No. of Motor Vehicles (in millions) in Major Cities- Oct. 2007

Delhi	4.8
Bangalore	3.1
Chennai	3.0
Kolkata	1.8
Hyderabad	1.8
Mumbai	1.5

Auto Journals and Portals

• Auto Monitor
• Indiatimes Auto
• Overdrive
• Business Standard Motoring
• Indiacar.com
• AutoCar India
• Vintage & Classic Car Club of India

Indian Emission Standards >>

Auto Expos/Organizations

• Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM)
• Central Institute of Road Transport
• Automotive Components Manufactures Association of India
• AutoExpo 2008, New Delhi

Motorsports

• ForceIndia F1 Team
• Northern Motorsport
• Desert Storm Rally - March 14-18 2008 - Route: Delhi to Khimsar
• The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India
• Motor Sports Association of India
• Western India Sports Association
• Narain Karthikeyan
• Himalayan Motorsport

Buy & Sell Cars

• CarTradeIndia.com
• CarSalesIndia.com

Car Price List (Ex-showroom Mumbai) >>

Auto Statistics

Monthly Domestic Sales Figures (units) - 2008

	Passenger Cars	Commercial Vehicles	Two-Wheelers
October	98,900	28,027	678,245
September	108,823	42,698	778,424
August	94,584
July	113,817	34,359	599,369
May	110,743	35,294	647,358
April	130,013	33,271	616,038
February	94,756	45,059	542,578
January	113,899		829,569

Annual Domestic Motor Vehicle Sales (Apr '06 - Mar '07)

• Passenger Cars: 1,076,408
• Commercial Vehicles: 467,882
• Motorcycles: 6,553,664

Automotive Research

• The Automotive Research Association of India

Auto Importers

BENTLEY

Bentley offers five models through its New Delhi showroom, including the Arnage (RL saloon), Azure convertible, Brooklands coupe, Continental GT sports coupe, Continental Flying Spur sports coupe and the Continental Flying Spur Speed super sedan. Bentley has sold over 100 cars in India since its launch in 2003. Bentley allocates limited numbers for each of its markets and expect to sell 30-35 in India in 2008. Ex-showroom (Delhi) prices range from Rs 16.5 m (Continental Flying Spur) to Rs 40 m (Brooklands coupe).

FERRARI/MASERATI

National Garage of Mumbai is the dealer for Ferrari and Maserati cars. Models available include the 430 Modena and Ferrari Scaglietti and Maserati Quattroporte. A few Maseratis have already been sold.

LAMBORGHINI

Exclusive Motors is Lamborghini's distributor in India. The Gallardo, Gallardo Spyder and Murcielago models are available at price tags of Rs 16.5 m, Rs 18.5 m and Rs 30 million respectively. Six cars were sold by July 2006. Lamborghini has announced the launch of its latest model, the Gellardo Superleggera, in India.

LAND ROVER

Land Rover (Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Freelander and Discovery models) cars are available through Navnit Motors, located in Thane.

NISSAN MOTOR INDIA PVT LTD

Nissan sells its X-Trail SUV in the Indian market through a five dealer network. The premium class Teana model, a large premium sedan costing over Rs 2 million, is also available in India. The Murano SUV is expected to hit the Indian market in early 2009. Nissan will commence the manufacture of its upcoming new Micra model in 2010 at its new plant (in association with Renault) coming up near Chennai.

PORSCHE CARS INDIA PVT LTD

Porsche has showrooms in Delhi and Mumbai. Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore will be the next cities to have Porsche dealers. Porsche has sold around 500 cars till Aug 2008. Porsche sells Boxter, Cayman, 911 coupe models and the Cayenne SUV in India. The relatively low volumes, as with all the more expensive cars sold in India, are partly due to very steep import duties imposed on imported cars resulting in roughly twice as hefty price tags on these luxury cars compared to eg those in the United States.

ROLLS-ROYCE

The Roll-Royce Phantom (with an on-road price tag of Rs 35 m in Mumbai ) is available through exclusive RR dealers located in Mumbai and Delhi along with the exclusive Phantom Drophead Coupé with a price tag of Rs 31 m. Rolls-Royce sold 12 cars in 2007 and expects to sell around 20 this year. India used to be a major market for Rolls-Royces. According to John M. Faisal, an automobile historian, as many as 900 cars with the famous Spirit of Ecstasy mascot on the bonnet were sold to Indian princes before 1947. Read more here: Maharajas’ rendezvous with Rolls-Royce >>

VOLVO CAR INDIA

Volvo has three dealers located in Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh and currently offers the S80 sedan and the XC90 SUV models. These car models are priced at approx. Rs 4 million and Rs 5 million respectively and are imported from Volvo's Gothenburg factory in Sweden. Volvo plans to launch the smaller S40 sedan in early 2009 in addition to the new XC60 offroader. Volvo has sold around 100 cars as of Jan 08 and expects to sell 500 cars in 2008.

