HAMBACH, France (Reuters) - Several car markets were "very weak" in August, especially in Europe, Daimler's chief executive told reporters on Wednesday.
"We were affected as well," Dieter Zetsche said, although he added that the company's Mercedes-Benz and Smart brands performed relatively well compared with the competition.
He said the company had delivered more than 90,000 Smart minicars this year as of the end of August but did not give any more details.
Daimler also announced that serial production of Smart cars with electric power would start from 2012 at the latest. A limited production run of Smart cars with lithium-ion batteries would start late next year.
Zetsche said the Smart business would make a profit again this year and that its sole plant in Hambach still had room to raise output.
Sales of the Smart brand in China will start early next year, but it did not plan to tap the market in Brazil or India at this stage, he said.
http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-35301420080903
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
India's Tata group unveils world's cheapest car
NEW DELHI (AFP) — India's giant Tata Group Thursday unveiled what it has billed as the world's cheapest car -- a compact and no-frills family vehicle set to revolutionise the market of 1.1 billion people.
The four-door five-seater car, due to hit the market later this year at just 100,000 rupees (2,500 US dollars), has a small 33bhp 624cc engine at the rear and is targeted at Indians hoping to trade up to four wheels from a motorcycle.
The Tata 'Nano' -- which looks almost exactly like a Smart -- has no air conditioning, no electric windows and no power steering for the basic model, although two deluxe models ...
http://findarticles.com
The four-door five-seater car, due to hit the market later this year at just 100,000 rupees (2,500 US dollars), has a small 33bhp 624cc engine at the rear and is targeted at Indians hoping to trade up to four wheels from a motorcycle.
The Tata 'Nano' -- which looks almost exactly like a Smart -- has no air conditioning, no electric windows and no power steering for the basic model, although two deluxe models ...
http://findarticles.com
Friday, August 1, 2008
Hyundai Rides Demand for Small Cars
Its plans for luxury models may slow, but the Korean automaker will still benefit from high gas prices thanks to its gas-sippers
Oil may have retreated from record highs over the past week, but the painfully high price of gasoline has dampened Hyundai Motor's campaign to go upscale (BusinessWeek.com, 12/7/07) with sport-utility vehicles and bigger, more luxurious cars. But $4-a-gallon doesn't seem to be hurting its growth strategy. The reason: It has a solid lineup of small gas-sippers, and just as important, ready capacity.
The numbers show this isn't the time for Korea's top automaker to shed its image as a maker of small, inexpensive cars. As its bigger global rivals slumped, Hyundai on July 24 posted a quarterly revenue record of $9.03 billion in three months ending in June, up 13% from a year earlier. Its operating profit in the quarter rose 6%, to $657 million, but currency-related losses pushed net profits down 11%, to $542 million. (The company lost $149 million in currency-derivatives investments and $99 million in its Indian operation because a sharp fall in the Indian currency increased its debt costs.)
Now Hyundai is once again trumpeting its small cars (BusinessWeek.com, 7/18/08), and it's considering building them in the U.S. starting next year (it already builds the midsize Sonata sedan and Santa Fe SUV at a plant in Montgomery, Ala.). "Just as Honda established itself with a fuel-efficient engine when the world was rocked by the first oil shock, this new era of high oil prices will serve as a similar opportunity for us," says Yoon Mong Hyun, Hyundai's managing director in charge of business strategy planning.
Small-Car Opportunity
Early signs are encouraging. In June, as overall U.S. auto sales fell by 8%, Hyundai hit a monthly record, selling 50,000 vehicles, up 14% from a year earlier, according to selling-day-adjusted statistics from researcher Autodata. Sales of the compact Elantra jumped 51%, the subcompact Accent was up 70%, and the Sonata climbed by 12%.
