissions 1100 KW Solar Power Plant at its Chennai Facility The Economic Times

New Delhi: The Indian subsidary of Japanese two wheeler manufacturer Yamaha Motor India Group today announced theinstallation of 1100 KW roof top solar power plant at company’s manufacturing facility in Chennai. With this new installation,the total solar capacity of Yamaha’s Chennai plant has increased to 1450 KW and the company has plans to increase thetotal rooftop solar capacity to 3500 KW by the end of this year. The new rooftop solar panels cover factory building area including body shop, engine building, bus parking and walkways for theemployees and visitors. The unique feature of this installation is the solar panels which have been mounted over the walkways inthe plant premises. The covered walkway with solar panels will not only help in generating the green energy but also in protectingthe employees from tough weather condition. The new rooftop installation would reduce CO2 emission to the extent of 1600 tons/year. Yamaha has partnered with MahindraSusten for the installation of these Rooftop Solar panels. Speaking on the initiative, Riuji Kawashima, Deputy Managing Director, India Yamaha Motor, said, “Adoption of RenewablePower is the need of the hour in order to save energy and provide a clean and green environment to the society. As amanufacturing company, we have a responsibility to support initiatives that can help reduce CO2 emissions and contribute towardsthe objective of energy conservation. The installation of the solar power project at our plants further reinstates our commitmenttowards building an energy saving factory that is friendly to people and the global environment. We also would like to highlight thatour Chennai factory is the least CO2 emission factory among the Yamaha Motor Group Companies around the world.” In the first phase, Yamaha had installed 190 KW and 140 KW of rooftop solar panels in the Spare Parts Building and R&D Buildingin the plant premises in 2015. Yamaha’s Chennai factory which was inaugurated in 2015 incorporates state-of-the-artinfrastructure and advanced technologies for Zero-water discharge and recycle/reuse of waste water and maximum use of sunlight.All the buildings are designed to bear load of the solar power system installation. All common utilities are located in the centre tominimize distribution loss and centralized management. Similarly, Yamaha has partnered with the solar service provider, Amplus Solar for installation, operation and maintenance of SolarPower System at its Surajpur plant. This is one of the largest roof top solar power plant with total capacity of 6200 KW. This projectwas commissioned in two phases. Phase I was inaugurated in January 2016 with generation capacity of 4000 KWp and phase IIwas commissioned in October 2017 with generation capacity of 2200 Kwp. Recently under phase II, 105 KW capacity solar power plant was installed in the car parking area inside the plant premises.Approximately, 47 cars can be parked under state-of-the-art solar power plant which is also capable of meeting the futurerequirement of charging battery operated cars. This particular area has a power generation capacity of 500 Units per day.

Sanjiv Paul, Senior Vice President, India Yamaha Motor, said, “As the leading two-wheeler manufacturers, Yamahaunderstands its role in the industrial evolution and its responsibility in reducing the carbon footprints. The solar power project in ourplants will definitely take forward Yamaha’s commitment towards enhancing their presence in the sphere of energy efficientcompanies while focussing on creating solutions around Sustainable Development.”https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/two-wheelers/motorcycles/yamaha-commissions-1100-kw-solar-power-plant-at-its-chennai-facility/63627951

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Ducati re-opens bookings for Panigale V4 in India The Economic Times New Delhi: Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati India today announced the re-opening of bookings for the new Panigale V4 andV4 S. The bike was launched in India in January this year and the initial 20 units were sold out within a week of the announcement.

 The Panigale V4 and V4 S are available for bookings at an introductory price of Rs 20,53,000 & Rs 25,29,000 (Ex-showroom India)with deliveries starting in July 2018. To cater to this soaring demand of the Panigale V4 amongst the biking enthusiasts in the country, Ducati India is now bringing inadditional units of its flagship superbike which is now available for bookings across Ducati dealerships in Delhi – NCR,Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi & Kolkata. “The overwhelming response which the Panigale V4 has received, even before the start of deliveries, is a testament of itsdomination in the Superbike segment and we are delighted to announce the reopening of bookings to cater to the pendingcustomers’ requests that we’ve collected so far” said Sergi Canovas, Managing Director of Ducati India. The new Ducati Panigale V4 is available in two variants; the Panigale and the Panigale V4 S. The new Panigale V4's standard equipment includes: Ducati Power Launch (DPL), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) up/down EVO, BoschEVO ABS Cornering, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) Evo, Ducati Slide Control (DSC), full-LED headlight with Daytime Running Light(DRL), Sachs steering damper, quick control selection, automatic switch-off of turn signals. Additionally, the V4 S mounts Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) EVO with Öhlins suspension and steering damper andtop-drawer components like the Marchesini aluminium forged wheels and lithium-ion battery. Both the variants are powered by the new V4 90° engine, which is based on Ducati’s MotoGP experience whereperformance of the four-cylinder Desmosedici is at the top of its class. Founded in 1926, since 1946 Ducati has been manufacturing sport-inspired motorcycles characterised by high-performanceDesmodromic engines, innovative design and cutting-edge technology. With its factory located in Bologna’s Borgo Panigaledistrict, in 2016 Ducati celebrated 90 years since it was founded. The model range covers several market segments with thefollowing families: Diavel, Hypermotard, Monster, Multistrada, SuperSport and Panigale.https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/two-wheelers/motorcycles/ducati-re-opens-bookings-for-panigale-v4-in-india/63627352 

