Bridgestone India opens its Exclusive Select Store ‘F1 Cars’ at Karur in Tamil Nadu

Bridgestone, the world’s numero uno tyre and rubber manufacturer has inaugurated its exclusive Select store at Karur, in Tamil Nadu. The exclusive Select showroom was formally inaugurated on March 12, 2014 by S Venkitachalam, Senior Deputy General Manager, PSR Sales – South Region, Bridgestone India Private Ltd.

The Bridgestone Select store boasts of having an exclusive Bridgestone retail ‘Identity and Sales’ in line with the global retail philosophy adopted successfully across the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Venkitachalam said: “We are back with yet another customer friendly, smart and stylized shop equipped with a wide product range and modern services to offer. Select is a unique retail channel concept of a quality shop which promises the customer a Better and Unique Buying experience”. The Select outlet, ‘F1 Cars’ is spread across 1,823 square feett showroom is located at KP Nagar, Opposite to IMA Hall, Erode Road, Karur.

At this showroom customers can see and feel the Bridgestone exclusivity, sophistication and progressiveness. It hosts several customer friendly facilities such as: Welcome and customer friendly environment, smart and stylised interiors, unparalleled customer service and wide product range, displays and designs. The other products and services available at the store include wheel alignment, wheel balancing, nitrogen filling, alloys, tyre changer and water wash. Bridgestone’s brand essence: ‘Serving society with superior quality’ is not only valid for its products but also for Bridgestone service standards which can be experienced at Select retail outlets.

Aggresive growth plan
As a part of its aggressive growth plan in the Indian Market Bridgestone has been expanding its ‘Select’ concept stores in India. Currently Bridgestone has 330 Select stores across all key cities in the country.

Indian operation

Bridgestone Indi started its operations in 1996. In March 1998 with setup of its manufacturing facility in Kheda, Madhya Pradesh, the tyre maker achieved its objective of running Indian manufactured Bridgestone tyres on Indian Roads. In a short stint of 14 years Bridgestone India is one of the leading tyre manufacturers in the country, both in the automotive original equipment manufacturers as well as the aftermarket segments.
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s largest tyre and rubber manufacturing entity. In addition to tyres for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.

Manu Saale is the first Indian to head Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India

At a press briefing at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development Centre India (MBRDI), Prof Dr Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, introduced Manu Saale as new Managing Director and CEO of MBRDI. Manu succeeds Dr Jens Cattarius, who takes over new responsibilities within Mercedes-Benz R&D in Stuttgart in Germany, according to a company statement.

From (L-R): Dr Jens Cattarius hands over to Manu Saale, designated MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India.
Prof Weber expressed his sincere thanks to Dr Cattarius for his commitment and achievements within the last three years, where MBRDI anchored itself within Daimler’s global R&D network and steadily grew to become the largest facility outside Germany. Manu joined Daimler in 2011 and worked at MBRDI as Head of department for Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Since July 2013, he has received extensive insights and training within various R&D departments in Stuttgart to get prepared for his new assignment.
Prof Weber pointed out: “With Manu being multilingual and Indian-born, we appointed an international expert and global player at the head of MBRDI. We are confident that the transferring of important specific know-how and expertise within Daimler R&D will further solidify MBRDI’s position as a strong player of Daimler’s global R&D network. We are committed to India and underline our confidence to this important growth market for Daimler. I am wishing both Dr Cattarius and Manu all the best for their new assignments and thank both for their strong contributions and commitment to our company”.
Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India
MBRDI was established in Bangalore in 1996 and currently employes around 1,400 people. MBRDI is the largest Daimler Research and Development Center of Daimler outside Germany and at the same time the largest, most modern R&D center owned by a German automotive manufacturer in India. It contributes in the areas of Computer Simulation (CAE), Design (CAD), Electric/Electronics and IT-Services.
The R&D engineers at MBRDI assess the performance and reliability of various sub-systems and contribute to product development at all the stages of the life-cycle. MBRDI is one of the four operations of Daimler in India, besides Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. (MBIL) in Pune, responsible for production and sales and marketing of passenger cars, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, which operates under the brand Bharat Benz in Chennai, covering all activities for commercial vehicles and Daimler Financial Services, which operates under the brand Mercedes-Benz Financial Services for passenger cars and Bharat Benz Financial Services for commercial vehicles. Last December, Daimler announced the opening of its ‘SAP Shared Service Centre’ in Bangalore and the creation of 800 new IT-jobs by 2015, in addition to the already existing 400 IT-specialists.

