Five things to know while buying a car

                                                                   

Car companies usually offer big discounts in December to clear their inventories before they hike prices and launch new models in January. If you buy now, your vehicle will bear the registration date of December 2013, and in a few days, it will be last year's model. This should not matter if you are planning to use the car for at least 7-8 years. However, if you plan to change the car in 3-4 years, the registration date will matter. A 2013 model will fetch a lower resale price four years down the line. Hence, it will be prudent to wait till January to buy it. Remember that a new car should be used for at least 8 years to get a full return on investment. Sell it earlier and you could lose out on its value.

Buy within your means

The bigger the car, the fatter the discounts being offered. However, don't let the freebies entice you into making a purchase you can't afford. The golden rule is that the price of a car should not be more than 60% of your annual take-home income. If your take-home salary is 60,000 a month, don't think of buying a car priced at more than 4.32 lakh (60% of 7.2 lakh annual income ). Another time-tested principle is that the car loan EMI should not be more than 15% of your post-tax monthly income, or 40% of your investible surplus after all expenses and mortgage payments. Follow these rules diligently when you choose the car model and you won't regret the decision.

Consider the offers closely

While you should not look a gift horse in the mouth, when it comes to freebies from car dealers, a closer look is necessary. They tend to inflate the value of free accessories to make the deal seem more attractive. This is why it's better to go for cash discounts rather than free accessories. Don't fall for the exchange offers as well. Most car dealers offer to buy your old car, but the price they quote is usually much lower than the one you would get elsewhere. A bit of market research will tell you roughly how much you can expect for your car, and you won't have to run around to find buyers. Avail of portals like Olx. in, which have made it easier to sell used stuff.

Transfer the no-claim bonus

All car owners know that if you don't make a claim in a year, the next year's premium fetches a discount. However, few know that a no-claim bonus can be transferred to another vehicle, bringing down the insurance cost of a new car. You will have to submit the photocopies of the sale agreement, transfer documents, insurance note and the car's registration certificate, along with a letter requesting the policy's termination, to the insurer. The latter issues a no-claim certificate, which will get you the discount on the new car's insurance. If the insurance of the new car works out to 15,000, a 50% no-claim bonus will reduce it to 7,500. This certificate is valid for three years from the date of issuance, but you will have to make things clear to the buyer since it is assumed that the old car comes with insurance.

Petrol, diesel or CNG?

Petrol is the costliest car fuel, but petrol cars are the cheapest. Diesel is inexpensive, but the diesel variants of cars are costlier by 75,000-1 lakh. They also require higher maintenance. Your choice should depend on how much you travel in a day. If you drive more than 80 km a day, go for a diesel car. You will be able to recover the extra cost within two years. This assumes that the gap between petrol and diesel prices will not narrow down further. CNG is a clean and cheaper fuel, but its availability can be an issue. Morever, the CNG cylinder takes up a lot of boot space.

Buying a used car? Here's what to look out for

                                                                           

The used car market in India is still largely unorganised. Although most major auto companies now offer certified used cars, most of the transactions still take place in the open market.

Maruti, Hyundai, General Motors, Toyota, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra etc. all sell certified used cars complete with warranty, not just from their own stable but across brands.

There are different stages of checking and testing that these cars undergo, before being certified by the companies.

However, because these cars go through rigorous testing, the companies charge much more than what the neighbourhood used-car dealer would.

There are also cars sold by these auto companies, without the certifications and the warranty, which cost substantially less, but they would still be more expensive than the dealer operating in the unorganised sector.

There's no reason to be too wary about the unorganised sector, as many a time you can pick up a great deal from there.

Buying a second-hand car is not a bad idea, but if you have the means, most people would suggest you go for a new car- simply because of the fact that there are less hassles involved. A new car is unlikely to give any trouble in the first three odd years at least.

Even if a car is in mint-condition, and has only run a few months or a few miles, it will attract a price much less that its original price, while being sold, because it is a depreciating asset. It is a good idea to keep a lookout for such deals while buying a used car.

"If you buy a new car for around Rs. 10 lakh and want to to sell it off immediately, you can easily shave off a lakh (Rs. 1 lakh)," says auto expert Tutu Dhawan.

The more premium and high-end the car, the better a deal the new buyer stands to get, opines Mr Dhawan.

For cars within the Rs. 5 lakh bracket, Rs. 50,000 can easily be discounted if it is being sold off in a month or two, he says.