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Two-wheeler makers have cause for cheer as sales soarMurali Gopalan The Hindu Business Line The fiscal gone by has been heady for two-wheelers with production/sales numbers crossing the 20 million mark. In the process, ithas only strengthened India’s position as the world’s largest producer of bikes and scooters. Hero MotoCorp and its former ally, Honda, account for two-thirds of the market, which translates into a little over 13 million units.TVS Motor and Bajaj have 6.7 million two-wheelers between them, while Royal Enfield is rapidly inching towards the one-millionmark with 2017-18 recording over eight lakh units.  Suzuki, which has been quite aggressive in recent times, had reasons to uncork the champagne with sales of over five lakh unitsand is determined to cross the one million unit mark by 2020. It will then be ready to begin production at its second plant, tipped tobe a toss-up between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Yamaha, which follows a calendar year, was within sniffing distance of one million units in 2017 and is on course to achieving thisduring the remainder of ‘18. Going by the growth trends, there is every reason to believe that India’s two-wheelerproduction will be close to 25 million units by 2020. Looming emission normsBeyond numbers, manufacturers will have their hands full over the next two years in meeting Bharat Stage VI emission norms,which come into force on April 1, 2020. This will mean coping with the costing challenge on fuel injection equipment, no mean taskin a price-sensitive market like India. Honda is reasonably confident that it can meet this head-on by leveraging its global competencies as well as making the most of thevolumes generated in the subcontinent. It believes that this will be an inflection point in the leadership stakes from 2020 whenpeople will have a good reason to understand what a number one brand means in technology. Consequently, the numbers will alsostart pouring in and it will be interesting to see if this will be enough to surpass Hero. The Indian company is, of course, in no hurryto give up its top slot and has managed to stay tall over the years following the parting of ways with Honda. Sceptics were certainthat it would only be a matter of time before Hero was relegated to the sidelines but nothing of the kind has happened. The Splendoris still going strong and coupled with Hero’s formidable retail network, it is not going to be easy for Honda in the leadershipstakes. TVS Motor has been showing strong growth for some years now and the Jupiter has emerged a strong scooter brand after theHonda Activa. In motorcycles, the Apache is doing brisk business too while the recently-launched NTORQ 125 has made a strongstatement in technology. Bajaj Auto has been covering lost ground in motorcycles where its Discover brand has been reintroduced with the 110 and 125 ccmotorcycles. Its Pulsar continues to be the top-seller in the sports segment while the more contemporary Dominar 400 has alsobeen seeing a gradual upswing in sales.

 Focus on alliancesBeyond its own brands, Bajaj and KTM have strengthened their alliance over the last decade with the Chakan plant near Pune nowbecoming a critical manufacturing hub for the Duke motorcycle brand. These are exported across the world and next year will seeHusqvarna joining the KTM assembly line at Chakan. Bajaj will also be hoping for a similar success story with Triumph of the UK, where the alliance will see mid-size motorcyclesdeveloped in India and shipped out globally. There have also been talks of an electric scooter making its debut during the course ofthis year though there has been no official confirmation from Bajaj on this subject. Royal Enfield has been on a strong growth curve and is now keen on stepping up its global presence too. The Bullet manufacturerhas been pulling out all the stops to establish itself as a strong brand in the cruiser segment where it has made a strong connectwith its user base. Royal Enfield is now looking at ASEAN and Latin America as the next big growth drivers, with Europe also likelyto be part of the parade. Suzuki, likewise, is planning to go flat out after 2020, when its second plant should be up and about. India is now its largest marketand the company is keen on using the competencies here to reach out to other parts of the world. Suzuki has also decided to focuson premium scooters and motorcycles since there is just no point attempting to take on established players like Hero and Honda inthe commuter space. Yamaha, likewise, believes that 2020 could see India emerge as its largest market, ahead of Indonesia. Yet, there is a lot of workahead in terms of taking on competition both from MNCs and local players. All in all, the country is going to see a lot of action in thetwo-wheeler space!https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/auto-focus/two-wheeler-outlook-in-india-looks-positive-as-sales-increase/article23447218.ece 

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Kawasaki launches new Ninja 400The Hindu Business Line Kawasaki India has added a new motorcycle to its iconic Ninja line, the Ninja 400. The company launched the motorcycle in thecountry earlier this week. The Ninja 300 will continue to be the entry-level option for those looking for a twin cylinder sports offering, while the 400 will cater tothose looking for performance a notch higher and more powerful. It is powered by a 399 cc parallel twin, oil-cooled engine that putsout 49 PS of power at 10,000 rpm and a peak torque of 38 Nm at 8,000 rpm. These engine specs put it in the range of the KTM RC390, the Yamaha YZF R3, and if you were to stretch this range a little bit, the Benelli 302R and TVS Apache RR310. Of these, theR3 and the 302R are powered by twin cylinder engines while the RC 390 and the RR310 pack single cylinder mills. However, theNinja 400 is priced significantly higher than the competition, at Rs.4.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).  The bike gets a 310 mm front disc and a 220 mm rear brake. It boasts futuristic new Ninja styling inspired by the mighty Ninja H2.Chin spoilers at the bottom of the front cowl were inspired by the Ninja H2 and Ninja ZX-10R. LED tail-light design inspired by the2016 Ninja ZX- 10R contributes to the rear’s sharp impression. The Ninja 400 is equipped with the same instrument clusteras the Ninja 650, thus giving riders features similar to bigger sports bikes from Kawasaki’s stable. The company is reportedly offering a discount for buyers who book the bike this month.https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/auto-focus/kawasaki-ninja-400-launched-in-india/article23447278.ece 

