Auto Monitor - 27 August 2012

I N D I A ’ S N O . 1 M A G A Z I N E F O R A U T O M O T I V E N E W S , V I E W S & A N A LY S I S

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Vol. 12 No. 27

27 August 2012

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50 Pages

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INTERVIEW

SOUTH INDIA Pg 14-24

“After September this year, we expect the localisation to go up to 80 percent from 70 percent” Sandeep Singh, Deputy MD (Marketing), Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Pg 8

Fourth NEI plant to be operational by Q3 in Gujarat Nabeel A Khan New Delhi

C

K Birla Group owned bearing manufacturer National Engineering Industries (NEI) is setting up a new plant in Gujarat with a capacity of around twenty million (two crore) units per annum. The company will invest around `500 crore in this plant in the next five years to make the facility equipped with high level automation.

NEI, which manufactures bearings under the brand name of NBC Bearings, is making this investment as part of its `700 crore investment plan to be implemented over the next five years that it had chalked out earlier this year.

“We are planning to set up a new plant in Gujarat, the land for which will be finalised shortly. We expect that the production from this plant should start in the third quarter of the next financial year,” said President & Chief Executive

Officer, NEI, Rohit Saboo.

The decision to move to the western state of Gujarat comes as many of the customers including Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki have either already built their units or are in the process of setting up of their respective plants.

NEI hopes to increase the efficiency of the new plant by at least 15 percent because of the improvement in the process technology, new machine and high level of automation. The component maker is also looking at reducing the quantity of nickel to offset the increasing cost of raw material.

“Actually the quality of material is extremely important in bearings. We are currently testing alternate materials which may be cheaper in the long run. These tests will take at least one and a half years to complete and only then we will be able to decide on alternate material,” Saboo added The company does think that the current blip will impact

NEI is making this investment as part of its `700 crore investment plan to be implemented over the next five years that it had chalked out earlier this year

Rohit Saboo, President & CEO, NEI

in short run but in the long run the Indian growth story is likely to remain intact. The company continues with its previously announced investment plans to be implemented in the next five years. The company is looking to invest around `500 in the Gujarat plant while rest `200 crore will be invested in the existing three plants. It remains bullish and hopes that by 2016, it will be able to

double its revenue to `2,000 crore.

The company is also looking at multiple suppliers of steel to avoid monopolistic pressure. Currently it has two suppliers but hopes that in near future it will develop more suppliers. Ironically, NEI has increased its exports to Europe even though the European economy is suffering. This is because the component manufacturer’s presence in Europe was relative-

ly small. Now it is adding new customers in Europe and approximately 10 percent of total exports is going to Europe. NEI claims to have maintained profit margins comparable to the industry and going forward, it is looking at value addition within its product range itself and not planning any diversification.

The component maker has increased its spending on R&D from less than 0.5 percent of its turnover few years back to more than 1.25 percent of the turnover now.

Tractor demand to revive, maintain healthy growth Our Bureau Mumbai

T

ractor segment has been witnessing a downtrend since November last year, after having experienced

DATA MONITOR Top 5 2W makers Company

July-11

July-12

Change

HML

441,520

473,033

7.14%

HMSI

141,791

227,591

60.51%

Bajaj Auto

202,326

200,535

-0.89%

TVS

160,345

140,806 -12.19%

26,429

39,545

Suzuki

49.63%

Top 5 2W-Exporters Company

July-11

July-12

Bajaj Auto

115,769

108,323

Change -6.43%

TVS

26,324

17,092

-35.07%

HML

16,107

11,184

-30.56%

HMSI

10,493

11,391

8.56%

IYM

9,176

9,135

-0.45%

* Source: SIAM/ ** Excluding exports/ *** all sub segments considered/ ^ excluding MRPL

robust growth over the preceding two years. Tractor volumes (domestic +export) declined by 3.4 percent (YoY) in fourth quarter in the last fiscal, and posted modest 2.8 percent growth during the first quarter this fiscal, according to a recent ICRA study. The rating agency points out that tractor sales volumes is likely to witness a growth of 0-three percent for the current fiscal and maintain a volume Compounded Annual Growth Rate of around eight to nine percent over the next five years.

As per the study, the cyclical demand slowdown is led by the eroding purchasing power of farmers with decline in farm-gate prices post bumper harvest in the rabi season and delay in offtake from market intermediaries. The demand from the non-agricultural segment, which is around 20 percent of sales, has been impacted by slowdown in construction and infrastructure projects.

The study points out that high interest rate regime and price hikes taken by tractor manufacturers also deterred farmers from

purchasing mechanisation tools.

The demand side economics in the tractor industry however continue to find favour from structural and long term drivers such as support from the Government of India towards rural development and mechanisation, scarcity of farm labour especially during the sowing season, increase in credit flow to agriculture, growth in high and low power segments, moderate penetration, shortening replacement cycle and healthy exports.

ICRA expects tractor sales growth to be tepid in the second quarter of the current fiscal, with fear of draught effecting consumer sentiments, as well as high base of last year, which saw record volume sales during festival season.

The unit sales growth is expected to recover in the second half of the current fiscal, on the back of higher Minimum Support Price (MSPs) and low base, provided there is recovery in monsoon rainfall, which so far has been in deficit.

“In terms of regional performance, demand from southern states has shrunk rapidly over the course of last two quarters (-34.5

percent in Q1FY13 and -18.3 percent in Q4FY12) led by draught like conditions in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, apart from weak prices of cotton and spices,” said Senior Vice President & Co-Head, Corporate Sector Ratings, ICRA, Subrata Ray. He pointed out that even the western region reported sluggish performance with volumes declining by 10.9 percent in first half of last fiscal, stemming from correction in prices of cash crops like sugarcane and cotton.

The study revealed that the northern region, which accounts for over 35 percent of domestic tractor industry volumes, supported industry figures and posted healthy 14.1 percent YoY growth during the first half of the last fiscal, notwithstanding lower sales in Uttar Pradesh because of state assembly elections. While states like Punjab and Haryana shall continue to generate healthy replacement demand, ICRA expects the southern markets to recover from this blip and outperform the national average over the medium term, given low tractor penetration, increase in

area under irrigation, and increasing focus by tractor OEMs and financers on this region. Outlook for exports also looks promising through inclusion of new export destinations, increased product offerings in the higher HP segment, ramping up of capacities as well as investments by OEMs to meet stricter emission norms, and greater acceptability of India as a cost effective and a reliable manufacturing location. In an effort to battle sluggish demand scenario, tractor OEMs have expanded and refurbished their product portfolio to come out with more application based offerings, and to cater to niche market segments.

Industry players witnessed a decline in profitability during the last fiscal due to a partial, or delayed pass on of increased cost of production and higher base effect.

Although players like Escorts and M&M have been able to protect their PBIT margins in the first quarter of the current fiscal, weak demand outlook and increase in manufacturing capacity,portend margin pressures over the near term.

EDITORIAL Restart

T

he reopening of Maruti Suzuki’s plant at Manesar on August, 21 may be a token gesture on the company’s part in its effort to revive production and send out positive signals to all stakeholders. What remains to be seen now is measures taken by the company to ‘manage’ the aftermath of the crises.

Though the company would be looking to make its best effort to get the production back to its ‘normal’ levels and may even manage to do it over the next few weeks, achieving ‘normalcy’ may be a tall order under current circumstances. The turbulent past few weeks after the plant closure has been a time for introspection not only on the company’s production culture but also on manufacturing practices in India that the company has come to deďŹ ne in a way.

Having announced major changes to the worker’s status in addition to ‘suspending’ around 500 workers on disciplinary grounds, it is unlikely that the company’s decision will go unchallenged on legal or ethical grounds by the trade unions. The key concern for the company management now would be to look at alternative working structures, relationships with workers, hierarchies, compensation structures among other human resource related issues.

In this South India Special edition, we have sought to evaluate the aspirations of large and small automobile and

auto component manufacturers across some key manufacturing clusters in Southern India. The region has continued to attract manufacturers from across the globe but key competencies that are emerging in the region include castings & forgings, computer aided designing, machining and precision components. In addition to OEM suppliers, an ecosystem of Tier II and Tier III suppliers have emerged and are raring to go in some of these clusters.

Investor-friendly government policies and support to smaller manufacturers through ďŹ nance, logistics and quality control has helped them stand out as quality manufacturers. The key challenge going forward would be to maintain this edge.

Comments can be sent to am.editorial@network18publishing.com

QUOTES Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Motors on the renewed thrust from the company to the Nano

Christian Klingler, Sales Head Volkswagen to Bloomberg

“There has to be another push to make Nano what it can be�

“The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has grown global deliveries further, despite the continued difficult market situation, above all in western Europe,�

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CONTENTS SOUTH INDIA Nissan Evalia offers a lot more

14

Nissan is seeking to delight customers in the Indian market with the Evalia, based on the multipurpose architecture, roomier interiors, flexible seats and seven-seater mover

14

CORPORATE Bosch to manufacture ninth generation ABS system in India

08

Bosch Chassis Systems India will be manufacturing ninth generation ABS in India with modular product architecture by the middle of 2013

South continues to shine for auto industry

17

Southern states are in the process of creating a more favourable industrial climate by announcing investor-friendly policies from time to time & providing industrial assistance to the entrepreneurs

GLOBAL WATCH New Lexus RX 450h: high quality, low tax bills

17

36

New Lexus RX 450h’s full hybrid system delivers class leading 145g/km CO2 emissions attract a benefit-in-kind tax rating of 20 percent

38

Mercedes-Benz confirms specification for nw CLS shooting brake Namakkal auto fair: platform for newer technologies in South India

20

The recently concluded Namakkal Auto Fair 2012 created a platform to exhibit an entire new generation of vehicles and the state-of-the-art components and accessories

38

Mercedes-Benz’s CLS shooting brake combines five seats and a large load space yet retaining its sleek styling and would be available from £49,360

20

TVS Logistics’ business model is customer centric

22

R Dinesh, Joint Managing Director, TVS & Sons talks about the oppurtunities in the logistics business and overseas expansion plans

PMPF Asia bags Volvo orders

Volkswagen delivers more cars up to July

40

Volkswagen delivered over 3.26 million cars to customers worldwide from January to July and 468,300 units for the month of July, an increase of 11.9 per cent

24

PMPF Asia has bagged orders from Volvo Japan and Volvo France for supplying the entire turnkey painting lines for Volvo engines

Bentley releases specs of new Continental GT Speed

42

Bentley will release technical details of its new all-wheel drive performance flagship GT Speed ahead of its official international show debut at the upcoming Moscow Motor Show

Auto Monitor

Bosch to manufacture ninth generation ABS system in India Bhargav TS Chennai

B

osch Chassis Systems India will be manufacturing ninth generation ABS in India by the middle of 2013. The company manufactures brakes for twowheelers, t h ree-wheelers, passenger cars, utility vehicles, light commercial vehicles and agriculture tractors. The company uses its system engineering capabilities to suggest the right kind of brake system for the OEMs. The latest ABS is developed in order to reduce the number of accidents and save lives. The scalable product concept with modular software architecture characterises this latest technical evolution. Compared to the previous generation, the weight and size have been reduced considerably. The ninth generation ABS offers ideal brake control system for all vehicle segments like small cars, premium cars, two-wheelers and light commercial vehicles.

