The Golf GTI First Decade carries the title of being the first electrified car to carry the GTI badge and is powered by a 401hp, petrol engine driving the front wheels, and a 48V 12kW electric motor which powers the rear wheels. The two systems can work together or separately, which means that front, rear and all-wheel drive is possible, depending on which motor is chosen. These are selectable via an app, or through the car’s infotainment system, via Mirror Link.

Blue shades adorn the exterior of the car – inspired by the Wörthersee Lake and blue sky – while the number 10 on the side signifies the car as the 10th apprentice project presented at Wörthersee. A Clubsport rear spoiler and 20-inch mb-Design alloys have also been fitted.

The interior features the apprentices’ app-controlled adjustable sports seats feature, which also have massage functions. Despite the racier appearance of the car’s exterior, the creators of the car – a team of apprentices from Volkswagen’s Brunswick and Wolfsburg facilities – wished to keep the interior more restrained. Only blue highlights from the car’s exterior are carried through to interior trim, and blue contrasting upholstery stitching. An 11-speaker sound system with subwoofer and LED lighting takes up the space normally occupied by the rear seats and boot.

The Golf GTE Estate ImpulsE, created by apprentices from Sachsen is another hybrid, but with a heavier focus on the car’s electric powertrain. A 165kW system is used, with a 16.8kWh prototype battery pack – increased from 8.8kWh of the standard pack.

It’s marked out by a five-tone matte colour scheme and bonnet vents on the outside, and matching interior trim, with ambient lighting colours controlled via an app.

Courtesy : Autocar

Volkswagen’s first all-new product in many years for the Indian market, the Tiguan is also the automaker’s second SUV to be offered here after the slow-selling Touareg. Priced from Rs 27.98 –  31.38 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Tiguan is being assembled by the automaker at its Aurangabad, Maharashtra, plant.

Volkswagen’s new SUV is currently being offered only with a single diesel engine paired with a seven-speed DSG gearbox and four-wheel drive as standard. The motor, a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder unit, is good for 143hp and 340Nm of torque. VW claims that the SUV can return 17.06kpl.

Unlike other VW models currently offered by the brand, the Tiguan comes in only two trim levels – Comfortline and Highline.

In terms of equipment, the Comfortline (Rs 27.98 lakh) offers:
•           Auto LED headlamps
•           17-inch alloy wheels
•           Three-zone auto climate control
•           Heated front seats with electric adjust for driver, with memory
•           Heated wing mirrors with electric adjust, retract and memory function
•           Cruise control
•           Touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility
•           Smartphone-based navigation function
•           Drive model select
•           Paddle shifters
•           Front, side and curtain airbags
•           ABS and ESC
•           Hill descent control
•           Front and rear parking sensors
•           Rain sensing wipers
•           Tyre pressure monitoring system

Apart from the above, the top Highline trim (Rs 31.38 lakh) adds in:
•           LED tail-lamps
•           Panoramic sunroof
•           Larger 18-inch alloy wheels
•           Illuminated scuff plates
•           Keyless entry and go
•           Easy open boot with one-touch closing function
•           Self-sealing tyres
•           Reverse parking camera

As seen from the above, Volkswagen is offering quite a bit of kit as standard for its new SUV, though at Rs 27.98 lakh for the entry-level model, the Tiguan is priced on the higher side.

Courtesy : Autocar

Reports suggest former CEO Mark Fields was ousted from the helm due to poor sales

Ford has appointed its former autonomous technology boss Jim Hackett as its new chief executive officer (CEO). Hackett, 62, replaces former CEO Mark Fields, with reports in the New York Times suggesting the latter was ousted following Ford’s poor global sales since he got the job in 2014. Ford's sales have decreased by 7 percent in the US and 11 percent in Europe.

The resulting shrink in profits has triggered a decrease in share prices of close to 40 percent in just over two years.

