Volvo Launches The World's First Large Premium Executive Cars

Volvo Launches The World's First Large Premium Executive Cars Under 120 G/Km - The New 119 G/Km Drive Versions of the Volvo S80 and V70



Car UK has revealed 119g/km DRIVe versions of its S80 executive saloon and V70 premium estate, the fourth and fifth body style it's launched delivering CO2 emissions below 120 g/km.

Delivering 109bhp and 240Nm of torque, the modified 1.6 litre turbocharged diesel engine provides improved fuel economy by 5.1mpg to 62.8mpg on the Combined Cycle, increasing both cars’ range to nearly 1100 miles.

Both cars fall into Vehicle Excise Duty Band C - costing motorists just £35 per year - and Volvo estimates the new 119g/km engine reduces annual carbon emissions by 150kg over the S80 and V70 DRIVe’s previous low of 129g/km.

Volvo believes the two new cars offer the best environmental performance in their respective classes. Both cars provide lower Benefit-in-Kind tax bills for company motorists and fuel savings - 60 litres per annum - equivalent to receiving a free tank of fuel each year.

Like all DRIVe models, drivers do not have to compromise on high levels of comfort and specification with both models being available to order in SE, SE Premium, SE Lux and SE Lux Premium trim levels.

Volvo has employed two main techniques to reduce CO2 emissions further on both cars.

Intelligent battery recharging ensures that the car’s control system only allows the alternator to charge the battery when the engine is operating at low load, for instance when driving downhill. In addition the belt that drives the alternator
and air conditioning compressor benefits from reduced friction helping lower fuel consumption and emissions.

"There has been a swift pace of development since the launch of our first 119-gramme models in Paris in autumn 2008. Now that we have brought two of the larger models in below the magical 120 g/km limit, few of our competitors can now match us when it comes to offering customers an extensive range of low emission cars," says Volvo Cars President and CEO Stephen Odell.

India's Tata Motors swings into third quarter profit

India's top vehicle company Tata Motors said, its domestic operations swung to a third-quarter profit from a loss a year earlier as demand for cars rose, aided by new launches.

The company, which makes cars and trucks, reported a net profit of four billion rupees (86 million dollars) for the three months to December, compared with a net loss of 2.63 billion rupees a year earlier.

The earnings did not include data for British luxury icons Jaguar and Land Rover, which Tata Motors bought from ailing Ford Motor Co for 2.3 billion dollars in March 2008.

The performance was slightly below market expectations. Analysts had expected a profit of close to 4.3 billion rupees.

Revenues jumped nearly 90 percent to 89.29 billion rupees for the quarter, a company statement said.

"Introduction of new products and strong sustained growth in the existing portfolio, along with government stimulus has driven domestic demand revival," the company said in a statement.

India's large automakers have seen a revival in sales in recent months on improved consumer demand, government stimulus packages and fresh launches.

Tata Motors sold 165,413 vehicles including overseas sales in the quarter, a jump of 67.5 percent from the same period a year earlier.

The company's shares fell 2.92 percent or 20.9 rupees to 694.35 on the Mumbai stock exchange, ahead of the release of its earnings.

The company, which introduced the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, on the roads in July last year, said it sold 17,357 Nano cars up to December, with plans to ramp up further.

The jelly-bean shaped Nano is being produced at present from existing plants after the company was forced out of its planned factory in eastern India over a land dispute in 2008.

Nano cars are expected to roll out from a new plant in western Gujarat state early this year, media reports said.

Tata Motors says it faced the challenges of rising input costs and a possible hike in interest rates.

"The withdrawal of government stimulus, rising input costs and an increase in interest rates are concerns going ahead," the company's chief financial officer C. Ramakrishnan told reporters.

On Friday, India's central bank announced a marginal tightening in monetary policy, by raising the cash reserve ratio for commercial banks by 75 basis points to curb inflationary pressures.

Rising raw material costs pushed Tata Motors' operating profit down to 12.8 percent in the quarter, from 13.36 percent in the previous quarter ending September, the company said.

