Nissan launches new facelifted Micra at a price of Rs 4.8 lakh to Rs 7.14 lakh

Nissan Motor Company has launched a facelifted version of its premium hatchback Micra at a very aggressive price of Rs 4.8 lakh to Rs 7.14 lakh ex-showroom New Delhi.

Along with the new Micra, the company has also introduced value pack base range called Active at Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.71 lakh with four variants, through this the number of variants are extended to 11.

Micra Active and New Micra were launched at a starting price of Rs. 3.50 lakh and Rs. 4.79 lakh (petrol) respectively.

NEW MICRA

The car maker also said it is planning to come out with a refreshed model of Evalia to stimulate demand for its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) segment.

The Japanese auto major had launched Evalia, its first MPV, in last October and it has sold only 1,567 units so far.

"We are in serious discussions...we are not too far (from a refreshed version)," Nissan India president and CEO Kenichiro Yomura told reporters in Mumbai.

He was responding to a question as to what Nissan is doing to revive the Evalia, which has seen low sales. To another question, Mr Yomura said approaching the fleet owners could also be one of the options to enhance volumes of the Evalia.

On the two Micra variants, he said the company has set sales target of 2,500 units a month for the new models. "Our total sales target for this fiscal is 1 lakh units," he said.

Nissan posted 11 per cent growth in sales at 36,975 units in FY13 with Evalia clocking just 1,396 units. Mr Yomura said the company is eyeing 10 per cent share by 2016 in India's fast-growing auto market and 10 models by then. As of June, the carmaker's market share stood at a negligible 1.5 per cent.

According to the company, Micra Active (petrol) is a spacious hatchback offering quality and functionality at a competitive price. It is based on the popular fourth generation city car with redesigned exteriors, refreshed premium interiors and gives a mileage of 19.49 kmpl.

Nissan launched Mirca in India in July 2010 and has since sold 43,000 units. Globally, the model is known as March and it has clocked sales of over 6.5 million.

"Micra is a significant model for Nissan in this market. We expect the new models to serve wider range of customers," Mr Yomura said.

India car sales soar 30 percent in 2010-11

Indian passenger car sales soared by 30 percent in the past year, the most in over a decade, but surging raw material costs will put the brakes on further growth, an industry body said Friday.

Car sales grew to 1.98 million units in the just-ended fiscal year to March 2011 from 1.53 million the previous year, spurred by cheap loans and new model launches, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.

"We have ended the year on a reasonably high note. We have reached a very strong base," SIAM president Pawan Goenka told reporters.

India is the second-fastest growing auto market in the world after China.

But Goenka said growth would slow to 16 or 18 percent this year due to rising commodity prices and costlier loans resulting from a tighter monetary policy aimed at curbing inflation.

The percentage gain in car sales in the year to March 2011 was the highest since 2000 when car sales soared 60 percent, SIAM said.

The sustained expansion of the Indian market in the face of saturated markets in the West has turned the country into a battleground for global vehicle manufacturers.

Ford, Renault-Nissan, General Motors and Volkswagen have all launched new models in India recently.

Sales of Japanese-controlled Maruti Suzuki, India's car market leader, jumped by 26.24 percent to 966,447 units last year from a year earlier, while sales of rival South Korea's Hyundai Motor increased by 13.95 percent to 358,904 units.

In March, passenger car sales in Asia's third-largest economy climbed by 24.37 percent to 194,199 units from the same month a year earlier, SIAM said.

Sales of commercial vehicles - seen as an important barometer of economic health - climbed by 15.35 percent to 77,688 units from a year ago, the auto group said.

Total sales of vehicles across categories grew by 19.42 percent in March to 1,465,909 units from the same month a year earlier.

Renault to Launch 5 Cars in India

French car maker Renault's Indian unit will launch five cars between mid-2011 and mid-2013, including small cars in 2012, its India head said on Thursday, to cater to brisk demand in one of the fastest growing automobile markets in the world.

Its small cars will be built on its alliance partner Nissan's platform, Country General Manager Marc Nassif said on the sidelines of an automobiles conference.

The cars produced at its manufacturing unit in Chennai, built jointly with its alliance partner Nissan, will be Renault-branded, Nassif said, adding that they would be competitively priced.

In 2011, the firm intends to introduce its premium vehicle Fluence and the cross-over Koleos.

Separately, Renault-Nissan is working with Indian two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto

Renault, which this year sold off its stake in a joint venture with utility vehicles and tractor maker Mahindra & Mahindra which made the Logan sedan, is all set to storm the compact car market in India on its own.

