'Car IT will be adapted soon in India'

Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows platform has an automotive version, MS Auto, an operating system for cars which includes info-and-entertainment

Norbert Braendli

systems. The software developer sees a role for itself in the auto industry’s green movement focusing on sustainability, controlling emissions and the move towards electric vehicles. Within the nearly $60-billion Microsoft Corporation universe, the automotive business is still small but the worldwide managing director of its automotive and industrial equipment business, Norbert Braendli, believes it will grow.

His confidence rises from the changing habits of a younger generation of car owners who will want to take their world with them wherever they go via the mobile phone and the change this will bring to the concept of mobility. So which trends in the automotive industry are of interest to the software major?

First off, car makers are investing in technology for sustainability and emissions control. You see ‘green’ cars at all the motor shows. The key for OEMs is time to market, with some like Toyota already there so there’s no time to lose for the others. In this area, MS can provide service to electric vehicles where energy management is critical. The range of an electric battery cannot compare with the standard battery. So, they need smart energy management. “We are also involved in services around the car, like making it easier to navigate and in location-based services,” he said.

An electric vehicle needs improved navigation systems, systems which are intelligent and dynamic. For instance, roads are now in 2-D but in an electric vehicle, if we provide 3-D road maps, these would show the gradient. This has a direct impact on consumption — a gradient means higher consumption. So the user might want to use a road that is flat even if it is a bit longer. We will be doing more in this space, he said.

Will this country be the first to deploy some of Microsoft’s solutions in the volume segment cars? Microsoft’s Car IT, which refers to mobile devices usable in a car, will be customary in next generation cars — cars that will be launched in the next 5-10 years. Dr Braendli expects that in India, with the penetration of the mobile phone, Car IT will be adapted more quickly than in the mature economies. As more Indian OEMs look at exports, they will have to include systems such as these in their products and Microsoft aims to provide basic services like security, user management and other basic services from the computer to work in and on-road environment. But infrastructure is a critical necessity.

So far, Microsoft has Ford Sync, which synchronises the mobile device with the car. It is built into the steering wheel, based on voice commands and has a standard interface with a USB, bluetooth, music, etc. For Fiat, it is Blue&Me, similar to the Ford Sync with some additional features built around it. The USB stick can read data and once the driver gets home, gets a free download on the home computer. Infrastructure, in the form of internet connectivity, safety and security could be problems. On the service side, the company expects to a difference between the volume segment and the premium. “We are in talks with car makers to provide MS Office services in premium cars for which we have done the proof of concept,” Dr Braendli remarked.

The OEMs however want high quality speech recognition and human machine interface, not standard Windows, to manage services inside the car. That ensures driver does not take his hands off the steering wheel.
So if MS Auto increases productivity, why not deployed it on commercial vehicles? Microsoft has begun talks with CV manufacturers, and it is more urgent for them. For a driver of a commercial vehicle, the truck is his home so he needs the PC, television, DVD, and so on, to be used during night halts. This is a huge opportunity there. Also, uptime is critical in fleet management so there are opportunities around remote diagnostics, monitoring the quality of the truck. If the price comes down, CV manufacturers will want such telematics-based service.

What can we expect in future from Microsoft in the automotive space? Much of the advancement would be around more entertainment, including digital radio. Also, an improved navigation system, making it more intelligent. Over the next three years, we will have two releases of MS Auto, extensions of the current versions. These will be standardised and richer and closer to OE requirements.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/Car-IT-will-be-adapted-soon-in-India/articleshow/5380139.cms

Honda plans Asian small car, with India as lead market

New Delhi: Honda Motor Co has identified India, along with China, as two of its top priority markets. Moreover, the company believes India holds a great potential for vehicle growth -- the very reason why the company's president and CEO Takanobu Ito chose New Delhi as the destination for his first overseas visit after assuming charge.

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_honda-plans-asian-small-car-with-india-as-lead-market_1310412

India, China small car sales cheer auto companies at global level

Consumers in emerging markets have saved the day for top global auto makers grappling with the after-effects of the steepest fall in global output since the Great Depression. On Monday, Japan’s Suzuki

Motor said that its annual operating profit would be four times more than previously forecast because of strong sales in India, according to a Reuters report.

