Motown India February 2015

VOL-5 • ISSUE-5 • FEBRUARY 2015

50

INDIA

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Muscles are in vogue TARANG JAIN, MD, VARROC GROUP

2015 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW B2B SECTION Pages 55-82

FIRST DRIVE

BMW ACTIVEHYBRID 7 FIRST RIDE

EXCLUSIVE

DRIVEN

VARROC GROUP

HONDA UNICORN

FIAT AVVENTURA

Smart smart Initiatives, Giant Steps

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P. THARYAN anuary 2015 was an eventful month because we got to see Barack Obama, President of the United States coming as an official guest for the 66th Republic Day celebrations. Millions switched on their television sets to see the parade, and more importantly to see the US President and his official car, the Chevrolet Kodiak-based Cadillac-

badged limousine, often referred to as “The Beast” by the Secret Service. Cadillac is a brand owned by General Motors of the US. The one that was flown into India was a 2009 presidential limousine, based on the Cadillac DTS. The vehicle’s chassis and driveline are sourced from the Chevrolet Kodiak commercial truck.

In short, it is a very heavily armoured vehicle and that is precisely why it is known as The Beast.

Excitement apart, the February 2015 issue of Motown India magazine has the usual news on car and two-wheeler launches and reviews of vehicles. In the B2B section we have the cover report on the 8,000 crore Varroc group led by Tarang Jain. The report traces Jain’s remarkable business journey till now and also throws light on his future plans. There is also a special report on the 4th Bus and Special Vehicle show where Motown India was one of the media partners.

Last but not least, January 26, 2015 marked the first death anniversary of Karl Slym, who was the Managing Director of Tata Motors. At Motown India we still remember the man for his wonderful charisma and his great humility.

Indian President Pranab US President Barack Obama with ndra Modi at the Ceremonial Nare ster Mini e Prim and e Mukherje New Delhi on January 25, in an Bhav ti Reception at Rashtrapa Beast”. Picture courtesy PIB 2015. In the background is “The

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Editor

EDITOR P. Tharyan -----------------------------------News Coordinator Jisha P Senior Photographer Mohd. Nasir Correspondents Joshua David Luther, Rahul Kapoor S. Madhavan, Tripti Singh, Jasbeer Kohli Web Correspondents Avdesh Kumar, Seema Paul ------------------------------------------For Editorial contact editorial@motownindia.com editorial.motown@gmail.com ------------------------------------------For Marketing & Sales contact Jisha P - Head-Operations Joshua David Luther - Manager Business Strategy (advertising.motown@gmail.com / +91-9958125645, 9811097399) ------------------------------------------For Accounts Contact Ankit Sharma (ankit@motownindia.com / +91-9654005547) ------------------------------------------For Circulation & Subscription Contact Dalip Singh Bagdwal (subscription@motownindia.com / +91-9811305822) ------------------------------------------Editorial Delhi Office 145 B/9, First Floor, Kishangarh, Next to United Free Church, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110070, Tel: 011-26122758/59, Tele Fax: 011-26122757 ------------------------------------------Distributed By Central News Agency, New Delhi ------------------------------------------EDITORIAL CONTENT The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the contents in the magazine are correct. However, he can accept no responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions. Any unauthorised reproduction of Motown India content is strictly forbidden.

------------------------------------------Motown India is printed, published, edited and owned by Punnoose Tharyan and published from 4058 / D-4, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070.

Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi.

------------------------------------------This issue of Motown India magazine contains 84 pages including both covers.

------------------------------------------Editorial Advisors Salil Sharma, Alexander .T & Annie Jacob

February 2015 I 3

Contents B2C SECTION

PAGES 6-54

SPORTY & STYLISH MERCEDES BENZ CLA-CLASS IN INDIA FOR 31.50 LAKH

6

8

DATSUN GO+ LAUNCHED AT A KILLER PRICE OF 3.79 LAKH NEWS

MOTORSPORT

WHEELZ & ROADZ

26

Mahindra’s Bruno comes in 5th, Antonio wins Buenos Aires ePrix

34

Fiat Avventura - Italian champ

38

BMW ActiveHybrid 7 - Luxury with green roots

42

Honda CB Unicorn 160 Fleet footed

6

Audi R8 LMX (limited edition) for 2.97 crore

8

Tata Bolt, the hot hatch launched for 4.65 lakh

27

T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship on March 15, 2015

2015 North American International Auto Show Muscles are in vogue

28

2015 Dakar Rally - Toughness Redifined

18

B2B SECTION NEWS

75

Suri hopes Budget will lead to stable policy environment

76

Honda joins hands with Shriram Automall to sell pre-owned motorcycles

76

Huge participation confirmed for ACMA Automechanika New Delhi 2015

77

Eicher launches Pro 6000 series Heavy-Duty trucks

77

Mahindras now have Peugeot Scooters in their fold

4 I February 2015

PAGES 55-82

55

COVER STORY VARROC GROUP: SMART INITIATIVES, GIANT STEPS

64

SPECIAL REPORT 4TH BUS AND SPECIAL VEHICLE SHOW 2015

CAR LAUNCHES Sporty & stylish Mercedes Benz CLA-class in India for `31.50 lakh After much teasing and promising from Mercedes-Benz India, the CLA-Class at last arrives in India.

Mercedes has priced it starting from 31.50lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The CLA-Class will be introduced in three variants: CLA 200 CDI Style priced at 31.50 lakh, CLA 200 Sport priced at 35 lakh and CLA 200 CDI Sport priced at 35.90 lakh. (All prices ex-showroom Delhi). The CLAClass was launched by Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India in New Delhi.

Kern commented, “With many segment benchmarks, we are convinced that the CLA will firmly make its mark in India. Its powerful design underscores the sporty side of the MercedesBenz brand. The CLA remains true to Mercedes-Benz’s core

values by setting new standards in aerodynamics and efficiency, yet carves out a niche with its thrilling design and cutting-edge technology. The CLA-Class is stylish, sporty and distinctive and one of the most beautifully designed products from the Mercedes-Benz portfolio. The CLA-Class has been a global

success winning new customers for Mercedes-Benz and we aim to replicate this success in India.”

The baby sedan from Mercedes, the CLA first showed up on our doorstep in July 2014 in its AMG lunatic form. Now it’s here in a standard issue toned down version powered by two engines, both 2 litre-four cylinder,

Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India in New Delhi.

petrol and a turbo charged diesel engines. The naturally aspirated petrol engine produces 181bhp and 300Nm of torque.

While the turbo charged diesel engine produces 134bhp and the same 300Nm of torque just a little higher in the rev-range but a fuel economy of 17.9kmpl.

The CLA does 0-100kmph in just 7.8 seconds and maxes out at 235kmph. Both engines are mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with options of Economy, Sport and Manual (with paddle shifters) to choose from.

The suspension in the CLA is specially designed for India for improved comfort on Indian roads and a lifted ride height for better ground clearance with a long wheel base of 2699mm for added legroom.

Audi R8 LMX (limited edition) for 2.97 crore German luxury car maker Audi has heralded the New Year with the most powerful as well as the fastest road-car, the limited edition Audi R8 LMX in India. The super car will be available at a cost of 2.97 crore (ex showroom Delhi and Mumbai). It is the first production car with laser high beam lighting in India. The Audi R8 LMX will have a production run limited to only 99 vehicles globally.

“The combination of LED and laser high beam lighting was used for the first time on the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year. Audi is thus continuing its tradition of using racing to test new technologies

6 I February 2015

destined for production. The limited-edition Audi R8 LMX is the first production car in India to come equipped with laser high beam lighting, a particularly brilliant innovation integrated in a sports car. The Audi R8 LMX thrills with intelligent lightweight engineering, impressive design and breathtaking driving performance right from the word go. The Audi R8 LMX is beautiful to look at and marvelous to drive.

We are positive that the Audi R8 LMX will excite Audi enthusiasts and add more fans into the evergrowing Audi fan base,” said Joe King, Head, Audi India.

Audi R8 LMX’s high-revving,

mid-mounted engine, double wishbone suspension and ASF (Audi Space Frame) aluminum body are closely based on racing.

With 570 hp of power and 540 Nm (398.3 lb-ft) of torque, its 5.2

litre, V10 engine accelerates the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds making it the fastest as well as the most powerful Audi R8 ever. It has a top speed of 320 km/h (198.8 mph).

CAR LAUNCHES

Datsun GO+ launched at a killer price of 3.79 lakh The Datsun Go+ compact family wagon has been launched in India at a killer price of 3.70 lakh (ex showroom Delhi). The pricing can be termed revolutionary and never before has Independent India witnessed such a low price for a seven-seater (five adults and two kids). The pricing of the Tata Nano pales in comparison because the Datsun Go+ definitely has an aspirational value compared to the former.

Datsun’s second offering for India, new Datsun GO+ is a sub-4 meter Compact Family Wagon with a spacious interior

and flexible three-row seating.

The Datsun GO+ is a clean sheet design that not only sets new standards, but also creates its own market segment – Compact MPV. Motown India had reviewed the Datsun Go+ and had found the car to have amazing value for money. The Datsun GO+ range will be priced competitively starting at 3.79 lakh, exshowroom, Delhi and will be available across Nissan and Datsun exclusive showrooms in India.

Vincent Cobee, Global Head

of Datsun, said at the car launch in Mumbai, “Datsun GO+ is our second model for India in a span of one year and confirms our commitment to the Indian market. It delivers on our promise of making motoring more accessible and more attractive for Indian customers and helping them realize their dream of car ownership.

The Datsun GO+ also opens up a completely new

segment of sub-4 meter Compact Family Wagon in the country and we are confident that the ‘+’ will certainly add new possibilities to our customers’ lives.”

L-R: Vincent Cobee, Global Head - Datsun, Arun Malhotra, MD - Nissan Motor India and Guillaume Sicard, President - Nissan India Operations Details of the prices are as follows: Variant

Tata Bolt, the hot hatch launched for 4.65 lakh Tata Motors has launched equipped with the much-awaited Bolt a ‘Multi-Drive’ hatchback in India for technology `4.65 lakh (ex-showroom which enables Mumbai) for the Revtron the driver to (Petrol) 1.2T, while the switch between diesel version has been Sports, Eco launched at a starting and City price of `5.75 Lakh (exmodes. As per showroom Mumbai). the Automotive At the heart of the Bolt is Research (R) Mayank Pareek, President Passenger Vehicles Business a new 1.2L Turbocharged Unit with Girish Wagh, Senior Vice President, Product Planning Association of Multi-point Fuel Injection India (ARAI), the & Programme Management – PVBU, Tata Motors Limited.

(MPFi) Petrol engine which Bolt Revotron produces 89bhp@5000rpm Quadrajet 1.3L engine which 1.2T returns and a peak torque of produces 74bhp @4000rpm and 17.57kms to the litre while the 140Nm@1500-4000rpm. The a peak torque of 190Nm@1750Quadrajet 1.3 litre diesel returns diesel variant comes with a 3000rpm. The Bolt is also 22.95kms to the litre.

8 I February 2015

Ex-Showroom Price (Delhi)

Datsun GO+ D

3.79 lakh

Datsun GO+ D1

3.82 lakh

Datsun GO+ A

4.15 lakh

Datsun GO+ T

4.61 lakh

New VW Cross Polo for 6.94 lakh Volkswagen India has launched the new Cross Polo with their 1.2 MPI engine for 6.94 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) now in India. Powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 74bhp and 110Nm of torque, the New Cross Polo comes with similar plastic cladding all around and an increased ground clearance from the standard Polo. The Cross Polo does 16.47kmpl with the petrol engine and comes standard with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and dual front airbags as with the rest of the Volkswagen Polo range; this gives it a 4-star NCAP safety rating.

NEWS

Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II for 4.5 crore

Rolls-Royce has brought the latest version of their Ghost, the Series II to Delhi soon after its launch in November 2014 in Mumbai. The car will cost approximately 4.5 crore.

Sven Ritter, General Manager for Rolls Royce Motor Cars Asia Pacific said that the Ghost has always been a leading choice for Indian buyers. The Ghost Series II will be an even more rewarding experience. India is key market for Rolls-Royce, and Ritter feels that the company is in a strong position for the long term.

Ghost Series II is available with a standard and extended wheelbase, both fitted with a 563bhp, V12 engine from BMW producing 780Nm of torque at only 1500rpm. The standard version has a wheelbase of 3296mm as the extended has a wheelbase of 3465mm.

Performance-wise both cars are limited to a top speed of 250kmph and do 0-100kmph in 4.9 and 5 seconds respectively, which is astonishing for something that weights the equivalent of a house.

Fuel consumption, as you would

Ssangyong Tivoli Launched in Korea for 9.31 lakh Approx The Ssangyong Motor Company (SYMC) which is a part of the Mahindra Group announced the launch of its eagerly awaited Tivoli compact SUV model in Seoul, South Korea on January 13, 2015.

The Tivoli is powered by a 1.6 litre, e-XGi160, petrol engine which produces 124.3bhp @ 6000rpm and 156.9Nm @ 4600rpm. The Tivoli is available in a 6-speed Manual as well as a 6-speed automatic transmission that delivers dynamic driving performance with shifting response that is as fast as a Dual Clutch Transmission. The Tivoli comes with a Smart Steer function which controls steering effort in three different modes -- Normal, Comfort, and Sport. The Tivoli has been priced at approximately 9.31 lakhs for the TX (M/T) version, approximately 10.22 lakhs for the TX (A/T) version, approximately 11.36 lakhs for the VX version and approximately 12.68 lakhs – 13.53 lakhs for the LX version.

10 I February 2015

expect, won’t give any bragging rights of 4.7kmpl.

Design changes on the outside of the Ghost Series II are a re-engineered and re-designed LED headlights are framed by day-time running lights, revised surface treatments including re-sculptured bumpers, a new bonnet design featuring tapered ‘wake channel’ emanating from the Spirit of Ecstasy, the waft line leans further forwards, with new paint and wheel options giving customers greater scope for bespoke personalisation.

Ferrari officially back in India Ferrari has now announced the appointment of two new dealers in India to extend its official presence in the country.

After a regretful experience with former export company, Ferrari pulled out of the Indian market due to lack of proper support to customers provided by former partners.

With a huge passionate and enthusiastic following amongst Indians for Ferrari, the Maranello based super car giants say that it is firmly committed to providing a class-leading sales and after-sales service in the country. Ferrari has appointed a new dedicated sales and service centre, Select Cars Pvt. Ltd situated at Mathura Road in New Delhi, where other super cars show rooms such as Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Jaguar and BMW all have their dealerships. In Mumbai, Ferrari has confirmed, Navnit Motors Pvt. Ltd. at Andheri West, Mumbai to engage new and existing owners in the region.

All new Suzuki Swish 125 Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL) has brought out an all new Suzuki Swish 125 for India and has loaded it with new features. The scooter is priced at `51,661 (ex showroom, Delhi). Digital meter with service reminder, dual trip meter and digital clock are some of the features now available on the new Swish 125 making life more convenient for riders.

A maintenance free battery, tubeless tyres, and steel fender on the new Swish makes it even more practical for every day commuting. The Swish 125 comes with a 6 litre fuel tank and a large under seat storage capacity of 20 litres for added convenience.

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Growing With Green Ideas

Filters & Lubricants

NEWS

Team Orion Racing wins JK Tyre Formula Design Challenge 2015 Team Orion Racing India of KJ Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai was declared the overall champions of the first JK Tyre Formula Design Challenge (FDC) 2015. Teams Formula Manipal (Manipal University) and Pravega Racing (VIT University) stood second and third respectively.

The JK Tyre FDC 2015 was organised by Delta Inc., which is run by B.Tech/ BE alumni from engineering colleges across India including the IITs. After being shortlisted over the year, the final 36 teams underwent various static inspections and competitions in the Design, Business and Cost Events. These shortlisted teams then battled out their prototype racing cars to prove their technological prowess at Kari Motor Speedway near Coimbatore, between January 20 and 25, 2015.

In static events, Orion Racing from K J Somaiya, Mumbai won Business Plan and Design events and NIT, Calicut’s Team

Unwired won the Cost event.

In dynamic events also KJ Somaiya performed well and won Endurance and Fuel efficiency events. Manipal University’s Team Formula Manipal was the winner in Acceleration and Skidpad events while Team Octane of COE Pune won the Autocross event.

The competition saw active participation from students, faculty members and organisers during the 6 action packed days.

During these days, the venue was home to over 900 engineering students from 36 engineering colleges from across India. Their designs were evaluated by a panel, consisting of Ian Thomson, with a rich experience in the international motorsports; Maria Bonilla-Torres, System Designer for Robert Bosch GmbH and Felix Scherke, Research Engineer at Daimler.

Sanjay Sharma, HeadMotorsport, JK Tyre & Industries Limited, said, “JK Tyre has

always been at the forefront of promoting tyre research and motorsport in India. With such a large young population and engineering talent, our country has the potential to excel in the global automotive engineering scene...Congratulations to Team Orion Racing for their excellent team work. It is very reassuring to see such professionalism and expertise among these young engineers. They surely have a bright future ahead.”

The winning members of Team Orion Racing will get an opportunity to spend a day with JK Tyre’s race engineers during one of the JK Tyre race weekends. This will give them real time experience of what goes in a race pit.

“JK Tyre Formula Design Challenge 2015’ has seen immense enthusiasm among

the Indian student community.

Despite it being the first year, we have seen some great designs from all teams. We are thankful to JK Tyre and everyone who supported us to make the initiative a success,” said Soumya Kanti Bose, convener, JK Tyre Formula Design Challenge 2015.

The last two days of FDC witnessed close encounters among the teams across the three key events namely, the Auto Cross, Skid Pad and Endurance test on the last day. On the final day, the flagship event, the Endurance event declared KJ Somaiya as the first JK Tyre Formula Design Challenge winner.

Firefox launches full suspension Raptor for 24,850 Firefox, a leading player in premium bike segment in India has rolled out a full suspension ‘Raptor’ that is carefully engineered for jerky terrain.

Promising amazing speed, grip and smoothness, the mountain bike is available in two colours namely, Deep Ocean and Matt White. The cycle is priced at 24,850, inclusive of applicable VAT. The company has also launched the power-packed Karma series of bikes to satiate the compulsive desire of adrenaline junkies for exciting adventure. Available in Matt black and made in Hybrid and Women Specific varieties, they comprise attractive features. These bicycles are priced at 17,220.

The Raptor has a frameset that

12 I February 2015

comes in two sizes i.e. 18” and 19.5”.

The Drivetrain comprises Shimano EF51 7 speed Shifters, Shimano TZ31 14-34T 7 speed freewheels and Wellgo Alloy platform Pedals to name a few. With its Alloy 36H Double Wall Rims wheels and Kenda 26 2.1” tyres, the bike ensures a smooth ride to the bikers.

Full Suspension bikes are constructed for adventurous trails especially downhill racing.

Raptor, built on the same lines, assists riders in pedalling smoothly over rocky surfaces. Whether the roads are sloppy or rocky, jerky

or bumpy, Raptor, being a Full Suspension bike promises its bikers a smooth and levelled riding experience. The Karma model comes in variations of ‘women specific’ and ‘hybrid’. The bikes are carefully-constructed with frameset that measures 15”. The Drivetrain comprises Shimano EF51, 7 speed Shifters, Shimano TZ21 14-28T, 7 speed Freewheels and Wellgo PP Pedals to name a

few. The wheels are made of Alloy Double wall 36H Rims that are strong enough to combat rugged terrains. Besides this, the Front Wheel & Seat post with QR lend the bikes a sporty look.

The Hybrid Karma comprises features of mountain bikes, touring bikes as well as road bikes; hence it has the capability to bear extreme riding situations and applications.

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NEWS

CRIME SOLVING WITH HORSE POWER: SUPER COP CARS AND BIKES OF THE WORLD Report: Rahul Kapoor

R

ecently the Gujarat police was presented with a couple of Harleys. A Street 750 and Superlow 883 from Harley Davidson were presented to the police in Gujarat not to solve crime quickly, but to escort VIPs. Gujarat was at that time gearing up for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit which was to be attended by global business leaders. They needed to impress these people and the Harleys would look good escorting some of the VIPs. In our ordinary lives it’s the ordinary cars like the Maruti Suzuki Gypsys or Toyota Innovas doing the regular job. Several top notch security agencies have cars from the stables of Mahindras (Scorpio) and Tata Motors (the Tata Safari Storme does duty for the Prime Minister’s security).

While it’s a first for the Indian police to be pampered with something like the Harley, it’s nothing extraordinary when we look at police departments abroad.

Harleys for the Gujarat police The trend started in Italy when Lamborghini presented the police of the city with two brand new Gallardos thus making the Italian police the fastest police force in the world. Over the years many countries have adopted super cars for their police force.

In the UK, most of their fleet is filled with Vauxhaul Astra diesels, but some of them like the police in

London also have a Lamborghini Murcielago and a Ferrari 612 Scagletti. Humberside, UK has a Lexus IS-F with a 5 litre V8.

The police department of North Yorkshire drives around in two Subaru Impreza WRX STIs, and East Anglia was presented with a Lotus Evora S last Christmas in 2013. The Brits also have a Caparo T1 and an Ariel Atom which does

a 0-100kmph in 2.5 seconds.

The Londoners have also been pampered with an amazing but useless and impractical, Renault F1 car.

Then we come to ze Germans!

We have no idea what goes on in Germany but a simple Mercedes or an Audi or a BMW just isn’t German enough. So they have an Audi R8 GTR and Porsche 911 Carrera. Along with that ze Germans also have a CLS tuned

by Brabus which they call the Rocket with 750bhp. God knows why!

US of America on the other hand has a huge fleet of cop cars from Ford and General Motors, apart from bikes from HarleyDavidson. But almost every county or a sheriff’s department has at least one super or performance car. The Michigan police department has not one but two Cadillacs, a XCR-V and a CTS-V with around 800bhp and 16 cylinders cumulatively. In South

S S DO NOT CROS O R C T O N S DONONTOCTROSS DO C O R D O S S S S D O O R C NOT CROS T O N O D A Lamborghini for the Italian police 14 I February 2015

NEWS

Ford Intercepter in US Carolina, they drive around in a Dodge Viper SRT with a 8.0 Litre V8, which only produces 400bhp and does 0-100kmph in 9.2 seconds. Florida has a Dodge Challenger with a 5.7 litre V8.

Their neighbours, the Canadians in Ontario have been treated with a Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT with a 4.7L V8 and makes 500bhp.

In December 2014, General Motors Chevrolet announced that the County of Ventura (California) is one of the first fleets to take delivery of the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe PPV and they will soon be used by the county sheriff’s department while on patrol.

For the first time, the Tahoe PPV is offered with 4-wheel-drive (4WD) capability. Tahoe PPV remains the only full-size, bodyon-frame truck-based product on the market.

Ford announced in November 2014 that Ford EcoBoost Police Interceptor sedan has retained top performance in Michigan State Police and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department testing of 2015 model, retaining its title as quickestaccelerating pursuit vehicle In the Netherlands there is a Spyker C8 and a not a very

16 I February 2015

UK Police fleet

Humble Toyota Innova for the Indian police good performance car the Opel Speedster which only has a 2.0l engine in it. In Scandinavian countries, crime is more or less minimal and corruption is negligible. So why on earth do the Swedes have a 6.2L 500bhp V8 powered Corvette Stingray C7?

The Italians, the most flamboyant of the lot have fleets of Lamborghinis --the Huracan and the Gallardo.

On the eastern side in Japan, just before Honda stopped the

production of the NSX in 2005, it presented one of the very last NSXs that left the production line to the police. The Japanese also have a Nissan R34 Skyline GTR which they kindly nicknames Godzilla! Crazy Japs…

The Australians aren’t behind either; the cops in Victoria have a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X and New South of Wales patrol around in a Lotus Exige. But these are all just babies when you come to the real play ground of super cop cars all

these countries are infantile when you take a peek at the middle east.

Though the Abu Dhabi police has a new Nissan GTR, Dubai is another ball park all together.

Everything that we just talked about is small talk compared to the 13 different super cars they have in their fleet. The simple ones like the Dodge Charger, a Chevrolet Camaro, and Ford Mustang are the basic ones in the fleet. The mid level consists of an Audi R8, a Mercedes G Wagon and a Ferrari FF. Spend more time on the streets of Dubai and you will see a Mercedes SLS AMG, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Bentley Continental GT, a Nissan GTR and the McLaren MP4-12C, if you’re lucky, you could also be on your way to prison in a Bugatti Veyron but what really takes the cake is the Aston Martin One-77, why is it so special, because only 77 of them were ever made which makes it rare for a person to see a regular one even at Aston Martin dealerships forget about the world, and more importantly, it was the most expensive car to have hit the showroom at the time of 2.2 MILLION! yes MILLION! Great British Pounds.

Choose from our exotic range of cars

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NEWS

2015 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Muscles are in vogue

18 I February 2015

2015 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

NEWS

A

t the 2015 North American International Auto Show it seemed that muscles were in vogue. The show was held at Detroit’s Cobo Center from January 12 to 25, 2015. Suddenly pick-ups of all sizes were on display and each looked more muscular than the other.

FORD ALL-NEW F-150 RAPTOR: Ford, America’s truck leader (pick-ups in Indian parlance), introduced the all-new F-150 Raptor – the ultimate high-performance off-road pickup in the company’s lineup. The American company reengineered every part of the F-150 Raptor to make it the toughest, smartest, most capable off-roader – and more efficient than ever.

“When we created the first Raptor, we set out to prove vehicle performance isn’t just measured on the street or at the track – offroad can be even more fun,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “The original Raptor, plus enhancements on the all-new F-150 set the bar for us to make the all-new Raptor better in

every way,” he added.

The all-new Raptor starts with a purposebuilt frame – the backbone of the truck – that is the strongest in the F-150 lineup, featuring more high-strength steel than the outgoing Raptor.

Forged from high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy that helps save more than 500 pounds of weight, Raptor’s exterior design is inspired by Ford’s performance heritage in off-road racing that includes Best in the Desert, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and the famous Baja 1000.

Raptor’s chiselled looks are reminiscent of those found

in Trophy Trucks – the most powerful and fastest off-road pickups.

