New Maruti Suzuki Ciaz retail will be through NEXA dealerships

According to reports, the upcoming facelift of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz that will be launched in March 2017 is going to be retailed through NEXA dealerships. The new Ciaz will feature design upgrades and the mechanical bitsof the car will stay the same.

The current Ciaz is offered with a 1.3-litre diesel engine that puts out at 89bhp and 200Nm of torque. A petrol variant is also available which has a 1.4-litre engine, that churns out 91bhp and 130Nm of torque. Both the engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, while the petrol variant is also offered with a 4-speed auto.

The SHVS tech that is present on the diesel variant of the Ciaz is expected to carry through to the new model. Although, Maruti could offer the petrol variant also with a SHVS system in the new car.

Maruti Suzuki is going to be launching two more NEXA cars in the coming months, namely the Baleno RS and the Ignis.

Kwid is the result of an International design competition

Kwid had to be stylish, roomy and offer great fuel economy. The endeavour was to make our customer's life easier with a robust, innovatively designed car.

Its body and chassis were tested in Japan, body equipment was evaluated in Korea and endurance tests were carried out in France, while India was the backdrop for the overall assembly testing.

Indian suppliers contributed 98 per cent and high localisation helped us offer extremely low cost of ownership - 17 per cent lesser than competition.

Kwid was the result of an international design competition, aimed at creating an A-segment car for international markets. The Renault India design centre worked on the project with an SUV theme since its conceptualisation.

Our designers spent considerable time in India to deeply understand the market, customers and create a mixture of traditional techniques and culture, clubbed with modern technology.

It borrows the Duster DNA with simple lines, wheels stretching at the outer edges of the body, high ground clearance, wing extenders and versatility in use.

Dio visual upgrades

Dio is the original 'moto-scooter' designed for the trend-setting youth which merges the aggressive looks of motorcycle with convenience of scooter.

Celebrating Dio's entry into the exclusive million Customers club, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd (HMSI) announced the introduction of refreshing new Matt Axis Grey colour of Dio with a premium 3D emblem.

Noteworthy that Dio is not only delighting young customers of India, but also enjoys global acceptance.Dio is today the No.1 export model of Honda 2Wheelers India; and is exported to Latin America (Colombia), South America (Mexico) and neighboring nations (Sri Lanka and Nepal) with an aggressive plan for future.

The new Matt Axis grey colour with value addition of the premium 3D emblem without any additional cost makes it a compelling proposition to own one."

Providing an irresistible package of style and substance, the latest style upgrade comes at no additional cost.

The Dio is powered by the Honda's engine technology - Honda Eco Technology (resulting in superior mileage). Besides the new Matte Axis Grey colour, the Dio is also available in 4 existing exotic colours - Jazzy Blue Metallic, Candy Palm Green, Sports Red and Black.

Ford to close all operations in Japan and Indonesia

Ford Motor Co said from this year it will close all operations in Japan and Indonesia as it sees "no reasonable path to profitability" in the two countries.

Ford will exit all areas of business, including shuttering dealerships and stopping sales and imports of Ford and Lincoln vehicles, according to an email from Asia Pacific President Dave Schoch to all employees in the region. Product development carried out in Japan will be shifted elsewhere.

"Unfortunately, this also means that our team members based in Japan and Indonesia will no longer work for Ford Japan or Ford Indonesia following the closures," Schoch wrote. A Ford spokeswoman earlier confirmed that an email regarding the decision was sent to employees.

The automaker employs 292 workers in Japan, while it has a staff of 35 in Indonesia and 44 dealerships there, according to Shanghai-based Ford spokeswoman Karen Hampton.

Samsung launches J3 for bike riders in India

Samsung India Electronics announced the launch of the Samsung Galaxy J3 featuring the S bike mode, an industry-first dedicated feature for two-wheeler riders that is designed to enable responsible and tension free riding.

Once activated at the beginning of a ride, any caller trying to reach the Samsung Galaxy J3 user will be notified through an automated answering machine that the user is riding and cannot take calls so that the ride remains uninterrupted.

S bike mode was developed and built into the Galaxy J3 following extensive market research aimed to create innovations that are really meaningful and useful to people.

All the user needs to do is to switch on the S bike mode of Galaxy J3 before setting off on the ride, and the smart phone will automatically inform the caller that the user is currently riding a bike and is unable to take the call. The caller may choose to press 1 to express urgency to talk with the biker for which the biker will have to bring his bike to a halt in order to take the call.