Speaking to Auto Monitor the Regional President of Bosch Chassis Systems India Limited,

V Balasubramanium

27 AUGUST 2012

C O R P O R AT E

8

V Balasubramanium said, “Bosch launched ninth generation ABS systems in 2010 for the global market and it is widely accepted by the OEMS. The ninth generation ABS systems, which is currently imported and delivered to our customers, will be manufactured locally in India by the middle of next year. We will be manufacturing the ninth generation ABS in our Pune facility.”

Two-Wheeler Braking The ABS, which is fitted into the bikes has speed sensors at both wheels that register the vehicle’s speed. If a wheel locks during braking, the ABS hydraulic unit controls the pressure applied by the driver and the wheel’s braking force and deceleration. This process preserves the rotation of the wheel and keeps the bike stable, even on varying surfaces, helping the rider achieve the shortest and safest stopping distance.

Commenting on the benefits of the ninth generation ABS system fitted in two-wheelers, Balasubramanium said,

“Ea rlier t he ABS for motorc ycles have typically been carried over from passenger cars, with little adaptation to motorcycle requirements.

However, ninth generation ABS has Ninth Generation ABS t wo variants specifically designed to fulfil the motorcycle size and weight requirements. The latest ABS systems are modular, scalable, smallest and lightest in the World, which is also more affordable and less cost.

The discussions where already started with the two-wheeler manufactures and we hope this ABS system will do well in the Indian market.”

Bosch is also looking on the air bags mainly in the electronics and trying to work with the customers to promote the passive safety systems. Globally Bosch is working to achieve its mission, which is injury free driving by 2020. It is also working on Preventive Emergency Braking System (PBS), which is based on the networking of a radar sensor with Electronic Stability Control (ESC). It can assist in reducing rear-end crashes through its three-stage approach, thus offering drivers advanced warning for improved braking reaction time in critical situations, and assistance in avoiding crashes or reducing the risk of injury in crashes that are unavoidable.

Matlab Expo provided opportunity to learn Simulink and Matlab adaptation Our Bureau Chennai

T

he t h ird a nnual user conference, Matlab Expo, hosted

by MathWorks, the developer of mathematical computing software, concluded recently in Bangalore. Over 700 Indian design engineers from the automotive, aerospace and defence, computers, electronics and semiconductors (CES), industrial automation and machinery, and technology services industries participated in the day-long event.

Mat hWork s te ch n ic a l experts from India and overseas presented recently introduced capabilities of Matlab and Simulink in the areas of data analysis and processing, system modeling and simulation, and implementation and verification.

Director of Indust r y Marketing, MathWorks, Dr Sameer Prabhu, delivered his keynote address entitled ‘Getting To Smart’, which demonstrated how companies and universities around the world are taking smarter approaches to developing systems, making discoveries and learning with Matlab and Simulink.

He said that the present era of rapid technology obsolescence, there is heightened emphasis on shifting to easier, faster and smarter ways of achieving desired outcomes. While engineers and scientists strive for this, they are often unsure

how to get there. Matlab and Simulink empower users to make optimum use of newer computing hardware, modelling and simulation, and globally dispersed teams to achieve smarter outcomes.

Customer presentations included one by General Motors’ Technical Centre India on Utilisation of Simulink verification and validation and Simulink Design Verifier for HVAC Controls Software, Moog India Technolog y Center’s Automated ModelBased Requirement Coverage Analysis Tool, and others by Mahindra & Mahindra and Eaton Technologies.

Ma nag ing D i r e c t o r, MathWorks India, Kishore Rao said, “Our goal with Matlab Expo is to provide engineers and scientists, normally confined to a single industry or application area, opportunities to learn of Matlab and Simulink adoptions across industry verticals and foster innovation. The range and depth of customer presentations during Matlab Expo from the best technology entities in the country provided outstanding examples of how MathWorks products and solutions are accelerating the pace of engineering and science spanning multiple industries and application areas. I would like to express appreciation to all our Indian customers and partners for making Matlab Expo a destination for design engineers in India.”

27 AUGUST 2012

Auto Monitor

INTERVIEW

11

“After September this year, we expect the localisation to go up to 80 percent from 70 percent” In a free-wheeling interview, Deputy Managing Director (Marketing), Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Sandeep Singh discusses company’s strategies, his vision for new launches and the changing sentiments of the market. Excerpts:

As of now we are very small. If you look at 4.5 million vehicles, we sell one lakh cars, it is not very big but certainly India plays a very big role in the future growth of Toyota

Bhargav TS How is it going for Toyota in India currently?

We are doing very well and all our products are doing extremely well. Currently, the market is under stress but we have no major issue on sales except a few models. The issue is mainly the interest rates and rupee depreciation, which is putting a lot of pressure on us to increase the prices, passing it on to the customer and there is a limit to which you can go, so therefore overall profitability of the company is under stress.

Have the market concerns affected the company strategies?

Not in terms of our future plans. Certainly we have to reduce our expenses, do some cost cuttings internally to survive in the market, but in terms of our plant there is no stoppage; we are going ahead with all our plans.

After launching Etios, how

is it going for Toyota and in the future, are there any plans for launching any small cars?

Etios and Liva are now playing major roles for Toyota and 50 percent of our sales comes from these two products. This year, we will be selling close to 75,000 vehicle of Etios and Liva and we are looking at a overall sales of 170,000 volume and that’s quite important for us. As of now we don’t have any plans of introducing any other car.

We want to first establish Etios and Liva in the Indian market and then only we look at some other product.

How much does India contribute to your global revenue?

As of now we are very small.

If you look at 4.5 million vehicles, we sell one lakh cars, it is not very big but certainly India plays a very big role in the future growth of Toyota.

What is the reason for kickstarting Etios Motor Racing (EMR) and do you think EMR will boost the sales of Etios?

We are not looking at revenue and our objective is very clear—first of all to generate awareness about motor racing and the second objective is to connect youth with our brand, especially with Etios because it

What are your current plans for expansion?

As of now we are building up the capacity for Etios and Liva. We have two plants in Bangalore; the first plant capacit y is going up from 90,000 to 100,000 where we produce Innova and Fortuner. In our second plant, the capacity is gapped upto 210,000 from

nect w it h t hem, so Etios motor racing is one activity in that direction.

is the mass volume market and our customers who are first time buyers are the youth. Earlier

we did not have any vehicle in this segment and it is ver y important for us to con-

Auto Monitor

27 AUGUST 2012

INTERVIEW

12

cent of petrol and 80 percent of diesel. In Corolla Altis it is 50 percent petrol and 50 percent diesel.

What challenges do you see in the coming days?

One is that the instability in the market with regard to rupee f luctuation, market sentiments going up and down and the other biggest challenge we have is the manpower. We are expanding lot, we open more dealerships for that we need more technicians, more sales people. It is very difficult to get good people basically for the dealer network.

Singh At A Etios Racing Event

100,000 where we produce Etios, Liva and Corolla. For the current financial year we plan to export minimum 20,000 Etios and Liva, thus we are currently expanding our second plant aggressively. On the component side, we are almost ready to launch the gasoline engine which we produced in India so that should start from September onwards.

Next year in the first quarter the transmission will also get localised so these are the expansions that are going on.

What is the localisation of the range of your vehicles?

On an average it is 50 percent but it differs vehicle by vehicle, the localisation for Etios is about 70 percent and after September this year we expect it to go by 80 percent. In the case of Innova it is about 60 percent and Fortuna and Corolla is about 50 percent.

What is the efficiency of the Bangalore plant when compared with the other Toyota plants?

Bangalore plant is one of the best plants of Toyota and it meets all global quality and efficiency standards. In meeting all the global standards, the Bangalore plant has ranked first in Asia Pacific, which shows the efficiency of our plant. It also depends on how much automation you have done at the plant.

What are future your plans in bringing Lexus, Land Cruiser and Prado?

If you see, with respect to the Land Cruiser and Prado, we are already importing and we continue to import them. Regarding Lexes, we have not yet decided when we are going to bring it.

Another big milestone is that we are going to launch the locally made Camar y soon—which

is being assembled wh i le some pa r t s been localised.

here, have

Will the Camary rates will go down with its localisation?

I don’t think with this process the rates will go down because when we were selling Camary earlier we were incurring heavy loss to be competitive in the market.

What is your view on rupee depreciation?

We hope that the government will take some action by which, we will have positive sentiments in the market and more investment coming to India which should help the rupee appreciate. However, as of now, it looks like a long shot and that is the cause of worry for us.

What about your product mix up in terms of petrol and diesel?

In case of Etios, it is 20 per-

Currently, MPVs are ruling the market and you have the Innova in that segment. Would you consider bringing any new product in the MPV space?

Innova is doing very well; it has got its own market and the

A big milestone is that we are going to launch the locally made Camary soon.

Another highlight is that the Bangalore plant is one of the best plants of Toyota and it meets all global quality and efficiency standards MPV race in India in the overall market is still very low.

Thus even if more vehicles are coming in, it will be welcome because it will expand the market and none of these launches have affected our sales. Also, we are doing very well a nd t he competition w ill help us in expanding the market.

Auto Monitor

27 AUGUST 2012

S OU T H INDI A

14

Nissan Evalia offers a lot more

N

issan is seeking to del ig ht c u stomers in the Indian ma rket w it h t he Evalia, based on the multipurpose architecture- roomier interiors, flexible seats and sevenseat capacity.

Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) segment was ruled by Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo and recently Maruti Suzuki entered into the fray with the Ertiga.

Analysts and market watchers are of the opinion that the market has matured to a point where a good quality MPVs have many takers.

Auto Monitor recently got the opportunity to evaluate the MPV offering from Nissan’s stable. More of a minivan than a car, Evalia is based on the cargo-moving NV200, which won the 2010 International Van of the Year award. Also check an exclusive interview with Satoshi Matsutomi, Vice PresidentProduct Planning, Nissan Motor India in the following page.

Features The vehicle appears attractive when viewed from the front, with the curved headlamps, which is integrated neatly with the grille. Evalia’s design is still pleasing with character lines at the side that neatly merge into the sliding door rails, even though the sides look like a slablike structure and squared tail lack in style. The tail lamp size is too small and not in a correct proportion when compared to the size of the vehicle.

Once seated inside, what struck us first was the ample space for the both front and rear passengers. W hile looking at the roominess, Innova and the other rivals can’t compete with Evalia. Evalia has two tone beige interiors specifically made for India and the instruments on the dashboard appear outdated. The glove box without a lid looks incomplete and faces the risk of the stored items to fall once the car starts.

Front seat occupants have plenty of room, frontal visibility is great and the seats are comfortable too. There’s ample

space for middle row passengers as well, and this is despite not having the option to slide the seats backward as provided in other MPVs. The middle row has good leg room but not enough shoulder room for three adults. The f lat f loor and generous width also make the middle seat suitable to travelling three abreast, though the seat is somewhat lacking in thigh support.

The biggest problem for the middle row passengers will be the windows, which are too small in size and do not roll down. It comes with a restrictive butterf ly-type opening. But the large front windows make up for it and are enough for the breeze to come in aid for the middle row passengers. While looking at the comforts for the middle row passengers, there is no sliding armrest on the door so that your left hand or rightmost edge of the passengers could stiff. Handle is too far and high on the B pillars, which may be an issue for passengers.

Some may also be put off by the van-like sliding rear doors, but they do allow good access

Photographs: Bhargav TS

Bhargav TS Bangalore

to the third row. The last row offers sufficient head, knee and shoulder room to host two adults in reasonable comfort. With all seats in place, one can easily stow two large suitcases vertically. There is an option to fold the third row sideways and f lip the middle row forward to create some serious luggage-carrying space.