Raptor is 6 inches wider than the standard F-150 for improved stability off-road. The all-new Raptor also boasts its first-ever dual exhaust and new 17-inch wheels with next-generation BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires specifically designed for off-road performance.

This smart pick-up is powered by Ford’s new, second-generation 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine that produces more power with greater efficiency than the current 6.2-liter V8, which is rated at 411 horsepower and 434 lb.-ft. of torque.

February 2015 I 19

NEWS The high-output 3.5-litre EcoBoost is a Raptor exclusive in the F-150 lineup. It will be paired with an all-new 10-speed transmission for improved efficiency.

ALL-NEW NISSAN TITAN: Nissan debuted the all-new Nissan Titan full-size pickup to a standing room-only crowd of international media at the Auto Show. Presiding over the dramatic reveal was Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn, who stated, “With the 2016 Nissan Titan XD, we weren’t just going for ‘best-in-class.’ Instead, we are offering the ‘Best New Class.’”

The new Titan XD, the first of the new generation of Nissan Titan models, creates a new segment of the American market. It offers the effortless towing and hauling of the larger, more expensive heavy-duty trucks – yet has the fuel-efficiency and affordability of half-ton pickups. It is projected to go on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in late 2015.

Powered by a new Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel rated at 310 horsepower and hefty 555 lb-ft of torque, the 2016 Titan XD will offer an available maximum

20 I February 2015

2015 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW towing capacity of more than 12,000 pounds (when properly equipped), along with available cutting-edge towing features such as an integrated gooseneck hitch engineered into the frame.

Additional available Titan XD utility features and convenience aids include RearView Monitor with Trailer Guides, Around View Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection (MOD) and a Trailer Light Check system that allows one-person hook-up operation – including checking turn signals, brake lights and running/clearance lights from outside the vehicle.

Also available are Blind Spot Warning (BSW) and a Front and Rear Sonar System.

The wide range of available interior features includes front and rear NASA-inspired Zero Gravity seats and a large centre console designed to serve as a mobile workstation.

TOYOTA TACOMA : Whatever the terrain, the Toyota Tacoma is king of the hill. Rebuilt with an all-new powertrain and enhanced suspension tuning, America’s best-selling mid-size pickup for ten years running is Lord of the Rigs for dirt stomping adventurers.

With a legacy of off-road victories and over seven million units sold since 1964, Toyota has revitalised the midsize truck segment with the introduction of the all-new 2016 Tacoma.

“For the past 50 years adventure-seeking Americans have relied on Toyota trucks to take them places, on and off-road,” said Bill Fay, group vice president & general manager, Toyota Divisionm adding that “The all-new home grown Tacoma is a tough truck designed, developed and built for lifestyles of the young and young-at-heart.”

The new 2016 Tacoma was primarily developed by the Toyota engineering team at Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Starting with the frame, they added high strength steel to enhance rigidity and overall strength. Ultra-high strength steel was integrated into the body shell using a new hot stamping process that reduces weight.

To create a truck to meet the needs of active drivers on a variety of tamed and untamed surfaces, the suspension was fine-tuned to help deliver a smoother on-road ride, while making it even more capable off-road.

The new Tacoma will be powered by a 2.7-litre four-cylinder engine and an all-new, segmentfirst 3.5-litre Atkinson cycle V6 equipped with Toyota’s D-4S technology, featuring both direct and port fuel injection.

Both engines will be paired to a new six-speed automatic transmission with electronic shift delivering quick and easy shifting. The V6 can also be mated to a new six-speed manual transmission. The new powertrain makes the Tacoma more powerful and fuel efficient than ever before.

The Tacoma shares big brother Tundra’s more chiselled face, with a hex grille. From there, Tacoma expresses its own identity. Inspired by desert racing, CALTY designers in Newport Beach, Calif. and Ann Arbor, Mich. made the new Tacoma all about recreational action and athletic agility. To achieve this, the new Tacoma’s wheel flares are strong and muscular for greater wheel travel and the high-lift image reflects its purposeful capability. Four new wheel designs range from 16 to 18 inches.

The front end portrays an aggressive attitude with its bold upper grille and a taller,

2015 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

more muscular hood. Mounted high above the clamp-shaped bumper sits slim, high technology headlights that feature projection beam lamps with available LED Daytime Running Lights.

The tailgate features an integrated spoiler for improved aerodynamics and a stamped Tacoma logo. The tailgate also adds an easy lowering feature, which allows it to slowly retract, preventing it from slamming down.

For the first time ever, Tacoma is available with a tri-fold hard tonneau cover for securing gear when you’re away from the truck.

Once inside, drivers will notice a “handlebar” design theme in the instrument panel for a more driver-focused experience. Softwrapped trim and metallic accents set the stage for a high-quality look and feel that is a starting point for an array of available premium features.

HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ CROSSOVER TRUCK CONCEPT: Hyundai revealed its innovative Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept at the show in Detroit. This pick up is targeted

at the new generation of buyers, especially Millennials, who represent the second-largest population of car buyers.

“The Santa Cruz crossover truck concept meets the unspoken needs of a growing Millennial lifestyle we call ‘Urban Adventurers’,” said Mark Dipko, director, corporate planning, Hyundai Motor America, adding that the “This new crossover allows them all the expandable utility they need throughout their active week, from worklife professionalism, to social interests, to a whole variety of outdoor pursuits, without the typical compromises they have come to expect from the industry’s current product offerings.”

Modern urbanisation is impacting the market in a broad way, and this trend is especially strong with young adults, who face tighter parking on streets and parking garages, and increasing congestion overall.

These trends are not confined to one specific region of the U.S.; they’re happening in urban hubs everywhere. These “Urban Adventurers” have a different

mindset, being very active both socially, and in their communities, bringing a pioneering spirit to make their neighborhoods a better place to live and work.

Hyundai designers created a bold design that conveys this lifestyle, with a wide, surefooted stance and an aggressive side-profile rake. The front view features an upright, hexagonal grille with cascading lines framing the sides, dual lensfree, honeycombed headlamp projectors, and prominent LED fog lamps. The side profile is highlighted by oversized wheels, Michelin tyres with a special tread design, centre-locking hubs and yellow Brembo brake callipers.

The vehicle has convenient, rear-hinged rear doors which integrate seamlessly with the front door design. The wheel arches, roof, and bed rails offer convenient tie-down cleats for securing cargo of all shapes and sizes. From the rear, the concept presents highly-contoured bed forms, and for extra utility, the expandable bed can be easily reconfigured for longer cargo, using a unique drawer-like sliding function.

NEWS

The pickup is fitted with an environmentally-friendly 2.0-litre turbo diesel powertrain delivering 190 hp and approximately 407 Nm of torque, while achieving fuel economy in the high 30 mpg range. Santa Cruz also offers Hyundai’s HTRAC All-wheel drive system.

Besides these muscular vehicles, the Detroit show had a lot of glitzy cars too on display.

The production version of the allnew 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider was revealed at the show. The car will arrive at US dealerships in the summer of 2015. Chevrolet introduced the Bolt EV concept.

The company made a significant statement on its commitment to electrification with the introduction of the Bolt EV concept – a vision for an affordable, long-range all-electric vehicle designed to offer more than 200 miles (322 km approx.) of range starting around $30,000 (Rs 18.61 lakh). Ford unveiled the all-new GT, an ultrahigh-performance supercar that serves as a technology showcase for top EcoBoost performance, aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fibre construction.

February 2015 I 21

EXCLUSIVE

Restoration Royale A story of a childhood dream not coming true but in fact being achieved by passion, persistence, perseverance and motivation. A story of Madan Mohan making life turn out the way he always dreamt of as a child. A passion for vintage and old cars, buying them and learning how to fix them led him to bring them rightfully on the road where they are meant to be. Mohan tells RAHUL KAPOOR about his journey and takes him through some of his collections. He talks about the Vintage car rally he organised and his restaurant 21 Gun Salute.

Photography: Mohd. Nasir

1929 Dodge 6 previously owned by the Maharaja of Khetri

22 I February 2015

EXCLUSIVE

MADAN MOHAN, Chairman & Managing Director 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally & Concours Show with his 1933 Chevy Master Eagle Phaeton

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little boy of seven would patiently wait for hours on end near the gates just to see the Maharaja of Khetri, Rajasthan drive in and out of his palace in one of his 70 cars from his fleet. The little boy was fascinated by the shapes of the magnificence. This fascination turned into passion which became an obsession as the years went on.

Then in the year 2000, the little boy matured and did what everyone else would only dream of doing as a little boy. The 1929 Dodge 6 which was his favourite among all the cars previously belonged to the Maharaja was finally in his possession as he bought his very first vintage car.

This little boy from Khetri was Madan Mohan. In the past 14 years, Mohan has a fleet of 243 vintage cars and 99 vintage motorcycles and keeps these old vehicles not tucked away in a museum as show pieces, but on the road.

He organises the 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally in New Delhi as a tribute to the golden era of the automotive industry.

As a child Mohan wasn’t interested in makes, brands and manufacturers of cars. The shape and looks were the things which attracted his attention. The one that caught his eye the most was the Maharaja’s 1929 Dodge 6 which he went on to buy for himself. He now owns a total of seven cars from the Maharaja of Khetri’s fleet. Madan Mohan didn’t have a technical background and had little knowledge about how to restore these jewels. With time, interest grew from within and he collected whatever information from wherever he could attain it. Soon, with more mature knowledge about cars Madan Mohan graduated from buying simple Ford Model A’s, DeSotos, Chevys, Plymouths, and Dodges, to buying more collectable and rare cars like Bentleys and Rolls Royces. His dream is to find himself a Duesenberg.

February 2015 I 23

EXCLUSIVE Some of the cars and motorcycles in his collection are a 1930 Desoto Model CK which was previously owned by the Maharaja of Ajaygarh (Bundela). The significance of this particular unit is that Chrysler in 1928 had acquired the Fargo truck company and the Dodge Brothers Company and began selling those cars under those brands. Further expansion in the same year by Chrysler led them to establish Plymouth and DeSoto.

When DeSoto first came out in 1929, it broke the first-year sales record, with 81,065 cars sold, and was not beaten until 1960 by the Ford Falcon.

This very one was one of the few Model CK’s that rolled off from the Chrysler production line in 1930.

Another very notable car in his collection is the Austin 7 Chummy, powered by a tiny little 696cc 4 cylinder engine and only weighed 794lbs. The most interesting part about this chummy little car is that it was owned by the Royal House of Bikaner. Only the prince and princess could commute around the palace premises in this car.

Mohan’s 1933 Chevy Master Eagle Phaeton is from the batch that was produced in the first year. It delivered 65bhp from a 3326cc straight six engine.

Though the Master and the Eagle separate models sold around 450,435 units, only 543 of the Master Eagle Phaetons were made and this is one of the very few of them. This car was also showcased at the 12th Auto Expo at the Chevrolet stall in Greater Noida.

One of the rarest cars in the world is probably the Buick 50LX from 1929 because among all of the ones ever produced, there is only one that is still alive and running and known. Mohan is the proud owner of the very last surviving one.

Among motorcycles, Madan owns a 550cc Norton from 1922, formerly owned by the Maharaja of Darbanga and The Sunbeam powered by a 636cc from the The last surviving 1929 Buick 50LX same year but owned by the Maharaja of Kohlapur who used this very one to navigate through narrow paths as he went hunting for crocodiles. Mohan says the motorcycle was also fitted with a carrier at the back which he used to carry his prised catch.

Some other cars from his notable collection are two black and yellow Dodge Fluid Drives from 1947, a 1946 Ford Perfect, 1938 Chevrolet, the iconic Ford Model T from 1915, and the his very first of them all, the Dodge 6 from 1929 which he ogled as a kid when it belonged to the Maharaja of Khetri.

To add to his collection, Mohan has recently acquired a 1948 Bentley Mk VI (B273BG) H J Mulliner Drophead Coupé in red and black previously owned by the Maharani of Baroda. The Bentley was imported to India by the Maharaja then later was sold to someone in Spain. Now Mohan

Austin 7 Chummy previously owned by the Royal House of Bikaner

24 I February 2015

The Sunbeam from 1922 previously used by the Maharaja of Kohlapur to hunt crocodiles

EXCLUSIVE tracked down the current owner in the United States and has bought himself the very same one and plans to bring it back home to India. The rulers of Baroda were the early pioneers of motoring in India. The Maharaja had collection of over 30 bespoke Rolls Royce and Bentley cars. Most of his collection consisted of Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts, Phantoms and Wraiths & Silver Wraiths and HJ Mulliner Bentleys.

Finding all of these in rotten conditions, Mohan was forced to restore all of them. Not knowing much about restoration or engineering, Madan Mohan gathered all the data he could lay his hands on and the best people he could find to help him bring these The 550cc Norton from 1922, formerly owned cars to their glorious condition of concours originality. Madan Mohan now has a team by the Maharaja of Darbanga of 40 skilled people to help him achieve all these ambitious projects of restoring history.

The rarer the car, the more challenging it is to get spare parts for a car. With modern technology, as Mohan explained, if one is ready to shell out some more cash, parts can be fabricated. Restoring and maintaining these works of historical treasures isn’t easy nor is it cheap. One must invest time, money, resources and labour throughout the year just to drive them for a few days in the winter. Mohan said that it takes him nearly a year to two years to bring a barn find to its restored glory depending on the rarity and availability of spares. Some of his projects remain unfinished, just awaiting spare parts to carry on. Unfortunately, the Indian Government doesn’t have any provisions for automotive history, art and restoration, nor do they have any policies regarding it. Mohan believes it’s most probably because none of them own one themselves or probably because of lack of knowledge about these jewels from the golden years. On being asked why most of his cars are painted gold, Mohan amusingly replied that due to a faux pas with the order of 10 litres of gold paint, 100 litres of the colour were delivered. Instead of wasting he decided to paint as many cars he had in gold colour!

Mohan claims that all the hard work in the end is worth it when you see the social attitude towards the cars and bikes. Mohan says that a 10 year old boy will relate to it differently, compared to a 30 year old or a 50 or 70 or 80 year old. The fact remains that each and every one of them will relate to it one way or another. Whether a child of 10 year old looks at vintage cars and understands the evolution from 1886 to 2015 or a pensioner experiences nostalgia with memories from his childhood they all have a story of their own and when they see one on the road all of them will try and ask the driver to pull over to get an answer to their questions about the cars and then take pictures.

The name 21 Gun Salute was a status symbol of the Maharajas, depending on territorial or military power or how rich they were. With the lowest being a 9 men gun salute and the highest being 21, the name was completely apt for his beautiful restaurant, 21 Gun Salute in Gurgaon where he was kind enough to invite us. It’s a place where you see the evolution of time sitting next to these amazing cars right next to you and other artefacts like century old telephones, typewriters and cameras while you enjoy the same feasts the kings enjoyed themselves in their time. Five years ago when he wanted to start the Vintage car rally, Mohan carried the royal name to the prestigious annual event called the 21 Gun Salute International Vintage Car Rally and Concours Show. The rally has been a huge success with over 150 cars participating every year and this year, collectors from Malaysia, Singapore and the UK will feature old Ferraris and other vehicles for the very first time in India. The rally will take place in February 2015 in New Delhi. The name for the rally sits right at home as most of these vehicles were pre-owned by Indian royalty and Madan Mohan deserves a 21 men gun salute himself for getting all these cars back on the road as they all rightly deserve.

1933 Chevy Master Eagle Phaeton at the 12th Auto Expo in Greater Noida February 2015 I 25

MOTORSPORT

Mahindra’s Bruno comes in 5th, Antonio wins Buenos Aires ePrix

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Picture courtesy : FIA Formula E

t was a bitter sweet day for Mahindra Racing as one of their drivers Karun Chandhok came in 19th without finishing the face after a broken rear suspension, even while his team mate Bruno Senna finished fifth in the in an action-packed Buenos Aires ePrix. Senna was one of the FanBoost winners too at the race.

The race in Argentina finally saw Antonio Felix da Costa surging ahead of the pack to clinch victory in the ePrix ahead of e.damsRenault’s Nicolas Prost and China Racing’s Nelson Piquet Jr. The Amlin Aguri driver kept clear of trouble and slowly made his way into the lead as his rivals fell by the wayside. Both pole sitter Sebastien Buemi and championship leader Lucas di Grassi retired with suspension failures at the fast Turn 8 and 9 chicane. Following a postrace investigation the stewards excluded Amlin Aguri driver

26 I February 2015

Salvador Duran from the final classification for exceeding the maximum power usage.

China Racing’s Nelson Piquet, who finished third, was handed a 5-place grid penalty at the next race for speeding under yellow flags. Jarno Trulli will also have a 10-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox. This was stated in a press release issued by FIA Formula E. Piquet picked up his second consecutive podium despite being held behind the red light and losing a lap in the pitlane during the safety car period.

The Qualcomm Safety Car was deployed after Mahindra Racing’s Karun Chandhok also fell victim to broken rear suspension at the Turn 8 and 9 chicane. Piquet wasn’t the only driver to be effected by the confusion as a number of drivers had to pass the safety car to unlap themselves.

Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird was part of the lead group but he picked up a drive-through penalty

Antonio Felix da Costa celebrating after his win for ignoring the pit exit lights.

Bruno Senna, who was one of the FanBoost winners, finished fifth ahead of a feisty JeanEric Vergne who damaged his nosecone in the fight for the final podium spot.

Venturi’s Nick Heidfeld looked favourite to win in the closing stages but a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pitlane scuppered his chances.

Da Costa, who missed the opening round in Beijing, progressed up the field from eighth on the grid to collect the full 25 points.Prost managed to steer clear of the battle between Daniel Abt and Jaime Alguersuari in the closing stages, an over-optimistic

move by the Audi Sport ABT driver sent the Spaniard into a spin. Abt was out on the spot, but Alguersuari managed to limp his car home in fourth.

Before being disqualified, Salvador Duran had clinched four points in eighth ahead of Heidfeld in ninth. Vebturi’s Stephane Sarrazin rounded out the top-10 positions while Formula E debutant Marco Andretti came home in 12th place.

FANBOOST WINNERS Bruno Senna was one of the Buenos Aires Round 4 FanBoost Winners. The three winners were Nick Heidfeld, Jean-Eric Vergne and Bruno Senna.

MOTORSPORT T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship on March 15, 2015 Tata Motors has announced the opening of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship – Season 2.

The championship will be taking place at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida on March 15, 2015. The T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship will feature 12 Tata Prima trucks. The Prima trucks will be driven by international drivers representing six teams -- Team Castrol Vecton, Team Cummins, Team Tata Technologies Motorsports, Team Dealer Warriors, Team Dealers

Daredevils and Team Allied Partners.

The Tata Prima race truck now boasts a 10pc increase in speed (up to 130kmph), 10pc increase in acceleration and 10pc weight reduction, along with a new aerodynamic design. Tata Motors has also introduced a new program to strategically select and train drivers for T1’s future. The main sponsors for the event are Cummins, WABCO, JK Tyres, Castrol and Tata Technologies while Setco Automotive is one of the sponsors for Team Allied Partners.

A new Volkswagen Vento Cup series for 2015

Sanjay Sharma of JK Motorsport and Sirish Vissa of Volkswagen Motorsport with the young drivers

Volkswagen Motorsport India has announced the Vento Cup which will be a part of the 18th JK Tyre Racing Championship from 2015.

Similar to the Polo R Cup, a premium one-make touring car racing series, 2015 will see the Vento Cup as the Polo R Cup is now dead. But to serve the same purpose of providing young racing talents a platform for showcasing and cultivating their skills, Vento Cup 2015 will feature Volkswagen Vento race cars specially developed for circuit racing with high performance and international safety standards. Twenty-four drivers will

be selected to compete against each other over the championship season for the championship title.

Volkswagen Motorsport India entered the Indian racing scenario back in 2010 as a part of the famed JK Tyre National Racing Championship with the first one-make series of touring cars. Nurturing young and talented racing drivers in India for the last five years and promoting them to the next level of racing, Volkswagen Motorsport India has announced a shift to Vento Cup commencing from the competitive season of 2015.

Ogier/Ingrassia win in Monte Carlo as VW creates history As the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season started with the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, Volkswagen annihilated the competition to create history by locking out all three steps of the podium. The 2014 champion duo of Sebastian Ogier/ Julien Ingrassia took another victory ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila and Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene who locked out the final two spots on the podium. This makes Volkswagen only the fifth manufacturer ever to have achieved this feat at the “Monte”.

“A one-two-three at the Rally Monte Carlo is a fantastic performance from the entire Volkswagen team, and I am very proud of our crew,” said Heinz-Jakob Neußer, Volkswagen Board Member for Technical Development. “To start the season in this manner with a new car, and in such difficult conditions, far exceeds our expectations,” he added.

Ogier/Ingrassia and Latvala/Anttila were in the cockpit of the second generation of the VW Polo R WRC car, while Mikkelsen/Fløene will remain in the successful predecessor to the new car until the Rally Portugal. The four-wheel drive Polo R WRC now generates 318bhp, made a dream debut out doing even its own benchmarks from 2013 and 2014 seasons.

February 2015 I 27

MOTORSPORT

2015 Dakar Rally

Toughness redefined Report: P. Tharyan

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fter more than two weeks of rallying in some of the most inhospitable terrains of the world and crisscrossing more than 9000km through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, it was a hero’s welcome for the winners at Buenos Aires in Argentina. The Dakar Rally 2015 that started its first stage on January 1, from Buenos Aires in Argentina went through 13 stages before concluding on January 17. For the first time, the Dakar Rally saw an Indian C S Santosh participate. He was able to complete the rally on his KTM bike but was not among the winners.

Walking away with his fifth bike title was Marc

28 I February 2015

Coma of Spain on his KTM motorcycle. Coma’s dominant display on two-wheels was matched in the car class by Nasser Al-Attiyah as the Qatari led the race from the second day before toasting victory at the conclusion of the final stage. For car brand Mini it was a fourth victory in a row.

Team members Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel (QT/FR) crossed the finishing line as the overall winners, having won five of the 13 legs in their Mini ALL4 Racing.

However, the most emotion-packed victory was to be found in the truck class. Ayrat Mardeev followed in his late father’s footsteps in becoming a racing driver for Kamaz Master and

2015 Dakar Rally

MOTORSPORT

Marc Coma celebrating his victory. Photographer: RallyZone Bauer/Barni/KTM

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Ayrat Mardeev pose for a portait during the press conference after winning the Rally Dakar 2015 in Tecnopolis, Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 17th, 2015 RallyPhotographer Credit Gustavo Cherro/Red Bull Content Pool

February 2015 I 29

MOTORSPORT he eventually managed to achieve the dream that always eluded Ilgizar Mardeev, who passed away six month ago – winning the Dakar Rally. It could not have been a more emotional victory for Mardeev junior.

“I promised last year when I was on the podium that I’d be back to win, and now I’m here,” said AlAttiyah. “It was very hard to lead the race from the very beginning and to continue keeping this position on the long distance. Also because the race was really hard.

I’m very happy about this great result and I want to thank and congratulate all mechanics and the team for the great job they have done during the two weeks. The Mini ALL4 Racing is an incredible car and it was again very nice to drive,” the victorious driver said.

Of the 420 competitors who started the rally, only 216 finally managed to finish the Dakar rally.

These included 79 motorcycles, 18 quads, 68 cars and 51 trucks.

Two of them, Ivan Jakeš and Robby Gordon, won the final stage in the motorcycle and car categories, respectively. However, the spotlight was on Marc Coma, who drew upon his experience to take his fifth Dakar, and Nasser AlAttiyah, who claimed his second one after dominating the entire two-week rally.

According to a Dakar Rally press release, Marc Coma is now level with Cyril Despres, a fact which will please the Frenchman’s eternal rival at the Dakar to no end and —just like his former teammate— puts him just one triumph away from the record held by legend Stéphane Peterhansel. Their equal number of wins takes on a special dimension considering the dominance of the two men throughout the last ten editions of the Dakar, as well as the goodnatured competition which fuels their ambition. For the first time in ten years, Despres was not there to take the fight to Coma, having switched to the car category this year, but the Spaniard still had to fight tooth and nail for his resounding victory in Buenos

30 I February 2015

2015 Dakar Rally Aires... As in 2014, Joan Barreda was clearly the toughest rival the KTM rider came up against in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.

The HRC rider won stage 2 with the added bonus of the overall lead, opening a crucial 12-minute gap thanks to the latter’s tyre problems.

From the very next stage, the two Spaniards played cat and mouse, riding together and taking turns to claw back the two minutes separating them at the start of the special. This little game lasted several days to the benefit of Barreda, who looked like he had finally acquired the experience needed to fight for victory until the end without making any mistakes.

However, Coma bided his time like a feline waiting to pounce at the slightest opportunity. Marc found an opening in stage 8 after his Spanish rival suffered a mechanical. The no. 2 Honda, damaged by the crossing of the waterlogged Salar de Uyuni, had to be towed to Iquique by Jeremías Israel Esquerre. This decisive turn of events gave Marc Coma the reins of the rally, which he kept until Buenos Aires.

However, the KTM rider still had to see off a determined Paulo Gonçalves who was out to avenge the honour of the world’s leading maker, thwarted by its Austrian nemesis for the third time since its official rally raid comeback. The Portuguese rider never gave up, but he finally had to settle for a well-deserved second place. Toby Price finished a well deserved third in the race. The 27-yearold rookie from Down Under will be worth keeping an eye on in upcoming editions. The KTM rider claimed stage 12 and kept getting stronger as the race went on, pulling off an impressive streak of eight top 5 places and bested Pablo Quintanilla for third place at the end of the rally, making him the best rookie since his fellow countryman Andy Haydon in 1998.

However, his Chilean rival has good reason to be happy with his rally after having to withdraw from his first two editions of the

Marc Coma in action.

Photographer: RallyZone Bauer/Barni/KTM

Team KTM. Photographer: RallyZone Bauer/Barni/KTM Dakar, winning the gruelling eighth stage. He too will probably come back with loftier goals in 2016.

Among those who did not make it to the finish, Sam Sunderland will be seeking to bounce back and gain consistency in 2016 after winning the first special this year, just like Matthias Walkner, who also won a stage in his maiden Dakar and represents the new generation of rally raid together with Price. Laia Sanz did reach Buenos Aires and showed flashes of brilliance throughout the 2015 edition, claiming a fantastic fifth place in Iquique and, even more importantly, ninth overall, up there with the big guns. The pretty Catalan even beat Olivier Pain, who barely had any presence in the race for the Yamaha clan.