Passenger Car/Utility Vehicle Manufacturers

MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD. (MSIL)

MSIL began manufacturing Alto model cars in late 1983 in Gurgaon after which it quickly overtook both Hindustan Motors and Premier Auto to become India's largest car manufacturer as early as the mid-eighties. The company's turnover amounted to Rs 179 bn while total auto sales grew to 764,842 units (incl. 53,024 units exported) in the year ended March 2008. Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan has a 54.2 % stake in MSIL. MSIL's total auto production has exceeded seven million including ½ million exported cars. MSIL sold 63,459 cars in the domestic market in January 2008.

MSIL currently operates four assembly plants including an auto/transmission/engine plant in Manesar (Haryana) through a joint venture (Maruti Suzuki Automobiles India) with Suzuki Motor Corp. MSIL has a total auto manufacturing capacity of 730,000 units per annum. This figure is expected to rise to just short of a million units per year by March 2009. Suzuki Motor will invest close to USD 1.8 bn in its Indian operations including research and development. Maruti has launched a new A-segment, the A-Star. Maruti's new B+ segment hatchback, the Splash model, is expected to be on sale by the end of 2008.

MSIL has signed an agreement with Nissan to manufacture small cars (A-Star) on an OEM basis mainly for export markets by 2008-09 at an annual rate of 50,000 units.

Maruti A-Star

Maruti SX4 Maruti's newest sedan offering, built on a modified Swift platform, features a 1.6 litre 102 BHP petrol engine.

Maruti Swift The Swift model is available with a 1.3 litre 86 bhp petrol engine and a 1.3 litre DDiS diesel engine. A saloon version of the Swift, the DZire is also available. The DZire replaces the old Esteem sedan which was launched in 1994. The sedan will be available with both diesel and petrol engines. Expected price range: Rs 450,000 - 600,000. Maruti has sold 200,000 Swift's till April '08.

Suzuki Grand Vitara XL 7, imported directly from Japan, is available with 2.7 liter petrol engine.

Maruti Gypsy King (soft top and hard top) - Suzuki off-road vehicle (1.3 litre 81 bhp petrol engine).

Maruti Omni - Maruti mini-van offering. A very light and at the same time unsafe vehicle.

Maruti Wagon R - a 1061 cc 64 BHP spacious mini car with a high roof.

Maruti Versa - a compact Suzuki MPV.

Maruti Alto - Maruti's small car (796 cc 47 BHP petrol engine). The Alto is exported to various countries around the world and ranks consistently among India's top selling car models. A million Altos (out of which over 180,000 have been exported) have been produced till mid-Feb '08 since the time of the Alto's launch in September 2000.

Maruti Zen Estilo - A 1061 cc car based on the Suzuki MR Wagon. The Estilo has replaced the Zen model, production of which ended in March 2006 with total sales amounting to 762,000 units during a period of 13 years.

Maruti 800 - A 796 cc 3-cylinder minicar (based on the first generation Suzuki Alto model from the early 80's) is still one of India's best selling car models due to its reasonable purchase and maintenance cost. Sales figures for this minicar have gradually decreased to around 5,000 units per month. The 800 still features amoung the top ten selling car models in India. A total of over 2.5 million 800's have been sold till mid-2008. The on-road price of a standard variant 800 model is Rs 218,000 in Delhi. A LPG version is also available.

Maruti's sprawling manufacturing complex in Gurgaon with a capacity to manufacture 700,000 cars per year. Maruti Suzuki cars are sold through 600 outlets in almost 400 citites and towns across India.
© 2005 Google, Image © 2006 DigitalGlobe

TATA MOTORS LTD.

India's largest (2006-07 revenues - Rs. 275 bn) and the world's fifth largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer. Tata sold 582,401 (incl. 54,272 units exported) units during the year ended March 2008. Domestic passenger vehicle sales amounted to 214,758 units while commercial vehicles sales added upto 313,371 units in 2007-08. Exports amounted to 53,312 vehicles in the same year. Tata Motors has sold over one million passenger cars (as at Oct 05) since the first model, the Tata Sierra was introduced in 1991. Tata Motors has begun the manufacture of the 300 hp Novus range of heavy commercial vehicles in collaboration with Daewoo Commercial Vehicles at a new plant in Jamshedpur with an initial capacity of 6000 units pa. Tata's new low-cost (approx. 2,500 USD) people's car, the 4-door Nano, was unveiled at the AutoExpo 2008 in Delhi. Tata has invested approx. Rs 17 bn developing and producing the Nano. Other models launched at the AutoExpo include the Sumo Grande, new Indica CS (Compact Sedan) and the Xenon XT lifestyle pickup.