Auto Expo 2014: ACMA, Fraunhofer aim at sensitising innovation culture in Indian auto industry

Seminar on cultivating innovative culture amongst Indian auto component players.

With the apparent aim of sensitising the Indian auto industry to adopt a culture of innovation, the apex body, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Fraunhofer have forged alliance to deliberate their aspirations and potential for future work at a seminar, jointly organised by them at the Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi on February 8, 2014 as part of Auto Expo 2014.

According to ACMA statement, speakers from both organisations emphasised on the necessity for organisations to focus more towards innovation and develop a road map for the industry. The automotive market the world over is intrinsically dynamic and so are the needs of its customers. The last three to five years have seen a systematic shift with organisations focusing more on engineering, design and technology; but innovation management is critical today as well.
Efficiency is critical
Efficiency today is key and a highly relevant ingredient for production technology & processes; this not only helps to build competitive advantages in the cluttered arena, it also impacts business success. With the current slowdown, one must take cognizance of critical factors prevailing in the market place and sustain through optimization and continuous improvisation. This will lead to business success which is a function of quality, productivity, flexibility as well as energy costs, a statement issued by the apex body said.
Association
This association between ACMA and Fraunhofer is an initiative towards providing better technology in order to meet the changing demands of customers. With the focus being more on technology and design, this association is expected to create awareness and increase the need to recognize how business success can be fruitful for the Indian Automotive industry.
Fraunhofer is one of Europe’s largest application-oriented research organisations. Its research efforts are geared entirely to people’s needs: health, security, communication, energy and the environment. Fraunhofer expands across 80 institutions and 22,000 researchers from across the globe. Through research and development Fraunhofer aims to impact lives by shaping technology, designing products, improving methods and techniques, overall opening new vistas. On an average, two patents are filed on a daily basis by researchers associated with Fraunhofer.
Key speakers present at the seminar included Arvind Kapur, Past President ACMA & Chairman, ACMA Centre for Excellence; Srivats Ram, Past President ACMA & Chairman, ACMA Centre for Technology, AnandiIyer, Head, Fraunhofer Representative Office, India and officials representing Fraunhofer at the seminar were Ruediger Heim, Director of R&D Division, Structural Durability, Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (LBF); Dr Manfred Dangelmaier, Director, Business Area Engineering Systems, Fraunhofer IAO; Dr Andreas Sterzing, Director, Bulk Metal Forming, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming (IWU) and Dr Kristian Arntz, Head of Department, Laser Material Processing, Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT).

Auto Expo 2014: Indian auto component makers look at exploring business opportunities with Canadian automotive industry

Auto Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), the nodal agency, which takes care of the interests of Indian auto component industry, along with Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) on February 8, 2014 jointly organised a seminar on ‘Business Opportunity with Canadian Automotive Industry’, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi as part of the Auto Expo 2014.

