Tata Xenon Yodha
- r8 from the getgo this is Tata's Toyota Hi-Lux killer app, good to see it get even better
(c) http://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/article/2017-01/03/full/1483451282-9534.jpg
Source: https://defence.pk/threads/india-developing-but-still-a-long-way-to-go.28463/#ixzz4UrW9vyBV
Kia, Changan, Beiqi Foton, Daihatsu and other car makers knocking on India's doors
MUMBAI: Half a dozen car makers making a beeline to enter India in the next 3-4 years including South Korea’s Kia Motor, Daihatsu from Toyota, PSA Group's Peugeot Citreon and three car makers from China, Beiqi Foton, SAIC and Changan Automotive, who are devising an India strategy to be part of market set to be the third largest in the world by the end of the decade. Eight people privy to the launch plans of these car makers ET spoke with said Kia Motor would be the first to announce its entry in India. The company is close to finalising the location in Andhra Pradesh for its plant and is set to launch its cars in India by 2019. Daihatsu and Toyota has just kicked off the emerging markets compact car company to plan products for the emerging markets like India while PSA Group will finalise its India partnership by 2018 with an eye on 2020-2021 roll-out. Chinese Beiqi Foton which originally acquired a land in Chakan, Pune, to enter the Indian commercial vehicle space, decided to shift focus and bring in passenger vehicles under Borgward brand. The company has already started discussing with vendors a plan to localise a large Van and clutch of SUVs in India by 2019-2020. Foton’s compatriot and rival Changan too is close to finalising the plant for India, likely to come up in Andhra Pradesh – in an around Sri City. Changan will be entering the fast growing B segment SUV space by 2019-2020 in India to take on Hyundai’s Creta and Maruti Suzuki’s Brezza General Motors’ Chinese joint venture partner, Shangai Automotive Industry Corporation or SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, is feverishly negotiating with General Motors India to acquire the latter’s Halol facility. The negotiation is expected to conclude soon. Gaurav Vangaal, senior analyst for forecasting at IHS Markit Automotive, said the Indian market will see cumulative 60 million cars hitting the roads in the next one decade and clearly they won’t be from the Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai stables alone. “With Chinese market correcting itself and a lot of matured markets seeing marginal growth, India is on everyone’s radar. Not only will the market expand, there will be more choices and the competition will further intensify, thereby making consumers the winner,’ said Vangaal. “As we have yet to formally announce any final decision to enter the Indian market, I am afraid that we cannot comment nor confirm any of the rumors as such,” said a spokesperson for Kia Motor. Emails sent to SAIC, Changhan and Beiqi Foton did not elicit any response. In a recent interview to ET, PSA Group Chairman Carlos Tavares had confirmed India is part of its Push to Pass mid-term plan. The company is learnt to have had talks with Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, General Motors India and Hindustan Motors for contract manufacturing in India. It is likely to produce cars on contract manufacturing but will sell the cars through its own independent outlets, said one of the eight people cited above. Once the partnership is finalised in 2018, PSA is likely to start selling cars by 2020-2021. Come October 2017, Indian safety standards are set to be overhauled, which will mandate a frontal and a side crash, making cars more safer and would have a fuel efficiency norm with star rating, which is in the pipelne and finally the biggest change in terms of stringent BS VI emission norms to be implemented by 2020, all this will align Indian market with global stage, which may have led to increased interest say experts. Shekar Vishwanathan, vice chairman, Toyota Kirloskar, told ET, it is not a surprise at all there are other brands who are eyeing India entry. “India is the most sought after market globally, our growth rates are very good in comparison with rest of the world. We are relatively under populated in cars. We do have an issue of congestion in cities. You would need different kinds of solution. Motorisation will surely grow,” said Vishwanathan.
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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...king-on-indias-doors/articleshow/56320871.cms