Auto majors such as Suzuki and Hyundai Motors, South Korea’s biggest automobile maker, have seen growth buoyed by sales of small car in emerging markets. According to international media reports, Hyundai recorded about 55% of sales from China and India while Toyota saw around 31% of sales coming from emerging markets.

Hyundai, the second-largest carmaker in India, exported Santro cars and Accent sub-compacts made in India to over 100 countries, said company officials. Analysts say that small cars have emerged as a source of competitive advantage for these companies, giving them an edge over other big carmakers such as Ford and General Motors (GM), which have taken a hit in numbers.

When contacted, RC Bhargava, chairman of Maruti-Suzuki, said: “We will produce over one million cars this year and will certainly boost the consolidated balance sheet of Suzuki. A good-performing subsidiary always helps the parent company.”

Indian advantage

Suzuki’s 50% share in the rapidly-growing Indian market provides it an unusual advantage, at least in the current circumstances, compared to its much bigger rivals like Toyota and Honda who are more exposed to the US and European markets. India makes almost a quarter of Suzuki’s global production, company officials say.

Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, also posted a 32% growth in domestic sales at 85,415 units in October 2009. Hyundai Motor India’s total sales for October 2009 stood at 51,736 units, up 11%. Tata Motors and M&M — the two largest companies owned by Indian entrepreneurs — saw growth rates in excess of 20% in October. Crucially, Tata Motors has seen a smart recovery in sales of commercial vehicles, a bellwether for economic growth.

India is the world’s fifth or sixth largest maker of passenger vehicles, depending on definitions. Sales of cars and utility vehicles is expected to be around 1.8 million units for the year ended March 31, 2010.

Despite the brisk growth rate in India, they palled compared to the eye-popping 9.6 million units sold in the first nine months of 2009 in China. The sharp contraction of consumer demand in the US has propelled China into the position of the world’s largest automobile market.

Government incentives

Domestic growth rates have been boosted by Indian government’s efforts to combat the fallout of the financial meltdown in the second half of 2008. As a result, taxes on small cars — defined according to length and the size of the engine — as well as trucks were cut to 8%, the lowest level in many years.

This is true for countries worldwide. China has halved taxes on small cars, while developed markets have sought to boost sales by encouraging consumers to bring forward purchases of new cars. The most famous of these is the ‘cash for clunkers’ programme introduced in the US that encouraged car owners to purchase a more fuel-efficient one by trading in a less-efficient car.

Both Germany and France have had similar schemes, popularly known as “scrappage schemes”. Exports of small cars from India to European countries have benefited from these.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5191121.cms

General Motor Launches Cruze in India

General Motors launched its upper midsize sedan Chevrolet Cruze in the Indian market amidst much fanfare in Mumbai. The car is priced competitively at Rs. 10.99 lakh and Rs. 12.45 lakh for its LT and LTZ variants respectively. The new Chevrolet Cruze is available in six colours - Atlantis Blue, Light Gold, Olympic White, Velvet Red, Misty Lake and Caviar Black. It will be pitted against Skoda Laura, Honda City, Toyota Corolla Altis and Volkswagen Jetta. General Motors is offering a warranty of first three year or 1 lakh kilometers.

"The Cruze has been receiving rave reviews since its recent debut in some other markets. We expect it to perform well against the established D-segment players," said Karl Slym, General Motors India President and Managing Director. "GM's investments in manufacturing the Cruze in India are a demonstration of our sustained commitment to making Chevrolet the most admired and preferred vehicle brand in this country," Slym added.

The car is powered by a 2.0 Litre Commom Rail Turbodiesel engine with 150 bhp of maximum power and 327 nm of torque. It is the most powerful engine in its class for petrol or diesel models. ARAI has given it a mileage certificate of 18.1 kmpl for the diesel model which makes it the most economical car in its segment as well.

The new model is laden with a host of features which are standard in its category - Airbags, ABS, follow me home headlamps (headlamps which turn off automatically after some time), alloy wheels and a smart screen which shows a number of settings for the driver. The display screen shows date, time and outside temperature. Sunroof, Leather seats, 6 CD changer, Park Assists, steering mounted audio controls and cruise control are further add-on features available in the LTZ variant.