Nissan, which is 44 percent owned by Renault, has started selling its compact Micra cars since June.

The compact car segment in India, with cars measuring between 3.4 to 4 metres in length, is a rapidly expanding segment constituting more than 70 percent of the total car market.

Though top carmaker Maruti Suzuki still holds sway, global majors such as Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Volkswagen and Ford are eyeing this lucrative sector.

General Motors' Chevrolet Beat and Ford's Figo compact cars have already seen runaway sales so far this year.

Renault's global sourcing from India is expected to rise 40 percent to 50 percent in the current financial year, Nassif said.
to make a low-cost car, which would be designed by Bajaj and launched by end-2012.

Renault to invest in car engine facility in India

French auto maker Renault, still battling financial blues, is planning to set up an engine and transmission facility in India with Nissan, its partner. This new plant is expected to come up adjacent to the vehicle manufacturing complex of Renault-Nissan at Oragadam, near Chennai.

A powertrain plant will allow Renault to locally supply the engines and transmissions for the troubled Logan sedan to erstwhile partners Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) when the latter launches a new version of the car. This would drive down the cost of the Logan substantially and make it more competitive, as the engine and transmission unit accounts for 35-40 per cent of the total cost of the car.

M&M is presently forced to procure a variety of engines and transmission for the Logan directly from Renault’s manufacturing base in Romania and Spain, after paying hefty import charges. M&M imports the 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre diesel engines and the 1.5-litre petrol engine for the Logan. M&M on Thursday had announced a reduction of as much as Rs 80,000 on the Logan, although no engineering changes were to be made to the car. M&M last week bought Renault’s stake in the loss-making joint venture company, Mahindra Renault Private Ltd, taking full management control.

Rajesh Jejurikar, chief of operations, automotive division, M&M, said, “Renault has independent plans for making engines locally. We will source the engines for the Logan from them at later stages.”

When asked, a Renault spokesperson confirmed the move, stating, “Having an engine and transmission plant in India is a part of Renault’s long-term strategy. This plan was put on hold when the financial environment had deteriorated but now it has been revised. However, there is no final decision taken on the time line for the new facility.”

Although financial details of the engine plant has not been made public by either Renault or Nissan, typically an engine and transmission plant entail a minimum investment of anywhere between Rs 900-1200 crore, depending on the size of the plant.

This new plant will cater to Renault, Nissan and M&M when it comes onstream in the next few years. Although Nissan and Renault would largely make use of similar engines, both companies will have the liberty to tweak the engine power according to their requirements.

Both companies will also look to share vehicle platforms and technology to save on costs. The south India plant of the joint venture company has seen an investment of around Rs 4,500 crore and will have a total capacity of 400,000 units per year.

M&M, market leader in the utility vehicle segment, is planning to make multiple use of the platform on which the Logan sedan is based to make it more commercially viable. Though the Mumbai-based company lacks expertise in making cars (which includes design, engineering and total development of the vehicle from scratch), company executives say it is in talks with Renault for this.

Nissan may set up new plant for small car

Japan's Nissan Motors may set up a new plant in India to manufacture an entry-level car that it plans to roll out at the Rs 2.5 lakh price point through a joint venture. 

Kiminobu Tokuyama, MD and CEO of Nissan India, said the company expected "very large" volumes from the new car that would be pitched in the Maruti Alto category. Hinduja group company Ashok Leyland, Nissan's India partner for light commercial vehicles, is one of the companies the Japanese auto major is in talks for the JV. 

Tokuyama refused to identify the other companies Nissan was talking to and said "details are being worked on." 

Nissan has multiple partnerships in India and will launch the Micra compact from its Chennai factory in July. While it has partnered group company Renault for the manufacturing set-up at Chennai, it will sell cars in a marketing and distribution tie-up with Hover Automotive India. The company has also partnered Renault and Indian two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto for a ultra-low cost (ULC) car, while tieing up with Ashok Leyland for LCVs. 

The new entry-level car, that the company will position between its ULC and the Micra, will be yet another partnership for the company. Tokuyama said since the model would be in the heart of the Indian car market that accounts for the majority of sales, targeted volumes are likely to be substantial, thus requiring a new manufacturing facility. 

"A different manufacturing base for this is one of the alternatives," he said, indicating that the car may not be manufactured at its Chennai factory. "As we finalise our strategy for the entry-level car, we will work out the best options." Nissan-Renault's Chennai factory has annual capacity of 4 lakh unit that is expected to be used by both the companies equally for their products. Nissan plans to use the location for making the Micra compact; a new sedan that it plans to roll in by 2011; a multi-purpose vehicle; LCV and one more model. 