My first car was a second hand 'certified' automobile from one of India's major auto companies. Although there were some minor issues with the clutch and brake of the car, which I found out in the course of driving it for the first few days- they were quickly addressed and fixed by the company.  I drove it for a year, and got a good price while selling it off. What worked in my favour was it was one of the more popular cars from one of India's most trusted car makers, it was silver in colour (silver and white have the best re-sale value), it was fuel-efficient, and well-maintained.

While buying a used car, keep re-sale in mind. White and silver, as mentioned earlier attract better prices; a popular car whose spare-parts are readily available and are not very expensive should also be part of the checklist.

When you go to check or test-drive a used car, take somebody along with you, who understands cars well. It is always a good idea to take a seasoned driver or a mechanic along, they would be looking at it sans the rose-tinted glasses which you may have put on- simply because you love the way the car looks.

Even if it is a certified company car, make a checklist about the gears, clutch, brake, accelerator, steering, tyres, headlamps, doors, windows, horn, wiper- check if everything is functioning properly, if anything seems amiss raise it with the dealer or the company immediately.

No Sales but New Cars Aplenty

                                                                       

          


When your returns are not up to expectations, what do you do? Most roll back investments; others play cautious. Some optimists, however, do quite the opposite. They try and up their game by launching a host of new products and embarking on aggressive expansion and marketing strategies. Nothing risked, nothing won, is the name of their game. The automobile companies in India belong to this last category.
The sector, which had enjoyed double-digit growth for the last decade, bucked the trend in 2013 and saw sales plunging to a 12-year low at 25.71  per cent in February.
The downward slide continued over the next few months and sales of passenger cars, including sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs, lagged right through 2013 with volumes touching 6.7 per cent in March, 10.43 per cent in April, 12.3 per cent in May, 9 per cent in June and 7.4 per cent in July. Volumes picked up for the first time in ten months in August at 15.37 per cent on the basis of a low base effect and good monsoon.
But again, in September, sales slid down to 4.7 per cent and to 4 per cent in October, despite the ongoing festive season.
“The auto sector witnessed de-growth of nearly 5 per cent during the first half of 2013-14,” says Pravin Shah, CEO, Automotive division, Mahindra & Mahindra. Not even attractive discounts, exchange offers, lower EMIs, bundled insurance policies or freebies like music players and other accessories could perk up sales as consumers put a lid on discretionary spending to battle high inflation.
Still, seemingly nonplussed, car companies have gone into overdrive and are set to launch a flurry of marketing activities and new releases in the coming year. Maruti Suzuki India, Honda, Nissan and Volkswagen all have new models to sell in the new year, while other players are tweaking old cars to revive customer interest—and demand.
Consider the new offerings:  Maruti Suzuki India has lined up a new sedan to replace the SX4 early next year. Nissan’s Datsun Go, Force Motors’ Force One, Tata Nano (diesel), Honda’s Jazz, VW’s Beetle, Skoda’s Yeti and Renault’s Duster are all waiting to hit the market in refurbished form. Honda may have sold only 73,000 units last fiscal; next year, it is targeting 1.2 lakh sales on the back of recently-launched Amaze and the ‘new-improved’ Jazz, Vezel and Accord diesel models.
“We plan to focus on our fresh line of products through extensive marketing activities in 2014 and improve the price value equations by refreshing existing models. We will introduce new models to target existing and emerging segments, while maintaining our modern premium image,” says Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president, sales & marketing, Hyundai Motors India Ltd. “We plan to launch new cars every year for the next few years. Our turnaround strategy for 2014 will be to increase our market share and rural penetration.” Hyundai, which recently refurbished the i20, Verna and Santro, is also working aggressively to increase its dealership network. It is widely anticipated that Hyundai will debut the Santa Fe, i10 diesel and a sedan in 2014.
For its part, Ford India—which claims to sell one Figo (its flagship model) every five minutes globally— intends to double its sales in India by increasing its service touch points from the current 274 to 500 in the next few years.
P Balendran, vice-president, General Motors India, says: “We have always kept up the excitement in the marketplace with new models. We will do so next year as well.” In 2013, GM introduced the Chevrolet Sail sedan and Chevrolet Enjoy MPV and upgraded Cruze and Captiva; next year, it has a new version of Beat lined up.
Can the new and refurbished launches help the players turn the tide? Most companies seem to think so. Honda Cars India says it registered sales growth of 39 per cent in October 2013 on the back of strong demand for Amaze, while Ford India reportedly sold 21 per cent more cars, led by its new compact sports utility vehicle EcoSport. Volkswagen too registered a 6.8 per cent increase in sales, owing to its new Jetta and variants of Vento in October.
Research firm JD Power is gung-ho about the future, saying the Indian market is set to triple to 9.3 million units by 2020.
But despite the overall bravado, a section of the industry admits that market conditions will remain challenging, at least in the early part of next year, owing to high interest rates, rising fuel prices and weak consumer demand. Also, rising raw material prices are forcing players to go for a price hike and some companies have announced a 2-2.5 per cent revision effective January 1.
GM’s Balendran says unless the government offers a stimulus package to the industry in the next Budget, the market is unlikely to pick up.
“In any case, we expect the market to turn around only after a stable government is in place at the centre after elections. So, any signs of revival will be seen only in the second half of next year,” he explains.
SIAM deputy director-general Sugato Sen concurs. “The situation is unlikely to change till a new government comes in. At this stage, this government cannot do anything spectacular to bring about a revival,” he says.
So however fast and furiously the new cars drive in, demand will pick up only once inflation subsides and interest rates are reduced. Watch this space.