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Royal Enfield Thunderbird gets new feathersMirza Mohammed Ali Khan The Hindu Business Line The new Royal Enfield (RE) Thunderbird 500X looks like a rough-hewn, but well-finished street fighter, eager to jump into the nextbrawl coming its way. RE needed a product like this. Especially given how it’s bringing back an even more classic design with the parallel-twinengine Interceptor later this year. All motorcycles from the brand, save for the Himalayan, cater to those looking for a laidbackdesign; and the Classic series, the Thunderbird, and the vintage Bullet give off exactly that impression — settle into acomfortable speed, let that torque-laden single cylinder deliver you from city traffic, and cruise away.   But the brand has been attracting young buyers in droves, the past few years. And some, if not most of these buyers, look for a littlemore aggression from their machines. The regular Thunderbird model also has been among the variants from the brand that hasattracted modifications. Refreshed look

With the new Thunderbird 500X and the 350X, RE has pretty much given such buyers these options straight from the factory. Makeno mistake, the motorcycle is still a Thunderbird at heart and most of its body, but the new styling cues are prominentlyimplemented, giving you the impression that these could well be completely different motorcycles. For starters, the pulled-back, typical cruiser handlebar from the original motorcycle is now gone, replaced by a flat one, shruggingoff the relaxed demeanour. It is still slightly forward biased so if the rider’s height is on the shorter side, adjusting the handlebars towards the rider wouldbe a good idea. The foot-pegs are still set forward, making for a relaxed ride. The overall feel is something in-between a laidback and a fully aggressive posture. In a first for RE, the motorcycle gets black alloy wheels with tubeless tires. Personally, I’ve always liked how after-factoryalloys have looked on RE bikes and these look very similar. The tires get a stripe running around them, which is the same colour asthat of the fuel tank. The side panels are also black and are emblazoned with the motorcycle’s name, while the fuel tank gets the trademark‘Royal Enfield’ lettering. The silencer is blacked-out too, as is the engine, going with the overall theme. However, theexposed wiring is a bit of an eyesore. The bike gets a single seat and the material is new — pleasantly textured in parts and quite comfortable. The rider’sseat is wide, allowing for lateral movement and gives you a planted feel. The pillion seat is on the smaller side and the originalThunderbird backrest is now gone, making way for split handrails on the sides, thus making pillion seating a tad more awkward. However, it sure does look appealing and adds to the overall design that RE is going for. Being a test motorcycle, our mule didn’t come with a crash guard, but given the regulations and the uniqueness of theX’s design, an acceptable compromise should be sought. The instrument cluster is carried over from the regularThunderbird, as are the headlamp, tail-lamp and rear-view mirrors. Performance and handlingThe new motorcycles are powered by the same 499 cc and 346 cc mills seen on the regular Thunderbirds, and well, other currentmotorcycles from RE, apart from the Himalayan. The 499 cc engine churns out the same 27.2 bhp of power at 5,250 rpm and apeak torque of 41.3 Nm at 4,000 rpm. Those familiar with RE motorcycles powered by the same Unit-construction engine will know how it performs. There is oodles oftorque at low revs, powering you ahead at traffic signals and while overtaking, drowning out the other engines with the thump of theexhaust. Speaking about the thump, it’s slightly throatier and deeply metallic on the 500X, making every pull on the throttle adelight to the ears. While the needle on the speedo can hit 120 kmph and then some, given how jarring the vibrations can get in a RE, 90 to 100 kmphis where this bike too would be most comfortable, and the vibrations tolerable. Vibrations at the handlebar get to you more than onthe footpegs, but cruising capabilities are good and one can maintain high speeds for long distances. The gearbox feels slicker compared to other models, but instances of false neutrals continue. Braking (280 mm front disc, 240 mmrear disc), again, is typically RE, but with improved bite for the rear brake, giving me a small jump in confidence. However, allowingfor good braking and stopping distance is a good idea. ABS is not even an option. Suspension is fairly pliant and feels better equipped to handle speedbreakers than potholes. A stable ride has always beenEnfield’s forte and you can expect the same here. Those corners and curves can be taken with gusto, as long as youdon’t lean in too much and scrape the front footpegs. BottomlineI can’t help but think what the motorcycle might have been like if it was a little more refined, with better braking includingABS. But I have a feeling Royal Enfield is saving all of that up for the Twins — the 650 cc Interceptor and Continental GT that areexpected soon. The 500X and the 350X feel more like trailers, but pretty entertaining ones at that. The Thunderbird just got an extension with the X’s variation in ride position, face-lifted design and younger package. Pricesstart at Rs.1.56 lakh for the 350X and Rs.1.98 lakh for the 500X (both ex-showroom, Delhi).https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/auto-focus/royal-enfield-thunderbird-500x-road-test-ride-review/article23447195.ece 

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E-Bikes

Components

Continental Appoints Alexander Klotz as new India R&D Center Head

The Economic Times

Bangalore: The Indian subsidiary of the Geman parts manufacturer Continental has appointed Alexander Klotz as the new head oftheir Technical Center India (TCI). Klotz will be instrumental in taking TCI to its next level of growth, as a trusted partner augmentingContinental’s global R&D competence, according to a company statement. “Currently the center supports Continental’s automotive divisions globally and employees approximately 3000engineers," said Continental’s Corporate Technology Officer, Kurt Lehmann. “The TCI is a key contributor to the corporation’s R&D competence and global network," explained Lehmann, who isresponsible for corporation-wide technology development at Continental. Speaking on the appointment, Prashanth Doreswamy, Market Head of Continental India and Managing Director, ContinentalAutomotive, India, said, “As a technology company, Continental is continuing to invest heavily in the technologies oftomorrow. Continental TCI plays an important role as an R&D Center, and Alexander’s leadership competence and experiences willensure the center continues to grow in terms of competence, innovation potential and capacity.”