From (L-R): Deep Kapuria, Past President ACMA, Steve Rodgers, President of APMA, Harish Lakshman, President of ACMA, Sara Wilshaw, Minister, Commercial, Government of Canada, Peter Frise, Scientific Director and CEO, AUTO21 and Ramesh Suri, Vice President of ACMA.
According to an official statement, both the associations organised the session with a mission for Canadian firms to explore the potential opportunities, collaborations and partnerships with India.
Transformation
At present, the Indian auto component industry is undergoing transformation, while ACMA and its member firms are working towards improving the overall competitiveness of the supply chain through various tiers.
Indian scenario
At present, the Indian auto component industry size is pegged at $ 39.7 billion with key growth sectors in the vehicle production area including commercial vehicles, construction equipment, tractors, both two-wheeler and three-wheeler segments respectively.
Growth factor
The key growth factor for the Indian auto component industry has been the consistent burgeoning of exports of auto parts. Exports of auto parts from India to Canada has doubled from $ 50 in 2010 to $ 93 million in 2012, thereby providing the mettle of the industry at large.
R&D Centres
India is credited of having around 60-65 percent of R&D Centres catering to the internal requirement of the industry leading to a steady increase in employment. The industry offers employment opportunities to close to 30,000 to 35,000 engineers every year. Going forward, the Indian auto component industry’s focus would be to bring more innovation and research so as to make a strong offering to business community across the world.
Canada scenario
The automotive manufacturing industry is the largest sector in Canada. What is more, the auto industry in that country is export intensive, as the nation ships three-quarters of  of production in a year. Canada is part of a fully integrated North American market with annual sales of about 20 million vehicles and accounts for 16 percent of NAFTA production.
Much to offer
Canada has much to offer in alternative fuels and power trains, electric vehicles and fuel cells, connected car and intelligent transportation; bio-materials, composites and light metals, advanced safety systems and more. Furthermore, with Canada’s exports to India still continuing to be around $ 30 million from 2010 to 2012, it is therefore vital for both countries to help promote and grow each others’ export capabilities and technology transfer and hence allow for a healthy dialogue between the two industries.
Part of global supply chain
With introduction of high class technology in India, the component manufactures have been able to be a part of global supply chain. This has greatly been of help on the international market, giving more visibility and growth to the Indian market. By the end of 2020, the Auto Component Industry is expected to grow to $ 115 billion. There is a positive vibrancy seen in the Indian economy showcasing the growing Engineering and IT capabilities for designing and manufacturing which is of utmost relevance to the Canadian automotive sector. This session was attended by a delegation from APMA led by Steve Rodgers, President and Harish Lakshman, President ACMA representing the Indian delegation.
The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) is the apex body representing the interest of the Indian Auto Component Industry. Its active involvement in trade promotion, technology up-gradation, quality enhancement and collection and dissemination of information has made it a vital catalyst for this industry’s development. ACMA’s charter is to develop a globally competitive Indian auto component Industry and strengthen its role in national economic development as also promote business through international alliances. ACMA is an ISO 9001:2008 certified Association with a membership of over 700 members.

Auto Expo 2014: SIAM-ACMA announce setting up of Auto Data Exchange, AutoDX

India’s apex body, The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the nodal agency, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), representing automotive and the auto component industry respectively, today announced the setting up of Auto Data Exchange ‘AutoDX’, an EDI platform for seamlessly integrating OEMs and suppliers on a common data exchange standard.

The AutoDX, to be formally launched during the forthcoming Auto Expo 2014, the Indian auto industry’s flagship event, will help standardise transaction data definitions, automate data exchange amongst industry players, obviate manual data entries and provide data interchange capability across the automotive industry to enable a streamlined supply chain.

While giving more insight on this unique initiative, Vikram Kirloskar, President, SIAM, said: “Today, most auto OEMs as well as suppliers have mature IT platforms and technology-enabled transactional processes. Most of these IT interventions have been internally focused to improve the efficiencies of the respective organisations. However, these IT interventions have resulted in customised, company-specific documents and data formats resulting in significant additional efforts by the industry in integrating with each other”.
Loss of productivity
Usually, each OEM has a dedicated portal for publishing delivery schedules, uploading/data entry of supplier transactions and publishing of financial settlement data to suppliers. Suppliers need to customise their systems to each OEM’s portal for uploading/downloading transaction data from these portals. This hinders agile, real time data integration between industry players. At times, this complexity results in delays in shipments and dilutes OEMs’ JIT/JIS initiatives. Further, people-based processes for uploading and downloading data on to the portals leads to errors resulting in loss of productivity.
Effective solution

