India Auto Expo date announced

The 2016 edition of the Auto Expo, the biennial show of the Indian Automotive Industry, will take place in February. While the Motor Show is scheduled from February 5th - 9th, 2016 at the India Expo mart & Centre, Greater Noida, the Component Show will be held at Pragati Maidan from February 4th to 7th, 2016.

The 2014 Auto Expo had witnessed 26 global launches and 44 India launches, with over 500 vehicles on display. More than 1 lakh people/day visited the last edition on an average when the show was opened to public.

The Component Show, too, saw a record number of visitors in the last edition. Over 1100 companies from across the globe took part in the 2014 Component Show and more than 500 new technologies and 5,000 products were displayed. It attracted over 70,000 visitors across four days, and almost 34,000 business enquiries were generated.

Suzuki launch 20 cars by 2020

Suzuki Motor Corporation announced its new mid-term management plan titled ‘Suzuki Next 100’ which will be in effect from 2015-2020, at an investor meet held in Tokyo. According to the roadmap, the company has plans to introduce 20 models globally in the next five years. The carmaker will concentrate on small cars, compact cars, as well as SUVs, to best exploit the expanding global compact car market. We expect most of the models to be introduced in India.

At present, SUVs are an obvious focus and Maruti Suzuki will enter the segment in India with the launch of the all-new S-Cross later this month. The car is expected to rival the Hyundai Creta, to be launched on July 21, and the Renault Duster. Later on, Maruti is likely to launch its compact SUV (Codename: YBA) — the automaker’s first entrant in the compact SUV segment — as well as its premium hatchback, the YRA.

Suzuki Motor plans to focus more on production in Indonesia, Thailand and Hungary apart from Japan and India. Currently, most of its automobile business is centred in Japan and India. In Japan, it has a mini-car market share of over 30 percent, and compact car sales of over 100,000 units, while India accounts for over 45 percent of its passenger car sales.

Suzuki said that by 2019, its global car sales are likely to touch 3.4 million units, up from 2.9 million units in 2014. Out of the total, Asia will account for 2.2 million cars as against the 1.7 million units in 2014. Through this, the carmaker aims to strengthen its global market share by 2020 — the year of Suzuki’s 100th anniversary.

Suzuki will  also adopt another strategy, it will consolidate platforms to lower unit costs and concentrate on development of petrol engines for efficiency.

In sales results announced today, Maruti Suzuki said that its domestic sales rose 1.6 percent year-on-year to 1,02,626 units in June. In the first quarter (April-June) the automaker registered sales (including exports) of 3,41,329 units, up 13.8 percent over the same period last year.

New Car Launches in India in June-July, 2015 - By NDTV

 List of new and facelifted cars that will be launched in June and July 2015.

2015 Audi Q3

Audi India that recently rolled out the RS5 and RS7 in India, will now launch the 2015 Q3 facelift on June 18, 2015. Since it's just a mid-life facelift, the updated model receives minor cosmetic changes along with a slightly tuned engine. As far as the cosmetic changes are concerned, the updated Q3 will get new LED head-lamps and a hexagonal grille. Though the engine remains the same, 2.0-litre TDI, it has been tuned to churns out about 4bhp more than the old.

Launch Date - June 18, 2015

Expected Price - Rs. 28 lakh - Rs. 40 lakh

2015 Volkswagen Vento

Set to launch on June 23, 2015, the 2015 Volkswagen Vento facelift has gone received several cosmetic changes and new features. Though the most significant update has come in the form of the improved fuel efficiency. The company claims to have tweaked all of its engines to return up to 7.5 per cent more mileage than before. The updated Vento gets a new front fascia with a revised hood, a new triple slat chrome-grille, new fog lamps and new bumper with a chrome strip. The rear, too, looks slightly refreshed with new tail-lamps, bumper and exhaust pipe.

Launch Date - June 23, 2015

Expected Price - Rs. 7.80 lakh - Rs. 11.5 lakh

New-generation Honda Jazz

Honda Jazz that failed to create any buzz in its first inning is now ready to enter the second-generation in India. With an all new design and availability of a diesel power train, the Jazz surely looks a more promising product than before. Powering the diesel model of the car will be the same 1.5-litre i-DTEC unit that powers the City, Amaze and Mobilio, whereas the petrol model will be the same 1.2-litre i-VTEC unit that used to power the old model.

Launch Date - July 8, 2015

Expected Price - Rs. 5 lakh - Rs. 8 lakh

Hyundai Creta

There's no denying that the Hyundai Creta is one of the most eagerly awaited vehicles of the car, as it will be a genuine competitor for the highly successful Renault Duster. Just like the Duster, the Creta, too, will be a 5-seater compact SUV and will be almost as spacious as the former. The vehicle is likely to offered with the same set of petrol and diesel engine options that do duty on the Verna.

Launch Date - July 21, 2015

Expected Price - Rs. 8 lakh - Rs. 12.5 lakh

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross

One of the most anticipated products of this year, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross will be the company's first crossover that will take on the likes of Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and the Hyundai Creta. The vehicle will be offered with two diesel engines - 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre - both of which have been sourced from Fiat. The vehicle is expected to be rolled out by the end of July 2015.

Expected Launch - By the end of July

Expected Price - Rs. 7.50 lakh - Rs. 12 lakh

Mercedes-Benz Will Locally Produce the CLA Sedan

It was yesterday that Mercedes-Benz India inaugurated Phase 2 of its production facility in Chakan, Pune which will now mean augmentation of the production capacity from 10,000 to 20,000 units per year. The Mercedes-Benz Chakan plant has seen an investment of over Rs. 1,000 crore since its inception in 2009 and interestingly, both, the installed production capacity and the investment, are the largest for any luxury carmaker in India.

It came as a surprise when the company announced that the GLA which will be locally produced as most of us would imagine the CLA sedan being put through this corridor first. When asked for a clarification Mercedes-Benz MD& CEO Eberhard Kern said, "We had to pre-pone the local production of the GLA because of the growing demand for the car in India and the customers had to wait for a long time for their car. Now that we have started local production, that problem will be solved to an extent."

Royal Enfield Classic 500 Limited Edition

Royal Enfield inaugurated its sixth apparel and accessories store in the national capital recently. The day also marked the unveiling of the special edition Classic 500 that will go on sale on July 15, 2015. While there are no mechanical changes made to the bike, it gets two new exclusive colours - Squadron Blue Despatch and Desert Storm Despatch - and the limited edition badge. Royal Enfield plans will sell 200 units of the Classic 500 limited edition in both the aforementioned colours. And these will be sold exclusively through Royal Enfield's online store.

As mentioned above, the vehicle receives no mechanical changes as it continues to feature the same At the event, Mr Siddharth Lal, MD & CEO, Eicher Motors revealed that the company is working on two new platforms to accommodate several new models ranging from 250cc to 750cc. Though these products will not launch before 2016.