Hover is expanding the retail network as Nissan expands its portfolio. It has ten dealerships and hopes to expand this to 80 by 2013, by when it hopes to have a 9 models, including 4 imported.

Nissan Targeting Nano Customers

While we were writing about the Nissan small car that the company was planning to launch in India, Thailand, and China, little did we know that Nissan was in fact targeting the Nano. Nissan wants to break the vivid market, which the Tata Nano has managed to build.

We would not be surprised, this could be the dream of any car maker, such is the acceptance of Nano not only in India but throughout the world. Nano has been stealing the limelight for long now and Nissan wants to substitute itself with the little wonder, Nano. The new small car from Nissan will be launched in March 2010. But it is expected that, for the car to come to India, it will take another two months since its launch in March.

The new small car from Nissan is named V, where V stands for Versatility. And Nissan is expected to sell one million Vs by 2013.

There are other car makers whom we thought would launch cars so that they can compete with the customers' favorite Nano. But breaking our expectations, Fiat recently denied any plans of the company to launch ultra-cheap cars. Now we will all set out hopes on Nissan.

Thinking deep about what in Nano lures the customers, anyone would say, the price. And so Nissan also focuses on the pricing, which the company believes will win over the customers.

New models from Fiat coming soon

Just as the sales momentum picks up in Motown, international car majors like Volkswagen, Nissan and Fiat are re-energizing their small car plans in India.
After the small car launches from the Volkswagen and Nissan stable in 2010, Fiat will now come out with its own small car in 2011-12.

After tasting success with the Linea and the Punto, Italian auto major Fiat is busy working on a small car.
No, it’s not going to compete against the Nano but it will be positioned between the Nano and Grand Punto with a price tag of around Rs 4 lakh. The company is currently considering various engine options right from 900 cc to 1200 cc for the small car.

Silverio Bonfiglioli, COO of Fiat Group International, said, “One vehicle that you can sell is in the Rs 3-4.5 lakh category, one vehicle that is above the Nano and the 800 and that can compete with existing cars. I think there is a space for our company to have a car that has convenient price and value proposition."
For now, the focus is on launching powerful Linea's and Grande Puntos but the real volumes will kick in in 2011-12, once the small car below the Grande Punto hits the market. That's why the company is eyeing to sell 2,00,000 cars by 2012 with an aim of achieving 7-8 per cent market share.

But FIAT LCVs and premium cars are still sometime away.

" The ideal time for LCV launch is 2012-2014," said Bonfiglioli.

Meanwhile, the company will continue to build its network and manufacturing capabilities to create its own market in India and a strong base for exports of small cars.

Nissan to roll out Murano

Nissan India will launch its premium sports utility vehicle (SUV) Murano in India by the first half of next year.

“Murano should be here latest by the first half of 2010. The car was initially scheduled for a rollout this year. It will be imported as a completely built unit from Japan,” said sources.

The SUV is likely to be priced between Rs 35 lakh and Rs 40 lakh and will compete with the Toyota Prado, BMW X3, Mitsubishi Montero and Mercedes Benz M-class.

According to company sources, Nissan will first assess its prospects in the competitive SUV segment in India before getting into small cars.

The Murano was first launched in 2002 in the United States as a crossover vehicle to complement the Pathfinder.

The SUV may come in three variants — the base S, the mid-grade SL and the top of the line LE. The all-wheel drive vehicle is expected to be strapped with a 3.5-litre petrol V6 engine.

The Nissan Murano is likely to have aluminium interior accents, leather seats, rain sensing wipers, memory seats and mood lighting.

The SUV will be equipped with an 11-speaker Bose unit along with a 9.3GB hard disk storage device.

Nissan’s compact car project is also on course. The hatchback will be manufactured in five countries, including India, China and Thailand.

In India, the small car will be manufactured at the Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai.

Nissan’s engineers say they are trying to source 80-90 per cent of the parts locally.

After launching the hatchback in 2010, Nissan plans to unveil a sedan in 2011 and a compact multi-purpose vehicle.

Top 10 Car Makers of the World in 2009

We know you are a car lover. You dream of the speedy Ferraris, exotic Jaguars, and luxurious Maybachs. Have you ever thought about the car makers, in terms production and revenue? Here we bring you the list of the world's top ten car makers of 2009. The list is compiled by the Automotive News Data Center as per the global units' sales in the first half of 2009.