Nasser Al-Attiyah in his Mini won the first stage but was handed down a time penalty for speeding in the link section. No big deal for the Qatari. He had sent his rivals a clear message: this was going to be his year.

The Mini driver rammed the message home the very next day, taking an undisputable and undisputed stage win, the first of an impressive set of five wins which shows just how far ahead of the competition Al-Attiyah was in the 37th Dakar. The newly crowned two-time champion of the most prestigious rally on earth took the overall lead at the end of stage 2 and kept it until the end.

He never even hesitated, racking up one win after another instead of simply defending his lead

2015 Dakar Rally

MOTORSPORT

C.S. Santosh, the lone participant from India. Photographer: RallyZone Bauer/Barni/KTM

Pictures courtesy - RallyZone Bauer/Barni

February 2015 I 31

MOTORSPORT

2015 Dakar Rally

even when the slower-but-steady Giniel de Villiers piled the pressure on him. The Toyota driver, second in Buenos Aires, was the only man who challenged the no. 301 Mini until the end (finally losing by 35 minutes). Only a stage victory could have made the South African 2009 winner of the Dakar’s performance even better. Nani Roma, on the other hand, did take stage 9. However, the 2014 champion’s dreams of overall glory were already shattered, as his supposedly ultra-reliable Mini suffered a mechanical a few kilometres into the opening special.

The Spaniard ended up rolling out of the rally with four days to go, just like Carlos Sainz during stage 5. With the former WRC champion gone, Stéphane Peterhansel was left to fly the Peugeot colours alone in the rally comeback of the brand with the lion.

The Frenchman’s bid for glory failed and he had to settle for bringing his 2008 DKR to Buenos Aires, just like Cyril Despres in his baptism of fire on four wheels.

Finally, Kamaz’s grip on the truck race remained as strong as ever.

The Russians were light-years ahead of the competition, pulling off a jaw-dropping 1-2-3-4 in the general classification! Hans Stacey’s win at the wheel of his Iveco in the first stage may have seemed a bad omen for the Russians, but despite racking up four stage wins, the Dutchman was left in the dust as Ayrat Mardeev and Eduard Nikolaev duelled for the overall. Nikolaev won six stages and

halfway through the race seemed on track to repeat his 2013 victory, but a calamitous stage 7 forced him to chase after the super-consistent Mardeev. In the end, Nikolaev simply ran out of road as he lost to his fellow countryman by 13 minutes in Buenos Aires. Ilgizar Mardeev’s son made amends for his second place behind Nikolaev two years ago, while 2014 champion Andrey Karginov took the bottom step of the podium.

C S SANTOSH, FIRST EVER INDIAN TO PARTICIPATE IN DAKAR RALLY C S Santosh became the first ever Indian to participate in the Dakar Rally. He was able to complete the rally but was nowhere near the winning lineup. “I’m thrilled to be the first Indian to be at Dakar. From my crash at Abu Dhabi last year, which left me with third degree burns, to standing here right now, it’s been an amazing journey. Last two years have been rigorous training for me with my team at Kini Red Bull and with their support moving forward, things look exciting… the real journey starts from here,” said Santosh before the rally.

From motocross and super-cross to dirt tracks and rallies, Santosh is the only rider to have won the 14th Raid De Himalaya Trophy in the first attempt. A four-time Supercross Champion in the national circuit, Santosh has also won a number of races in the Sri Lankan and Asian Championship.

CAR

BIKE

Pos.

No.

Name

Pos.

No.

Name

1

301

NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QAT)

1

1

MARC COMA (ESP)

2

303

GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF)

2

7

PAULO GONCALVES (PRT)

3

307

KRZYSZTOF HOLOWCZYC (POL)

3

26

TOBY PRICE (AUS)

TRUCK

QUAD

1

507

AIRAT MARDEEV (RUS)

1

251

RAFAL SONIK (POL)

2

502

EDUARD NIKOLAEV (RUS)

2

261

JEREMIAS GONZALEZ FERIOLI (ARG)

3

500

ANDREY KARGINOV (RUS)

3

283

WALTER NOSIGLIA (BOL)

32 I February 2015

2015 Dakar Rally

MOTORSPORT

of Rally Dakar during the 6th stage Ayrat Mardeev races ta to Iquique, Chile on January 2015 from Antofagas Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content 9th, 2015. Picture by Pool

Eduard Nikolaev races during stage 5 of Rally Dakar 2015 from Copiapo to Antofagosa, Chile on January 8, 2015. Picture courtesy Red Bull Content Pool

February 2015 I 33

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

FIAT AVVENTURA

ITALIAN CHAMP Report: Rahul Kapoor, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

I

talians generally may not be as tall as the Germans but there is no denying the fact that they are extremely handsome. The Avventura from the Italian stable of Fiat personifies this in more ways than one. My only question is-- why did it take so long for Fiat to bring into India such a handsome fella?

For those of us who want to find fault in this beautiful machine…well, what can I say? Indians love to find fault in everything. That is there in their DNA. When a German arrives with a low sprung powerful sedan, we say it’s too low. When Japanese come with a tiny little family car, we say it doesn’t have enough space inside. Then when an American arrives

34 I February 2015

with his big SUV, we say it’s too big. So this has left the car manufacturers in India in a bit of a pickle. India needs a spacious car, which isn’t too big and isn’t too small and most important of all, it has to be cheap. Of course, the mileage should be such that it takes him and his family to moon and back on a single tank full of fuel.

It seems that the manufacturers in India finally came up with a product that is basically an enlarged little hatchback, with a slightly lifted suspension, widened the vehicle a little bit and put some plastic cladding around it. This gave birth to the Crossover segment/ compact SUV segment.

One of the first crossovers in the Indian

market was actually (you’d be surprised to know this) the Premier Rio. The Rio never really caught on. It is a good looker but with not-so-great brand name backing it, plus the Chinese lineage, consumers in India simply let it pass by.

Thus while the Mahindras were busy selling their tough looking SUV kind of vehicles, the crossover/compact SUV segment got the real boost with the coming in of the Renault Duster. It was an SUV with sedan comfort and it was priced perfectly for the Indian market.

Ford followed quickly with its EcoSport fitted with their brilliant 1 litre EcoBoost engine and other equally impressive engines. While these models hit it off well, manufacturers resorted to shortcuts and

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

got in products that did not actually set the markets afire. Like the Mahindra Quanto, the Toyota Cross and the Cross Polo.

Fiat has now entered this segment with its Avventura. One must remember that they did try it before with the Palio Adventure back in the day, but you can’t really classify it as a crossover.

So have they got it right the second time around? Is the Avventura a competitor to the alpha male of the segment? We found out with a test drive of the base petrol model that costs just under Rs 6 lakh (Ex showroom Delhi).

Basically what Fiat has done is like Toyota and VW; they based it on their hatchback. Similarly Fiat based theirs on the recently updated Punto Evo. And for the first time, it actually looks quite brilliant. It’s probably the best looking crossover out there. Then again, it’s Italian, it obviously would. Remember, they are the most handsome guys on planet Earth!

The front bumpers have a dual tone gray plastic cladding with fog lamps and they run along to the back of the car over the flared wheel arches, the side skirts under the doors and the rear bumper

gets the same dual tone plastics as well with two brake lights at the bottom. The rest of the car is identical to the Punto Evo apart from the roof rails that could come in handy to carry things if you have the accessories. The end result of all those plastics, curves and bulges is that the vehicle looks like an Italian hunk, especially with its spare wheel bolted at the rear.

The Avventura spare wheel is bolted on a sway bar at the back rather than inside the boot like the EcoSport to give it a more SUV look. But while in the Ecosport it is bolted to the tailgate, this one is on a sway bar and to open the boot

February 2015 I 35

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

Engine & Transmission Fire: 1368cc, 4cylinder Petrol / 5-Speed Manual

you need to swing out the wheel and then open the boot. It’s a unique way to do things but it can get a wee bit annoying every time you go through security check at a mall or fancy hotel.

I want to particularly give a piece of advice on the car’s key. The central locking buttons on the key are almost not visible since everything is in black. There are no silver lines or designs to distinguish the ‘open’ and ‘close’ buttons. I found that not to my liking at all.

The Interiors are a fascinating place

36 I February 2015

Power & Torque 88bhp 115Nm

Fuel Efficiency 14.4kmpl

Brakes (Front/Rear) Ventilated Disc / Drums (No ABS)

Price 5,99,064 (ex-showroom Delhi)

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

to be in….it is delightful and intriguing. For example, the seats even in the base model have a dual fabric and leather upholstery and the seats are crazy comfortable with non-adjustable but perfectly positioned lumbar support. The design just flows naturally, and every shape and line just feels so obviously clever. It’s the same interior that you get in the Linea T-Jet and the Punto Evo, but it also has a dual plastic a leather trim even on the dashboard. It’s just brilliant. Initially the dash looks a bit intimidating but once you get used to the knobs and buttons, you become a natural handling it perfectly. The boot lid release button, the audio tuner, the volume button the AC knobs, they all are placed perfectly.

Coming to the centre console itself, I am a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and I like my car to be spotlessly clean, at least the interior. So… that piano black finish just drives me bonkers to see my fingerprints all over the dashboard. In India you have got to keep all this in mind and make sure all this is camouflaged in the right colours and shades.

Coming from the Punto Evo to the Avventura, the piano blackness has been reduced as the storage compartment on top of the AC vents have been removed and replaced with what Fiat calls “High Terrain Gauges”. Basically there are three dials there--- a compass, and two inclinometers that give you Pitch and Roll information for when you would use it off road. It’s really fun when you take it off road when you try and take it to the max.

The rake adjustability of the steering wheel is not among the best in the segment.

Another uncomfortable bit about this car is the dead pedal next o the clutch. It gets in the way every single time you press the clutch. The height of the clutch pedal, I felt was a tad high.

But when you drive the Avventura, it’s just magnificent. The petrol engine isn’t the fastest with only 88bhp at its disposal, and 115Nm of torque, but the Avventura is just so smooth and composed it’s just like being smeared with whipped cream all over your face. The ride is soft and gooey and even though Fiat claim an economy of 14.4kmpl, but if you’re careful and don’t drive like a maniac, you’d be surprised how well this car actually is on consumption.

All in all, the Avventura is an Italian

champ by all means. Now the question is how well can they sell it? Something is definitely plaguing Fiat’s progress in India.

It is definitely not their products. These are not bad at all. It just needs a dynamic leader to help it march forward.

February 2015 I 37

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

BMW ACTIVEHYBRID 7

LUXURY WITH GREEN ROOTS Report: : P.Tharyan, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

38 I February 2015

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

W

hen the mammoth BMW 7 series car, the ActiveHybrid 7 squeezed its way into my middle class locality where I stayed, I could not help but stare at its mammoth size and admire the absolute silence with which it maneuvered itself into the parking slot that I had specially created for this big car. With an efficient integration of a combustion engine and an electric motor, the car simply took its reserved place without a fuss. The big task before me was to drive this car through the thick of Delhi traffic later in the day. It seemed a daunting task for me.

Yes, the traffic was bad when I took it for a drive. But it was not bad at all driving this car through start-stop traffic, especially when I realised I was barely polluting the environment around me. This goliath of a car was a treat to drive and getting to know its green roots was an incredible experience, not to mention the super luxury environment I was driving in! I was sure it would have turned a lot of people on the road “green” with envy.

The engine in this car with its BMW TwinPower Turbo technology churns out 320bhp. The electric motor churns out an additional 55hp. Hybrid components in the car include a lithium-ion high-performance battery and power electronics. It’s when this electric motor works in tandem with the combustion engine, that is produces an output of 354hp and a peak torque of 500Nm, enabling the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 5.7 seconds.

And because of this electric motor, the ActiveHybrid 7L has a much better fuel efficiency as compared to the non-hybrid ones.

This one gives 13.85 km to a litre of petrol, while the ordinary 750Li Eminence gives 11.62 km to a litre and the 760 Li Eminence only 7.46 km to a litre. There you go; it’s green, no doubt and fuel efficient.

It’s only when you accelerate that you realise that this big car makes good use of all its electric power. The motor gives the petrol engine an additional 210Nm of torque through the boost function. Adding to the green factor

February 2015 I 39

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

Engine & Transmission BMW TwinPower Turbo inline 6 cylinder, 2979cc, petrol / 8-Speed steptronic automatic

in the car are the Brake Energy Regeneration, Hybrid Start Stop function, Eco Pro mode etc. In case you want to run the car purely on electric power, the car can go up to a distance of up to four kilometres, provided the hybrid battery is charged to its hilt. The top speed possible using electric power alone is 60km.

Apart from the ActiveHybrid 7, the 7 series models available in India currently include two petrol variants powered by a 4395cc engine and a 5972cc engine. Two diesel variants too are available that have a 2993cc engine.

Like the others in the 7 series family, the ActiveHybrid too comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission. While this car is not for your neighbourhood drag race event, this one’s meant to transport you in absolute style and comfort.

40 I February 2015

Power & Torque 320 bhp @ 5800 rpm + 40kw electric motor 450Nm@1500 -4500rpm

It’s the electronics in the car that are out of this world. Everything from suspension, to your seating comforts to your driving and handling of this vehicle are aided big time with electronics.

This new 7-series comes with new standard adaptive full LED headlights with those corona rings and the smart accent strip which means that at night the car projects a distinctive appearance.

There is a modified BMW kidney grille with nine slats, instead of the previous 12. Appearance-wise, the car looks more than elegant.

Inside the car it’s like an uber luxurious pad. While the driver and the front passenger have their newly designed leather seats to relax, the rear passengers too travel in absolute luxury. The rear seat entertainment package consists of s 9.2 inch flat screen

Fuel Efficiency 13.85 kmpl

Acceleration 0 to 100kmph in 5.7 seconds

monitor and a new 1200W Bang & Olufsen high end surround sound system, delivering great sound quality. There are sixteen of these speakers and the central illuminated speaker retracts almost fully into the instrument panel.

From the moment you get into

Price 1.35 crore (ex-showroom Delhi)

the car, buckle up and adjust your seats, to the moment you press the button to start the car and begin to drive and travel, loads of electronics come into play.

For example, the eight-speed transmission controller can alter the shift characteristics as required

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

for the one who is driving the car.

Modern electronic control systems with retuned software have helped enhance the driving experience in this new BMW 7 series car.

As part of its suspension there is the self-levelling air suspension.

This automatic self -levelling suspension responds to any change in load by adjusting the suspension at the relevant wheel!

As a driver you only need to keep an eye on the road, while the car takes care of every other aspect of driving. As for the brakes, it is backed up by various state-of-theart electronic safety systems which are integrated into the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC). DSC in turn incorporates Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Automatic Stability Control (ASC), Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), Dynamic Brake Control (DBC) and Cornering Brake Control (CBC). With the DSC off, one can activate the electronic limited slip function for the rear differential.

It is important to note this is the world’s first car to come with an electronically controlled damping system whose dampers are adjusted at each wheel individually according to the condition of the road surface and driving style.

You can drive on any of the modes like Eco Pro, Comfort, Comfort+ or Sports simply by

turning the rocker switch on the centre console. The car has an Electronic Power Steering (EPS) which uses an electric motor to provide steering assistance.

EPS only operates when steering assistance is actually required so when you are zipping in a straight line without having to swerve every now and then. It does not always use electrical power at such times.

For those seated inside the car, there are a plethora of treats awaiting them. What I found strikingly wow was the fact that the car has ambient light extended with mood lights including colour selection, automatic air-conditioning with 4-zone

control and separate displays for the driver, passenger and rear seat occupants.

Equally impressive are the handle area lighting, the electric glass roof, massage functions for rear seat back rest and folding tables in the rear with Walknappa work top (keeps your laptop from slipping off).

In case you are the who loves gadgets, then the BMW ConnectedDrive takes you to a world of apps, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, DVD changer,

navigation system Professional with 3D maps, etc. In short there is so much to explore in the car that it might take you a lifetime.

The fun never stops with the BMW ActiveHybrid 7.

February 2015 I 41

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

HONDA CB UNICORN 160

FLEET FOOTED Report: Joshua David Luther, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

L

ife is a race where you must compete to survive and every move you make is being watched. The only way you actually get ahead of competition is by doing something different or doing the same things differently. At this point, what I want you to do is close your eyes and imagine you are running a marathon. The finish line is in your sight. You are breathing heavy, every muscle in your body is aching and there are three runners besides you. All the runners are running neck to neck, each one trying to beat the other. Finally you push yourself forward and break the finish line first. That’s what it felt like when I was riding the new Honda CB Unicorn 160. The bike just gives you the feeling that it wants you to go faster, that it is capable of doing it and all you need to do is push it harder.

The CB Unicorn 160 is a real treat to ride. The vehicle is not only light but zippy as well. If you

42 I February 2015

live in a city like Delhi, you will know the burden of commuting in traffic. It is exhausting and frustrating to the point of weeping. What Honda has offered in the CB Unicorn 160 is a tonic for the nerves. Riding this bike is like gliding over a breeze. At the heart of the Unicorn is a new 162.71cc, air cooled, 4-stroke, SI engine which produces 14.5bhp @ 8000rpm and 14.61Nm of torque @ 6000rpm. The engine is very chirpy and produces a decent amount of power for its class of motorcycle. The fact that you can push it to its limits and take it a little further than that, is what excites me. On the mileage front the bike gives approximately 62kms to the litre and can achieve a top speed of 106kmph.

Every aspect of this bike has been thought out carefully, from the aero aero dynamic design, bold styling and engine performance to the light weight of the bike. Negotiating through traffic is not a pain any more thanks to

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience HONDA CB UNICORN 160

Engine & Transmission 162.71cc, air cooled, 4 – Stroke, SI / 5-speed, Manual

Power & Torque 14.5bhp @ 8000rpm 14.61Nm @ 6000rpm

Fuel Tank Capacity 12 litres

Price 74,414 (ex-showroom, Delhi)

February 2015 I 43

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

44 I February 2015

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

its light Kerb weight of just 135kgs, which is 10kgs lighter than the previous model.

If you compare the new CB Unicorn 160 to the previous version of the bike we have a faster bike thanks to the lighter weight combined with a slight bump up in engine performance. The front tyre is a tubeless 80/100 R17 while the rear tyre is a tubeless 110/80 R17. The tyres give the bike a commendable stance and the six spoke alloys just add to the sporty appeal this bike carries. The Unicorn 160 has a wheelbase of 1324mm while the ground clearance stands at 150mm, which is decent enough to get you through those dreaded potholes that come free with Indian roads. The Honda CB Unicorn 160 has a 5-speed manual transmission, which is as smooth as sliding over butter.

The Unicorn has been offered with a new Combined Braking System (CBS). We tested a CBS version of the bike and I found it to be as efficient as Honda has claimed. The bike had a better stopping distance and while breaking, it felt as stable as a banyan tree planted to the ground.

The Honda Unicorn 160 has been styled to look very aggressive, from the edgy new headlight to the front cowl and even the turn indicators. Every aspect of the new Unicorn has been designed to make it look more aggressive. The Unicorn 160 comes with a new ‘H’ shaped LED taillight

which gives the bike a distinct Honda look and adds a touch of class as well.

The bike has a new sporty looking digital speed-o-meter. The display is clear and bold making it easier to glance and register while riding at higher speeds. The switch gear has been placed ergonomically and is convenient to use, however I felt that the quality of plastics used could be improved.

The bike has a broad saddle and the riding position is comfortable to say the least.

The heptagonal side view mirrors provide good visibility of the rear and reduce the driver’s blind spot.

One of the reasons why so many Indians prefer a Honda bike is thanks to the engineering and build quality the company offers. Like its predecessors and other offerings from Honda, the Unicorn has a sturdy build quality along with well engineered front telescopic and rear spring loaded hydraulic monoshocks which make the ride pleasurable. I felt the suspension was mildly stiff and it made for a smooth ride. Speed and agility is what defines the new CB Unicorn 160, cornering this bike at 60kmph felt like a breeze and the grip provided by the tyres just added to the fun. Handling the bike was like pushing a shopping cart through the mall, it just felt so light and zippy. The new CB Unicorn 160 (CBS) has been priced at Rs. 74,414 (ex-showroom Delhi) and this bike is worth every rupee of that!

February 2015 I 45

FEATURES & TRAVEL

ON THE FAST LANE WITH YAMAHA YZF R1 2011 Report: Jasminder Singh, Photography: Rahul Kapoor

E

ver felt like Valentino Rossi on your motorcycle? Well, then you must have ridden the Yamaha YZF R1, the one that was made in 2011. With an engine displacement of 998 cc, an in-line four, four-stroke with titanium intake valves, this bike delivers 179.56 hp@12500 rpm and a torque of 115 Nm @ 10000 rm. The engine Bore x stroke is 78.0 x 52.2 mm (3.1 x 2.1 inches) and it has 4 valves per cylinder. As for the fuel system, it’s got a fuel Injection with the Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T) and the Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-I).

The Yamaha YZF R1 2011 was a completely new R1 with ‘irregular firing order’ engine. The technology in this motorcycle was derived from MotoGP, where it was developed for the famous M1 on which Valentino Rossi won the championship in 2008 (also using this irregular firing in order to improve traction and control in

46 I February 2015

the corner). This technology gives the engine a completely different sound, more of a ‘roar’ than ever before. It sounds just like Rossi’s M1 The Yamaha R1 2011 has it all: projector headlights with electronically-controlled internal reflectors to change them from high to low beam, ride-by-wire throttles, variable-length inlet trumpets, fully adjustable suspension, slipper clutch, six-piston brake calipers, variable power maps, lots of titanium parts (like exhaust and inlet valves), adjustable footpegs, et al.

This is one of the most popular bikes of Yamaha, with a huge following since the launch of first generation 150 hp, 177 kg R1 in 1988.

In 2004 this generation of R1 was completely re-modelled and for the first time it had a power to weight ratio of 1:1 on a production motorcycle: 172 HP, 172 kg dry weight!

Keeping the intense competition in mind,

Yamaha made some major changes to the model. This included style updates, like an under seat twin exhaust, and performance upgrades including radial brakes, and, for the first time an R1 Ram-air intake. Also, new sexy bodywork was used with 4-beam headlights making it easily recognisable from front.

This model also utilised a forced air intake for the first time in R1’s history. The higher intake pressure at higher speed raised the horsepower figure to a maximum of 180 in dynamic measurement! The air intake was optimised by a series of digitally controlled, motor-driven secondary butterfly valves.

In late 2008, Yamaha announced they would release an all new R1 for 2009. The new R1 takes engine technology from the M1 MotoGP bike with its cross plane crankshaft. In 2011, the R1 received a new front design and other minor changes. In 2012 the Yamaha YZF-R1

FEATURES & TRAVEL

GODS Superbike Garage

O

nly a top notch super biker will understand what goes into maintaining a superbike.

Dr Arun Thareja, the man who started the superbike club by the name of GODS in the year 1998, unveiled the GODS Superbike Garage in West Delhi on January 18, 2015. .

This one-of-its-kind garage has everything that a superbike owner needs.

A walk around garage can enrich any superbike rider and can educate the rider as to how well he or she can take care of their super machines. Both outside and inside the garage, everything has been done tastefully, to drive home the point that super biking is an adventure, as well as a mission executed with responsibility.

Dr Arun Thareja On the walls are plastered pictures of each past and present rider of GODS group. The garage will also be the venue for celebrating birthdays of the riders or a simple place for an after-ride coffee meet.

Ultimate Biker’s Calendar 2015 launched

T received traction control and a special edition 50th Anniversary R1 was released. The special edition color is inspired from Assen TT-winning MotoGP bike. The special edition commemorates the participation of Yamaha in MotoGP. This bike is better power delivery on the low rpm’s too and that’s because of the type of engine. It has very cleverly designed air intake in the headlights.

This particular model is rarely seen in India, the major reason for this is Yamaha R1’s aggressive sitting position which will make you a victim of severe back ache and wrist pain in heavy traffic and long rides. Secondly R1’s are known for their heating problems. All this has resulted in riders preferring bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 10R which comes for the same price tag. But then there is no denying the fact that the Yamaha YZF R1 is stunning, curvy and one of the most aggressive and beautiful machines in the country.

h e Ultimate Biker’s Calendar 2015 was launched at the Indian Motorcycle showroom in Gurgaon in the presence of a multitude of bikers on January 11, 2015. This unique calendar has been created and published by Jasminder Singh, a diehard (L to R) Jasminder Singh, Sandeep Bansal of Indian bike enthusiast and an avid Motorcycles and avid biker Harveen Singh Bali photographer.

The calendar features rare a stunning piece of art which is born out superbikes with their proud owners. The of pure passion and hope that it will be pictures have been shot professionally revered by people who share the zeal. as well as aesthetically by Singh. The The Ultimate Biker’s desktop calendar theme for the calendar is to promote 2015 showcases some of the finest bikes ‘Road Safety’ and ‘Responsible Riding’. ever”. The event saw the never before Through this calendar the message is to display of superbikes from all parts of encourage riders to wear proper riding Delhi-NCR--from a customised Harley gears and ensure safety while chasing Davidson, Suzuki Hayabusa, Ducati to their passion for biking. a Honda Goldwing Bike. Also present “The Ultimate Biker’s calendar is the at the event were Arun Thareja – a sole outcome of my undying passion for name synonymous with courage and biking and fabulous superbikes. It is a conquering all arenas in the field of heartfelt New Year present for the biking superbiking and safe riding who was the brotherhood and as you flip through its chief guests of honour. pages, you’ll witness a fusion of splendid The Ultimate Biker’s Calendar 2015 photography with a touch of technology is now available for sale online at www. to create a never before experience for ultimatebikerscalendar.com with a price the biking fraternity,” Singh said. He tag of 499/- only, with nationwide further added, “I am proud to create such delivery.

February 2015 I 47

CAR PRICES

Buyers’ Guide * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi)

OFF-ROAD VEHICLE PRICES SEGMENT

MODEL

ENGINE (CC)

PRICE (RS.)

