Soon, a smart car that can drive and park itself

Researchers have unveiled a new smart electric car that is able to park itself and come to the driver when "called".
Nissan's NSC-2015 is only a prototype, but its name suggests that the carmaker aims to have it on the market by 2015, the 'BBC News' reported.

However, one analyst warned that the mass use of such cars was a long way off.

The NSC-2015 is a modified version of Nissan's Leaf model and was launched at the Ceatec 2012 show in Tokyo.

The car relies on sensors, cameras, computers and 4G communication technology for wireless links to navigate, and robotics to turn the steering wheel, change gears and brake.

The car drove itself at about 5km/h in a straight line forward and in reverse, and was able to turn, during a demonstration.     The car could recognise road markings and was able to stop at a crossing.    

"After the driver exits the NSC-2015, it starts to park itself automatically, following the instructions given by smartphone," the company said.
 "The vehicle looks for a vacant parking space while identifying its surroundings; once it detects an open parking space automated parking begins.
"The driver can also use smartphone commands to make the NSC-2015 vehicle leave the parking space and return to the place where he or she is," it said.  
The car's security system automatically works with a camera installed in the vehicle.

If the system detects suspicious behaviour, the driver is alerted automatically by a report to his or her smartphone.

However, Tooru Futami, director at electronics engineering development division at Nissan, told Forbes the demo version could only self-park in an area equipped with sensors and restricted to other robotic cars to avoid the risk of collision.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/soonsmart-car-that-can-drivepark-itself-/189882/on

Tata to launch eMO Electric Car

After showcasing theeMO EV concept as a part of the Michellin Challenge Design at the Detroit Auto Show, Tata is now working with French company Dassualt Systems to commercially produce the car that could cost around Rs. 10 lakh.

In a statement, Tata Technologies President (Vehicle Programs and Development Group) Kevin Fisher said the company is working on with Dassault Systemes to "leverage the talents of a global engineering team to meet numerous design and cost constraints, as well as create the targeted user experience, including a final vehicle price tag of under USD 20,000."

“The eMO project symbolizes the coming of age of Indian automotive engineering,” said Warren Harris, Tata Technologies President and Global COO. “It is a tangible example of the capability of Tata Technologies to engineer a full vehicle – a first for any India-based engineering services company.” Harris noted that the unique strength of Tata Technologies is the organization’s global reach. “Because we are India-based, Tata Technologies is ... 

dditionally, our experience and presence in Europe and North America means we also have an understanding of developed markets; a combination that provides a competitive advantage to our clients,” he said.Tata Technologies’ Vehicle Programs & Development (VPD) Group, with more than 300 engineers operating from its four automotive engineering centers of excellence worldwide– Pune (India), Detroit, Coventry (UK), and Stuttgart (Germany) – had the responsibility of developing eMO.

 http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/tata-emo-ev-concept-unveiled-slideshow/media-contacts-dan-saad-siddhartha-bortamuli-latest-press-releases-tata-technologies-displa-photo-1326448215.html

IIT-Bombay rolls out India’s 1st electric racing car

A new set of hot wheels from India is set to enter the racing circuit. What’s more, it’s green. The IIT (Indian Institute of Technology)-Bombay Racing Team on Thursday launched at the institute the country’s first electric race car —Evo1 — designed and manufactured by its members. The car, the first such creation at the student level, will be put to the test in the Formula Students competition at the famous Silverstone Circuit, UK, in July. The competition is a testing ground for the next generation of world-class engineers and it challenges university students from around the world to design and build a single-seat racing car. Evo1 is powered by high-efficiency direct current motors and superior lithium polymer batteries. It has no tailpipe emissions, thus leaving a negligible carbon footprint. It also has a comprehensive data acquisition system, which collects and transmits data of important parameters of the car such as the amount of charge left in the battery and its temperature, motor current, number of revolutions per minute of the wheel and vehicle acceleration. Such a system is widely used during the testing stage to predict the ‘health’ of a car. Created by a team of 60-IIT-B students from different disciplines of engineering, the race car costs Rs15 lakh — Rs3 lakh more than what a car with traditional motor engines and which offers similar efficiency would cost, said Prateek Sharma from the IIT-B Racing Team. “The IIT-Bombay Racing team participated in Formula Student in 2008-2009 with an IC (internal combustion) engine powertrain. This time, it is an electric car. This shift in technology was primarily envisaged keeping in mind the global impetus received for electric vehicles owing to reasons of energy security and environmental concerns. India is many miles away from mass scale of commercialisation of electronic vehicles,” added Sharma. Prof Rangan Bannerjee, dean of research and development at the institute who launched EVo1, said, “We are ready for initiatives which give students exposure to practical groundwork. People who are working on such projects can become innovators tomorrow, which will help us make a difference in society.” http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_iit-bombay-rolls-out-indias-1st-electric-racing-car_1702401