Hyundai is adding to its offerings of diminutive vehicles to take advantage of that opportunity. The company this year will introduce a new Elantra wagon in the U.S., based on a compact called the i30 sold in Europe. That will be the first of about a half-dozen new small models the company plans to introduce in the U.S. over the next five years, quadrupling its current small-car lineup. It may also make small cars such as the Elantra at a new plant in West Point, Ga., that its affiliate Kia Motors expects to open next year.
Hyundai's small cars are a hit in fast-growing emerging markets, too. In China and India, Hyundai's sales rose a combined 27%, to 263,500 in the first six months of this year as it has added new, small models (BusinessWeek.com, 1/30/08): the European-styled, $7,850 i10 mini in India, and the $14,600 Yuedong compact in China. The company's target is to boost market share to more than 20% in India this year, from 17% last year, and to 6.1% in China, from 4.6%. Another looming market is Russia, where Hyundai nearly doubled its car sales, to 47,100, in the first half of this year.
A Good Small-Car Environment
The ambitious growth target is linked to Hyundai's aggressive plan to add new capacity. In the past year, it has opened two new plants—one in Beijing and the other in the southern Indian city of Chennai—each with annual capacity of 300,000 small cars. The company is also building a factory of similar size in the Czech Republic for completion next year, and in June it broke ground for one in Russia that it hopes to open in 2010. "The capacity appeared excessive before high oil prices sparked a sudden hike in small car demand," says Ahn Soo Woong, head of research at brokerage LIG Investment & Securities. "Now, Hyundai looks smart with the additional facilities."
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jul2008/gb20080724_659211.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_global+business
Sunday, July 27, 2008
How to Buy Cheap Cars from Government Auctions
If you want to know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, look no further than your own local city. Police and government auctions are held all the time featuring cheap cars that have been repossessed or taken as property of the state. Call you local officials to find out more about how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, such as when these auctions are being held and where they are located. You're bound to turn up some good information. You can also check listings in your local paper, which should carry information about such things.
If you're wondering about how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, then you must already know that buying cars from government auctions is a good way to turn a profit for yourself. You can re-sell these cheap cars to buyers who are looking for used cars for a variety of reasons. If you know anything about cars or work with someone who does, you can even do a little work on the cheap cars, upgrading them and thus upping their re-sell value. When you know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, there are plenty of ways to make money.
How to buy cheap cars from government auctions isn't the hardest question to find an answer to. The question is how to find buyers from the cars you buy at government auctions? Put up colorful, eye-catching signs on busy roads, and be sure to list your cars in local newspapers and perhaps even on the Internet. There are buyers out there, and the answer to finding them is in advertising. Knowing how to buy cheap cars from government auctions is the first step toward turning cheap cars into great profit for yourself.
If you want to know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, simply look around. Listen for announcements on the radio. Call your local government office. Check out listings in the newspaper. When you know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, those cheap cars can become very valuable indeed.
Good luck Buying Cheap Cars from Government Auctions!!
Repossessed Foreclosures: How to Buy Them Dirt Cheap!
Seizedgovauctions.com -- Government Seized Cars and Real Estate!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emma_Drosy
If you're wondering about how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, then you must already know that buying cars from government auctions is a good way to turn a profit for yourself. You can re-sell these cheap cars to buyers who are looking for used cars for a variety of reasons. If you know anything about cars or work with someone who does, you can even do a little work on the cheap cars, upgrading them and thus upping their re-sell value. When you know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, there are plenty of ways to make money.
How to buy cheap cars from government auctions isn't the hardest question to find an answer to. The question is how to find buyers from the cars you buy at government auctions? Put up colorful, eye-catching signs on busy roads, and be sure to list your cars in local newspapers and perhaps even on the Internet. There are buyers out there, and the answer to finding them is in advertising. Knowing how to buy cheap cars from government auctions is the first step toward turning cheap cars into great profit for yourself.
If you want to know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, simply look around. Listen for announcements on the radio. Call your local government office. Check out listings in the newspaper. When you know how to buy cheap cars from government auctions, those cheap cars can become very valuable indeed.
