The Adani Group's Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd (MPSEZ) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Mumbai for setting up a dedicated automobile terminal with Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) of Japan and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines (WWL) of Norway, the company announced. 

NYK is a proven leader in operating auto terminals worldwide and has an extensive fleet of Ro-Ro ships offering regular sailings to and from the major ports around the globe, while WWL operates its own terminals in Europe, the US and Asia and has a fleet of over 60 Pure Car/Truck Carrier (PCTC) and Ro-Ro vessels for providing global, cost effective and reliable ocean transport. 

Kim Buoy, Head of Terminals & Inland Services, WWL, Tokyo is known to have said that WWL wants to be an active partner in transferring best practices and expertise from its global network. Koji Shinozaki, Deputy General Manager, NYK, is known to have expressed that building this terminal in Mundra will bring efficiencies in the auto logistics industry which will help in making India a global player in automotive logistics. 

The Mundra Port is set to become a hub for handling of automobiles because of its proximity to the major auto manufacturers in North and West India. Maruti Suzuki and Nissan will start exporting their cars to Europe from Mundra Port in January 2009.

Maruti Suzuki India has introduced the A-star compact hatchback in India. Powered by the new, three-cylinder, light weight 998cc K10B petrol engine, the A-star is built on a new platform. Meeting European ELV norms, which implies that 85 per cent of the car is recyclable, the A-Star is positioned in the premium A2 segment. Produced at company's Manesar plant is being launched with a high 95 per cent indigenisation levels, the A-Star is also expected to be sold under the Nissan brand in export markets at a later date. 

Under the aegis of Maruti alone, the A-Star is expected to contribute half of the company's overall export target of 200,000 units by 2010-11. As announced earlier, the company plans to commence exports of A-star in early 2009, to Europe. Built to meet the current safety norms in advanced markets, the A-Star can be had with ABS and airbags. To be available in three trim levels — LXi, VXi and Zxi, the A-Star prices start at an estimated 3.5 lakhs. The K10B engine of the A-Star, which is claimed to be highly frugal and having a minimal carbon footprint, is made at the new engine plant that was built at an investment of Rs 1,200 crores.

Speaking at the recent ‘Big Bets on Technology and Manufacturing’ forum at the 24th India Economic Summit, Joerg Mueller, Volkswagen India President and Managing Director, said his team foresaw a positive future, especially for Volkswagen in India. 

Defining Volkswagen’s experience in India as positive, Mueller stated that, although the Indian automobile market is currently facing the global slow down in demand, his company was not worried about the mid term and long term perspective. “We are watching the situation accurately but will stick to our investment plans”, he added. The 24th India Economic Summit, held in New Delhi, was organized jointly by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Mazda Motor Co. has announced that it, along with several strategic business partners, would acquire part of Ford's shares in the company. As a result, the ratio of Ford’s ownership of Mazda stock will be reduced from 33.4 per cent to just over 13 per cent, even as the new agreement allows the two companies to continue their strategic relationship that spans nearly 30 years. 

The agreement is also expected to help Mazda to accelerate its product-led brand improvement and cost innovation initiatives, yet maintain the joint ventures with Ford concerning sharing of platforms and power trains. For Ford, the agreement will allow raising of capital which will help fund product-led transformation.

Setco Automotive, the India-based manufacturer of clutch products has partnered AMS Automotive, a US-based manufacturer of clutch products and kits, to market and distribute Lipe Clutch products in the heavy duty aftermarket in the US. The line-up of Lipe clutches includes over 100 configurations that are compatible with a broad cross-section of truck makes, models, and engines, for both on and off-road vehicles. 

Setco acquired the Lipe Clutch Division of Dana Corp. in 2005. Incorporated in May 1982, Setco Automotive is the largest manufacturer of premium quality Lipe clutches for heavy and medium commercial vehicles in India. The company employs more than 600 people globally and is a Tier I supplier to all major Indian commercial vehicle manufacturers with a customer base inclusive of prominent names such as Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and Eicher Motors. Setco has a strategic global footprint with 4 manufacturing facilities globally, 2 in India, and 1 each in UK and USA. Setco’s R&D base is in the UK.

OmniVision Technologies, Inc., a leading independent supplier of CMOS image sensors, has announced multiple design wins with Valeo for its AutoVision line of CMOS image sensors. The design wins with Valeo, the leading provider of advanced vision systems to many of Europe's largest car manufacturers and their suppliers, reinforces OmniVision’s increasing strength within the automotive market. 

Valeo is integrating OmniVision sensors into a variety of advanced vision systems for automotive safety and driver assistance programs, including, but not limited to applications such as: rear view cameras, parking assistance systems, side view and surround view systems.