According to Alexander Klotz, “The vehicle of the future will be a sensing, planning and acting computer on wheels, and weneed to continuously scale up our R&D competence to spur innovation. As a technology company we endeavor to address thechanging face of the automotive world in the key areas of safe, clean and intelligent mobility.” “Continental TCI has set an ambitious growth target year-on-year, and I’m keen to be part of this growth wave. Thecenter will also provide lots of opportunities for engineers aspiring to work on technologies of tomorrow – ranging fromautomated driving to artificial intelligence that define mobility of the future.” Klotz added. Alexander Klotz has more than 15 years of automotive industry experience, having held leadership positions focused in R&D andbusiness functions. Most recently, Klotz was the Head of Advanced Development within Systems & Technology, Division Interior,Continental. A major highlight of Klotz’s career is successfully setting up Continental’s first location in Silicon Valley in 2013. In thisrole, he was instrumental in connecting traditional automotive business with consumer electronics companies and start-ups, toexplore new technologies and business models. The Silicon Valley center launched by Klotz, is today a part of Continental’sinnovation center in San Jose.https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/auto-components/continental-announces-new-head-for-india-rd-center/63628388

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Allied Industries

InterGlobe Aviation, Avenue Supermarts, MRF hit new highsBusiness Standard Mumbai: Shares of Avenue Supermarts, which operates supermarkets under the brand name of D-Mart, InterGlobe Aviation, whichoperates no-frills carrier IndiGo and tyre major MRF have hit their respective new highs on the BSE after the benchmark indicesgaining more than one percentage points on Thursday. InterGlobe Aviation rallied 4.7% to Rs 1,455, extending its past three days 8% surged after the media report suggested that budgetcarrier will be able to bid solo for Air India’s 76% stake, while other domestic airlines will have to form a consortium to meetthe net worth criteria stipulated by the government. Analysts at Elara Capital reiterate bullish view on low-cost carriers (LCCs) such as IndiGo and SpiceJet, due to their strong fleetorder book to capture strong demand growth. LCCs also have advantage of low non-fuel unit cost, it added. The brokerage firm expects aviation firms under its coverage (IndiGo, SpiceJet and Jet Airways) to report 14% YoY decrease intheir cumulative profit after tax due to anticipated flat yields of IndiGo and 13% YoY increase in unit fuel cost to Rs 1.4/seat-km. Avenue Supermarts was up 4% to Rs 1,407, its highest level since listing on March 21, 2017. Shares of Radhakishan Damani-led Avenue Supermarts have risen 120% since listing. It zoomed as much as 371% from the issueprice of Rs 299 offered at the time of its initial share sale.Analysts at JM Financial Institutional Securities initiate the coverage on Avenue Supermarts with ‘buy’ rating and 12month target price of Rs 1,675. The attractiveness of D-Mart’s operating model stems from the significantly higher level of throughput that its stores generate- nearly 2-3x what other retailers clock on an average, which helps justify its choice of owning the stores (including the cost of landon which they are built), and the discounts (‘Every Day Low Price’ instead of festivals or seasons related limitedperiod discounts) that it pampers its shoppers with – the latter being one of the key drivers of footfalls and conversions forDMart, in our view, the brokerage firm said in a recent report. 

MRF too hit a new high of Rs 77,066, gaining 11% in past seven trading sessions. Analyst at Anand Rathi Share and Stock Brokershas ‘buy’ rating on MRF with a target price of Rs 80,045 as the brokerage firm expects better revenue growth andstable rubber prices augur well for MRF’s margin expansion in coming quarters.www.business-standard.com/article/markets/interglobe-aviation-avenue-supermarts-mrf-hit-new-highs-118040500503_1.html 

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Automovil plans to raise $6 million to fund pan-India expansionPTISee this story in: The Economic Times New Delhi: Bengaluru-based Automovil, which allows car-owners to get their vehicles serviced from home, is planning to raise asmuch as $6 million (around Rs 40 crore) to fund its expansion plan. "We are already in talks with several investors, including venture capital firms and private equity to raise the amount needed for ourexpansion," Automovil COO Mridu Mahendra Das said. The firm, founded by two Assamese engineers in Bengaluru, has already raised Rs 1.8 crore from NVCL, the venture capital arm ofNorth Eastern Development Finance Corporation. "We plan to become a pan-India provider of services by 2020. We've already serviced more than 10,000 cars and our aim is todouble that in the next two years," Chinmay Baruah, co-founder and CEO of the venture, said. The company, which employs 150 people directly or indirectly across Bangalore, Guwahati, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Noida, nowplans to expand to Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Ranchi and Bhubaneshwar among others. "We believe there is a big untapped market for these kind of services, and soon we would be able to capture a large chunk of it,providing services at customers' doorsteps across the whole nation," Das added. The company provides home-services for car and car parts, including tyres, batteries and covers, competes with Cartisan, Pitstopand Gobumpr, which offer similar services.https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/aftermarket/automovil-plans-to-raise-6-million-to-fund-pan-india-expansion/63621888 