Focusing on the urgent need for an effective, collaborative, industry-wide solution, Harish Lakshman, President, ACMA, pointed out: “The respective IT Committees of SIAM and ACMA realised the need to come together for reducing the complexity and have been working on an action plan since 2010 which has now resulted in setting up of the EDI platform — AutoDX. The solution has undergone successful pilot testing by ten firms and is now ready for a progressive rollout. This common cloud-based platform can enable seamless information exchange not just between OEMs and its Tier-I suppliers, but also with the upstream value chain, logistics partners, financial institutions and others who serve the auto industry. Our broader vision is to facilitate adoption of standards wherever structured information is exchanged, be it in the form of electronic or paper document or labels such as barcode and RFID”.
Vijay Sethi, Chairman, SIAM IT Committee, elaborating on the initiative, said: “In a first-ever joint initiative between SIAM and ACMA, UN’s EDIFACT-based standards have been adapted for standardisation of information exchange between OEMs and suppliers.  While KPMG helped us in setting standards, IBM is our technology partner for this initiative. Exchange of information on various critical logistics and financial transactions like delivery schedules, commercial documents, logistics information etc., can be now done seamlessly between supply chain partners without any manual intervention. While improving efficiency, it will also lead to reduced transaction costs. The initiative makes digital collaboration amongst supply chain partners in the Indian automotive industry comparable to any industry globally”.
Throwing more light on the benefits of the AutoDX, Ravi Machani, Chairman ACMA IT Committee concurred: “An estimated 40 OEMs (SIAM members) and over 700 suppliers (ACMA members) are expected to leverage the IBM Sterling B2B Collaboration Network solution to derive business benefits through Standardisation of information exchange and use of Common EDI Technology Infrastructure which will address a long-standing hurdle that has prevented tighter collaboration between supply chain partners. It will increase supply chain efficiency, reduce transaction costs for both and in the long run, provide end-to-end tracking and traceability of goods across the supply chain”.
Channel of communication for Auto Industry
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is the apex Industry body representing 46 leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India. SIAM is an ISO 9001:2008 certified organisation. SIAM is an important channel of communication for the Automobile Industry with the Government, National and International organisations. The Society works closely with all the concerned stakeholders and actively participates in formulation of rules, regulations and policies related to the Automobile Industry.
Catalyst
The Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) is the apex body representing the interest of the Indian Auto Component Industry. Its active involvement in trade promotion, technology up-gradation, quality enhancement and collection and dissemination of information has made it a vital catalyst for this industry’s development. ACMA’s charter is to develop a globally competitive Indian auto component Industry and strengthen its role in national economic development as also promote business through international alliances. ACMA is an ISO 9001:2008 certified Association with a membership of over 700 members.
Benefits of AutoDX  
The IBM Sterling B2B Collaboration Network solution ensures a synchronised supply chain that allows collaboration across multiple enterprises by standardising the Indian automotive industry data formats and data exchange processes, besides removing manual interventions. It further enables web browser-based transactions, integrating all tiers of the supply chain. What is more, it offers flexibility of integration based on each participants needs and provides a real-time, rich information model.
Key benefit
Both SIAM and ACMA members will get significant benefits from a commitment to EDI-based integration. Officials from these two agencies will be able to leverage the IBM Sterling B2B Collaboration Network solution to derive business benefits by adopting the EDI standards prescribed in the AutoDX platform. The benefits expected from this initiative include getting the right part delivered to the right place at the right time, allowing for faster and more accurate accounts reconciliation, synchronisation of the supply chain throughout all tiers, real-time JIT/JIS, close looping of logistics and accounts reconciliation, reduction of proliferation of portals and manual efforts, introduction of collaboration and knowledge sharing, provision of a single system of record minimising offline transactions, reduction in warranty costs through streamlining of product failure information and last, but not the least, improved inventory management through reconciliation of part information in the future.
EDIFACT
United Nations ‘Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport’ is the international EDI standard developed under the aegis of United Nations. This is the global reference standard to which the software designs are also aligned.

Faurecia inaugurates R&D Centre in Bangalore for Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies

Faurecia, a global leader in providing engineering solutions and automotive components, today inaugurated in Bangalore  its state-of-the-art TechCenter dedicated to Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies and key to the enhanced performance and competitiveness of tomorrow’s passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles as we deliver Cummins. The inauguration took place in the presence of Christophe Schmitt, Executive Vice President, Luc Herbin Vice President in charge of R&D and Mahmood Ashraf, General Manager, Bangalore TechCenter, according to a company statement.