Mercedes Benz says 2013 will be its best year in India

                                                                           


 Mercedes Benz India Pvt. Ltd said the current year will be its best ever, following robust sales of its luxury brands, a trend that contrasts the poor showing of the mass car market that has seen sales crimp on the back of a slowing economy and higher borrowing costs.
Mercedes sold 7,138 cars in India in 2012, and envisages crossing the 10,000 mark by the end of fiscal year 2014. The company sold 1.3 million units in the 11 months to November, 11% more over a year ago. Of these, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) accounted for 280,000 units, said Matthias Luehrs, chairman of the board of management, Mercedes India and vice-president, global sales, at Mercedes-Benz.
“It will clearly end up as the best year Mercedes ever achieved in India,” Eberhard Kern, managing director and chief executive of the local arm of the German firm, told reporters in Pune on Wednesday. “In 2014, we aim to expand in double-digits faster than the market,” said Luehrs, who was also in Pune to inaugurate the company’s so-called “Centre of Excellence”.
Dedicated to wealthy customers, which include politicians, film stars and corporate heads, the centre features a dedicated helipad that will be used exclusively by such customers who want to fly in and out, providing them highest level of convenience and ease in purchasing their desired specialty car, said Luehrs.
This is one among the few such centres Mercedes has globally.
Mercedes, which launched eight new models in 2013, has seen sales of its super luxury brands such as the SLS AMG, SLK 55 AMG and E 63 AMG, pick up. The average ticket price of these models is upwards of Rs.1.5 crore.
The firm also got a volume push with the launch of the A Class, its compact luxury model.
In a bid to shake off the old-man image associated with the brand, Mercedes globally sharpened focus on design to woo buyers away from German rivals BMW AG and Audi AG. Emerging markets, too, will play a crucial role in the renewed thrust, accounting for half of global sales, according to company executives.
Elaborating on the model launch plans for the calendar 2014, Luehrs said Mercedes plans to introduce the new S Class in the first quarter. It will also be bring in either the CLA (four-door coupe) or GLA (compact luxury cross over) to India, next year.
“Mercedes in India has bounced back,” said Puneet Gupta, principal analyst at I.H.S, the sales forecasting and market research firm.
According to Gupta, the maker of the car that sports a three-pointed star logo always had the first mover advantage in the country. It had, however, lost traction in the absence of models that can compete with rivals such as Audi and BMW. “They have been very aggressive in 2013 with models like the A-Class that has helped them take competition head on.”
Gupta expects the luxury car market in India, which includes sales from Jaguar Land Rover India, Audi India, BMW India and Mercedes India, to expand to 34,000 units by end of calendar 2013 from 28,000 units in 2012. The market for such vehicles account for less than 2% in the total passenger vehicle market.