"Samsung is constantly in the pursuit of meaningful innovations that make people's lives better. S bike mode is a result of that vision.

Android Auto comes to India

Android Auto, an infotainment platform that allows you to connect your Android smartphone to your car, has been launched in India. Developed by Google, Android Auto was introduced in 18 new countries of which India is one. This takes the total tally of countries where Android Auto has already been launched to 29.

Android Auto was launched alongside an update to the platform. The new update features an improved connection reliability between your smartphone and the car and an extensive  ability to browse the music on your phone.

Now that Android Auto is present in the country, it will be interesting to watch what carmakers go for it. Indian manufacturers like Mahindra & Mahindra already have plans to start incorporating Android Auto in their premium products like the XUV500. The Scorpio could also be part of M&M's plan to incorporate Android Auto in their cars.

With Android Auto present in 29 countries, car manufacturers will also become more receptive to bringing out cars fitted with Android Auto and its competitor, the Apple CarPlay.

Renault-Nissan to increase production at Chennai plant to meet increasing demands

Renault-Nissan alliance on Tuesday announced that they would hike the output of its Chennai plant by introducing a third shift to meet current demands and also prepare for their upcoming cars in the country.

"From this week, the plant will operate a new night shift on one of its two production lines, which will effectively increase overall annual capacity," Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd (RNAIPL) said in a statement.

Currently, the Chennai plant has a capacity to about 4.8 lakh units per year at full and it will also continue to produce the export demand around the world like Nissan Sunny and Nissan Micra.

The company feels this will help to produce more vehicles so as to meet the growing demand for their recently launched Renault Kwid and also in order to prepare for Datsun's upcoming model in the next few months.

Till date a total of 12 all-new Nissan, Renault and Datsun models have been introduced to its two production lines catering for both domestic and international markets.

The facility crossed the one million unit production milestone in January this year with over 6 lakh units exported to 106 countries.

Tata Motors global sales rise 16 per cent in January

Tata Motors reported 16 per cent increase in its global sales, including that of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) vehicles, at 93,355 units in January.

The company had sold 80,499 units in January 2015, Tata Motors said in a statement.

In the passenger vehicles category, global sales stood at 56,616 units last month as against 49,821 units in January 2015, up 14 per cent.

Sales of luxury brand Jaguar Land Rover rose 25 per cent to 45,535 units last month as compared to 36,527 units in January 2015.

The company's sales of commercial vehicles in January was up 20 per cent to 36,739 units from 30,678 units a year ago.

India's first Indian Truck Driver Race

Tata Motors on Wednesday announced Season III of the T1 Prima  Truck Racing Championship 2016, scheduled to be held on March 20, 2016, at India's globally renowned F1 race track - the Buddh International Circuit (BIC), Greater Noida.

In keeping with its commitment of making trucking aspirational for Indian drivers and bringing them to truck racing, Season III of T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship will also feature an Indian truck drivers race for the first time.

Like in the earlier seasons, the championship will continue to host experienced international drivers representing six teams, featuring 12 Tata Prima race trucks built for the purpose 

Indian Truck Drivers will be selected from a pool of truck drivers who are employed with Tata Motors key customers all over the country. In all, Tata Motors will have 12 Indian truck drivers selected to race at the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship 2016.

Ashok Leyland begins regular operations at Ennore plant

Hinduja group flagship Ashok Leyland has resumed regular operations at its Ennore manufacturing plant near Chennai after production activity was halted at the facility due to heavy rains.

The company has started its regular operations from Monday onwards, Ashok Leyland said in a filing to the BSE.

"The company will be able to assess the insurance losses in due course, upon assessment done by the insurance company," it added.

Various other automobile firms, including, JK Tyres, Royal Enfield, Hyundai, Ford, Renault and had also suspended operations at their respective plants in and around Chennai due to flooding caused by the heaviest rainfall in the city in over a century.

Ashok Leyland shares today ended at Rs 90.10 apiece on the BSE, down 0.28 per cent from previous close.

I lose sleep over competition, says Uber CEO.

Competition and the drive to serve customers better gives sleepless nights to Travis Kalanick, co-founder and chief of one of the world's most valuable start-ups, Uber.

The young billionaire is also impressed by the innovation and creativity coming from the Indian start-up ecosystem.

"I lose sleep because of competition but that sleep I lose is similar to what the Honourable Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) was talking about. That sleep I lose is about how to serve people and cities better. So I like that it is hard, I like the challenge and we feel pretty good about how we are doing so far," Kalanick told PTI on the sidelines of the 'Start Up India' event here.

