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Tata Motors today celebrated the silver jubilee of its market-leading light commercial vehicle, the Tata 407. Launched in 1986, the Tata 407 family clocks 7 out of every 10 vehicles sold in the category with a close to 75% market share. About 55% of its owners are first-time users, indicating the self-employment it generates, a goal pursued by the Tata Group and Tata Motors. Recollecting the introduction and progress of the Tata 407, Mr. P.M. Telang, Tata Motors' Managing Director - India Operations, said, "The Tata 407 was among the first, cutting across industries, to have demonstrated the supremacy of indigenously developed products in the face of international competition. We are grateful to our customers who have acknowledged our understanding of their needs and our engineering capabilities. We will continue to add new features to the range matching customer requirements." Mr. Ravi Pisharody, President - Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, said, "The Tata...

Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland, which has partnered with Japanese automajor Nissan to foray into the light commercial vehicle segment, today announced the price of its first product 'Dost'.  The new Dost, a 1.25 tonner light commercial vehicle, is priced at Rs 3.79 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai) for the base variant and Rs 4.39 lakh ex-showroom Chennai for the top variant.  Ashok Leyland started off as a car maker making Austin cars.Later it shifted focus to commercial vehicles.India is a growing competitive market in the light commercial vehicle industry and today's launch of Dost is a testimony of Ashok Leyland's expertise in the field, Ashok Leyland Chairman Dheeraj G Hinduja told reporters here.  By partnering with Nissan they would be able to offer products which are "Japan quality offered at Indian cost."  "Since the launch of our first product, we have come a long way and we will be expanding our range (in the light commercial v...

India’s oldest automobile maker Hindustan Motors is looking for a comeback. The company has launched Veer pickup truck based on the good old Ambassador platform. The Veer pickup truck is priced at an inaugural offer of Rs. 3.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Kolkata) for the diesel variant. The Veer Pickup truck has been announced for the Kolkata market which will soon spread to other parts of the country. The vehicle has payload capacity of 800 Kg and is available in both diesel and CNG versions. The vehicle can also be ordered at a drive-away chassis. 

As part of its strategy to make India a global hub for a range of automobiles, Japan's Nissan Motor will export 20 per cent of its proposed mini-vans to be produced by its Indian joint venture with Ashok Leyland. "We will launch the passenger-carrying vehicle, or the mini-van if you prefer, some time next year. We will produce around 55,000 units. We wish to export 20 per cent of this to nearby markets," Nissan's executive vice president Andy Palmer said. Palmer, however, said in an interview that since their 51:49 joint venture, named Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles, does not have dedicated factory of their own yet, these will be produced at the unit of another joint venture Renault-Nissan Automotive. [Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com]

The multi-billion-dollar CK Birla Group automobile major Hindustan Motors Ltd has launched road shows that shall cover West Bengal, Assam, Orissa and Bihar, signaling the imminent launch of new vehicles. More road shows will be launched soon in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, central and north India. The road shows launched today from the country’s oldest car company’s Uttarpara plant in Hooghly will be showcasing different variants of the iconic Ambassador and HM’s relatively new product HM Winner 1.5 XD PLUS, a light commercial diesel vehicle, in the four eastern and north-eastern states during the next 15 days. The initiative is also aimed at increasing customer awareness about Hindustan Motors’ existing and forthcoming products. The company’s Managing Director, Manoj Jha, stated, “Hindustan Motors has opted for a multi-pronged strategy which will witness consolidation and expansion of existing products like Ambassador and Winner and almost simultaneous introduction of new vehic...

In an attempt to bring in passengers who work in the infrastructure and construction space where they are required to travel with their team and machinery, auto firm Mahindra and Mahindra rolled out the two cabin pick up called 'Genio' on Wednesday.  The earlier version of the commercial vehicle was a single cabin pick up which could accommodate the driver, a co-passenger and their cargo. The latest would have two passenger rows and a cargo space. " double cabin pick up . are hugely popular in Thailand and Europe and judging by the growth in the retail and infrastructure industry here, we know this will be a ready market in India," Vivek Nayer, Senior VP, Marketing for their automotive division said.  The other pick up on similar lines is Bolero double cabin but the company is sure that there would be no cannibalization. This despite there is only a difference of Rs 38,000 between the Genio and the Bolero double cabin pick up. The base variant of the new car is at pr...

The Indian commercial vehicle industry is revving up for some fast-paced action. Long dominated by Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland, the market is set to witness a cut-throat competition as global players make a beeline to get a slice of one of the world's fastest-growing economies that is also seeing a surge in road infrastructure development.  Those looking to make a cut in India include Daimler and MAN of Germany, Volvo of Sweden, Nissan of Japan and Navistar and General Motors of the US. While rising interest rates are having an impact on the market in the short-term, it is forecast to grow manifold in the coming years as roads become better and economy booms further.  According to figures released by domestic industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), a total of 6.76 lakh commercial vehicles were sold in the domestic market last fiscal at a healthy growth of 27%. The money-spinner medium- and heavy-duty category accounted for 3.22 lakh units ...

