SIA-Tata airline | Readying for take-off

Most of the pieces seem to be in place for the joint venture between Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) and Tata Sons Ltd to take off in India sometime early in the business year starting on 1 April.

A key decision came this month when SIA chose Airbus SAS’s A320 planes for the full-service airline, which will take up to 20 of the aircraft worth $1.83 billion at list price. The planes will be sourced from leasing companies and not directly from Airbus, Reuters reported on 9 January, citing people it didn’t name.

The partners have already incorporated the joint venture, with an initial investment of $100 million, as Tata SIA Airlines Ltd and have begun recruitment of pilots and other airline personnel after bringing key management and operational personnel on board.

Having already received the go-ahead from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), Tata SIA Airlines has to jump through two remaining regulatory hoops.

It has to secure a no-objection certificate from the ministry of civil aviation (the application is now being scrutinized by the home ministry) and then apply to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for an air operating permit, which would be the greenlight for it to take off.

The launch would mark the realization of an ambition that Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines have together cherished for one-and-a-half decades, only to be thwarted twice.

In 2000, the two firms abandoned a joint attempt to buy a 40% stake in government-run Air India. An earlier attempt by the two companies to start an Indian airline with 40% equity contribution by SIA was also aborted. In both cases, political resistance and corporate rivalries were blamed.Read more..

Source: Automobile News

From Mint Live News

Mahindra's R&D head Rajan Wadhera to fire up ailing truck & bus biz, company to invest Rs 500 cr in 3 years

 

In a bid to bring more focus and turnaround its ailing truck and bus business, Mahindra and MahindraBSE 0.36 % (M&M) has drafted R&D head Rajan Wadhera to take charge of the division.

he appointment comes after Pawan Goenka took over a larger portfolio as executive director on the board of M&M, which included heading the utility vehicles and tractor businesses to two-wheelers.

The company needed someone who could oversee the truck and buses more closely, an M&M official said. Thus, Wadhera will have a dual responsibility of running the R&D function and Mahindra Trucks and Buses.

So apart from being chief executive , technology, product fevelopment and sourcing, he will also be the director and head of Mahindra Trucks and Buses. Nalin Mehta, MD of Mahindra Trucks and Buses will report into Wadhera.

An ex-Eicher Motors official, Wadhera has a fair understanding of the commercial vehicles business. "We are investing Rs 500 crore in this business for the next three years.  Read more..

Source: Automobile News

From ET News

Porsche opens new dealership in Gurgaon

Porsche has opened its eighth dealership in India. The latest addition to its network is located in Gurgaon on Golf Course road and is also the only dealership in the Delhi NCR region.

Gurgaon, according to a Crisil report is the most prosperous city in India, much ahead of even the financial capital Mumbai, hence it is no surprise that Porsche has opened a dealership here. The showroom is built to global retail architectural standards set by Porsche Germany.

Spread across 10,900 square feet, the spanking new dealership has two levels and can display 15 cars. It comes equipped with a fitting lounge that has a wide range of options to pick and choose for that individual spec customized Porsche. The showroom also boasts of a Bistro, a merchandise section and a terrace for events.

Commenting on the new dealership, Anil Reddi, Director of Porsche India said, “It is with pride that we welcome enthusiasts and customers to a new Porsche destination in India. This world-class showroom is a tangible example of the commitment that Porsche has for the Indian market. Our customers in this part of our country can now look forward to a highly customer-centric approach focusing on a unique Porsche ownership experience.”

With the Gurgaon showroom, Porsche now has two showrooms in the north, the second being in Chandigarh, two in the west – Mumbai and Ahmedabad, three in the south – Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi and one in the east – Kolkata. Read more

Source: Automobile News 

From  ZW News

Maruti brings Celerio with automatic transmission mode

With the new compact car, which is slated for launch on February 6, the company has worked on addressing three key issues associated with automatic transmission cars – high cost of acquisition, low fuel economy and maintenance hassles.

   

"We thought if we could address these issues, we will be addressing a good segment of consumers who are looking for automatic transmission in mass segment," Maruti Suzuki India Chief Operating Officer (Marketing and Sales) Mayank Pareek said.

  

He said nearly 25 per cent of consumers who come to the company's showrooms enquired about cars with automatic transmission but the conversion rate was very poor once they found those issues related with such vehicles.

   

"With Celerio, which has been developed at an investment of around Rs 570 crore, having our EZDrive technology, we have addressed those issues," Pareek said.

   

While he did not elaborate on by how much the Celerio with automatic gear shift will cost, he said, "the difference in price with a manual transmission will not be significant".

   

Currently, an automatic transmission (AT) version of a car in the market is more expensive by up to Rs 1.1 lakh than its manual transmission version, he added.

   

The company has already started taking bookings for the car, although its prices will be announced only at the time of launch.

   

In the past, the company has launched AT version of its compact cars, including the Zen and A-Star, but their prohibitive prices made it difficult to crack the market.

   

The Celerio will be pitched against the likes of Hyundai's Grandi10 and Honda's Brio, whose automatic versions are priced at Rs 6.04 lakh and Rs 6.19 lakh, respectively (ex-showroom, Delhi).

  

According to MSI, the Celerio will offer a fuel efficiency of 23.1 km per litre and will be offered in six petrol variants - four with Manual transmission and two with Auto Gear Shift.

  

Celerio Auto Gear Shift variants will have the flexibility of both manual mode and auto drive mode in the same car, with a simple shift of gear lever.

  

The car comes loaded with several features like alloy-wheels and blue-tooth connectivity across variants. Celerio which sports 1 litre K-next engine, would be available in seven colours.

   

MSI's current compact car portfolio comprises Swift, Estilo and Ritz. During December 2013, the company sold 19,171 units of compact cars, down 14.7 percent, from 22,482 units in December 2012.

(Agencies)

Source: Automobile News