POLARIS

ATV & Youth Mode

Outlaw 50

49

2.64 (Lakh)

Phoenix 200

196

4.89 (Lakh)

RZR 170

169

5.29 (Lakh)

Sportsman 400 H.O

445

7.25 (Lakh)

Sportsman 500 H.O

498

7.67 (Lakh)

Sportsman 570 EFI

567

7.94 (Lakh)

Sportsman 850 H.O

850

14.72 (Lakh)

Sportsman Big Boss 800

760

15.35 (Lakh)

400

455

11.14 (Lakh)

Crew 500 EFI

498

13.97 (Lakh)

Crew 800

760

18 (Lakh)

Ranger Diesel

904

20.48 (Lakh)

Ranger

Ranger RZR Snowmobile

Ranger EV

NA

12.82 (Lakh)

RZR S 800

760

22.85 (Lakh)

RZR XP 900

875

21.13 (Lakh)

RZR XP4 900

875

24.10 (Lakh)

Widetrak LS

488

10.86 (Lakh)

CAR PRICES MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

ASHOK LEYLAND Stile

A4 LE - 8 Seater LS - 7 Seater LX - 7 Seater

1.5 1.5 1.5

D D D

20.07 20.07 20.07

7.49 8.49 8.99

Coupe Volante Rapide S V8 Coupe V8 S Coupe V8 Volante V8 N430 V12 S V12 Vanquish

6.0 6.0 6.0 4.8 4.8 4.8 4.8 6.0 6.0

P P P P P P P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

2.90 (Cr.) 3 (Cr.) 3.50 (Cr.) 1.86 (Cr.) 2.20 (Cr.) 2.40 (Cr.) NA NA 3.85 (Cr.)

TFSI Premium Plus + Sunroof TFSI S Line Cabriolet TDI Attraction TDI Premium + Sunroof Edition TDI Premium Plus + Sunroof TDI Technology Pack + Sunroof TFSI Premium Edition TDI Special Edition TDI Standard Edition TDI Premium Edition TDI Premium Plus TDI Technology Pack TDI Quattro Premium Plus

1.8 1.8 2.0

P P D

16.30 16.30 20

30.05 44.75 22.95

2.0

D

20

27.05

2.0

D

20

31.05

2.0

D

20

33.05

1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0

P D D D D D D

15.64 17.11 17.11 17.11 17.11 17.11 14.94

31.30 29.45 30.10 35.45 37.71 39.74 55.02

ASTON MARTIN DB9 Rapide

Vantage

Vanquish AUDI

A3

A4

MODEL

48 I February 2015

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

A6

A8 L

Q3

Q5

Q7 RS5 RS7 R8

TDI Quattro Technology TFSI Premium Edition TDI Business Edition TDI Premium Edition TDI Premium Plus TDI Technology Pack TDI Quattro Premium TDI Quattro Premium Plus TDI QuattroTechnology TFSI quattro TDI quattro TDI quattro W12 TDI quattro TFSI TDI TDI Quatrro Premium TDI Quatrro Premium Plus TDI Quatrro Dynamic TDI Quatrro Premium TDI Quatrro Premium Plus TDI Quatrro Technology TDI QuattroTechnology TDI Quattro Premium TDI Quattro Premium Plus TDI QuattroTechnology TDI Quattro Technology TFSI Quattro TFSI Quattro V8 FSI V10 FSI

3.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 4.2 6.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.2 4.2 4.0 4.2 5.2

D P D D D D D D D P D D D P D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P P

14.94 NA 17.60 17.60 17.60 17.60 14.50 14.50 14.50 9.20 6 NA NA 9.89 17.3 15.73 15.73 15.73 14.10 14.10 14.10 13.20 12 12 12 11.30 9.20 NA 8 7.60

57.82 44.20 39.90 46.52 48.29 51.91 55.80 60.78 63.13 1.33 (Cr.) 1.14 (Cr.) 1.23 (Cr.) 1.81 (Cr.) 27.40 25.49 32.54 36.80 38.40 47.16 49.46 53.44 60.11 61.35 66.59 72.35 80.94 1.05 (Cr.) 1.33 (Cr.) 1.66 (Cr.) 1.95 (Cr.)

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

R8 Spyder S4 S6 TT BENTLEY MOTORS

Continental

Flying Spur Mulsanne BMW 1 Series

3 Series

5 Series

6 Series

7 Series

X1 X3

X5

M

Z4 BUGATTI Veyron CHEVROLET

Beat

Captiva Cruze

Enjoy

Sail Hatchback

V10 FSI TFSI Quatrro TFSI Quattro TFSI Quattro S - Line

5.2 3.0 4.0 2.0

P P P D

7.70 10.30 NA 12.40

2.14 (Cr.) 52.64 89.95 55.15

GT W12 GT V8 GT Speed W12 GT V8 S GTC W12 GTC V8 GT Speed Convertible GT V8S Convertible Flying Spur V8 Flying Spur W12 Mulsanne

6.0 4.0 6.0 4.0 6.0 4.0 6.0 6.0 4.0 6.0 6.8

P P P P P P P P P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 6.38 8 NA

NA 3.28 (Cr.) NA 3.54 (Cr.) NA NA 4.03 (Cr.) NA 3.21 (Cr.) 3.40 (Cr.) 5.55 (Cr.)

116i Prestige 118d Prestige 118d Sport Line 118d Sport Plus 320d Prestige 320d Sport Line 320d Luxury Line 328i Sport Plus 320d GT Luxury Line 520d Prestige 520d Modern Line 520d Luxury Line 525d Luxury Plus 530d M Sport 640d Convertible 650i Convertible 640d Coupé 650i Coupé 640d Gran Coupé Eminence 730 Ld Eminence 730 Ld Signature ActiveHybrid 7L 750Li Eminence 760Li Eminence sDrive20d Expedition sDrive20d Sport Line sDrive20d xLine xDrive20d Expedition xDrive20d xLine xDrive30d Expedition xDrive30d Design Pure Experience xDrive30d Design Pure Experience (7 Seater) M3 M4 Coupe M5 M6 Gran Coupé sDrive 35i sDrive 35i Design Pure Traction

1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 6.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0

P D D D D D D P D D D D D D D P D P D D D P P P D D D D D D

16.28 20.58 20.58 20.58 18.88 18.88 18.88 14.59 19.59 18.48 18.48 18.48 17.09 14.69 17.54 10.86 11.23 18.18 17.54 16.46 16.46 13.85 11.62 7.46 17.05 17.05 17.05 18.56 18.56 NA

22.65 25.60 28.55 32.50 34.30 37.90 37.90 42.50 42.75 46.90 49.90 49.90 55 59.20 NA NA NA NA 1.11 (Cr.) 1.03 (Cr.) 1.22 (Cr.) 1.35 (Cr.) 1.40 (Cr.) 1.87 (Cr.) 30.75 36 36 44.90 49.90 64.90

3.0

D

15.35

69.90

3.0

D

15.35

71.50

3.0 3.0 5.0 4.3 3.0

P P P P P

10.75 10.75 10.10 10.10 10.37

1.20 (Cr.) 1.22 (Cr.) 1.35 (Cr.) 1.75 (Cr.) 71

3.0

P

10.37

72

Veyron Grand Sport

8.0

P

NA

12 (Cr.)

PS LS LT LT Option PS LS LT LT Option LS LPG LT LPG LT LTZ LT (MT) LTZ (MT) LTZ (AT) LS - 8 Seater LS -7 Seater LT - 8 Seater LT - 7 Seater LTZ - 8 Seater LTZ - 7 Seater TCDi LS - 8 Seater TCDi LS -7 Seater TCDi LT - 8 Seater TCDi LT - 7 Seater TCDi LTZ - 8 Seater TCDi LTZ - 7 Seater PS LS LS ABS LT ABS TCDi PS

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3

P P P P D D D D LPG LPG D D D D D P P P P P P D D D D D D P P P P D

18.61 18.61 18.61 18.61 25.44 25.44 25.44 25.44 13.30 13.30 14.60 12.12 17.30 17.30 NA 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 22.10

4.01 4.27 4.68 5.17 4.82 5.10 5.52 5.94 4.53 4.97 23.75 25.85 13.79 15.28 16.30 5.86 5.88 6.41 6.44 7.21 7.24 7.11 7.13 7.55 7.58 8.25 8.27 4.46 4.94 5.15 5.82 5.44

MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

TCDi LS TCDi LS ABS TCDi LT ABS PS LS LS ABS LT ABS Sail Sedan TCDi PS TCDi LS TCDi LS ABS TCDi LT ABS BS4 OBDII LS BS4 OBDII Spark LT BS4 OBDII Neo 3 -10-BS3 Neo 3 Max -10-BS3 Neo 3 Max -7-BS3 Neo 3 LS-10-BS3 Neo 3 LS-7-BS3 Tavera * Neo 3 LS-7(C)-BS3 Neo 3 LT-9-BS3 Neo 3 LT-8-BS3 Neo 3 LT-7(C)-BS3 * Only available in BS3 cities.

DATSUN D D1 Go A T D D1 Go+ A T FIAT Active Fire Dynamic Fire Active Multijet Avventura Dynamic Multijet Emotion Multijet Active Fire Active T-Jet Dynamic T-Jet Emotion T-Jet Linea Active Multijet Dynamic Multijet Emotion Multijet Classic Fire Classic Multijet Linea Classic Classic Plus Multijet Active Fire Dynamic Fire Emotion Fire Active Multijet Punto Evo Dynamic Multijet Emotion Multijet Sport 93 PS FORCE EX 6 Seater LX-ABS 6 Seater Force One SX-ABS 6 Seater SX-ABS 5 Seater Hard Top (4x4) Soft Top (4x2) Gurkha Soft Top (4x4) FORD LXi Duratec CLXi Duratec Titanium Duratec Classic LXi Duratorq CLXi Duratorq Titanium Duratorq Ambiente M/T Trend M/T Titanium M/T Titanium A/T Titanium Ecoboost Ecosport Titanium (O) Ecoboost Ambiente (D) Trend (D) Titanium (D) Titanium (O) (D) 4x2 M/T 4x2 A/T Endeavour 4x4 A/T Ambiente Trend Fiesta Titanium LXi Duratec EXi Duratec ZXi Duratec Figo Titanium Duratec LXi Duratorq EXi Duratorq Sail Hatchback

1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

D D D P P P P D D D D P P P D D D D D D D D D

22.10 22.10 22.10 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 22.10 22.10 22.10 22.10 16.20 16.20 16.20 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58 13.58

5.93 6 6.86 5.27 5.79 6 6.56 6.47 6.85 7.15 7.72 3.45 3.72 4 7.52 8.39 8.51 9.20 9.28 9.38 10.25 10.68 10.94

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

P P P P P P P P

20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63

3.23 3.26 3.59 4.05 3.79 3.82 4.15 4.61

1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3

P P D D D P P P P D D D P D D P P P D D D D

14.40 14.40 20.50 20.50 20.50 15.70 15.70 15.70 15.70 20.40 20.40 20.40 14.90 19.50 19.50 15.80 15.80 15.80 21.20 21.20 21.20 21.20

5.99 7.05 6.89 7.65 8.17 7 7.45 8.54 9.03 8.17 9.29 9.74 5.88 6.86 7.40 4.71 5.12 6.71 5.42 6.21 6.83 7.20

2.6 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.6

D D D D D D D

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

9.38 14.02 12.41 12.49 8.51 6.27 8.36

1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4

P P P D D D P P P P P P D D D D D D D D D D P P P P D D

14.09 14.09 14.09 19.68 19.68 19.68 15.80 15.80 15.80 15.60 18.90 18.90 22.70 22.70 22.70 22.70 12.67 10.70 10.70 25.01 25.01 25.01 15.22 15.22 15.22 15.22 19.99 19.99

4.89 5.58 6.36 6.20 6.67 7.36 6.46 7.31 8.27 9.29 8.66 9.19 7.44 8.17 9.17 9.71 20.32 21.76 23.54 7.99 8.83 9.57 3.87 4.41 4.72 5.11 4.83 5.38

February 2015 I 49

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

Figo

ZXi Duratorq Titanium Duratorq

1.4 1.4

D D

19.99 19.99

5.70 6

E M/T EX M/T S M/T SX M/T VX M/T VX (O) M/T S A/T VX A/T E M/T EX M/T S M/T SX M/T VX M/T VX (O) M/T E M/T EX M/T S M/T V M/T VX M/T VX BL M/T VX A/T VX BL A/T E M/T S M/T SV M/T V M/T VX M/T SV CVT VX CVT EMT SMT SVMT VMT VXMT 2WD M/T 2WD A/T AWD A/T AWD A/T AVN E S V V (O) E S V V (O) RS RS (O)

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

P P P P P P P P D D D D D D P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P D D D D D P P P P P P P P D D D D D D

18 18 18 18 18 18 15.50 15.50 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 16.50 16.50 17.80 17.80 17.80 17.80 17.80 18 18 26 26 26 26 25.10 13.70 13.70 12 12 17.30 17.30 17.30 17.30 24.20 24.20 24.20 24.20 24.20 24.20

5.19 5.55 5.94 6.48 6.87 7.32 6.95 7.78 6.20 6.52 6.97 7.39 7.75 8.20 4.21 4.43 4.78 5.12 5.51 5.99 6.31 6.78 7.53 8.19 8.78 9.37 10.34 9.81 11.42 8.75 9.40 9.94 10.55 11.53 20.85 21.85 23.48 24.96 6.75 7.80 9.06 9.75 8.19 8.93 10.09 10.77 11.19 11.87

S M/T SX M/T SX A/T L M/T S M/T SX M/T SX A/T D-Lite D-Lite+ D-Lite+ LPG Era+ Era+ Lpg Magna+ Magna+ LPG Magna+ Kappa Sportz Kappa Era Kappa Magna Kappa Magna (LPG) Kappa Sportz Kappa Asta Kappa Asta A/T Kappa Asta (O) CRDi Era CRDi Magna CRDi Sportz CRDi Asta CRDi Asta (O) Era Magna Sportz Sportz LPG Kappa Era Kappa Magna Kappa Sportz Kappa Sportz (O) Kappa Asta CRDi Era CRDi Magna CRDi Sportz

1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4

P P P D D D D P P P/LPG P P/LPG P P/LPG P P P P P/LPG P P P P D D D D D P P P P/LPG P P P P P D D D

16.30 16.30 14.30 22.70 22.70 22.70 19.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 20.30 21.10 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 24 24 24 24 24 19.81 19.81 19.81 19.20 18.60 18.60 18.60 18.60 18.60 22.54 22.54 22.54

12.92 14.13 15.10 13.37 14.09 15.27 16.24 2.88 3.16 3.41 3.29 3.55 3.59 3.84 3.87 3.86 4.62 4.82 5.24 5.21 5.48 6.22 5.80 5.48 5.68 6.07 6.34 6.66 4.17 4.40 4.70 4.98 5.23 5.76 6.27 6.63 6.85 6.36 6.90 7.44

MODEL

Brio

City

CR-V

Mobilio

Elite i20 Santa Fe

Santro Xing

Sonata

Verna

Xcent

Eon

Grand i10

i10

Elite i20

50 I February 2015

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

CRDi Sportz (O) CRDi Asta 2WD M/T 2WD A/T 4WD A/T GL Plus GL Plus LPG GLS GLS LPG GDI M/T GDI A/T GL CX EX SX SX A/T SX (O) CRDi GL CRDi CX CRDi EX CRDi SX CRDi SX A/T CRDi SX (O) CRDi SX (O) A/T Kappa Base Kappa S Kappa S (O) Kappa SX Kappa SX (O) Kappa SX (O) A/T CRDi Base CRDi S CRDi S (O) CRDi SX CRDi SX (O)

1.4 1.4 2.2 2.2 2.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 2.4 2.4 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1

D D D D D P P/LPG P P/LPG P P P P P P P P D D D D D D D P P P P P P D D D D D

22.54 22.54 14.74 13.01 13.01 17.92 13.45 17.92 13..45 13.04 12.35 17.43 17.43 17.01 17.01 15.74 17.01 23.50 23.50 22.32 22.32 19.08 22.32 19.08 19.10 19.10 19.10 19.10 19.10 16.90 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40

7.76 7.99 26.84 27.69 29.79 3.75 3.95 3.97 4.15 19.20 21.28 7.63 8.56 8.55 9 9.74 9.97 8.84 9.81 9.87 10.22 10.94 11.28 12.01 4.96 5.64 5.90 6.58 6.84 7.58 5.85 6.54 6.79 7.47 7.73

D-Max Single Cab D-Max Space Cab Flat Deck D-Max Space Cab Arched Deck BS4 4x2 MT BS4 4x2 MT HI Pack

2.5 2.5

D D

NA NA

5.89 6.09

2.5

D

NA

6.99

3.0 3.0

D D

12.08 12.08

19.99 21.95

F-Type Coupe F-Type S Coupe F-Type R Coupe F-Type V6 S Covertible F-Type V8 S Covertible XF XF Executive Edition XF XFR Premium Luxury Portfolio Premium Luxury Portfolio XKR Coupe XKR Convertible XKR - S

3.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.2 2.2 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

P P P P P P D D D P P P D D P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 9.4 NA NA NA NA NA

1.22 (Cr.) 1.34 (Cr.) 1.82 (Cr.) 1.49 (Cr.) 1.75 (Cr.) 49.08 49.39 45.12 57.51 NA NA 93.76 92.62 99.21 NA NA NA

LP 700-4 LP 700-4 Roadster LP 610-4

6.5 6.5 5.2

P P P

6.3 6.3 NA

3.69 (Cr.) 4.77 (Cr.) 3.43 (Cr.)

V6 SE V6 HSE TD4 S BE TD4 SE TD4 SE Sterling Edition TD4 HSE TDV6 HSE TDV6 Vogue SDV8 Vogue SE SDV8 Autobiography V8 SC Autobiography TDV6 Vogue LWB SDV8 Vogue SE LWB SDV8 Autobiography LWB V8 SC Autobiography LWB Pure Prestige Dynamic Dynamic Coupe SDV6 S SDV6 SE SDV6 HSE SC Autobiography

3.0 3.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 3.0 3.0 4.4 4.4 5.0 3.0 4.4 4.4 5.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0

P P D D D D D D D D P D D D P D D D P D D D P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

1.05 (Cr.) 1.14 (Cr.) 39.74 43.38 44.92 48.72 1.73 (Cr.) 1.97 (Cr.) 2.35 (Cr.) 2.43 (Cr.) 2.50 (Cr.) 2.08 (Cr.) 2.44 (Cr.) 2.56 (Cr.) 2.63 (Cr.) 55.36 65.47 64.64 NA 1.10 (Cr.) 1.25 (Cr.) 1.43 (Cr.) 1.66 (Cr.)

Plus Non Ac BS4 Plus Ac BS4 Ex Non Ac BS4

2.5 2.5 2.5

D D D

15.96 15.96 15.96

6.88 7.27 6.50

ISUZU D-Max

MU-7 JAGUAR

F-Type

XF

HYUNDAI

Elantra

ENGINE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

HONDA

Amaze

VARIANTS

XJ

XK LAMBORGHINI Aventador Huracan LAND ROVER Discovery 4

Freelander 2

Range Rover

Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover Sport MAHINDRA Bolero

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

Bolero

Quanto

Rexton

Scorpio

Thar

Verito

Verito Vibe

XUV 500

XYLO

Ex Ac BS4 SLE BS4 SLX BS4 ZLX BS4 C2 C4 C6 C8 RX5 MT RX6 MT RX7 AT S2 S4 S4 / S4 4WD S6 / S6 PLUS S8 S10 / S10 4WD Thar DI 2WD / 4WD 4x4 CRDE D2 D4 D6 ABS D6 ABS EXECUTIVE D2 D4 D6 W4 FWD W6 FWD W8 FWD W8 AWD D2 BS IV D2 MAXX BS IV D4 BS IV H4 BS IV / ABS BS IV H8 ABS BS IV / ABS AIRBAG BS IV H9 BS IV

2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.2

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96 17.21 17.21 17.21 17.21 11.18 11.18 11.18 NA NA NA NA NA NA 18.06 18.06 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 15.10 15.10 15.10 15.10 14.88 14.88 14.88 14.02

6.90 7.30 7.82 7.99 6.41 7.28 7.75 8.26 19.83 21.87 23.17 8.69 9.29 9.70 / 10.83 10.48 / 10.79 11.68 12.32 / 13.45 5.03 / 5.53 7.68 6.72 6.95 7.65 8.13 6 6.27 6.89 11.19 12.46 14.06 15.05 8.07 7.86 8.49 8.96 / 9.20

2.2

D

14.02

10.23 / 10.62

2.2

D

14.02

11.47

MODEL

T01 T2

Electric Motor Electric Motor

E

NA

5.95

E

NA

6.82

Gypsy Omni

Ritz

Swift

Swift Dzire

WagonR

WagonR Stingray

Alto 800

Alto K10

Celerio

Ciaz

Eeco

Ertiga

Grand Vitara

0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

P P P P P P CNG

22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 30.46

2.46 2.82 3.05 3.21 3.18 3.37 3.62

Alto K10 LX

1.0

P

24.07

3.13

Alto K10 LXI

1.0

P

24.07

3.29

Alto K10 LXI CNG

1.0

P

24.07

3.91

Alto K10 VXI Alto K10 VXI (O) Alto K10 VXI AGS Celerio LXI Celerio LXI AGS Celerio VXI Celerio VXI AGS Celerio GREEN VXI Celerio ZXI Celerio ZXI (O) VXi VXi Plus ZXi ZXi (O) VXi Plus AT ZXi AT VDi VDi Plus ZDi ZDi (O) Eeco 5 Seater Eeco 5 Seater Ac Eeco 7 Seater Eeco Flexi Green Eeco Green 5 Seater Non Ac Eeco Green 5 Seater Ac Ertiga LXI Ertiga LXI CNG Ertiga VXI Ertiga VXI ABS Ertiga VXI CNG Ertiga ZXI Ertiga LDI Ertiga VDI Ertiga ZDI Grand Vitara MT Grand Vitara AT

1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.4 2.4

P P P P P P P CNG P P P P P P P P D D D D P P P CNG CNG CNG P CNG P P CNG P D D D P P

24.07 24.07 24.07 23.10 23.10 23.10 23.10 31.79 23.10 23.10 20.73 20.73 20.73 20.73 19.12 19.12 26.30 26.30 26.30 26.30 15.10 15.10 15.10 20 20 20 16.02 22.80 16.02 16.02 22.80 16.02 20.77 20.77 20.77 10.40 9.24

3.46 3.66 3.90 3.90 4.35 4.20 4.65 4.85 4.50 4.96 7.21 7.79 8.50 8.86 8.92 9.64 8.30 8.90 9.75 10.11 3.09 3.39 3.26 4.14 3.76 4.12 5.99 6.60 6.78 6.86 7.38 7.59 7.46 8.11 8.77 22.68 24.60

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

King Soft Top King Hard Top Omni 5 Seater Omni 8 Seater Ritz Lxi Ritz Vxi Ritz Vxi ABS Ritz Vxi AT ABS Ritz Zxi Ritz Mc Ldi Ritz Mc Vdi Ritz Mc Vdi ABS Ritz Mc Zdi Swift Lxi Swift Lxi (O) Swift Vxi Swift Zxi Swift Ldi Swift Vdi Swift Zdi Swift Dzire Lxi Swift Dzire Vxi Swift Dzire Vxi AT Swift Dzire Zxi Swift Dzire Ldi Swift Dzire Vdi Swift Dzire Zdi WagonR Mc Lx WagonR Mc Lxi WagonR Mc Lxi CNG WagonR Mc Vxi WagonR Mc Vxi ABS Stingray Lxi Stingray Vxi Stingray Vxi (O)

1.3 1.3 0.8 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

P P LPG P P P P P P D D D D P P P P D D D P P P P D D D P P CNG P P P P P

11.96 11.96 10.90 14.70 18.50 18.50 18.50 17.16 18.50 23.20 23.20 23.20 23.20 20.40 20.40 20.40 20.40 25.20 25.20 25.20 19.10 19.10 17.40 19.10 23.40 23.40 23.40 20.51 20.51 26.60 20.51 20.51 20.51 20.51 20.51

5.98 6.13 2.51 2.49 4.38 4.73 4.98 5.97 5.33 5.46 5.79 5.97 6.38 4.58 4.65 5.26 6.11 5.76 6.21 7.20 5.02 5.64 6.57 6.54 5.99 6.75 7.59 3.61 3.93 4.47 4.18 4.50 4 4.28 4.55

Gran Turismo Gran Turismo Sport Gran Turismo MC Stradale Gran Cabrio Gran Cabrio Sport Gran Cabrio MC Quattroporte S Quattroporte S Q4 Quattroporte GTS

4.2 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 3.0 3.0 3.8

P P P P P P P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

1.20 (Cr.) 1.30 (Cr.) 1.37 (Cr.) NA NA NA NA NA NA

180 Sport 180 CDI Style 200 CDI 200 Sport 200 CDI Sport 180 Sport 180 CDI 200 Avantgarde 200 CGI Avantgarde 250 CDI Avantgarde 350 CDI Avantgrade 200 CDI 200 Sport 200 CDI Sport 350 CDI 250 CDI 350 CDI 350 CDI 350 350 CLA 45AMG GLA 45AMG C 63 AMG E 63 AMG GL 63 AMG G 63 AMG ML 63 AMG SLK 55 AMG

1.6 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.1 1.6 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.1 3.0 2.2 2.0 2.2 3.0 2.1 3.0 3.5 3.5 3.5 2.0 2.0 6.2 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5

P D D P D P D P P D D D P D D D D D P P P P P P P P P P

15.50 20.06 17.90 15.04 17.90 14.91 18.98 14.74 13.82 14.21 NA 17.90 NA NA NA 14.80 8.70 NA 9.26 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 10.41 NA

26.56 25.64 31.50 35 35.90 28.87 27.75 40.90 46.33 48.47 58.50 32.75 36 36.90 74.90 54.80 65.80 1.09 (Cr.) 91.90 71.90 68.50 69.60 1.07 (Cr.) 1.29 (Cr.) 1.70 (Cr.) 1.85 (Cr.) 1.50 (Cr.) 1.26 (Cr.)