A sleek DTC Tata intracity Starbus in central Delhi. These low-floor buses are used on select routes in Delhi with a fleet of over 500 buses, a few of which are AC CNG buses. Delhi's first Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) pilot route (5.8 km in length) was launced in April on a trial bases. The 14.5 km route, once completed, will run from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate. The BRTS is supervised by DIMTS. By 2010 Delhi's bus fleet should be contemporary by any standards. A few other Indian city transport companies, including those operating in Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Indore and Mumbai have introduced modern buses on a limited scale. The majority of intracity buses in India are built on Ashok Leyland or Tata truck chassis which make them rather uncomfortable and entry/exit difficult.

A view of the dashboard of a Tata Indigo. Tata has sold over a million Indicas/Indigo cars.

Tata Sumo Grande Tata's new SUV.

Sumo Grande
Tata Nano Tata's new low-cost rear-wheel drive minicar. The basic petrol version will be powered by a 624cc engine fitted in the rear with a output of 33 bhp. More powerful engines will be available in the future including a 800cc CRDi.
Tata Indica 1405 cc hatchback (petrol, diesel and CNG variants available). Tata has produced almost 1.13 million Indica platform cars till Aug '08. The Indica model was launched in December 1998. The top variants now feature ABS brakes and front seat airbags.
Tata Indica Vista - a completely new model, the Indica Vista, is initially available in seven variants.

Tata Indigo - a 3-box sedan version of the Indica. An estate variant, the Indigo Marina is also available. Over 125 000 Indigo/Indigo Marinas have been sold till date (08/06).
Tata Safari A five-door sports utility vehicle (both 2WD and 4WD). The Safari DICOR (Direct Injection Common Rail Engine) features a 3 litre 115 BHP and a smaller 2 litre 90 BHP turbo-charged inter-cooled diesel engine is also available. The petrol version features a quite capable 2092cc 127 PS engine. Over 26 000 Safaris have been sold in India till date (2/06).
Tata Sumo A sturdy and very spacious no-frills MPV powered by a 1948 cc diesel engine. Over 300 000 Sumos have been sold till date (10/05).
Tata Winger Tata's new maxi van offering.
Tata Magic Tata's new rural transport vehicle.
Tata Ace A newly launched mini-truckwhich has proven to be a success with over 100,000 sold till date (Mar '07).
Tata commercial vehicles >>
Tata buses >>
Tata Export Versions >>

HYUNDAI MOTOR INDIA LTD.

Hyundai Motor India's two adjacent car plants at Irungattukotai near Chennai have a combined capacity of 600,000 cars per annum, the parent company's largest auto manufacturing facilities outside of South Korea. HMIL sold 360,934 cars in 2007-08, second only to Maruti Suzuki in terms of car sales. HMIL had reached a new milestone in Nov '08 having produced its 2 millionth car. Hyundai is India's largest car exporter with over ½ million cars exported till March 2008. Hyundai is planning to make its Indian operations a small car export hub (Santro Xing, Getz, Accent and i10 models) with in-house research and development. HMIL export base encompasses 97 countries across the globe. Domestic sales amounted to 200,412 units in 2007. HMIL is also setting up an engine and transmission plant which should go on stream by the end of 2008. HMIL has reported that it will launch a small car with a price tag similar to the Tata Nano in the future.

The i10 small car made a world debut in India and is manufactured exclusively in India for the global market. The i20 model will be launched in by November and will cater mainly to the export market as a replacement for the Getz model though in India the i120 will be sold along with the current Getz model. The new replacement for Elantra is expected to be unveiled in the near future. The Santa Fe SUV will be launched by the end of the year.

i10 - Hyundai's new 1.1 litre A-class car is the first of the new i-series of models to be launched. HMIL is currently producing around 1,300 i10's per day in two shifts. Over 170,000 i10's have been produced till date (Sept.08).
i20 - to be launched between Dec-Jan '09
Santro Xing - A 1086 cc 63 bhp 4-door subcompact. HMIL has produced over a million Santros/Santro Xings till date. Europe is a major export market where this moddel is branded as "Hyundai Atos".
Verna HMIL's new mid-size sedan offering.
Accent HMIL's mid-size sedan offering.
Sonata Embera HMIL's D-class car model features a 165 bhp CVVT engine. Over 3,000 Sonatas (earlier version) have been sold till date. A diesel version is also available.
Getz Prime super-B segment car available with 1.1 and 1.3 L petrol engines. A diesel (CDRi) variant will be introduced next year.
Elantra is available with a CRDi diesel or a 125 bhp petrol engine. Due to poor sales, the Elantra model is not in regular production.
Tucson Hyundai's SUV, priced at approx. Rs 1.5 million, features a 2 l Common-rail turbocharged diesel engine.

HMIL's integrated manufacturing complex located in Irungattukottai, approx. 30 km west of central Chennai. A second plant was commissioned in Feb 2008 and will mainly be used to produce the i10 model. These plants form the hub of Hyundai's global small car production.
© 2005 Google, © 2006 Europa Technologies, Image © 2006 DigitalGlobe

HONDA SIEL CARS INDIA LTD. (HSCI)

HSCI manufactures the City and Accord models. HSCI's plant is located in Surajpur, Greater NOIDA, U.P with a capacity to manufacture 100,000 cars per annum. Honda-Siel sold 62,802 cars in 2007-08 (32,526 in H1/08), including the imported Honda CRV SUV model. Honda plans to launch a new small car model in India by the end of 2009. Honda is building a second auto plant located at the Tapukara Industrial Area, Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) which is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2009. The initial annual capacity of this new plant will be 60,000 cars. Honda would roll out two new car models from the new plant, namely the sub-compact Jazz model and next generation City models. The eight-generation Accord was launched in May-08. Honda SIEL has produced over 300,000 cars by August '08.

Honda Accord
Honda Civic The Civic sedan is powered by a 132 PS 1.8 liter petrol engine.
Civic Hybrid
Honda City This popular sedan has sold over 123,000 units since its launch in 1998. The new generation 1.5 liter City has been launched.
Honda CRV

MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA

M & M sold 178,229 vehicles (breakdown: 127,856 utility vehicles, 33,700 three-wheelers and 8,652 light commercial vehicles) including 8,021 units exported during 2006-07 and recorded net sales of Rs 82.2 bn in 2005-06. Sales in 2007 increased to 204,553 units. Mahindra has tied up with Renault for the manufacture of Renault's new Logan model.
Navistar, North America's largest truck and bus company, has finalised through its operating company, International Truck and Engine Corporation, a joint venture (Mahindra International) with M&M to produce a range of commercial vehicles. Production is slated to start in 2007. Mahindra has announced a completely new MPV, the Xylo, which will be launched in December. A new generation SUV is scheduled to be launched in 2009.

Xylo - Mahindra's soon to be launched new MPV.

Scorpio - A stylish sports utility vehicle (SUV) available with diesel, CRDi (Scorpio 2.6 Turbo) and petrol engines. A new upgrade variant called the M-Hawk, features a 2.2 liter 120 bhp CRD engine. This variant is expected to be available in export markets as well.
Bolero - features a 63 bhp 2.5 litre turbo diesel engine.
MaXX
Naya Commander 650 DI
Savari
Major
Champion three-wheeler

MAHINDRA RENAULT LTD.

Mahindra Renault produces of the competitively priced Logan sedan from a new auto plant located in Nashik. The plant has an annual capacity of 50,000 cars. The Logan is available with 1.4 L and 1.6 L petrol engines and a 1.5 L diesel variant and is competitively priced. 17,761 Logans were sold in 2007 (22,500 till Feb '08). Renault has plans to manufacture a low-cost minicar with Bajaj Auto.

GENERAL MOTORS (INDIA) LTD.

The capacity of GMIL's manufacturing plant at Halol (Gujarat) has a capacity to manufacture 85,000 units in a year. GMIL sold a record 66,543 in 2007-08 against 35,823 cars in the previous year. Locally produced models include the Optra, Tavera SUV, Aveo (sedan and hatchback) and the Chevy SRV. GM India has launched the Chevy Spark. A second auto plant opened at Talegaon (Maharashtra) has boosted GM's India capacity to 225,000 cars per annum. The second plant manufactures the Spark minicar model. GM also has a design studio center in Bangalore in 2007 where it employs around 1,000 powertrain and vehicle engineers. GM's other investments in India include the setting up ofan engine plant with an annual capacity of 160,000 units at Talegaon. The powertrain plant will begin production in 2010. GM's future car launches include two small car models for 2009.

Chevrolet Spark minicar
Chevrolet Aveo sedan
Chevrolet Aveo U-VA A 1.2 L hatchback Aveo
Chevrolet Optra SRV A sporty-looking five-door hatchback version built on the Optra platform.
Chevrolet Optra Magnum - 1.8 liter premium class sedan in the C-plus segment of which 9 191 units were sold in 2004.
Chevrolet Tavera 22,000 Tavera MUVs have been sold till date (09/05).
Chevrolet Captiva - The Captiva SUV is powered by a 148 bhp 2 liter common-rail diesel engine.

TOYOTA KIRLOSKAR MOTOR PVT. LTD.

TKML sold 54,000 cars in 2007. The 120 acre Toyota factory is located at Bidadi, Karnataka. Toyota Kirloskar Motor has announced it intends to invest upto Rs 28 bn to build a second auto plant adjacent to Toyota's existing plant. The second plant will become operative in 2010 and will roll out a totally new small car. The annual capacity of the new plant will be 100,000 cars as a result of which Toyota's annual capacity will grow to over 160,000 units. While Toyota currently manufactures Corolla Altis sedans and Innova MPV's in India (and will soon begin assembling Fortuner SUV's), the Camry and Landcruiser Pravo are imported. Toyota began producing Qualis MUV's in late 1999 at its Indian plant and today holds a 89 per cent equity stake in TKML while the Kirloskar Group holds the remaining 11 per cent.