Nissan to sell cars online in India

                                                                          

New Delhi: Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. said on Monday that it will start selling its cars online in India, following the example of Skoda Cars India Pvt. Ltd.
Customers will be able to book their cars by paying with a credit card. The car will then be delivered to the customer by the nearest Nissan dealership, the company said in a statement.
Skoda had started this service in October this year. A customer can book a Skoda vehicle by making an advance payment of Rs5,000. The customer will be fully refunded if he chooses to cancel the booking.
Experts said it’s an experiment, which may work for a company like Nissan, which has few sales and service points and it will gain in the smaller cities and towns.
Japanese automaker Nissan was late in entering the Indian market and it started selling its products in India from 2010. It has at least 100 dealerships with only six in the national capital region, a Nissan India spokesperson said It sells models including the Micra, Sunny and Terrano.
Praveen Sinha, co-founder and managing director of Jabong.com, said if Nissan could crack the markets and customize the delivery options to consumers, it has the potential to fulfil a latent demand, especially in smaller towns.
To be sure, websites such as eBay and olx.in sell second-hand cars. Online retail accounts for a minuscule $600 million (around Rs3,600 crore), compared with India’s $518 billion brick and mortar retail industry, according to a report by consulting firm Technopak. E-commerce has a potential to grow to as much as $76 billion by 2021.
Sinha said that in markets where dealers are not present or are scarce, consumers largely travel to larger cities or book vehicles through brokers. “If the company can target such markets then there might be sizable orders.”
Nitish Tipnis, director, marketing, Hover Automotive India, (Nissan’s national sales company), said that buyers doing research about cars on the web before making a purchase prompted the company’s decision to sell the cars online.
Nissan India is putting in place suitable payment gateways with the help of specific car portals to ensure timely delivery and service at the time of purchase.
According to a study by the Boston Consulting Group done earlier this year, 56% of Indians who purchased a car had access to the Internet. Of these, 22% used the Internet to do preliminary research.
“It seems like a logical step to take, given that when it comes to buying vehicles a large number of consumers do rely on the internet for research and pricing. Pre-purchase research is a big thing online,” said Arvind Subramanian, partner and director at Boston Consulting Group.

Tata Motors to hike passenger vehicle prices by 1 per cent from January

                                                                                

New Delhi: Auto major Tata Motors plans to hike prices of its passenger vehicles by about 1 per cent from January, 2014.

The Tata Group company, however, is currently reviewing the market situation with regards to its commercial vehicle business for a similar step and will take a call later.

"While there is to be about 1 per cent hike in our passenger vehicles pricing, the commercial vehicles business continues to review the situation and will take a call subsequently," a Tata Motors spokesperson told PTI.

Tata Motors markets a range of vehicles, ranging from passenger cars to heavy duty commercial vehicles.

The auto major's passenger vehicle portfolio comprises models from entry level hatchback Nano, priced at Rs. 1.5 lakh, to multi utility vehicle Aria, priced up to Rs. 14.95 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Last week, leading car-makers Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai had also announced to hike prices from January, joining the likes of Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Honda.

Maruti and Hyundai had cited rising input costs as the main reason for hiking the prices, across their entire model range, from next month but had not specified the quantum of the expected increase.

Earlier in the month, Honda Cars India had announced to take a price hike from first week of next month to partially offset impact of adverse exchange rate and inflation

Upcoming hatchback cars in India in 2014

                                                                                   

The Indian roads are overwhelming with hatchback car models which justifies their popularity amongst Indian consumers. While crossing the Indian streets, one can say that out of 10 vehicles around 7-8 cars belongs to hatchback segment. This clearly indicates that the compact cars are the rulers of the Indian car market. Even the car manufactures feel most confident to start on any new venture or bring new models in this category of cars. If current scenario is to be considered, then auto companies simply bet on hatchback cars, and are pretty sure to carve a success story with these cars in the market.


However, there are various factors to base the success story of hatchbacks in India. The first obvious factor which every local buyer puts it on priority, is the affordability behind these machines. These models cost low due to the compact size and lesser engine capacity, which allows the manufacturers to comparatively price them cheaper. Well, these are optimally designed to serve every requirement that market demands. The next reason is the high fuel efficiency offered through hatchbacks. This makes Indians cash in on something that offers lucrative return in terms of fuel economy. The third big reason, is the compact size platform on which hatchbacks are developed. This makes them easily cruise through heavy traffic conditions which is a usual scenario in India. This also enables hassle free parking of the car.

After discussing the paramount factors in the success of hatchbacks in India, it makes auto manufacturers continue their business in this segment. The falling year will watch few new launches in this segment. We bring you the list of upcoming hatchbacks in 2014.

