Maruti Suzuki launches Eeco in Mumbai

India's largest manufacturer of passenger cars, Maruti Suzuki, launched Eeco, a multipurpose vehicle here.

Maruti had rolled out Eeco at Auto Expo 2010, recently held in New Delhi.

"The initial response to Eeco is very good. It will be available across all our counters in the country," Maruti Suzuki India Chief General Manager (Sales), R S Kalsi, told reporters while unveiling the vehicle here on Wednesday.

Maruti Suzuki Eeco is a five-door, C segment vehicle with a 1200 cc engine.

The company has launched three variants of Eeco at a price range of Rs 2.7 lakh–3.03 lakh.

The vehicle will be available in six colours.

Skoda consolidating position

After almost a decade of its entry into the Indian market, Skoda Auto, part of the Volkswagen Group, is now focussing on consolidating its position in one of the world’s fastest growing car markets. Accordingly, it is all set to launch its sports utility vehicle (SUV) Yeti, besides chalking out plans for India launch of its new compact car that is now under development. Buoyed by the tremendous response at the recently concluded 10th auto expo in New Delhi, the Czech automaker will be taking unique initiatives that include selling cars online and opening boutique outlets, besides launching new variants of the four models it currently sells in India.

Explaining the importance of the Indian market, Skoda Auto’s Member of the Board (Sales and Marketing) Reinhard Fleger told The Hindu that “The Indian automobile industry continues to be among the most promising car industries across the globe that would continue to grow in the coming years backed by an estimated economic growth of about 7 per cent. Skoda has a share of around 25 per cent in the mid-size segment. We have aggressive plans for the Indian market and aim to emerge as a major player. The launch of Yeti is an integral aspect of this plan.”

Yeti, which is one of the best-selling SUVs in Europe, is likely to be launched in mid-2010. Initially, the top-end variant would be made available in India followed by more engine and model options. “We hope Yeti will help us capture 10-15 per cent share in the SUV market. Overall, we are doing exceptionally well. Globally, India will emerge among top five markets for us from the 11th position now,” said Skoda Auto India’s Member of the Board (Sales and Marketing) Thomas Kuehl.

To address low-cost car markets like India, Skoda had already begun work on a car smaller than Fabia. “Work on the ambitious project is now on at our headquarters. We will surely be launching the car here and use India’s low-cost advantage to our benefit for this model,” he said. The car is likely to be launched next year. Skoda also plans to leverage India’s low-cost manufacturing advantage.

About expanding Skoda’s reach in India, Mr. Kuehl said the company was planning to add to its existing network of 65 dealerships to cover more cities and towns. Its initiative to sell cars online has also been a hit and now the company wants to make it a permanent feature to boost sales.

GM launches new mini car Beat

GM launches new mini car Beat, expects 40% sales surge this year

With the launch of its global mini car, the ‘Chevrolet Beat’, General Motors India sees its total sales crossing 100,000 in 2010 from 70,000 units in 2009.

The 1.2 litre petrol car will be available in three variants — PS, LS and LT. The price will range from Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the PS variant, Rs 3.54 lakh for the LS and Rs 3.94 lakh for the high-end LT variant.

“With its best-in-segment design, performance and safety, the Beat is destined to become an industry benchmark and a winner among consumers in India,” GM India President and Managing Director Karl Slym told reporters at the launch of the car in Delhi.

On how the price was kept so low, Ankush Arora, vice-president (sales, marketing and after sales), said: “This has been achieved by 60 per cent localisation of parts.”

“We will start exporting the car only by December-end and will export 20 per cent of the units produced,” Slym said. The company is looking at Europe and the Asia-Pacific. Slym added that the company would launch the Beat’s diesel version later this year.

Beat is the second car from GM’s 300 series platform, following last year’s the launch of its utility vehicle, Chevrolet Cruze. The company took 27 months to develop it. The car will be launched across 150 countries in the coming months. As of now, Beat has been launched in Korea, Europe and West Asia. It sells 5,000 units a month in Korea.

The US auto major is also working on designing a small car at its Bangalore centre. “We are developing vehicles for India at the Bangalore centre and the focus is more on small cars, as India is a small car market,” said General Motors’ Vice-President (Global Design) Edward T Welburn. The Bangalore design centre, with around 60 engineers, is one of the 10 such centres of General Motors worldwide.

Tata to Launch U.S. Nano

Tata Motors, the people's car of India, could, in just a matter of years, drive into the U.S. auto scene.

At the opening day of India's 10th Auto Expo in New Delhi on Tuesday, Tata Motors'chairman announced that the company will bring the small, affordable car to the U.S. in three years, albeit with modifications to make it more appealing to the U.S. market -- mainly the inclusion of larger engines, which would require additional crash tests.

"We recognize that there is a market for the Nano in developing countries," Ratan Tata said. "We also recognize there is a market for a low-priced car in the developed world." The Nano is currently priced at about $2,500, making it one of the cheapest cars in the world.

The introduction of the Nano to the U.S. could follow sales in Europe by the end of 2011, according to Reuters.

Alongside auto majors like Toyota, Honda and Suzuki, who showcased compact and "green" cars during the auto expo, Tata Motors unveiled four low-, mid- and high-end vehicles, according to the The Economic Times of India. Among them were a seven-seater multipurpose vehicle named Tata Aria, an 8-seater Tata Venture, the Magic IRIS and the Jaguar XJ sedan.