Innova MPV. Over 132,000 Innovas have been sold till Mar 2008.
Corolla Altis - A midsize sedan (1.8 litre engine)
Camry imported premium sedan
Landcruiser Pravo imported SUV

FORD INDIA LTD.

Ford India sold around 38,000 cars in 2007. Car export destinations include countries such as South Africa, the Middle East region and a few European countries. Ford is investing USD 500 m to double its car manufacturing capacity (250,000 units per annum by 2010) in addition to an engine manufacturing plant with an annual capacity of 250,000 units. Ford plans to launch a new small car in India by 2010.

Ford Fiesta
Ford Ikon 1.6 L petrol, 1.8 L diesel. 100 000 Ikons have been produced at Ford India's Maraimalai Nagar plant till date (04/05).
Ford Fusion
Ford Mondeo
Ford Endeavour - A 3 litre turbo diesel SUV.

Ford India's manufacturing complex located at Maraimalai Nagar, approx. 40 km southwest of central Chennai.
© 2005 Google, © 2006 Europa Technologies, Image © 2006 DigitalGlobe

HINDUSTAN MOTORS LTD.

A Calcutta-based car manufacturer with manufacturing facilities at Uttarpara (West Bengal), Pithampur (Madhya Pradesh), Thiruvallur (Tamil Nadu) and Hosur (Karnataka). HM sold 15 733 passenger vehicles in 2004. HM manufactures Mitsubishi Lancers and Cedias at its Thiruvallur plant located near Chennai. The HM Mitsubishi product range also includes the Pajero, Outlander and Montero SUV models.

Mitsubishi Lancer (available with 88/118 bhp 1.5/1.8 l petrol engines and a 66 hp two litre diesel) - Lancer is being produced at HM's Rs 3 billion 103 acre state-of-the-art Thiruvallur (Tamil Nadu) plant with a capacity to produce 24,000 cars per annum. Over 25 000 Lancers have been manufactured till date (03/02).

Mitsubishi Cedia
Mitsubishi Montero
Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi Pajero - The 3.2 litre Pajero is imported while a 2.8 liter version is being locally manufactured.
Ambassador (petrol, diesel and CNG) - arguably the most dated car model being commercially produced as the Ambassador is based on the early 50's Austin Oxford model. Over 800 000 Ambassador's have been manufactured till date. 12 522 were produced in 2004-05, a four per cent growth over the previous year.
Ambassador Grand
Ambassador Avigo - The Avigo features most distinctly a new restyled rounded bonnet and many other minor alterations.
Contessa (1.8L/2.0L diesel) - body based on the seventies Vauxhall Victor. A mere 25 Contessa's were sold between January and October 2002. Production spanned two decades from 1982. Production ended in 2002. The Contessa was one of the few more luxurious cars built in India (alongwith the Standard Motors' Standard 2000 model) prior to economic reforms in the early nineties.

Image above: A Hindustan Contessa in Hyderabad. Contessas are now a rare sight on Indian roads. The Contessa's body is based on the early-seventies Vauxhall Victor (Opel Rekord).
Multi-utility vehicles - HM's MUV range includes the Trekker, Porter and Pushpak models.
RTV - Rural transport vehicle.

ŠKODAAUTO INDIA LTD.

ŠkodaAuto India's product range includes the Fabia, Octavia, Octavia Combi STW, Laura (2nd generation Octavia) and Superb models. The Fabia, Octavia and Laura models are assembled at Škoda's Aurangabad plant, ŠkodaAuto's first and only auto assembly setup outside of Europe.

The current capacity has been augmented to 50,000 units per annum. ŠkodaAuto India also offers the D-class 2.8 litre V-6 Škoda Superb, Škoda's flagship model. Škoda sold 14,187 cars in 2007-08 through a network of over 50 dealers across India.
The Fabia hatchback model, launched in January 2008, has sold over 3,500 units till April 2008. ŠkodaAuto's plant is also houses the assembly of both the Volkswagen Passat and Audi A6 models. These two models share the same platform with the Octavia model. ŠkodaAuto had produced its 50,000th car in Jan 08.

MERCEDES-BENZ INDIA

Mercedes-Benz India's 2007 sales grew by 18 % at 2,491 cars (incl. 457 S-class, 1,137 E-class, 777 C-class and 111 misc imported MB models) against 2,121 cars sold in 2006 through a network of dealers located in 28 cities across India. Sales have increased at a healthy pace during the Jan-Oct '08 period with total sales of 3,141 cars. Mercedes-Benz India's total sales since 1995, when it commenced the assembly of the E-class W 124 model, had crossed 20,000 by April 2008. Mercedes-Benz India manufactures S-series 320 L , E-series E200, E230 and E250 and C-series cars. Mercedes-Benz India's local auto component vendors exported auto parts worth € 80 million in 2004 to Mercedes-Benz plants worldwide. Mercedes-Benz also sells the luxurious Maybach sedan in limited numbers.