World's 10 Largest Car Manufacturers

Toyota
Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation is the world's largest car manufacturer. It has sold 3,564,105 units in the first half of 2009 compared to 4,815,442 units in the first half of 2008. Though Toyota reported an annual net loss of US$4.4 billion on May 8, 2009, it could still emerge as the world's largest car maker. The Japanese giant has been severely affected by the 2007-2009 financial crises. Toyota ventured into the automobile industry in 1934 with its first product Type A engine. It manufactured in its first passenger car the Toyota AA in 1936. Toyota Motor Corporation was established as an independent and separate company in 1937.

General Motors
General Motors was established in 1908 by William C. Durant. It is world's second-largest car maker. General Motors was world's number one car company for consecutive 77 years from 1931 to 2007. Because of the economic conditions, the beleaguered car giant went bankrupt on June 1, 2009. On 10th July 2009, the company emerged from" Chapter 11 bankruptcy" reorganization. In spite of all these, General Motors could sell 3,552,722 units compared to last year's 4,541,125 units.

Volkswagen
The Volkswagen Group is the world's third largest car maker. It sold 3,100.300 units this year compared to 3,265,200 units of previous years. The Volkswagen Group constitutes the car brands like Audi AG, Bentley Motors Ltd., Automobiles Bugatti SA, Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A., SEAT, Skoda Auto and heavy goods vehicle manufacturer Scania AB. Recently, Porsche has united with the Volkswagen Group. The German luxury car company was founded on May 28, 1937 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler wanted a "people's car". Volkswagen literally means 'people's car' in German.

Hyundai-Kia
Hyundai-Kia has emerged as the world's fourth largest car manufacturer. This year Hyundai-Kia jumped up a rank above. The Korean car maker showed global sales for the first half of 2009 at 2,153,000 units. The Indian subsidiary of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the Hyundai Motors India, is the country's second largest car manufacturer. The Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967. It became the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group when Hyundai Motor Company purchased 51% of South Korea's second-largest car company, Kia Motors in 1998.

Ford
Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. Presently, it is world's fifth largest car maker with 2,145,000 units of global sales. This year, Hyundai-Kia edged out the mighty Ford of the fourth position. In 2007, Ford fell from second to third-ranked car maker for the first time in 56 years, behind only General Motors and Toyota.

PSA Peugeot-Citroen
The French car company sold 1,586,900 units in 2009. Last year it showed a sale of 1,844,700 units. The company was formed in 1976 and sells under the Peugeot and Citroen brand names. PSA is the second largest automaker based in Europe.

Honda
The Honda Motor Company secures the seventh place with sales units of 1,586,000 compared to last year's 2,022,00 units. Honda became Japan's second largest car maker in 2001 by superseding Nissan. Moreover, Honda is the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines. The company was founded by Soichiro Honda on 24th September 1948. Soichiro Honda dreamed to provide a personal mobility to everyone. The first production car from Honda was the S500 sports car.

Nissan
Nissan Motors was founded in 1932. It is among the top three Asian car companies. Nissan is in the eight position with 1,545,976 units. Last year it sold 2,013,611 units in the first half. Nissan faced severe financial difficulties in 1999 and entered an alliance with Renault S.A. of France. The Nissan VQ engines, of V6 configuration, have featured among Ward's 10 Best Engines for 14 straight years, since the award's inception.

Suzuki
Suzuki Motor Corporation is the ninth largest car manufacturer in the world. The company began as Suzuki Loom Works in 1909 under Michio Suzuki. Suzuki started producing cars in 1955. Maruti Suzuki, the Indian arm of the Japanese car honcho is India's largest car manufacturer. The car company sold 1.152,000 units this year compared to 2008's 1,283,000 units.

Renault
Renault is the world's tenth largest car maker with 1.106.989 units this year. Last year, it sold 1.326,164 units. Renault S.A. is a French carmaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks since 1899. The company was formed by Louis Renault, his brothers Marcel and Fernand, and his friends Thomas Evert and Julian Wyer. Renault has joined hands with Nissan on March 27, 1999. The Nissan-Renault Alliance is world's fourth largest car maker if their individual units were taken together. Nissan-Renault Alliance sold 2,652,965 units this year.

Nissan New Small Car Project on Track

The Japanese car maker Nissan stated that its project to launch small car in India is on track and it will be ready to bring its new car in India by early 2010. Nissan Motor India’s Managing Director and CEO Kiminobu Tokuyama said: “There is no delay, our plans are on track and Nissan India will come out with its next-generation A-segment car- Micra, on schedule before summer 2010.”