Tata Motors is eliciting a favourable response for its CNG-electric hybrid buses and has received orders from overseas markets, a top company official said.  The Ratan Tata-led company has secured an order for 10 buses from Spain, he said.  "We have received an order for 10 hybrid buses from overseas markets (Spain). We expect demand for these buses to increase, not only overseas but also domestically," Tata Motors President (Commercial Vehicles) Ravi Pisharody told reporters here.  The buses have also received a favourable response from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), he said.  The home-grown auto major had presented four CNG-electric hybrid buses to the DTC during the last Commonwealth Games.  The company has also handed over two CNG-electric hybrid low-floor Starbuses to BEST on a trial basis in Mumbai.  Tata Hybrid Starbus offers substantial improvement in fuel economy compared to a conventional bus. The usage of this technology leads to l...

Eicher Trucks and buses (ETB) a business area of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (VECV) has completed 25 years of operations in India in the month of June 2011. The first Eicher truck was rolled out from its state of the art manufacturing plant in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh in 1986 and over the past 25 years, the products have got endorsement from happy customers of over 300,000 vehicles. The company today has transformed into a complete CV manufacturer with a wide product range from 5t to 40t GVW trucks and 21 to 69 seater buses.  The company's products strongly emphasize its customer orientation. Eicher trucks were one of the first in India to offer the tilt cabin, apart from ready to use built-up vehicle in accordance with customers' needs. Another example is the Eicher school bus which has been designed in conjunction with the IRTE (Institute of Road Traffic Association), school and parent bodies and the IIT. The result has been a bus that is equipped with safety mechanisms to...

 India will become the third largest market in the world after China and the US for light vehicles, including passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (LCVs), by 2020, according to market research firm JD Power Asia Pacific. The country, however, will have to improve its infrastructure, as well as resolve component supply chain issues, in order to realise its huge potential. "Our forecast is that by 2020, India will become the third biggest market for light vehicles, that includes passenger cars and LCVs, with total sales of nearly 12 million units," JD Power Asia Pacific Executive Director Mohit Arora told PTI. In a report -- 'India Automotive 2020: The Next Giant from Asia' -- the firm said India would have jumped from sixth place at present to be slotted after China and the US by 2020, with total sales of 11.9 million light vehicles. [Source:PTI]

Tata Motors today said it has bagged an order worth an estimated Rs 150 crore to supply 1,111 medium and heavy trucks to Surat-based Siddhivinayak Logistics Ltd (SVLL). "We will be commencing deliveries in this month and plan to complete the order by the end of this financial year," Tata Motors Head ? Sales & Marketing (M&HCV Trucks) Vinod Sahay said. While the company did not disclose the value of the order, it is estimated that it could be worth around Rs 150 crore. Commenting on the deal, SSVL Founder and Chief Mentor R C Baid said: "We purchased the first Tata vehicle in 1988, and since then have been purchasing their M&HCV and LCV trucks. We would like to continue our association with Tata Motors and expand our business with Tata Motors vehicles. [Source:Tata Motors]

Tata Motors, the country's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, will soon introduce three tippers on its premium 'Prima' range of trucks.  Interacting with newsmen in Jamshedpur on Wednesday, Ravindra Pisharody, president (commercial vehicles business units) of Tata Motors, said they have plans to launch proposed models for mining and construction sectors.  "We are expecting it to launch by this month end," he said adding that the company has plan to introduce six to eight new models on 'Prima' range of world trucks platform by end of this fiscal.  Expressing satisfaction over the company's performance ended on March 31, Pisharody said the year 2010-11 has been the best for the company as they achieved 22 per cent growth.  The commercial vehicles was considered as an indicator for economic growth of the country and Tata Motorscontinued to dominate the domestic market with a market share of 62 per cent, he claimed.  Referring to the performance of ...

 Mahindra Navistar Automotive Limited , a joint venture between  Mahindra & Mahindra  and Navistar of the US, has plans to export right-hand drive (RHD) commercial vehicles manufactured in India to overseas markets like South Africa and SAARC countries.  "We are looking at the RHD markets of South Africa and SAARC countries for exports. But we want to consolidate our presence in the domestic market first," Mahindra Navistar Managing Director Nalin Mehta told reporters here today.  Mehta said the company is trying to establish its presence across various geographies in the country in the first year of the Mahindra Navistar launch.  In the next three to four years, the company aims to sell 50,000 heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) and 20,000 light commercial vehicles (LCVs), he said.  While the HCV segment was growing in the country at a rate of 40 per cent, the LCV segment was growing at 15 per cent. [Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com]

Europe's largest automobile company Volkswagen's commercial vehicle arm Scania on Wednesday announced its foray into the Indian market with the establishment of a regional product centre in Bangalore that will assemble heavy haulage trucks and premium intercity buses starting June 2012. Currently,  Scania does sell some of its mining vehicles to Larsen & Toubro, which is also its distributor for these vehicles in India since 2007-08. The firm, however, now wants to function as a full fledged commercial vehicle player with a target of selling 2,000 trucks, 1,000 buses and 1,500 engines per annum by the next 5 years. In the last 3 years, Scania has sold 600 mining trucks through L&T. "We have not firmed up our investment plans and mode of operations in India yet but we do see this market along with China, as our two biggest markets in Asia over the long term," said Henrik Fagrenius, managing director, Scania Commercial Vehicles India Ltd. "We are looking...