In an official statement, Ford said Hackett, who previously turned around the success of office furniture company Steelcase to make it a world leader and then served on Ford's board between 2013 and 2016 is now charged with sharpening operational execution, modernising its business and "transforming the company to meet tomorrow’s challenges".

When asked if his previous responsibility would encourage him to now push Ford's autonomous technology harder, Hackett explained that the plan would remain the same as before as the brand is already receiving heavy investment and growth. "I'll ask you to be patient with this," he added.

Ford executive chairman Bill Ford said: “We’re moving from a position of strength to transform Ford for the future. Hackett is the right CEO to lead Ford during this transformative period for the automotive industry and the broader mobility space. He’s a true visionary who brings a unique, human-centred leadership approach to our culture, products and services that will unlock the potential of our people and our business."

Hackett said: “I am so excited to work with Bill Ford and the entire team to create an even more dynamic and vibrant Ford that improves people’s lives around the world and creates value for all of our stakeholders. I have developed a deep appreciation for Ford’s people, values and heritage during the past four years as part of the company and look forward to working together with everyone tied to Ford during this transformative period."

Ford's leadership switch comes with a wider employment shake-up, where it has appointed new bosses for its marketing, operations and mobility divisions.

Jim Farley, 54, grows his leading role for Europe, the Middle East and Africa as the boss for Ford's global markets; Joe Hinrichs, 50, moves from his American executive vice president role to become global operations boss; and Marcy Klevorn, 57, becomes mobility boss, moving from his position as IT and technology leader.

The management changes come one week after Ford announced plans to reduce its Asia and North America workforces by 10 percent. It has 101,000 employees in North America and 23,000 in Asia.

A source with knowledge of the plan said the cuts, which are part of a $3 billion (around Rs 18,951 crore) cost-cutting scheme, are targeted directly at addressing profit and share price issues.

Courtesy : Autocar

IKM, a 100 percent subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan, is building its own motorcycle assembly plant in Chakan, scaling up its local operations, restructuring and expanding its teams and retail network as it prepares to go solo in India.

Bajaj Auto and India Kawasaki Motors ended their eight-year-old alliance with effect from April 1, 2017. The alliance between the two companies covered sales and aftersales services for Kawasaki motorcycles from Bajaj Auto-owned Probiking network (comprising over 300-plus showrooms) since 2009.

The Bajaj Probiking showrooms increasingly got converted into KTM dealerships after KTM’s entry into India via the 200 Duke model in 2012.

India Kawasaki, on the other hand, has been looking to standardise and benchmark activities across several operations ranging from local assembly, parts procurement to retail and aftersales services.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity to our sister publication, Autocar Professional, a reliable source aware of the new developments said: “Kawasaki is very serious about its game plan in India. All was not well between Kawasaki and Bajaj Auto for some time now. The company was apparently upset with the product cannibalisation between Kawasaki and KTM brands and customer overlap at the Bajaj Probiking showrooms. While the Kawasaki bike sales did not grow as per the expectations, sales of KTM motorcycles took off well.”

“Going forward, Kawasaki will have full control over their operations ranging from parts procurement and warehousing, quality checks to aftersales services to its customers. The Japanese management at IKM are diligently working to set up teams for all core responsibilities as they continue to expand their operations. They plan to move to their own plant now very soon,” the source added.

India Kawasaki Motors, which was officially established in July 2010, is learnt to be silently undergoing a critical transition during these months.

Kawasaki heads for Make in India at Chakan

Although details of the new upcoming facility in Chakan, proposed investments, targeted annual production capacity and other critical areas remain unknown, the move is good news for the component supplier community located in the western region.

Largely, Kawasaki setting up its own standalone unit in Chakan will not only mark a big milestone for the company’s journey in India, it will also translate into a solid boost for the fast growing premium motorcycle market.

Our sister publication, Autocar Professional, estimates that IKM may shift into its all-new assembly plant and commence operations before the festive season approaches, if not for unforeseen delays and change of plans.

“We may have some news to share with you but we won’t talk about it now,” Yutaka Yamashita, managing director, IKM, who refused to comment on this development, recently told our sister publication.

