Yamaha Motor India is aiming to demonstrate its technological prowess with the launch of DiASil Cylinder in the Indian market. Yamaha DiASil Cylinder is used on the new 150cc YZF-R15 which was unveiled at Auto Expo 2008 and will be released in the market later this year. 

Developed in 2002 by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd, the DiASil Cylinder is an all-aluminum die-cast cylinder with 60 per cent better cooling performance and 30 per cent cheaper production cost than a conventional cylinder. The Yamaha DiASil Cylinder is the world’s first all-aluminum die-cast cylinder and achieves cooling performance equivalent to that of a nickel-plated cylinder, which is currently recognised as the best in the industry, but at a significantly lower production cost than a nickel-plated cylinder. 

DiASil, an abbreviation for Die-casting Aluminum-Silicon, is a technology which brings together an ideal combination of material, manufacturing technology and environmental friendliness. The material used is a 20 per cent silicon content aluminum alloy, the manufacturing technology is the Yamaha CF Aluminum Die-cast Technology, which enables the production of an all-aluminum die-cast cylinder. 

It is Yamaha’s exclusive CF Aluminum Die-cast Technology that enables the mass production of a die-cast cylinder made completely of 20 per cent silicon content aluminum alloy, something that could not be done with conventional die casting methods.

Fiat has introduced the Palio Stiel Multijet diesel. Equipped with the Euro 4 compliant 1.3-litre 16-valve Multijet common-rail diesel engine that does 75bhp and 184Nm of torque at 2000rpm, the Palio diesel adds to the existing line up of Palios that include the 1.1 and 1.6. The Multijet engine is currently imported from Italy but will start production at the Ranjangaon plant near Pune in two to three months according to Fiat sources. Blending sporty drive with superior efficiency, the Palio Stile Multijet diesel is structured across three trim levels, SD, SDE and SDX, priced Rs 4.37 lakhs, Rs 4.57lakhs and Rs 4.77 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. 

Speaking at the launch of the car, Rajeev Kapoor, CEO, Fiat India Automobiles Pvt Ltd said, “Fiat has kept its promise of making this an exciting year for its customers. Launch of the Palio Stile multijet version is first in the line of many exciting launches lined up by Fiat through this year. With this car which is equipped with Fiat's world-renowned multijet technology we hope to make further inroads in the B segment. Fiat's multijet engine is being produced under licence by other manufacturers and it has proved its mettle in the cars launched internationally and in India. The success of this engine can be attributed to the fact that it is a powerful yet fuel efficient engine which is perfect for Indian conditions.”

German specialist supplier, Behr has announced that its Indian venture, Behr India, (a joint venture between Stuttgart-based Behr and Anand Group of India) would supply the air conditioning system for the Nano. The contract package encompasses the HVAC module, the manual control head and the condenser, the product development for which is done entirely in India. 

According to Behr India CEO Sunil Kaul, “Behr will equip the Nano with state-of-the-art climate control technology. The biggest challenge was to create an air conditioner that combined cost-effectiveness with the capacity to fully accommodate the hot and humid climatic conditions in India”. 

Added Klemens Schmiederer, member of the Board of Management at Behr: "Behr is well placed to participate in the success of low-cost vehicles. We have production locations in China, India, Mexico, Brazil and the Czech Republic, as well as development centers in Brazil, China, and India. We have also set up sales structures in all of the relevant markets and developed special low-cost products." 

A special feature of Behr’s A/C technology is the integration of the BehrOxal coating process for aluminum evaporators. This innovative process improves corrosion protection and condensed water drainage in evaporators, while at the same time protecting the environment, as it does not contain any chemical coating or any chromate (VI). This Behr innovation won the coveted PACE award for 2007 from the trade journal Automotive News. For the HVAC assembly, Behr is currently setting up a new plant in Singur and production is likely to commence in mid-2008.

