The state-of-the-art bus manufacturing facility of Tata Marcopolo Motors at Dharwad (Karnataka) has begun commercial production. Tata Marcopolo Motors Limited is a 51:49 joint venture of Tata Motors and Marcopolo of Brazil. The Dharwad plant will cater to India’s growing need for world class fully-built buses for intra-city and inter-city transportation with international standard comfort, quality and safety. 

The plant will produce a comprehensive range of buses. The range, to be marketed under the Starbus and Globus brands, includes 16 to 54-seater standard buses, 18 and 45-seater luxury buses, luxury coaches and low-floor city buses. The plant, spread over about 123 acres, will have a capacity to produce 30,000 units a year, to be achieved in phases. 

In 2009-10, the first full year of operation, production can be up to 15,000 units. The joint venture has already invested about Rs.200 crores. The plant, at full capacity, will generate over 6,500 direct jobs and would be supported by a vendor park.

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India achieved its highest ever domestic and total sales in January 2009. In the said month the company sold 67,005 units in the domestic market, up 5.6 per cent over corresponding month last fiscal. The previous highest monthly domestic sales were 65,216 units in November 2007. In January 2009, the company exported 4774 units. In all, the company sold 71,779 vehicles in January 2009, up 5.4 per cent over corresponding month last fiscal. The previous highest total sales were registered in March 2007 (71,772 units).

ContiTech Power Transmission Group has developed the first-ever timing belt intended for lifetime use for Volkswagen common-rail engines. The Conti Diesel Runner belt is used as standard in the diesel engine of the new Golf, the first VW diesel engine to meet the EURO 5 standard. The belt transmits the force of the crankshaft to the camshaft via the common-rail pump. The high flexing frequency poses particular challenges for the belt’s flexibility. This was taken care of by employing new, thinner cord types to induce greater fatque strength. 

Says Hermann Schulte, Head of Research and Development at the ContiTech Power Transmission Group: “By using new, thinner cord types, the Conti Diesel Runner possesses the necessary improved bending fatigue strength. A special elastomer compound also makes the belt cold-stable to temperatures down to minus 32°C.”. Interestingly, the Conti Diesel Runner has already clocked more than 240,000 kms on the VW engine test bench and thus demonstrated that it can last for an entire engine life. This makes ContiTech’s timing belt the first belt in a VW diesel engine intended for lifetime use. 

Following a two-year development period, VW Tiguan diesel engines were fitted with ContiTech’s new timing belts at the start of 2008. The market launch of the sixth generation of Golf cars also marked the start of the mass use of the Conti Diesel Runner by the Wolfsburg car manufacturers.