Sudhir Rao has studied in India and US apart from which he has broad knowledge of the auto sector be it national or international markets. Having worked both in India, Europe and the US, Rao has an all-round knowledge of the markets and Skoda Auto India is sure to gain from this experience.

Before this, Mr Rao held the post of Renault India Deputy MD, from which he resigned earlier this year. At that time, Mr Rao stated, “I have decided to move on from Renault as the primary objective for which I came to the company, which was to create a new phase for Renault in India, has been achieved. It is, therefore, time to move on to other challenges.”

India is an important market for Skoda Auto. The company aims to increase global sales to at least 1.5 million units per annum. Sales in India too have increased by 50% during 2011 where the company sold 30,000 vehicles. One of Skoda’s newest car, Rapid is produced in Pune and it is with sales of this vehicle that the company hopes to strengthen their reach in India.

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Source: www.rushlane.com 31/1/12

Maruti has increased performance-linked pay from junior levels to the top management by between 10% and 25%. “We have linked our variable pay to the financial performance of the company with a greater focus on cash variables as the liability is lower,” said S.Y Siddiqui, Managing Executive Officer, HR & Administration, Maruti Suzuki. Other carrots include helping employees buy a house by negotiating with builders for a better price.

Maruti has good reason to pamper its employees. Along with solid robust volume growth of 30 per cent in the past one year, the auto industry has also witnessed a near doubling of the attrition rate – from 10 per cent in 2008 to 18-20 per cent in 2010. Global car companies like Toyota, Volkswagen and Renault have ambitious plans for India. Toyota, for instance, is keen to have half of its global sales coming from emerging markets by 2015. Also, new entrants like Renault-Nissan and Peugeot Citreon are on a spree to hire middle managers.

Raman Kumar Sharma, vice-president & director, general affairs, Honda Siel Cars India said: “With the huge expansion in the auto sector, the industry is facing a shortage of talent. Since the existing talent pool is limited, there are cases where the new companies may hire laterally. However, established companies are also focusing on investing in fresh talent and enhancing the overall skill pool. Therefore a lot of recruitment is also happening at the entry level.”

Maruti has another compulsion for infusing young blood. Over the next 3-4 years, an estimated 200 employees who have been with the company since inception (in 1982) will reach superannuation. The company has been tackling this by bringing in younger talent through a structured induction process. “We have been empowering these young talent and are giving them a higher compensation package,” says Siddiqui. The starting salary, at 5.5 lakh, is roughly 10 per cent higher than a year ago.

Maruti will increase its engineering strength to over 1,500 by the end of fiscal year 2012, from 700 currently. Most of these will be freshers from the Indian Institutes of Technology and other technical institutes. “There is a scarcity of talent in the market, so we are taking in fresh engineers who will be sent to Japan to get trained at our global R&D centre. We are sending batches of 100 per year so that we have a sizeable chunk of specialised teams for our upcoming R&D centre at Rohtak in Haryana,” Maruti Suzuki MD and CEO S Nakanishi told ET.

The company is also beefing up its marketing team. This is an imperative as it goes about expanding its product portfolio beyond the current line-up of 15 models. By 2013, Maruti plans to expand production by 5 lakh cars to take it to 17.5 lakh. By then the employee strength would have jumped from 8,500 to a little over 10,000.

Besides hiring from the IIMs and other top business schools, Maruti has now taken up graduate trainees from various regular colleges in its bid to expand the marketing and sales team. This has become an imperative as attrition rates are the highest in this area. Maruti – and indeed most auto makers – may be losing some sleep over climbing attrition rates, but employees have little reason to worry.

As Sandeep Chaudhary, Regional Practice Leader, Asia Pacific, Aon Hewitt, said: “The auto industry is projected to give one of the highest salary increases for 2011 across all industries, in the range of 14%. This is much higher than the average increase in the past few years of 9-12%. The advent of global companies has set a higher benchmark for salaries for local talent.”

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Source:ET

A subsidiary of Europe’s second largest car maker, Peugeot after its age old breach has now announced that it is ready for its official entry into India, and has further stated its intention to enter the Indian market with both commercial and industrial operations. The brand will produce, as a first step, a mid-sized sedan, the production site for which is currently under evaluation.Like its established European and Japanese competitors here in India, Peugeot may look at manufacturing a large hatchback and an entry level sedan on a fixed platform after commencing its production operations in the country.Dr. Rajesh Nellore has been appointed as the Managing Director India for Peugeot India, and will head operations from Mumbai. Peugeot has also set up an office in Chennai.

Supporting Peugeot’s plan of begining its Indian operations, Grégoire Olivier, Member of the Managing Board and Executive Vice-President of the Asia area, said “India is a key market and this new implantation reflects our ambition to become a global player. As in China, we will offer Indian customers vehicles adapted to their expectations” Targeting a share of 50% of its sales outside Europe by 2015, Peugeot’s expansion into the Indian automotive market may end up being the perfect catalyst for its ambitious growth plans.

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Source:www.zigwheels.com 10/2/2011

Deependra Sharma from the commercial vehicle division has taken over as the new regional manger west (2) zone. He comes in place of Girish Janardhan. Gautam Mukherjee, regional manager, east zone, who quit to join Toyota, has been replaced by Priyesh Kumar from Hyundai Motors. Tata Motors has two regional managers for the west, south and north zones. Dipankar Tiwari, continues as the west (1) region head.The reorganisation follows shifting of top-level executives from the profitable commercial vehicles business to the passenger vehicles business in 2010.R Ramakrishnan, vice-president (sales & marketing) of commercial vehicle division, moved into the role of vice-president (commercial) passenger cars last year, reporting to PM Telang, managing director of the company’s India operations. Niraj Srivastava, regional manager (west) of the commercial vehicle business, is the new head for the car product group, reporting to Ramakrishnan. Srivastava replaced Nitin Seth who moved to Ashok Leyland.”Tata Motors has the resources, depth of talent within the company and will continue to tap them. It looks at talent from within and outside, if required. With new responsibilities required to be resourced, the company has redeployed senior managers,” said a senior industry official close to the development. Tata Motors spokesperson did not reply to an e-mail query on the subject.

Tata Motors’ commercial vehicles business contributes to more than 70% of the turnover with the new launches such as the Prima range. There is no fierce competition in the commercial vehicle business and the company is in a comfort zone with a largest market share of 65%.The case has been different for passenger vehicle business which has been seeing stiff competition. In FY06, Tata Motors passenger car business had a market share of 17.1% which fell to 13% in FY11. In the utility vehicle business, the company’s market share fell from 19.5% in 2006 to 13.6% in FY11. Companies such as Maruti Suzuki, saw its market share fall from 51.7% in FY06 to 48.7% in FY11, signaling market pressure, said analysts.Tata Motors sold over a million vehicles for the year ended March 31, 2011, which include Daewoo, Jaguar Land Rover, commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles. Passenger car business has been devoid of a head ever since Rajiv Dube resigned as the president in 2010. Dube’s role was split into two: Girish Wagh took charge of production while Ramakrisnan became the marketing head.

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Source:ET  11/4/2011

In 2008, Hyundai had rolled out the automatic version of Santro on women’s day as a limited edition. This clearly reveals their target audience. Some of the models enabled with automatic transmission are Hyundai’s i20, Chevrolet Captiva (AT version), Honda City, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mahindra Scorpio, Mitsubishi Outlander and the lists just goes on and on. Unlike before, the car manufacturers are offering five to six speed automatic transmission systems which result in better fuel-efficiency clubbed with improved pick up and performance.

One of the most popular and hot-selling cars with automatic transmission premium hatchback car-i10, which is sells more than 1,600 automatic transmission variants per month. This is an impressive figure which is more than the company initial expectations. The company received an overpowering response from woman drivers and the growing jamming in city is pushing up demand. Other than i10, Verna from the sedan segment too offers an automatic transmission. The car manufacturer is also thinking of bringing a variant exclusively for the physically challenged.

The Indian car manufacturer, Mahindra and Mahindra also launched the automatic version of Scorpio in 2008. Scorpio AT sports a complete 6-speed automatic gearbox and the powerful 2.2 litre mHawk engine. M&M’s flagship model Scorpio gets the credit of being the first Indian car brand and also the first SUV to be equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The trend of automatic cars is growing rapidly and every car manufacturer is trying to join the race. Honda, the Japanese car manufacturer already has variants with automatic transmissions like Civic,Accord, City, CR-V. As aforesaid it is one of the best features that a women driver looks for beside high-end features.

Another quick selling car with automatic transmission is Chevrolet Captiva. Normally Captiva has captured good sales in the Indian car market and now with the automatic versions the sales are gone still higher.

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Source:www.articlesbase.com

The World Health Organisation estimates that some 1.2 million people are killed and more than 50 million are wounded in automobile collisions every year. With an ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road, these figures are expected to rapidly increase if no action is taken. Volvo Cars is determined to continue leading the industry in the field of safety by using its vision of a collision-free future as a guiding principle.?Continuous research and enhancement of safety in and around our vehicles will be essential for achieving a safer driver environment and a collision-free future,? Ivarsson continues. ?In this aim, we invite fruitful cooperation with authorities and the automotive industry.?

Since its formation in 1970, the Volvo Cars Accident Research Team has investigated more than 36,000 collisions involving Volvo vehicles. The team fills a database with information about the crashed cars to evaluate the performance of existing protective safety systems and gather data on the need for updates or new systems. Just as important as what happens during a crash is the understanding of why a collision occurred in the first place. In this regard, the Research Team also studies the driving environment and interviews the people involved to better understand driver behaviour.

It?s this knowledge gained from real world traffic collisions that has led Volvo Cars to design vehicles with a very high level of safety for real world collisions and developing new technologies to help drivers better avoid collisions.?With more and more advanced technology, we design vehicles that help the driver avoid collisions and hopefully also avoid exposure to dangerous situations,? says Ivarsson.

To further address situations that might lead vehicles to collide, the Volvo Cars safety research and development strategy includes a broader view of the subject than traditionally focusing simply on collisions.Even though the technology to design a collision-free traffic environment is not in place yet, the safety experts at Volvo Cars say they have created a path for the company to get there. To do this, the engineers and designers must look into the driver?s whole journey, from everyday driving to post collision. This journey can be divided into five phases and during each step there?s an opportunity to enhance safety:

Phase 1: Normal driving – Driver kept informed on the driving environment and driver concentration.
Phase 2: Conflict – Driver enters a potentially hazardous situation, yet is able to cope with it through emergency avoidance manoeuvres.
Phase 3: Avoidance – Driver less capable of coping with the situation without assistance.
Phase 4: Damage reduction – Driver and vehicle are incapable of avoiding a collision and actions are taken to prepare for the collision and to potentially reduce crash forces.
Phase 5: Post collision – Driver offered assistance and rescue.

Volvo Cars also follows the principle that the driver should always be in command. The preventive safety systems of the vehicle should support the driver, for instance by monitoring drowsiness or distraction. The vehicle?s systems can also warn the driver when the distance to other vehicles is too short. It is not until the driver fails to react and a collision is imminent or unavoidable that the vehicle autonomously engages systems – such as the brakes – to potentially avoid or minimize the effects of a collision. Lowered impact speed leads to less crash energy, which increases the performance of the vehicle?s protective safety systems such as seat belts, airbags and crumple zones. As well, Volvo Cars plans to introduce safety technologies in the near future that make it possible to detect and auto-brake for pedestrians and even auto-steer away from oncoming vehicles.

With this new vision, Volvo Cars challenges not only itself but also the automotive industry and governments, as a collision-free future cannot be obtained by one company or organization alone. Safer traffic has three main stakeholders: the automotive manufacturers, the drivers and the groups in charge of the infrastructure.?There is considerable safety potential in creating communication between vehicles and infrastructure,? explains Ivarsson. ?Two vehicles could, for example, warn each other of queues or slippery roads. Infrastructure sensors could warn the driver of people or animals crossing the road.?This requires that all vehicles speak the same language regardless of brand, so international standards are needed.Ultimately, though, the driver and passengers must also understand the importance of following traffic rules and using the vehicle?s safety equipment.

?The three-point safety belt, invented by Volvo, was introduced as standard equipment nearly 50 years ago,? says Ivarsson. ?At that time, we believed it was so important to mankind that we offered the patent entirely free of charge to all manufacturers. It is still regarded as the most life-saving safety equipment in cars. Nevertheless, many people still do not use it. There is still a lot we can do to inform people about safety in the vehicles of today.?

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Source:http://blog.volvowinnipeg.ca/?p=23

Miljobil Grenland, founded in 1997, markets zero emission vehicles. It is owned by Skagerak Energi, a regional utility company, and Norsk Hydro, a $25-billion European oil, energy and light metal company. The Norwegian company is continuously exploring new zero emission technologies in the automotive space and has the number one slot within this segment throughout Europe, sources said. The company has been developing cars for the US and European market.The only carmaker in India that has made in-roads in this segment is Reva Electric Car (RECC). While the running cost is cheaper at 40 paisa a km against Rs 6 for a petrol-powered car, the Reva two-seater is priced between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4.2 lakh. At a maximum speed of 70 km, the Reva can run on a single charge for 80 km. Launched in 2001, the Bangalore-based company has managed to sell just about 3,000 cars. Analysts say the vehicle will attract buyers since there is no excise duty.

There is a huge potential for electric vehicles, especially among the young generation that is more conscious about global warming, says R Chandramouli, president, sales and marketing, RECC.Global players like General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Nissan-Renault and Fuji Heavy Industries are accelerating the development of e-cars while cutting down production of fuel guzzling light trucks and SUVs.