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Emissions / Environment

Finance & Insurance

Oil, Lubricants & Alternative Fuels

Crude oil gains on surprise drawdown in US crude inventoriesReuters See this story in: The Hindu Business Line Tokyo: Oil prices rose on Thursday, holding onto a late-session rally the previous day, buoyed by the US government data showinga surprise drawdown in crude stockpiles. US West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery was up 19 cents, or 0.3 per cent, at $63.56 a barrel by 0140 GMT after settlingdown 14 cents. Front-month London Brent crude for June delivery was up 20 cents, or 0.3 per cent, at $68.22, having ended down10 cents. Before the rebound late on Wednesday, after the release of the Energy Information Administration (EIA) inventory data, WTI andBrent had hit two-week lows after China proposed a broad range of tariffs on US exports, feeding fears of a trade war. US crudeinventories fell by 4.6 million barrels last week, compared with analysts' expectations for an increase of 2,6,000 barrels, EIA datashowed on Wednesday. Gasoline stocks fell by 1.1 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations for a 1.3 million barrels drop. Distillate stockpiles,which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 5,7,000 barrels, versus expectations for a 1.1 million barrels drop. Oil has also received support from a turnaround in the US stock market and a Reuters survey showing OPEC oil output fell in Marchto an 11-month low due to declining Angolan exports, Libyan outages and a further slide in Venezuelan output. ShanghaiSeptember crude futures were untraded due to a public holiday in China, after falling 0.8 per cent on Wednesday. Shanghai tradingwill resume on Monday. 

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/commodities/crude-oil-gains-on-surprise-drawdown-in-us-crude-inventories/article23440262.ece 

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News Magazines

Audi RS5 India launch on April 11Autocar India Audi is all set to launch the second generation of its RS5 sports coupé in India on April 11, 2018. The RS5 is the high-performanceversion of the Audi A5 coupé and also debuts the coupé body style of the latest-gen A5 in India. At present, the A5 line-up in Indiaincludes Sportback and convertible models. Under the RS5’s hood is a new 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6 petrol motor. The engine is a drastic departure in spec to the last-genRS5’s 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V8. The new RS5’s engine may be smaller in displacement but it packs a solidpunch with peak power at 450hp and max torque at 600Nm (up 170Nm). Audi claims a 0-100kph time of 3.9sec for the new RS5,which is half a second faster than the old car. The sports coupé also boasts a limited top speed of 250kph in standard form; itremains to be seen if Audi India will offer the optional RS Dynamic package that ups the figure to 280kph. The said package alsoincludes lightweight components, like a carbon-fibre roof, to bring the weight down by 60kg. A sport exhaust system is also on offer. As expected, power is channelled to all four wheels via Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed gearbox. The new RS5 features Audi Sport’s aggressive styling cues. 19-inch wheels will be standard, while 20-inchers are expectedto be offered as an option. On the inside, there will be enough RS-spec elements to tell you this is a performance car. Sport seats, aflat-bottomed steering wheel, Alcantara leather upholstery, sport pedals and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit digital instrument systemwith RS highlights are the few elements that will distinguish the RS5 from the standard A5 models. Once launched, the RS5 will rival the BMW M4 that costs Rs 1.33 crore (ex-showroom).www.autocarindia.com/car-news/audi-rs5-india-launch-on-april-11-407948 

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In conversation with Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land RoverAutocar India On the sidelines of the Geneva motor show, Speth talks about the future of diesel, on profitability and opportunities in JLR’sproduct portfolio. On the future of diesel enginesI am convinced that, for us, diesel will play a role in the future. A few automakers have said they are stepping out of dieselcompletely. It would be a pity if this impacts the development of diesel. Although hybrid and electric vehicles will play a veryimportant role in the future, no one can make the transition over a weekend. We also have seen that modern, high-tech engines,internal combustion engines are a good choice. It is predicted that by 2025-2030, around 20-30 percent of vehicles will beelectrified. That sounds like a lot, but it also means 60-70 percent vehicles will continue to use an internal combustion engine. So,the internal combustion engine will have a big role to play in modern mobility. If you look at modern high- tech engines, diesel hasseveral advantages; it’s better from a fuel consumption point of view, the CO2 emissions are 20 to 30 percent lower, andthere is a solution to reducing the NOx with modern technology. With Adblue, NOx is not the big issue anymore. So, facts andfigures should be put on the table and governments, environmental groups, journalists, and automakers should sit around the tableand create the right platform for future mobility. On the impact on profitability due to investment in internal combustion engines and electric carsDeveloping internal combustion engines as well as electrics is a challenge. Apart from the fully electric i-Pace and the hybrid RangeRover and Range Rover Sport, we also have to refine the conventional internal combustion engines, which stretches anorganisation unbelievably, and margins will be impacted. Because, at the end of the day, let’s say you have a certain periodof time until everything is settled, to understand the costs coming out of the infrastructure, and the kind of connectors required toset-up charging. That means you have to prepare for everything because everybody expects the car to have everything. It’sa question of manpower, of skills, but also quite clearly, at the end of the day, of money. On strategy for investment and expansion this yearIn the current financial year, we are going to spend 4.3 billion pounds. It’s quite clear, the investment is high as we arecommitted to spend over proportionally, because we are still in a catch-up mode since other carmakers have developed a criticalmass of volume and they have more facilities. We sold around 6,00,000 vehicles last year, while otherssold millions of cars.They’ve had 20-30 years to achieve this level and therefore we cannot catch up so soon. We are going to start a new plantin Slovakia which will go on stream this year, we have expanded a little in India, and we have expanded in China and SouthAmerica. On addressing gaps in the model portfolio

