Car industry in India – fastest growing sector in the world

The Car industry in India has seen a tremendous growth and seems to be the fastest growing sector in the world. This sector has responded with an exponential progress in the number of new models launched in the last few months. The craze for cars amongst people is growing day-by-day. Hence, all the car manufacturers are giving tough competition to each other by opting innovative and unique ideas to capture the market.

India is presently ranked 17th amongst auto car manufacturing countries in the world. Keeping in pace with the ever growing demand for cars, the production of cars has also been high, off late; thanks to a huge export potential and favorable Government policy. Multinational companies have been eyeing at India to set up their manufacturing facilities. According to auto experts and analysts, India is poised to become third largest auto car manufacturing hub in the world by 2020./p>

One of the factors that have characterized the impressive growth of Indian automobile market has been the dramatic and positive changes that have earmarked the Indian car landscape. From old Ambys to a range, color and design of Marutis, Opels, Tatas, Hyundais and Toyotas, the Indian car market is surely something to watch on.

The Indian car market basically thrives on volume, the fact that the market leader Maruti Udyog basically is a small car manufacturer is a testament to this fact. But, slowly the Indian car market is growing with cars such as the honda city, Toyota corolla; international products finding favor with the Indian consumer. Also, products such as the ford fiesta and the new Chevrolet Aveo that have been specifically developed for the Indian market show how important India is today on the world market.

Every car in India is today either custom made for the Indian market or is a niche car, which buyers from all over the world crave. Technologies such as CRDi, ABS, ESP, climate control, adaptive dampers, ride control and so on are making their presence felt in the market today. The average car buyer is now pampered with the latest launches from all over the world and is able to lay his hands on the state of the art cars at rather affordable prices.

In the multi utility vehicle segment, General Motor's Tavera is directly competing with Toyota Innova and Mahindra Scorpio. Tavera has been doing consistently well and has been delivering best in class mileage to its customers.

GM India is now foraying into the premium A-segment cars in India with the Chevrolet Captiva which is all set to hit the road later this year.

2008 Paris Auto Show: Hyundai Targets Ford Fiesta With New i20

Hyundai laid out its plans for the 2008 Paris Auto Show on Wednesday, including its centerpiece, the i20, which has such stalwarts as the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo and Opel Corsa in its crosshairs. The all-new i20, which will join the ranks of Europe's supermini segment, makes its world premiere on October 2 as the replacement for the Hyundai Getz.

Hyundai, while being stingy with details, noted that the five-door has a "longer wheelbase than the existing Getz and is both bigger inside and more dynamic in appearance." The new i20 was designed at Hyundai's European Design Center in Russelsheim, Germany. Exterior cues include a chrome-topped grille and teardrop-shaped headlights.

"The i20 was designed and engineered to meet European tastes and needs," said Kun Hee Ahn, Hyundai Motor Europe president, in a statement. "It was built on an entirely new platform, and much of the ride and handling development took place on European roads."

There are no plans to bring the i20 to the U.S. at the moment.

Hyundai also said it will introduce a low-emissions i20 i-blue concept, which is based on the i20 production model, at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. The concept version gets Hyundai's new 1.4-liter CRDi diesel engine which delivers 88 horsepower and generates 162 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Hyundai said the concept returns the equivalent of 45 miles per gallon.

Hyundai said it will also show off the Santa Fe gasoline-electric hybrid concept at the Paris auto show. The Korean automaker said this concept has a "new hybrid drive system which mates the current 2.4-liter [gasoline] engine to a six-speed automatic transmission and a 30kW electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries." This concept returns the equivalent of 36 mpg.

Hyundai will also display its seven-passenger ix55 SUV at Paris. The ix55 is spun off the Hyundai Veracruz and is being shown in what is described as "production-ready form."