Source: ET

Electric car, or e-car, is the new super kid in the world of automobiles. Global auto majors like GM, Nissan and Honda are all putting greater focus on e-vehicles while cutting down on the production of fuel-guzzling light trucks and SUVs.Several developed and developing markets are likely to see e-car launches this year. Electric cars have been a success in a few markets like the US.However, e-cars are more expensive than petrol or gasoline-driven vehicles. Besides, such offerings have to be matched with the right infrastructure like charging stations. Tata Motors, it may be mentioned, has teamed up with the US auto major Chrysler to market the Ace electric version (EV) in the US market in early 2009. The company is also developing an eco-car with the Thai government.

Source: ET

The front-mounted “scan bar” in KITT is similar to the mini cameras currently being tested that perceive the car surroundings, informing the driver of possible danger zones. It even brakes automatically if the driver does not react.Some of the gadgets such as night vision and brake-assist are already available in premium cars such as the new BMW 7-Series but will become the norm in a few years time.Once the driver sits into the car, the vehicle automatically adjusts the seat and steering wheel settings to the ideal position. The car entertainment system meanwhile plays his/her favourite music while the navigation system begins to choose the best route.

Like KITT, the car could theoretically drive itself, drop its driver outside the office and choose the next available parking space.Cars will be in contact with other cars and traffic information centres picking up information on accidents, traffic jams or parking areas.Many of the functions presently in use have complicated menu programmes, switches or buttons. In future you will be able to speak to your car like Hasselhoff to KITT, telling it what to do.

German automaker Volkswagen’s head of future research and trend transfer, Wolfgang Mueller-Pietralla, says that the car of the future will be a “lot more fun, evolving from purely a vehicle to a living space” where we can do most of the things we do at home or in the office like phoning, shopping, watching television or surfing the internet.Car assistance systems will eliminate most of the risks we have on the road today. Camera-assisted fatigue recognition systems tell the driver when to rest.The mini cameras with night vision monitor the vehicle surroundings by 180 degrees, picking up possible dangers from any angle, informing the vehicle information system on what action to take.The car will not be able to fly or jump over objects with rocket boosters, but a lot of the fiction we saw in “Knight Rider” will have merged into everyday reality.

Source: ET

In the case of the Civic Hybrid the fuel efficency is nearly 47 per cent higher than a regular petrol version – in the range of 19-23 km a per litre when measured with the existing petrol based model, that offers approximately 15 km per litre.View video of Honda Civic HybridThe Civic Hybrid would come with a 1.3 litre petrol engine. From the start-up and acceleration, the engine and the motor function together. However, when the car is driven at a high speed the vehicle runs on the engine. When the car is idling , the petrol engine automatically stops and the battery keeps the vehicle running, saving fuel. At between 40-50 km per hour the hybrid operates only on the battery and offers the maximum fuel efficiency.

According to the company, the fuel efficiency of Civic Hybrid is in the range of 19-23 km a per litre when measured with its petrol variant that offers approximately 15 km per litre.The Hybrid’s engine system features a 3-stage i-VTEC + IMA that employs Honda’s 1.3L i-VTEC (variable valve timing and lift electronic control) engine to provide three stages of valve timing (low-speed, high-speed, and cylinder idle mode), combined with a compact and efficient electric motor, Honda’s IMA (integrated motor assist) system.The Civic Hybrid can deactivate all four of its cylinders and operate using only the electric motor in certain steady-state cruising situations.

In addition, the internal combustion engine is switched off when car comes to a stop while the brake pedal is pressed, reducing fuel consumption and the polluting carbon emissions, particularly in city traffic.Apart from sleek, aerodynamic exteriors and new-age luxurious interiors, the Civic Hybrid offers Honda’s safety technology, including Active Headrest and four SRS airbags (driver, assistant and side air bags), besides other safety features.Honda Siel will import the Civic Hybrid from its parent’s Japanese plant where it produces the hybrid car for its global markets, as a completely built unit. To start with, Honda Siel? has imported around 130 units and expects to sell between 300 and 400 of these cars in the country.

“In launching this car, our objective is not to get large volumes or to make a statement,” said Masahiro Takedagawa, president and CEO, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, while unveiling the new Civic Hybrid in New Delhi yesterday. “Our objective is to give an opportunity to Indian customers to experience this new technology. And they can do that at any of our dealerships across India.”However, the vehicle does not come cheap. With a 104-per cent customs duty, it is priced at Rs21.50 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), compared to its petrol variants that are priced between Rs11.80 lakh and Rs13.50 lakh.The company says that currently it cannot import the engine and components as a semi-knocked down unit, which has a lower duty component than as a fully imported car.Honda says it also plans to launch it premium hatchback, the Jazz, in India by the end of 2009, which will be manufactured at its upcoming plant at Takapura in Rajasthan.

Takedagawa said that Honda was launching a hybrid hatchback globally next year and in India it would concentrate on the Civic Hybrid to gauge the response before launch other variants or models.