The dashboard looks very simple but practically it has lot to offer. The steering wheel has been borrowed from Micra with slight change on the horn button and made it easier to access when comparing to Micra and Sunny.

The instrument cluster is equipped with MID (Multi-Information Display) for giving drivers more information such as average fuel consumption, shift timing (indicators that suggest when you have to change gears in order to drive efficiently), the distance from the rest of the existing fuel oil.

Evalia is powered by 1.5-litre Renault K9K diesel engine, which produces 84 bhp (the same as the Nissan Sunny) and 20.4 kgm of torque, both quite modest figures for such a large MPV. W hile looking on the engine performance, it does well. But while it may have the capacity to carry a family and its luggage, the Evalia seems underpowered for the task, at least on paper. That’s because its 1.5-litre Renault K9K diesel engine.

Even though the output figures are low, the lack of power is not felt when driving on the highway. The best aspect of the engine is the tractability, and its remarkable how smoothly the engine pulls from as low as 1,000 rpm. The engine feels at its best between 2,000-4,000 rpm and the smartly chosen ratios help keep it within this range. Driveability is good, and what further helps it as a city-friendly car is its light steering and turning circle which is quite tight.

For having better riding quality and fuel efficiency, Nissan has reduced the weight of the vehicle considerably by using high strength tensile steel and it has constructed the Evalia in monocoque chassis. This has resulted in reduction of overall weight by 200 kg when compared to the Innova and allows Evalia to offer car-like handling. The steering is light and easy to use and one also get good grip from the tyres and, while there is a fair amount of body roll, the handling is still within safe limits.

Nissal Evalia has good potential if it is correctly priced. The vehicle has everything to transport the family both in city and highway by having adequate power, and there is good space too. What’s more, Nissan is claiming an AR AI-rated fuel consumption of near 20kpl, which should make it more fuel efficient than its competition in the real world too. If Nissan can price the Evalia below Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, it could win itself some buyers in the MPV space.

It will also be quite an interesting option for buyers looking for a modern people’s mover and urban utility movers.

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Satoshi Matsutomi, Vice President-Product Planning, Nissan Motor India ABS, EBD, Airbag were added to this.

Would you term Evalia as value for money or futuristic or performance oriented?

It is value for money. We would also like to create something new; that customers would never get this kind of a car for both spaciousness and good fuel economy.

What is the difference etween European NV200 and Indian Evalia?

The NV200 and Evalia are very different offerings. The base technology may be same but design-wise and feature-wise, the Evalia is very different. More importantly, the customer base that it is targeting will not connect with the name NV200.

While designing this vehicle to the Indian conditions, what was the main focus?

This vehicle is built based on the ‘B Platform’, which is a passenger vehicle oriented platform. So we can utilise it for the PV for having good handling and road visibility. According to the specifications, we have changed the ground clearance by altering the suspension systems and the interior colours are changed according the Indian conditions.

What is the USP of Evalia?

There are three major USPs— fuel economy, sedan-like driving feeling and spaciousness. Other than this, key features like intelligent key, safety features like

What are the benefits of ‘B’ platform over ‘V’ platform? And what are the changes done to the B Platform?

The B platform is more capable with the high power engine line

ZF goes green with the help of EcoLife transmission Our Bureau Chennai

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F Transmission, manufacturer of commercial vehicle transmission systems has started incorporating EcoLife transmission systems. This advanced technology helps in lower fuel consumption and improve mobility options. The ZF transmission is a six-speed transmission which offers lowered fuel consumption, reduction of emissions and extended service. The ZF EcoLife transmission has been designed keeping in mind future regulations of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption parameters.

The EcoLife transmission has been designed to help lower costs related to technical problems associated with oil changes and servicing. This is so as incorporation of this transmission module into the bus system will lower engine stress levels considerably. Currently ZF-Ecolife, is available in India in the Volvo 8400 low floor CNG city Bus, which is undergoing trials in Mumbai with Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply & Transport Undertaking (BEST). Similar trials of Volvo 8400 low floor CNG city Bus equipped with ZF-Ecolife has already been sucessfully run with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) in Delhi and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) in Navi Mumbai.

The new transmission provides for passenger comfort, lower fatigue as also quick lockup of torque converter which leads to lowered fuel consumption. A new technology permits a quick lockup of the torque converter—the fuel-intensive hydraulic driving phases are shortened correspondingly, which leads to lower fuel consumption. Due to the modified cooling concept, ZF-EcoLife is designed for modern engines complying with all emission standards known today.

As a standard, the ZF-EcoLife transmissions have now also been programmed with the new topography-dependent TopoDyn Life control software. The continuously variable shifting programme guarantees the transmission’s optimal operation at any point of the route. This process is enabled by means of individual shift points that are calculated in line with the respective route profile and the driving resistances.

With ZF-EcoLife, public transportation authorities that want to extend their capacities in the future can likewise increase performance, economy, and passenger comfort. This refers not only to lower fuel consumption and therefore lower exhaust emissions, and reduces noise for passengers in the bus due to helical-cut ZF-EcoLife planetary gearset clearly.

up of Evalia. The rear suspension is modified and the fuel tank has been changed. This modification helped us to achieve more comfort and roomy interiors. What’s more, the V and B platform can utilise the same power train unit of K9K Renault engine.

What are the challenges that engineers have faced when designing this MPV? We have used Renault K9K diesel engine, which is widely used in many vehicles for better fuel efficiency. But due to the weight difference some tuning is required, so we carefully made a specific turning for the Evalia.

To have good handling and balance, we have decreased the weight by having high tensional steel and the entire vehicle is designed aerodynamically by reducing the Co-efficient of drag (Cd). Essentially, the lower the Cd, the more aerodynamic a car is, and directly it translates into better fuel efficiency.

What is the localisation of this model?

Currently, the localisation is around 80 percent and we are

trying to achieve 100 percent.

Importing components is not good because of the exchange rates and the transportation cost is higher for us. Therefore we will be trying to localise the components as much as we can.

Evalia is said to be the competitor to Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo. How do you plan to differentiate Evalia from its rivals?

If you look at Evalia, it attracts different customers when compared to Toyota Innova; we are not going to pitch the Evalia against the Innova. Our target audience is urban customers and Innova targets business customers. Evalia has more space when compared to the Innova and Xylo and the flat floor helps the passengers to carry more luggage.

The Evalia customer is upgrading from hatchback or a sedan, so it will give same drivability experience as Innova and Xylo.

After seeing the huge response for Sunny in the Indian market, will you be aggressively pricing the Evalia?

We have not decided the

price yet, but we will offer the vehicle at a reasonable price. If the customers think that Toyota Innova is too expensive, then we can offer Evalia at an affordable price. If you look at Sunny, it is not aggressively priced, it is a product that is value for money for the Indian customers.

Currently, Nissan offers Evalia with a 1.5L diesel engine, Are there plans for bringing petrol engine in the future?

Considering the current market situation and the petrol price, we will only focus on the diesel engine. Currently, diesel makes sense. If the petrol price come down, then definitely we will be bringing the petrol engine in Evalia.

Will you be manufacturing the NV200 London cab in the Chennai facility?

Presently we don’t have such plans, since we have our manufacturing facility in Europe where it is currently manufactured.

However, if it is cost effective to manufacture the NV200 London cab in Chennai, then definitely we will be looking at this option.

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South continues to shine for auto industry

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n order to promote industrial activities, southern states are in the process of creating a more favourable industrial climate by announcing investor-friendly policies from time to time as well as providing industrial assistance to the entrepreneurs.

The major reason for the companies to show their interest in investing in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is due to aggressive industrial policies and availability of manpower. Around 75 percent of India’s

engineering graduates from engineering institutes are in these states.

The past few years have witnessed a rapid change in all the segments of the Indian automotive industry. International competition, increase in the number of participants and the need to counter the pressure on margins have made it a buyer’s rather than a seller’s market.

Wide model choices and the rising income levels of customers — especia l ly a mong adults—coupled with the low Equal Monthly Instalments (EMIs) have made vehicle purchase affordable. With foreign

competitors focusing on passenger vehicles, domestic participants are scrambling to catch up and compete by investing in R&D and improving overall efficiency.

Considering the challenges that the industry has been facing since the past one year and the way it has countered most of the threats that it faced, one can be sure that the future of auto industry is promising. This is proved by the recent announcement made by SIAM, that the car sales are projected to increase to around five million vehicles by 2015 and more than nine million by 2020. The major share of this

projection will be from South Indian companies.

Major Investments In Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai’s reputation as the capital of automotive industry is getting bigger by the day due to increase in volumes. Five automobile majors have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with the state government. The state is likely to witness an investment of close to `5,700 crore pouring in the automotive sector.

The companies with which the state government has signed the MoUs include Ashok LeylandNissan Motor Company Ltd, India Yama ha Motor Ltd, Daimler India Commercia l Vehicles and Eicher Motors Ltd. By these new MoUs, more that 9,000 jobs are expected to be generated in the state.

According to the industry experts, Tamil Nadu has achieved 9.4 percent growth

Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai’s reputation as the capital of automotive industry is getting bigger by the day due to increase in volumes. Five automobile majors have signed Memorandums of Understanding with the state government. The state is likely to witness an investment of close to `5,700 crore pouring in the automotive sector in GDP as compared to India’s GDP of 6.8 percent. This growth helped Tamil Nadu to emerge as a second largest state in the growth, next to Maharashtra.

Photograph: Akmal Rahman B

Bhargav TS Chennai

Chennai Port

Renault-Nissan Manufacturing Facility In Oragadam, Near Chennai

Auto Monitor

While looking into automobile and auto component manufacturing, the state accounts for 35 percent of the country’s demand.

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Volvo Bus Factory, Bangalore

TVS Motors Assembly Line In Hosur

is attracting more investments from the automobile industry. The state government has also approved nine projects in automobile sector with an investment of `3,628 crore with employment potential approximately as 8,000 jobs. Recently Karnataka’s State High Level Clearance Committee has given clearance to Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts (TK AP) to invest `750 crore. Due to this TK AP has planned to expand its transmissions plant to supply Etios transmissions by next year.

Another major investment has come from Honda Motor Corporation, which is setting up its fourth two-wheeler plant

in Narasapura Industrial Area in Kolar district, about 52 km from Bangalore at an investment of `1,350 crore. The state government has allotted 100 acre to the company and the new plant would go on stream by the first half of 2013. According to the company, the assembly unit has the capacity to produce 1.2 million units a year in the first phase. Eventually, the production capacity would be ramped up to 1.8 million vehicles a year in the second phase. The company has created employment opportunity for 3,000 skilled and unskilled workers.

UK-based premium bike ma nu fact u rer Tr i u m p h

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Manufacturing Plant In Chennai

Motorcycles, has zeroed in on Narasapura for a local assembly plant. The company has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the State government.

Scania Commercial Vehicles India (SCV I), a 100 percent subsidiary of Scania AB, the Swedish manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, coaches as well as industrial and marine engines will be investing `250 crore in setting up an assembly plant for trucks and buses in Bangalore.

The company has purchased 25 acre at the Narasapura Industrial Area to set up the assembly plant.

To begin with, the company plans to assemble heavy trucks for mining, construction and on road heavy haulage applications at the plant which will be operational during the first quarter of next year. It will employ about 800 people in this facility over the next five years. Scania plans to roll out 2,000 heavy trucks and 1,000 inter-city buses and coaches from this plant in the next five years. In the next phase, it will build trucks and buses from the same facility. During the first phase, it will initially assemble trucks and by 2014, it plans to roll out buses.

