Anil Dua, VP (Marketing & Sales), Hero Honda Motors Ltd., posing with the New Achiever

Hero Honda Motors Ltd (HHML), the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, augmented its presence in the premium segment with the launch of the new Achiever. The Achiever comes with 5 spoke black colored cast wheel, and its new body colored rear grip and the new graphics give the 150cc bike an attractive look. 

The Achiever comes in 5 body colours namely, force silver metallic, palace maroon, candy blazing red, magnetic blue metallic and black. Front disk brake and cast wheels come as standard fitment. Achiever is available in 2 variants – kick start and self. The new motorcycle is priced at Rs 52,650/- and Rs 54,950/- respectively for two variants (ex-showroom Delhi). 

Speaking on the occasion, Pawan Munjal, Managing Director, HHML said, “Our effort has always been to meet customer requirements. So even within the premium segment, we now have three different brands catering specific sub-segments. Our recent launches in this segment, CBZ X-treme and the new Karizma, appeal to customers who are looking for sporty and stylish bikes to make a lifestyle statement. The new Achiever addresses the customers looking for a strong powerful bike for commuting purpose. We believe that the new Achiever snugly fits into that space within the premium segment.”

DSM Engineering Plastics, a business group of Royal DSM N.V. (DSM), has decided to set up its compounding plant at Ranjangaon near Pune. World's leading supplier of nutritional and pharma ingredients, performance materials and industrial chemicals, DSM Engineering's Ranjangaon plant will triple the production capacity for engineering plastics, which are used to make key moulded components for automotive, electrical and electronics, consumer and industrial segments. 

DSM is a 104-year old speciality chemicals group with annual revenues in excess of US $ 11 billion. The activities of DSM are divided into four clusters - performance materials, nutrition, industrial chemicals, and pharma. Engineering plastics is located under performance materials with sales of Euro 1005 million in 2006. DSM is one of the world's leading suppliers of engineering thermoplastics offering a broad portfolio of high performance products including Stanyl and Akulon polyamides, Arnitel, Arnite polyesters, Xantar polycarbonate, Yparex extrudable adhesive resins. 

Drawing attention towards Dyneema elastomer resin, Roelof Westerbeek, president, DSM Engineering Plastics Asia Pacific, said, "We also sell it to the Indian army. We are market leaders in India and therefore the empowerment of India in engineering plastics is very important to us. Stanyl is sued in the Rolls Royce engine for Airbus A380 for noise reduction. It is the first thermoplastic material used in aircraft engines." 

The new manufacturing facility is spread over 100, 000 sq mtr and will be commissioned in the second quarter of 2008. It will use leading edge compounding technology and will be fully equipped with best-in-class safety, health and environment compliance systems.

Dr Norbert Reithofer, Chairman, BMW AG, (right) posing with the 3 Series sedan at the inauguration of the Chennai plant. Frank Peter Arndt, Member of the Board of Management, BMW AG, Production, is also seen

Luxury carmaker, BMW inaugurated its assembly plant near Chennai recently. The plant is located in the Mahindra World City at Chengalpet, and the complex covers a total area of 89,000 square metres, with production area of 13,000 square metres. Set up with investment of 20 million Euro, the plant would assemble the 3 series and 5-series sedans. 

The plant has capacity to build around 1,700 cars a year in a single shift, but this could be scaled up based on demand. BMW will make seven models of the 3 and 5 Series at the Chennai facility, with price ranging from Rs 26.7 lakh and Rs 29 lakh ex-showroom for the 3 Series and Rs 37 lakh-45 lakh for the 5 Series. The models offered would be 320i, 325i, 320 diesel of the 3 Series, and 520i, 523, and 525 (both petrol and diesel) of the 5 Series. 

The BMW Group has been active in the Indian market through a dealer network over the past 10 years. Establishment of an independent subsidiary company managed by the BMW Group was the next key logical step towards creating a significant platform to serve the emerging growth market in India, said Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Executive Board of BMW AG, during the inauguration.

Bharat Doshi, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra and Chairman, Mahindra Intertrade, inaugurating the blanking facility at Nashik

In a move away from tradition, M&M will outsource manufacture of blanked body profiles, or skin panels. The auto major would procure body/skin profiles from Mahindra Intertrade Ltd (MIL), which inaugurated a state–of-the-art blanking line facility in Nashik recently. MIL is part of the Mahindra Group’s Trade & Financial Services Sector 

The facility, set up with an investment of Rs 50 Crores, will process steel coils for the supply of automotive body profiles and rectangular and trapezoidal sheets required for press shop operations, and would also look at export of profiles to S.E Asia. The plant marks a first, both for M&M and the automotive industry in India, as it will be the only independent automotive facility for blanked skin panels in the country. 

The facility will handle wide-width material up to 2000mm and is equipped with an oil based Washing unit especially designed for skin panels. The equipment is imported from Müller Wiengarten of Germany, global technology leader in the field of metal forming for the automotive industry.

H S Lheem, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor India Limited, addressing the gathering at the flagging off ceremony in Chennai

India's leading automaker, Hyundai Motor India Limited, has begun the export of its Getz model. Called Prime, the first batch of 1000 cars was flagged off to Germany, one of the Hyundai's many European markets, at the Chennai Port. The new Getz is the third Hyundai car after Santro and Accent to be exported from the country. 

Speaking on the occasion, Hyundai Motor India Limited Managing Director Mr H S Lheem said: "Given Hyundai Motor Company's global strategy to make India an export hub for small cars, we are today shipping out the first consignment for export of the new Getz to Europe. Since it was introduced in 2002, the Getz has sold more than 500,000 units in Europe, accounting for close to 70 per cent of its total sales worldwide. Selling a total of 7.6 lakh units globally over the last five years, the Getz has also been very successful in almost all the overseas market. And for Indian operations this is a major milestone as from now on the new Getz will be added to the ever growing list of exported models from India." 

In Europe, the Getz Prime would be available in three variants - the 1100 cc and 1300cc petrol and 1500cc diesel. Lheem added that the Prime would be made available in the domestic market very soon, and that the variants would be the same. HMIL would export around 40,000 units of the new Getz in the current fiscal, aims to increase it to one-lakh units by 2008. The new Getz meets all the European safety and emission standards. And also, HMI targets to sell 80,000 units of Santro and 15,000 units of Accent by end of this year. 

Talking about future plans, Lheem said the second phase of expansion was on, and once complete, the production capacity would double from the present 3,00, 000 units. He also said that HMIL would have invested Rs 4000 crores in India by the year 2010. "A new diesel transmission plant would be set up in Chennai if the demand for the diesel Sonata and Accent crosses 50000 units", Lheem stated. 

On future launches, Lheem said the company would roll out a new family of small car, and the 1500cc (diesel) Getz by the year-end. Also on the anvil is a CNG variant of the Santro, targeted primarily at the North and West regions. Feasibility studies were also on about the possibility of LPG and diesel Santro, Lheem added. 

Hyundai Motor India started exports in 1999 with the first shipment of twenty Santros to neighbouring Nepal. Since then it has become the second largest automaker in India and the largest exporter of passenger cars from India and today it exports to around 67 countries as diverse as Europe, Latin America, Africa and Middle East. Last year HMI exported around 113,000 units and by end of 2008 it plans an estimated 300,000 units. 

The Santro and the Accent are the most popular models to be exported from here. Santro is majorly exported to Europe, Africa, Middle East & Latin America. The Accent too is very popular and is currently being sold in domestic and overseas market. The Accent is shipped to countries like Morocco, Algeria, Sri Lanka, etc.