Overall, there are white spaces wherever you look, not just in the lower segments but also in the segments we are currentlyoperating in. Take for instance the 3-series segment. We have one car, the XE, while BMW has the 3-series, 4-series with a coupé,convertible, sport brake and a GT version. So the key question is, do you expand the current segment you are in and offer thecustomer another alternative? Or do you step down and then attract completely new customers? So we have a lot of opportunitiesand we are evaluating them. On the growth of the joint venture in ChinaIn China, the JV is a very good development, it was absolutely the right decision to go there and absolutely right decision at the endof the day to produce there. We are delivering not just the Evoque or the Discovery Sport for China, we also have developed an XELWB and an XF LWB – fantastic vehicles which also improve the image and expand the product portfolio of Jaguar in China.So it’s a very interesting market, GDP growth is stabilised, car market – especially the premium car market – isoverproportionate to the normal market, so we are in a good position there.www.autocarindia.com/car-news/in-conversation-with-ralf-speth-ceo-jaguar-land-rover-407947 

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Top 10 fuel-efficient petrol cars in IndiaAutocar India Buying a petrol car over a diesel one in India has its advantages – mainly the lower initial cost and comparatively betterlevels of refinement and NVH. With prices of diesel slowly achieving parity with petrol and the various recent international dieselemission scandals, the Indian industry is seeing a gradual shift towards petrol engine cars. Still, fuel efficiency is one of the most important factors an Indian consumer takes into account when buying a car. Hence,here’s our list of the 10 most fuel-efficient petrol cars on sale in India today. Though the figures quoted ahead are ARAI certified, they do not reflect real-world efficiency figures as those tests are conducted inthe lab under ideal conditions. We have also added fuel efficiency figures from our road tests and long term reviews to give you anidea of the figures you can expect in the real world.  1. Datsun RedigoARAI Certified: 25.17kplAutocar test (overall): 17.88kplDatsun’s Redigo, when powered by the 54hp, 0.8-litre engine, shares the top spot with the identically equipped RenaultKwid. The brand has also introduced a 68hp, 1.0-litre model (ARAI fuel efficiency of 22.5kpl) of the tall boy hatchback. While theRedigo isn’t the most well-equipped or most spacious car, with prices starting at Rs 2.81 lakh (on-road, Delhi), the frugalengine and its styling, the Redigo is a decent buy. The automated manual version of the Redigo 1.0 has recently been introducedrecently at Rs 3.81 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and it has the same fuel efficiency as its manual counterpart. 2. Renault KwidARAI Certified: 28.4kplAutocar test (overall): 18.4kplThe rugged-looking Renault hatchback shares the 0.8-litre engine with the Redigo, and the same ARAI-rated fuel-efficiency figure.Slightly more premium and spacious interiors, along with a touchscreen infotainment system on the top-spec trim, are a few of thereasons to go for the Kwid, whose prices start at Rs 2.67 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). A 1.0-litre version and an AMT variant are alsoavailable, along with a more rugged-looking Climber version. 3. Maruti Alto 800ARAI Certified: 24.7kplAutocar test (overall): 22.25kplThere’s a good reason why the Alto 800 is one of India’s most popular small cars – its staring price of Rs 2.51lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), its fuel efficiency and Maruti’s extensive service network. The 48hp, 796cc motor helps thelightweight car post the third-best fuel efficiency figure on this list. 4. Maruti Alto K10ARAI Certified: 24.07kplAutocar test (overall): 15.5kplIt is a better-looking and more upmarket version of the Alto 800 and comes with a peppy, 68hp, 1.0-litre engine. It’s a greatchoice as an urban runabout, with a price tag starting at Rs 3.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It also comes with an automatic variantthat is claimed to be just as fuel efficient as the manual. 5. Tata TiagoARAI Certified: 23.84kplAutocar test (city): 10.5kplPriced from Rs 3.26 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Tiago is a good-looking hatchback that features a stylish, yet practical interiorand decent levels of equipment. Its size and features put it in a segment that's slightly above the other cars, but the 85hp, 1.2-litreengine is a bit lacklustre in terms of performance. An AMT version is also on offer. A performance version and an all-electric versionof the hatchback were showcased recently at Auto Expo 2018.  6. Tata Nano GenXARAI Certified: 23.6kplAutocar test (overall): 17.85kpl

While the Nano GenX is a marked improvement over the original Nano, the package is let down by its image, poor ride quality andlack of luggage space. However, it is the most affordable car in India with prices starting at Rs 2.28 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).Along with the price tag, the efficient 38hp, 624cc engine, interior space and manoeuvrability in tight spaces are a few of thereasons to buy one. 7. Maruti Suzuki CelerioARAI certified: 23.1kplAutocar test (overall): NAMaruti brought out a minor facelift for its Celerio recently, priced from Rs 4.20 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi); though not much hadchanged. Besides a claim that the hatchback has been upgraded to meet upcoming Indian safety norms in terms of pedestrian,offset and side impact regulations, the model is more or less the same, with Maruti having missed the opportunity to equip it with atouchscreen infotainment system. The 68hp, 1.0-litre three-cylinder motor is shared with the Alto K10 and an AMT transmission isalso an option. 8. Maruti Suzuki DzireARAI Certified: 22kplAutocar test (overall): 15.96kplThe new Dzire pairs Maruti’s frugal 83hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine to a lightweight body, making it the most fuel-efficient petrolsedan (albeit a compact one) on sale in India. The Dzire is the largest-selling compact sedan for a great many reasons, which is notjust limited to its peppy performance, fuel efficiency, cabin room and equipment. With a competitive starting price of Rs 5.56 lakh(ex-showroom, Delhi), it is no wonder it won our big, compact sedan comparison shootout.   9. Maruti Suzuki BalenoARAI Certified: 21.4kplAutocar test (overall): 15.77kplWhile Maruti may have positioned the Baleno as a premium offering, with prices starting at Rs 5.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), itfeatures all the things that Maruti cars are known for, from the 84hp, 1.2-litre engine to the lightweight platform and body. A decentlylong equipment list, strong performance and a nice cabin are a few of the highlights. Incidentally, the Baleno RS with the 102hp,1.0-litre engine has an ARAI-certified fuel efficiency figure of 21.1kpl. 10. Hyundai Eon (0.8-litre)ARAI Certified: 21.1kplAutocar test (overall): 15.4kplHyundai’s Eon may not be the freshest car in the market, but the 56hp, 814cc motor is still one of the most fuel-efficient onesavailable. The engine’s downside is its lacklustre performance. Higher variants of this hatchback are very decently equippedbut are a bit too expensive compared to rivals. Prices start at Rs 3.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). For reference, the 69hp, 1.0-litreengine gets a rating of 20.3kpl.www.autocarindia.com/car-news/top-10-fuel-efficient-petrol-cars-in-india-401947 