The company’s annual production capacity at Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi-based assembly line is close to 10,000 units, understood to be on a double-shift basis. According to the senior company official, Kawasaki sold nearly 1,400 units in CY2016, which translates into almost-flat growth for IKM YoY.

“CY2016 was a challenging year for us as we are trying to improve our business. We are very positive for our future growth, we are expanding our operations, working on parts procurement and localisation step-by-step. Our highest priority is to take care of our customers. So we are working to increase our network, which we plan to grow by 30-40 percent this year. We have already launched six new models this year and more new motorcycle will come,” Yamashita had told Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the Z1000 / R models in Pune on April 23.

New models rolled out by the company this year include Z650, Z900, Z1000R and updated Ninja 300, Ninja 650, Z250 and Z1000.

Impact on the midsize motorcycle market

India Kawasaki is a formidable player in the growing midsize motorcycle segment, which is roughly understood as models with 250-800cc engines. The range is further defined in two sub-categories of 250cc to 500cc, which forms the entry-level premium space, and the 500-800cc sub-category.
Royal Enfield, currently the leader in the midsized motorcycle segment, retails models in the 250-500cc sub-category.

The midsized motorcycle segment has been witnessing new entrants with more affordable models lately, thanks to the local manufacturing and CKD operations by various OEMs. Bajaj Auto can be credited for the growth of this premium category by giving it a substantial push through local manufacturing and retailing of KTM models in India.

Many other OEMs including India Yamaha Motor, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, Harley-Davidson Motor Company India, Triumph Motorcycle India and DSK Motowheels (via Benelli and Hyosung brands) followed suit by locally assembling their midsize bikes.

The midsize class is expected to further see new players stepping into this booming territory later this year, including TVS Motor Company and BMW Motorrad, which will not only heat up the competition in the market, but will also bring new set of choices for the customers.

Kawasaki has had an early presence in India and has witnessed the building-up of the midsize motorcycle league. The company, which had first introduced its Ninja 250 at the Auto Expo 2008, is now aggressively driving its operations to match the right price points through localisation of its globally renowned models.

Although IKM officials have declined to comment on the development, company’s localisation plans for its 300cc and 650cc engines would directly impact the demand for its rivals that include Yamaha’s R3, Honda’s CBR650F, Triumph’s Street Triple among others.

Courtesy : Autocar

Next-genSwift, updated S-Cross and Celerio in the pipeline.

Maruti has already launched models this year, the Ignis, the Baleno RS and the new 2017 Maruti Suzuki Dzire. The carmaker had lined up four launches for this financial year, out of which the first one was the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire sedan. In the pipeline are three more new car launches for the Indian market by the end of the financial year. Speaking at the new 2017 Maruti Suzuki Dzire launch, R.S. Kalsi, Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, confirmed that out of the three, one will be an all-new offering.

Sources close to the company confirmed that the all-new model that will come to India before the end of this financial year will be the next-gen Swift hatchback, which is slated to be unveiled at the upcoming Auto Expo 2018 in February. The new Swift hatchback, unveiled in late 2016, managed to retain the overarching design language of the original car. The 2017 Swift is built on the same platform as the Baleno, though it will be 10-15 percent lighter. The India-spec Swift will continue to use the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines as the current car, though the diesel engine might be tuned to produce more power. The novelty that the 2017 Swift will offer will be automatic options on both the petrol and the diesel variant.

The other two models that will see mid-cycle refreshes are the S-Cross crossover and the Celerio hatchback. While the crossover was unveiled earlier, the India-spec car is likely to get similar styling tweaks as the international model. Expect Maruti to launch the S-Cross sometime during the festive season. The Celerio hatchback will also see minor tweaks to its exteriors and interior. Details are scarce at the moment, but it will be safe to expect Maruti to add more equipment and creature comforts to make the car more competitive against its rivals like the Tata Tiago and the upcoming Chevrolet Beat.

Courtesy : Autocar