The TechCenter is designed to accommodate some 200 of India’s brightest automotive engineers. It is a fully-owned subsidiary of Faurecia and an R&D center dedicated to Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies for global projects. The center supports the global engineering teams in the design and validation of the entire product range. The technical team that consists of program development leads, specialists in durability, thermo fluids, acoustics simulation, product Design and engineering systems will enable the design and validation of Emissions Control Systems for programs in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. The new state-of-the-art TechCenter is spread over 30,000 Sq Ft (or 2,800 m²) and has a capacity to accommodate up to 360 engineers.
Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies currently operates three manufacturing plants in India: Pune, Chennai and Bangalore. These sites produce hot end, cold end, manifold, welded & lock-seam muffler boxes, spun mufflers, bent pipes for Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Tata and Cummins.
Boasting 30 R&D centers and 5,500 engineers and technicians located throughout the world’s major regions for automobile production, Faurecia offers innovative product and process solutions that are instrumental in ensuring the safety, reliability, comfort, appeal and respect for the environment that characterize our customers’ vehicles. Globally in 2012, Faurecia has registered 460 patents filed by over 300 experts in 67 different expertise fields. Speaking on the occasion, Christophe Schmitt, Executive Vice President, Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies said, “Faurecia is the largest emissions control technologies supplier in the world. India has emerged as a very important market for Faurecia and we are investing in India rapidly so as to introduce the latest emissions control technologies over the next five years in the view of adapting our products to the evolving Indian legislations (Bharat-IV & Bharat-V).”
Luc Herbin, Vice President, R&D, Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies said, “The Bangalore TechCenter is a fully-owned subsidiary of Faurecia and an R&D centre for Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies. The center reports into the Global R&D management team in the headquarters and hence is an instrumental part of our global R&D and engineering footprint.”
Mahmood Ashraf, R&D Head, Bangalore TechCentre said: “The Bangalore TechCenter has seen accelerated growth over the years and is positioned as a strategic asset supporting our global emissions control engineering operations. The Bangalore TechCenter supports engineering, global sourcing, engineering systems and IT activities”.
Faurecia in India
Faurecia entered India in 1995, with its Emissions Control business in Nasik. Currently, Faurecia is headquartered in Pune and has two R&D centers in the country, in Pune (Interior, Seating & Exterior) and in Bangalore (Emissions Control Technologies). Faurecia also has eight production facilities covering the main Indian automotive production base in Pune, Manesar (Delhi), Chennai, Bangalore and Sanand (Gujarat) with a total employee strength in India of over 2000 people (18% of the Group’s total Asian staff). In India, Faurecia serves leading automobile companies like Ford, Hyundai, Mahindra, Maruti- Suzuki, Tata, Toyota and Volkswagen. Faurecia also serves commercial vehicles such as heavy load trucks, together with its global partner Cummins with an objective to capture a major share of the Indian truck emissions control market.
Research & Development
Faurecia’s Research & Development teams deliver solutions to tackle the automotive challenges in today’s and tomorrow’s world. Two closely related areas are kept firmly under the spotlight in all R&D activities: creating value for the end consumer and contributing towards environmental performance. Innovation drives each of Faurecia’s core businesses, supported by 94,000 employees at 320 sites and 30 R&D centers in 34 countries. In 2012, the Group invested around 5.4% of its revenues into R&D, with EUR 110 million for innovation alone. With 5,500 dedicated engineers and technicians, Faurecia offers the best support for its customers in the key automotive regions of the world.
Faurecia is the world’s sixth-largest automotive equipment supplier with four key Business Groups: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2012, the Group posted total sales of €17.4 billion ($22.5 billion). At December 31, 2012, Faurecia employed 94,000 people in 34 countries at 320 sites, including 30 R&D centers and 5,500 engineers. Visit us at: http://www.faurecia.com

Automotive Testing Expo India 2014 at Chennai Trade Centre from March 19-21

Automotive Testing Expo India 2014, the country’s dediccated automotive testing, evaluation and quality engineering trade fair will be held in Chennai fom March 19-21, 2014. On the inaugural day, from 10.30 AM to 11.30 AM, ETS – Lingren Engineering India Private Limited will give a technology deomnstration, where Sergio A Pignari, Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Milan in Italy and Garth D’Abreu, Director of RF Engineering, Testing Solutions Group, ETS-Lindgren Cedar Park, Texas, US will talk enlighten the participants on the topic: Effective automotive electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing – from components and electronic systems to whole vehicles in a real world environment.