Both the companies intend to make India as their next favorite car manufacturing destination and also intend to increase their market presence in this region. The company is currently working with the French car maker Renault and has a manufacturing unit in Chennai. The plant is being set up to manufacture four lakh cars annually but Nissan said that it shall initially manufacture only 200,000 units annually. Nissan is ready to bring the new small car model – Nissan Micra or Nissan March. The Micra hatchback car is named March in Japan and the Indian version would be christened either Micra or March, said Tokuyama. Nissan also intends to add nearly 4 to 5 models in its product portfolio in India in next 5 years.

Ford sets early 2010 target to launch small car in India

Armed with a $500-mn investment outlay, Ford Motors has set early 2010 as the target to launch a small car in India, start its new engine-making unit and double the assembly line capacity, a top official said here.

The US-based giant will also unveil its refurbished Ikon by next month to expand its range of offerings in the country that includes Fusion, Endeavour and Fiesta, said Michael Boneham, managing director and president of Ford India.

"Ford now has a presence in only 30 percent of India's automobile market segments. We are entering other segments too. These are exciting times," Boneham told IANS at the company's factory at Maramalai Nagar on the outskirts of the Tamil Nadu capital.

"We are also commissioning a new engine manufacturing unit. It will serve both the domestic and global markets. It will have the flexibility to produce diesel and petrol engines. The idea is to go for higher localisation in the months to come."

Speaking about the small car project, the Ford official said it was being designed and developed specifically for India by a global team. "It will meet the needs of Indian conditions - like water wading, air-conditioning and emission standards."



While declining to divulge any further information on the project, Boneham said it will have a sub-1.2-litre engine with a length of no more than four metres to avoid higher taxes. "It will be very, very competitive in that segment."

Ford's first offering here was the "Josh machine" Ikon that rolled out in 1999 from this city, often called the Detroit of India for hosting auto companies like Hyundai, BMW, Mitsubishi, Ashok Leyland, Caterpillar, TVS, Tafe and Same.

Nissan and Daimler are among some global players that have definite plans to set up their units in this city.

Boneham said the company's integrated engine plant for 250,000 units per annum will be its first outside Europe and will make low-displacement engines for cars to be rolled out of its Indian plant for both domestic market and exports.

He said the existing $26-mn diesel engine assembly plant, with a capacity for 50,000 diesel and 10,000 petrol engines for Fiesta and Fusion, would be eventually integrated with the new plant.

The company has the capacity to assemble some 100,000 cars per year at its facility here, which will be doubled to 200,000.

Queried about the future of its tie up with the Indore-based Avtec that supplies 1.6 litre petrol engines, Boneham said: "We will continue to work with them. We will look at sourcing components from Avtec."

He also sought to dispel the perception that the cost of ownership of Ford cars was high compared with those offered by Japanese and South Korean companies, as several factors like fuel efficiency and servicing were also involved.

"As per our study, in some parts we are costlier and in some others we are cheaper. Overall, we are very competitive in this area. We are working to lower component costs further. Our diesel engine is more fuel efficient than many others," he said.

"High localisation is intended to achieve that. We are extremely quality conscious. Today, we can say we are far more satisfied and comfortable with our vendors."

Biodiesel Fuels Mandatory For All Cars In India

The new biofuel policy was announced this month which makes blending of 10 percent bio-fuel with petrol mandatory from the year 2012. It will be hiked to blending of 17 percent from the year 2017. All the major auto companies have taken a note of the same and have started to design new plans for their future launches that will run in alternative fuels.

Car companies in India are either planning to launch new variants or make changes to their existing models. Tata Motors, Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki are planning to launch variant of their existing models while General Motors and Nissan are planning to bring this technology from their existing markets. This technology is applicable only on E10 and E20 engines which has left several car manufacturers wondering about the possible solution for their models. Presently, only Honda and General Motors have E10 compliant cars and General Motors is planning to introduce models with E20 engines as well. Such a move may further increase the car model prices in India.

On the other hand, Maruti is also planning to launch E10 compatible models by the end of current calendar year. “Our present lot is E5 compatible but we are confident of offering E10 to the market soon, since this requires minor changes in the engine,” said the official.

Nissan says it has star cars for Paris show

Nissan said it will unveil its futuristic concept car Nuvu, an all-new production car Pixo and a revised version of an existing model Note as its star participants at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

Nissan's vision for the future of urban transportation is encapsulated in Nuvu, literally a ‘new view’ of the type of car it says 'we will be driving in the middle of the next decade'.

Compact – it’s just 3 metres long – Nuvu is a concept vehicle with unique 2+1 seating. It is aimed at urban dwellers who don't want to compromise on their personal freedom or their comfort, yet who appreciate that there is a need for a dramatic change in the way we move around our cities.