Two variants of the heavy-duty imported Actros range of tippers were launched in 2006 and some 150 units have been sold till date (August '07). Mercedes-Benz India's new plant located on a 100 acre site in Chakan, Maharashtra will be ready early next year with a capacity to produce 5,000 cars per annum. The company has also launched an intercity Mercedes Benz bus model . The next-generation E-class, codenamed W212, would be available in India by early 2010.

BMW INDIA PVT. LTD.

BMW has an assembly plant in Chenglepet located near Chennai. The plant assembles BMW 3 and 5 series sedans. The present local content in the assembled cars is around 10 per cent. The current annual capacity of the plant is 3,000 cars. BMW imports the 7 series and the X3, X5 SUV models. BMW sells its cars through a network of eight dealers located in six cities. BMW plans to launch its M3 and M5 series sport coupe models next year. BMW sold 1,387 cars (breakdown: 743 3-series, 320 5-series, 251 7-series and rest incl. X5, X3 and 6-series models) in Apr-Dec 2007. BMW launched the M3 at the Auto Expo 2008, Delhi. BMW sold a record 1,763 cars in the Jan-July '08 period.

FIAT INDIA LTD.(FIL)

Fiat has had a long presence in India. Prior to Fiat India, Fiat had a technical collaboration with Premier Automobiles, the manufacturer of the Padmini model (still to be seen in great numbers in Mumbai where the majority of taxis are Padminis) a small sedan based on the third generation Fiat 1100D dated from the early sixties! Fiat India's earlier products included the Uno, Siena and Palio. Production, however had dwindled to only 1,245 cars in 2005-06. Fiat is expected to launch the new Fiat Grande Punto in alliance with Tata Motors in the first quarter of 2009. Fiat has also begun production of the Linea sedan. Fiat's Ranjangaon plant has an annual capacity to manufacture 100,000 cars and 200,000 engines and transmission sets. Fiat already manufactures the Palio Stile at its new Ranjangaon plant. Fiat's Indian product line also includes the imported Fiat Cinquecento (500) retro minicar and the soon to be launched Bravo hatchback. Fiat has also announced plans to launch selected Alfa Romeo models in the future.

Fiat Palio Stile 57 bhp 1.1 litre/100 bhp 1.6L 4-door hatchback.
Fiat 500
Fiat Linea

AUDI INDIA

Audi sells the A4, A6, A8, Q7, TT and R8 models in India. Audi competes in a niche market along with BMW and Daimler-Chrysler's Mercedes cars and has sold 884 cars between Jan and Oct '08. Audi assembles the A4 and A6 models at ŠkodaAuto's plant (installed capacity is 1,400 units per annum) located at Aurangabad, Maharashtra and expects to assemble 300 A6 cars in 2008 (total sales are expected to reach over a thousand). Audi cars are available through 12 dealers.

VOLKSWAGEN INDIA

Volkswagen has announced plans to manufacture upto 110,000 cars a year beginning in 2009 from a greenfield auto plant located in Chakan near Pune (Maharashtra) with an investment of approx. Rs 35 bn. The manufacture of Škoda Fabia will begin in VW's Chakan plant in 2009 followed by the VW Polo model in 2010. TheThe UP! range of small cars are expected to be roll out by 2012. The VW Passat sedan is currently being assembled in India from imported CKD kits. VW sold 105 Passats within two months of its launch and expects to sell around 500 by then end of '08. VW also imports the Touareg SUV and the Phaeton models will be the next launch. Volkswagen has launched the mid-sized Jetta sedan (assembled at Škoda's Aurangabad plant) and plans to import the New Beetle from 2009. The number of VW dealers will be increased to 15 by the end of 2008.

REVA ELECTRIC CAR COMPANY LTD. (RECC)

Reva electric car. Read AutoAsia Online's Maini Reva article. RECC has introduced a concept car called the Reva-NXG, designed by Dilip Chhabria. Reva has sold around 2,500 vehicles as at Jan 2008. A large portion of Reva's production has found a home in export markets such as the UK, Norway, Spain and Italy. The company's car manufacturing capacity, currently at 6,000 cars a year, is being expanded to 30,000 per year.


Newconsumer.tv testdrives the Reva electric car in central London. The Reva, or G-Wiz as it is called in the UK is sold and imported by GoinGreen.

SAN MOTORS LTD.

Storm - A four seater hard top sports coupe with a fibreglass body.

INTERNATIONAL CARS AND MOTORS LTD

ICML, a unit of the Sonalika Group, has launched a 2 liter SUV named "Rhino".

BAVINA INDUSTRIES

Bavina Industries based in Chennai has plans to launch a four-door electric car by April 2008.

Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers/Importers

ASIA MOTORWORKS LTD.

AMW manufactures heavy-duty trucks (tractors and tippers) at a plant located in Bhuj, Gujarat. AMW has produced some 500 trucks till date (Dec06).

ASHOK LEYLAND

Ashok Leyland manufactures Iveco trucks in addition to buses and other light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles. The company sold 83,101 vehicles in 2006-07. Total income amounted to Rs 72.4 bn in the same year. AL has tied up with Nissan to >build a new light commercial vehicle plant in Tamil Nadu with an initial capacity of 100,000 vehicles pa.

DAIMLERCHRYSLER INDIA

See car section

FORCE MOTORS LTD.

The Force Motors (erstwhile Bajaj Tempo) product portfolio includes a range of LCV's, utility vehicles, the ubiquitous Tempo three-wheeler and tractors in the 25-50 hp range. Force Motors turnover amounted to Rs 10.5 bn in 2004-05. Force Motors has also planned a joint venture with Neoman for the manufacture of chassis and complete buses.

Tempo Trax utility vehicle range
Tempo Excel / Traveller.

MAN FORCE TRUCKS PVT. LTD.

Force Motors has invested Rs 7 bn in a new heavy commercial vehicle manufacturing facility. The HCVs are manufactured in technical collaboration with MAN Industries of Germany.

TATA MOTORS LTD.

See car section

VOLVO INDIA PVT. LTD.

Volvo India manufactures FM12 and FM9 series rigid/trailer trucks. Volvo also manufactures the B7R bus model and has launched the B7RLE low-floor intra-city bus too with Bangalore's bus transport company BMTC being the launch customer. Volvo's Hoskote (Karnataka) plant has an installed capacity of 4000 trucks pa. in double shifts. Volvo has sold some 1,600 trucks and 1,600 buses since 2001. Volvo sold around 200 buses in 2007. Volvo is exporting trucks to South Korea in addition to some of the neighbouring countries. A new joint-venture, Volvo Bus BodyTechnologies, manufactures bus bodies in a plant located at Hoskote, Karnataka. A target has been set to sell 450 buses, including a new version of the Volvo 9400 inter-city model, this year.

EICHER MOTORS LTD.

Eicher Motors manufactures a range of commerical vehicle with payload ranging from three to 17 tons. Eicher Motors sold 28,077 vehicles during 2006-07.

SWARAJ MAZDA

Manufactures Mazda LCV's under licence and has partnered with Isuzu to launch a low-floor bus in the latter half of 2008.

TATRA VECTRA MOTORS LTD.

Tatra Vectra Motors manufactures off-road Tatra trucks (7,000 till date). Tatra plans to launch a highway transportation vehicle to the existing range of HCV's on offer.

SUTLEJ MOTORS LTD.

Luxury coach manufacturer

TVS-IRIZAR

Luxury coach manufacturer

JCBL Ltd.

Coach manufacturer manufacturing a range of buses, motor homes, special utility vehicles, trailers and cargo boxes.

URAL INDIA LTD.

Ural India, an Indo-Russian joint-venture, manufactures of URALAZ medium and heavy commercial vehicles. Ural India's plant is located at Haldia, West Bengal. The company has announced plans to foray into the manufacture of small cars.

PREMIER LTD.

Premier manufactures a range of light commercial vehicles.

Miscellaneous

DILIP CHHABRIA DESIGN PVT. LTD.

PARIKH COACH BUILDERS

Produces the Ambylimo, a stretched fully equipped Hindustan Ambassador limousine.

CHINKARA MOTORS

Chinkara - probably India's only true roadster. See also BS Motoring's review of the roadster.

Two Wheeler Manufacturers

GLOBAL AUTOMOBILES PVT. LTD.

Global Automobiles has commenced production of 125 cc motorcycles in eastern India's first two-wheeler plant located at Kamdevpur, Hooghly (West Bengal) in technical collaboration with the Chinese Guangzhou Motor Company.

HERO HONDA MOTORS LTD.

Hero Honda, the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer, sold around 3.25 million two-wheelers (mainly motorcycles) in 2007-08. Its plants are located at Dharuhera, Gurgaon and Haridwar (Uttarakhand). Net sales amounted to Rs 87 bn in 2005-06. The company sold a record 302 000 two-wheelers in Oct '05.

BAJAJ AUTO LTD.

India's 2nd largest two/three-wheeler manufacturer (2005-06 income: Rs 76.7 bn) and the world's third largest in terms of volumes. Bajaj Auto sold 2.52 million two-wheelers (mostly motorcycles) and three-wheelers in 2007. Bajaj Auto's three plants are located at Akurdi (Pune), Waluj (Aurangabad, Maharashtra), Chakan (Dist. Pune) and Pantnagar Uttarakhand. The Akurdi plant has been shut down.

TVS MOTOR COMPANY LTD.