Cooper D Cooper D Cooper Convertible One Countryman Cooper D Countryman Cooper D Hightrim Cooper S

1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6 2.0 1.6 1.6

D D P P D D P

21.15 21.15 NA NA NA NA NA

31.85 35.20 34.80 26.55 28.55 31.40 38.75

Sport 4x2 A/T Sport Di-D 4x4

2.5 2.5

D D

13.5 13.5

24.98 25.28

Evalia XE Evalia XE+ Evalia XL Evalia XL Option Evalia XV Evalia XV Option

1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

D D D D D D

19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30 19.30

9.14 9.67 10.51 10.77 11.22 11.48

MASERATI

Gran Turismo

MARUTI Alto 800 STD Alto 800 LX Alto 800 LXI Alto 800 LXI Airbag Alto 800 VXI Alto 800 VXI Airbag Alto 800 LXI CNG

ENGINE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

MAHINDRA REVA e2o

VARIANTS

Quattroporte MERCEDES-BENZ A-Class CLA-Class B-Class C-Class E-Class

GLA-class GL-class ML-class S-class CLS-Class SLK-class

AMG

MINI Mini 3-Door Mini 5-Door Mini Convertible Mini Countryman MITSUBISHI Pajero NISSAN

Evalia

February 2015 I 51

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

Evalia

Micra

Micra Active

New Sunny

Terrano

Evalia SV Micra XL Micra XL COMFORT Micra XV CVT Micra DCI XE Micra DCI XL Micra DCI XL COMFORT Micra DCI XV Micra DCI XV PREMIUM Micra Active XL Micra Active XV Micra Active XV S New Sunny XE New Sunny XL New Sunny XL CVT New Sunny XE D New Sunny XL D New Sunny XV D New Sunny XV D Premium Safety New Sunny XV D Premium Leather Terrano XL Terrano XE D Terrano XL D Terrano XL D PLUS Terrano XL D THP Terrano XV OPTION D THP Terrano XV OPTION D THP Premium

1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

D P P P D D D D D P P P P P P D D D

19.30 18.44 18.44 19.34 23.08 23.08 23.08 23.08 23.08 19.49 19.49 19.49 17.97 17.97 17.97 22.71 22.71 22.71

12.22 5.16 5.82 6.93 5.74 6 6.62 7.10 7.47 4.38 4.70 5.02 7.40 8.19 9.55 8.60 9.25 10

1.5

D

22.71

10.29

1.5

D

22.71

10.50

1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

P D D D D D

13.24 20.45 20.45 20.45 19.01 19.01

10.15 10.13 11.17 11.45 11.64 12.60

1.5

D

19.01

12.92

Careera Careera S Careera 4 Careera 4S Careera Cabriolet Careera S Cabriolet Careera 4 Cabriolet Careera 4S Cabriolet GT3 Turbo Turbo S Targa 4 Targa 4 S Boxter S Cayenne Diesel Cayenne S Cayenne Platinum Cayenne S Diesel Cayenne S Hybrid Cayenne GTS Cayenne Tiptronic Cayenne Turbo Cayenne Turbo S Cayman S Turbo S Diesel Panamera Panamera Diesel Panamera 4 Panamera GTS Panamera Turbo

3.4 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.4 3.0 4.8 3.0 4.1 3.0 4.8 3.6 4.8 4.8 3.4 3.6 3.0 3.6 3.0 3.6 4.8 4.8

P P P P P P P P P P P P P P D P D D P P P P P P D D P D P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 10.80 15.80 NA NA NA NA NA

1.29 (Cr.) 1.51 (Cr.) 1.42 (Cr.) 1.61 (Cr.) 1.47 (Cr.) 1.68 (Cr.) 1.57 (Cr.) 1.78 (Cr.) 2.14 (Cr.) 2.20 (Cr.) 2.67 (Cr.) 1.59 (Cr.) 1.78(Cr.) 92.02 79.06 99.92 86.50 1.02 (Cr.) 91.05 1.16 (Cr.) 71.17 1.60 (Cr.) 2.09 (Cr.) 94.51 1.09 (Cr.) 98.18 1.20 (Cr.) 1.23 (Cr.) 1.22 (Cr.) 1.61 (Cr.) 2 (Cr.)

GX GLX DX LX CRDi

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

P P D D D

15 15 13 13 20

4.71 5.16 5.64 6.10 6.70

RXE RXL 85 PS RXE 85 PS RXE Adventure 85 PS RXL 85 PS RXL Plus 85 PS RXL Option 110 PS RXL 110 PS RXL Adventure 110 PS RXL AWD 110 PS RXZ 110 PS RXZ AWD 110 PS RXZ Plus 110 PS RXZ Option E2 E4 4x2 MT 4X4 MT 4X4 AT RXE RXL RXZ RXL

1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5

P P D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P D

13.24 13.24 20.64 20.64 20.64 20.64 20.64 19.01 19.01 19.72 19.01 19.72 19.01 19.01 20.04 20.04 17.15 16.26 14.56 18.06 18.06 18.06 23.08

7.86 9.12 8.70 9.26 9.69 9.99 10.93 10.80 11.91 11.89 11.39 12.99 11.86 11.91 13.99 15.49 22 25 26 4.46 5.19 5.77 6.16

MODEL

Boxter

Cayenne

Cayman Macan

Panamera

PREMIER

Rio

RENAULT

Duster

Fluence Koleos

Pulse

52 I February 2015

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

Pulse

Scala

RXL ABS RXZ RXE RXL RXL CVT RXZ CVT RXE RXL RXZ

1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

D D P P P P D D D

23.08 23.08 16.95 16.95 17.97 17.97 21.64 21.64 21.64

6.99 6.99 7.24 8.02 9.70 10.61 8.35 8.86 9.75

Ghost SWB Ghost EWB Ghost V-Specification Phantom Phantom EWB Drophead Coupe Coupe Wraith

6.6 6.6 6.6 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.6

P P P P P P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

2.50 (Cr.) 3.05 (Cr.) NA 3.34 (Cr.) NA 4.01 (Cr.) 4 (Cr.) NA

Active Plus MPI Ambition Plus MPI Elegance MPI Elegance MPI Active Plus TDI CR Ambition Plus TDI CR Elegance TDI Active TSI Ambition TSI Elegance TSI AT Active TDI CR Ambition TDI CR Ambition TDI CR AT Elegance TDI CR AT Active MPI Ambition MPI Plus Elegance MPI Elegance MPI Black Package Ambition MPI AT Plus Elegance MPI AT Elegance MPI Black Package AT Active TDI CR Ambition TDI CR Plus Elegance TDI CR Elegance TDI CR Black Package Ambition TDI CR Plus AT Elegance TDI CR AT Elegance TDI CR Black Package AT Elegance TSI MT Elegance TSI AT Elegance TDI CR AT Elegance TDI CR 4x2 Elegance TDI CR 4x4

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6

P P P P D D D P P P D D D D P P P P P P

16.4 16.4 16.4 14.8 21 21 21 16.80 16.80 14.70 20.60 20.60 19.30 19.30 15 15 15 15 14.30 14.30

5.03 5.43 6.29 6.60 6.24 6.65 7.51 14.68 15.68 18.98 16.31 17.31 18.31 20.21 7.22 8.32 8.72 8.85 9.30 9.68

ROLLS-ROYCE Ghost

Phantom Series II Wraith SKODA

Fabia

Octavia

PORSCHE

911

VARIANTS

Rapid

Superb Yeti

1.6

P

14.30

9.81

1.5 1.5 1.5

D D D

21.66 21.66 21.66

8.39 9.40 9.74

1.5

D

21.66

9.87

1.5 1.5

D D

21.66 21.66

10.50 10.84

1.5

D

21.66

10.97

1.8 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0

P P D D D

13.10 13.70 17.20 17.72 17.67

20.91 22.48 25.39 18.99 20.53

2.2 2.2 2.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6

D D D P P P P D D D D D D P/CNG P/CNG P P D D D P/CNG P/CNG P P P P P D D D D D P P P P

15.05 15.05 15.05 17.57 17.57 17.57 17.57 22.95 22.95 22.95 22.95 25 25 NA NA 15.64 15.64 25 25 25 NA NA 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 21.02 21.02 21.02 21.02 21.02 25.34 25.34 25.34 25.34

10.42 12.56 15.43 4.45 5.16 5.40 6.06 5.50 6.11 6.35 6.99 4.44 4.85 3.90 4.16 4.93 5.21 5.38 5.57 5.95 4.88 5.15 5.97 6.20 6.61 7.59 7.61 6.16 6.93 7.59 8.58 8.51 2.04 2.30 2.06 2.43

TATA Aria

Bolt

Indica

Indigo eCS

Manza

Nano

Pure LX 4x2 BS IV Pleasure LX 4x2 BS IV Pride 4x4 BS IV XE Revotron 90PS XM Revotron 90PS XMS Revotron 90PS XT Revotron 90PS XE Quadrajet 75PS XM Quadrajet 75PS XMS Quadrajet 75PS XT Quadrajet 75PS ev2 LS BS IV ev2 LX BS IV emax GLS BS IV emax GLX BS IV GLX BS IV GVX BS IV LS LX VX emax GLS emax GLX Safire GLS Safire GLX Safire GVX Safire GEX Safire GEXL Quadrajet LS Quadrajet LX Quadrajet VX Quadrajet EX Quadrajet EXL Nano CX Nano LX Nano Twist XE Nano Twist XT

CARS/TWO WHEELERS * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

Nano Safari Safari Safari Storme

Sumo Gold

Vista Xenon XT

Zest

Nano XM CNG Dicor EX BS 4 Dicor LX BS 4 Storme EX BS 4 Storme VX BS 4 (4x2 / 4x4) Storme LX BS 4 CX BS 4 CX - PS BS 4 LX BS 4 EX BS 4 GX BS 4 Quadrajet LS BS 4 Quadrajet VX Tech BS 4 XT EX 4x2 XT EX 4x4 XE Revotron 90PS XM Revotron 90PS XMS Revotron 90PS XT Revotron 90PS XE Quadrajet 75PS XM Quadrajet 90PS XMS Quadrajet 90PS XT Quadrajet 90PS XMA Quadrajet 90PS

0.6 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 1.3 1.3 2.2 2.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3

P/CNG D D D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P P D D D D D

NA 11.57 11.57 14 14 14 15.30 15.30 15.30 15.30 15.30 16.70 21.12 13.49 13.49 17.57 17.57 17.57 17.57 22.95 22.95 22.95 22.95 22.95

2.52 10.20 8.90 11.60 13.02 / 14.35 10.41 6.56 6.74 6.83 7.28 7.93 5.28 5.97 9.96 10.99 4.85 5.48 5.69 6.27 5.87 6.54 6.75 7.31 7.25

A/T Hybrid JS G G (CVT) GL VL A/T D4-DJ D4-DJS D4-DG D4-DGL J PS G V VX D-4D JD D-4D GD D-4D VD D-4D VXD J PS G V VX TRD Sportivo D-4D JD D-4D GD D-4D VD D-4D VXD D-4D TRD Sportivo Cross G Cross V D-4D GD D-4D VD 4x2 M/T 4x4 M/T 4x2 A/T 4x4 A/T 4x2 M/T (TRD Sportivo) 4x2 A/T (TRD Sportivo) E Euro IV Non AC 8 Seater E Euro IV Non AC 7 Seater E Euro IV PS 8 Seater E Euro IV PS 7 Seater G Euro IV 8 Seater G Euro IV 7 Seater GX Euro IV 8 Seater GX Euro IV 7 Seater VX Euro IV 8 Seater VX Euro IV 7 Seater ZX Euro IV 7 Seater

2.5 2.5 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

P P P P P P P D D D D P P P P D D D D P P P P P D D D D D P P D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

12.98 19.16 14.05 14.05 15.22 14.05 15.22 21.45 21.45 21.45 21.45 16.78 16.78 16.78 16.78 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 17.71 17.71 17.71 17.71 16.78 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 17.71 16.78 23.59 23.59 12.55 12.55 11.88 NA NA NA 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31

26.62 31.20 13.06 14.58 15.88 16.22 17.73 13.93 14.50 15.90 17.54 6.03 6.33 6.73 7.35 7.13 7.43 7.83 8.45 5 5.17 5.67 6.18 6.83 6.18 6.36 6.70 7.21 7.19 6.23 7.63 7.41 7.71 24.27 25.59 25.27 26.59 24.44 25.44 10.51 10.55 11.04 11.08 12.58 12.53 13.15 13.10 15.16 15.12 15.81

VX 200 Premium

4.5

D

9.65

1.19 (Cr.)

Parado VX-L

3.0

D

11.13

88.80

Z5 Z6

1.8 1.8

P P

23.91 23.91

38.10 39.80

TSI Trendline TSI Comfortline TDI Trendline TDI Comfortline TDI Highline TDI Highline A/T Trendline Comfortline Highline Trendline (Diesel)

1.4 1.4 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5

P P D D D D P P P D

14.69 14.69 19.33 19.33 19.33 16.96 16.47 16.47 16.47 20.14

13.70 15.17 15.03 16.51 18.58 19.44 5.33 5.95 6.47 6.68

TOYOTA Camry

Corolla Altis

Etios

Etios Liva

Etios Cross

Fortuner

Innova

Land Cruiser LC 200 Land Cruiser Parado Prius VOLKSWAGEN

Jetta

Polo

MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

FUEL*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakh/Crore

Polo

Vento

Comfortline (Diesel) Highline (Diesel) GT TSI GT TDI Cross Polo Comfortline AT Highline AT Trendline Comfortline Highline Trendline Comfortline Highline Comfortline AT Highline AT

1.5 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

D D P D D P P P P P D D D D D

20.14 20.14 17.21 19.78 22.07 16.93 16.93 15.04 15.04 15.04 20.34 20.34 20.34 21.21 21.21

7.30 7.82 8.48 8.48 8.37 9.85 10.45 7.77 8.57 9.26 9.03 9.85 10.42 11.05 11.53

D4 Kinetic D4 Summum D4 Summum R-Design D5 Summum D4 Summum D5 Summum D3 Cross Country D4 Kinetic D4 Summum D4 Summum R-Design D5 Summum D5 Summum

2.0 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.4

D D D D D D D D D D D D

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

32.65 35.70 40.55 38.70 42.90 46.90 32.50 42.70 45.95 51.90 49.90 56

VOLVO S60

S80 V40 XC 60 XC 90

TWO WHEELER PRICES MODEL

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

99.27 102 94.38 102 124.6 124.6 144.8 144.8 144.8 134.66 149 178.6 199.5 220 219.89

90 96.90 91 84 76 76 NA NA NA 68.10 65 58.10 58 54.20 49.80

0.39 0.44 0.46 0.48 0.51 0.53 0.54 0.57 0.60 0.63 0.70 0.73 0.91 0.86 0.81

1170 1170 1170 1170 1293 1293 999 1170 1649 1649 1649

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

24.13 (Lakh) 29.73 (Lakh) 29.73 (Lakh) 25.96 (Lakh) 27.25 (Lakh) 29.41 (Lakh) 29.41 (Lakh) NA 34.35 (Lakh) 37.04 (Lakh) 44.79 (Lakh)

803 803 1078 1078 803 1078 1078 992 1198 1198 1198 1198 1055 1055 1198 1198 849 1198 1198

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

749 883 883 1202 1247

NA 21.70 21.70 NA 15.80

4.32 (Lakh) 6.31 (Lakh) 7.21 (Lakh) 8.81 (Lakh) 21.87 (Lakh)

* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs

BAJAJ AUTO Platina 100 Platina 100 ES Discover 100 Discover 100 M Discover 125 DTS-i (Drum) Discover 125 DTS-i (Disc) Discover 150 S (Drum) Discover 150 S (Disc) Discover 150 F Pulsar 135LS Pulsar 150 DTS-i Pulsar 180 DTS-i Pulsar 200 NS Pulsar 220 Avenger 220 DTS-i BMW MOTORRAD R 1200 R R 1200 GS ADV 0A02 R 1200 RT R 1200 X (RnineT) 0A06 K 1300 R K 1300 S S 1000 RR HP2 Sport K 1600 GT K 1600 GTL K 1600 GTL Exclusive 0603 DUCATI Monster 795 Monster 796 Monster 1100 Monster 1100 S Hypermotard 796 Hypermotard 1100 Evo Hypermotard 1100 Evo SP GT 1000 Multistrada 1200 Multistrada 1200 ABS Multistrada 1200 S Multistrada 1200 T Streetfighter Streetfighter S Diavel Diavel Carbon 848 1198 1198 S HARLEY DAVIDSON Street 750 Super Low Iron 883 Forty - Eight Night Rod Special

February 2015 I 53

TWO WHEELERS * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs

Street Bob Fat Bob Fat Boy Heritage Softail Classic BreakOut Street Glide CVO Limited HERO MOTOCORP Pleasure Maestro HF Dawn HF Deluxe HF Deluxe Eco Splendor+ Splendor NXG Splendor PRO Splendor ISMART Super Splendor Passion Pro Passion XPro Glamour Glamour PGM - FI Ignitor Achiever CBZ Xtreme Hunk Impulse Karizma Karizma ZMR HONDA Dio DLX Activa DLX Activa i Activa 3G Activa 125 Aviator CB Twister Dream Neo Dream Yuga CB Shine CBF Stunner CB Unicorn CB Unicorn 160 CB Trigger CBR 150R CBR 250R CB 1000R CB 1000RR VFR 1200F VT 1300 CX Gold Wing- GL 1800 HYOUSUNG GT 250R Aquila 250 GT 650R GT 650N Aquila PRO ST7 INDIAN MOTORCYCLE Chief Classic Chief Vintage Chieftain Scout Roadmaster KAWASAKI Ninja 300 Ninja 650 R Ninja ZX 10R Ninja ZX 14R Ninja 1000 Ninja Z800 Ninja Z1000 ER-6n Z250 KTM KTM 200 Duke KTM 390 Duke KTM RC 200 KTM RC 390 LML NV SPL NV LS STAR EURO 150 STAR EURO 200 MAHINDRA 2 WHEELERS Kine Flyte Duro DZ Rodeo RZ Rodeo UZO Gusto Pantero

54 I February 2015

MODEL

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

106.7 110

85.40 85.40

0.48 0.45

125 125 125 125

62 60 NA NA

0.67 0.71 0.75 0.79

346 499 346 346 500 346 499 499 499 535

53.40 NA 53.40 NA NA 53.40 53.40 39.35 39.35 NA

0.98 1.42 (Lakh) 1.10 (Lakh) 1.28 (Lakh) 1.63 (Lakh) 1.18 (Lakh) 1.51 (Lakh) 1.53 (Lakh) 1.60 (Lakh) 1.84 (Lakh)

124 112.8 124 112.8 124 149.5 154.9 250 1255 805 1783 1783 1340 999 1037

50.22 63 51 72 68.50 55.70 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

0.49 0.43 0.48 0.45 0.51 0.69 0.72 2.09 (Lakh) 10.75 (Lakh) 10.05 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 16.45 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 14.95 (Lakh)

865 865 865 675 1050 675 675 800 1215 1699 1699 2294

18.12 18.13 NA NA NA 16.37 16.37 17.56 15.93 NA NA NA

5.99 (Lakh) 6.97 (Lakh) 7.18 (Lakh) 7.91 (Lakh) 11.06 (Lakh) 10.69 (Lakh) 12.14 (Lakh) 12.34 (Lakh) 18.75 (Lakh) 13.95 (Lakh) 16.19 (Lakh) 21.29 (Lakh)

87.8 87.8 109.7 109.7 99.7 109.7 109.7 125 159.7 177.4

65 65 62 62 87.70 83.90 62 67 NA NA

0.42 0.44 0.47 0.42 0.40 0.42 0.44 0.50 0.69 0.73

113 113 113 106 106 123 123 153 153 150 150 153 153 153 149 998 998 1498 1679

NA 53 53 75.74 70.03 71.50 NA NA NA NA NA 62.40 NA 50.81 NA NA NA NA NA

0.48 0.46 0.48 0.38 0.45 0.51 0.55 0.71 0.73 0.77 0.79 0.61 0.58 0.78 0.84 10.72 (Lakh) 15.60 (Lakh) 1.17 (Lakh) 25.65 (Lakh)

* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs

1585 1690 1690 1690 1690 1690 1801

18.18 17.85 17.85 17.85 13.86 17.85 NA

10.36 (Lakh) 13.02 (Lakh) 15.07 (Lakh) 16.44 (Lakh) 16.29 (Lakh) 29.71 (Lakh) 49.23 (Lakh)

102 109 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 124.7 97.2 109.1 124.7 124.8 124.7 149.1 149.2 149.2 149.2 223 223

49 50 80 80 80 81 81 81 NA 83.10 79 60 81.10 NA 52.40 68 65.10 65.10 55 48.50 51

0.43 0.51 0.38 0.40 0.44 0.43 0.43 0.44 0.47 0.51 0.45 0.47 0.53 0.59 0.57 0.58 0.66 0.66 0.69 0.78 0.97

109 109 109.2 110 124.9 109 109 109 109 124.7 124.7 149.1 162.71 149.1 149.4 249 998 999 1237 1312 1832

60 60 60 60 NA 60 70 74 74 65 NA NA NA NA NA 30 NA NA NA NA NA

0.45 0.46 0.44 0.48 0.53 0.47 0.48 0.42 0.44 0.47 0.56 0.63 0.69 0.66 1.17 (Lakh) 1.52 (Lakh) 11.81 (Lakh) 15.21 (Lakh) 17.63 (Lakh) 13.99 (Lakh) 28.50 (Lakh)

249 249 647 647 647 678.2

NA NA NA NA NA NA

2.89 (Lakh) 2.74 (Lakh) 4.63 (Lakh) 3.73 (Lakh) 5.08 (Lakh) 5.79 (Lakh)

1811 1811 1811 1131 1811

NA NA NA NA NA

25.50 (Lakh) 28.50 (Lakh) 32 (Lakh) 12 (Lakh) 37 (Lakh)

296 649 998 1441 1043 806 1043 649 249

26 33 14 18 15 18 15 NA NA

3.60 (Lakh) 5.14 (Lakh) 16.40 (Lakh) 17.66 (Lakh) 12.87 (Lakh) 8.13 (Lakh) 12.87 (Lakh) 4.78 (Lakh) 2.99 (Lakh)

200 373 200 373

NA NA NA NA

1.31 (Lakh) 1.81 (Lakh) 1.60 (Lakh) 2.05 (Lakh)

149.56 147.55 150.82 199.89

NA NA NA NA

0.40 0.45 0.47 0.53

71.5 124.6 124.6 124.6 125 110 106.7

63.25 40 56.25 59.38 59 63 79.40

0.34 0.41 0.49 0.47 0.48 0.45 0.39

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COVER REPORT

VARROC GROUP

Smart initiatives, Giant steps Report: P. Tharyan, Photography: Mohd. Nasir February 2015 I 55

COVER REPORT

N

ot many in the Indian auto components industry may have realised, but Aurangabad (Maharashtra)based 8,000 crore Varroc Group headed by Tarang Jain has done something what Tata Motors did with Jaguar Land Rover. It bought a company much bigger in size, took a very calculated risk and is today reaping the benefits of this acquisition. But Jain is not resting on his laurels; he is hungry for more and has set a target for his group, to reach a turnover of 20,000 crore by 2020. In short, it means he has to achieve additional sales of roughly about 12,000 crore in the next five to six years.

“We have to look at inorganic growth always. This 20000 crore is not going to be possible organically so we are going to be looking at inorganic growth. We are going to look at opportunities in India and abroad, we are definitely going to look at it for us to achieve the target in 2020.

Without inorganic growth in my opinion it would be difficult to achieve this target,” says Tarang Jain, Managing Director of Varroc Group in an exclusive interview with Motown India at his group headquarters in Aurangabad.

The company that employs more than 10,500 people has 32 manufacturing plants of which 23 are in India and the rest spread across various countries including Mexico, China, US and Italy. The company has nine engineering centres worldwide with five of them in India. In India, Varroc is the largest supplier in the two wheeler industry riding on its diversified product portfolio. Customers include Honda, Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj, Mahindra, Royal Enfield and Suzuki in the two wheelers space. In the four-wheeler segment it has Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Volkswagen, General Motors and Fiat as major customers in India.

56 I February 2015

VECV and Daimler are the recent additions. The company has won lighting and interior plastics business from VECV and interior plastics from Daimler. Abroad the company focuses only on lighting for passenger car segments, where it has won programmes with Chrysler and JLR. The group is now 25 years old and Jain feels that luck as well as great focus on the business have helped him achieve success in these years. Looking back, Varroc, when it started operations, had a turnover of 1 crore in 1990 that jumped to 100 crore ten years later in the year 2000. But from 2000 to 2014, it grew to become a 8,000 crore company. “It feels very good to have turned 25 and it gives one a sense of achievement.

We have been able to reach this stage and this size, which we could not have imagined. Luck has also played its part but we have been very focused on the basics, whether it is basic execution for customers, financial discipline, etc. Those things have not been compromised. We have focused and understood individual and customer needs right from day one. The growth has happened through the inorganic route but it is still a part of Varroc. Whether it is organic or inorganic, we have got an opportunity to take opportunities. We have made full use of the opportunities we got.

Somewhere we have failed also and we have learned from those mistakes. Not every acquisition worked out for us. We have tried some other acquisitions before but we failed. There were always lessons to be learned. Today almost 62 pc of our manufacturing business is abroad and only 38 pc is in India. This is our 25th year already which we end on

20th of March. March 21, 1990 was when we did our first sale.

So this is actually our 25th year in progress,” says a delighted Jain.

VARROC GROUP, A DIVERSIFIED ENTITY The Varroc Group is currently into several businesses ranging from polymers, electricals & electronics, metallic and lighting.

The group business is broadly divided into Varroc Polymers and Varroc Engineering. Varroc Polymers has 11 manufacturing units, all based in India. In the area of electricals and electronics, it has five manufacturing plants. In metallic, it has eight manufacturing units of which six are based in India and two are based in Italy.

Varroc Lighting systems (acquired from Visteon) has one domestic manufacturing unit and six international manufacturing units based in Mexico (1), China (2), Czech Republic (2) and the US (1). The Tri.O.M. 2 wheeler lighting business has four manufacturing plants, one in Pune and one each in Italy, Romania and Vietnam.