50% of cars buyers research online before final purchase: Study

With over 120 million Internet users in the country, the Internet is playing a major role in influencing the decision making of India's growing number of car buyers.

An offline study conducted by Nielsen on behalf of Google India at car showrooms of leading car makers in top 8 metros revealed that one in two car buyers had conducted research online before arriving at the dealership.

The survey also revealed that of those who had researched their purchase online, over 50% changed their choice of car brands after uncovering new information on the web.

The study shed light on how the Internet influences the purchasing decisions of car buyers in India. Respondents reported that they used the web to research and compare prices, watch online videos and find images, do competitive analysis, find dealer contacts and read both expert and user reviews. Most car buyers also rated OEMs website as the most important and trustworthy source of information. Of the 50% respondents who went online, 42% said they used search engine as the first source of information, just behind the opinions of friends and relatives' (47%).

On average, car buyers spend 9-12 weeks researching before arriving at their final decision, and of those who turned to the web for assistance, over 90% of shoppers used a search engine to learn more about the cars they were interested in buying.

Buyers rated Internet more important than TV or print media for auto related content, thanks to fast, easy access to necessary information and rich media formats such as online video. Over 56% car buyers also choose to watch videos online as part of their research, with over 48% rating YouTube as the destination and a important source of information on the Internet.

Speaking about the study's findings, Rajan Anandan, VP & Managing Director of Google India, said "This offline study substantiates the growing number of auto-related searches we've seen on Google search in India. Auto is among the fastest growing vertical in terms of query volumes on Google. Most OEMs have not yet tapped the full potential of the digital medium and we hope this study will help them to understand and engage the Indian consumer online."

These findings are consistent with query trends on Google Web Search. Auto is among the fastest growing vertical on Google, with query volume growth of over 70% year on year. In addition, in 2011 mobile queries grew 125% yoy; from smart phones, the query volumes were almost double at 242%.

With search engines emerging as the starting point for online car research, we dug deep into the search query patterns on Google search in India for insights into the minds of consumers across the nation.

In terms of query volume growth: SUVs was the fastest growing car segment growing at (83% yoy), followed by premium cars (82%), sedans (75%), luxury cars (74%) and hatchback cars were growing at (53% yoy).

Based on the search query volumes, we also looked at the top 10 most searched cars based query volumes Google search in India in 2011. 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/auto/automobiles/50-of-cars-buyers-research-online-before-final-purchase-study/articleshow/13848629.cms

Some Big ideas and smart cars

We recently caught actor R Madhavan shooting for Maruti WagonR Think Big Challenge's new TVC in Mumbai, and he was just as involved in the making as he is while shooting for a film.
The TVC captures how the idea of 'thinking big' is infectious, and people who come across Madhavan are coming up with big ideas for the Think Big Challenge in the most unlikely situations. Madhavan said, "We wanted to make an ad that had an aftertaste and recall value. I really like this TVC because it's tongue-in-cheek and funny."
The 'WagonR Think Big Challenge' is back with its third season. It is a call of action for those who have an idea, a business plan and the skills, but have been waiting for the right opportunity. The winner stands a chance to win `10 lakh, venture capital and an all-new WagonR. Madhavan has also been involved with the first two seasons, but his association with WagonR goes back to before he became their brand ambassador. It was his wife's first car and his parents also own one. He said, "It is the kind of car that every Indian wants, and it's smart. It's zero maintenance, and is reliable."
Shashank Srivastava, chief general manager, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said "The WagonR Think Big Challenge is the perfect stage for potential entrepreneurs. Over the last two years, the quality of ideas has been phenomenal. With each year, the challenge gets bigger and more exciting." To participate, SMS 'WagonR TBP' to 53636 or log on to www.wagonrsmartideas.com.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-22/bollywood/31379337_1_ideas-brand-ambassador-first-car