One of the top selling hatchbacks in India, Maruti Swift is soon going to receive updates to its exteriors as well as interiors. The competition levels in the B+ segment is stirring up, and so to retain the popularity, Maruti will bring facelift of Swift model. The 2014 model will get LED day time running lights embedded in fog lamps, LED roof mounted lamp, restyled front bumper and 16-inch alloy wheels avaialble in the top variant. On the other hand, the interiors will feature new upholstery, and is expected to receive an Auto-Up one touch function, automatic headlamps, electronically adjustable side mirrors, driver's side power window and several others. Mechanically, the car will remain unchanged and will be powered by a 1.2-litre K-Series petrol and a 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet turbo diesel engine.

From Ford EcoSport to Honda City: Best Car Launches of 2013

                                                                               

The year 2013 saw a mixed bag of disappointments and achievements in all sectors. The scenario was not so different in the auto industry as well. For many car manufacturers in India, the year proved to be mostly unprofitable.

The industry suffered from snarling sales, rising fuel prices and cost inputs, all of which forced the current financial year into becoming the weakest period in the past nine years. Nevertheless, the domestic market was flooded with new arrivals and discount offers. Though many could not mark it as a year of success, companies like Ford, Hyundai, Honda and Chevrolet managed to hit the jackpot with their new offerings. Vehicles like EcoSport, Amaze, Terrano and Enjoy single-handedly changed the fortune of their makers when they took the market by storm.

Ford EcoSport

In the compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment, Ford's EcoSport was the game-changer. By pricing it low, Ford directly challenged Indian market leaders, Maruti and Hyundai, as well as Nissan's Renault Duster, Mahindra Quanto and Premier Rio. Ford registered more than 30,000 bookings for EcoSport within the first 17 days of its launch in India on 26 June. The rising demand forced the auto maker to stop accepting bookings. Ford, a company which held a small share in the Indian auto market, now enjoys nearly a four percent share. The EcoSport contributes more than 55 percent to Ford's total sales, reported The Economic Times.

Premium luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz is banking on 'the performance streak' to bring about change in the fiercely competitive Indian market with the launch of its exclusive AMG sports car outlets.

AMG, the carmaker's performance booster range that derives technology bits from the famed F1 circuit, is expected to have dedicated high-end stores in major metros by next year. According to people privy to the development, Mercedes Benz is driving its top-end brand to take the lead in the  ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/26925274.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Premium luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz is banking on 'the performance streak' to bring about change in the fiercely competitive Indian market with the launch of its exclusive AMG sports car outlets.

AMG, the carmaker's performance booster range that derives technology bits from the famed F1 circuit, is expected to have dedicated high-end stores in major metros by next year. According to people privy to the development, Mercedes Benz is driving its top-end brand to take the lead in the  ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/26925274.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Domestic car sales decline in November

Car makers suffered post-festive season pangs in November with major companies Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor India, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra reporting decline in domestic sales.

In an exception to the trend, Honda Cars India and Ford, however, reported increase in sales during the month riding on their successful models Amaze and EcoSport respectively.

Country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) posted a decline of 5.9 per cent in its domestic sales to 85,510 units during the month.


Similarly, rival Hyundai Motor India saw its domestic sales down 3.6 per cent at 33,501 units during the month.

Commenting on the sales, HMIL Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Rakesh Srivastava, said: "After the festival season, market has been sluggish due to unfavourable macro-economic factors and low market sentiments resulting lower customer enquiries."

General Motors India also reported 14.14 per cent decline in sales at 6,214 units in November 2013. The company had sold 7,238 units in the same month of 2012.

GM India Vice-President P Balendran said that the market continues to remain sluggish due to unfavorable economic conditions and the company does not expect any improvement in the coming months.

On the other hand, Honda Cars India reported over two-and-half fold increase in its domestic sales in November 2013 at 9,332 units as against 3,711 units in the same month last year.

Ford also said its domestic sales grew by 33 per cent to 7,909 units in last month.

Ford India Executive Director (Marketing, Sales and Service) Vinay Piparsania said: "We are happy that we continue to register steady sales growth despite persistent market challenges as Indian consumers respond enthusiastically to our smart, fuel-efficient and dependable vehicles."

Yesterday, Mahindra & Mahindra's (M&M) reported 22 per cent decline in its domestic sales at 36,261 units.

"Post the festive season month of October, auto industry has turned to further de-growth and continues to remain subdued. Unless some concrete measures are provided for its revival, we do not foresee any immediate turnaround," M&M Chief Executive (Automotive Division) Praveen Shah said.