Analysts said the company may ride through these challenges by showing higher sales growth.

"The company has said that margins could be hit as inputs costs rise, but we expect volume growth to offset this, as domestic demand is strong," said Vaishali Jajoo, analyst with Mumbai-based Angel Broking.

Easier Loans Boost India Auto Sales

Maruti, the local unit of Suzuki Motor Corp. and India's biggest car maker by sales, posted a 33% rise in sales in the past month at 95,649 vehicles.

Sales in January are the highest ever for the company in a month, it said. The pervious high, 87,807 vehicles, was in November.

Maruti's local sales grew 21% to 81,087 vehicles, while exports jumped more than threefold to 14,562 vehicles. Local sales in January were also its highest ever, beating the previous record of 76,359 units sold in November.

Auto sales in India have remained robust since February last year as the federal government provided incentives to purchase new vehicles through tax cuts and commercial banks lowered interest rates.

The auto industry estimates demand in the January-March period to remain strong due to expectations people would buy more vehicles before India implements new emission.

The federal government is adopting more-stringent emission norms, equivalent to the Euro-IV standards, in 13 of India's biggest cities by April 1. Auto makers are required to invest in upgrading their vehicles to comply with the rules and a part of the incremental costs will likely be passed on to customers.

The local unit of Hyundai reported a 42% rise in total January sales at 52,635 vehicles. Local sales rose 41% to 29,601 vehicles, while exports rose 43% to 23,034 vehicles.

TVS Motor, a maker of two- and three-wheeled vehicles, said its sales rose 12% to 125,578 units in January. The company's motorcycle sales surged 24% to 54,698 units, while scooter sales grew 43% to 25,509.

TVS Motor, which also makes mopeds, said its exports rose 15% to 16,074 units.

Three-wheeler sales rose more than four times to 1,710 units in January from 466 units a year earlier.

The company currently sells three-wheelers in some Indian cities and plans to launch them across the country in the next few months.

Auto critics recognise new generation Tata Motors Cars

New generation Tata Motors cars – the Tata Nano, the Tata Indigo Manza and the Tata Indica Vista – have been recognised by auto critics, reflected in the 17 awards that the cars have received, since their respective commercial launches, from auto publications/television channels of India. Tata Motors, as a company, has received two awards. The company has always been rewarded by its customers, making it among the top 3 best selling passenger vehicle makers in the country.

The Tata Nano, which was launched in March 2009, has been declared as the 2010 Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY), an award instituted jointly by six publications – Auto Bild India, Auto India, Business Standard Motoring, Car India, Overdrive and Top Gear India. It has been individually declared as the Car of the Year by CNBC TV18 Overdrive Awards, the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards, and the Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards. The Nano has also received the Jury Award (Business Standard Motoring Car of the Year Awards), Compact Car of the Year (CNBC TV18 Overdrive Awards), Entry-level Mini Car of the Year, Viewers’ Choice Car of the Year, Indian Automotive Design of the Year and the Most Value for Money Car of the Year (all in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards), Small Car of the Year (Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards), Aajtak Viewers’ Choice Car of the Year (Auto Bild India Golden Steering Wheel Awards) and a Special Award, as the Micro Car of the Year, in the NDTV Profit Car & Bike of the Year Awards.

The Indigo Manza, the new generation sedan of the company launched in October 2009, has received two awards. It received the Best Entry-level Sedan of the Year Award in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards. It has also been adjudged as the Best Value for Money Car of the Year in the Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards.

As a company, Tata Motors was declared as the 2009 Car Maker of the Year in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards, and the Tata brand the Best Value for Money Brand in the Auto India Best Brands Awards.

This appreciation from auto critics of Tata Motors’ new generation cars began with the accolades received by the Indica Vista, after its launch in August 2008. UTV Autocar Awards for that year rated the Vista as the Best Value for Money Car of the Year. It had also bagged the Jury Award in the Business Standard Motoring Car of the Year Awards.