The second session starts at 12.00 PM till 1.00 PM, where Agilent Technologies India Private Limited will present a technology demonstration on characterising CANbus arbitration using an oscilloscope. Johnnie Hancock, Product Manager of Agilent Technologies Oscilloscope Products Division of the US will talk. From 2.00 PM to 3.00 PM LDRA Technology’s Technical Consultant, Shrikant Satyanarayan, will speak about achieving ISO 26262 compliance with LDRA Tool Suite, while Ravi Sankar, Senior Technology Specialist, ANSYS India will throw light on Virtual Testing for Design Validation from 3.30 to 4.00 PM. On the second day, the session starts at 10.30 AM till 11.30 AM, Mike McCormack, Director of Development MIL/SIL/HIL will talk about testing with Mx-Suite.
From 12.00 PM to 1.00 PM, AVL List GmbH’s Nituj Bhatnagar, Affliate Business Manager and Karl Kock, Group Product Manger will speak on efficient fuel consumption optimisation.
KJ Ramesh, Product Manager – Engines, Kistler Instruments India will talk about engine combustion analysis system from 2.00 PM to 3.00 PM. Suresh Augustine, Deputy General Manager, Engineering Solutions and Dipl Inf Lars Schaefer, Manager Sales – Technical Sales and Support, ETAS will talk about topics such as Solutions for Embedded Testing – Reducing Efforts and Increasing Quality and Testing Embedded Software – A complex and resource intensive task. On March 21, 2014 the first session will commence at 10.30 AM, where Brian Duffy, Global Applications Engineering Manager, Honeywell Sensing and Control will talk about understanding and using load cells with today’s data acquisition systems. From 12.00 PM to 1.00 PM, Steve Sattler, Senior Applications Engineer, MTS Systems Corp will speak about Global tyre trends and testing solutions.
The third Automotive Testing Expo India 2014 will see in excess of 120 exhibitors displaying their technology covering test simulation, NVH analysis, engine/emissions testing, vehicle dynamics testing, materials testing and ever conveivable aspect of automotive testing and evaluation. Firms including MTS Systems, Horiba, National Instruments, Automotive Test Systems, AVL and more, Automotive Testing expo India 2014 is a must attend event for any automotive test engineer.
Products
Products thare will be on display include test simulation, engine emission analysis, vibration testing, acoustic testing, environmental testing, mechanical testing, data acquisition, materials testing, non destructive testing, track simulation and laboratory testing, FMC analysis, structural and fatigue testing, suspension kinematics and complaince; simulation software, sensors and transducers, on-board diagnostics, wind tunnel technology, aerodynamic testing, NVH and quality testing/inspection.
Ali Masoomi, Head of Design and Manufacturing, Irankhodro Powertrain Co, while reacting to the previous edition of the event said: “We found the show interesting and held fruitful initial talks with some Indian companies at the show, including SAZ Test Plant Private Lted and have sourced a dynamometer from them. What is more, we are seriously considering exhibiting at the show this time”.
The event will be held at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam while the Automotive Regulatory Authority of India is the knowledge partner of the show.

New Vehicle Crash Test Centre to come up in Chennai soon, NCAP standards on the anvil

A new Vehicle Crash Centre will come up in Chennai within two years. A first of its kind facility is likely to be set up in Chennai within one and a half years, while the Road Transport Ministry has commenenced the process of setting standards for New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), according to a TOI report.

Safety test mandatory

One the NCAP is in place, all new demo vehicles should be compulsorily clear this safety tests, comply with all safety parameters and obtain certification for their structural strength, noted the report. Currently, vehicles sold in the country only are subjected to front and rear crash tests.
It may be recalled that not in the distant past, Union Minister for Road Transport, Oscar Fernandes has informed that the Ministry had initiated talks with other ministries and the industry body, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to firm up NCAP. Quoting industry grapevines, the report further said the process will take a while as the standards have to be finalised. A Government official was quoted as saying by the report that many states had not even notified the maximum speed limit. ‘How one can go ahead with planning big things until you have the basics in place, therefore, we should not be in a haste to do copycat of the norms and standards of Europe’, the official told the daily.
Oscar Fernandes’ statements came when there were only two weeks left for reaching at a decision for the Global NCAP was to be implemented, with first ever independent consumer crash tests for some the country’s popular compact cars, the report said and added that to carry out such safety tests, the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP) was setting up a modern facility under Centre of Excellence for Passive Safety at GARC, Chennai. What is more, two other passive safety facilities at iCAT and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) are also being established.
Chennai facility
The new crash facility that is coming up in Chennai will be state of the art with the capability to perform frontal car to car crash, sled test, full vehicle crash test as well as angular car to car crash, the report said and added that the new facility would also be able capable of performing EuroNCAP and USANCAP tests, with ultra modern equipment to gauge and film the crash test and even climatic control of the impact zone that are required.

Goa attracts 31.21 lakh tourists registering an increased growth of 12 percent

Goa has started off the year 2014 on a positive note. According to statistical data maintained Tourism Department, the State has witnessed a considerable increase in number of tourists by 12 percent in 2013 in comparison with the year ago period.