(Right to left ): Ufuk Kivrak, Group VP, Supply Chain Management, Power Technologies Division, ABB, Bharat Doshi-Executive Director and Group CFO M&M Group, Takeo Aoyama—Group Manager -Global Manufacturing Department, Electrical Steel Sheets Division, Nippon Steel, and Raghu Murti—President, Trade, Retail and Logistics, M&M during the commissioning of Mahindra Electrical Steel Service Plant in Vadodara

Mahindra Intertrade Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), inaugurated a world-class Electrical Steel processing plant in Vadodara. The facility, set up at a cost of Rs. 30 Crores, would manufacture laminations for transformer cores, providing a high-tech processing back-end for transformer OEMs located in Gujarat. 

The plant spans 3000 sq. m. and offers best-in-class facilities with cutting-edge equipment imported from technology leaders in the metal forming space, having the widest width Lamination line configuration to meet the demand of even the largest power transformers anywhere in the world. The lamination line is coupled with an equally high-tech Japanese slitting line, and related facilities.

Alexander Cutler inaugurating the professional services centre at Kharadi

Eaton’s professional services centre at Kharadi on the outskirts of Pune went on stream recently. Located at the EON Free Zone, the facility was inaugurated by Alexander M. Cutler, chairman and chief executive officer of Eaton. The centre includes engineering support, research, product development, financial shared services and other IT-enabled services. Occupying Wing-1 of the Cluster C of EON, the facility will house an estimated 1,300 employees by 2010. “Both Eaton and India are growing at a rapid pace,” said Shyam Kambeyanda, managing director, Eaton India. “This world-class facility provides an efficient, productive environment for the continuing growth of our organization -- and especially our people.”

Airbiquity Inc. has announced that it has entered into a contract with Ford Motor Co to provide its VIAaq Software as a Service offering to the automaker's SYNC in-vehicle communications system. Ford SYNC, developed with Microsoft, connects people and their portable devices in the vehicle, including media players and Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. 

The technology is available today on 12 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles and is on track to reach 1 million in sales in early 2009. Later this year, SYNC will be offered exclusively on nearly every new Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle. Ford selected Airbiquity's aqLink product and VIAaq service because of Airbiquity's proven reliability in the global telematics market. 

"Our partnership with Ford represents a key milestone for Airbiquity's VIAaq communication service," says Kamyar Moinzadeh, president and CEO for Airbiquity. "Ford's use of our software with SYNC further demonstrates our ability to provide reliable, practical communications solutions that address needs of today's drivers and provide the infrastructure necessary to respond to technology needs in the future. 

" Using Airbiquity's patented aqLink wireless data communications technology, VIAaq provides an end-to-end communication system for the automotive and portable navigation device (PND) industries. The technology allows for seamless data transfer, including vehicle diagnostics, between telematics service providers and the vehicle using cellular voice networks and Bluetooth connections to the driver's own cell phone rather than relying on conventional data channels. This approach to data transfer translates into broader coverage areas and a reduced overall cost of entry for automakers and PND suppliers that offer products enabled with Bluetooth technology.

Pioneer in the diesel 3-wheeler category, Piaggio, has launched two variants of its popular goods carrier Ape. Called Xtra and Xtra-LD, the vehicles provide the country's light transportation sector with two products that outperform in the category and offer exceptional value. 

Speaking at the launch in Chennai, J. Narayanan, Head – 3W Business of Piaggio Vehicles, said, "This is the age of competition. There is no space for complacency. The time is right for a pioneer brand like Ape to make a positive difference in the category. It's time to do something Xtra for the customer." 

The standard version Ape' Xtra has an extra strong cold-rolled loading platform with additional reinforcement to enhance strength an giver durability to the tray. A new extra-strong gearbox will ensure extra performance and reliability. Likewise, new clutch that withstands higher torque ensures extra clutch life and performance. 

The Ape' Xtra LD variant has all the above features plus an extra long deck that is increased to 1660 mm (180 mm longer) making it a longest load body vehicle in its category. The increase in loading area of 2.5 sq. ft. offers 12% more loading area. This means extra space, extra volume and of course, extra earnings and profits per trip. To guarantee extra stability for the longer deck, the "ape' Xtra LD" has the longest` wheelbase in its category, measuring all of 2100 mm. 