India likely to be hub for Piaggio micro car

India is most likely to be the manufacturing hub for Piaggio’s three-seater micro city car for Europe. The 350-cc 2.4 metre car codenamed NT3 was showcased in 2010 and is likely to be ready for launch by 2015. The micro car, comfortable for navigating within busy cities, has caught the fancy of European customers. Daimler’s Smart has become quite popular in this segment and Piaggio aims to take away some share of this growing market. Piaggio is planning to manufacture it in low cost locations such as India or Vietnam in order to bring down cost.
“The cost is very important in this segment,” said Gabriele Galli, CFO, Piaggio group. “Ours will be considerably cheaper than Smart.” The company plans petrol, electric and hybrid variants for the micro car.
Piaggio has plans for a 200 cc variant of the same, which may compete with Bajaj’s RE 60, the 200 cc people carrier unveiled at the Delhi AutoExpo 2012. Piaggio has conducted feasibility study in India too.
The Italian vehicle manufacture has put up capacity to make 150,000 units of its popular Vespa brand of scooters in India. The firm on Thursday launched a premium model Vespa LX125 priced at Rs. 66,661 (ex-showroom in Maharashtra).

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Auto/India-likely-to-be-hub-for-Piaggio-micro-car/Article1-846735.aspx

Mercedes Benz plans to launch compact car 'Smart' in Indian markets

MUMBAI: German premium car maker Mercedes Benz is planning to introduce the compact car brand 'Smart' in the Indian market, and may depend on its global partners Renault-Nissan for support in India, said people familiar with the development.
The company had recently conducted a feasibility study of introducing the Smart-featured in the movie The Da Vinci Code-in the Indian market which includes both versions: the four-door Smart Forfour and two-door Smart Fortwo.
If the result of the study is encouraging, the company may launch the Smart brand, post-2014. "India is one of the countries where there's a very logical strategy to be made (on the Smart brand), with a good percentage of cars sold here are small cars.
It is a logical thought. I assume in the foreseeable future, we will come to that part of the world and discuss the possibility of rolling out Smart," said Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman, Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes Benz.
Smart could be priced anywhere in the range of Rs 12-15 lakh. Mercedes Benz sells the Smart-badged cars at a more affordable price point, and are positioned below its smallest premium car 'A' class globally. A Mercedes Benz India spokesperson told ET, "It is too premature to talk about it.
India is a growing market and we are studying several models to bring them into the Indian market." Since the next generation Smart cars are being developed jointly with Renault-Nissan, Mercedes Benz is not ruling out the possibility of sourcing components and engines in the future from the alliance partners' plant in Chennai.
"We have to see the logistics --where are they located, do they already have plants, what would be the incremental investments to facilitate Mercedes Benz platform or engines. And If it offers any benefits, it can be explored," said the official on the sourcing aspect with Renault-Nissan in India.
The company could have developed the engine itself, but even Renault-Nissan wanted a compact engine and it made sense for both the partners to explore the possibility of developing the engine together so as to bring in economies of scale and reduce the cost which could help in overseas markets and India.
ET had reported earlier in March that Mercedes Benz intends to launch 10 new models over the next five years, which may see 3-5 compact brands in India. The A and B class, along with a compact SUV, is more or less frozen for the Indian market over the next couple of years, while the next two could be from the Smart brand.
Mercedes-Benz India's chairman, Matthias Luhrs, who is also vice-president of sales at the headquarters, had told ET that the compact cars will drive the volumes going ahead, and help the company regain its number one position in India.