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New Honda Amaze India launch next monthAutocar India Honda is all set to introduce the second-generation Amaze in the Indian market, next month. Honda dealers are expected to startaccepting bookings for the new Amaze from April 6, 2018. Booking amount has been set at Rs 21,000. Customers can expectdeliveries by the end of May 2018. The new Honda Amaze was globally unveiled earlier this year, at the 2018 Auto Expo. Mechanically, the car is likely to continuewith the 88hp, 1.2-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre, 100hp diesel engine options. Amaze's petrol variant will come with a five-speedmanual gearbox with optional CVT; and the diesel will also, for the first time, get an optional CVT gearbox. The new Honda Amaze gets a more prominent nose with styling bits inspired by the larger City sedan. However, the compactsedan’s rear styling is neatly done, which gives it an overall balanced look. Higher variants of the sedan are expected tocome with ten-spoke alloy wheels. On the inside, the dual-tone interior theme will continue, just like the outgoing model. A prominent touchscreen infotainment systemtakes centre stage, on the dashboard. Honda has packaged the interior so as to cleverly allow more legroom for the new sedan. As far as pricing goes, expect the new Amaze to be priced slightly higher than the outgoing model. The compact sedan will take onthe likes of the popular Maruti Dzire, Ford Aspire, Volkswagen Ameo and Tata Tigor sedans.www.autocarindia.com/car-news/new-honda-amaze-india-launch-next-month-407944 

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International News

GM to stop production of Chevrolet Sonic subcompact car

ReutersSee this story in: The Economic Times General Motors Co will stop production of its subcompact Chevrolet Sonic by as early as this year, the Wall Street Journal reported. GM is also considering discontinuing Chevrolet Impala in the next few years, while Ford Motor Co will stop making the Fiesta smallcar for the US market by as early as next year, the Journal reported. The move comes at a time when US consumers are increasingly shunning passenger cars in favor of more comfortable SUVs andpickup trucks.https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/passenger-vehicle/cars/gm-to-stop-production-of-chevrolet-sonic-subcompact-car/63623778

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Peugeot to decide on future of UK Vauxhall car plant in 2020: CEOReutersSee this story in: The Economic Times England: Peugeot-maker PSA will decide in 2020 whether to keep its British Vauxhall car plant open with new investment as itimproves efficiency and awaits the outcome of Brexit talks, the French automaker's boss said on Wednesday. PSA bought General Motors' loss-making European arm last year, which includes both Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall,and is trying to return it to profitability, cutting a third of the workforce at its British car plant. On Wednesday, the firm unveiled new investment to boost van production by around two-thirds at its other British manufacturingsite in the southern English town of Luton. Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said whilst PSA had to decide now on boosting van output, it could wait until 2020 to make adecision regarding car production at Ellesmere Port, where he said the current run of Astra models ends as late as 2023. "Product allocations need to be done reasonably three years ahead of the launch which means 2023 minus three equals 2020," hesaid.  "2020 is a perfect meeting point for what is the result that we have achieved in terms of manufacturing competitiveness in terms ofquality and cost.... and from the other side, what the UK is going to provide is what's the final outcome of Brexit." The head of Britain's biggest trade union, Unite, told Reuters he thought the firm could make a decision on putting in a new vehicleplatform into Ellesmere Port sooner than 2020. "We'd be expecting a lot earlier than that ... hopefully this year," Len McCluskey said.https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/passenger-vehicle/cars/peugeot-to-decide-on-future-of-uk-vauxhall-car-plant-in-2020-ceo/63623934 

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For Tesla, 'Production Hell' looks like the reality of the car business NYTSee this story in: The Economic Times

Tesla began producing electric cars at its plant in Fremont, California, six years ago, starting with small quantities and ramping up toabout 100,000 vehicles last year. Now, as it tries to double or triple that number, the company and its chief executive, Elon Musk,are getting a lesson in how hard it is to mass-produce automobiles. On Tuesday, Tesla reported that it had managed to increase production of a crucial new model in the first quarter of 2018, althoughit remained well short of the company’s already lowered target. At the same time, it encountered a new hitch — a dropin sales of its two established products, the Model S sedan and Model X sport-utility vehicle. The company is counting on the success of the new offering, the Model 3, to increase revenue and help pare its losses as Teslainvests heavily in the vehicles it hopes to offer in the future. But a series of setbacks have left Tesla far behind schedule in turning out the Model 3 — for which nearly 400,000prospective buyers have already put down $1,000 deposits — and it is taking some extraordinary measures to turn thingsaround. Musk said on Twitter this week that he had been sleeping at the plant, and the company said some workers who normallyassemble the Model S and Model X were shifted to Model 3 production. The troubles reflect a reality overlooked by many people outside the auto industry: producing a quarter of a million cars a year inone plant is a daunting task. 

