NEW DELHI:Toyota Motor Corp expects hybrid cars to make up 20 percent of its total vehicle sales in India by 2020 from less than 2 percent today, a senior company official told Reuters.

Toyota, which already sells the Camry hybrid in India, plans to introduce hybrid technology in models like the Corolla and Prius sedans and could introduce it for sport-utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles, Akito Tachibana, managing director of Toyota's India business said on Wednesday.

The Japanese car maker also plans to work with its low-cost car-making division, Daihatsu, to develop clean fuel technology vehicles for emerging markets like India, Tachibana said, where affordability is an issue.

The development costs of hybrid vehicles means they are out of reach for a vast majority of India's first-time car buyers, which then makes it difficult for car makers to achieve the volumes needed to bring down the price.

For instance, Toyota's Camry hybrid is priced starting at 3.3 million rupees ($47,932), about 15 times the price of a petrol variant of one of India's top-selling small cars.

Toyota will work to increase the amount of components it sources from the Indian domestic market to bring down the overall cost of manufacturing hybrids, Tachibana said.

Several Indian cities have high levels of air pollution partly caused by automobiles. Earlier this month, New Delhi shut schools, put construction projects on hold and advised people to stay indoors as part of an "emergency" plan to deal with dangerous levels of air pollution.

Authorities in New Delhi also began revoking licenses for diesel vehicles more than 15 years old which could remove as many as 200,000 cars from the city's roads. Late last year, the country's top court banned the sale of large diesel cars in New Delhi.

"We think that hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology is the best solution in India," Tachibana said, adding that this clean fuel technology is also needed to meet India's stricter emission and fuel efficiency norms starting in 2017.

Toyota's sales in India rose about 3 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, compared with the same period a year ago, according to India's auto industry body the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

The number of Toyota vehicles sold for that period was 83,633, according to auto industry body data and Toyota's market share was 5 percent.

Total passenger vehicle sales in India rose 11 percent over the same period to 1.77 million.

Source :  Toyota aims to sell more hybrid cars in India

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki India  BSE -1.60 % (MSI) continued to hold sway in the domestic passenger vehicles (PVs) market in October with seven of its models featuring among the top 10 selling brands last month.

Among the top 10 best selling PVs, Maruti's Alto retained the numero uno position in October with 18,854 units, as against 22,861 units in October last year, according to the latest data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

The market leader's compact sedan DZire was the second best selling model with 15,201 units as compared to 21,084 units in October last year.

MSI's compact car Wagon R was ranked third, selling 15,075 units. It stood at fourth position in the year-ago period with 14,734 unit sales.

The company's premium hatchback Swift was the fourth best selling model with 14,611 units as compared to 17,669 units in October last year.

Rival Hyundai's Grand i10 stood at fifth position last month with 14,530 units. The company had sold 14,079 units of the vehicle in the same period of last year.

Its premium hatchback Elite i20 stood at sixth position last month with 11,532 units. MSI's premium hatch Baleno came seventh with sales of 10,718 units. The company's compact SUV Vitara Brezza continued to do well with sale of 10,056 units to secure eighth position.

Renault's entry level model Kwid stood at ninth slot with 9,801 unit sales. MSI's compact car Celerio rounded off the top 10 positions with 9,581 units during last month.

Honda Cars India's mid-sized sedan City, compact sedan Amaze, Mahindra's Bolero and Hyundai's Creta failed to make it to the top 10 list.

They had featured in the top 10 passenger vehicle list in October last year.

Source :  Seven Maruti models among top 10 best selling passenger vehicles in October

LONDON: Tata Motors-owned luxury brand Jaguar has made its entry into the electric car arena with the launch of its new I-Pace concept car simultaneously in London and Los Angeles which can cover a distance of more than 500 kilometres on a single full charge. 

Scheduled for production in next year, the all-electric battery-powered Jaguar SUV is expected to hit the roads towards the end of 2018. 

"The I-PACE Concept represents the next generation of electric vehicle design. It's a dramatic, future-facing cab-forward design with a beautiful interior - the product of authentic Jaguar DNA, electric technology and contemporary craftsmanship," Ian Callum, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) director of design, said during the launch which was beamed live from Los Angeles through virtual reality to London yesterday. 

"Our virtual reality reveal today has pushed technology boundaries as well, and captures the hi-tech essence of the concept car. We only have one concept car and it is in LA for the reveal. For the first time, VR has allowed us to share it across the globe in the most immersive way possible," he said. 

Customers from around the world can register their interest by clicking "I Want One" at jaguar.com to be among the first I-PACE owners. 

The new five-seater sports car and performance SUV rolled into one comes with bespoke electric architecture alongside distinguishable Jaguar features. 

The state-of-the-art electric motors and 90kWh lithium- ion battery pack were designed in-house by JLR to give the best possible performance and range for most daily journeys. 

The idea is to be able to plug the car into a wall socket overnight and have more than enough range to complete an average daily commute of around 50 km. 

Dr Wolfgang Ziebart, JLR engineering director, explains: "This is an uncompromised electric vehicle designed from a clean sheet of paper: we've  .. 

For rapid charging, using a typical public 50 KW DC charging network, a full charge will take just over two hours and it's enough to deliver more than 220 miles range (measured on the US EPA test cycle) or more than 500 km range (measured on the European NEDC test cycle). 

JLR Vehicle Line Director Ian Hoban described the technology as "ground-breaking", adding: "Electric motors provide immediate response with no lag, no gearshifts and no interruptions. Their superior torque delivery compared to internal combustion engines transforms the driving experience. With 700Nm and the traction benefits of all-wheel drive, the I-PACE Concept accelerates from 0-60mph in around four seconds."  

NEW DELHI: German luxury car manufacturer Audi today launched its new Audi RS 7 Performance in India priced at Rs 1.6 crore (ex-showroom Delhi).

The car is powered by V8 petrol engine with displacement of 3,993 cc, capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds. It can reach top speed of 305 km/h with the dynamic package plus, the company said in a statement.

Commenting on the launch, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt Ltd Managing Director Thierry Lespiaucq said: "The Audi RS 7 Performance further hones the brand's sporty profile and makes it even more desirable, demonstrating our philosophy of 'Vorsprung durch Technik' (advancement through technology)." 

Audi sells a range of models in India, including the A3, A3 Cabriolet, A4, A6, A8 sedans aloing with SUVs Q3, Q5 and Q7 besides performance cars S5 Sportback, RS 6 Avant, RS 7 Sportback and Audi R8 V10.  

Source :  Audi launches RS 7 Performance in India priced Rs 1.6 crore 

MUMBAI: Bosch, a global supplier of technology and services, is likely to hire around 3,200 associates from the country in the current year, a senior executive of the company said.

"We at Bosch are likely to hire around 3,200 associates from the country in the current year," Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions president and managing director, Vijay Ratnaparkhe, told reporters here today. 

Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions is the R&D arm of Bosch group.

Ratnaparkhe was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a company event.

The company has already hired 10,000 people during the past six years in the country and as of now, its total manpower in the country stands at 18,000, he said.

The company will be hiring people from two places -- Bangalore and Coimbatore -- where the company has its R&D centres. 

Talking about the areas for which it will be hiring, he said, "We are looking for people to work in areas like competency, data analytics and artificial intelligence."

Source :   Bosch to hire over 3,000 associates this year