Good luck Buying Cheap Cars from Government Auctions!!
Repossessed Foreclosures: How to Buy Them Dirt Cheap!
Seizedgovauctions.com -- Government Seized Cars and Real Estate!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emma_Drosy
Saturday, July 19, 2008
A car that could dial a phone, play DVDs
When you watch a James Bond movie, you can't help gawking at the smart Aston Martin that executes breathtaking manouevres at Bond’s command. What if you could own such a car that could dial a phone, play DVDs for your family and be an extension of your digital home—all at one voice command? And now all this is for real.
The people who dreamt up such cars in the 1960s auto shows were a little off on the date. But finally some initial versions of these electronically-governed cars are on the highway. You can already buy cars with adaptive cruise control that automatically slow down if the radar or laser detects you tailgating. Your car can warn you when you stray across lane markings, and these kinds of sensors are already being used experimentally in cars that drive themselves.
Playing an important role is a clutch of Indian companies collaborating with global majors. Multinationals like Intel or Wind River and Freescale Semiconductor are working with players like Delphi in the Tier-I category. But it is the smaller players making the components that have made India a powerhouse in auto component design, which are working towards a single platform on which all electronic devices can work on.
Varroc Group, a supplier of automotive parts for automobiles in the domestic and overseas markets with manufacturing facilities across India and two plants in Europe, has seen the benefits. It works with Freescale on a low-cost digital dashboard for the Bajaj Pulsar, and is now looking at smart consoles for next-generation cars. “There are other projects happening with them as well,” says Ashok Chandak, Sr VP of the Aurangabad-based company, adding that Freescale’s expertise has helped make them attain the next level of sophistication.
“The era of intelligent driving systems is at our doorstep,” says Sanat Rao, marketing director, emerging markets, at Intel India. At the firm’s sprawling office in Bangalore, he explains how the Intel Atom 1.6GHz is integrated with other hardware and seamlessly interacts with the operating system. Intel is working with other companies to shorten the time it takes for intelligent voice recognition devices to get to the market and is creating a unified platform for the same. Designed on operating systems like Moblin that work in mobile devices, it is made for high-end cars. “The ecosystem consists of digital 3-D maps, speech recognition for every function, and so on for this embedded system,” informs Rao.
However, the low-cost production capacities of SMBs will ensure a basic level of such a platform even on low-end cars. “I am impressed at the quality of our smaller partners,” says Sanjeev Keskar, country sales manager, Freescale Semiconductors. Take the case of Pricol. Its subsidiary, Pricol Technologies, is a product design engineering company involved in embedded system development and providing CAD services.
“We have our own R&D facilities and we are working with Freescale for support in making the application,” says AS Ramaseshan, COO, Pricol Technologies. Wind River, that is making the operating system for such devices, has made a prototype of the digital console at its Bangalore office.
“This has Bluetooth, a USB drive and speech recognition,” says Venkatesh Kumaran, country manager, India. The touch screen displays every critical element of engine performance when you choose to see it, plays music and movies, and can download content though a USB cable. Not surprisingly, some of the key components and even the final console will have players like Varroc and Pricol playing key roles to make it affordable. “In future, such cars will “talk” to other smart cars on the road,” says Kumaran.
That would enable closely spaced cars to move in unison (and react more quickly to problems than humans could). A road system filled with these cars wouldn’t even need traffic lights as the cars could just talk among themselves. As Intel’s Rao puts it, we’d all experience being Bond, at least in our cars.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News
The people who dreamt up such cars in the 1960s auto shows were a little off on the date. But finally some initial versions of these electronically-governed cars are on the highway. You can already buy cars with adaptive cruise control that automatically slow down if the radar or laser detects you tailgating. Your car can warn you when you stray across lane markings, and these kinds of sensors are already being used experimentally in cars that drive themselves.