“You have to have a finished car rolling off the line every couple of minutes,” said Mark Wakefield, global co-head ofautomotive and industrial at AlixPartners, a consulting firm. “And each one has maybe 5,000 parts that come from differentsuppliers and have to arrive just in time, and each car is available in a couple of thousand build combinations with different colorsand features. And all this has to happen at a competitive cost. There’s a lot that can trip you up.” Even as he introduced the Model 3 at an event last summer, Musk warned that the company would find itself in “productionhell” — and as those words proved prescient, he has had to repeatedly dial back his forecasts for how many Teslacould churn out. Musk once envisioned producing as many as 500,000 cars this year, and last summer he was hoping to be able to make 20,000Model 3s a month by December. More recently, Tesla had aimed to produce at least 2,500 Model 3s per week by the end of the firstquarter. But that is more than it managed in the entire fourth quarter, and it has produced fewer than 10,000 in the first quarter, the companysaid Tuesday. There have been signs of momentum, however. In the past seven days, Tesla said, it had produced 2,020 Model 3s, a rate it said itexpected to sustain in the coming week. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tesla said it expected its output to “climb rapidly” throughthe second quarter and reach 5,000 per week in about three months. It added that it was “rapidly addressing production andsupply-chain bottlenecks, including several short factory shutdowns to upgrade equipment.” Tesla has closely guarded the details of its manufacturing system, but Musk has described it as highly automated. Ron Harbour, a partner and auto-manufacturing specialist at Oliver Wyman, a consulting firm, said that adding more automatedequipment tends to create a more complex production environment. “You have more new equipment to launch,there’s more programming, more maintenance,” he said. “More automation doesn’t necessarily make itmore efficient.” The highest-volume plants he’s seen, Harbour added, often have more assembly workers and fewer robots.“It’s a little counterintuitive, but that’s how it is,” he said. With a starting price of $35,000, the Model 3 is more affordable than Tesla’s other models and a crucial part of its ambitionsto become a mass-market automaker — as well as to stabilize its finances and turn a profit. But Wakefield noted that working out bottlenecks and hitches in auto production often is not as straightforward as it could appear.For example, modifying one part to make it fit better or stronger can require other parts to be modified, or can alter the car’sdriving characteristics. “If you make a change to solve one problem, you can create five other problems,” he said. “People think youjust find a problem and solve it, but it’s not like that. There are literally millions of problems that come up and requirethousands of engineers, working in teams, either at the car company or the suppliers, to deal with.” While Tesla scrambled to work out the kinks in making the Model 3 in the first quarter, deliveries of the Model S and Model Xdeclined by 23 percent from the previous quarter — to 21,800 — even as the company reported “the mostproductive quarter in Tesla history.” Tesla said it had been hurt by a shortage of battery packs for its cars, made at the plant it calls the Gigafactory, near Reno, Nevada. Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst at Autotrader.com, said the decline in deliveries of the Model S and Model X might suggest that theallure of Tesla vehicles has somewhat faded. Electric cars make up fewer than 1 percent of all vehicles sold in the United States. “You just wonder if there’s enough growth in electric vehicles,” she said. “At first everybody who wanteda Tesla and could afford a Tesla hopped on. But it’s not the newest thing anymore.” In its statement on Tuesday, the company said that “demand remains strong” for the Model S and Model X. But asustained slump in sales of those vehicles could complicate Tesla’s efforts to trim the losses it has been reporting everythree months — including a net loss of $771 million in the fourth quarter. Even aside from its production struggles with the Model 3, the company has been hit by a barrage of negative news in recentweeks. Concern has grown over the safety of Autopilot, its driver-assistance system, after a fatal crash on March 23 that occurred while thesystem was engaged. It was at least the third fatal crash that has taken place while a driver was using Autopilot. On Friday, Tesla said the driver had not heeded several visual and audible warnings to put his hands on the steering wheel beforehis Model X hit a concrete barrier. Neither the driver nor the car appeared to activate the brakes before impact. Also last week, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Tesla’s credit rating and said the company risked runningshort of cash by the end of the year. The company said Tuesday that it saw no need to take special measures this year to raise cash. Its shares closed up 6 percent onTuesday after the regulatory filing, but they have still shed 23 percent of their value in barely three weeks.https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/passenger-vehicle/cars/for-tesla-production-hell-looks-like-the-reality-of-the-car-business/63622881

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Economy

Rupee strengthens to 64.97PTISee this story in: The Hindu Business Line Mumbai: The rupee strengthened to 64.97 as the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee decision of keeping the repo rate unchanged at6.0 per cent was on expected lines. The rupee sentiment was buoyed as the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee has lowered its inflation projections for the coming fiscal.  The domestic unit opened strong by 13 paise to 65.02 against the dollar at the interbank foreign exchange market today. It hoveredin a range of 65.13 and 64.94, before ending at 64.97, up 18 paise. Yesterday, the rupee fell 14 paise to end at 65.15 against the US dollar. The S&P BSE Sensex ended higher by nearly 580 pointsand the Nifty50 closed above the 10,300 level on brisk short-covering after RBI's policy decision. In the overseas market, the dollar rose to a two-week high against a basket of major currencies after a late recovery by US equitieshelped the currency recover as investors reassessed the danger a trade war between the China and the United States.https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/markets/forex/rupee-strengthens-by-15-paise-to-65/article23440696.ece 

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