PARIS: Chasing volumes in India, French car major Renault plans to launch more products in the high selling sub-four meter category even as it prepares to get past 5 per cent market share by the end of 2017.

The company, which currently sells five models in the country including SUV Duster and hatchback Kwid, plans more 'Made in India' products and to introduce one new car each year as parts of its "product development strategy".

"In India most of the cars -- over 70 per cent are less than 4 meters. The weight of mini segment where we have Kwid is 25 per cent. So we have a large space to make our portfolio," Renault India Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Sumit Sawhney told PTI.

With 4-meter plus SUV segment, where the company has Duster, remaining in slow lane, it is the sub-4 meter SUVs and sedans which are bringing in volumes for the industry, he added.

"So clearly we have to bring vehicles in segments where we are not present and segments which can bring volume to us. This is what the strategy is. That's how there will be one new car coming every year," Sawhney said.

When asked if the company is planning to introduce a compact SUV anytime soon in the country to take on Maruti's high selling Vitara Brezza, Sawhney said: "I would not confirm anything right now.

"When I said for the first time that we will be launching a mini car people used to say this is a segment where nobody has succeeded. But you know what we got was a game changer in innovation. So, you will see innovation and game-changing products coming from Renault's side in every launch."

The company does not want to follow "me too" strategy, he added.

"Whatever car we want to bring, we want to bring volumes with that car. We won't bring a car just for the heck of bringing a car," Sawhney said.

The company, he said, is in the process of transitioning to mainstream products, moving away from the earlier strategy of having SKD and cross badged products.

"When we started our journey in India we had a joint venture and we wanted to come back to India very fast, so we adopted a bridge strategy. It was on back of SKD (semi-knocked down) products and cross badging products. This was only done to immediately come back," Sawhney said.

With three mainstream products -- Duster, Lodgy and Kwid, the company is now moving more towards the mainstream strategy, he said.

Source :  Renault plans to bring volume-driver models in India

MUMBAI: Chevrolet India has announced special year-end discount prices across its models - Beat, Enjoy, Cruze, Trailblazer and Sail, amounting up to Rs 1.89 lakh. In addition to the special pricing and offers on the cars, lucky customers may get a chance to win up to 100% cashback on their brand new Chevrolet.

"We are a brand with a clear focus on our customers, where safety, quality and world-class experience are natural elements in all our campaigns. After receiving positive response to the retail campaign announced in November, we decided to further extend the festivities with the new-year celebrations offer," said Jack Uppal, Vice President Marketing & Customer Experience, GM India.

"We wanted to go that extra mile to delight our customers with the new year-end campaign. The campaign is in sync with Chevrolet’s promise to provide customized solution to customers. This is a great time to purchase Chevrolet cars, as customers will get the best value for their money along with complete piece of mind giving them a truly satisfying ownership experience."

After the discount, Chevrolet Beat now costs Rs 3.69 lakh, Sail NB - Rs 4.99 lakh, Enjoy - Rs 5.99 lakh, Cruze - Rs 12.95 lkah, and Trailblazer - Rs 23.95 lakh. 

Source : Chevrolet offering discounts up to Rs 1.89 lakh across its models

NEW DELHI: Ingolstadt based luxury car maker Audi has appointed Rahil Ansari as the head of Indian operations effective 1st of February 2017.

Ansari, a person of Indian origin has a broad range of experience at Audi right from sales, after-sales, network development including finance. Ansari currently is the head of global pricing for Audi genuine parts for the after sales division. Ansari took over from Australian Joe King, who moved back to Germany a few months back.

The appointment of Ansari comes at a time when Audi is facing its toughest time in the Indian market. The brand has been hit by tough macro-economic environment on one hand and due to lifecycle change in products at its own end and unavailability of some diesel engine on the other, Audi is likely to end the 2016 with sales decline of over 20% to around 8500 units. 

"I am confident that his diverse global experience combined with the understanding of the Indian market will help to consolidate the brand presence,” said Thierry Lespiaucq, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited.

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Source :  Audi India appoints Rahil Ansari as head of operation

Bajaj Auto on Thursday launched its much-awaited 400cc bike - Dominar 400. It was first unveiled as the Pulsar CS 400 Concept at the 2014 Auto Expo, almost two years ago. The Dominar-400 is Bajaj's most powerful and expensive model ever and it comes with a host of new features. India Today writes that Dominar is a derivation from a Spanish word which means "to excel or exceed in power".

Bajaj Dominar-400 will have headlamps projector, backlit switch gear, daytime running lights, LED tail lamps with slim LED indicators. It is armed with complete digital instrument panel.  The Dominar-400 will not have kick starter feature.

The Dominar-400 will have basic 13-litre fuel tank.

The Dominar-400 is 2,156 mm long, as compared to the 2,100 mm long Mojo and the 2,002 mm long Duke 390.

Engine:
The Dominar has got its new engine from KTM Duke 390 but with slight modifications. The brand new bike is powered by 373.2cc fuel-injected, single-cylinder petrol engine that is equipped with Bajaj's Triple-Spark ignition system.

Dominar- 400 Engine Specifications
Engine - 373cc
Dual Channel ABS
Slipper Clutch
Torque: 35Nm at 8500rpm
Transmission - 6-speed
Kerb Weight - 182 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity - 13-Litres
Power - 34.5bhp at 8000rpm

Dominar- 400 Price
Bajaj Dominar 400 will be available at an introductory price of Rs 1,36,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

 Source :  Bajaj launches its most powerful bike Dominar 400

NEW DELHI: Swedish luxury car major Volvo today launched its new premium hatchback V40 and V40 Cross Country models in India priced Rs 25.49 lakh to Rs 29.4 lakh, respectively (ex-showroom Delhi).

The launch of V40 and the V40 Cross Country today along with the opening of a new facility in Kochi emphasises the company's commitment to garner a 10 per cent segment share in the medium term, Volvo Auto India Managing Director Tom von Bonsdorff said in a statement.

He said the V40 Cross Country was well received when it was launched in mid-2013 and the same with V40 in June 2015.

"With a refreshed look and even more features this version will find traction among young buyers across India," Bonsdorff said.

The V40 and the V40 Cross Country come with sub 2-litre diesel engines with 6-Speed automatic four wheel drive feature.2-litre diesel engines with 6-Speed automatic four wheel drive feature.

Volvo sells a range of luxury models in India, including sporty sedan S60, SUV XC60 and premium luxury sedan S90 among others. It has showrooms in Delhi, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata and Vijayawada.

It plans to expand in Lucknow, Pune and Jaipur

 Source : Volvo launches new V40 hatchback & V40 Cross Country