Playing an important role is a clutch of Indian companies collaborating with global majors. Multinationals like Intel or Wind River and Freescale Semiconductor are working with players like Delphi in the Tier-I category. But it is the smaller players making the components that have made India a powerhouse in auto component design, which are working towards a single platform on which all electronic devices can work on.
Varroc Group, a supplier of automotive parts for automobiles in the domestic and overseas markets with manufacturing facilities across India and two plants in Europe, has seen the benefits. It works with Freescale on a low-cost digital dashboard for the Bajaj Pulsar, and is now looking at smart consoles for next-generation cars. “There are other projects happening with them as well,” says Ashok Chandak, Sr VP of the Aurangabad-based company, adding that Freescale’s expertise has helped make them attain the next level of sophistication.
“The era of intelligent driving systems is at our doorstep,” says Sanat Rao, marketing director, emerging markets, at Intel India. At the firm’s sprawling office in Bangalore, he explains how the Intel Atom 1.6GHz is integrated with other hardware and seamlessly interacts with the operating system. Intel is working with other companies to shorten the time it takes for intelligent voice recognition devices to get to the market and is creating a unified platform for the same. Designed on operating systems like Moblin that work in mobile devices, it is made for high-end cars. “The ecosystem consists of digital 3-D maps, speech recognition for every function, and so on for this embedded system,” informs Rao.
However, the low-cost production capacities of SMBs will ensure a basic level of such a platform even on low-end cars. “I am impressed at the quality of our smaller partners,” says Sanjeev Keskar, country sales manager, Freescale Semiconductors. Take the case of Pricol. Its subsidiary, Pricol Technologies, is a product design engineering company involved in embedded system development and providing CAD services.
“We have our own R&D facilities and we are working with Freescale for support in making the application,” says AS Ramaseshan, COO, Pricol Technologies. Wind River, that is making the operating system for such devices, has made a prototype of the digital console at its Bangalore office.
“This has Bluetooth, a USB drive and speech recognition,” says Venkatesh Kumaran, country manager, India. The touch screen displays every critical element of engine performance when you choose to see it, plays music and movies, and can download content though a USB cable. Not surprisingly, some of the key components and even the final console will have players like Varroc and Pricol playing key roles to make it affordable. “In future, such cars will “talk” to other smart cars on the road,” says Kumaran.
That would enable closely spaced cars to move in unison (and react more quickly to problems than humans could). A road system filled with these cars wouldn’t even need traffic lights as the cars could just talk among themselves. As Intel’s Rao puts it, we’d all experience being Bond, at least in our cars.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News
Sunday, July 13, 2008
AIR CAR SET TO ENTER INDIA
India Post News Service
NEW DELHI: With environment on everyone's mind, fuel prices shooting and global warming hitting economies eco-friendly cars are ruling the day. They have become the hot item in the eyes of the public and more importantly the green item. One such car which uses compressed air as fuel is the "Air car." French company "Moteur Development International" (MDI) has researched and developed the MiniC.A.T .
Tata Motors, India's largest automobile company, has signed an agreement with MDI for application in India of MDI's engine technology, and believes the engine is viable - It's press statement describes it as "efficient, cost-effective, scalable, and capable of other applications such as power generation". The MiniCAT could cost around $ 8177 in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels.
The cost of a refill would be about $ 2. Although there is no official word on when the car will be manufactured in India, report says it will be sooner than later. Tata motors will also launch the world's cheapest car, Tata Nano for $2500 by October, in India. The MiniC.A.T which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fibreglass powered by compresed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators etc.
There are no keys - just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. Most importantly, it is incredibly cost-efficient. According to the designers, it costs less than one Euro per 100Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where the 80% of motorists drive at less than 60Km. The car has a top speed of 68 mph. Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately $2.3, the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometres.
As a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank in 3-4 hours. Due to the absence of combustion and, consequently, of residues, changing the oil (1 litre of vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000Km.] The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power.