Tata Motors' domestic sales in November this year also slipped by over 40 per cent to 37,192 units in November, while that of Toyota Kirloskar Motor also dipped slightly to 10,208 units.

Two-wheeler makers, including Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Yamaha, reported sales growth in November. TVS Motors, though reported decline in sales during the month.

Market leader Hero MotoCorp reported 5.61 per cent rise in total sales at 5,30,530 units in November, while Honda Motorcycle & Scooter posted 43 per cent jump in sales at 3,19,080 units

Yamaha's domestic sales also increased by 6.5 per cent at 39,777 units as against 37,344 units in the same month last year.

However, Chennai-based TVS Motor's total sales dipped 9.88 per cent to 1,35,218 units from 1,50,056 units in the same month last year.

Mercedes builds helipad to fly in luxury customers

                                                                   

In perhaps the first of its kind in automotive marketing, Mercedes Benz has built a helipad within its factory premise in Pune to fly in potential customers of its coveted AMG brand to a specially-built arena that would house luxury wheels ranging from the Rs 2.5 crore SLS AMG roadster to other power-packed versions from its extensive range of cars.

The company, which is fighting a stiff battle with compatriot Audi for a leadership in the Indian luxury car space, wants to boost the number of super-luxury cars it sells in India and the latest move is aimed at giving an all-new experience to potential customers, company MD Eberhard Kern told TOI after driving in the SLK55 AMG priced at Rs 1.26 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Mercedes has sold more than 200 AMG cars in India since it introduced the line-up around three years back. "It is a small target group, but growing. We see a rising demand for high performance cars in India," Kern said. Speaking about the construction of a helipad within the facility, he said it has been done to offer a unique experience to potential buyers. "Not only that, we have customers who own helicopters and are keen to fly down to our plant."

The company will initially start the fly-in visits to the factory from Mumbai, and later add other cities. "We had to take special permissions to build the helipad, and this will result in providing a high degree of convenience to our customers.

AMGs deliver enhanced power and driving experience. All AMG engines are hand built, using a "one man, one engine" philosophy at the company's AMG plant in Affalterbach, Germany. Each AMG engine builder stamps the engine they produce with an engraved plaque depicting their signature.

Festival season fails to perk up car sales

                                                                             

Car makers suffered post-festive season pangs in November, with major companies such as Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor India, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra reporting a fall in domestic sales.

Honda Cars India and Ford, however, reported an increase in sales during the month, riding on successful models Amaze and EcoSport, respectively. The country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India posted a decline of 6 per cent in its domestic sales to 85,510 units during the month. Rival Hyundai Motor India saw domestic sales fall 4 per cent at 33,501 units.

General Motors India also reported a 14.14 per cent year-on-year decline in sales at 6,214 units. Ford said its domestic sales grew 33 per cent to 7,909 units last month.

Tata Motors' domestic car sales in November this year also slipped by over 40 per cent year-on-year to 10,376 units, while Mahindra & Mahindra witnessed a 32 per cent drop.

"Post the festive season, the auto industry has turned to further de-growth and continues to remain subdued," said M&M CEO-automotive Praveen Shah said.

Two-wheeler makers, including Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Yamaha, reported sales growth in November. TVS Motors, though reported a decline in sales. Market leader Hero MotoCorp reported a 5.61 per cent year-on-year rise in total sales at 5,30,530 units in November while Honda Motorcycle & Scooter posted a 43 per cent jump in sales at 3,19,080 units. However, TVS Motor's total sales dipped 9.88 per cent to 1,35,218 units.

FMC asks NSEL to reconstitute auction panel with more powers

New Delhi: Commodity markets regulator Forward Markets Commission on Monday asked crisis-hit National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) to reconstitute the committee set up to oversee auction-cum-bidding process and give more powers to the panel to monitor the entire cash flow.

Two months ago, FMC had asked the bourse to set up a committee to oversee auction-cum-bidding process of stocks at warehouses of NSEL, which is engulfed in a payment crisis of Rs 5,600 crore after the exchange was shut following a government order due to violation of some norms.