The figures indicate that domestic tourist arrivals have climbed up by 12.47 percent in 2013 and international tourist arrivals have gone up by 9.27 percent.

The overall tourist growth has been pegged at around 12 percent, which is a record high for the state. This increase in tourist inflow is in sync with the expectations of Goa Tourism as the state is all geared up to build world-class tourist infrastructure and also begin operations in the new airport terminal this year, all of which they hope will only further fuel this growth.

A stringent beach cleaning programme will be implemented over the next six months and the Tourism Department is hopeful that the shores of Goa will soon be listed as one of the cleanest beaches in South East Asia.

Goa Tourism has carried out aggressive marketing and PR campaigns supported by regular participation in domestic and international road shows to increase trade outreach is one of the key factors that has lead to this rise in the number of tourists visiting Goa. The promotion of safety and cleanliness in the state, attractive offers during monsoon and spreading the word about Goa as a destination with multiple holiday options has also worked in the state’s favour.

Dilip Parulekar, Minister for Tourism, Government of Goa, said: “This is a great way to begin the New Year for us. We are more than thrilled to announce these figures and this only proves that Goa continues to be the destination of choice for people from all across the world. At the same time, these numbers also serve as a reminder for us to constantly strive and keep the infrastructure and other developments in the state on par with international standards so that Goa can turn into the number one destination of choice for travelers. Goa Tourism has planned several campaigns and programmes to ensure safety of tourists, a clean state, introduce women taxi drivers that are in tune with our vision. We will also focus on improving the quality and profile of visitors visiting the state.  Apart from these we also aim to celebrate various festivals and events in a manner that reflects the true spirit of Goa. One of these is the upcoming Carnival 2014 in March”.

Nilesh Cabral Goa Tourism Development Corporation added: “These numbers also indicated the tremendous potential for growth that Goa has as a tourist destination. While we are happy to note the increase in tourist arrivals in our state, we are also aware of the fact that this means that we have set high standards that we should strive to better every time. Goa Tourism has listed 34 infrastructural projects to be completed over the span of the next two to three years. We are also exploring the possibility of tie-ups with private hotel chains to take GTDC properties to world class standards”.

Mahindra Quanto ‘Yoga Seats’ with 36 configurations launched

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M), India’s leading SUV manufacturer, today announced the launch of best-in-class flexible seating in its 5+2 seater compact and versatile SUV, the Quanto.

Christened as ‘Yoga seats’, the new seats allow 36 different seating combinations that offer maximum flexibility and convenience. With this new seating system, Mahindra Quanto is the only sub four metre vehicle to have this 5+2 Yoga seating configuration, according to a company statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Vivek Nayer, Chief Marketing Officer, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra said: “As a customer centric organisation it is imperative that we pay close attention to the feedback received from our customers and offer enhanced value, across our spectrum of products. The introduction of the class leading Yoga seats in the Quanto is yet another proactive measure from us to ensure that our customers derive maximum value out of the product offering to suit their active lifestyle. The new flexible ‘Yoga seats’, Mahindra Quanto take its versatility to the next level. One can feel at home in the city, on highways or while driving off-road. One can also carry more bags, more weekend gears because of flexibility of storage and therefore enjoy more out of their weekend life”.

With the new seating configuration, the second row of seats in the Quanto comes with a reclining option and a centrally placed armrest. This enables passengers to adjust the seat back for better seating comfort and better leg space. The all new seat fabric gives it a premium feel as well as makes you more comfortable with its better cushioning effect. Best-in-class flexibility available with 60:40 split, double dump second row seats and third row foldable seats facilitate maximising your weekend life with 36 possible configurations.

Mahindra Quanto is Mahindra’s first Compact SUV, which perfectly blends the compactness and convenience of a city car with the power and ruggedness of an SUV. It is powered by new generation, light weight 1.5 L mCR100 diesel engine delivering class leading 100 PS power and 240 Nm torque with superior fuel mileage (ARAI) of 17.21 Kmpl. A robust and tough SUV true to the Mahindra DNA with high ground clearance of 180 mm and tight  turning  circle radius of 5.4 metres, it lets you drive it anywhere (city, rough roads, highways) confidently. It is the only vehicle in the sub four metre category to offer 5+2 flexible seating. The Quanto is fully loaded along with first-in-class features like Micro hybrid, Foldable Snack tray and Rear Intellipark offered at an attractive price point.