The Visteon acquisition resulted in Varroc catering to global companies like Ford, JLR, PSA Peugeot Citroen, GM, Chrysler and Volkswagen. Roughly 58pc of Varroc business

comes from passenger car lighting, 19pc from Polymer, 12pc from Electrical and 11pc from Metallic. Approximately 62 pc of the group’s total business comes from international operations and the rest from India.

The group has three technical collaborators—Mitsuba and Umicore (in electrical) and Scorpion Automotive (the latest technical partner from the UK for vehicle securities). The group has also a joint venture with Scarpa & Colombo for valves. Successful acquisitions include that of Visteon global lighting business, IMES and Triom.

This year the group companies put together will be doing about 8,000 crore in terms of sales.

Out of that amount, 5,000 crore would be from operations abroad and out of this, 4500 crore will be solely from the erstwhile Visteon entity the company bought--Varroc lighting systems. “It is a global company (Visteon lighting) with plants in Mexico, Czech Republic, China and India. The other 500 crore is from our two entities in Italy. One is called Triom (The two wheeler lighting business).

We bought it

COVER REPORT more for technological purposes.

Triom has plants in Turin (Italy), Romania and Vietnam. Our larger interest when we bought it was the fact that it was a very sound company in terms of two-wheeler lighting and also that it had a plant in Vietnam. The other plant, IMES, was the first acquisition we did in Italy. It was the first acquisition we did outside India. IMES runs large forgings for Caterpillar and the oil & gas business. It is in a way the only entity which is non-auto for us. So these two entities in Italy are 500 crore, 4500 crore is the Varroc lighting systems and 3000 crore is from India,� explains Jain.

IMES was acquired by Varroc in January 2007.

The polymer business entails manufacturing of air filters, rear view mirrors, seat assembly, painted fairing and seat cowl, HVAC components, rear quarter trims and door trims. The electrical business consists of making digital instrument cluster, regulator rectifier, starter motors,

It feels very good to have turned 25 and it gives one a sense of achievement. We have been able to reach this stage and this size, which we could not have imagined.

The Varroc Group Head office in Aurangabad February 2015 I 57

COVER REPORT handlebar assemblies, catalytic convertors and flywheel magnetos. The metallic business comprises engine valves, 2 wheeler transmissions, hydraulic components and forged and machined components.

Products include crank shafts, transmission assembly, crank pins, cam shafts and links and rollers. In the lighting business, the company makes a range of lamps for both four-wheelers as well as two-wheelers.

Varroc group also has a small share of business coming from the aftermarket, Jain notes. In India out of Rs. 3000 crore sales, 2 pc is from the aftermarket division. “That is an interesting business for us. The organised aftermarket sector is a tough market.

There is an unorganised sector as well but we don’t play in that. In the organised sector it is not that big and the kind of products we produce has some limitations in terms of growth. At the moment it is at 2 pc of the India sales but it is an interesting business for us. By 2020 when we reach a certain sales size in India which could be around Rs. 10,000 crore plus then the aftermarket should be around Rs 300 crore.

It will still remain a smaller percentage even though it will grow. As you can see we are largely in the B2B business. We are supplying to various OEMs in India and the world,” says Jain. Primary aftermarket products of the company include 2W electrical and electronics, engine valves, and exterior lighting

VISTEON LIGHTING, THE BIG BITE Explaining the reasons for looking at businesses out of India, Jain says that since 1994-95 all auto companies saw a growth till 2008 when things started slowing down. “Around 2005 we got the sense that growth was slowing down, that is the reason we went outside India to maintain our growth and to de-risk from India. We went and bought IMES. Largely in India, 90 pc of our business was in the two wheeler space. I had the vision to be a global player in the auto components sector. In the two-wheeler space and the four-wheeler space it is very difficult to be a global player by growing only organically. The only way was through an acquisition. So right from 2007-08 we were looking at a couple of companies, mostly in the electrical field for a buyout. We looked at global companies and then we got the chance in 2011, where we got a call from a financial advisor who asked us whether were interested in a global lighting entity. Then I went through the details and the size was right for us. They were bigger than us at that point of time. I was always wary of the price. It was a bidding process where they contacted another 30-40 people globally or maybe more. At that point of time I was quite excited but at the same time I wondered whether we can really afford it. We have always been very financially disciplined. So I would not over leverage and buy anything. So what we did was that we gave a very fair offer. I felt we would not get into the second round of bidding with that offer.

Fortunately for us, we got into the second round and

58 I February 2015

The making of an engine valve

COVER REPORT the reason I feel we went to the second round was that we were a strategic player. We were one of the only auto component players who they felt would be a good fit for the existing management of the lighting business globally.

That is the reason I feel we got into the second round. Once we were in the second round then I became very serious,” recalls Jain.

Then there was no looking back for Tarang Jain. He began firing from all cylinders. He took a bit of risk too in terms of money. He was determined to go all out to win.

Jain roped in global advisors PwC and Bain Consulting for his legal, accounting and business diligence. He also got in someone from the environment side so as to avoid being saddled with environmental issues at a later stage. Further, Citibank USA was roped in as advisors for valuation and for helping the company bid correctly. “These were expensive. I would have probably been down 2-3 million US dollars had we not succeeded. That is the cost you pay for betting if it does not work out. I just said lets go all out. Let me do my best. I wanted to be a global player and that was my ambition. This was a good opportunity as it was a very good product group. Lighting is the jewelry of a car. This entity of Visteon was number 6 globally with a 6-7 pc market share. They were a global player with the right level of technology and they had a very good global customer base which could help us even with our Indian side of the business. It was something very exciting for us.

I said lets go all out, what is the harm? If you want to do well you have to take some risks. So we went all out and luckily we won the bid. In the sense that we visited every plant, we created a positive impression as we brought in all these advisors who were also marquee names and they felt that we were very serious. We increased our bid as well, so our bid was also much more interesting for them and they saw our seriousness in the whole exercise. Eventually we won the bid and acquired the company. There were quite a few companies involved in the bid,” Jain recalls gleefully. Eventually, by February end 2012, Varroc signed that binding MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Visteon.The rest, as they say, is history.

The mega acquisition of Visteon Lighting gave Varroc a global level of technology, access to global customers and also global talent. “Today the kind of leadership which exists in this entity is also in a way, superior to what we have in India. India is a much younger country. It is an emerging market while USA and European countries are obviously more mature than what we are. There are a lot of things we learned which would help our Indian side of the business. Global talent, global customer bases, global technology and also relatively low cost operations like the Mexican plant which is servicing the North American business. There were no plants in USA and Canada where the wages are higher. They were in Mexico which is a relatively low cost option. There were three plants in the Czech Republic which was servicing the whole of Europe.

Germany, France and Russia were all being serviced out of the three facilities in the Czech Republic. China anyway is low cost. The manufacturing footprint was also very exciting. Everything was exciting and we were lucky to get through,” says Jain in all humility.

February 2015 I 59

COVER REPORT Early 2015, Varroc entered into a technical collaboration with Scoprion Automotive Pvt Ltd of the UK which is a leader in vehicle security. “At the moment it is for the two wheeler space, but they also do four wheelers.

We need to go into more advanced products going forward and we need to go in for these kinds of tie ups. They (Scorpion) talked to other players as well but they found us to be the right partner. These kinds of electronics in two wheelers through security systems are something of the future. In India, as you know, two wheelers are the biggest form of mobility.

This is an industry which will not de-grow. That is why Varroc in India is largely present more in the two wheeler space. Globally it is the passenger car segment but in India we are 90 pc in the two wheeler space. There are a lot of prospective customers. There is Bajaj, Honda, Hero MotoCorp, etc. we have approached a couple of people already and they find it very interesting,” informs Jain about the scope of his new business with Scorpion.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, A MAJOR THRUST AREA R&D is an important thrust area for Varroc.

The company has increased spending in

Crankshafts ready for dispatch

60 I February 2015

R&D to fund advanced engineering that will develop next generation products such as laser lighting, matrix LED headlamps, lightweight engine valves and powertrain components, smart electrical systems, LED headlamps for 2 wheelers, fuel efficient powertrain systems, robust security systems besides others.

“In our global business we are very well equipped in terms of R&D. When it comes to the lighting systems and exterior lighting for cars, almost 6 pc of our sales goes into R&D. We are very much there. We have got every level of technology when it comes to lighting like LED, Xenon, etc. What even the bigger players have is with us and we keep on working more on high level of technology and at the same time we are working on what is more important for customers like affordable technology. So the whole focus is how to give these technologies at an affordable cost even to companies like Daimler. Daimler may be a premium OEM but even they want more affordable solutions. So our objective is come out with more affordable products for the customers and is closely aligned to the customer needs and their individual needs and develop products at their requirement and this has to be affordable.

“In India if you have to see historically, the country has never really invested in technology, they have always relied on the easy way out like technical collaborations, agreements, JVs, etc. They never really invested in R&D. They have enjoyed the profitability over the years.

Till 2007-08 I would say, we were also in the same boat. We realised we need to invest in technology. But if you ask me how much is the investment in technology it would not be more than 1 pc. Before it was less but today it will be around 1-1.5 pc. We will probably be increasing these numbers with all these tie ups that we are doing and we are going for more advanced R&D projects now for the future of our products. Everything will not be done in house. Also, the increased demand for electronics and light weighting will drive more systems engineering capabilities in Tier 1 suppliers,” says Jain.

Speaking on technology Jain points out that the company’s metallic division, which makes engine and transmission components has a lot of scope for light weighting (hollow parts for example – the company is already developing hollow engine valves). The Electrical division is developing systems (security, powertrain etc.) by integrating wireless communication, sensing

COVER REPORT and computing technologies. “The biggest challenge is that this industry is not prepared for the technology wave and those who invest in this area will stand to benefit. Unfortunately very few Indian suppliers have invested in creating technology capabilities in the last two decades.

It is still not too late and collaborative R&D can forge the way forward as we are doing,” he notes.

THE MEGA TARGET On his group’s targeted sales of 20,000 crore by 2020, Jain reveals, “You see that growth is huge. We are betting big on India because we are hoping that with this new government in place there will be right policies and right reforms taking place. We also hope there will be investment in infrastructure which will drive GDP growth and also drive the automotive market. So if we are close to 20,000 crore we will be happy and would have done a fantastic job to achieve that. Each of our divisions has a strategy and they know which customers to focus in India or abroad.”

Knowing Tarang Jain’s capacity to take risks, his financial discipline and his foresight, it’s only correct to assume that he will be meet his 2020 target with considerable ease!

A robot at work in an engine

valve facility

February 2015 I 61

COVER REPORT

Theft proofing vehicles in India: Varroc-Scorpion JV

LEFT: Ravi Damodaran, President, Technology & Strategy, Varroc Group shaking hands with Mark Downing, MD, Scorpion Automotive Pvt. Ltd. as Kumar Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner, Western India & Director General, India for UK Trade & Investment(UKTI) looks on.

RIGHT: (L-R) Ravi Damodaran, Kumar Iyer, Mark Downing and Ravinder Sharma, Vice President, Varroc Engineering Pvt. Ltd. Report & Photography: Rahul Kapoor

W

ith vehicle theft crime rates on the rise and growing rapidly in India, Varroc Engineering and Scorpion Automotive have joined hands to prevent and make life difficult for criminals in the country and life easier for consumers.

Varroc, one of India’s leading auto component manufacturers in India, has now officially collaborated with the UK based company Scorpion Automotive Pvt. Ltd., a very well trusted brand in vehicular securities. Both companies will come together to provide security based products and marketing solutions to the automotive industry especially for the two wheeler segment.

The MOU was signed by Ravi Damodaran, President, Technology & Strategy, Varroc Group and Mark Downing, MD, Scorpion Automotive Pvt. Ltd. in the presence of Ravinder Sharma, vice president, Varroc Engineering Pvt. Ltd. and Kumar Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner, Western India & Director General, India for UK

Trade & Investment(UKTI). UKTI, the UK government arm, played a big role in bringing both companies together by working with Scorpion Automotive UK for three years by advising on strategy for market entry into India and assisting and identifying a suitable partner as a part of the Great Collaborations policy of the Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom which was proposed to go hand in hand with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign of “Make in India”. The technology license agreement between the two companies allows exclusive design, manufacture and sell to two-wheeler and four-wheeler OEM’s in India. The collaboration also provides the exclusive rights to Varroc Engineering to manufacture the licensed products for the global markets that Varroc has its presence in.

Mark Downing in a presentation demonstrated some of the products that Varroc is licensed to produce on the security portfolio like Throttle Locks, Alarm/ Immobiliser and Scorpion Track

(a telemetric device that tracks the vehicle which can be used for security and fleet management/ logistics requirements). Also another added feature for twowheeler and possibly threewheelers in India is for example the Heated Grips for cold climate conditions. Varroc is additionally licensed to produce a Smart Charger which helps for better and longer battery life of vehicles and monitoring health of batteries.

Downing stated that all these products were redesigned for India to reduce cost by eliminating unnecessary features keeping the needs of the Indian consumers in mind as their UK products are ”High Value and Low Volume products”. For exports from India, the targets are set for South East Asia, Africa and both North and South America.

Damodaran said “The need for security systems has not been appropriately addressed in this market for a long time; and Varroc and Scorpion intend to address this gap with these pioneering products… Scorpion Automotive’s

technologically advanced products would complement Varroc’s best cost manufacturing, enabling us to offer robust designs and high quality to our customers. I am confident that this partnership will bring tremendous value to all customers.”

Mark Downing stated that “Varroc is technically and operationally well equipped to manufacture the products licensed through Scorpion Auto. The company has a very strong hold in the auto market and we are pleased to be working with them as partners. The collaboration will be mutually beneficial and will contribute the overall growth of the auto sector. Damodaran stated that all these products will be manufactured at the companies Chakan facility near Pune under the leadership of Ravinder Sharma under the Varroc Electronics brand.

The company will commence production of products by the next fiscal of 2016-17 as the planning for 2015-16 has already been completed. The focus of sales will initially be primarily be on OEMs.

The need for security systems has not been appropriately addressed in this market for a long time, says Ravi Damodaran 62 I February 2015

COVER REPORT

Interview with Mark Downing Managing Director, Scorpion Automotive Ltd.

Can you briefly tell us the history about Scorpion Group and Scorpion Automotive?

Scorpion as a brand goes back to the ‘70s. Originally it specialised in technology for remote central locking, ultrasonic intrusion detection and immobilisation.

Obviously now the market has changed. A lot of vehicles now have started to come with what we call “Category 2” immobilisation already fitted. A lot of vehicles don’t have an alarm.

But they may have some form of immobilisation. A lot of people think that if you press a button that can lock and unlock your car it has an alarm fitted but it hasn’t.

So as the market changes we now concentrate on ‘upgrade alarm’ so if people want to upgrade their security on their vehicle from just immobilisation to full perimeter and interior protection, then we have products that can be used to do that.

The big development in the market has been GPS Tracking, that’s the other important area that I have steered the company down the path around 8 years ago. I made the decision to develop our own tracking system.

Now we own all the intellectual property, we own the designs, the software, the websites, so we are completely free to do whatever we want. We can now enter into any deal or agreement, or anything we like, because we own the whole thing. I’m proud to say that today our tracking system is rapidly becoming recognised as a market leader.

Tell me more about Scorpion, Sigma, Toad, Sterling, Data tool, Scorpion track, fleet and bespoke. What sets these apart from the rest of the pack? And what are the products that you will bring into India?

The reason we have all those

brands is because of the various acquisitions we have made. What I believe is that all those brands give a confused message so we are just getting behind the Scorpion brand now which is the most well-known brand. But they all have their own little market sector. Data tool for example, is known in the UK as very strong motorcycle brand. But outside of the UK it isn’t well known. There we sell it under Scorpion brand name. Sigma has been recognised as a high-end quality alarm system that is a product we currently supply to Toyota and Subaru.

Toad on the other hand is kind of the ‘Boy Racer’ for the young guy who wants to customise his car. So that is the alarm system traditionally sold into that market.

Now we have other brands and products coming in like Scorpion Track under Scorpion Automotive.

We are now getting behind it and pushing the Scorpion brand.

Basically we are looking at [for India] immobilisation, alarms for the Two Wheeler and Vehicle Tracking so they are the main ones. But Varroc is also strong in the area of LED lighting. Scorpion also has a lot of expertise in LED and LED technology. We are also strong on ‘bulb failure monitoring’ that warns the drivers if a bulb of a lamp has failed, with an alert.

We have worked before with other lighting companies like Hella and Veco on bulb failure monitoring.

We are currently doing some work for Daimler and Volvo. We have got some good strong electronics design capabilities in LED and Varroc has great technical expertise in optics and the manufacturing process. Our strength is in the electronics and that works very well for us with Varroc. We make a good fit.

Globally what is Scorpion’s presence among OEMs?

We supply to DAF trucks, part of the PACCAR group, an American company. We supply to Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan, also to their subsidiary in Australia.

We also have engineers who travel to Bangkok to develop alarm systems for Isuzu which is currently highly successful.

And of course now we have this operation now in India. I’m actually a UKTI Champion and I have been asked to mentor some of the other companies in the UK about how to get into export markets which is quite an honor.

It’s [the sector] obviously been through a tough time, 2008-09 was a very difficult period. It’s taken five years really to recover to the level that we saw in 2007, and I’d say we are more or less back to where we were in 2007.

Because of the recession that hit Europe, it was one of the things that drove me really to look at India as a market which is dynamic and rapidly growing, especially the two wheeler market.

Australia has been quite good although there has been a recent decision for Toyota to pull out of manufacturing in Australia. There are no OE vehicle manufacturers in Australia now. We are targeting Brazil as a potential market, also Mexico where Varroc has a manufacturing plant. We have quite a nice amount of business in Kenya; we are also looking at Nigeria as a potential market.

We did some speed limiters and data-loggers for the Kenyan Government.

You had mention that your production in the UK is “High Value, Low Volume products”. Is it because of lack of demand or some other reason?

It’s because demand is obviously not as great as it is here in India. It’s a different profile.

The market really requires a

local manufacturer, with quick response, high quality in smaller batches and different features.

That is something we have learnt to respond to the demand from the market in the UK. The products you have for India have been re-developed from the ones in the UK, how different are they? What have you had to change to meet Indian demands?

We had to in some cases take out unnecessary features that the India market didn’t want. Look for ways where we could put some of the functionality into software.

In some cases we have had to cut our cost by 60 -70pc to meet the demands of the India market.

But the volumes are huge so the combination of clever design and increased volume has enabled us to get to the price point the market is looking for. It’s been quite a good discipline for my business.

Does Scorpion Automotive or the group have any previous presence in the country leading to the JV with Varroc?

We do have some presence in India in the aftermarket. Most of it is imported although we have a limited amount of final assembly from the components and kits that we have shipped over from the UK. We also have some products that have been previously made in China and we intend to bring the manufacturing here in India.

Because import duty is 32pc and to be honest I think we can do a better job here in India. I think Varroc will do a better job than China.

What is your global turnover as a group?

We as a group have a turnover of around 20 million GBP. The target is to more than double that to around 50 million GBP.

February 2015 I 63

SPECIAL REPORT

4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show 2015

Electric Mobility is the flavour Report: Joshua David Luther; Photography: Mohd. Nasir & Rahul Kapoor

T

he Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) organised the 4th Bus & Special Vehicle Show 2015 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida in Delhi NCR. The show was held from January 15 – 17, 2015. SIAM organised the show in association with the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India and Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU).The show provided a common platform for the manufacturers of commercial vehicles in the country to present their products to buyers and various other stakeholders of the industry.

Ashok Leyland, Force Motors, General Motors, Isuzu Motors India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Renault, SML Isuzu, Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Mitsubishi, Allison Transmission, Hindustan Petroleum, Innova Rubbers, K B Autotech, Panasonic India, Sidhwal Technologies, AVL, Trans ACNR Solutions Pvt. Ltd. were some of the manufacturers who

Ambuj Sharma, Additional Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Govt. of India lighting the lamp at the inaugural function of the 4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show. Also present are Arvind Saxena, President & MD,General Motors India (extreme left) and Vishnu Mathur, Director General, SIAM

64 I February 2015

participated in the 4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show. Motown India was one of the media partners to the show.

The show was inaugurated by Ambuj Sharma, Additional Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Government of India. Vishnu Mathur, Director General, SIAM noted that the show had grown in stature in the past four years of its existence. He said he firmly believed that this event would help boost the commercial vehicles industry

4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show 2015

SPECIAL REPORT

which has been going through a very trying time since the last 30 months.

At this year’s show, vehicles like city buses, luxury buses, school buses, hybrid buses, mini buses, vans, pickup trucks, SUVs, MUVs, ambulances, fire tenders, application vehicles, banks, automobile services, etc. component and accessories for bus and other special vehicles were on display. The show was also used as a platform to launch new and innovative products by companies such as Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, and Toyota Kirloskar. The visitors at this year’s Bus and Special Vehicle Show were treated to some of the most innovative and futuristic vehicles which would hit the Indian roads soon.

ASHOK LEYLAND: On the first day of the show Ashok Leyland unveiled the Versa Electric Vehicle (EV) developed by its UK arm Optare plc. The Versa EV is a low floor electric bus which can seat 44 passengers. The bus produces zero emission and is powered by 52 units of 24V 135 Ah lithium ion batteries. The electric motors on the Versa EV produce 200bhp @ 500-2410rpm and a peak torque of 600Nm @ 5002410rpm. Ashok Leyland claims that the Versa can match the performance of

T Venkataraman, Sr. Vice President, Global Buses, Ashok Leyland

February 2015 I 65

SPECIAL REPORT a diesel bus. The Versa EV will be offered in various lengths of 9.7m, 10.4m, 11.1m and 11.8m. The new bus from Ashok Leyland features spacious interiors, mechanically controlled air suspension, seat mounted stanchions, regenerative braking, integrated charging points and on-board Wi-Fi. The Versa EV has a low floor - wide door single step entry and also has a dedicated space for wheel chair access.

T Venkataraman, Sr. Vice President, Global Buses, Ashok Leyland said “With increased awareness and sensitivity around environment safety and carbon footprints, the timing for the introduction of an electric bus is right. The Versa EV is ideally placed to help deliver on our Government’s commitment to make urban transport efficient and reduce the carbon footprint of India. We are one of the largest

providers of electric and hybrid buses in the world and today we are proud to bring this to India and help the country move up the path of efficient, comfortable, responsible, and sustainable urban transport”. Ashok Leyland also presented their 12m FESLF CNG bus and the MiTR school bus at the SIAM show. The 12m FESLF CNG bus features inbuilt fire detection and suppression system, fail-safe electrical system control, fault diagnostic system

66 I February 2015

4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show 2015

N Raja, Director and Senior Vice President (Sales & Marketing) and Masao Fujita, General Manager, Product Planning Division, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd.

and an intelligent driver system.

TOYOTA KIRLOSKAR MOTOR: Another treat for visitors at this year’s Bus and Special Vehicle Show was the Toyota Hiace.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor had initially displayed the Hiace at the 12th Auto Expo last year. The Hiace was displayed at this year’s Bus and Special Vehicles show as well and a 10 seater model of the Hiace is expected to be launched by mid 2015. The Hiace

is equipped with a Toyota D4- D engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. The van is presently being sold in over 140 countries and has recorded sales figures of 6 million units at a global scale.

The Hiace features technologies like power sliding doors, multiple air-conditioning vents, illuminated entry system, reverse camera with display on inside rear view mirror, etc.

N Raja, Director and Senior Vice President (Sales & Marketing),

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. said “we have been studying the market for a while to determine customer preferences and on the basis of customer needs we are showcasing the Toyota Hiace at the 4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show. The Hiace will be the first of its kind offering from Toyota in India and like all other Toyota vehicles the Hiace is equally designed to provide unparalleled satisfaction in-terms of safety and comfort“.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Speaking about the product, Raja noted “The Hiace would be launched as a 9+1 seater model for the Indian market. In terms of customers for the Hiace we are looking at fleet operators and clients looking for luxury road travel. In terms of sales volumes the company is expecting to sell a few hundred units annually to begin with”.

TATA MOTORS: One of the biggest exhibitors at the SIAM Bus and Special Vehicles Show, 2015 was Tata Motors. They launched the new Tata Ultra BS3 - Safe School Bus which is equipped with the Tata Skoolman telematics based tracking solution at the SIAM show. The Tata Skoolman will be offered was standard fitment on the Tata Ultra range of school buses and is also available as after-market equipment.

The Tata Skoolman enables parents to track the whereabouts of their children when they are travelling by school buses in real time (through SMS alerts), live tracking through a map or via a mobile phone application. The Skoolman is also an effective fleet management tool for schools/bus fleet operators to plan bus routes better and manage their school bus fleet more effectively.

R Ramakrishnan, Senior Vice President, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors said “Safety of children is of the highest importance to Tata Motors. In our pursuit to make the commute to schools safer for children, Tata Motors is proud to announce the launch of the Tata Skoolman telematics system and the Tata Ultra Safe School Bus here at the SIAM Bus and Special Vehicle Show, 2015”.

The Tata Skoolman telematics system triggers an automatic SMS alert to parents when the child’s school bus has arrived, it also has a mobile application to track the school bus on a map, notify the parent on the location of the bus through a SMS based query system and schools also receive a notifications on instances of

P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India unsafe driving through a SMS or e-mail alert. Fleet operators can also use the Tata Skoolman system to plan routes and deploy vehicles in an economic manner, receive extensive fleet performance reports of every bus in their fleet, monitor idle time of vehicles, etc.

Tata Motors is one of the largest bus manufacturers in India with a wide variety of buses and coaches, electric hybrid buses and articulated buses to meet the future transport needs for the ‘Envisaged Smart Cities’.

At the SIAM Bus and Special Vehicle Show, 2015 the company showcased the Tata Ultra – Safe School bus, Tata Ultra Midi 900 mm AC bus, Tata Ultra BS4 – 3 L Engine AC vehicle, Tata 1512 Luxury Bus, Tata Articulated Bus – Long City Bus and the Tata Winger DICOR BS4. The 1512 Luxury Bus from Tata is based on an ACGL Body and has a new Jupiter Face. The bus has been designed to cater to high-end staff, contract segments and tour & travel segments. Tata also showcased their Articulated Long City Bus. The future cities of India

Force Motors stall require better mobility solutions which are efficient and convenient for travellers and operators. Tata has answered the call for better mobility solutions with their Articulated Long City Bus. The Articulated Bus features a singledeck design and comprises of two rigid sections which are linked by a pivoting joint. The overall length of the vehicle is 17.95 meters and it has a greater passenger capacity than other single deck buses. These buses will reduce

the need for more vehicles on the road there by reducing traffic congestion.