Luhrs had said that with the entry of more compact models, the carmaker will more than double its sales in India to over 15,000 units in the next couple of years. In 2011, BMW had launched compact models like the X1 and X3 in India and it also introduced the iconic brand, Mini, in 2012.
Audi too will be launching more compacts like the Q3 and A3 to create new entry level for the luxury and premium segments Sales of Mercedes-Benz India grew 22.7% in 2011 to 7,089 units. The company expects the overall Indian car market to grow by 18-19% in 2012, with the premium and luxury segment clocking over 66% growth.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-26/news/31240138_1_compact-car-daimler-ag-smart-brand

Tata eMO is a $20,000 EV that will never be made

Tata is working on another electric vehicle. Like the Indica Vista EV from Tata Motors from a few years ago, the all-electric eMO from Tata Technologies (another part of the much larger Tata Group) shows off Tata's global efforts to move vehicles off of gasoline.

With a 100-mile range and a top speed of 65 miles per hour, the electric MObility (eMO) concept looks good on paper, most importantly the idea that it could be sold for $20,000 before incentives, as Tata Technologies' Nigel Giddons told The New York Times. Even though the concept is not intended for production, Tata thought thorugh ways to save money throughout the manufacturing process. The way this low number was achieved was through a minimalistic attitude of the interior (á la the low-cost Nano) and by allowing the electric powertrain to dictate some unusual design choices. There's no traditional b-pillar, for example, since the rear doors are suicide-style to create a large opening for getting in and out and for putting cargo in the back seats. You have to used the side doors, since there is also no rear hatch, which reduces weight. In a statement, Warren Harris, Tata Technologies President and Global COO, said the, "eMO project symbolizes the coming of age of Indian automotive engineering."

We'll see more of the eMO at the Michelin Challenge Design during the 2012 Detroit Auto Show next week. This year, the MCD's theme is, "City 2046: Art, Life and Ingenuity – Transforming Personal Mobility." An EV with a 100-mile range for just $20,000 may sound good in 2012, but by 2046, we assume this won't be enough.

http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/05/tata-emo-is-a-20000-ev-that-will-never-be-made/

India’s Bajaj Enters New Market: Cars with Four-Wheels

NEW DELHI — India’s Bajaj Auto Ltd. unveiled its first four-wheeled vehicle, making a foray into the wider market from its comfort zone of two and three-wheeled vehicles.

India’s second-biggest two-wheeler maker, however, stopped short of entering the highly competitive personal passenger car segment dominated by the likes of home-grown Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and Hyundai Motor Co.
Called the RE60, Bajaj’s new hatchback will create a new public passenger vehicle or “city taxi” segment, Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj told a press conference. The company expects passengers to upgrade from three-wheelers, currently the most popular mode of personal intra-city transport in India, to the new RE60.
“About 5 million three-wheelers made by Bajaj are [currently] on the roads. We are extremely hopeful RE60 would gradually replace these,” Mr. Bajaj said, adding the vehicle also had “excellent export opportunities”. Bajaj is the biggest seller of three-wheeled passenger carriers in India.
The 200 cubic-centimeter gasoline engine-powered vehicle is expected to be ready for commercial production in the next few months.
While the company didn’t set a price, RE60 will likely be a much cheaper alternative to even the cheapest passenger cars currently used as taxis.
Mr. Bajaj said the company has developed CNG variants of the vehicle and expects to get considerable orders from local governments which run public carrier services.
The vehicle was initially conceived by the Pune-based company, in partnership with Renault S.A. and Nissan Motor Co. as a small car to compete with Tata Motors’ Nano, the cheapest car in the world. The partners had planned a joint venture with Bajaj holding a 50% stake and the rest shared by Renault and Nissan. The idea was dropped later and it was decided Bajaj would, in a non-strategic partnership, develop the car, which could be branded and marketed by its partners.
Bajaj later said the Renault-Nissan Alliance was free to walk away from the project if it isn’t satisfied with it. Renault and Nissan have separately said they are developing their own small car for India.
“The platform serves as a base to develop more products and with modifications, we are ready to sell it to Renault and Nissan if they wish,” said Mr. Bajaj, adding Renault and Nissan “continue to show interest.”
The vehicle will be made at Bajaj’s three-wheeler plant at the western city of Aurangabad. With no significant investment involved, the project will be risk-free, Mr. Bajaj said. The company expects the four-wheeler project to have an operating margin of 20%.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/01/03/indias-bajaj-enters-new-market-cars-with-four-wheels/