Nuvu is an electric vehicle, is agile, easy to drive and even easier to park. Nissan has already announced plans to introduce an all-electric car in Japan and the US in 2010 and to mass-market it globally in 2012. Nuvu is not that car, though it does share some of the technology that will feature in the planned production vehicle.

Nuvu incorporates a witty representation of Nissan's green credentials: across its all-glass roof are a dozen or so small solar panels. Shaped like leaves on a branch, the power they generate is fed to the battery using a 'tree trunk' within the car as a conduit. Nuvu also uses natural, organic and recycled materials within the cabin.

Nuvu is compact on the outside yet roomy on the inside. Built on a unique platform, it sits on a wheelbase of 1980 mm but is 1700 mm wide and 1550 mm tall to create a large and airy cabin.

These dimensions provide all the interior room needed for the vast majority of city journeys. Nuvu has two regular seats and a third occasional chair that can be folded down when required. But, unlike some two-seater city cars currently on the market, it is a thoroughly practical proposition with an integral luggage area providing sufficient space for a typical supermarket or shopping expedition.

'Nuvu is a concept car, for sure, but it is an entirely credible vehicle,' said Francois Bancon, general manager, Exploratory and Advanced Planning Department, Product Strategy and Product Planning Division, Nissan Motor Co.

'It is light, clean and easy to drive. It is practical and a sensible size, yet it also embodies an element of fun: the future doesn’t look so bad, after all.”

Nissan said its Pixo conveys continuing the theme of compact urban motoring, with outstanding green credentials – but, this time, for the more immediate future.

The comapny said Pixo is an accessible city car which offers low emissions and consumption at an extremely accessible price.

Pixo is a five-door, four-seater with a roomy interior and generous luggage space thanks to its efficient design and packaging.

It has a lively highly efficient three cylinder 1.0-litre engine. Thanks to its brand new lightweight construction, with resulting benefits in performance, very low fuel consumption and emissions, Pixo will be among the best value eco-cars in the small city car category.

Pixo is 3565 mm long, 1470 mm tall and 1600 mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2360 mm.

Built in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corp. at state-of-the art facilities in Delhi, India, PIXO is a brand new four-seater competing in the fast growing A-segment.

Unlike some of its immediate rivals, however, Pixo is far from a micro car. It has five doors to ease ingress and egress to and from the rear seats but remains sufficiently compact to be agile to be ideal for city driving.

Unusually in this class, Pixo is also available with a full four-speed automatic, reinforcing its suitability as a town car that’s perfectly capable of longer journeys when needed.

Nissan said the third star car participant at the Paris Show, the Note, has undergone a wide range of changes and improvements to maintain its place as one of the most innovative, space-efficient and popular accessible compact cars.

The most obvious changes can be found to the exterior design, where the front end benefits from a completely new design of grille, bumper and headlight, lending the Note a more premium and sleek appearance.

At the rear, the signature ‘boomerang’ lights are now darker, another discreet change which adds to the Note’s premium feeling. Two new designs of alloy wheels – 15” and 16” – are available, while a new eye-catching pale green exterior color called Cider has been developed.

For the driver, a new combi-meter has been introduced, giving improved legibility and clarity and there is also a new central instrument panel, giving a cleaner appearance to the centre console.

Under the skin, improvements have been made to the Note’s suspension to improve ride comfort, while improving responsiveness, knowing that customers consider driving enjoyment a key priority.

Following revisions to its engine and gearbox ratios, September will see the introduction of a 1.5-litre dCi powered Note which produces CO2 of just 119g/km. This follows the introduction of a diesel particulate filter on the 1.5-litre diesel engine earlier this year.

Additionally, from October, customers will benefit from reduced CO2 emissions from the Note’s 1.4-litre petrol engine. Thanks to revised gear ratios, it will produce 139g/km.

The updates to the Note also herald the introduction of Nissan Connect, Nissan’s all-new combined satellite navigation, audio entertainment and communication system.

It was conceived to offer the level of convenience and user-friendliness normally found on portable navigation devices with the added convenience of full integration into the centre console.

With touch-screen technology, Nissan Connect combines a satellite navigation system (in nine languages), with an audio system capable of playing CDs (including MP3 and WMA CDs), as well as music via an auxiliary input, USB plug and Bluetooth streaming.

The system also provides Bluetooth phone connectivity for hands-free communication.

Nissan Connect will be available on Note from January 2009 and will be extended to other Nissan models during the course of 2009.