Component Manufactures To Have Strong Presence In Andhra Pradesh The second coastal state in south is Andhra Pradesh, which is now increasingly being recognised as the hub of industrial activity in South India. The automobile industry has a strong presence in the state of Andhra Pradesh owing to a broad base of automotive component manufacturers and a large pool of highly trained and skilled manpower.

Andhra Pradesh has to its credit more than a 100 automotive component manufacturing companies including component manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers. The government has launched State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) for clearing the investment plans. Recently SIPB, has cleared 25 projects valued at `40,000 crore.

Fresh Investments A major investment has come from the farm equipment unit of Mahindra and Mahindra last year for setting up its new tractor plant in Zaheerabad in Andhra Pradesh. The company made investments of `300 crore for the manufacturing facility spread across 100 acres. The installed capacity of the plant will be 100,000 tractors which can be scaled up to meet additional demand.

Andhra Pradesh has to its credit more than a 100 automotive component manufacturing companies including component manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers. The government has launched State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) for clearing the investment plans. Recently SIPB, has cleared 25 projects valued at `40,000 crore Apart from these special policies offered from these southern states, the infrastructure has grown up drastically in the recent years.

Totally there are six major ports—Chennai, Ennore, Tuticorin, Kochi, Visakapatnam and New Mangalore for exporting. There are seven international airports—Chennai, Trichy, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochin, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. With all these attributes, the region is set to grow further not only in manufacturing but also in R&D to support the automotive sector.

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Namakkal auto fair: Emerging stage for technology Bhargav TS Namakkal

Photographs: Bhargav TS

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amakkal Auto Fair 2012, which recently concluded in the tra nsport hub of Tamil Nadu in Namakkal, created a platform to exhibit an entire new generation of vehicles and the state-of-the-art components and accessories from right across the country.

The maiden event was organised

by Namakkal Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association (NMSPDA) to witness modern technological advancements that the field is facing. Especially many mechanics are unaware of the latest technologies used in the heavy commercial vehicles.

According to NMSPDA, the main objective of organising Namakkal Auto Fair is to showcase the technological development and how much the town has exposed itself to the changing trends. The township is involved in the automobile industry for ages. Every family in the town is in to automobiles in one way or the other with majority of them involved in

R Dinesh, JMD, TVS & Sons Inaugurated The Namakkal Auto Fair

the trucking business. Despite small population of about one and a half lakh, the town has about 5,000 f leet operators numbering to more than 15,000 to 20,000 trucks including about 4,000 LPG tankers and close to 3,000 trailers. Sources from the association said, “We want everybody to come to the town and see the development and the current trend”.

After inaugurating the threeday event, the Joint Managing Director of TVS & Sons, R Dinesh said spare part dealer-

Many Component manufacturers Displayed Their Latest Products In The Fair

ship is a segment to reckon with since irrespective of sales of new vehicles, the fleet operators or the end users need to maintain their existing vehicles.

Therefore, there is no question of slowdown affecting the business. If at all it gets affected due to extreme cases there will be drop for two to three months.

However, it is the first one to recover after slowdown. The challenge, however, is to move along with the technological improvements and providing quality service.

Transportation Hub The organisers think that despite being a transport hub with huge transactions on auto components as spare parts, Namakkal could not capitalise on the potential much. It is estimated that the spare parts business turnover of the town is around `200 crore. Currently the town has capabilities to service commercial vehicles completely. However, there are some operations including chassis bending etc. that are carried out manually, due to lack of awareness and technological support. The show would help the visitors in introducing mechanisation in their operations too.

Revenue-wise, the fair was comfortable and NMSPDA is planning to utilise the surplus funds in building its own place for the association. Currently about 130 dealers are members at NMSPDA. This is the first time the association has organised an exhibition and in future it is planning to organise the event once in two years. Since it was for the first time the show was held in a wedding hall, however, with the experience it gained, the association hopes to conduct future shows in hangars. Going forward the association is also planning to organsie seminars on inventory management, budgeting, finance management etc., for the members, sources added.

Asking about the slowdown of the economy and the retardation in the sales performance of the commercial vehicles in particular, R Dinesh, said, “During the slowdown in 2008 the government managed swiftly by announcing stimulus.

Within three months the trend was reversed. I think we need something similar to that happening now. Things like interest rate reduction, spending on infrastructure and quick decision being taken on large infrastructure projects and such things will get the momentum going. Once the momentum starts, the growth will be back within two to three months.”

About 120 exhibitors participated in the show with majority of them from spare parts dealers, vehicle dealers, consumable manufacturers and few component manufacturers. The companies represented in the exhibition include TV Sundram Iyengar & Sons Ltd, Sundaram Motors, Roots, Talbros , Fenner, Rane Brake Lining, Federal Mogul, Timken, Bosch, Lucas-TVS, Brakes India, Turbo Energy, Wabco, Delphi-TVS, Wheels India, Firestone, Anand Spicer, IPL, Knor-Bremse, Uno Minda, Cummins, Luk, Meritor, Ashok Leyland, AMW, Eicher, Swaraj Mazda and Mahindra.

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TVS Logistics’ model is customer-centric R Dinesh, Managing Director, TVS Logistics Services Bhargav TS How do you see the overall growth opportunities in short as well as long term in the logistic industry in India?

The percentage of outsourcing in India is very low and will continue to grow further with the value addition provided by the logistics players. While in the short term there may be a small reduction in the growth percentages, in the long term we do see significant growth opportunities especially by providing value addition. However, a much closer working together and understanding of total cost is required to enable profitable growth for logistics companies.

What are the driving factors for growth of logistics industry in India?

There are five driving factors that influence the growth of logistics industry in India.

They are the overall growth in

the economy itself, earlier mentioned trend of increase in out sourcing, the complexities and specialised skills required in certain specific sector of the logistics industry, value addition and continuous improvement provided by logistics players and knowledge and competency gained globally but applied with India’s specific innovations.

How organised is the logistics industry?

The logistics sector has split into various segments. Certain sectors like transportation, freight forwarding, may not have become organised to the same level as other sectors like warehousing, cold storage etc.

What are the growth prospects of TVS logistics over the next few years?

TVS Logistics model of business is dependent on its customers. Therefore, in the short term we would be affected by the current economic situation.

However, we are adding new customers as well as significant non-auto business both in India

and in overseas in double digits over the next few years.

Going forward, will you depend purely on acquisitions to grow?

Going forward, we would look to grow both organically and inorganically to make our presence felt domestically and internationally.

What are your overseas expansion plans?

As explained earlier, our business model is customer focused and therefore we will grow in countries where our customers require our presence. Geographically, Turkey, South Africa and China will continue to be on our radar and at some point of time Brazil also.

However, we are in the process of consolidating our presence in the existing countries and in India.

Tell us about your investment plans for the near future?

We have recently completed the second round of fund raising from KKR. Therefore, we will be deploy-

ing these funds for enabling both, organic and inorganic growth.

You have acquired Universal Components in March. How is the synergy helping you in the current trend? Has there been any progress made?

We are making progress on

the synergies. Our initial focus to start sourcing components from India is starting now. The second stage of using the Universal business model in India will take more time. However, a team of individuals are working to understand the best practices which can be implemented in India.

Apollo Tyres makes strategic move Our Bureau Chennai

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n order to make its Kalamassery plant in Kerala as an export unit for industrial tyres, Apollo Tyres has planned to invest `300 crore in the plant. The tyre maker also plans to introduce premium Dutch brand of tyres, Vredestein, later this year. The tyre maker has acquired two companies in South Africa and Europe in the last six years and is also looking for the greenfield projects in Eastern Europe.

The Chairman of Apollo Tyres, Onkar S Kanwar said, “The investment will be made in the next two years to cater to the export markets of Europe, South Africa and North American markets. The Kalamassery unit will manufacture industrial tyres to export to Europe, South America and North America.

Apollo Tyres produces the entire range of automotive tyres for ultra and high speed passenger cars, truck and bus, farm, off-the-road, industrial and specialty applications like mining, retreaded tyres and retreading material. These are produced across Apollo’s eight manufacturing locations in India, Netherlands and Southern Africa.

Net profit of Apollo Tyres grew by 79 percent to `138 crore in the first quarter of the financial year 2012-2013, from `77 crore in the corresponding year-ago quarter. Sales were up by 12 percent at `3,165 crore.

In India, Apollo has established a clear leadership in the growing truck-bus radial tyres by registering a growth of 60 percent in the quarter, while in South Africa, passenger vehicle tyre sales moved higher by 32 percent.

European operations, even in a slowdown situation, continued to maintain top line growth and profitability, expanded by close to 50 percent.

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PMPF Asia bags Volvo orders Bhargav TS Bangalore

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Photograph: Bhargav TS

angalore-based PMPF Asia, manufacturer of turnkey paint finishing lines to automotive and industrial paint finishing lines, has bagged orders from Volvo Japan and Volvo France. The company will be supplying the entire turnkey painting lines for Volvo engines.

PMPF Asia is a joint venture company formed by Bangalorebased Prism Surface Coating India and PMPF USA. The joint venture company, which will address the high technology processes and the combined expertise and experience, will strengthen and equip PMPF Asia to execute large turnkey E Coat, painting and powder coating lines with the

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We will focus on truck lines in India and will be entering into the tractor line and finally into component manufacturing. We will also be exploring into aerospace component painting—Ganesan, MD, PMPF Asia latest technologies for worldwide customers of cars, trucks, tractors, agricultural and heavy machineries, buses and auto components.

Speaking to Auto Monitor, the Managing Director of PMPF Asia, Ganesan said, “The main

PMPF Asia Manufacturing Facility, Bangalore

advantages of this product is that till now globally people where spraying liquid paint, which has solvents and polluting the environment and these liquid paints are very difficult for disposal. In order to reduce the pollution, engineers in PMPF have developed a new technology, which will spray the liquid paint using robots and collect the over sprayed waste paint in dry powder form, thereby avoiding cumbersome water wash paint booths and paint sludge disposal systems.”

Painting Solutions Currently it has its manufacturing facility in Bangalore for the entire range painting solution. The company is also expanding its base by setting up one more manufacturing facility in Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu at an investment of `two crore. The new plant will have a capacity to manufacture more than 20 sets of entire paint booths and will commence its production by the end of this year.

Com ment i ng on t he focus of t he compa ny, Ga nesa n sa id, “We w il l be focusi ng on t r uck lines in India and will be entering into tractor line, and finally into component manufacturing.

We will also be exploring into the aerospace components painting. Currently we have supplied our equipments to the Hyderabad airport in association with GMR and Malaysian Airlines to paint flight components. This shows our commitment and qualit y of our products,” Ganesan concluded.

Bob Cheeseman Director, PMPF Asia ber, de-watering section, paint sludge removal systems etc. We would be able to bring energy efficient systems and environment friendly technologies.

For example at the moment we are executing two large automotive painting lines through PMPF Asia for Volvo-France and Volvo-Japan. Here we use a unique technology of spraying liquid paint using robots and collect the over sprayed waste paint in dry powder form, thereby avoiding cumbersome water wash paint booths and paint sludge disposal systems.

What is the purpose of forming PMPF Asia?

As you may know PMPF USA has expertise and several years of experience supplying painting lines to the auto industry (trucks, cars), tractors, tier 1 auto components and plastic painting lines. We would like to expand our business to global customers mainly in BRIC nations. By forming a strategic alliance with Prism, we would be able to manufacture and source components in India, which will help us to offer cost effective solutions, apart from providing cutting edge technologies.

