newsgaze

HSCI launches select edition Jazz priced at Rs. 7.21 lakh

Editorial Team — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:05:01 +0000

Honda new select edition Jazz

Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) launched a “Select Edition” of its small car ‘Jazz‘ which is priced at Rs. 7.21 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The select edition of Jazz has been launched to commemorate the celebration of ‘Car of the Year’ award and ‘Small Car of the Year’ at the NDTV Profit – Car India and Bike India Awards 2010.

Honda Jazz was first introduced in the Indian market in June 2009. The Honda Jazz comes with a 1.2 L i-VTEC engine in 5-speed manual transmission and is loaded with all the values that are associated with Honda – global design, great drivability, fuel efficiency and safety.

The “Select Edition” of Honda Jazz would start getting despatched to the Honda dealerships from this week and will be available at the outlets from next week.

The “Select Edition” is an addition to the Jazz line-up which boasts of premium styling, spacious interiors, versatile utility and remarkable performance & fuel efficiency. The Honda Jazz becomes even more stylish and enhances its premium appeal by addition of Alloy wheels in the “Select Edition”. The new edition will additionally feature a Rear Parcel Shelf for added customer convenience & safety of the luggage and Front & Rear mud guards.

Ashok Leyland’s new plant inaugurated in Uttarakhand

Editorial Team — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:48:36 +0000

Ashok Leyland MD, R Seshasayee during the launch of Pantnagar Plant

Uttarakhand chief minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal inaugurated Hinduja’s flagship company, Ashok Leyland’s technologically world-class automobile manufacturing facility at Pantnagar. The new facility will increase Ashok Leyland’s current installed capacity of 100,000 vehicles by another 75,000. With the concessions available in Uttarakhand for new industries, the company will have a cost advantage of about Rs 40,000 – Rs 50,000 per vehicle, said a company release.

The new facility, which spreads across 190 acre, would initially roll out its latest U-Truck, and produce various medium and heavy duty vehicles in the later stages.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Pokhriyal also announced the launch of a unique career-education scheme that would spread the benefits of industrialization to reach the youth of the region.

Srichand P Hinduja, chairman, Hinduja Group, asserted that the group was long-term strategic investor and remained committed to India. “We will continue to support Ashok Leyland in its investment and growth plan,” he said. “Despite the downturn, the quick economic recovery augurs well for the auto industry. We have always looked ahead, and are committed to continued expansion in the future. This plant is an example of this commitment. We are delighted to see this cradle of ancient of civilization becoming the home of the latest and the most modern plant of our flagship company, Ashok Leyland.”

Speaking at the occasion, Ashok Leyland managing director R Seshasayee said, “With the opening of this new plant, Ashok Leyland’s centre of gravity will shift from South to North India. We will further consolidate our North India base when we will transform Alwar bus body making unit into an integrated bus manufacturing plant in the next 3-4 years.”

Union minister of heavy industries and public enetrprises Vilasrao Deshmukh was also present on the occasion.

Tata Motors showcase Tata Nano Electric Vehicle at Geneva Motor Show

Editorial Team — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:22:02 +0000

Tata Motors Nano Electric Car (EV)

Tata Motors showcased the electric version of the locally popular, Tata Nano at the 80th Geneva Motor Show. With the addition of Tata Nano EV, Tata Motors goes strong to the existing electric vehicle portfolio comprising Tata Indica Vista EV.

The Tata Nano EV will offer the practicality of a real car, without compromising in the quest of providing environment-friendly personal transportation for the modern consumer.

The Tata Nano EV will be able to accommodate four people and expected to have a predicted range of up to 160 km and an acceleration of 0-60 kmph in less than 10 seconds.

Tata Nano EV will boasts of super polymer lithium ion batteries, as in the Tata Indica Vista EV, which provide superior energy density to conventional batteries.

Earlier, during the last year’s Geneva Motor Show, Tata Motors had exhibited the other electric car Tata Indica Vista EV and expects to launch it in select European countries this year.

Mr. Ravi Kant, Vice Chairman, Tata Motors, said, “Electrification will be an integral part of our initiative to launch environment-friendly vehicles. The Indica Vista EV will be introduced in select European countries, beginning this year. We will progressively introduce electric vehicles in all relevant markets.”

Tata Motors also displayed Tata Aria, Tata Indigo Manza, Tata Xenon Double Cab pick-up vehicle and the Tata Indica Vista.

Nissan unveils Micra, India launch in July

Editorial Team — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:31:32 +0000

Exterior view of Nissan Micra

Nissan unveiled the fourth generation of the iconic city car, Micra at the 80th International Geneva Motor Show. Nissan Micra will be the first ‘Made-in-India’ compact car from the Nissan family and it will be manufactured at the soon-to-be inaugurated plant at Oragadam, near Chennai. Sales of the new Micra will start in Thailand in March, in India in July and European sales will begin in November this year.

