Ajanta Group working on e-car for India: Zindabad!!!

The Ajanta Group, which already sells electric scooters in India under the Oreva brand, claims it will soon launch its electric car in the country. Though technical details are not available at this time, Rakesh Nathwani, Oreva’s national marketing head, claims that the car will be able to run 200-250km on one full battery charge.

It is ironic that Tata Motors have finally chosen Sanand village in Gujarat where the Nano will be made, because the Oreva electric car – which is also expected to be priced at around Rs one lakh – will also be made at Morbi, in Gujarat. Ajanta/Oreva already manufacture their e-scooters at their facility in Morbi, and will also launch their e-car from the same factory.







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Tata Motors to introduce Air Car

India's largest automaker Tata Motors is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons.

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Mobil Murah Sejagat Kini Bertenaga Listrik

Meski lebih dikenal sebagai mobil paling murah sejagat, Tata Nano sepertinya masih bisa mengikuti tren dunia sekarang ini. Karena meskipun berharga murah, Nano ternyata masih mampu menunjukkan inovasi teknologinya.

Hal tersebut Nano buktikan di ajang Geneva Auto Show yang saat ini sedang berlangsung.

Di ajang yang dimeriahkan oleh kelahiran lebih dari 100 mobil baru itu, Tata seolah tidak mau kalah dengan pabrikan-pabrikan besar lain dalam menunjukkan teknologi yang mereka miliki dengan memperkenalkan Tata Nano yang digerakan oleh tenaga listrik, bukan bensin seperti mobil konvensional lain.

Secara fisik, memang tidak banyak yang berubah di mobil India itu, tetap mungil. Nano versi listrik ini masih mampu berakselerasi dari 0-60 km/jam dalam waktu kurang dari 10 detik.

"Listrik akan menjadi bagian integral dari inisiatif kami untuk meluncurkan kendaraan ramah lingkungan. Indica Vista EV yang akan diperkenalkan di beberapa negara Eropa, mulai tahun ini bisa jadi contoh. Dan kami akan memperkenalkan kendaraan listrik di semua pasar yang lebih relevan," ujar Vice Chairman Tata Motors Ravi Kant di sela-sela gelaran Geneva Motor Show seperti detikOto kutip dari autoevolution, Kamis (4/3/2010).

Tata Nano versi listrik ini sendiri memang menggunakan platform tenaga dari baterai lithium ion yang sama dengan yang digunakan oleh Tata Indica Vista EV yang masih menjadi satu-satunya kendaraan listrik di lineup Tata saat ini.

Negara pertama yang akan dijajah oleh Nano listrik ini adalah Inggris dan negara-negara di Skandinavia.

Namun anehnya, kampung halaman Nano, India, ternyata tidak masuk dalam daftar negara yang akan dijajah mobil listrik mungil ini. Sehingga rakyat India sepertinya harus berpuas diri dengan Nano 'biasa' yang menggunakan mesin konvensional dengan bahan bakar bensin.

Padahal Eropa, selain akan dimasuki oleh Nano listrik sekitar 3 tahun lagi ternyata juga menjadi target utama pemasaran Nano bensin yang rencananya akan dikeluarkan tahun depan.

What Does the Success of India’s Auto Expo Mean for the Industry?

That sentiment was driven home during India’s Auto Expo 2010, held in New Delhi January 5-11. With 
2,100 exhibitors and 25 new models on display, the event drew more 
than two million visitors

In December 2009, the Indian automobile industry stepped on the gas. Sales of passenger cars were up a whopping 40.27 per cent, from 82,174 units (in December 2008) to 115,268 units, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Add sales of two-wheelers (up 77 per cent) and commercial vehicles (up 172 per cent) to this number, and overall vehicle sales saw a 67.5 per cent jump. “The Indian auto industry has been the showcase of the resurgence of the Indian economy,” says Pawan Goenka, president of SIAM.

That sentiment was driven home during India’s Auto Expo 2010, held in New Delhi January 5-11. With 2,100 exhibitors and 25 new models on display, the event — now in its 10th year — drew more than two million visitors. On the second-to-last day, police had to stop music shows and public performances at the Expo as the crowds had become unmanageable. “It is clear that the Auto Expo is rapidly emerging as one of the key events of the global auto industry,” Jyotiraditya Scindia, union minister of state for commerce and industry, said at the closing event.

“The wide participation, the impressive line-up of cars for India, the rather quick launch of variants into India with very little gestation time in other markets, and the not-so-conservative price tags are all indicative of a market [undergoing change],” says Harish Bijoor, brand-strategy specialist & CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, and a member of the faculty at the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business. “The India story of a 7.9 per cent year-on-year GDP growth has been taken seriously.” Sandeepan Banerjee, project leader (auto & engineering), Tata Strategic Management Group (TSMG), agrees: “The huge participation in the Auto Expo is a metaphor for India’s GDP growth and, most importantly, its consumption growth.”

Despite the turnout and media attention, some observers question the degree to which the size and success of the Auto Expo can be considered to represent the health of India’s auto industry — and by extension, the country’s economy. Moreover, they say, many of the models introduced at the Expo have more to do with Western automakers’ ideas about Indian consumers than on-the-ground realities.
Small Cars are Big

The big thing at Auto Expo 2010 was the small car. Two years ago, Tata Motors chief Ratan Tata had wowed the crowds at the same venue with the $2,000 Nano. This year, Japanese automaker Toyota unveiled the Etios, which will be priced below $10,000, and Honda had an offering dubbed the “New Small Concept.” The latter, which will be built with 80 per cent local components, will be on the roads in 2011 and will also be in the $10,000 range. Suzuki announced it was revamping some of the models of its Indian subsidiary Maruti Suzuki. Italian auto group Fiat said it was developing a small car along with its joint venture partner, the Tata Group. General Motors (GM) launched the Chevrolet Beat. Volkswagen unveiled the Polo, which will be available beginning in March. Even Ratan Tata had a new small car to show — a modified Nano for the US market.

“The Auto Expo underscored two key trends,” says Banerjee. “First is the importance of small cars: India is essentially a compact car market. It is also a good base for manufacturing such small cars profitably and exporting them worldwide. Hyundai has shown the way for the past couple of years, and Maruti has joined the bandwagon. Hence, global manufacturers are making a beeline for unveiling small cars for the Indian and emerging markets.” The second, he notes, “is the development of 16- to 49-ton trucks. With increasing focus on road infrastructure, scale of operations and maturity of fleet operators, this segment is expected to give huge growth opportunities. Domestic manufacturers have responded splendidly by launching multiple products at the Auto Expo. Also, global players have displayed their expanded portfolio offerings to cater to Indian demand.”

According to Bijoor, the major trend at the Auto Expo was “the ‘small big car’ for India — small cars that are loaded with features and priced high. Apart from this, [the rest was] clutter ... of brands, of variants, of features and of bells and whistles.”

Still, while small and economical seemed to be the order of the day, none of the automakers had offerings priced as low as the groundbreaking Nano; instead, the average price for their models is around $10,000. And luxury brands were not totally eclipsed, either: German major Mercedes Benz showcased two cars — the Desert Gold, priced at $500,000. It also launched a multi-axle luxury bus, priced at $184,000. BMW, which has recently overtaken Mercedes in the Indian luxury car market, launched the X6 M, the 760 Li and the Gran Turismo — all priced higher than $200,000. Audi showcased its Sportback Concept and the A7 ($120,000). Market leader Maruti launched the luxury Suzuki Kizashi. Even Tata showcased the $85,000 Jaguar XJ.

“The Indian luxury car market will double in five years,” Peter Kronschnabl, president of BMW India, told journalists at the Auto Expo. That may not amount to much, however: Total annual sales of top-end vehicles number only about 9,000 in India.
Western Mentality on Display

According to some industry observers, part of the problem with high-priced vehicles like those on display at the expo is that they are not tailored to the Indian market. “Western manufacturers have not understood the Indian mentality,” says Shombit Sengupta, international creative business strategy consultant and chairman of Shining Consulting. “Sophisticated auto companies think Indians who have money will flaunt it.” But Indian consumers — even wealthy ones — have other considerations when it comes to selecting a vehicle, he notes. For example, “in developed countries, the [luxury] car was designed for the pleasure of a long drive. But with India’s pathetic infrastructure, this charm does not exist.”

Some of the other pricey offerings at the Auto Expo seem to underscore Sengupta’s sentiments. Harley-Davidson India used the occasion to announce that it will bring 12 motorcycles from its 2010 model portfolio to India. On display was a custom-painted Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. These bikes will be priced between $15,000 and $77,000. For that price, a consumer could buy 37 Nanos and still have some change left. Another exhibit that has raised eyebrows is the Trek Equinox from Firefox, a bicycle that carries a $5,000 plus sticker price. (That’s more than two Nanos, if you do the math.)

“Western manufacturers are trying to implement Western success in India,” Sengupta says. “It will not work.” After World War II, he notes, vehicles were tailored to various cultures. Americans were attracted to large-sized, Hollywood-style cars. Italians had macho luxury vehicles as well as small cars to navigate the narrow cobbled streets of their ancient cities. Germans favoured sturdy, well-engineered cars. For the Japanese, quality was paramount. Today, only 3 per cent of the world’s automobiles are sold in India, he adds. “That’s why there is an opportunity to get huge volumes here. But nobody is thinking of what India wants.”

The Bolero, an SUV manufactured by home-grown automotive manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), is a vehicle that is right for India, Sengupta says. It can be used for both livelihood and lifestyle purposes. “It suits India’s rough roads, and it gives great mileage. It’s a value-for-money buy.” After dropping her husband off at the office, a wife could use the vehicle commercially as a school bus, for home delivery services or other purposes. “This way, [the family] can afford to pay the bank [installments] as well as enjoy the vehicle for family outings in the evening or on weekends.”
The Export Market

Meanwhile, some Indian manufacturers are taking the lead in modifying their own cars and trucks for international markets. The Tata Nano Europa was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show last year. In commercial vehicles, M&M launched the MN 49 and MN 40 at the Delhi Expo. These trucks, the products of a joint venture with Navistar of the US, will be exported, too. Maruti Suzuki expects to export 20 per cent of its production this year, mainly the A-Star (the export version of the Alto) to Europe.

The export market is an area of increased focus for the government. From April to December of 2009, overall automobile exports grew by 10.45 per cent. The Automotive Mission Plan 2006-16, prepared by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industry, puts strong emphasis on exports. “The automotive industry genuinely believes it can become a world-beater,” says the document. The vision of the mission plan is “to emerge as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacture of automobiles and auto components, with output reaching a level of $145 billion accounting for more than 10 per cent of GDP and providing additional employment to 25 million people by 2016.” According to advisory firm KPMG’s Global Auto Executive Survey 2010: Industry Concerns and Expectations to 2014, more than 50 per cent of auto company executives believe that India will export one million-plus vehicles in the next five years. According to SIAM, India exported 335,739 passenger vehicles and 42,673 commercial vehicles in 2008-09.

The KPMG survey predicts that green technology will be a big draw. That was also reflected at the Auto Expo: Toyota launched the Prius hybrid for the Indian market. It already has the Altis CNG, the Innova CNG and the Camry hybrid. Hyundai showcased the i10 Electric; it has already launched alternate-fuel vehicles such as the Santro LPG and CNG, the Accent LPG and CNG and the i10CNG. Maruti displayed its SX4 hybrid. GM offered a full selection of similar vehicles under the Chevrolet marquee — including the highly anticipated hybrid Volt, the Electric Spark (which operates on an all-electric drive train), the Aveo CNG and the well-established Spark LPG. “Hybrids, alternative fuel and low cost vehicles lead in all regions,” the KPMG survey notes.

According to driveinside.com, a web-based marketing services company, Tata Motors displayed 37 vehicles at this year’s Auto Expo (including Jaguar and Land Rover models), and it, too, picked up on the green theme. “Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata said that the company is focused on meeting the full range of customer needs while being conscious of the environment,” the website reported.
Some Caveats

The Delhi Auto Expo was undoubtedly a grand show, but it is difficult to predict what its success means for the larger industry. “Don’t make a mistake about Indian crowds,” says Sengupta. “When [legendary soccer player Diego] Maradona came to Kolkata, the whole city became a traffic jam. [A high number of visitors at] the Auto Expo does not mean the auto market will flourish. Take the retail industry as an analogy: Retailers thought people would spend money in the big malls they created. But for the past nine years, no retailer has been making money. People throng the malls, enjoy the air-conditioned ambience on hot summer days, but they leave with no shopping bag in hand.”

There are other caveats to consider. The recent uptick in auto sales looks very positive, but it came on the back of a poor 2008-09 sales year. The global recession had an impact on several automobile categories, too. According to SIAM, domestic sales of passenger vehicles rose a meager 2,000 units in 2007-08. Commercial vehicles slumped from 490,494 to 384,122. Sales figures for three-wheelers also fell, while there was only a marginal increase in two-wheelers (around 70,000).

Also, industry observers note, the government’s recent stimulus plan has likely had a significant effect on the numbers. “[The government] chipped in at the right time with numerous incentives,” says Banerjee of TSMG. According to SIAM’s Goenka in an interview with the business daily Business Standard: “A combination of factors like the three fiscal stimulus packages, low interest rates on vehicle financing made possible by public sector banks, cash infusions from the 10th pay commission [a salary award for government servants] and new models from manufacturers have helped December sales to rise.”

Still, there is demand that helps to fuel the optimism: Union minister Scindia pointed out at the expo’s closing session that India has only nine cars per 1,000 persons, versus 27 per 1,000 in China. (The US has around 750 per 1,000.)

On the penultimate day of the exhibition, Delhi-based morning tabloid Mail Today reported: “More people visited the Auto Expo, leading to traffic snarls all over the capital. People were stuck in jams that stretched for hours on roads leading to the venue.” In the absence of adequate infrastructural development, what will happen, some may ask, when the automakers’ newest models are unleashed on the roads.

Knowledge @ Wharton is the online journal of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. It provides insight into some of the top business minds on issues ranging from finance and marketing to human resources and business ethics.

India Siap Menjadi Raksasa Baru

India telah muncul sebagai pemimpin baru dalam penjualan mobil kecil, menyalip Jepang. Hal ini merupakan dampak dari penurunan permintaan mobil kecil di Eropa serta semakin kuatnya pertumbuhan industri otomotif di Asia.

Tak cuma India, China juga menonjok di Asia. Tahun depan negara yang tak lagi bisa disebut sebagai Tirai Bambu ini juga diprediski mengambil alih tampuk pimpinan Amerika Serikat sebagai penjualan mobil terbanyak di dunia.

Seperti diketahui, sejak 2007 Jepang telah menjadi negara terbesar yang memproduksi dan memperdagangkan mobil-mobil kecil. Dan apabila predisi itu terjadi maka ke depan India akan mengambil alih peran Jepang ini.

Ford, Nissan, Volkswagon, General Motors, dan China Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp yang telah mengalirkan investasi ke China bahkan mulai melirik India sebagai pusat industri mobil-mobil kecilnya.

Tak hanya untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pasar domestik India, merek-merek tersebut juga akan memusatkan India sebagai basis ekspor produk-produknya ke Asia.

"Secara prespekstif bisnis, India yang berada di tengah-tengah Asia sangat potensial dikembangkan sebagai pusat mobil kecil di Asia," kata pimpinan Ford India Michael Boneham, yang juga berencana melepas mobil kecil Figo pada kuartal kedua tahun depan.

Ford Motor Co telah menginvestasikan 500 juta dollar di India untuk pendirian pabrik di selatan kota Chennai India yang dapat membuat 200.000 mobil per tahun.

Menurut data JD Power and Associates, lebih dari 892.000 unit mobil kecil akan terjual di India hingga akhir tahun ini. Jumlah ini naik 14 persen dari tahun lalu atau diperkirakan melebihi penjualan domestik Jepang yang hanya sekitar 708.034 unit.

India yang populasi penduduknya kini menempati posisi kedua, secara total berada di urutan ke-10 dalam penjualan mobil dan truk di dunia. Tahun ini JD Power India memprediksi negara ini akan mengoleksi penjualan tahunan sebanyak 1,9 juta unit. Sedangkan China akan menembus angka total 12,3 juta unit.

Tidak seperti Cina, Rusia dan Brasil, di mana konsumennya membeli sejumlah mobil karena pertimbangan kemewahan, konsumen di India lebih menyukai mobil kecil yang harganya ekonomis.

Karena itu, hampir setengah dari mobil yang dijual di India merupakan mobil-mobil kecil, seperti Maruti Suzuki Swift, GM Spark dan Hyundai Santro. Orang India sendiri mengaku tak akan mau menghabiskan uang lebih dari 8 ribu dollar untuk membeli sebuah mobil. Bahkan untuk seorang sekelas pekerja eksekutif sekalipun.