What are your future plans?

As conveyed to you we have formed this company in India to address global markets especially in BRIC nations. We are bringing in new technology, training the Indian engineering team, so that we can use them to create design work, installation and supervision work apart from manufacturing. We are also setting up state of the art manufacturing facility in a two acre land in a nearby industrial estate in Tamil Nadu, India.

What are the technological innovations that PMPF USA is capable of offering to Indian customers?

The key members of our team have spent more than three decades in the paint finishing business having associated with almost all the automotive manufacturers of the world.

My partner Leif Josefsson was responsible to create several patents in the automotive paint booth design, scrub-

What is your opinion of Indian manufacturing capabilities?

For the last year and a half I have been travelling to India and I have found everything that can be produced in the World can be made in India with World class quality. We have seen this and also experienced it. It is also evident from the fact that many MNCs are setting up their global manufacturing facilities in India.

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Outlook on auto components industry

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he year 2011-12 was a mélange of events and disparate outcomes for the constituent companies in the ~`1,600 billion Indian auto components industry. On one end of the spectrum were entities that experienced slowdown in their sales volumes and profit growth marred by lower supplies to domestic Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), particularly in the passenger vehicle (PV) and the Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicle (M&HCV) segments. On the other, were select entities that maintained a healthy revenue growth by virtue of steady growth in exports, inorganic growth pursuits, market share gains, replacement market leaning, non-automotive segment sales scale-up and diesel-vehicles oriented product portfolio. If the year 2010-11 was characterized by strong demand but trailing capacity buildup, the year 2011-12 displayed the deleterious impact of both demand slowdown as well as supply shocks—consequent to the

Since the beginning of 2011-12, the prices of key commodities started softening, providing partial relief to the industry players that had grappled with commodity cost pressures throughout 2010-11

tsunami in Japan, labour strike at Maruti Suzuki and floods in Thailand—on the growth and profitability score card of a large number of auto component manufacturers.

Apropos ICRA’s sample of 36 publically-listed auto component manufacturers, the QoQ revenue growth of these select entities was in low single digits during Q1, Q2 and Q3 of 2011-12 which too was aided largely by increase in average realization induced by higher raw material costs.

However, even as Q4, 2011-12 was marked by sequential improvement in revenue growth numbers of these select entities, the same still remained weaker on a seasonally-adjusted basis. Within our sample universe, however, there was a wide variance in the performance of individual companies with revenue growth being relatively higher for companies dependent on the domestic two-wheeler (2W) and Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segments; and growth being lower for companies dependent

on the PV and M&HCV segments. This broadly mirrors the trend in sales volumes seen in the respective automobile segments in 2011-12.

Further, despite macro-economic challenges currently being faced by the automotive industry—PV and M&HCV segments in particular—due to inflation, high interest rates and rising fuel prices, many of the auto component manufacturers reported strong double digit revenue growth in 2011-12 supported by (i) component exports to Europe and USA for CV applications (further supported by a favourable exchange rate scenario in the latter half of 2011-12) (ii) increased sales to the domestic replacement market; and (iii) rising share of revenues from the non-automotive segment. Also, several entities in our sample have been displaying significantly higher revenue growth than average over the last several quarters by virtue of their success in improving market share, expanding product portfolio and changing product mix in favour of

higher realization components.

The above features sailed such companies through in 2011-12, allowing them to report healthy topline growth, overall demand side pressures notwithstanding.

While the overall revenue growth of auto ancillaries is expected to slow down further in 2012-13, companies having the following characteristics may be the positive outliers: s !UTO COMPONENT MANUFACTURers having presence in product categories that are unique to diesel cars: given that the trend in dieselization of the Indian car market is likely to hold as long as the large price differential between the two fuels persists. s %NTITIES HAVING A STRONG BRAND franchise in the replacement market: given that the strong growth in OEM sales volume in 2009-10 and 2010-11 will start translating into replacement market demand in 2012-13 especially in product

Contd. on page 30

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Outlook on auto.........

Contd. from page 28 categories such as tyres, batteries, struts, shock absorbers, clutch plates and wheel bearings etc.

Trends In Profit Margins While there was large variance in the performance of individual companies in terms of revenue growth, margin pressures were non-discriminatory as rising raw material costs (adjusted for INR depreciation against USD), forex losses and higher interest burden added to the costs while intensifying competition restricted pricing power across all automobile segments.

During the course of 2011-12, the EBITDA margin trajectory of auto industry participants was V-shaped with margins in Q1, 2011-12 and Q4, 2011-12 being broadly at par with the 2010-11 levels and margins dropping significantly during Q2, 2011-12 and Q3, 2011-12.

Since the beginning of 201112, the prices of key commodities

started softening, providing partial relief to the industry players that had grappled with commodity cost pressures throughout 2010-11. In Q1, 2011-12, the PBDIT margins of the publically-listed auto OEMs in our sample had improved sequentially by virtue of the combined benefit of price increases undertaken by them in the preceding quarter and partial correction in commodity prices.

However, the same improvement did not manifest in the PBDIT margins of auto component manufacturers in our sample due to inflation in other costs such as employee costs, power costs and other overhead expenses, which are generally not pass-through to OEMs (unlike increase in raw material costs). The PBDIT margins of auto component manufacturers declined further in Q2, 2011-12 mainly due to lower sales volumes but fixed overhead charges, notwithstanding QoQ decline in average raw material prices of key raw materials.

Although international prices of key raw materials declined further in H2, 2011-12, the landed costs stayed firm due to sharp depreciation of INR against USD. Thus, even as growth in exports and increase in domestic replacement market sales, besides sequential volume growth in Q4, 2011-12 had a positive impact on PBDIT margins of the auto components industry in H2, 2011-12, the industry’s margin expansion was constrained due to (a) weaker INR against USD that negated the potential benefit arising from soft international commodity prices (b) weaker INR against JPY that increased the cost of imports for ancillaries that source component child parts and other inputs from Japan. Compared to Tier I suppliers to OEMs, margin pressures were visible to a greater extent on the financials of Tier II and Tier III suppliers that have relatively lower bargaining power, resulting in weaker ability to pass-on increased costs.

Over and above operating cost pressures, the PAT margins of several auto component manufacturers over the last few

quarters have also been weighed down by increase in depreciation and interest costs. This was consequent to the large capex incurred by these entities in the period prior to Q2, 2011-12 to meet the rising production schedules of OEMs and towards establishing production infrastructure to supply parts for new models launched by OEMs. With slowdown in sales, particularly in the PV segment, the utilisation of vendors’ capacities remained sub-optimal. Since a part of the above capex was debt-funded, the rise in interest rates and decline in profits brought down the interest coverage ratio of several companies in 2011-12. Also, the net profits of entities with foreign currency loans suffered in Q2, 2011-12 and Q3, 2011-12 due to MTM losses on restatement of foreign currency loans following sharp appreciation of USD against INR since the second fortnight of September 2011.

Key Sensitivities And Outlook As per industry estimates, out of the total turnover of the

Trend In Sales Volumes Of Automobiles (Domestic + Export)

Sales Units (Nos.) PV Growth (YoY)

2010-11

Q1, 2011-12

Q2, 2011-12

Q2, 2011-12

Q2, 2011-12

2973900

724134

731870

721793

947434

24.00%

9.00%

1.00%

0.00%

14.00%

M&HCV

352060

81503

92710

89961

112444

Growth (YoY)

33.00%

6.00%

6.00%

11.00%

6.00%

LCV

400645

111082

130144

132710

151641

Growth (YoY)

29.00%

25.00%

37.00%

27.00%

27.00%

13329895

3692658

3922111

3877733

3888610

27%

18%

19%

13%

12%

2W Growth (YoY)

201213E

2012-17E (CAGR)

5-7%

10-11%

2-4%

9.511.5%

10-12%

11-13%

8-9%

9-11%

Indian auto components industry, around 60percent is derived from sales to domestic OEMs, around 25 percent comes from sales to the domestic replacement market and around 15 percent is derived from exports.

Thus, domestic demand recovery/ sustenance will be the primary variable that will govern the automobile industry’s revenue growth and profitability prospects over the short term. In terms of exports, while the prevailing weakness of INR Vs USD will not have any material impact on the industry’s exports profitability at a broader level—given that exports account for only ~15 percent of the industry’s total revenues —individual companies that do have meaningful exports dependence, should benefit from their enhanced exports competitiveness arising from the prevailing weakness of the Indian currency. The weakness in overall revenue growth of the auto components industry is likely to persist in 2012-13; yet, EBITDA margins may remain intact as companies step-up focus on cost control, besides benefitting from a benign raw material cost environment. Moreover, the industry’s planned capex outlay for 2012-13 also remains conservative since a large magnitude of greenfield and brownfield capacity expansion was concluded during the course of the last two years that provides sufficient capacity buffer to meet the level of demand envisaged over the short term.

(Courtesy: ICRA)

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Mercedes to introduce compact SUV, evaluate GLK Our Bureau Mumbai

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ercedes-Benz is looking to notch up higher volumes in India in the coming years and may be looking to have compact models on existing and new platforms.

In addition to the likely introduction of the A class in India by 2014, the company is also looking to introduce a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) on the A class platform for Indian market introduction by 2014. “Our priority is to notch up volumes in key growing segments in India and compact SUV segment is a promising segment. We are evaluating other options for achieving our growth objective as well,” said a company official. He further added that the GLK class, a sought after SUV in many of markets globally with left hand drive regulation, is also being considered and its next generation with a right hand drive configuration may be introduced in India by 2015. The GLK is currently the smallest SUV in the German car majors’ global passenger vehicle portfolio and has

27 AUGUST 2012

C O R P O R AT E

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been one of its most successful SUV globally.

“We are not looking to have a scenario of one or two of our models contributing to more than 30 to 40 percent of our volumes. We would continue to focus on growing our existing portfolio of the C, the E and the S class in India and other markets with variations on the platform and other variants,” said the official.

The depreciation of the rupee vis-a-vis the dollar and the Euro, duty structure and rising cost has had a negative impact on the company’s cost structure and the company has raised the prices by around five to seven percent this year. The localisation across the company’s model range is around 30 to 40 percent currently.

The company recently inaugurated its largest workshop in in Andheri, Mumbai, India. Spread over a lakh sq ft, the Auto Hangar workshop has around 54 service bays and has been set up with an investment of around `52 crore by the company’s old time sales and service partner Auto Hanger.

“Our priority is to cater to growing population of Mercedes car

Peter Honneg, MD, Mercedes-Benz India At The Inauguration Of The Auto Hangar Workshop In Mumbai

owners in and around Mumbai and in the Western region with faster turnaround time,” said Managing Director, Auto Hanger (India) Pvt Ltd, Mohan Mariwala.

He added that there are estimated 7,000 Mercedes cars in Mumbai and Thane alone and there is a dire need for servicing these vehicles.

The workshop will provide round the clock support in service, general repairs, body repairs, paint job, wheel alignment, wheel balancing, tyre change, car wash, polishing and gamut of other servicing requirements. It is equipped with advanced technologies and equipments likes remote sensing diagnosis used

by Mercedes-Benz globally.

The company is looking to maintain its service edge and has the one of the biggest service networks among luxury car manufacturers in India owing to its long standing presence in the Indian market. MercedesBenz is present across 31 Indian cities through 72 touchpoints.

It has recently unveiled India’s first Sports Tourer, the B Class at Buddh International Circuit that is to be launched soon.