Focused on the theme of ‘keeping small cars simple’, the new Nissan Micra is developed and built on Nissan’s all-new V-Platform. The new Micra was designed and tested in Japan (named as March in Japan) to be built in at least four overseas locations such as Thailand, Mexico and China along with India.

Retaining the compact dimensions, the new car is slightly longer and marginally lower. The Micra comes with a much roomier interior, thanks to its longer wheelbase. The boomerang-shaped grooves on the roof and ‘connected cocoon’ design featuring a dashboard design takes the new Micra on a ‘twin bubble’ theme.

Globally, equipment levels differ by market, but the new Micra is available with some key technological innovations which are designed to simplify day-to-day life for its owners.

The new Micra is available with reversing sensors and a new ‘parking space measurement’ (PSM) device with three skill levels (amateur, normal and expert) to lessen the burden of parking in tight spaces.

It also offers Nissan Connect, an Intelligent Key, Nissan’s accessible touch-screen combined audio and satellite navigation system, glass roof, automatic wipers, speed sensitive volume on the audio, a push button start-stop system in addition to a drive computer which supplies drivers with real time fuel economy information, cruising range and outside temperature.

On the security side, the car is also fitted with a speed-sensitive automatic door locking system. In Europe, the Micra will be fitted with ABS, dual front airbags, curtain and side airbags, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and pretensioner seatbelts as standard equipment.

“It is a victory day for Nissan and all Indian customers. The moment that we all at Nissan India have been waiting for has finally arrived. Fourth generation Micra has been designed in line with the discerning needs of the Indian customers and we believe that it is the right product at the right time,” said Kiminobu Tokuyama, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India Private Ltd (NMIPL). “We are on track to start production of this car in May 2010 and the sales would commence in July 2010. We will also be exporting the Micra to more than 100 countries including 35 countries in Europe from Sept 2010,” he added.

Panasonic launches 85 Inch Plasma display

Editorial Team — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:11:46 +0000

Panasonic FHD Plasma Display TH-85PF12

After tasting the success with the 103 inch plasma televisions, Panasonic has launched another variant of the large plasma screens with an 85 inch FHD plasma display.

Embedded with the Neo PDP technology, the new Panasonic 85” FHD Plasma display panel comes with Triple function slots, which allow terminal boards to be swapped according to the video source.

Priced at Rs. 20 lakhs, the newly launched Panasonic FHD Plasma Display TH – 85PF12 comes with a service life of 1, 00,000 hours and a visibility equivalent to four 42 inch screens.

In addition, a customer can also connect his laptop with it, upon the insertion of a wireless presentation board and can further use the displays as a touch panel after an infrared panel attachment. Features like portrait zoom and external control inputs like RS 232, LAN Port and flexible set up of the display panel create exceptional window displays and optimizes the content display.

At the launch, Mr. Vineet Mahajan, Head –Sales (Professional Display) at Panasonic said: “The new 85 inch plasma display panel is embedded with a superb and advanced Neo PDP technology that’s capable of transporting the viewers from real to the full of action reel life and with its launch today, we definitely expect it to drive us a definite majority of revenue. The New 85 inch Plasma Display will also be a major boon for professional System/ audio video Integrators for professional applications like Video conferencing, Digital Signage, Video wall and Customised Home theatre Etc.”

Toyota launches revamped ‘Passo’ in Japan

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:09:35 +0000

Toyota Passo

Toyota Motor Corporation launched the revamped “Passo” compact hatchback in Japan. The second edition of the popular Passo comes with a compact body, spacious interior and better fuel efficiency and environmental performance.

The new Toyota Passo comes in two variants: the simple and unpretentious “Passo”, which offers a sense reassurance and familiarity, and the “Passo + Hana”, which imbues an understated glamour for a strong impression. These unique designs, along with 11 available body colors, create variety that enables vehicle selection ideally suited to express individuality. It is reported that the new Passo, developed in conjunction with Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., will be available at a price tag of 1 million yen.

Indian Railway Budget: Highlights

Editorial Team — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:52:31 +0000

Union Railway Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee presented Rail Budget 2010 in Parliament on February 24, 2010.

