Magna Mirrors, an operating unit of Magna International, has announced that it has won a 2009 Automotive News Pace Award with its BlindZoneMirror product. BlindZoneMirror is an innovative side view mirror that integrates a wide-angle auxiliary mirror into the main mirror. The auxiliary mirror reduces the side blind zone, where passing vehicles are typically outside the driver’s field of view. The transition from the main mirror to the wide-angle auxiliary mirror is seamless, and the driver can readily discern the presence of the passing vehicle. 

This industry-first innovation addresses a prime concern of drivers: improved visibility around the vehicle. Compared to radar-based blind spot monitoring systems, BlindZoneMirror is available at a fraction of the price. The technology is currently available on the 2009 Ford Edge and Chevrolet Traverse and could eventually become standard equipment in any vehicle due to its affordability.

Fiat has hiked the local content in Linea by 10 per cent, taking the total local content to 65per cent. This was achieved in a short span of four months. Further increase in local contents is on the cards and aimed at ensuring massive savings on import duties that will be passed on to the customer. 

Also, on account of the huge local content the availability of spares at competitive prices much below the competition has brought down the cost of ownership of Fiat cars. A recent study by an automobile magazine on availability of fast moving spares for the after market indicates a leadership position for Fiat where spares of the Palio Stile are priced much below to the competition..

Ford India will be sourcing cast aluminium engine blocks from the Pune-based Jaya Hind Industries. The engines employing blocks made by Jaya Hind would be used in the Ford fiestam Ikon and the new small car the company is working on. Speaking to the media, Ford India's managing director, Michael Boneham is known to have told that his is the first company to localise by sourcing engine blocks from an external vendor. 

While the agreement between the automaker and Jaya Hind Industries is expected to be executed in two months from now, it needs to be considered that the first order after Jaya Hind entered into an agreement with Kolbenschmidt Pierburg group company, KS Aluminium-Technologie AG in 2008, was a prototype aluminum engine block for Ford. Manufacturer and supplier of cast transmission and pump housings, cylinder head covers and other power train components to manufacturers like Ford, GM, Fiat, Tata, Mahindra and Suzuki, Jaya Hind is part of the the Firodia Group. The company has a workforce of 1,200 and three production plants in the Pune region..