Zero Pollution Motors(ZPM) expects to produce the world's first air-powered car for the United States by late 2009 or early 2010. As the US licensee for Luxembourg-based MDI, which developed the Air Car, ZPM has attained rights to build the first of several modular plants, which are likely to begin manufacturing in the Northeast and grow for regional production around the country. And while ZPM is also licensed to build MDI's two-seater OneCAT economy model (the one headed for India) and three-seat MiniCAT (like a SmartForTwo without the gas), the New Paltz, NY, startup is aiming bigger, company officials want to make the first air-powered car to hit US roads a $17,800, 75-hp equivalent, six-seat modified version of MDI's CityCAT that is said to travel as far as 1000 miles at up to 96 mph with each tiny fill-up. Another car gaining popularity because of its features is the Mercedes-Benz Smart.
To date, over 900,000 smart vehicles have been sold in 36 other countries throughout the world. In January 2008, the United States became the 37th country to sell the Smart Fortwo. The models available in the United States are the smart fortwo pure coupe (entry-level), the smart fortwo passion coupe (well-equipped) and the smart fortwo passion cabriolet (well-equipped convertible). The smart fortwo ranges from $11,590 to $16,590. The most fascinating feature is that one can book this car for just $99.
The top speed of the smart fortwo is 90 mph (Electronically limited). Protecting the environment, energy efficiency and preservation of natural resources are hallmarks of smart brand. For example; only water-soluble paints are used for the Smart's three basic colors - black, white and yellow. Painting of the tridion safety cell is done by the powder-coating process. This removes the need for solvents.
The body panels with molded-in color are fully recyclable. Environmental management is a high priority. Smart is dedicated to protecting the environment with future focused recycling and an environmental policy that makes a strong statement.
The smart fortwo is also classified as an Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) on account of its extremely low exhaust emissions. The catalytic converter is positioned close to the engine for a quick response. An electric pump blows fresh air into the exhaust port when the engine is cold to almost completely oxidize the carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) and render them harmless.
http://indiapost.com/article/usnews/3151/
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Car Manufacturers
This trend apparently reflects the aspirations that parents have for themselves and for their children, and can include brand names of luxury cars, perfume, clothing, and even food. There were about 250 other car manufacturers when Ford built his Model T assembly plant in 1908, however, he built more cars in one day than most of his rivals could build in one month. With their own choice of weapons and battle-ready cars, players can enjoy hours of fresh game play in this story-based career mode.
Networks think of a Best Effort plan (above) as a freeway with congested traffic where traffic stops and starts according to the number of cars trying to drive on the road at the same time. Think about the marketing and advertising campaigns that get your attention, the clothes you wear, the house you live in, the cars you drive, the cell phone you carry or any number of other decisions you make and you'll find that design plays a key role in your decision. Design Matters. Car purchase loans: things you must know All the cars are considered as brand new unless stated hence full manufacturers warranties are offered.
On the other hand, diesel trucks and cars are mostly turbo charged, and they already run at a higher compression ratio. GPS receivers come in various formats, from devices integrated into cars, to phones to watches. These trailers have the capacity of carrying heavy loads while smaller trailers are available for vans, smaller cars and even motorcycles.
By downplaying the appearance of the cars-calling them "wrecks" he allowed the media to expect dented, scratched, beat-up cars. Towels must also be dried on a line if they are laid on the concrete or asphalt they can pick up tiny rocks that can scratch the surface of the cars. Most cars are designed with a CD changer, wherein multiple disks are held in the head unit.
There are also special insurance policies to cover company cars, professional indemnity insurance and other key man insurance policies. Examples are cars, finance, computer equipment, and professional services where a buyer will actively seek details for comparison prior to making a purchase. The invention of new technology in cars make them gaining.
Deep inside, we're not our cars or our cell phones or other tools, but our choices will always send signals to customers, and if we're smart, we may orchestrate those signals to produce the best possible results.
Soli Katir
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