Tag: launches

Auto Weekly Wrap: Launches from Harley Davidson, Royal Enfield, Volvo and more

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

This week saw launches from several different two-wheeler manufacturers along with launches from Renault and Volvo. Here are the top headlines from auto news this week.

Honda 2023 Civic Type R

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R is the most powerful Type R car ever, claims Honda. The all-new 2022 Honda Civic Type R will hit the roads in early 2023 but not in India. The new facelift is expected to replace the outgoing model.

Royal Enfield’s Hunter 350 revealed

Ahead of Royal Enfield Hunter 350’s launch on August 7 in India, the company sent out the bike to dealerships across the country. Expected to be priced around Rs 1.5-1.7 lakh (ex-showroom), it is the cheapest offering from Royal Enfield in India.

Maruti S-Presso VXI Opt CNG

Maruti’s S-Presso VXI Opt CNG is expected to be launched by the end of August. The highly awaited vehicle features Maruti’s K10B engine mated to a manual 5-speed transmission with a  max power of 58.33bhp and max torque of 78Nm.

Also read: Hop OXO 100 set to launch very soon; Here’s what you can expect

Volvo XC40 Recharge Electric SUV

Volvo launched the XC40 Recharge Electric SUV in India on July 26. This is the Swedish carmaker’s first electric vehicle in India, and is priced at Rs 55.90 lakh (ex-showroom). Powered by a 78kWh battery pack,  XC40 will produce a combined power output of 402bhp and 660Nm of torque using two motors. The SUV has a claimed range of 418 km on a full charge.

Audi to focus on EVs

German luxury carmaker Audi would focus only on electric vehicles by 2033 and would stop making cars run on internal combustion engines (ICE). Audi India head Balbir Singh Dhillon said the company aims to sell only EVs from 2033 onwards.

Svitch CSR 762 e-bike is set for launch

Gujarat-based EV start-up Svitch will launch its first e-bike, the CSR 762 soon. The e-motorcycle will be priced around Rs 1.65 lakh (ex-showroom) and fitted with a 3kW PMS (Permanent Magnet Synchronous) mid-mounted motor generating 10kW of peak power, with 1,300 rpm at peak torque. Svitch claims the CSR 762 can hit top speeds of 110 kmph and has a range of 120 km. The bike may support battery-swapping on launch.

Harley Davidson Nightster in India soon

Harley Davidson may launch the Nightster, a much-awaited addition to the Sportster line, in India. Packing a V-twin Revolution Max 975T with a max power output of 89bhp, the bike is expected to be priced around Rs 14 lakh.

Also read: Audi to shift focus to electric vehicles by 2033, says official

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Hyundai just set itself a massive production target, here’s how it plans to get there

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Hyundai’s managing director YK Koo, in a recently organised press events, threw light on how Hyundai India had become the “fastest Indian auto manufacturer” to cross the 8-million mark in sales earlier this year. Note the emphasis on ‘Indian’.

The South Korean automaker hit the milestone in just 19 years and 9 months since it began production in 1998. Nearly 5.3 million of the manufactured cars were sold in India, to Indian customers. These statistics make Hyundai Motor India Limited the nation’s second-largest automobile manufacturer.

Plant expansion to drive sales

“We’re currently doing 75:25 — 75 percent for the export market and 25 percent for the domestic market,” said Koo, in an interview with CNBC-TV18. “By 2021, Hyundai Motor India’s contribution to the domestic market will be higher — may be 80 percent,” he added.

Koo’s statement is immensely significant, given that the company has now announced plans to hit the 10-million production mark by the first quarter of 2021. As part of that announcement, Hyundai Motor India is increasing the capacity of its Chennai plant from 7.13 lakh to 7.5 lakh units per year, by next year.

The increase in production is also being executed to facilitate production of three new products in two years — a family-oriented small car, an electric SUV and a sub-four-meter SUV. The small car, code-named AH2 will be ready in time for a pre-Diwali launch.

AH2 sales could be the key

A small car by Diwali is all that Hyundai hopes it will need to kick-start its target of 10 million cars by 2021. “We are targeting an age-bracket of 24 to 45,” said Puneet Anand, senior general manager and group head (Marketing). Anand added, “The AH2 could double-up as a possible first-car not only for a youngster, but someone with a family.”

Interesting to note is that with the launch of the AH2, Hyundai will close the gap between the Eon and Grand i10, ensuring one product across price-brackets in its hatchback portfolio. This was the space that was occupied by the Hyundai Santro. “We are targeting sales volumes of 8,000 to 10,000 units per month, once the AH2 launches,” said Koo. “The plan is to become a full-portfolio player and give our audience a wider range to choose from,” Anand added.

Only months ago, speculation was rife that Hyundai would go so far as to christen the car, ‘Santro’, thereby striking an emotive chord with 5.4 million customers. That isn’t to be, considering the auto major will begin a naming campaign starting mid-August inviting suggestions for naming the AH2.

On track to getting there

Back at the plant, there’s a noticeable air of excitement as it gears up for the new rollouts. The plant’s senior vice president for production, Ganesh Mani, said that preparations are already well in place for the 10-million target. “It’s all about ensuring that our 20-year-old plant can run seamlessly for 24 hours a day and six days a week,” he said, “In the light of the new launches and enhanced production targets, we’ve adopted predictive maintenance as opposed to preventive maintenance when it comes to plant upkeep and readiness.”

Ganesh said that nearly 30 engineers at Hyundai India were enrolled at a data analytics course from IIT Madras. “It’s all about ensuring that we make the best use of existing data and sensors on our equipment, to ensure we derive the best of our efficiencies,” he explained.

The preparation is of immense importance since Hyundai India will have to register consistently upward-looking growth numbers, if the company is to meet the mark. In the first half of 2018, the company sold 2,75,136 units, registering a year-on-year growth of 8.6 percent. “Even though sales volumes for Diwali will be high, they will reduce by November and December. But we are still expecting an eight to ten percent year-on-year growth,” said Koo.

But there’s one obstacle …

And that’s Indian taxation. Once the AH2 and the sub-four-metre QXi are launched and sold, Hyundai India will have to bank on sales of its electric SUV to sustain growth. Standing in its way will be a possible 12 percent GST on electric vehicles. There’s also lack of clarity over whether an electric SUV will fall under the GST bracket for EVs or SUVs. The latter would attract a GST of 28 percent, and cess of 22 percent, totaling to 50 percent in taxes.

“The government wants to focus on EV products, which are zero-emission products. So, we decided to plan the launch of an electric SUV by 2019,” said Koo, “But we will need support on the GST front. We will require a reduction on GST for EV products from 12 percent to 5 percent, and an import-duty-cut on CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits for electric vehicles.”

Volume vs value

Through these ambitious plans though, the one statistic that Hyundai is tight-lipped about, is market share. At 16 percent, that number has remained relatively stagnant for the last couple of years. Given that the plant will freeze production at 7.5 lakh and stay that way till 2020, Hyundai has stopped short of predicting where its market share is heading.

Koo’s favourite line remains- “We are not looking at market leadership in volume, but in terms of value.” That quip comes even as the company aims to be volume-heavy in the next couple of years, in its march to 10 million. A

lthough Hyundai may not want to admit it, if its production targets are met, the company’s volume game too, might solidify.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow