India’s export hub image: RC Bhargava, Maruti Suzuki Chairman, Make in India can reinforce

New Delhi: Even as connected, autonomous, shared and electric mobility solutions are disrupting the automotive landscape globally, vehicle makers can’t afford to take their eyes off conventional vehicles which will continue to be a formidable part of business in the future.

Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava on Thursday emphasised there is a need to focus on alternate energy solutions such as biofuels and compressed natural gas in India’s drive to bring on road cleaner and greener vehicles and reduce the dependency of oil imports.

Given the current cost structure of electric vehicles, customer acceptance would continue to be a challenge in the near future. In the meantime, hybrid vehicles — vehicles powered by biofuels and compressed natural gas — can contribute significantly towards reducing India’s oil import bill.

“Only 10 million cars, out of the 70 million vehicles on road by 2030, will be electric.

So for the non-electric vehicles, we need to consider energy solutions which are clean and green,” Bhargava said on the sidelines of the ETAuto Global Auto Business Summit.

The day-long summit deliberated and discussed issues right from ‘Make in India’ to mobility solutions for future including the role of startups and innovators in this disruptive environment.

Industry stalwarts including RC Bhargava, Vivek Chand Sehgal, chairman of Samvardhana Motherson Group, and Shi Jie, head of engineering at China’s largest car maker SAIC Motor, gave their views on the disruptions ahead.

Sehgal cautioned that there is no doubt the automotive industry is being influenced by connected, shared, autonomous and electric vehicles, yet they still account for a very small portion of the overall industry.

“Yes, there is a lot of talk, but the action is not as big as talk. About 102 million cars were sold, only one million were electric, there are factors emerging on the horizon but they are not dramatic, there will be a gradual shift. The core market is still very strong and one cannot lose sight of it to grow,” added Sehgal.

Motherson Sumi today has become the fastest growing auto component maker in India and fast expanding wings globally.

India is on the radar of the biggest vehicle makers in the world and it is set to become the third-largest car market in the coming three to five years. The experts attending the event underlined that beyond the significant domestic demand opportunity of the future, India can reinforce it’s image of an exports hub with ‘Make in India’ for not just small cars but electric or hybrid vehicles.

Ashok Taneja, MD & CEO of Shriram Pistons, welcomed governments move to offer no import duty for electrical vehicle components. However, he stated that these duties should be gradually hiked in order to promote local manufacturing. 

Delhi doesn’t even know how many e-vehicles it has, Beijing plans 48L charging points by 2022

The Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, 2018 notes that sales of new electric cars worldwide surpassed a million units in 2017, with stocks at three million that year. More than half the sales were in China, where electric vehicles (EV) had a market share of 2.2%, while in Norway, the world’s most developed market for electric cars, this green option accounted for 39% of new car sales.

The policy also says, “Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects EVs to reach upfront cost parity with internal combustion engine vehicles by 2025, largely driven by rapid reductions in battery costs. This in turn is expected to drive global sales of electric vehicles to 11 million vehicles in 2025 and 30 million in 2030.”

The Lancet Countdown 2018 report similarly observes that despite road transport continuing to be powered almost exclusively by fossil fuels, there have been notable gains. “The use of non-fossil fuels (electricity and biofuels) has continued to outpace fossil fuel energy, rising more than 10% on a per-capita basis compared with an overall growth of 2% for fossil fuels from 2013 to 2015. This trend had a small, but notable, effect on the overall share of non-fossil fuel energy for road transport, which rose from 3.9% to 4.2% over these two years,” the Lancet report says.

Lancet put the growth of global per-capita electricity consumption for road transport as growing 13% from 2013 to 2015. In Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, per-capita electricity consumption for transport more than doubled compared with a 10% increase in non-OECD countries. “In China, the percapita electricity use was five times the global average because of the country’s high market share of electric vehicles,” the report says.

For the EV rollout in Delhi, the most crucial issue would be charging points. The state government would have to follow the example of other countries to encourage people to opt for electric vehicles. The Chinese government, for instance, plans to build 4.8 million charging points by 2022 at an investment of $1.9 billion. UK has announced a £400-million Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund to support companies in installing charging points. In the US, the California Public Utility Commission has approved $738 million and the New York Power Authority, up to $250 million, to build charging infrastructure.

Delhi has other lessons to learn too. Experts say the EV programme will prove successful if accompanied by strong legal mandate, welldesigned subsidy policy and proper implementation strategy. “California, for one, has a zero emission mandate, which makes sure that a certain percentage of vehicles have to be zero emission,” points out Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment. “The Netherlands has a good subsidy policy for EVs, while in China’s Shenzen, authorities have linked electric mobility with public transport and constituted a 16,000-strong electric bus fleet.”

She adds that Delhi’s policy is in the right direction, but needs a clear legal mandate. “They have to fix specific timelines, and monitored implementation needs to start now,” she says.

5 lakh cumulative sales milestone crosses Maruti Suzuki Baleno

India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki Thursday said its premium hatchback Baleno has crossed cumulative sales milestone of 5 lakh within 38 months of its launch.