As well as these ‘stars of the show’, Nissan will also have its Crossover icon, the all-new Murano, on display and its baby brother the Qashqai+2 - the ‘family Crossover’ - which takes the Qashqai concept and offers extra interior space and convenience for those buyers who are uninspired by the traditional MPV options.

Indian A-Star is Suzuki's new Alto for the world

News of the fifth generation Suzuki Alto is out, and surprise, it is naught but the A-Star, designed by Maruti Suzuki and seen in its concept form earlier this year at the Auto Expo in Delhi. The car is scheduled for launch in Europe and India in October 2008, and we expect it to fortify Maruti Suzuki's dominance of the small car space in India even further, besides putting plush minis like the Hyundai i10 squarely in its gunsight.

There is an interesting Indian connection to the story apart from the design as well. The new car will be made exclusively in India for export to the rest of the world. Nissan's strong interest in the project has already reaped its benefits - a deal with Maruti is in place under which the Indian company will make 50,000 units of this car, which will be sold badged as a Nissan in its international markets.

What will it run on?

The new Alto will sport a spanking new 1-litre, all aluminum three-cylinder power plant. The new engine will make about 60PS of power, and its light structure will make it more frugal and also much cleaner to adhere to international standards. Sources are not ruling out another version of the car with a 1.2-litre engine (soon to be seen in the Suzuki Splash), which will give it even more firepower against the similarly powered Hyundai i10 Kappa.

Ford plans to roll out small car by 2010

WITH US automaker Ford’s Indian subsidiary announcing its intention to launch a small car in India by 2010, the Indian small car market is set to witness an explosion of small cars. Carmakers are racing to get products on the road by 2010, with global auto giants like Honda, Nissan, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors and home- grown Bajaj Auto all announcing plans to launch their small car by 2010. Tata Motors’ ultra low- cost ‘one lakh rupee car’ Nano, unveiled in January this year, has ignited competition in this sector, hitherto dominated by Maruti Suzuki.

By 2010, the demand for cars is expected to almost double to two million a year. Said Michael Boneham, managing director and president ,Ford India, “The small car segment has 75 percent share on the Indian market, and when we launch the small car, that’s when the real volumes will come in.” This shift in Ford’s strategy is touted by analysts as a global business strategy adopted by other global automakers like Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Honda. All these have acknowledged the merit and scope of producing an ultra low- cost car (ULC). Besides this, looking at factors like fuel economy and volumes, global auto companies are under pressure to target this growing segment, analysts say. Ford’s small car will most likely be sold with diesel and gasoline engine options, Boneham said, on the sidelines of a news conference, to launch an upgraded range of Fiesta sedan cars.

Ford’s new engine manufacturing facility will be set up in 2009- 10 with a capacity of 2,50,000 units per year. “The plant will fulfill the entire domestic demand and will also cater to the needs for ford in the Asia Pacific region,” said Boneham. Ford currently produces the Fiesta, Ikon and Fusion sedans, and the Endeavour SUV in India. The company had recently shut plants and cut workforce in North America amid financial losses. It has announced plans to invest $500 million in India to expand production capacity and make the new small car.

Ford is also exploring the possibility of introducing eco- friendly vehicles that run on alternative fuels or hybrid cars in the Indian market. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, consumers in the Rs 90,000 to Rs 2- lakh- a- year salary bracket will form the largest portion of India’s income pyramid in 10 years. These form the target for Tata’s Nano. Now, even global auto makers are targeting this segment. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), a joint venture between Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. and India’s Kirloskar Group, also plans to invest Rs 1,400 crore on anew plant in Bengaluru, from where it will roll out its small car in abid to tap the largest segment of the car market in India. Said Vaishali Jajoo, auto analyst, Angel Broking, “Growth for global auto markets in developed markets is in single digits, whereas the small car market is projected to show a double digit growth in the coming five years. Besides this the (small car) market contributes over 50 per cent to the overall car sales in the country. Factors like cost efficiency are also a big push for global biggies.” The move has also set off a flurry of activity among component vendors, with most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) gearing up their volumes for small cars to be launched by Renault- Nissan, Bajaj, Honda, General Motors and others.

Koito readies new lights for Nano

KOITO Manufacturing Co, the maker of head lamps for Lexus brand cars, is designing lights specifically for ultra- low cost cars as it tries to win more business from Tata Motors Ltd and Nissan Motor Co.

“Koito, the worlds' biggest maker of headlamps, is in the final stages of creating a simpler light that uses half as many parts as its more expensive models,” said the company's president Masahiro Ohtake on Thursday.