FORCE MOTORS: Another manufacturer to showcase their new vehicle tracking technology was Force Motors. They showcased their new Traveller School bus with a Child Bus Tracker at the SIAM Bus and Special Vehicles Show, 2015 in New Delhi. The range of “No Tension” school buses which

February 2015 I 67

SPECIAL REPORT

4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show 2015

Mahindra & Mahindra stall Force Motors is offering starts from the 13 seater Trax Cruiser to the 26 seater Traveller 26.

The Child Bus Tracker (CBT) is a feature which has been aimed at improving the safety of school children while travelling to and back from schools. The CBT will enable parents, school administrators and operators to track the movements of buses, get boarding and de-boarding alerts and also get alerts on route deviation. The CBTs are also equipped with an RFID scanner which alerts school authorities if a child boards an incorrect bus. The top end variant of the Child Bus Tracker has cameras which enable parents, school administration and bus contractors to stream live videos of the bus interiors.

The Force Motors School Buses are priced from Rs. 6.20 lakh for the 13+ D Trax Cruiser to Rs. 12.40 lakh for the Traveller 26

CNG (ex-showroom Delhi). Force Motors also displayed their new Super Luxury 15 seater Traveller, an Emergency Fire Tender cum Rescue Vehicle built on the Traveller platform and the Extreme Off-Roader Gurkha. For the first time in its category the Super Luxury Traveller is being offered with air suspension.

MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA: Mahindra & Mahindra displayed some of their new buses along with the Cosmo School bus and the Maxximo Mini Van VX. The Cosmo school bus features a new and more fuel efficient CRDe engine and is available in 16, 25, 32 and 40 seater options. The bus boasts of better safety features, comfort and convenience for the passengers as well as the driver, better pick-up and mileage, low maintenance and low running cost. Mahindra also provides its

Isuzu D-Max Space cab

68 I February 2015

iCAT officials at the 4th Bus & Special Vehicle Show customers with a multi lingual onroad assistance service for a faster response through their ‘NOW’ mobile workshops.

Some other vehicles on display were the Isuzu D-Max space cab, the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, SML Isuzu’s S7 staff and school bus, Samrat AC bus and the FR 1318 Luxury Concept bus. Some utility vehicles like the Renault’s AWD Duster and Chevrolet’s Enjoy were also displayed at the Show this year. International Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT) a division of NATIS (NATRIP Implementation Society), also participated in the show. iCAT is an Automotive Testing and R&D centre located at Manesar, Gurgaon.

An “Interactive Workshop on Upcoming New Technology in Buses” was organised by SIAM in association with ASRTU on

January 16, 2015. SIAM also organised the 2nd Automotive Logistics Conclave on January 16 and 17. Logistics heads of auto OEMs as well as logistics service providers, Logistics facilitators and other associated stake holders were present to deliberate on a wide array of topics associated to the logistics division in this industry. The theme for this year’s conclave was “Multi Modal Solutions for Automotive Logistics”. Many eminent speakers from the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprise, Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways were present at the conclave. As part of an engagement drive SIAM also invited students from various educational institutions to witness the show, the latest technologies and innovations showcased this year.

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Interview with R. Ramakrishnan

Sr. Vice President-Commercial, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors Ltd.

Report: P. Tharyan & Photography: Mohd. Nasir What are your impressions about the 4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show 2015?

I think it’s important to have this show exclusively for buses and special vehicles, because in the Auto Expo the bus and special vehicle segment drowns out. Firstly, in the standard format of the Auto Expo, the car segment gets a lot of attention, the two-wheeler segment gets lesser attention than that and the commercial vehicles generally tend to get a short shrift. Even within commercial vehicles, the buses and special vehicles segment would hardly find space to be showcased or witnessed.

Having a separate show for buses and special vehicles, especially the buses, allows both OEMs and viewers to spend quality time on the vehicles which are showcased.

Yes the crowd may be less but you are getting visitors who are serious and genuine in terms of your target audience. So in that sense I found this format far more useful and beneficial for the industry and for the target audience.

R. Ramakrishnan Ambuj Sharma (Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India) in his speech said that the CV segment would grow in the coming years. Are there any indicators which point towards an increase in GDP and a subsequent increase in the sales of commercial vehicles?

In 2011 we started seeing signs of strain in the CV segment. The Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle (M&HCV) segment was affected the most. In 2012 we did not see too much of an impact on the small CVs, partly because that industry is such and partly because various manufacturers took steps to ensure that there was a certain level of demand in

that industry. In 2014-15 we have seen a fall in both these segments.

We are also seeing an early recovery in the M&HCV sector.

This recovery has been spurred by replacement demand rather than an increase in economic activity.

However, month on month we are seeing a progress in this sector. In the beginning of the year, growth in the M&HCV segment was flat or single digit positive and over the last few months we have been seeing consistent double digit growth in the medium and heavy trucks segment. We believe that the bottom is definitely behind us as far the M&HCVs are concerned.

The government has made some announcements about increasing

economic activity and when they begin to translate into a reality on the ground, in infrastructure, mining and a few other areas then definitely all of that will add to the demand of M&HCVs. The small CVs have been affected, firstly by the economic activity and secondly by financial constraints.

Now all CVs as you know, barring a few which are bought by institutions or government are funded by externals sources of funding like banks and non banking finance companies. The recession in the last three years has been so severe that even good clientele have been defaulting on their loans and all the financers are sitting on non-performing

assets, which are two or three times more than what is normally witnessed in a slow down period.

As a result all the financers are extremely cautious of who they lend to and how much they lend.

In the M&HCV segment, owners usually make purchases twice a year. There is an ample track record of their past. So even with a non-performing asset in the last couple of years financers are able to take funding decisions.

Most of the buyers in the small CV segment are first time buyers.

There is no past track record and if they default, their financers take more time to gain confidence that they can put money behind a first time buyer. So we believe

February 2015 I 69

SPECIAL REPORT that the small CVs will take some more time before the financers are able to soften their stance on the credit terms which are currently being exercised. I would say another 6-9 months before we see recovery in the LCV sector. That is as far as goods carrier segment is concerned. In the passenger carriers segment, typically in a recession period we have not seen the bus segment slowdown.

If you look at the trend lines for goods and passenger, the goods carrier segment goes up and down mirroring the economic activity, whereas the passenger carrier segment mostly remains flat. It is a regulated environment and the bus segment has mostly been flat. In the last two years even the bus segment has witnessed negative growth and even in the current year this negative growth is to the tune of almost 20 pc.

Growth should increase in the industry as the economic activity increases. When industries start to re-employ and increase the level of employment, the need for staff transportation arises. Growth will also come from government spending on schemes like ‘JNNURM’, which is welcomed and if they do more of that we will see the bus sector also recovering.

In my assessment the M&HCVs are already on the growth path and will continue to grow. The buses sector has begun to grow in the last couple of months and will possibly continue to grow.

The LCV sector will take at least 6-9 months before we can start seeing a movement in the positive direction. Overall in 2015-16 the commercial vehicles segment should improve.

The government has in place an electric mobility mission plan. Will it take a long time to implement this plan or does the government need to do a lot more before it actually starts taking off?

In terms of technology available and as a concept, electric mobility has been there for several years.

Within the commercial vehicle

70 I February 2015

4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show 2015 segment, if you look at various segments and ranges, we have electric vehicles in the passenger carriers, large buses, small buses and even the last mile mobility vehicles. This technology can easily be transplanted into goods movement as well. The industry’s focus, however, is on passenger carriers as a part of the drive to save fuel and the environment.

So the technology is available and specific models within the range are available in an electric option as well. However the biggest challenge is making it commercially viable and scaling

Ambuj Sharma also spoke about some pilot projects being announced, is Tata Motors involved in such a pilot project?

Yes Tata Motors is involved in such initiatives. The ‘JNNURM’ Scheme-2 which has recently been announced includes an order of 10000 buses. Some of these are allocated as electric buses.

Tata Motors and all the other manufacturers are playing a part.

With aid from the government, we are providing some buses in certain pockets. It is a small number to start with but we are very much in that partnership with

R. Ramakrishnan with Ambuj Sharma (Extreme Right), Additional Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Govt. of India, Sugato Sen of SIAM and other senior officials. up operations. If you look at the cost of that technology and what users are willing to pay there is a very wide gap. So any private enterprise cannot make it successful as it is not commercially viable. Today the government is planning to take steps, provide grants, and provide some funds to make people aware of what the technology is and what it can do. These are the initial steps and they are welcomed. With support from the government we are taking a few steps as well. But how long can the government support these initiatives and to what extent it can support them is imponderable.

So unless we collectively find a commercially viable solution, we are still a considerable distance from scaling this up to large number.

the government.

How long do you think it would take for Indian commuters to accept commercial electric vehicles in the country?

If we look at the passenger vehicles segment, electrically operated vehicles have been available for a very long time and if you look at the level of penetration it is not even a fraction of a percentage of vehicles sold in the country. So if we were to take that experience and look ahead, it is going to be considerably difficult to endure in the commercial vehicle space. In a commercial vehicle it has to make commercial sense which is economically viable for the stake holders involved. In a personal vehicle at least it is fancy.

People would say I am buying it because I want an electric vehicle

or that I like it because I want to be seen as environment friendly.

As a commercial proposition it has to be commercially viable. If you look at CNG, initially there were a lot of detractors but between the government and the industry we took steps to make it happen and today India probably has the largest installation of CNG powered vehicles. The endeavour was successful because both OEMs and the government took steps to make it commercially viable. Even now a CNG powered vehicle is a lot more expensive than a diesel powered vehicle.

The government intervened in terms of the cost of CNG, the industry contributed in terms of fuel economy. It is commercially viable today for CNG to work.

However the CNG infrastructure is what is still holding it back. There are only a few places where CNG refilling infrastructure is available.

It has not spread to the rest of the country side. As far as electrically powered vehicles are concerned you are talking of a greater increase in the initial cost and an even greater problem in terms of infrastructure establishment.

Tata commercial vehicles have improved the looks and performance of their vehicles.

Very briefly can you describe this trend which is becoming very much a part of Tata Motors?

It is a definite direction that the company is taking and you will find it across the entire range of commercial vehicles. The focus is on better comfort, better safety for occupants and passive safety features. The focus is also to an extent on aesthetics.

It shouldn’t matter how a goods carrier vehicle looks, but there is a certain level of aesthetics and creature comforts that a driver requires. It does something to his sense of accomplishment and to his sense of pride. It does something to an owner in terms of what kind of vehicle do I own.

It does something to people who transport their goods, how

4th Bus and Special Vehicle Show 2015 does the vehicle on which my commodity goes look. Therefore aesthetics is becoming important for the commercial vehicle segment. So we are addressing these issues across the entire range. While we continue to make our conventional range of vehicles and we will continue to upgrade them to meet the cost of ownership requirements.

There is another range which addresses the modern trend in the industry and the modern trend of consumer evolvement. The Prima range addresses the medium and heavy trucks, while the Prima LX addresses the performance and premium segment. The Ultra ranged was launched a couple of years in the bus segment. We launched it last year in the LCV segment as well. Thus we have the Prima, the Ultra and in the small CV segment you will also see a different range emerging which takes care of aesthetics, comfort and such features in the future.

The Ace and other vehicles in the small CV segment are aesthetically built. Are you trying to say is that you will be bringing in even better looking vehicles?

Unlike a truck which is typically driven by a contract driver and very rarely by the owner, in the small commercial vehicles segment, 70-80 pc of the vehicles are driven by owners. Their expectation from the vehicles is similar to that of a car. Since they drive it themselves and occasionally take their family in it, their expectation is like a car customer. They want something which looks good and is comfortable, they want something which their family feels good to be in and hence the customer trend of small commercial vehicles is becoming more like that of passenger cars.

bus which is technically safe. The next step is to provide a facility in that bus with which people are able to monitor and witness that their loved one is safe and the third level is to educate train and sensitise people who are handling your loved ones to keep them safe. That is a different level of safety. What this means is that the first level is to build a technically safe bus, so on those lines the bus should have adequate brakes, the speed should be regulated, the bus should have a crash safety and a rollover safety. If my child sits in the bus and the bus were to brake suddenly will my child be safe on their seat? If he happens to hit the front seat will his teeth be protected? Will he fall out of the window? Is he protected? So that is a technical level of safety which has been built into the bus.

If you look at the ‘humare bus ki baat hai’ programme there are a number of such safety features built into the bus. That is the first level of safety which is called technical safety. The next level is how to monitor the inside of the bus. We have installed a camera in the front and the back of the bus by which I know that I or someone else is able to monitor what is happening inside the bus.

The bus driver can look at what is

happening in the bus and if there is some unsafe activity, he can pull the bus to a side and ask the conductor to intervene. You can also check if the bus is on route, if it is stationary or moving, is the bus on a route which has not been mapped for the bus, is the bus going to areas which have been marked as unsafe in the city?

So these are ways by which you can monitor the movement of the school bus and its occupants. The third level is to sensitise people to make a better environment.

Parents take care of their children at home. When they send them to school they believe the school will take care of the children. What happens in the transit time? They are in the school bus, there is a conductor and how are these people handling the children? That is where we come in. The ‘humare bus ki baat hai’ programme is a way by which we engage with drivers and conductors to sensitise them on how to handle children, understand their pains, pressure points and improve the way the whole system works. The ‘humare bus ki baat hai’ programme has been running for more than a year now, we have covered more than 295 schools, 300 sessions have been conducted in 41 cities and we have handled over

SPECIAL REPORT 15000 drivers, governors and conductors in all these schools.

The schools are asking for more as they are extremely happy with the programme.

For the last one year the ‘humare bus ki baat hai’ programme has been running.

Is it being monitored at a school level or are parents monitoring it? How is it being done?

Some of the schools have started doing it, the availability of technology and software is very limited. The ‘Skoolman’ software was launched on January 15, 2015. It is a Geo Positioning System (GPS) with several other features. It helps various stake holders like parents, school bus operator and the school itself to monitor the movements and control these movements apart from managing what happens inside a bus. At least two things can be done for parents, firstly if you map the route of the bus to a smart phone, using google maps they can trace the bus themselves.

So whichever bus their ward is in can be tracked. Secondly the ‘Skoolman’ system also triggers an SMS alert that the bus is reaching school or that the bus is reaching your home, you can come and pick up your ward.

What is the Bus Safety Program all about? Is it an ordinary bus or more than that? What does it entail?

If I was to explain it in levels of safety, the first level is to build a

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INTERVIEW

Thomas Lich Senior Expert, Bosch Accident Research (Robert Bosch Corporation, Germany) Report: Joshua David Luther How exhaustive is the Accident Research Report and can you throw some light on the findings? How useful are these reports when it comes to identifying key issues related to traffic safety?

Accident Research (AR) in general helps to identify key issues on traffic safety by analyzing in-depth accident data. Such data is collected in four locations in India currently (Status January, 2015).

They are Coimbatore, MumbaiPune Expressway, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Since 2010 there are more than 1000 cases collected.

There are more than 1000 cases currently available. This data is representative for rural area and will be extrapolated towards India in order to get drawings on a national level.

Thus AR has to consider • Data collection including pictures, measured accident site, vehicle and injury information from all participants (permissions needed from state police, hospital w.r.t to access of accident site).

• Data all anonymised afterwards.

• Re-coding of ~700 parameters per crash involving all type of vehicles and Vulnerable Road Users (VRU -- pedestrian, cyclists, motorcycles, rickshaw, tractors, etc.) and stored in a database and digital case (including pictures).

• Information partly derived either from pictures or directly gathered at accident site.

• Data coded using international coding manual including accident type catalogue which was converted from German Accident Type Catalogue to left hand traffic. This enables international comparison of accidents in India against other nations more easily.

• Drawing of accident site on a scaled sketch.

• Reconstruction of accident

72 I February 2015

Thomas Lich (Second from left) with the Bosch team members including pre-crash manoeuvre based on scaled sketch.

Analysis considers accident related factors like infrastructure, driver behavior (e.g. use of seatbelts and helmets) and their reaction in pre-crash maneuvers and vehicle safety related issues.

When did India figure in this accident report and how difficult was it to collate information in the country? Though India accounts for 10pc of global road crash fatalities and the country has yet to adopt a system of scientific investigation and analysis of road accident, how could Bosch derive its much needed inputs required for compiling this report?

Since 2009, only national annual statistics have been available from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) and National Automotive Testing and R&D

Infrastructure Project (NATRiP).

This report covers only simple basic information e.g. number of fatalities, accidents, involved vehicle types etc. Such data only is limited in information for Research Engineers in order to identify key issues, such as “How many accidents with motorcycles involved?” is not available in the existing reports. Therefore Bosch Corporate Research (CR/AEV1) Accident Research started to investigate to establish or find appropriate partner for In-depth accident investigation. In 2009 we conducted a pilot study together with JPR in Coimbatore with 50 example cases. We then continued the investigation by establishing a consortium which is successfully established in several countries and promoted this activity towards other Suppliers, OEMs or any other Institutes dealing with Accident Research. From 2010 onwards the

project was called RASSI – Road Accident Sampling System for India (www.rassi.org.in). Lots of resistance was faced throughout these investigations due to the fact that access has to be given to an accident site and furthermore injury information in adequate time frame after the collision happened.

A key capability of Bosch Accident Research is to identify key findings w.r.t to infrastructure, education, enforcement or vehicle safety related issues out of the database and its coded parameters.

As compared to developed countries, where does Indian stand in terms of road safety?

Also, if there was one country that we could benchmark for its absolute road safety measure which one would it be and why?

In terms of road safety India is roughly 25years behind, in comparison to Germany or Japan.

INTERVIEW Implementing state-of-the art technology, enforcement of usage of available technology and education on safety aspects either from behavior as well as from technology can bring India on par on Western countries by decade. For this all stakeholders have to collaborate together this is industry, government and society.

Very briefly, what has been Bosch’s contribution towards improving road safety worldwide and in particular India?

Bosch mainly contributes in the part of vehicle safety and education (not infrastructure) by introducing various technologies like Car Antilock-Braking System, Electronic Stability Control, Passive Safety (Airbag Control Unit) and Motorcycle AntilockBraking System (including Motorcycle Stability Control) and various other technologies

which currently linked to Driver Assistance Systems such as Automatic Emergency Braking Systems, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Support Systems etc.

In India, Bosch established Accident Research in order to understand the accident situation as first. After that the usage of in-depth accident data with extensive analysis of these data bring out: a) The benefit estimation of various safety products (state-ofthe-art technologies) specific to Indian infrastructure and driving behavior. b) Accidents which at least Indian specific and not covered with a certain technology e.g. “Make in India”.

These reports were supported to various stakeholders like policy

Tapas Gupta

Founder, SparesHub.com Report: P. Tharyan Your e-commerce site for spare parts is presumably targeted at garage owners, retailers and distributors and not individual vehicle owner, is that right?

What’s been your experience till now?

Even we thought that this would be the case when we started out, but our experience of past 15 months of operations says that more and more Indian car owners are now buying car spare parts online. Even internal parts like suspensions, brake pads and engine components. They are much more aware of the parts that go inside their car, the various brands available in the market and their price points. So we have an almost equal mix of car owners and garage owners coming on our website and buying on SparesHub.com. These customers come on our website

makers, regulation agencies, OEM and automotive company manufactures in various technical committees. This brought out an evidence based policy making with respect to Indian scenarios.

For example the Motorcycle ABS benefit estimation conducted in 2013 (average avoidance potential less than 25 pc). This made Indian policy makers to consider a key legislation decisions for Indian road safety. The same methodology was successfully applied from Bosch AR using German data (GIDAS data) and US data in 2007 and 2009 respectively.

What key features you feel need to be incorporated in the government’s policy framework to make vehicle safety norms stringent and improve road safety?

A key feature is a post-safety

education (e.g. encourage seat belt usage, helmet usage, headrest) and stringent enforcement of the available norms.

India has one of the largest two wheeler markets in the world so what safety features should be incorporated by OEMs for the vehicles and what kind of policy needs to be implemented by the government to make roads safer for two wheelers? In the four wheeler space, do we see India gradually getting better when it comes to safety features in its cars?

We are already seeing the positive proactive measures taken by the Indian government in order to make the road safe. For example new legislation (Motorcycle ABS and car airbags), new safety bill and Bharat-NCAP tests, star ratings, etc.

SparesHub.com is an e-commerce site started by three friends – Tapas Gupta, Arijit Chakraborty and Diptanu Bhadra. SparesHub. com is a one stop shop for buying all car spare parts and accessories from reputed brands like Bosch, Monroe, LUK, INA, Talbros, Lumax, Delphi, Valeo, Minda etc. These are original spare parts and 100pc genuine parts. Parts that can be purchased on the site include Head-lights, Tail-lights, Side Indicators, Rear view mirrors, Side mirrors, Crank shafts, Wipers, Clutch Plates, Pressure Plates, Bearings, Flywheel, Timing belts, Ball joints, Valves, Suspensions, Struts, Bush kits, Electric alternators, Starter motors, Electric relays, Pistons, Oil Filter, Petrol Filter, Air Filter, Diesel Filter, Ignition Coil, Glow plugs, Wiper arms, Ball joint, Clutch cable, Brake cable, Oil Pump, Engine parts, Drivetrain, Dicky shockers, Cyclinder head, Spark plugs, Transmission set, Cam shaft, Carburettor, Sensors, etc.

because they value the comfort and ease of buying online, the trust that they would get only genuine parts delivered and the variety of parts on offer. We have multiple retailers and distributors on our website who act as suppliers on our website and offer the spare parts of which they are authorised distributors.

SparesHub.com is a marketplace for automobile spare parts. Even suppliers of spare parts for commercial vehicles, earth moving equipment and road rollers have approached us to sell them on SparesHub.com.

As a business model what is the potential in terms of revenue generation? Typically, what are the spare parts stocked by

your company? You also have a warehouse in Pune, do you have plans to open more of these in the country?

The Indian replacement parts market is currently about 36,000 crores, growing at 7pc9pc annually. Out of this, about 26pc is passenger vehicles parts, 24pc is commercial vehicles parts, 48pc are two wheeler parts and 2pc is three wheeler parts. For passenger vehicles we expect about 2pc of this market to shift

from offline to online within the next three years. Thus, the online market size for car spare parts is about 180 crores+. The offline to online shifting percentage for two wheelers and commercial vehicles would be different. In developed markets like US, Europe and others, about 5pc-7pc of the retail market has already shifted online.

So this shift will definitely happen in India as well.

We have a warehouse at Pune and Nagpur. Almost all of the

February 2015 I 73

INTERVIEW registered sellers on SparesHub. com have their own warehouses to maintain inventory of the parts.

Shock absorbers and struts, head-lights, tail-lights, brake parts and electrical parts are the most active product categories on our website.

On the export front, is there a potential for your company? If yes, how do you cater to that?

Since India is a major car exporting country, there is substantial demand for their spare parts from other countries. We have had Tata, Mahindra and Maruti customers from Dubai, Sweden, France etc. approaching us for spare parts requirement.

We have catered to them, but currently domestic market is our focus and not export market. The domestic market in itself is so large that we would first like to establish ourselves in India and then start exploring export market.

The international spare parts industry is more organised and is part number driven; whereas the Indian spare parts industry is sample driven. Hence, Indian spare parts industry is more challenging.

Compared to prices of spare parts available off the shelf, are your prices lower? How many spare parts companies have you tied up with? Do you upfront buy the products from them and stock them or is it only picked up when there is a demand for it?

We do offer discounts on SparesHub.com but only occasionally. We offer most of our products on M.R.P. Most of the physical stores also offer parts on M.R.P., but due to the unorganised nature of the industry, many counterfeit parts are sold off to innocent customers, in the disguise of excessive discounts.

This is where our sourcing from authorised distributors and reputed suppliers come in play and we are able to offer genuine spare parts to the customers.

We have tie-ups with companies like Monroe (U.S.

74 I February 2015

brand for suspension parts) and Tata Auto Components to make their entire part range available on SparesHub.com. We have access to their dealer network and warehouses across India so that the availability of spare parts is not a problem. Our deep network of retailers, distributors and suppliers, allows SparesHub.com to stock minimal inventory and buy parts on real time basis and cater to orders.

You also mentioned that there is demand from tier 2 and tier 3 cities and towns....now is that heartening, because as automobile penetration gets deeper, I am sure you can hope to get more orders from these smaller places. But what about big cities etc...is there a demand from here too?

The genesis of starting SparesHub.com was that tier-2 and tier-3 cities have premium luxury cars like Mercedes, BMW & Audi but do not have any authorised service center within a radius of 200 kms. The problem is equally true for Skoda, Volkswagen and other European companies. These car owners obviously need spare parts for their cars. This geographical asymmetry can be best solved by internet and e-commerce companies like us.

Simultaneously, customers from cities like Delhi and Mumbai come on SparesHub.com because they value the convenience and are assured of the authenticity of the replacement parts that they buy.

Urban educated people are more comfortable buying things online rather than going to Kashmere Gate market in Delhi or Opera House market in Mumbai.

Is your site looking for more partnerships and fund infusion to make it stronger so that your reach too spreads in the country?

SparesHub.com is now looking to scale the operations that we have built so far. Given the large market size, we have to be aggressive

to cater maximum customers.

Hence, we do plan to raise venture capital investment this year.

Our e-commerce marketplace model is asset light and there is comparatively less competition in our product category in e-commerce as of now.

Please give me a background note on your company with regards to the people behind it, the places you operate from etc.

We three friends started SparesHub.com about 15 months ago. All three of us have worked in automobiles companies before and are car enthusiasts to the core. I have worked at Mercedes Benz, my friend Arijit Chakraborty has earlier worked with Tata Motors and Diptanu Bhadra has worked at Honda Motors. We all are engineers and post-graduates in management which enable us to understand the technical

as well as the business nuances of automobiles spare parts. We started in Pune as it is a major automobile manufacturing hub and due to proximity to Mumbai.