India electric car pioneer plans biggest plug-in car plant

Chetan Maini, the engineer who pioneered India’s first electric car, had his eureka moment two decades ago when he drove a vehicle fuelled by solar power across the blazing Australian outback.

Now Maini, the man behind Reva Electric Car Co., is building in southern India what he says will be the world’s biggest factory making battery-powered city commuter cars.

“It’s the first attempt at mass production of a green car,” said Maini, who studied hybrid electric technology at California’s Stanford University and developed the no-clutch, no-gears Reva as head of a 75-member engineering team.

“With growing climate change awareness, I think we’re at the tipping point for electric cars,” Maini told AFP in an interview.

The drive in 1990 which set Maini on his career track was a General Motors-sponsored solar-powered race in which his car finished third, beating many of the global car companies.

“Driving across the continent on the sun’s energy made me think how we could use alternative energy to power cars in the Indian context,” he said.

“When I saw how our cities were getting polluted, I realised employing clean, alternative energy could make a lot of sense — we needed to develop this kind of technology,” he said.

Maini has put some 3,000 of the zero-polluting three-door Revas on the roads in India and Britain — where it is known as the G-Wiz — in the eight years since the company started selling the cars.

Reva was formed in 1994 as a joint venture between the family-owned Maini Group and AEV of the United States to manufacture environment-friendly vehicles.

But it took seven years for the first Reva to go on sale as Maini and his team worked on the design.

Afterward, “we were in a test marketing phase, trying to see how people used electric cars, what were their needs. But that’s now over and we’re ready to move to the mass-market stage,” Maini said.

In September, Reva got a big endorsement when GM announced it would team up with the tiny car company to develop a plug-in version of the best-selling GM Spark mini-car as the US giant embraces electrically powered driving.

“We think their technology is the best,” said GM India president Karl Slym.

The Reva — named after Maini’s mother — can seat two adults and two children and cover 50 miles (80 kilometres) on a single charge of electricity. New models feature sleeker looks than the Reva, which resembles a modified golf-cart, and will offer greater distance.

The company’s next generation three-door, four-seater hatchback NXR is intended to be a family car and will go into production in 2010. It will have a top speed of 65 miles per hour and travel 100 miles on a single charge.

The car will go on sale for around 10,000 euros (15,000 dollars) and can be charged in 90 minutes.

The higher-end NXG will have a 125-mile range and an 80 mile per hour top speed and sell for 23,000 euros in Europe.

The price of the new vehicles is not fixed for India but the cars are expected to sell for “much less,” said Maini.

The Reva currently retails for around 350,000 rupees (7,500 dollars) and is built at a small factory outside the southern city of Bangalore.

Maini is targeting people who want a vehicle for city jaunts or as a second automobile.

The cost of running an electric car in India is a tenth of a petrol-fuelled car, Maini said. The car has no oil filters, spark plugs or radiators so maintenance costs are also low.

“Since we started, there’s been quite a big change in consumer mind-sets,” said Maini, whose love affair with cars began when he was a child assembling remote-controlled toy vehicles.

“We are also seeing a large policy shift by governments to environmentally friendly vehicles,” he added.

Maini is eyeing annual sales of “5,000 plus” for the next three years and then 30,000 annually from cars produced at his new Bangalore factory, which is being built with venture funding.

There is a large market as the infrastructure for electricity is widespread — even in India, he said.

“All you need is the installation of a standard plug point — 15 amps — that is used for an air conditioner or an iron. Most people only need a larger car if they are going out of town.”

The tie-up with GM is part of a three-pronged strategy for Reva which wants to make its own cars under the Reva brand, franchise production in countries such as the United States and license the company’s technology for use by global companies.

GM and Reva have promised the new electrically powered Spark mini-car will be on Indian roads in a year and they see a market later abroad.

DRDO Reva: Mobil Listrik Untuk Militer?

Dari gambar ini tampaknya mobil listri Reva bakal digunakan untuk tujuan militer. Coba perbesar gambarnya, nampak stempel dan lambang departemen pertahanan India. Baru saja diluncurkan, Reva, mobil listrik buatan India, langsung mendapat sambutan hangat dari anak negerinya. Beberapa instansi pemerintah berlomba-lomba untuk membelinya. Sebuah antusiasmi peradaban yang baik

New Cheapest Car from India

India is the home to one of the world's smallest and cheapest consumer cars: the Tata Nano. But now one mechanic has built an even more compact car at his workshop in southern India.