The new Chevrolet Cruze also features Passive Entry Passive Start System, which offers complete keyless operations such as keyless entry, ignition starter without keys, anti-theft alarm and central locking system. One of the striking features of the new Chevrolet Cruze is that the car can be started even with a push button while the keys are still in the pocket. The car detects the keys as soon as the driver comes near the car and it opens the locks automatically.

Apart from normal airbags, safety features also include additional features like Emergency exit where the boot also opens from an inside lever. This prevents the occupants to be trapped inside the car in case of a traumatic situation.

Apart from the launch of Chevrolet Cruze, the company officials also confirmed that GM’s new mini car “Beat” is slated for a launch later this year and will be priced at Rs. 4 lakh. General Motors is also planning to launch a new 800cc petrol engine Spark model in India next year.

http://www.cartradeindia.com/car-bike-news/general-motor-launches-cruze-in-india-111593.html

Proton Team To Visit India To Finalise Joint Venture With Hero

NEW DELHI, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- A delegation from Proton Holdings Bhd is expected to arrive here later this month to finalise plans to form a joint venture with Hero Group.

The Economic Times in today's front-page "Hero chases small car dream with Proton" said that Proton and Hero Group were in the final stage of negotiations.

Hero Group's top executives, according to the newspaper, had visited Proton's Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim plants and its car design subsidiary, Lotus in the United Kingdom.

Sunil Kant Munjal, chairman of Hero Corporate Service Ltd, told the newspaper: "Proton came and met us earlier and there's nothing more to add."

The tie-up would enable Hero Group, a family owned company that started off producing bicycle components in early 1940s, to enter the robust Indian passenger car market, which sold 1.5 million vehicles last year.

Proton had been critically exploring the Indian motor vehicle sector for some years and had talks with leading Indian players like Mahindra and Mahindra, Ambassador, Hindustan Motors, Sonalika's International Car and Motors Ltd and Argentum Motors.

More interaction between both parties is in the pipeline when International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed visit India later this month.

The US$4 billion Hero Group is owned by Delhi-based Munjal family.

In the past, the Indian company had also explored joint venture possibilities with French carmaker Peugeot-Citroen and Germany's Volkswagen, to manufacture cars for the Indian market, said the paper.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=445960

One more small car from Maruti, now as a CKD

The outflow of small cars from Maruti’s stable is ridiculously constant. It announced the new Zen Estilo last week, and within no time, focus has shifted on to another small car for India.
The new “eco” small car will be made in Thailand to benefit from the tax sops the government offers for vehicles following certain regulations (sub-1,300 cc, delivering fuel efficiency of 20 km per litre and under 120 grams of CO2 emissions per km). Our very own Tata is putting together a small car which will also fall under the eco category.
Moreover the Indo-Thai free trade agreement assists in sourcing componenets at a much cheaper rate now. The same has prompted Maruti to source CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits of the eco car from Thailand and assemble it locally.
Though the details are not clear, could it be an all new small car to take on select variants of the Nano? With the 800 retiring next year, one finds it hard it to believe it will be anything else.

Ford's global chief to unveil new small car in India

Ford Motor Co is expected to announce its new small car for the Indian market on Wednesday, with Alan Roger Mulally, Ford's president and chief executive, making a lightening visit to the country for the unveiling.
Although Ford officials seem to be playing it low key with no detailed announcement yet, Wheels Unplugged says the new small car has been codenamed Ford B517 is expected to be launched in March next year.
To be built at its Chennai facility, the new car will come in petrol and diesel versions of 1.2 litre and 1.5 litre engine capacity respectively to satisfy the Indian government's definition of a small car.
The car would have 85 per cent local content, and the company is in talks with Tata Steel for better steel prices with the increased volumes, according to the report. The company was earlier sourcing steel blankets - cut steel sheets - from its sister plant in Thailand.
This is part of Ford Motor's plans to integrate car designs globally and develop compact and mid-sized cars to help improve profitability and productivity.
Mulally, it may be recalled is the man who got rid of Ford's loss-making marquee brands Jaguar and Land Rover, selling them to Tata Motors last year, just ahead of the global turndown.
This timely sale helped Ford weather the recession without government aid.
Mulally had earlier also sold another marquee - Aston Martin, made famous by fictional super-spy James Bond.
http://www.domain-b.com/companies/companies_f/Ford_India/20090922_ford.html