Tata Motors today formally announced the launch of  Tata Delight , a customer loyalty programme for owners of its commercial vehicles. Tata Motors is the first company in the commercial vehicles industry to launch this unique engagement initiative. At the launch of Tata Delight, Mr. Ravi Pisharody, President - Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors  said, "We thank our esteemed customers for their long-standing support to the Tata brand. To create an even deeper customer connect, and take our relationship with customers to the next level, we have launched the Tata Delight programme. We believe this initiative will further strengthen our bond with customers." Tata Delight is a loyalty programme for all Tata Motors commercial vehicle customers, both existing and new. It offers customers a host of distinctive facilities across all Tata Motors dealerships, sales outlets, and Tata Motors Authorised Service Stations. Customers can earn bonus points on purchase of a ne...

Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland  have been locked in a battle for leadership in the bus segment for quite some time now, with each having around 43 per cent market share. But the minnows in India.   Volvo, with just 1.2 per cent market share and Mercedes  Benz with even less -- are fighting back in a segment that is perhaps the largest. Volvo, for example, is negotiating with 15-20 state transport undertakings to bag contracts for supplying long distance buses. Mercedes-Benz too is vying for similar contracts on the back of impressive response it got from the STUs in Maharashtra  Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka  MAN is also gearing up to launch a variety of products under the luxury and city bus segment. Industry experts say Indian bus buyers including STUs and private fleet owners are warming up to these international bus brands despite their premium price tags (they cost 15-20 per cent more) for two reasons: one, they have the capacity to absorb hig...

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) today launched its 15 HP tractor -- Yuvraj 215 -- in Pune, priced at Rs 1,81,000.  "With the launch of Yuvraj tractor in Maharashtra, we expect to see a change in the dynamics of the agriculture community. Yuvraj enables the small farmer to own a tractor and benefit from mechanisation, thus helping him boost his productivity," M&M General Manager Special Projects( Farm Equipment Sector) Sudhir Shah said in a statement.  "The tractor has been well received in Gujarat and we are sure we will get the same response from farmers in Maharashtra," he said.  Yuvraj 215 promises a top speed of 25.6 kmph and haulage capacity of 1.5-tonne. The tractor is being manufactured at the company's Rajkot facility with a production capacity of 16,000 tractors per annum.  "The Yuvraj is a key part of M&M's vision to go beyond retailing tractors and focus on creation of farm tech prosperity," M&M Senior Vice-President, Mark...

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is in talks with Japanese major Mitsubishi for a global strategic alliance to source farm equipment products including tractors as it looks to expand presence in major markets across the globe.  India's largest tractor producer plans to form joint product development teams with Mitsubishi, seeking to transform the sourcing arrangements for the US and Indian markets into a global strategic alliance. Under the planned alliance, M&M will source farm equipment products from Mitsubishi and sell them under its brand name in growing international markets.  "We are trying to cement a global relationship, identifying the right markets and products. We are looking at different possibilities and joint product development teams are being identified," said Pravin Shah, chief executive-international operations-automotive and farm equipment sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra.  Joint teams will look at developing products that suit the local market pr...

Engines and component maker Cooper Corporation is looking to launch an indigenously-developed light truck next year to take on the market leader, the Tata Ace. The company is looking to tap into the demand pool for four-wheeled products which can carry a payload of 0.5-1.5 tonne and be extensively used in villages and towns. The company will spend Rs 130-140 crore as development cost of the light commercial vehicle (LCV), most of which is developed in-house. The cost of development of its engines, which the company has developed in partnership with Ricardo of the UK, is additional. Some aspects related to the vehicle's design and engineering is outsourced. There will be at least six variants of the LCV, including passenger versions. Another Tata Motors product, Magic, has the lead in this segment. All products will be branded as Cooper. The company has developed a 1.5 litre engine, which has naturally aspirated and turbo charged variants. The diesel-fired twin cylinder engin...

The Hinduja Group flagship, Ashok Leyland and Nissan Motor Company today unveiled their first Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) – the Ashok Leyland DOST. The product will be launched to the market, as indicated earlier, in the second quarter of FY 2011-2012. The ‘Ashok Leyland DOST’ will be produced in Ashok Leyland’s Hosur manufacturing plant. Powered by a specially-developed, 55 hp high-torque, 3-cylinder, turbo-charged Common Rail Diesel engine, the vehicle has a payload capacity of 1.25 Tonnes. Reflecting the growing expectations of the Indian LCV customer, the Ashok Leyland DOST will be available in 3 versions: a base version with manual steering, a mid version with power steering and a higher version which will have dual tone interiors, power steering and AC. The vehicle will be available in both BSIII and BSIV versions. Mirroring the evolution of the entire Indian car and light truck market, the Small Commercial Vehicle segment (vehicles less than 3.5 Tonnes) has been witnessing...