No hikes in passenger fares and freight tariff.
52 new train services to meet increasing demand of passengers, increase in frequency of 12 train services, extension of 21 trains and introduction of some special trains.
Railways will not be privatized, but private sector participation welcomed through PPP route.
A Special Task Force to clear proposals for investments within 100 days to be set up

Railway Budget: Passenger services

Service charges on e-tickets reduced
E-ticket vans to be extended to Government Medical College Hospitals, Courts, Universities, IT hubs, IITs and IIMs
SMS updates of reservation status and movement of wagons
Ticket centres to be opened at district headquarters and village panchayats
100% concession for cancer patients along with an escort
Modern luggage trolleys with uniformed attendants to assist senior citizens and women passengers
Six clean bottling plants to provide cheaper, clean drinking water to passengers

Railway Budget: New trains and services

Mumbai to get 101 new suburban train services
Sanskriti Express, across the country, to mark 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Matribhoomi Express trains for ladies in Kolkata, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai
Karmabhoomi unreserved trains for common people between Darbhanga-Mumbai, Guwahati-Mumbai and New Jalpaiguri-Amritsar.
Janmabhoomi Trains specially for uniformed persons, between Ahmedabad and Udhampur, Bharat Tirth Trains for tourists connecting popular sites in different parts of the country
Four new Duronto trains between Chandigarh and Amritsar, between Chennai and Coimbatore, between Puri and Howrah and between Howrah and Digha.
Double-decker coaches to be introduced in two trains each from Delhi and Kolkata

Railway Budget: Freight services

Concession in freight charges for food-grains and domestic use kerosene
Allotment of iron ore rakes would be accessible through the web. RFID technology to be introduced for tracking of wagons
Freight loading target for 2010-11 fixed at 944 million tonnes, 54 million tonnes more than the current year’s revised target.

Railway Budget: Railway Infrastructure

Target set to build 25,000 kms of new lines over next 10 years. 1000 kms every year
National High Speed Rail Authority proposed to plan high speed rail corridor
North-south, east-west dedicated freight corridors to be created
Chittaranjan Locomotive Works capacity would to be augmented from 200 to 275 engines a year
Centre for Railway Research to be set up at IIT-Kharagpur
New Design, Development and Testing Facility at Bangalore
Railways to set up 10 auto ancillary hubs in PPP mode
First rail line in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to connect Port Blair to Diglipur
94 stations to be upgraded as Adarsh Stations, 10 more stations to be upgraded as World Class Stations
Multi-level parking complexes through PPP route

Railway Budget: Safety & Security issues

All unmanned Level Crossings (LCs) to be manned within five years
Automatic fire and smoke detection system to be introduced in 20 trains
12 companies of women RPF personnel, ‘Mahila Vahini’, for the security of women passengers

Railway Budget: Financials

Rs.41,426 crore plan outlay proposed, allocation for new lines increased to Rs.2,848 crore from Rs.4,411 crore
More money to improve passenger amenities – Rs.1,302 crore in comparision to Rs.923 crore in 2009-10
For FY11, gross traffic receipts projected at Rs 94,800 crore.
For FY11, estimated Railways’ dividend payout to exchequer at Rs 6,608 crore
Railway revenue through branding/advertising to go up from Rs.150 crore to Rs.1,000

Railway Budget: Welfare measures

Houses for all rail employees in next 10 years
522 hospitals, 50 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 10 residential schools, model degree colleges, technical and management institutes for railway employees
Five Railway Sports academies to be set up at Delhi, Secunderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Railways to run special trains for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi

Railway Budget: Recruitment

No examination fee for women, minority and economically backward class candidates for Railway Recruitment Boards’ exams
Question papers now will be made available in local state languages besides Hindi, Urdu and English, examinations will be held on the same day in all regions
Railways to employ one member of family whose land is requisitioned for railway projects

Railway Budget: Miscellaneous

Railways to set up Rabindra Museum in Howrah and Geetanjali Museum in Bolpur — both in West Bengal

Qatar Airways begins Doha-Bangalore service

Editorial Team — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:45:24 +0000

File photo of Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways, as part of its 2010 global expansion programme, launched scheduled flights to Bengaluru (Bangalore) to cater to the travelers in the southern city. Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, becomes the first of several new route launches being planned by Qatar Airways during 2010, said the airlines’ release. On the Doha–Bengaluru route, Qatar Airways is operating an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.

With the launch of daily flights to Bangalore, Qatar Airways’ Indian capacity is added up to 71 services a week spread across 11 key points – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), Cochin, Kozhikode, Goa and Amritsar.

With excellent connections from Europe, Middle East, Africa and the United States, the new Bangalore-Doha route is expected to be popular among expatriates returning to Bengaluru and the international business community having strong commercial links with the city.

Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said it was only a matter of time before Bengaluru became part of the carrier’s expanding family of routes in India which he described as “one of the airline’s most strategic markets.” “I am delighted that Bengaluru has finally joined our rapidly growing international network, which further demonstrates our commitment to give the travelling public greater choice,” he said.

Bengaluru has been at the heart of India’s software industry for years, enabling it to capitalise on establishing commercial and social ties with cities around the world, including its US west coast counterpart, San Francisco.

Al Baker further said, “These are exciting times for Qatar Airways. With our first new route of 2010 successfully launched, we look forward to further global expansion to some exciting destinations over the next few weeks and months. Watch this space for announcements of further expansion that will include new routes and capacity increases to many destinations worldwide.”