The model, which was launched in October 2015, posted a 20.4 per cent growth in sales in the April-October period this fiscal, the company said.

"Our engineers have ensured that Baleno offers superior ride and handling, class leading performance and safety...Baleno has been among the top selling cars in India since 2016," Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, R S Kalsi said.

The model, exclusively manufactured in India, is the first car from MSI's stable to be exported from India to Japan.

Besides domestic market, the model has been receiving overwhelming response in global markets such as Australia, Europe, Latin America and East Asia, the company said.

Next Gen Porsche 911 Revealed Bookings Open In India

Porsche has revealed the eighth generation of the 911 at the L.A. Auto Show. The exterior design is completely new and emphasises the leap in performance for the 911 internally coded as 992. The new 911 gets significantly wider wheel housings arch over the 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rear wheels. The rear end is now the same width across all models, highlighting the slimline centre section. At the front, the body is 45 mm wider and it also gets electrical pop-out handles in the doors. The bonnet with a pronounced recess evokes the design of the first 911 generations. At the rear, all models feature a wider, variable-position rear spoiler and the seamless, elegant light strip. Apart from the front and rear sections, the entire outer shell is now made from aluminium.

Under the hood is the turbocharged flat-six engine of the 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera 4S which now produces 444 bhp. There are 30 more horses on offer compared to the previous generation. Both 911 models beat the four-second mark for acceleration from zero to 100 kmph: the rear-wheel-drive 911 Carrera S needs 3.7 seconds and the 911 Carrera 4S, with all-wheel drive, just 3.6 seconds. This makes both cars 0.4 seconds faster than their predecessors. The optional Sport Chrono Package reduces the sprint by a further 0.2 seconds. The top speed has been measured at 308 kmph for the 911 Carrera S and 306 kmph for the all-wheel-drive version.

The power is delivered by a newly developed eight-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (dual-clutch transmission). Additional highlights include new assistance systems, such as the Porsche Wet mode to make driving even safer and even Night Vision Assist with thermal imaging camera.

The completely new interior sees clear and straight lines of the dashboard with recessed instruments, inspired by the 911 models from the 1970s. Alongside the central rev counter, two thin, frameless displays supply information to the driver. The centre screen of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) is now 10.9 inches, and can be operated without distraction thanks to the new interior design. In terms of digitalisation, the 911 takes the next step into the future with permanent connectivity as well as new functions and services. The standard PCM features include navigation as well as Porsche Connect Plus.

The 911 Carrera S and 4S models are available for order now in India. First deliveries are expected mid next year.

BMW Chief Says Considering Second U.S. Manufacturing Plant

BMW is considering a second U.S. manufacturing plant that could produce engines and transmissions, Chief Executive Harald Krueger said on Tuesday, shortly after a report that U.S. President Donald Trump would impose tariffs on imported cars from next week. Krueger in an interview at the Los Angeles Auto Show also said he backed British Prime Minister Theresa May's current Brexit plan to divorce the United Kingdom from the European Union.

"The compromise on the table is something I can clearly support," he said. May is drumming up support for the divorce deal with the European Union ahead of a December 11 vote in British parliament. "We're at the range where you could think about a second location" in the United States, he said, adding that such a factory would provide a natural currency hedge.

BMW is considering changes to U.S. operations as sales in the region grow, Krueger said. BMW has a U.S. vehicle assembly plant, in South Carolina, is planning to open a Mexico factory next year, and is considering changes to its current scheme of importing engines and transmissions.

To Increase prices Toyota from January 2019

NEW DELHI: Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Tuesday said it will increase prices of its vehicles by up to 4% from January to offset increase in manufacturing costs.

The revised prices will come into effect from Jan 1, 2019.

“There has been an impact in the cost of manufacturing of vehicle primarily due to rupee depreciation. Toyota has been absorbing the additional costs all this while, protecting the customers from price increase. However, due to the continued pressure of high costs, we have to pass on a part of it to customers”, the company said in a statement.

Maruti Swift crosses 20 lakh sales milestone

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Tuesday said its premium hatchback Swift has crossed 20 lakh sales milestone since its launch the country in May 2005.

The model raced past five lakh sales mark in September 2010, 10 lakh sales mark in September 2013, 15 lakh mark in March 2016 and 20 lakh milestone in November this year.

"Swift achieving two million sales milestone is a proud moment for all of us at Maruti Suzuki India. Brand Swift has consistently featured among the top five best-selling cars in India for more than a decade," MSI Senior Executive Director (Marketing & Sales) R S Kalsi said in a statement.

With increased output aimed at reducing the waiting period, the company would like to reinforce its commitment towards customers, he added.

MSI has increased production of the model by 45 per cent to 1.39 lakh units during April-October period of current fiscal, as compared with same period of 2017-18, leading to reduction in waiting period.

The model posted a sales growth of 36 per cent with a market share of 29 per cent in April-October period of the current fiscal.

The auto gear shift (AGS) technology variant of the model now contributes over 20 per cent of Swift sales, it added.