Big demand for Ford EcoSport, Honda Amaze, Renault Duster: One-car wonder story for MNCs

Occasionally, prospects modify overnight. The item took place in order to Renault recently. Inside Indian since 2005, the The french language automaker we hadn't pretty established Native american highways racing. A vulnerable debut using the Logan car (in some sort of partnership using Mahindra & Mahindra which lasted some years), a off traffic presence using the higherend Fluence and the Koleos sports activities utility car or truck (SUV), Renault has been some sort of fringe gambler intending nowhere fast with Indian. Factors transformed significantly when it introduced the Duster, a entry-level SUV, with September 2012. This sleek and stylish SUV needed this market by simply thunderstorm. For just a firm which seldom marketed 900 items monthly, the Duster introduction created the issue associated with loads. Though the corporation ramped up it is month-to-month income in order to 6, 000-odd items, it now needed to grapple with a waiting time up to few months. "Renault observed some sort of nice location. It is Duster has been some sort of message inventor. This requirement spike should be welcomed in this particular light-weight, inch states Versus Ramakrishnan, handling director, Frost & Sullivan Indian, some sort of consulting organization. Inside 06, almost annually in the future, Duster attained it is match up. A fresh experiencing, Ford's EcoSport, one more entry-level SUV, debuted for the Native american highways. Snazzier, listed in a hostile manner (read a lesser amount than Duster), and loaded with a large quanity associated with functions, EcoSport grew to be the speak in the city. "We acquired envisioned very good volumes. But most of us had been surprised with the pace using that the [booking] purchases came with, inch states Vinay Piparsania, management director (marketing), Frd Generators Indian. Frd acquired 50, 000 reservations inside a report seventeen days to weeks. This sleek and stylish SUV these days looks forward to some sort of waiting time up to seven several weeks. Weighed down, merchants get quit taking reservations, and claim they will application all-around Apr subsequent 12 months. Meantime, the news all-around Duster features ceased a bit. Revenue get since moderated, from the high of 6, 313 items with March 2013 in order to some, 657 by simply October. There's no more time some sort of waiting time and it is readily accessible whatsoever Renault merchants.

A closer look at the fourth generation Honda City

                                                                     

          

The Honda City has for long been one of the most desirable, aspirational and popular cars in the Indian market. Since the first generation launched in 1998, Honda has sold 4.3 lakh units of this model in the country.

Over the years though, it has lost its segment leader status as its monopoly was shaken by the likes of the current generation Hyundai Verna, the Skoda Rapid, and the Volkswagen Vento. So it was high time Honda fired a fresh salvo, especially one which included a diesel variant. (Exclusive pics)

The company chose India for the first time to debut a brand new car, and so the global reveal of the fourth generation Honda City was held in New Delhi - unlike the past where Thailand always got to see cars like the City, Brio, Amaze and Jazz well before us. The reason was simple - Honda is even more focused on India now than before, and it wants to regain lost ground by not only reclaiming the segment top spot, but also establishing the segment benchmark once again.

When it came to petrol compact sedans, there was no better alternative to the City. Sure the Vento and the Rapid are well built, the Fiesta has a dual-clutch auto gearbox option, and the Verna is feature-rich, but the City carries with it a premium tag thanks to the high-end appeal Honda enjoys amongst Indian buyers. The third generation City was hailed as a formidable car when it drove in exactly 5 years ago. It went on to win the NDTV 'Car of the Year' award too within a few months of its launch. But soon the market shifted to diesel and the rest as they say is history.

So let's tell you about the new fourth generation. The car will have both 1.5-litre diesel and petrol options. The diesel engine is the same block as that in the Amaze, but will be tuned for higher power I expect. The first thing I want to clarify - the engine noise does not infiltrate the cabin as much as it does in the Amaze, making this a far quieter ride. But the distinct clatter of the 1.5-litre i-DTEC is audible. I cannot wait to drive the car to really test its performance parameters. That is also true for the updated i-VTEC petrol option too.




There is a sunroof and an all new start-stop button too, and some of these features will likely be restricted to the top variants only. The instrument cluster is also more high-end looking, with blue accents and chrome highlights.

Details on how many variants the car will have and the prices for those variants will only be announced in January, which is when the company will also open bookings. I will get a chance to drive the petrol and diesel cars in a few days, which is when I will be able to provide a more comprehensive verdict on the new City. But the first impression tells me that competition will be heading to their drawing boards soon!

The new City is well proportioned, but will come in for some stick on its looks. The car does seem like a face-lifted version of the third generation, rather than a significant design shift - as past generation changes have displayed. But having said that, in the flesh it appears to be larger than the outgoing model.