Volkswagen’s New Polo launched, pricing to give tough competition to rivals

Editorial Team — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:49:24 +0000

Volkswagen's New Polo

BY SHADAB KHAN

Volkswagen, Europe’s largest car maker, launched its much-awaited premium hatchback, the New Polo in Mumbai. Polo is the 5^th in line offering by Volkswagen for the Indian market from its product portfolio. Volkswagen opened its shelf in India with Passat, Jetta, SUV Touareg and the iconic Beetle.

Polo will be available in two variants — petrol and diesel. Both the variants are equipped with 1.2L engine. Pricing is the key element, which Volkswagen has carefully studied to give tough competition to its rivals. To start off with, the petrol variant of Volkswagen Polo is priced at Rs 4.34 lakhs (ex showroom New Delhi) while the 1.2L diesel variant comes at Rs 5.32 lakhs (ex-showroom New Delhi).

Deliveries of the new 1.2L 75HP New Polo petrol variant will begin from March 2010 onwards across all Volkswagen dealerships, says a company release. The 1.2L diesel variant will be available from May 2010. Volkswagen Polo is set to rub shoulders with same segment products like Maruti Swift, Maruti Ritz, Fiat Punto, Hyundai i10 and Hyundai i20.

Price of Volkswagen Polo

In the petrol range, the Trendline is available for a price of Rs 4,34,000, Comfortline for Rs 4,83,800 and top range Highline for Rs 5,72,000. In diesel, Trendline is available for Rs 5,32,000, Comfortline for Rs 5,81,800 and Highline for Rs 6,70,000 (all ex-showroom Delhi rates).

The car is currently available in six colours; Candy White, Flash Red, Glacier Blue Metallic, Reflex Silver, Pepper Grey and Deep Black. The New Volkswagen Polo comes in three-trim levels Highline, Comfortline and Trendline and is paired with 5-speed manual gear box.

In exteriors, the New Polo offers body-coloured bumpers, halogen headlights and galvanized body with six years Anti-Corrosion Warranty. The New Polo Highline has large 15-inch alloy wheels, ensconced in their flared arches, give it a higher and more commanding stance.

Volkswagen Polo is also equipped with advanced occupant safety with dual airbags, driver and passenger side and Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). Electronic anti theft immobilizer is available as standard across the line-up. On comfort the car has a number of unique, thoughtful touches. Volkswagen Polo is also equipped with CD MP3 Player changer with four speakers, power steering for better drivability, central locking with unique boot opener in company logo and height adjustable driving seat which improves visibility.

The interior is equipped with storage compartment in front doors for 1.5 litre bottles, sunglass storage inside glove box, folding rear seat backrests and the two-tone dashboard are proof of the sure instinct of high design quality which interprets the classic elements of the New Polo in a contemporary way.

Unique to this segment, the New Polo offers remote keyless central locking that includes remote window up / down on the Highline.

Standard for all cars are the tilt & telescopic steering that allows for perfect ergonomic seating for driver for fatigue free driving. It is also the only car in this segment offering green-tinted heat-blocking glass as standard.

Transcend launches StoreJet 35T external hard disk in India

Editorial Team — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:08:35 +0000

Transcend StoreJet External Hard Disk Drive

As part of adding various performance enhancement and backup know-how, Transcend Information launched the 1.5TB storage capacity bearing StoreJet 35T external hard disk drive in India.

StoreJet 35T assures an average writing speed of 42 MB/s compared with the regular 33MB/s and it also has one-touch back backup feature. This 3.5-inch external hard drive is Windows 7 Certified and has high-speed USB 2.0. In India, 1.5TB Transcend StoreJect 35T is priced at about Rs 14,000.

StoreJet 35T is both eco and user-friendly, with its TurboHDD USB technology and its power-saving sleep mode. The TurboHDD USB feature enables data-transfer rate boosts for up to an average of 42MB/s, compared with the regular 33MB/s. Again, the TurboHDD USB technology provides extraordinary data transfer functioning.

The new 3.5-inch StoreJet 35T external hard drive, which is as big as a hardbound book, is a suitable way out for the ever-haunting space shortage. Users will now get enough storage space for keeping huge files and space-eating data.

Companies like Western Digital, Seagate, IOMEGA and Samsung also offer 1.5TB technology but some of them aren’t available in India. LED indicator changes color from green to blue when the HDD is switched from standard to TurboHDD mode.

The StoreJet Lite software offers 256-bit AES file and folder encryption along with options to optimize space consumption using compression techniques. The drive also sports a one-touch auto-backup button to back up all data.

Transcend’s StoreJet 35T supports Windows (2000, XP, Vista and 7), Mac OS (9.0 or later) and Linux (Kernel 2.4.2 or later) platforms.