The Auto Hanger Workshop

Nissan optimistic to double sales by network expansion Jagdev Kalsi New Delhi

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issan Motor India is planning to spread its network to the length and breadth of the sub-continent in order to achieve its set target to double sales in fiscal year 2012-13. Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Hover Automotive India Pvt Ltd, GM Singh said, “Last year Nissan India finished with 62 dealers in operation and sold 33,273 cars. This year Nissan aims to double its sales.

Presently we have 72 dealers in operation and by the end of this fiscal year we’ll have 100 dealers”.

Doubling sales however, in conditions when the overall growth in the auto industry is close to five to six percent won’t be easy. He himself pointed out, “The market is currently slow. It picked up in June but slowed in July and further dropped in August.” On the causes effecting slowdown, Singh added, “Slowdown is basically due to high interest rates, falling GDP, rise in petrol prices and lack of measures taken to boost economy.”

In the process of driving sales, Nissan India is looking to enter in cities where it had previously been absent, as Singh added, “Our expansion will be in markets where we were not present earlier. New dealerships will mostly be opened in Tier II cities.”

Nissan is also looking at diversifying its portfolio with

seven more products to follow after they launch the Evalia.“We know that we are late entrants in this country but we’d like to catch up with market as quickly as possible. Nissan is looking for an opportunity in every segment in India and is looking to introduce cars in all segments.

That brings us to a target of 12 models in Nissan’s India portfolio by 2015-16,” Singh added.

The next and fifth product to be rolled out of the Nissan stable would be the Evalia, termed

by Nissan as an urban class utility vehicle, speculated to be priced in between the Ertiga and the Innova. Singh elaborated that the Evalia will have its own positioning in the market. Nissan’s long-term strategy with a complete portfolio aims not only at neck to neck competition for other OEMs, but also indicates the kind of volumes Nissan plans to generate from the Indian market.

Auto Monitor

27 AUGUST 2012

EVENT

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parts2clean anticipates larger participation from developing markets Our Bureau Mumbai

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he upcoming 10th parts2clean trade fair is to be held at the fairground in Stuttgart, Germany from October 23-25, 2012. Around 230 exhibitors will be presenting products and services for the optimised cleaning of parts and surfaces in manufacturing industries, maintenance and remanufacturing. Complementing the world’s most comprehensive trade fair in this field, the parts2clean expert forum, offers valuable knowledge to enable industrial parts to be cleaned reproducibly, cost-effectively and with a low ecological impact. This well established information source is being held for the first time this year and is bilingual (German-English).

In a growing number of industrial sectors, the cleanliness of components and surfaces has become a quality criterion defined by specific, reproducible residual contamination values, which need to be attained and documented. With global competition continuing to rise, it has become essential for companies involved in the manufacturing business, in maintenance or remanufacturing to be able to fulfil these requirements in a cost-optimised way and as ecologically efficiently as possible. However, this can only be achieved by implementing solutions which are individually adapted to a company’s needs

and capable of carrying out complex cleaning tasks, removing oils and greases, removing burrs, assessing residual contamination or providing temporary corrosion protection.

The world’s broadest transsectoral range of products and services will be on show for the industrial cleaning of parts and surfaces made from all types of materials along the process chain. Exhibiting companies from all areas of industry will be presenting numerous innovations and further developments.

The focus this year is on solutions, which contribute towards improving process reliability, cost-effectiveness and environmental compatibility. In the field of equipment manufacturing, a variety of solutions enabling cleaning systems to be operated with better energy efficiency will be on show, one of which

With global competition continuing to rise, it has become essential for companies involved in the manufacturing business, in maintenance or remanufacturing to be able to fulfil cleaning requirements in a costoptimised way and as ecologically efficiently as possible

being the first “green” ultrasound generator. Exhibitors will also be presenting innovations for inspecting and documenting cleanliness—tasks which are becoming increasingly important in many areas of industry.

Among them, for example, is a compact in-line measuring system, which enables residual contamination analyses to be carried out in compliance with VDA 19 during the manufacturing process. The exhibitors also have innovations to showcase in the segments of cleaning media, bath monitoring and bath maintenance, such as detergents based on renewable resources, systems for efficient process and waste water treatment and devices for measuring concentrations in liquids. In addition to this, a further range of innovative solutions will also be presented which ensure that cleaned parts and surfaces are protected against corrosion, preserved and packaged in an efficient and cost-effective way.

One of the highlights of the leading trade fair is the expert forum. “In order to meet the growing international demand for information about industrial parts and surface cleaning, for the first time we’ll be holding the forum in two languages this year.

The German or English speeches, respectively, will be simultaneously translated,” stated CEO of the event management company, fairXperts GmbH, Hartmut Herdin. The agenda, which will be coordinated on the technical

A Previous Edition Of parts2clean Fair

side by the Fraunhofer cleaning technology alliance, provides valuable knowledge concerning a wide range of industrial areas.

On Day One, in one session the talks will focus on efficiency and costs in cleaning technology.

In the process, questions such as “How much should cleaning cost?” will be answered. In the second block of speeches, examples of process solutions will be presented, such as cleaning before applying PVD coatings and cleaning techniques for use in the optical industry. On Day Two, four speeches held in the first session will be concerned with the topic of “Cleaning analysis—methods and systems”.

The talks held in the afternoon will concentrate on special techniques and their application. For example, presentations will be held about combining high-pressure cleaning with atmospheric pressure plasma, plasma cleaning in circuit board manufacture and electronics, using light to

clean parts and also the CO2 snow-jet cleaning technology for use in the serial production of precision and mechatronic products. “Cleaning media and corrosion protection” are the focus of the first set of talks on Day Three of the exhibition.

Among other things, the following topics will be discussed: “Common test procedures for temporary corrosion protection, assessing results, consequences for day-to-day practice” and “Cleaning and cleaning media in the process chain, the importance of the various media systems and examples of practical applications”. The focus of the speeches held in the afternoon will be on revising VDA 19—experiences and feedback after seven years of VDA 19, the need to revise it from the point of view of an automotive supplier, automotive manufacturerandcleanlinessservice provider. Participation in the parts2cleanexpertforumisfreeofcharge to visitors.

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27 AUGUST 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

New Lexus RX 450h: high quality, low tax bills

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he new Lexus RX 450h’s f u ll hybrid system delivers the kind of tax savings its rivals simply cannot match. For company car drivers, the model’s class leading 145g/km CO 2 emissions attract a benefit-in-kind tax rating of 20 percent, which means over a three-year period they will be paying thousands of pounds less than those who choose an equivalent BMW X5, Range Rover Sport or other premium brand model.

Taking the new RX 450h Luxury as an example, the threeyear tax bill for a 40 percent tax payer is £12,173, whereas the driver of a Range Rover Sport SDV6 SE will pay £20,549—an additional £8,376. The new RX 450h F Sport enjoys a similarly favourable tax position, too.

The financial advantages enjoyed by RX 450h drivers are just part of the picture. The new model delivers better performance, sharper styling and even higher equipment levels than before. Owners also benefit from customer service that has been acknowledged as the best

in the business, most recently in an 11th consecutive top ranking in the annual Auto Express Driver Power dealer survey.

The Luxury model is newly equipped w it h da rk-f inish 19-inch alloy wheels, a new 12-speaker audio package with DAB digital tuner and DV D player, front and rear parking sensors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and an HDD satellite navigation system controlled by Lexus’s Remote Touch Interface, a system that is as simple and intuitive to use as a computer mouse. Other features include Eco EV, Snow and Sport selectable drive modes to maximise the efficiency of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system, a powered tailgate and eightway electrically adjustable and heated front seats with memory setting and perforated leather upholstery.

The new RX 450h F Sport is the first RX to adopt sportier styling and handling. It’s easily distinguished frrom the rest of the range with its stronger exterior styling, in particular the treatment of the new Lexus

“spindle” grille design, and its 10-spoke F Sport alloys. Interior features include sports pedals, aluminium-effect trim inserts and scuff plates, smooth leather upholstery, an F Sport steering wheel, head-up display and a

black roof lining. It also gains LED headlamps with Lexus’s I-AFS adaptive system, turning the light beam in line with the vehicle’s steering angle.

Entry point to the range is the RX 450h SE, with the Premier

model completing the lineup, introducing elements such as more luxurious semi-aniline leather, a 15-speaker Mark Levinson audio system with six-DV D changer and a side view camera.

Kia begins production of all-new cee’d Sportswagon

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roduction of the all-new cee’d Sportswagon has begun at the Kia Motors Manufacturing Slovakia plant in Zilina, becoming the second new model to be built at the facility this year.

Demand for the new cee’d Sportswagon, previously known as the cee’d SW, is expected to boost production at Zilina to 285,000 vehicles in 2012. The previous generation cee’d SW represented more than a fifth of the site’s overall production. This year Zilina has produced 167,000 vehicles and 266,000 engines in the first seven months, recording 11 per cent and 52 per cent year-on-year increases respectively.

“The cee’d Sportswagon is an important addition to the Kia range in Europe and we have been preparing for its production throughout 2012. We are confident that the Sportswagon will prove very popular with European customers and help the Zilina plant in meeting its production target,” said Eek-Hee Lee, President and CEO of Kia Motors Slovakia.

Like the new cee’d five-door, introduced earlier this year, the new Sportswagon combines an upgraded exterior design with quality interior materials, while offering a selection of two petrol and two diesel engines across Europe. The Sportswagon also offers practicality, with a load space of 528 litre with the rear seats upright and 1,642 litre with the rear seats folded.

Kia’s Zilina manufacturing facility is also preparing for the launch of the new three-door pro cee’d, which will begin production in early 2013.

Kia’s Zilina manufacturing facility is preparing for the launch of the new three-door pro cee’d, which will begin production in early 2013

Leading by Technology Shriram Pistons & Rings (SPR) is one of the largest integrated manufacturers of Pistons, Pins, Piston Rings and Engine Valves. The Company has access to world-class technology from global leaders at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the NCR, at Ghaziabad (30 km from Delhi) and Pathredi (50 km from Delhi). This is supplemented with comprehensive design and development facilities including advanced 3D modeling, FEA analysis, Simulation and Diagnostic software, Rig Testing, Engine Testing facilities, Advanced Analysis Laboratory etc. This enables SPR to offer end-to-end solutions and new designs of Pistons, Rings and Engine Valves for improvement in fuel efficiency, lower oil consumption and meeting the latest emission norms.

SPR has provided several innovative cost effective solutions to OEMs in India and abroad that have won the Company more recognition and rewards for Excellence in Technology, Quality and Overall Performance than any of its competitors.

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27 AUGUST 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Mercedes-Benz confirms pricing and specification for the new CLS shooting brake

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t its launch in 2004, the original CLS led the way, mixing coupé style with four-door practicality.

The CLS has since accounted for 170,000 sales globally.

Some eight years on, the second-generation CLS continues to define its kind. With the introduction of the CLS shooting brake, Mercedes-Benz is once again creating a new sector. Combining five seats and a large load space yet retaining its sleek styling, the CLS shooting brake is now available to order, priced from £49,360 OTR. The CLS Shooting Brake is highly specified as standard, the equipment list including visible exhaust pipes; Becker MAP Pilot (CLS 250 CDI BlueEfficiency Shooting Brake) or Comand Online multimedia system (CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency Shooting Brake and CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake) and DAB; leather upholstery; Parktronic front and rear; metallic paint; Bi-Xenon headlights; and 18” alloy wheels.

For a £2,995 increase, the CLS Shooting Brake AMG Sport offers full LED headlights with Intelligent Light System and Adaptive Highbeam Assist; AMG bodystyling; sports suspension and brakes; sports steering wheel and pedals; and 19” AMG alloy wheels. From October production, the Coupé version of the CLS will now also feature the AMG Sport replacing the Sport line.

In addition to the various interior colours, multiple trim designs and various types of leather to choose from, there is also a choice of three high-gloss exclusive wood types: brown burr walnut, black ash and lightbrown poplar, as well as the use of piano lacquer trim elements.

The CLS Shooting Brake also includes additional standard specification over the CLS Coupé, such as the Easy-Pack Quickfold rear seat adjustment; Easy-Pack load compartment cover; and rear air suspension, helping to ensure optimum road holding at

all times. In addition to the five seats, the CLS Shooting Brake also features a cargo space measuring up to 1,550 litre.

Optional equipment exclusively for the CLS shooting brake includes: Easy-Pack load-securing kit with rear sill protector (£255); privacy glass (£365); aluminium rails (£870); manually folding tow bar (£880); AirMATIC semi-active air suspension (£1,150); and designo American Cherry Wood load compartment with black inlays (£4,030), which provides the luggage compartment with a touch of elegance normally associated with yachts.

The elegant design of the shooting brake (length x width x height: 4,956 x 1,881 x 1,416 mm) enables a frontal area of 2.30 m² and a Cd value of 0.29, making a significant contribution to the efficiency and refinement of the vehicle.

The CLS shooting brake is available with three different engine variants—two diesel engines and

one petrol engine. Features common to all engines include the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission, as well as the Eco start/ stop function. The CLS 250 CDI BlueEfficiency Shooting Brake produces 204 hp, with a combined fuel consumption of 53.3 mpg and CO2 emissions of 139 g/km.

The CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency Shooting Brake generates 265 hp, combined fuel consumption of 47.1 mpg, and 161 g/km CO2. The

CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake emits 235 g/km CO2 and offers 28 mpg.

Efficiency is also increased by the standard electromechanical power steering EPS (Electric Power Steering). The EPS improves economy and enables another innovation to be implemented—Active Park Assist. The CLS shooting brake is not only able to detect parking spaces, but can also park automatically.

Pedal to the metal racing promised at the 2012 Goodwood Revival

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his year’s Revival (14-16 September) will feature the youngest grid ever assembled at Goodwood. The inaugural Settrington Cup will feature a full field of 30 Austin J40 pedal cars competing in a two-part race on Saturday and Sunday, with the result declared on aggregate timing, and the prizes being presented by Sir Stirling Moss.

With an average age of eight years old, the competitors will pedal a short circuit around the main Goodwood grid/pit lane (c.220 yards; a tenth of the overall Goodwood circuit), with a Le Mans-style running start, and a chicane on the start/finish straight. Each competitor will wear period overalls and a 1950s-style crash helmet. When not racing, the J40s will be parked in their own dedicated half-scale period wooden paddock shelters.

The Austin J40 is something of a British motoring institution. The pedal car was built at the Austin Junior Car Factory in Bargoed, South Wales. This dedicated factory began Austin pedal car production in 1949, with the plant funded by the British Government. It was run on a not-for-profit basis, purely for the employment of disabled coal miners, with 250 men assembling both the J40 pedal car, plus the racy Pathfinder, loosely based around a single-seater competition Austin Seven. The production ended in 1971.

Each competitor will wear period overalls and a 1950s-style crash helmet. When not racing, the J40s will be parked in their own dedicated half-scale period wooden paddock shelters

27 AUGUST 2012

EVENTS

ACMA shows path to global aftermarket Our Bureau New Delhi

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CM A empha si sed the export opportunities that lie in the g loba l a f ter ma rket for the auto component industry in India and also discussed the forthcoming challenges at a recent conference on the aftermarket. In order to get indepth knowledge of the industr y and cues to enter foreign zone, eminent speakers from South East Asia, Europe, US and South Africa were invited to share insights and underlining the challenges that their markets pose at the Indian component manufacturers.

The welcome note by Past President & Chairman, Globalisation & Trade Fair Committee, ACMA, Jayant Davar highlighted North America as the magnet for auto parts suppliers. President, ACMA, Arvind Kapur said, “The auto component industry in India has over the years, through continuous improvements surpassed stringent international quality standards and requirements.

Today, almost eighty percent of our exports are to the global OEMs and Tier Is while the rest to aftermarkets. With significantly well defined and dominant aftermarkets in US and Europe, I am confident the Indian auto component Industry will focus attention to these and will carve a niche for themselves.”

Frost & Sullivan released its concept note on opportunities and challenges in global aftermarket titled ‘The Automotive Aftermarket: A Bright Spot in a Sea of Change’. VP, Automotive & Transportation, Frost & Sullivan,

Auto Monitor

Arvind Kapur, President, ACMA

VG Ramakrishnan highlighted some of it’s key features like magnified presence of aftermarket in mature markets, domination of multi-brand service and speciality chains in mature markets, level playing field for all industry players and efficient and well managed supply chain.

Chief guests on the occasion, Joint Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heav y Industries and Public Enterprises, Ambuj Sharma and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Small & Medium Enterprises, CK Mishra addressed the audience and discussed contribution of SMEs towards large industry units, technical advancement in two wheeler market, challenges in CV & tractor segment and curbing the counterfeit parts. With a strong focus on technology, CK Mishra said, “We (auto component manufacturers) need to sharpen our technology as it is inhibiting quality production.”

Speakers from mature and

emerging nations presented their views on aftermarket and discussed the market scenario, contrasting trends in vehicleparc growth and challenges that lie unique to their respective markets. While Senior Advisor, Aftermarket CLEPA aisbl, Josef Frank considered internet as a largely growing medium, MD, Bosch Chassis, Dr Pfendtner fragmented Europe into mature and emerging markets considering Indian market to be very similar to Southern Europe.

Focusing on alliances, Senior Manager, Automotive Practice, AT Kearney, Kaustav Sen said, “A partnership with specialty retailer or programme groups can give a potential entry in US market.” CEO, RMI, Jeff Osborne, who represented South African Motor Industry, mentioned the growth of aspirational middle class in SA and the potential in motorcycle Market in SA to grow owing to affordability.

With significant variation in the global aftermarkets, the challenges to enter each of these regions also vary. MD, Delphi Product Service Solutions & VP, Delphi China, Dominic Yuklam Seto not only discussed about focusing on diagnostic equipments but also said, “The biggest challenge to get into the Chinese Market will be finding a platform there.” Senior Manager-Govt Relations & Internationa l Industry, Australian Automotive A f t er m a r k e t A s s o c i at ion (A A A A), Ben Bartlett considered timely deliveries to be the biggest challenge to counter in Australia. He also mentioned that Aussies value relations and one needs to nurture it in order to find a firm footing in the Australian market.

39

EuroBLEACH anticipates larger auto sector participation Our Bureau New Delhi

E

uroBLECH 2012 is focussing on efficient technology and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes in its upcoming edition in October.

The organisers are looking to have higher participation from the automotive sector companies or suppliers to the automotive sector with emphasis on participation from companies in developing markets like India, Turkey, Brazil and China.

“This year’s theme of the world’s leading technology exhibition for sheet metal working ‘For A Sustainable Future’ is inspired by overall industry trends such as sustainability, awareness of resources, energy efficiency and mobility. Major developments in sheet metal working include lightweight construction, intelligent use of materials, processing of hybrid structures as well as new applications of established production processes”, said Exhibition Director, EuroBLECH, Nicola Hamann.

A total of 1,500 exhibitors from 41 countries have already booked their stands at EuroBLECH 2012, covering eight exhibition halls at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds. Almost 48 percent of the exhibiting companies come from outside Germany, with Italy, Turkey, China, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, France, Taiwan

and the USA being the ten largest exhibitor countries after Germany.

The show will feature the entire technology chain of sheet metal working, including high tech as well as conventional machinery and tools. Visitors can enjoy a large number of live machine demonstrations; and many of these machines will be world premieres. Exhibiting research institutions complement the event by providing the necessary foundations for research and development.

This year, EuroBLECH covers eight halls of the Hanover exhibition grounds. Clearly structured, the exhibition’s layout shows the entire sheet metal working technology chain: sheet metal, tube, sections (ferrous and non-ferrous), finished products, components, assemblies, handling, separation, cutting, forming, flexible sheet metal working, tube / section processing, machine elements, processing of sheet metal / plastic hybrid structures, joining, welding, fastening, surface treatment of sheet metal, tools, dies, controlling, regulating, measuring, testing, and quality assurance.

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27 AUGUST 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Bracknell Honda opens for business

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fter an extensive six-month construction programme, the Bracknell Honda car dealership has opened its doors to welcome customers to their brand new residence.

Confirmed as one of the largest stand-alone Honda new car showrooms in Europe, the site is owned and operated by the Cloverleaf Group. It already has two retail sites in the Berkshire area, further increasing the profile of Honda and Jardine Motors Group.

It will mark a significant change in Cloverleaf’s presence in the area, as the Honda dealership in Ascot closes its doors. The Ascot site, just three miles away, has transferred all 22 staff to the Bracknell premises and has created a new role of Used Car Sales Manager.

Work on developing the London Road site began last September and what has risen from the rubble is a brand new state-of-the-art dealership. The showroom has space for 14 new cars from Honda’s modern and fuel-efficient range, plus forecourt space for around 60 ‘Approved Used’ vehicles. A sevenbay workshop will provide service

and repair work, with further dedicated bays offering MoT testing and wheel alignment.

From 1998 until 2009 the site was Honda’s Racing Development location and the engine assembly base for third generation Formula One activities. Honda was involved in F1 racing from 2000 until 2008, so the site will be sure to bring back fond memories for the locals and Honda employees.

Operations Manager for Cloverleaf Group, Gary Peters

commented: “The most exciting part of the move to Bracknell is being able to welcome customers into a stunning new facility that’s in keeping with Honda’s and Jardine’s brand image. We had outgrown the Ascot site and Bracknell

gives us much more space to show off Honda’s exciting model range, which is set to expand significantly in the near future.”

Commenting on the new dealership, Head of Dealer Development at Honda (UK), Nick

Nick Campolucci, Head of Dealer Development at Honda (UK)

Campolucci said, “This is an exciting addition to the Jardine Motors Group’ portfolio. With successful sites already in the Berkshire area we look forward to inviting new and current customers into the new showroom.”

The New Honda Showroom

Volkswagen delivers more cars up to July

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he Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand handed over 3.26 (January-July 2011: 2.95; +10.4 per cent) million vehicles to customers worldwide from January to July. The brand recorded an increase of 11.9 per cent to 468,300 (July 2011: 418,600) units for the month of July. “The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has grown global deliveries further despite the continued difficult market situation, above all in Western Europe”, stated Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said in Wolfsburg recently.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand handed over 1.05 (1.02; +2.5 percent) million vehicles to customers on the overall European market in the first seven months of the year. This contrasted with the situation in Western Europe (excluding Germany), where deliveries were five percent down on the comparable prior-year period as a result of the current market situation and totalled 528,200 (556,200) units. The trend in Central and Eastern Europe was noticeably positive, with a 40.4 per cent rise to 157,100 (111,900).

Deliveries in Russia continued to develop at a high level and ran at 95,600 (56,500; +69.2 percent) units. In the home market of Germany, Volkswagen passenger cars handed over 361,400 (352,700; +2.5 percent) vehicles to customers.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the brand grew deliveries 15.1 per cent in the period to July, handing over 1.27 (1.10) million units. 1.14 (0.99; +15.2 percent) million vehicles were delivered in China (incl. Hong Kong), the region’s largest single market, during the same period.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars also continued to develop very well on the American continent. Deliveries in the North America region grew 23.4 percent to 346,700 (280,900) vehicles.

At 245,700 (183,200; +34.1 percent), the number of vehicles handed over to customers in the United States, the region’s largest single market, was also noticeably higher than the comparable prior-year period. In the South America region, deliveries rose by 6.4 per cent to 472,700 (444,100) units.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has grown global deliveries further despite the continued difficult market situation, above all in Western Europe— Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales & Marketing for the Volkswagen Group

Auto Monitor

42

27 AUGUST 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

Bentley releases specs of new flagship model Continental GT Speed

B

entley is releasing full technical details of its new 205 mph (330 km/h) all-wheel drive performance flagship ahead of its official international show debut at the Moscow Motor Show on 29 August, 2012. The new Continental GT Speed is the fastest road-car Bentley has ever produced and orders are being taken now, with deliveries scheduled to start in October 2012.

Powered by Bentley’s sixlitre twin-turbo W12 engine, the GT Speed develops 625 PS (616 bhp) at 6,000 rev/min— up 50 PS versus the standard Continental GT—with 800 nm (590 lb.ft) of torque available from 2,000 to 5,000 rev/min (up 100 nm) for instantly accessible high performance. Coupled with a new ZF eight-speed close-ratio automatic transmission and state-of-the-art engine management software, the GT Speed despatches the

models are specified exclusively with the Mulliner Driving Specification, featuring quilted, perforated leather and bright metal detailing plus a broader choice of optional technical finishes. This now includes the exclusive-to-Speed dark tint aluminium as well as carbon fibre.

GT Speed

zero-to-sixty sprint in four seconds (0-100 kmh in 4.2s), reaching 100 mph (160 kmh) from a standing start in just nine seconds.

Its all-wheel-drive system, biased 60:40 in favour of the

rear, offers reassuring stability and the potential to access the prodigious performance all year round in virtually any weather conditions or road surface.

Subtle signature design cues distinguish the GT Speed

from its stable-mates, including exclusive 21-inch, ten-spoke alloy wheels, dark-tint matrix to the radiator shell and lower bumper grilles and ‘rif led’ exhaust tailpipes. Inside the handcrafted cabin, the Speed

As the fastest production of Bentley ever, the new Continental GT Speed reaffirms the W12’s status as an engine of performance. Developing 625 PS (616 bhp) at 6,000 rev/min and 800 Nm (590 lb ft) of torque from 2000 rev/min, the twin-turbo, 48-valve, six-litre W12 is now fitted with the very latest ME17 engine management system.

Capable of performing 180 million individual calculations per second, the new system delivers enhanced turbocharger control,

Contd. on page 44

BODY DESIGN The Continental GT is loaded with the classic Bentley DNA through the sensual powerline that runs the length of the car. Its advanced superforming technology uses high temperatures and pressurised air to shape the front fenders into exquisite, unbroken curves in extremely durable aerospace-grade 5083 aluminium alloy. The latest body construction techniques deliver crisply defined feature lines and form to every area of the exterior design. The flowing lines and curves—inspired by the original 1950s R-Type Continental—create distinct surfaces, bringing the feel of a truly coachbuilt car to the Continental family.

An eight-speaker sound system is offered as standard employing the latest Balanced Mode Radiator technology.

These unique compact, flat-panel speakers provide exceptional clarity across the audible spectrum and a very wide frequency range For the GT Speed, these elegant shapes are enhanced with a suite of signature design cues.

A new 9.5J x 21” ten twin-spoke wheel design is exclusive to GT Speed, available in bright painted or dark tint finishes, and fitted with 275/35 ZR21 tyres. Dark tint radiator matrix and front bumper grilles enhance the air intakes that pay homage to the Le Mans winning Bentleys of the 1920s to give the front of the new GT Speed a more aggressive, sporting look.

Interior Design Despite the GT Speed’s sporting overtones, the tourer retains a hand-crafted interior created using only the finest natural materials.

Soft, supple leathers, polished veneers and cool-touch metals combine with its craftsmanship for which, Bentley is renowned to provide a cabin of exceptional quality.

As standard, the new GT Speed is specified with Bentley’s luxurious yet sporting Mulliner Driving Specification, which features diamondquilted, perforated leather hides to all four seats, door trims and rear quarter panels. The cabin headlining is finished in indented leather hide, while optional embroidered Bentley emblems can be specified for the headrests.

The sports gear lever has a classic knurled finish, while the driver uses drilled alloy sports foot pedals. The unique Bentley “Jewel” filler cap is provided as standard, as are Dark Stained

Contd. on page 44

Auto Monitor

27 AUGUST 2012

G L O B A L WAT C H

44

Bentley releases specs...

Contd. from page 42 outstanding torque management and improvements to driveability. In addition, a revised Sport mode provides a sharper throttle with faster response for effortless acceleration at all speeds.

The W12 engine is mated to a ZF eight-speed transmission for the first time. Designed to handle the extreme levels of torque generated by the W12, the transmission cuts acceleration times by ensuring that the engine is always at the ideal speed for peak torque delivery.

The combination of the new transmission and the uprated engine results in optimum performance. The sprint from 0-60 mph takes just four seconds (0-100 kmh in 4.2 seconds) and the acceleration continues to a top speed of 205 mph (330 kmh). The exhaust system of the new GT Speed has been developed from the free-breathing, low back pressure design first used on the Continental Supersports Ice Speed Record car. The new exhaust produces a sportier, more intense baritone

sound under hard acceleration without sacrificing a relaxed, refined and quiet tone during cruising conditions.

Efficiency Improvement Powertrain developments have not been restricted to the pursuit of outright performance. Bentley’s engineering team has also focused on enhancing efficiency, and the power and torque increases for the new GT Speed are accompanied by an improvement of up to 12 percent in fuel economy, range and CO2 emissions across the two-door model range.

The new eight-speed transmission delivers six per cent of the total efficiency gain. The eight close-ratios ensure that the engine operates in its most efficient range during relaxed driving, while the latest software developments ensure that gear changes are fast and smooth.

The new transmission, together with the ME17 engine management system, is fitted to the standard Continental GT and GTC models from now.

The W12 engine features recuperation for the first time, delivering a 1.6 percent reduc-

tion in CO2 emissions alone.

Recuperation is a technology involving precise control of the vehicle’s electrical system and alternator to allow flexible generation of electricity. The output of the alternator is increased during low engine load conditions, for example when decelerating, with the excess electrical energy stored in the car’s battery. When the engine is then under load, the alternator output is reduced, increasing overall engine efficiency while the battery provides the previously stored energy to compensate.

Also, the Continental GT and GT Speed has a combined cycle fuel economy of 19 mpg (14.9 litre/100 km) and CO2 emissions of 347 g/km.

The efficiency improvements also benefit the performance of the standard GT and GTC models. The standard 575 PS GT now takes just 4.3 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph (0-100 kmh in 4.5s) with 100 mph (160 kmh) reached in 9.8 seconds from a standstill. The performance of the Continental GTC is 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds (0-100 kmh in 4.7s)

and 0-100 mph (and 0-160 kmh) in 10.3 seconds.

Chassis The Continental GT Speed features significant changes to both chassis hardware and software for a drive that matches the powertrain. Aluminium double wishbone front suspension and a trapezoidal multi-link rear setup are retained, but now feature revised air suspension springs and dampers for improved agility and body control, with roll, pitch and heave all reduced for a more agile driving experience.

The self-levelling system constantly monitors ride height and damping according to road conditions, and positions the car with a ride height 10 mm lower than the standard Continental GT. Bentley’s chassis engineers have also fitted stiffer suspension bushes for sharp, communicative handling and uprated anti-roll bars to optimise the handling balance. Software changes are also wide-ranging, combining to use the revised suspension hardware to deliver an exciting but refined experience.

BODY DESIGN (Cont.)

SIAM

Burr Walnut or Piano Black veneers.

The dashboard of ‘Old Number One’—the Speed Six is crafted from the same material.

With such a pedigree it’s natural that Bentley offers two engine spin options for the fascia and consoles—one in Bright Aluminium and the other, unique to the Continental GT Speed, in Dark Tint Aluminium. Its understated shade complements the dark tint chrome radiator and bumper grilles.

Alternatively, the more recent Bentley Le Mans success is reflected in choosing the

2012

Auto Industry: India in Changing World Order CONVENTION

DATE:

All roads lead to Delhi for India’s most important automotive event – The SIAM Annual Convention 2012.

The theme of this year’s Convention, ‘Auto Industry: India in Changing World Order’ seeks to explore the changing dynamics of the global auto industry and the role India has to play.

Join policy makers, global experts, Industry CEOs and senior representatives from the Indian & Global OEMs as they address the opportunities and challenges the Industry has to face now to make the journey ahead a rewarding one.

THEMES FOR DISCUSSION

Auto Industry: Thriving, Growing & Leading

Despite the GT Speed’s sporting overtones, the tourer retains a hand-crafted interior created using only the finest natural materials

6 th September 2012 TIME:

9.30am - 5.30pm VENUE:

Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi

Role of India in Global Auto Economy

Carbon Fibre option for fascia, roof and centre consoles, its satin finish specially developed to reduce unwelcome reflections.

Seventeen hide colours are available and as with the rest of the Continental family, the interior of the GT Speed can be specified with duo-tone colour splits, including one split previously exclusive to GT V8. Contrast stitching throughout, including to the steering wheel, is also available.

Managing Growth Challenges in an Environment of Paradox

For registration please contact: +91 11 4710 3010 or email: siamacam2012@siam.in

SPEAKERS Kamal Nath*

Praful Patel

Jitin Prasada

Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development, Government of India

Hon’ble Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India

Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways

Saugata Roy

A K Upadhyay*

S R Rao

Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Urban Development

Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways

Commerce Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry

S Sundareshan

Sudhir Krishna

S Sandilya

Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises

Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development

President, SIAM & Chairman, Eicher Motors Ltd - Unit Royal Enfield

Vikram S Kirloskar

Felix Kuhnert

Gary Johnson

Vice President, SIAM & Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor

European Automotive Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Vice President, Manufacturing, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa

Goetz Klink

Pete Kelly

Philippe Divry

Global Automotive Practice Head, A T Kearney

Managing Director, LMC Automotive

Sr. Vice President, Truck Joint Ventures, Volvo AB and Board Member, VE Commercial Vehicles

Advanced Infotainment Technology

PLATINUM

DIAMOND

GOLD

Adept/SAC/2012/12

* invited

SPONSORS

A new feature of the advanced eight-inch touchscreen, 30 GB on-board Infotainment system is the addition of satellite navigation “Personal Points of Interest”. This allows the user to save places of their choosing (eg a specific restaurant) into the system.

The touchscreen displays the car’s audio system, telephone, ride and comfort settings and navigation information, which uses both the hard-disc drive and a DVD player to access route data.

An eight-speaker sound system is offered as standard employing the latest Balanced Mode Radiator technology. The compact, f lat-panel speakers provide clarity across the audible spectrum and a wide frequency range. The 11-speaker Naim for Bentley system—created exclusively by British audiophiles Naim—is available across the Continental range.

Music can be played and controlled directly from an iPod and from a six-disc CD changer, SD card reader or directly from the car’s hard-disc drive, which can store up to 15GB of music. DAB digital radio is also available in regions where the infrastructure supports it.

Auto Monitor

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