Koito and other auto parts makers are reengineering products for use in cars that cost almost half as much as Suzuki Motor Corps Maruti 800, the cheapest car currently on the Indian market. Tata will sell its $2,500 Nano later this year.

Nissan plans to produce a car with the same price by 2011 for India and other emerging markets. “Koito has no choice but to push into this low- cost market as all the carmakers get into the business,” said Kunihiro Matsumoto, a senior analyst at UBS Securities Japan Ltd in Tokyo. Costs wont bump up with Koito using existing technology and cheaper labour.

The parts maker opened a second Indian plant in September in Haryana to be closer to factories of automakers including Maruti Suzuki India, Ohtake said. The company now supplies lights for Tata's trucks. “A low- cost car requires ahead lamp design all its own,” Ohtake said.

Cars at about $3,000 are something that is being talked about on a global level and will become a big business. Koito is 20 per cent owned by Toyota Motor Corp. Tata unveiled the Nano in January and will begin selling the model later this year. The firm may export the car after three years, Ratan Tata, the Tata's chairman, said in January.

Nissan, France's Renault SA and India’s Bajaj Auto said on May 12 that they would build a$2,500 car in India to go on sale in 2011.

Toyota also plans to build a new low cost small car in India in 2010. Toyota's new factory will be near Bangalore. Koito already supplies headlamps to Toyota from its facility in Chennai. Koitos Indian operations are in joint venture Lucas TVS.

India’s passenger car sales, which doubled in the past five years, are set to triple to three million vehicles annually by 2015, according to the Indian government. Global sales of small cars will rise to 8.5 million vehicles by 2020 from 5.2 million last year, said Michael Wynn- Williams, a London based analyst at consulting company Global Insight Inc. Stanley Electric.

Koito faces competition from Stanley Electric, which in February raised its stake in Lumax Industries, India's largest maker of automotive lighting, and a supplier to Tatas Nano. Stanley owns 46.3 per cent of Lumax, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Lumax makes headlamps for Tatas Indica Xeta hatchback, Safari Dicor sport- utility vehicle (SUV), Sumo Victa SUV and Ace truck, according to it's website.

Tokyo- based Stanley started transferring technology to Lumax in 1984 and began investing in the company in 1994. Koito plans to increase research and development to five per cent this fiscal year to 21.9 billion yen. Research spending as a percentage of estimated sales of 474.6 billion yen will be little changed at 4.6 per cent, according to the company.

Bajaj to launch four-wheeler commercial vehicle

Singing a different tune than its foreign partners, Bajaj Auto today said it will launch a four-wheeler commercial vehicle in mid-2012 from the ultra-low cost car (ULC) platform, which was originally planned to roll out a car with Franco-Japanese alliance Renault-Nissan.

"By the middle of next year, we will bring a four-wheeler from the ULC platform. For us, this will be a commercial vehicle and it will be a goods carrier," Bajaj Auto Chairman Rahul Bajaj told PTI.

In the smaller goods carrier space, other homegrown auto majors like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra are doing very well and the company is looking at that space, he added.

"We are a two-wheeler and three-wheeler maker and we are moving up toward the four-wheeler segment. With the help of our expertise and frugal engineering and Renault-Nissan's technological expertise, we will launch the vehicle," he said.

Bajaj also said the foreign partner will "market it (the product from ULC platform) as a car, but not a low-cost car", and it will be sold at a "mutually agreed price".

"The platform is same and it will be for four-wheelers. For them (Renault-Nissan), it is a car, while for us it is a commercial vehicle," he said, declining to comment on whether the two products will be launched simultaneously or not.

Bajaj did not clarify further whether there will be a single product or two different vehicles hitting the roads.

However, differing strongly, Renault said the company has not seen the final product and will not settle down with a vehicle having any shortcomings of a car.

"We are very clear that Renault would only be comfortable with a product that fulfills all the requirements of a car. Nothing short of that will pass our stringent requirements," a Renault spokesperson said.

Renault will be in a position to take a final call only after an exhaustive review of the final product that Bajaj will show, the official said.

"Till then, it would only be speculation and that is something we would not like to do," he added.

When contacted, a Nissan spokeswoman declined to comment. The partners had joined hands in 2008 to make a small car with a price tag of USD 2,500. The ULC was first scheduled to hit the roads in India in 2011, but was delayed due to differences between the partners on pricing and design.

While Renault-Nissan wanted to price the car at around USD 2,500, Bajaj insisted on lowering overall cost of ownership.

In 2010, Renault-Nissan announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Bajaj Auto to take forward their ULC car project.