Currently we have our team in Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur which will soon expand to cover top 15 cities of India as our supplier base expands across India.

Do share with me your revenue projections for the coming years We are experiencing good growth rates since past six months – both in terms of number of customers as well as number suppliers on our platform. We are currently offering 15,000+ part numbers on our website across all car models.

Our aim for this year is to reach 5 lakh+ part numbers and reach 10 crores in revenues by December across all automobile categories. We are very excited to pursue this goal.

NEWS

Suri hopes Budget will lead to stable policy environment

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ith an aspiration to cross the USD 100 billion mark and to have at least five Indian suppliers amongst top-global-hundred by 2020, the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the apex body for the Indian auto component industry has submitted its recommendations to the Government for the forthcoming Union Budget for the year 2015-16.

ACMA is looking forward for support from the government to revive the auto components industry and to realise their ambition of growing exports to USD 35 - 40 billion and build overseas revenues of USD 20-22 billion over the next five years. The industry clocked a turnover of USD 35 billion in 2013-14 with exports of over USD 10.2 billion.

Ramesh Suri, President ACMA, said the ‘Make in India’ call by Prime Minister Modi which is designed to facilitate investments, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property and build best in class manufacturing infrastructure in the country could not be more timely.

“We expect the forthcoming budget to lead to creation of a favourable and stable policy environment to boost industrial

revival and enable growth in domestic auto sector,” said Suri.

In the last fiscal, the auto sector faced one of the most trying times with flagging vehicle sales, high capital cost, high interest rates, fluctuating exchange parity, slowing down of investment and infrastructure challenges had adversely impacted the growth of the auto component industry.

In a press release issued by ACMA it said some of the salient recommendations by the body to the Government are: • Continuation of 10 pc excise duty on auto components • Early implementation of GST / Phasing out CST. It said that till such time the GST is implemented, CST should be reduced to 1pc from existing 2 pc.

• Elimination of customs duty on alloy steel, mild steel, aluminium alloy and secondary aluminium alloy • Allowing input credit on diesel. ACMA noted that due to power shortage manufacturers have to resort to generating their own power though gen-sets thus increasing the cost of production.

ACMA has recommended that such manufacturers be allowed to avail input credit on diesel procured for internal power generation.

Ramesh Suri, President ACMA • Service Tax - Credit on various Services should be provided. Services like canteen, transportation of employees, repair and maintenance of commercial vehicles etc. are directly related to manufacturing, therefore manufacturing units should be allowed to avail Cenvat credit on such services.

Direct Tax: • Encouraging Research & Development. At present, ACMA noted that 200 pc weighted deduction under section 35(2AB) of the Act is available for in-House R&D facility and 175 pc weighted deduction on outsourced R&D from approved Institutions i.e National Laboratories, Universities, Scientific

Research Institutes and IITs. The 200 pc weighted deduction should be extended to R&D facilities, which are outsourced to Third-Party service providers or other institutions. Furthermore, the amount of weighted deduction under Section 35(2AB) maybe allowed when computing tax under 115JB. This will alleviate accumulation of MAT credit.

• Enhancing Depreciation Rate on Capital Goods. The current depreciation rate on Capital Goods should be enhanced to 25 pc from 15 pc. Further, domestically manufactured capital goods be allowed 40 pc depreciation. This will encourage Capital investment in the industry

Modern technology on traffic at Traffic Infra Tech Expo 2015

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he 4th edition of Traffic Infra Tech Expo 2015 and the first Parking Infratech 2015 were held in New Delhi on January 7, 2015.

The expo showcased several comprehensive and definitive technology and system on traffic and parking. The exhibition also saw a live demo of some key path breaking products.

Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary of Ministry of Urban Development, inaugurated the expo. Themed on “Envisaging safe and secure

mobility”, the expo received full support from Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Central Road & Research Institute (CRRI), Asian Professional Security Association-India Chapter (APSA), Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU), Builders Association of India (BAI), National Association of Realtors (NAR), Shopping Centre Association of India (SCAI).

Aggarwal said “Urbanisation and urban mobility are some of

the most pressing issues facing the country today. I am sure that Traffic Infra Tech Expo will be instrumental in providing good knowledge and awareness on the issues and related solutions.”

“I am happy to be part of this expo and inaugurate it which is comparable to be the best in the world. The expo has grown over the years and gained importance and stature over the years”, he further added.

The show saw the participation of around 100 exhibitors from

about 20 countries across the globe.

Apart from the exhibition, the expo also holds conferences and seminar to enhance awareness about traffic Management/ Solutions, Safety and integration of motorised vehicle with non-motorised vehicle and pedestrians. It will also cater to areas like Traffic Infrastructure, Mass Rapid Transport, Parking, Toll systems, ITS, Telematics and Environment. The Expo was organised by Virtual Info Systems.

February 2015 I 75

NEWS

Honda joins hands with Shriram Automall to sell pre-owned motorcycles

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ne of the fastest growing manufacturers in the two-wheeler segment in India, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) announced their exclusive tie-up with Shriram Automall India Ltd. (SAMIL). The initiative aims at organising the pre-owned two wheeler market. SAMIL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) and deals in the sale and bidding of pre-owned vehicles under various segments like, cars, commercial vehicles and now two-wheelers as well.

Honda had previously initiated a concept of pre-owned twowheeler sales through the Honda ‘Best Deal’ outlets. In a span of two years more than 60 Best Deal outlets have come up and are operating from 11 different regions in India. The company has plans to expand this network to a 100 outlets in the coming years. The new tie-up between HMSI and

SAMIL has been initiated in a bid to help customers through the process of purchase and sale of pre-owned two wheelers. Honda two-wheeler showrooms will act as a point of contact for customers.

Customers can avail an exchange offer for their old two-wheelers at any Honda showroom against a new Honda two-wheeler. The old Honda vehicles being exchanged will be refurbished and certified by Honda’s Best Deal outlets while the non-Honda vehicles will be

refurbished and certified by Shriram Automall.

Shriram Automall will conduct bidding and sale of the all nonHonda vehicles which come to Honda under the exchange program. Customers also have an option of conducting a physical examination before the bidding process. The bidding process is conducted by Shriram Automall with proper documentation and fair pricing.

Y S Guleria, Vice President, Sales

and Marketing, HMSI, said, “We are proud that Honda has been pioneering this initiative, which will endow benefits like trust and assurance of transparent dealing for all stake holders. The contribution from the pre-owned two wheeler market has been estimated at 15 pc of overall sales, but this segment has immense potential. Currently this industry lacks an organised and reliable structure but we aim to bridge this gap”.

Sameer Malhotra, CEO of SAMIL, said, “We are positive that this segment will witness fast paced growth with-in the first year.

Customer convenience, hassle free transactions, on ground events for physical bidding, online bidding, private treaties and one stop classified kiosks which will create a huge pull”. SAMIL has a specialised online portal to conduct web based bidding and the company also holds more than 400 bidding events every month.

Huge participation confirmed for ACMA Automechanika New Delhi 2015

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CMA Automechanika New Delhi 2015 to be held from February 26 to March 1, 2015 is expected to see the participation from over 400 brands. According to a press release, this sold-out second edition marks an increase in exhibition space and international participation. Leading component player Bosch has confirmed participation as Platinum Partner Over 400 companies from Brazil, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK will showcase their latest auto parts and accessories at the show.

With a 60pc increase in the number of exhibitors, the fair has

76 I February 2015

been completely booked two months before it is scheduled to take place. The occupied space marks a 90pc increase compared to the launch edition of the show in 2013. International participation has also soared by 34pc due to steady sales and growing auto component market in the country.

This perhaps continues to attract auto component giants from across the world.

Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd are now focussed on setting-up a professional, world-class platform to provide domestic aftermarket players access to core component

technologies including engine parts, drive transmission and steering parts, body and chassis, tyres & batteries, suspension and braking parts, equipment and electrical parts, accessories & tuning besides others and facilitate closer collaboration between global auto component and Indian aftermarket sector players.

Key exhibitors representing these segments at the New Delhi fair include ANG Industries, ZF India, and Luk India who will have parts and components such as power train, chassis & standard parts on display whereas Delphi Automotive Systems Pvt. Ltd will showcase their range of fuel

modules – MRA & pumps, ignition wire sets, thermal compressors, heat exchangers, brakes, half shafts etc at the show.

Leading auto component supplier, Mansons International Pvt Ltd intends to bring antivibration, axle and suspension components, body parts, steering components and repair kits and fifth wheel components and repair kits while Setco Automotive Ltd will showcase clutches for medium & heavy vehicles. TVS RUBBER, one of the leading companies for Automotive and Industrial Moulded Rubber Products in India, will also bring a host of rubber parts, suspension and mounting products to the show.

NEWS

Eicher launches Pro 6000 series Heavy-Duty trucks

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E Commercial Vehicles Limited (VECV) launched the new Eicher Pro 6000 series next generation heavy-duty trucks on January 20, 2015 in New Delhi. The Pro 6000 series of Eicher trucks include the Pro 6031 (31TGVW 8X2), Pro 6025 (25TGVW6x2) haulage trucks and Pro 6025T (25T GVW6X4) tipper truck. The Pro 6000 series heavyduty trucks are an addition to Eicher’s line-up of next generation trucks which will help them consolidate and build on their market share which has seen a slight fall from FY 2013.

The Eicher Pro 6000 series trucks represent the synergistic manufacturing and development between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors. At the launch of the new Eicher Pro 6000 series, Philippe Divry, Senior Vice President, Volvo group and VECV board member said, “Volvo Group & Eicher Motors came together in 2008 with a vision to modernise the Indian commercial vehicle industry and today we present the most professional, holistic and progressive approach to Indian trucking, the Eicher Pro 6000 series. Volvo Group’s world-class technology and Eicher Motor’s frugal cost expertise

and management have led to the creation of a range which will set a new benchmark among customers with high demands on profitability and driver effectiveness”. VE Commercial Vehicles has invested over Rs. 2000 crores in the development and R&D of the new trucks which are being launched and the ones to come in the future. Divry also added “With the launch of the Pro Series of trucks

by Eicher, our strategy to expand in Asia and other growth markets gets further strengthened.”

Vinod Aggarwal, Chief Executive Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles Limited said “The launch of Eicher Pro 6000 series is a significant milestone Eicher’s journey to becoming a strong player of the

commercial vehicle industry, especially for the heavy duty segment”. Speaking about the product Aggarwal also stated that “The Pro 6000 Series is a range of next-generation heavy duty trucks which offer best-in-class fuel efficiency, higher productivity and a host of modern and intelligent features”.

A K Birla, Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Aftermarket, Eicher Trucks, Buses and Engines, VECV said “We are positive that the new Pro 6000 series trucks will help consolidate our position in the heavy-duty trucks segment”.

The Eicher Pro 6000 series has been developed while keeping customers at the centre of the

product development process.

Eicher Pro 6000 series VEDX5 uses a 5 litre engine while the VEDX8 uses an 8 litre engine which has been designed in collaboration with the Volvo Group. The VEDX5 also uses Volvo Group’s new generation Engine Management System (EMS 3.0) for better fuel efficiency. The Pro 6000 Series has on board telematics (Eicher Live), fuel coaching and a cruise control as well. Another useful feature which Eicher Motors has added onto the Pro 6000 Series is an advanced on board diagnostics systems that enable owners and manufacturers to take a proactive approach towards the maintenance of the truck.

The diagnostic system gives fault indicators to drivers through visual signals, messages and alarms.

Eicher Motors is also offering the Eicher service network which ensures preventive and corrective maintenance of the truck. The new Pro 6000 Series trucks have an ultramodern truck cabin which has been ergonomically designed with state-of-the-art features for a comfortable driving experience and improved driver efficiency.

The sleeper cabin provides an efficient workspace for drivers as well.

Mahindras now have Peugeot Scooters in their fold

M

ahindra Two Wheelers Ltd. (MTWL), part of the Mahindra Group, and Peugeot Scooters (PMTC), part of the Euro 54 billion PSA Group based in France announced on January 20, 2015 that they have completed the necessary formalities for MTWL’s 51pc acquisition in PMTC. PMTC, a key player in urban mobility in Europe for 116 years, is the oldest motorized twowheeler manufacturer in the world. Peugeot Scooters offers one of the most comprehensive range of scooters and mopeds, from 50cc to 400cc, including the successful three wheeled

scooter – Metropolis - in the European market. This project was announced on October 7, 2014.

The acquisition, which resulted in the satisfaction of all regulatory, legal and financial conditions of the agreement, was completed smoothly by both parties within a very short span of time. As part of the employee dialogue process and Anti-trust law, the Works Council consultation process has also been successfully completed.

This was stated in a press release issued by the company.

Dr. Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “At Mahindra, we are committed to the long term

growth of Peugeot Motocycles and are confident that this relationship would be one of mutual respect, trust and learning.

This partnership would enable both MTWL and PMTC to speed up their international expansion by driving synergies and leveraging respective strengths. It is our intention to work closely to enable a win-win for both partners”.

Under the terms of the agreement, MTWL has infused Euro 15 million into PMTC to finance projects implemented through the strategic partnership and has also bought shares held

by PSA which would allow MTWL to take a 51pc stake in PMTC.

The new board of PMTC has been constituted and would include the following members: MTWL Dr. Pawan Goenka – Director MTWL & Executive Director, M&M Ltd. V.S.Parthasarathy – Director MTWL, Chief Financial Officer, Group CIO, M&M Ltd. Rajesh Jejurikar – Director MTWL, Chief Executive-Farm Equipment & Two Wheeler Division, M&M Ltd. PSA Maxime Picat - Chief Executive Officer, Peugeot Brand Emmanuel Delay – Executive Vice President, Operational Director, India-Pacific

February 2015 I 77

NEWS Mahindra launches electric vehicle project under NEMMP 2020

M

ahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) has launched its first electric vehicle project on January 16, 2015 at the Taj Zero Emission Corridor in Agra.

The project will be carried forward

by M&M Ltd. with the support of the Government of India under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP). M&M gave the Agra Development Authority four Mahindra Maxximo Electric Vans to be used on the Taj Zero Emission Corridor.

The Mahindra Maxximo Electric Van is based on the diesel version of the Maxximo Mini Van which was launched in April 2011.

The Maxximo Electric Van is an 8-seater zero-emission minivan powered by four lithium-ion batteries. Capable of covering a distance of 100 kilometers on a single charge, the Maxximo Electric Van is fully-automatic and can hit

an electronically limited top-speed of 65 kilometers per hour. The Mahindra Maxximo Electric Van is expected to be production ready

by FY-2016.

Rajan Katoch, Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises flagged off the pilot project in the presence of Chetan Maini, CEO of Mahindra Reva. The pilot project launched

by Mahindra is the first project to be launched under the NEMMP of the Government of India. Mahindra Reva which is a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group will be developing vehicles under this project. The Mahindra Maxximo Electric Van is the first vehicle of its kind to be developed in India. The electric vans will be used to ferry visitors from Shilpgram to the East Gate of the Taj Mahal. Mahindra is also providing charging stations, technical assistance, spare parts

and additional service support for this project. Present at the ceremony was Dr. Pawan Goenka, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. who said that the Taj Mahal was recognised by the UNESCO as a world heritage site and that the people at Mahindra were proud to be playing their part in its preservation. He also expressed his gratitude towards the Government of Uttar Pradesh for their support during the project.

Katoch stated that this was the first step towards the Government’s long term vision of NEMMP 2020. M&M Ltd. has been supporting and jointly working with the Government in its effort to make the country a cleaner and greener place. The Government of India has envisioned the construction of 100 smart cities in the country which will have better connectivity, facilities and a better environment.

TVS Srichakra unveils new brand identity, logo TVS Srichakra Ltd, a leading manufacturer and exporters of two and three wheeler tyres and Off-Road Tyres in India, unveiled its new brand identity and logo at a press conference in Chennai. Embarking into the new journey, TVS TYRES’ new logo reinforces the clarity in purpose for the brand. The mnemonic ‘Eagle’ highlights the features of power, maneuverability and the superior grip of the products while the pair of arrows integrated into the typeface conveys a perpetual forward motion, according to a press release issued by the company. P Vijayaraghavan, Director, TVS Srichakra Ltd, said, “While creating a new brand identity we had to make sure that we integrate a feeling of dynamism and youthfulness to convey that our products can overcome any challenge in a journey. The new logo, as a result, is now sleeker and bolder, conveying strength, speed and dynamism. As the youngest tyre company in the country, we are happy to embark on this new journey.” The new logo launch will see a 360 degree campaign over this quarter, reaching out to the company’s different stakeholders like customers, employees, dealers – domestic & international, investors etc through various touch points, events and activities.

Continental expands R&D footprint in Bangalore with 13000sqm facility

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ontinental AG has now expanded its research and development by inaugurating their 13,000 square metre facility in Bangalore. The current head count of engineers now stands at 1000. The total investment at this R&D technical centre amounts to 12.4 million Euro (approx. 88.85 crore).The new Technical Centre India (TCI) facility at Gold Hill Supreme, Electronic City Phase II will house eight state-of-the-art R&D labs

78 I February 2015

to meet the increasing demand for engineering and software development skills to support global R&D projects as well as local customers. Helmut Matschi, President of the Interior Division and Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG said, “India’s talent pool is strategic to our growth, globally and in Asia. Continental has invested significantly in the Tech Centre since its inception, a confirmation of our commitment to India.

While our engineers in India are making valuable contributions to the development of advanced technology for developed markets, Continental is equally excited by the prospect of growing with the automotive market in the country.”

“With its access to qualified engineers and its high flexibility, this tech centre delivers best quality and highly efficient engineering support to Continental globally. Setting up the TCI is an ideal situation for us and our

customers. We are able to attract the huge talent pool in India to work on the latest technologies and innovations, while at the same time offering first-class services globally. For R&D activities initially in software and algorithm development for advanced driver assistance systems we hired 150 new engineers in the TCI last year”, said Frank Jourdan, President of the Chassis & Safety Division and Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG.

NEWS Gujarat CM lays foundation stone for Suzuki plant Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel laid the foundation stone for Suzuki group’s Gujarat vehicle manufacturing plant in Hansalpur on January 28, 2015. The Suzuki Group will set up three plants at Hansalpur with a total annual capacity of 750,000 vehicles. The first plant is scheduled to start production in mid-2017. It is being set up at an investment of about Rs 3,000 crore, and will have an annual capacity of 250,000 units. The ceremony was held in the presence of Takeshi Yagi, Ambassador of Japan to India, Rajnikant S Patel, Home Minister of Gujarat, Osamu Suzuki, Chairman & CEO Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, R C Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India and Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director, Maruti Suzuki India at the Hansalpur premises.

TOP LEVEL CHANGES IN MOTOWN ARUN AWASTHY has been appointed as the President and Managing Director of Delphi India. He succeeds Reji Varghese who headed Delphi Automotive Systems, India from October 2010 to late 2014. The top level change took place late 2014. Awasthy has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, and brings significant national and international automotive expertise to Delphi.

Prior to his new role Awasthy was heading operations at Indus Towers Pvt Ltd. where he concentrated on business growth and strategy development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and attended the executive program of business management at IIM Calcutta. Before joining Delphi, he was National Operations Head, Indus Towers Limited from June 2014. He was the CEO of Delhi circle of Indus Motors for more than three years.

Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems, LLC, headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, announced that effective January, 2015, SATISH KHATU, former IBM General Manager, Global Industrial Sector, HELMUT MATSCHI, member of the Continental Executive Board and Head of the Interior Division, and SAMIR SALMAN, CEO NAFTA Continental Automotive Divisions, will be appointed as members of its new Advisory Board. During his successful career at IBM, Satish Khatu held key US leadership positions in Sales, Finance, Strategy and Services. Helmut Matschi studied at Regensburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany, where he obtained a degree in Communications Technology. He had a long career within Siemens AG. Samir Salman earned a mechanical engineering degree and a master of business degree from the University of Giessen in Germany. He joined Continental in 1998.

Daimler Financial Services (DFS) has appointed Fred Weick as the Managing Director of Daimler Financial Services India (DFSI). DFSI was established in 2011 and was originally headed

by Sidhartha Nair who is now the Head of Strategy for the Americas region. Weick was previously appointed as the Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services in Portugal.

One of Weick’s long term responsibilities at DFSI will be to drive the growth for India’s captive finance segment.

Continental Engines Ltd has appointed to its board SUKHPAL SINGH AHLUWALIA, one of the leading figures in the European Automotive Aftermarket, effective October 7, 2014.

Continental Engines is the automotive business segment of Baxy Group and came into existence in 1983. Headquartered in Gurgaon in the National Capital Region of India, is a major OEM supplier of engines and engine components to customers in India, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East.

Royal Enfield, part of the Eicher Group and makers of the classic 350cc and 500 cc bikes, apart from the Continental GT bike, has announced the appointment of RUDRATEJ ‘RUDY’ SINGH as President, Royal Enfield. He will be reporting to Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Eicher Motors Ltd. He will be based out of the company’s corporate office in Gurgaon. Prior to joining Royal Enfield, Rudratej was based in Singapore with Unilever as Vice President - South Asia, HPC & Foods Marketing Operations.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) India has announced the appointment of KEVIN FLYNN as the new President and Managing Director for India Operations. In a press release, FCA India said this appointment is effective immediately.

Flynn replaces Nagesh Basavanhalli, who left the company to pursue other interests. Flynn is a veteran of the automobile industry with 30 years of international and multi-brand experience. He joins FCA from Jaguar Land Rover, where he served as Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa & Sub Sahara Africa.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited (VWGSIPL), announced the appointment of KAMAL BASU as Head of Marketing & PR. Basu, who joined Skoda Auto India as Marketing Head in 2012, oversaw product marketing, lead management, communication and media, and also worked closely with sales, after-sales and dealer network teams. In addition to his work in automobile marketing, Basu has a very strong background in advertising, having spent close to two decades working with top-level agencies like RK Swamy BBDO, Rediffusion Y&R and with Saatchi & Saatchi as CEO. Kamal Basu’s appointment is effective January 1, 2015.

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Japan (YMC) announced the appointment of HIROAKI FUJITA as the new Chairman of Yamaha Motor Group companies in India including India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. (IYM), Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. (YMIS) and Yamaha Motor Research & Development India Pvt. Ltd. (YMRI) with effect from January 1, 2015.

Hiroaki Fujita takes over the position from Hiroyuki Suzuki. In addition, Fujita will hold the position of President & CEO of Yamaha Motor India Pvt. Ltd. (YMI). Fujita has been associated with Yamaha for over 32 years. Prior to this position, he was Executive General Manager, Intelligent Machinery (IM) Operations, YMC. Fujita has also been an Executive Officer at YMC since 2011.

February 2015 I 79

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW PASSENGER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports for the month of December 2014 = 2,13,150 Units) Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (43.22)% Hyundai Motor India Pvt. Ltd. (27.83)% Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. (6.17)% Honda Cars India Ltd. (5.99)% Tata Motors Ltd. (4.72)% Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd. (4.22)% Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (3.53)% Ford India Pvt. Ltd. (1.75)% OTHERS (1.35%) Skoda Auto India Pvt. Ltd. (0.63%) Renault India Pvt. Ltd. (0.32%) Fiat India Automobiles Pvt. Ltd. (0.29%); Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (0.11%); General Motors India Pvt.Ltd. (1.22)%

UTILITY VEHICLES MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports for the month of December 2014 = 65,371 Units) Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (27.82)% Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (27.04)% Ford India Pvt Ltd. (16.33)% Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (9.33)% Tata Motors Ltd. (5.64)% Renault India Pvt. Ltd (5.05)% Honda Cars India Ltd. (3.50)% Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. (2.68)% General Motors India Pvt. Ltd (1.53)% OTHERS (1.08%) Force Motors Ltd (0.34%); Fiat India Automobiles (0.29%); Hindustan Motors Finance Corp (0.25%); Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (0.11%); Ashok Leyland (0.04%) Skoda Auto India Pvt. Ltd (0.03%) Isuzu Motors (0.02%) 80 I February 2015

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW TWO WHEELER MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports for the month of December 2014 = 14,35,957 Units)

Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (36.64)%

Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. (2.03)%

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (Pvt.) Ltd. (24.28)%

Royal Enfield (1.99)%

Bajaj Auto Ltd. (17.14)%

OTHERS (1.11%) Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd. (0.94%) Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (0.13%) H-D Motor Company India Pvt. Ltd. (0.02%) Triumph Motorcycles (India) Pvt. Ltd. (0.01%) Kawasaki India (0.01%)

TVS Motor Company Ltd. (12.67)% India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. (4.14)%

THREE WHEELERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports - Decemeber 2014 = 77645 Units) Bajaj Auto Ltd. (55.39)%

Atul Auto Ltd. (4.78)%

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (19.68)%

Scooters India Ltd. (1.37)%

TVS Motor Company Ltd. (12.73)%

Force Motors Ltd. (0.28)%

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (5.77)%

February 2015 I 81

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA (Total Domestic Sales + Exports - December 2014 = 33169 Units)

Tata Motors Ltd. (43.31)% Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (39.40)% Ashok Leyland Ltd. (6.19)% Force Motors Ltd. (4.82)% VECVs - Eicher (2.54)% SML Isuzu Ltd. (1.84)% Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (1.63)% Isuzu Motors (0.27)%

MEDIUM & HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA (Total Domestic Sales + Exports - December 2014 = 24544 Units)

Tata Motors Ltd. (55.50)% Ashok Leyland Ltd. (29.38)% VECVs - Eicher (10.37)% SML Isuzu Ltd. (1.88)% Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (1.49)% Asia Motor Works Ltd. (0.92)% VECVs - Volvo (0.46)%

82 I February 2015

India’s Leading International Trade Fair for the Automotive Industry targeting Trade Visitors from India

26 February – 1 March 2015 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.acma-automechanika.in

• 400+ exhibitors from 12 countries.

• Country Pavilions from China, Germany, Italy, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK. • Co-located Business Conclave on Opportunities & Challenges before Indian Auto Components Industry OEM supply and Aftermarket.

For more information, please contact: info@acma-automechanika.in +91 22 6144 5900

Platinum Partner

Silver Partner

Gold Partners

Bronze Partners

Lanyard Partner

RNI No DEL ENG/2010/34562