India is one of the largest markets for Uber globally. Last year, the US-based firm had announced that it will invest USD 1 billion in the country to improve operations, expand into newer cities and develop new products.

Apple, Google making progress on car, says Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche

Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche told German weekly Welt am Sonntag that a recent trip to Silicon Valley revealed that Apple and Google have made more progress on automotive projects than he had assumed

Several carmakers and silicon valley companies are working on developing a self-driving car. Google tested its own prototype vehicle in 2012, to which Daimler's luxury brand Mercedes-Benz responded by developing an S-Class limousine which drove 103 kilometers without needing any driver input.

Rumors have swirled that rival Apple is also working on a car, although the company has never confirmed this.

"Our impression was that these companies can do more and know more than we had previously assumed. At the same time they have more respect for our achievements than we thought," Zetsche told the paper.

Zetsche and a handful of senior managers met with around 70 companies in Silicon Valley, the paper said, without naming them.

"There were concrete talks. I will not say anything about the content. It was not just about the fact that there is an innovative spirit in the Valley. We know that already. We wanted to see what drives it, and all the things that can be created from it," Zetsche told the paper, explaining that they had also looked at start-up firms.

Maruti Suzuki expecting 15 per cent of total sales to come from Nexa by 2020

Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India is banking on its premium retail chain Nexa to account for 15 per cent of the total sales by 2020 when the company aims to sell 20 lakh units a year.

The car market leader plans to have around 400 Nexa dealerships in the next five years from 150 such outlets it expects to have by the end of this fiscal.

"By 2020, we plan to have around 400 Nexa outlets and by that time we expect these dealerships to account for 15 per cent of the total sales," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Executive Director (Marketing & Sales) R S Kalsi told reporters here.

The company currently has 100 outlets, which accounted for 10 per cent of the auto major's total sales in last six months, he added.

Going ahead, the firm expects Nexa outlets to account for 15 per cent of total sales, which is around 3 lakh unit sales by 2020.

MSI started Nexa outlets last year and currently sells two models -- premium crossover S-Cross and hatchback Baleno -- through these outlets.

The company aims to end the current fiscal with 150 such dealerships.

It is, however, understood that the company will sell its upcoming compact SUV Vitara Brezza from its traditional outlets and not from premium Nexa dealerships.

The company also plans to have around 2,500 traditional dealerships by 2020. It currently has around 1,700 such outlets

Zoomcar launches doorstep delivery services

Zoomcar, a self-drive car renting company, today launched doorstep services for its customers across in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Besides, customers of Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Chandigarh would also get a car for use delivered by company's officials and members of the corporate team, Zoomcar said in a statement.

With the launch of home delivery services, the customers can now get a car delivered and picked-up by Zoomcar executives at a location of their choice, be it office, home or any other place, it said.

The decision comes after the launch of Zoomcar services in Chandigarh last month.

Speaking on the occasion, Greg Moran, Co-founder and CEO, Zoomcar said, "We are constantly upgrading our services to enhance customer comfort and convenience and to leave them with a memorable experience of self-drive time and again."

The Bengaluru-headquartered company rents out cars for an hour, day, week, or month.

At present, its services are available in Delhi and NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Bengaluru,.

Its vehicle catalogue offers a wide and extensive variety of cars for self-driving in India, ranging from hatchbacks to SUVs to luxury sedans. The company's fleet is currently clocking over 2200 cars, it added.

Volkswagen CEO says 6.7 billion euro provisions enough to cover repairs

Volkswagen does not expect additional costs from fixing US cars capable of cheating diesel emissions tests, Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said on Monday.

"We have prepared 6.7 billion euros ($7.28 billion) for the repair process of all the cars globally. We suppose that that should be enough," Mueller said in an interview with Reuters TV at the Detroit auto show.

Mueller had said on Sunday that VW would propose to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a new catalytic converter system that VW says could be fitted to about 430,000 rigged US cars.

Uber marks one billionth ride

Since it was launched in 2010, the car service start up Uber has reached the one billionth ride.

Uber expands services to four more cities

According to TechCrunch, Uber confirmed that it has booked one billion rides since 2010. In order to celebrate its billionth ride, the company said the lucky rider has been gifted free Uber service for a year.

By end of 2014, the company confirmed that it was making a million trips a day in 66 countries.

Now book Uber cabs via Facebook Messenger

The service of American international transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco, California is available in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide.