GM tightlipped on new ‘small’ car

General Motors India, which is targeting a 10% marketshare by 2010 as against the current 4%, has lined up two new launches, including a small car and a few variants of existing cars during next year.
The company expects to end the year with a 20% growth over last year at 70,000 to 80,000 units, said P Balendran, director and vice-president (corporate affairs).
Explaining the company’s plans for India, he said, “The company is currently working on two new cars, to be launched during 2009. Out of this, one will be a small car. It could be smaller or similar to that of the Spark or even a higher version. We are not in a position to disclose details at this point of time.”
“With the commencement of the second plant at Talegaon in Pune, the company is in a position to make most of the Spark models from this plant apart from other cars. We are looking at a 10% market share by 2010 (200,000 units per year). We hope to achieve our target with the new launches and variants,” he added.
Despite overall recession in the market coupled with lack of finance and high interest cost, the company hopes to register a growth of 20% in the current year.
“We are looking at anywhere between 70,000 and 80,000 units as compared to 60,000 units last year,” he said. With the spurt in Spark sales during the festive season, the company has sold nearly 60,000 cars till October and is on target to achieve the target, he added.
On the SUV side, Captiva has been the market leader with a market share of 22%. “As against our annual target of 800 to 1000 units, the company has already sold nearly 2,500 Captivas and hopes to end up around 3,000 units, which is very significance for us,” he said. On the MUV side, as against the target of 20,000 Taveras, the company has already sold 16,000 units and is on target to achieve it, he said further.
Earlier, addressing a press conference after launching the new Tavera in Chennai on Wednesday, Karl Slym, president and managing director, said as compared to others, GM India has been able to post positive growth in sales over the last few months despite there being an overall slowdown in the market. With the new facility in place at Pune, the company is in a position to deliver more cars into the...

Auto firms see no quick respite

The Indian automobile industry faces a bleak outlook this fiscal and the next with falling vehicle sales, high interest costs and raw material prices squeezing margins, industry officials said on Monday.
Data on Monday showed car sales in October declining for the third time in four months, and sales of trucks and buses slumping 36 per cent on the year.
Demand has been weak as automobile loans remained dear and scarce as economic activity slowed. The top two truck and bus makers have cut production to avoid inventory build-ups and more could follow suit.
"The outlook is not good. April-September growth was 10 per cent. October has been so bad, overall growth has come down to 5 per cent," Dilip Chenoy, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, said.
"We're only the mirror image of what the vehicle manufacturer is," J.S. Chopra, president of the Automotive Component Manufacturers' Association of India (ACMA), said. "If vehicle manufacturers cut back, component manufacturers will also cut back in the same proportion."
Reduced vehicle production means fewer orders for component makers, who would see their inventory costs rising as they have to store the incoming raw materials, Chopra said.
Even exports, a driver for parts manufacturers, are slowing as carmakers worldwide combat the global slowdown. ACMA figures show exports grew 6 per cent in the April-Sept, against a 25 per cent compounded annual growth in the last five years.
In the April-Oct, car sales rose just 3.5 per cent, down from the 11.8 per cent in the year to March 2008. Commercial vehicle sales contracted nearly 3 per cent in the period, against 4.1 expansion last year.
Credit rating agency CRISIL has forecast the slowdown in the automobile sector to last till 2009/10, with single digit growth in all segments.
SIAM on Monday said it would wait for November sales figures before revisiting the forecast for the year to March 2009. It has already trimmed growth projections once this year, to 8-10 per cent from 12-15 per cent.
Much of the auto industry's pain stems from a period of tight monetary policy enforced by the Indian central bank, which by July had lofted its key short term interest rate to a seven year high of 9 per cent, bumping up rates on vehicle loans.
Auto makers tried to shore up demand by offering incentives to customers before rolling back the sweeteners as rising raw material prices began squeezing margins.
Interest rates have come down...

ONGC

ONGC said on Monday it was still awaiting Russia's approval for its $2.6 billion bid for UK-listed oil explorer Imperial Energy, but sources familiar with the situation denied speculation that ONGC wanted to cut the bid price.
Russia's anti-trust authority (FAS) said on Friday it had cleared the 1,250 pence a share offer for Russia-focused Imperial, which ONGC's overseas unit, ONGC Videsh, had announced in August when crude oil fetched around $128 a barrel.
The Economic Times quoted on Monday a cabinet source as saying the Indian government now felt the bid price might be too high.
Imperial's share price fell after the newspaper report and a statement from ONGC Videsh that said full clearance for the deal had not been received from the FAS, despite the anti-trust agency's announcement on Friday.
The share price initially fell as much as 14 per cent in early trade and closed down 6.1 per cent at 1,000 pence.
ONGC Videsh said on Monday it had received anti-monopoly approval and a spokesman said the company was working towards "quickly" completing the deal.
But ONGC Videsh also said it was still awaiting approval in relation to restrictions on foreign state-controlled firms buying Russian companies.
The head of the Russian agency's foreign investment control department, Svetlana Levchenko, said this was not necessary since, as ONGC Videsh acknowledged, Moscow has deemed Imperial's assets non-strategic.
"After reviewing the bid, FAS has decided that Imperial's assets are non-strategic, meaning that the company is not subject to the law on foreign strategic investments," Levchenko said in a telephone interview.
NO RENEGOTIATION
ONGC Videsh has not approached Imperial about cutting the bid price, sources close to both sides said on Monday.
"They are not acting like they do not want to do the deal," said one source familiar with the situation.
A senior India oil ministry official said there was no plan to redraw the deal.
"So far ONGC Videsh has not approached us for any reconsideration of the deal. They have come to us if they decide to renegotiate it."
Other sources said the apparent confusion on whether bid conditions had been met reflected the fact it was the first time the strategic assets rules and foreign state ownership rules were being applied in conjunction.
"My impression at this time is that it's about process," a second source close to the matter said.
Two Imperial investors said they were confident the bid would proceed at the current price.
"There's absolutely no wiggle room with this," one hedge...

The Kind Of 3D For Your Tires

When we talk about cars men suddenly becomes chatty than women, of course car is one of men’s best interest and considered one of their ultimate toys. For some men cars are just a necessity and for some it’s an attitude and a necessity but neither way all men were just the same when it comes to car details. Especially when being on the road they can instantly sense whether there is something wrong with the vehicle.

is synonymous to men who have an intense interest for cars. That is why Drivewire.com becomes the portal website of all the competing car online stores. Their expertise and experience in the marketing industry is remarkably outstanding they have had in the business for two decades and they harness a great knowledge of selling the best and the most reliable auto parts in the market.

Drivewire.com online store is a self-contained website that offers over 2 million of auto parts SKU’s covering almost all the demand for parts of all major car brands from the US, Europe, and Asia. The availability of OEM and Genuine auto parts and accessories stock are always assured. Drivewire.com has known for many people because they can provide almost anything like a and other well known auto parts at discounted price; and even the most demanded parts like , K&N, Magnaflow, Escort, and the other leading auto racing products are always available through their website.

Time does fly by so fast. It seems like only a couple of days ago it was still summer but you never did realize that in just a couple of days, winter would soon be descending on the land. And with that kind of change of weather, you might also want to start sprucing up your vehicle so that it would still perform well during the cold months and still give you utmost protection on your trips and journeys.

It does not matter what kind of st

uff you would be using to make sure that your vehicle still is in tiptop shape no matter w

hat the weather would be. You may already have had finished your winter shopping list for yo

ur vehicle. You may even have included those new Plymouth parts, Flow Tech headers, and No

logy hotwires to replace those ones worn out by your summer travels. But you see, you may also want to add the new 3D tires created by Dunlop North America.

According to Dunlop, the creator of these new 3D tires, this new product of theirs would certainly give your vehicle a further boost come the winter season. They have certainly tested the product through various types of road conditions that one can find during winter – roads filled with snow, water, muck, or even mud.

It’s amazing how many things you can do online these days. Paying your bills, meeting people, stock trading, postal services and of course the shopping. Even car buying. Gone are the days when you have to personally scout for your dream car, hopping from one dealership to another and comparing prices. Now buyers can go online and do all these and more. There are hundreds if not thousands of websites that cater to the prospective car buyers. There are even websites that specialize in used cars, classic cars or trailers.

This is something you’ll never get used to. No matter how many times it happens, each time feels like it’s the first. I know what you’re thinking. It is exciting being pulled over by a police officer, it’s dangerous, it’s, exhilarating, it’s, it’s, you guessed it, it’s a ticket.

If a police officer wants you to stop your car, the officer will activate the patrol car’s emergency lights and/or pull up next to you and gesture for you to pull over. If this happens, carefully slow down and pull over at the nearest safe location. When you stop, turn on your emergency flashers, roll down your window and wait for the officer to approach your vehicle.

1. Don’t immediately reach into your glove compartment, visor or jacket for your license and registration. He could mistake your movement as an attempt to find a weapon of some kind. He could shoot you, or even worse, yell at you. Officers generally want you to keep your hands where they can see them for their own safety. You should wait until the officer asks to see your paperwork before you retrieve the documents. Ask why you were pulled over.

2. Always keep this in mind: From the moment the officer stops your car, he or she can record everything you say and use it against you. One of the first things an officer may say to you is, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” Admit nothing. Be courteous and be polite. Don’t try to guess why you were pulled over. Allow the officer time to explain the reason why you were stopped. Provide the requested documents.

There are head units that claim to pump out lots of power. In reality, however, head units can never power up your car audio system as well as a dedicated amplifier.

Plug an amplifier between your head unit and speakers. Let’s see how wide your eyes roll in pleasant surprise.

Convinced? But how do you know which amplifier is best for you? That’s what this article will attempt to accomplish.

Here are a few things that some consider paramount when shopping for an amplifier…

Your personal requirements

What do you want to achieve? Are you just trying to improve your factory setup (the audio system that came with your ride)? Do you want to alter the original setup dramatically? Are you going to change everything totally? Are you going to add a pair of subs or many more? Are you going to use component speakers or something else? The questions can go on almost indefinitely.

Now you get the picture? Your requirements will differ depending on what you are after.

Still related to your personal requirements are features that matter most to you. For example, would you prefer an in-built crossover? A crossover will ensure your speakers perform better as it will split a music signal into several frequency ranges. These ranges are then sent to the most appropriate speakers.

Rumors once flew that red cars were more expensive to insure because they were thought to be driven faster. Today however it is known that car insurance companies don’t really care what color your car is. There have been multiple studies done to see if a certain color car was more likely to be driven faster or to be in more collisions. The results are always mixed however, with no steady results being found.

The color of car you prefer can mean something however. Some experts claim those who like red or yellow cars tend to be more adventurous. Those who prefer white or silver tend to be more conservative. Those who like blue or other vibrant colors are often more creative and those who like black and often considered classy drivers. This may or may not pertain to you.

Audi

Dynamic drive. Extraordinary power. Designed for the fast lane. The limited edition Audi RS6 (available Summer 2003) is a powerhouse five-passenger sedan that lives up to the Audi reputation for performance. This ultra high performer is equipped with an incredible 450 horsepower engine at 6500 rpm, making it a world-class sedan with the heart of a sports car. The Audi RS6 is first Audi equipped with an innovative, new suspension concept called Dynamic Ride Control (DRC). As the driver steers, the Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) suspension changes the shock absorber characteristics so that rolling and pitching movements are virtually eliminated. With the Audi RS6, driving is no longer a means from point A to point B. It's an exhilarating end in itself.

The new Ferrari 430 Scuderia will join the road-going V8 line-up alongside the F430 coupé and the F430 Spider. The Ferrari 430 Scuderia is a truly high-performance 2-seater berlinetta which demonstrates how Ferrari’s Formula 1 know-how is carried across to its production cars.

The new model is a special series based on the F430 and is aimed specifically at Ferrari’s most passionate and sports-driving oriented clients. Development focused on light weight, minimum trimmings and innovative technology. All this to exalt the car’s extremely high-performance and ability to thrill the driver.

The new car can count on an extremely low weight-to-power ratio of just 2.45 kg per hp thanks to a low dry weight of just 1250 kg - 100 kg less than the F430 - and to the naturally-aspirated 4308cc V8’s 510 hp at 8500 rpm.

Superb performance both on and off the track is assured by a series of cutting-edge solutions. There is the latest software - F1 Superfast - which reduces gearchange times to just 60 milliseconds, and new traction control which, for the first time, combines the E-Diff electronic differential and the F1-Trac traction and stability control in a single integrated system.

Vehicle dynamics, control and performance thus represent the zenith of Ferrari’s achievements in terms of developing road-certified

Audi’s midsize A6 comes as a sedan or wagon with a choice of V6 or V8 engines, several transmissions and front- or all-wheel drive. “This is the essence of organic, curving, nature-inspired design. It’s luxurious, but functional and sensible,” says Imre Molnar, dean of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Driving dynamics are superbly fluid and balanced, just like the styling.

This entry-level Audi nails the practicality/luxury combo: Four doors and a rear hatch make it practical, while the slick, organic form and well-crafted interior keep it sophisticated. It’s small and nimble with a gutsy turbocharged, four-cylinder or potent V6 to keep the adrenaline up.