The company also launched Ape' Life engine oil which offers longer drain period of 10000 KM, reduces periodical maintenance cost by 50%.

Luxury car maker BMW has launched the M Series Coupe in Chennai. The launch coincides the inauguration of KUN exclusive, BMW showroom in Chennai. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Peter Kronschnabl, President BMW India, said “We have set very high standard for our dealer network and set new benchmarks in service quality and customer care in India at par with international standards. Today, BMW India holds a position of strength due to continuing strong demand for BMW vehicles. The showroom is located on an area of 20,000 sq.ft., and can service approximately 20 cars a day. 

The new BMW M3 Coupe, priced at Rs.73 lakhs, M6 Sedan, M6 Coupe, M6 Convertible can be ordered through KUN exclusive. The company at present has 9 dealerships in India & plans to increase it to 12 by this year-end.

BASF Coatings (India) has bagged the Ford Motor Company’s highest recognition for supplier quality – the prestigious Ford Q 1 award – at a recent vendor meeting held in Chennai, India. The award was presented by Keith Cooper, director purchasing, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, Arvind Matthew, managing director, Ford India and Dr Ramkumar Dhruva, chief executive, BASF Coatings India. The company, which has been supplying various coating solutions to the customer since 2003, is the first paint manufacturer to win this award. 

In order to qualify for the award, BASF Coatings India was required to undergo a rigorous audit, ensuring that the Company met ISO and QS criteria. It also assessed the company’s performance on a number of other criteria, including communication, teamwork as well as management review and alignments of policies and procedures to defined goals to ensure continuous improvement. Over the past few years, BASF has provided professional vendor support to the Chennai-based manufacturing unit of Ford India. 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ramkumar Dhruva, chief executive of BASF Coatings India said, “We take immense pride in being the first coating solutions supplier to receive the Q1 award from Ford, one of our most important customers. This honor not only reflects our commitment to meeting customer satisfaction, but also the fact that the manufacturing systems and processes installed at the BASF Mangalore production site comply to Ford’s highest global standards.”

At the recent VDI conference “Plastics in Automotive Engineering 2008”, Lanxess Semi-Crystalline Products business unit stressed on material innovations and technical concepts for making vehicles lighter, more cost effective, and more efficient to run. 

Ralf Zimnol, head of Application Development in the Semi-Crystalline Products business unit, explained that the development work for the car of the future was very broadly based, and drew attention to functional polymers with anti-static or flame-retardant properties, and easy-flowing thermoplastics that are cost-effective to process into large, thin-walled components. 

“Further focal points include new material combinations, such as composite sheets for consistent lightweight construction and polyesters and polyamides with a very high modulus of elasticity as alternatives to metals and expensive specialties”, he added. 

According to Lanxess sources the developments are geared towards creating products with added value that – at the very least cost no more than existing series applications. Applications with highly filled Pocan and Durethan grades took precedence due to their high glass fibre content of between 40 and 60 percent, are stiff and boast excellent flow properties.

 The Lanxes display included hinges for the rear door of a van and the door handle of a car, both produced using Durethan DP BKV 60 H2.0 EF reinforced with 60 percent glass fibres. 

Yet another example was a reversing lever for a car transmission system, injection molded using Pocan T7391 reinforced with 45 per cent glass fibres. The Lanxess display also included new materials developed to withstand the high temperatures under the hood. Examples like the impact resistant Durethan BKV 30 HTS, which – thanks to its high temperature stability – can withstand continuous temperatures of around 150 °C with peaks of up to 190 °C. 

Lanxess’ core business comprises the development, manufacture and sale of specialty chemicals, plastics, rubber and intermediates. With sales of EUR 6.94 billion in 2006, Lanxess employs an estimated 14,500 in 21 countries around the world. The company has operations at 47 sites worldwide.