TVS Motor Co., the eight largest 2-wheeler manufacture in the world, recorded a turnover of Rs 39.3 bn during 2006-07 and sold 1.15 million two-wheelers in 2007-08. TVS's plant is located at Hosur, Karnataka. TVS launched it first 3-wheeler, the TVS King, on March 9 '08. The 3-wheeler segment was till now dominated by Bajaj Auto and Piaggio.

TVS Apache

HONDA MOTORCYCLE & SCOOTER PVT. LTD.

Honda's Gurgaon factory manufactures four-stroke scooters and motorcycles. The company sold 871,000 two wheelers in the year ended March 2008.

YAMAHA MOTOR INDIA PVT. LTD.

Yamaha Motor India sold 212 985 motorcycles during 2004-05. Yamaha has announcde a Rs 4 bn investment plan for the expansion of its existing manufacturing capacity and a new plant to be opened in 2008.

LML LTD.

LML sold approx. 75 000 two-wheelers in 2005-06. LML manufactures lifestyle motorcycles (150 cc), motorcycles (110 to 125 cc) and scooters (150 cc).

KINETIC ENGINEERING LTD. (KEL)

Kinetic Engineering produced 122 012 motorbikes, scooters and mopeds in 2005-06, including Hyosung Motors (South Korea) GF-series motorbikes.

MAJESTIC AUTO LTD.

Majestic Auto sold 32 067 mopeds in 2005-06.

ROYAL ENFIELD MOTORS LTD.

Manufacturer of the legendary "Bullet" motorcycles. The Indian Police and defence forces use "Bullet" motorcycles. Royal Enfield sold 38,528 motorcycles during 2007-08. Royal Enfield operates two factories located at Chennai and Jaipur.

MONTO MOTORS LTD.

Monto Motors manufactures the Avanti range of mopeds, motorbikes, off road bikes, ATVs and trollies.

INDUS ELEC-TRANS.

This division of ElectroTherm, manufactures YObykes electric two-wheelers in a factory located in Kutch. Future products include electric three/four wheelers and hybrid electric buses.

SUZUKI MOTORCYCLE INDIA PVT. LTD.

Suzuki Motor India sold 1 601 motorcycles in 2005-06.

ULTRA MOTOR INDIA

Ultra Motor manufactures electric scooters in its plant at Hyderabad. A second plant is coming up at Maneasr, Haryana. The company expects to sell around 35,000 units in 2008-09.

Three Wheeler Manufacturers

FORCE MOTORS LTD.

PIAGGIO VEHICLES PVT. LTD. (PVPL)

PVPL manufactures diesel three-wheelers (pick-ups, delivery vans and passenger vehicles) at its Baramati (Maharashtra) plant. PVPL has announced plans to manufacture LCV's and possibly two-wheelers.

SCOOTERS INDIA LTD.

Government owned Scooters India Ltd. (1998-99 turnover: 1.36 billion Rupees) produced over 16,000 Vikram range of three-wheelers last year. SIL produces an electric 3-wheeler, the Vikram-EV. Vikram-EV is driven by a DC motor capable of delivering 7.5 bhp. A gas powered three-wheeler is also under development.

KERALA AUTOMOBILES LTD.

KAL produced 7240 three-wheelers in 1999-00.

Tractor Manufacturers

Same Deutz-Fahr India

Manufactures tractors and diesel engines at a plant located at Ranipet, Tamil Nadu.

L&T-John Deere Ltd.

LTJD's tractor plant is located at Sanaswadi, near Pune.

HMT Tractors

TAFE (Tractors And Farm Equipment Ltd.)

MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA

The world's fourth largest and India's largest tractor manufacturer sold 47 028 tractors in 2002-03.

Mahindra USA Inc.

PUNJAB TRACTORS LTD.

Punjab Tractors sold 25 600 tractors in 2004-05 (revenue Rs 6 bn). Punjab Tractors is the largest manufacturer of Harvester Combines in India.

INTERNATIONAL TRACTORS LTD.

ITL (turnover ca Rs 5 billion for FY 2003-04) sold some 20 000 "Sonalika" range of tractors during 2003-04. ITL has tied up with Renault Agriculture for the manufacture of Renault Ceres tractors.

ESCORTS LIMITED - AGRI MACHINERY GROUP

Escorts sold 50,000 tractors in 2006-2007.

BRAHMA-STEYR TRACTORS

EICHER TRACTORS LTD.

ETL sold 15 814 tractors in 2002-03.

NEW HOLLAND TRACTORS (INDIA)

New Holland Tractors sold 9 714 tractors in 2004. The company has invested ca USD 100 m in India and exports Indian made tractors to 2 countries. New Holland expects a turnover of Rs 5 bn in 2005.

GREAVES LTD.

MAHINDRA GUJARAT TRACTORS LTD.

FORCE MOTORS LTD.

V.S.T. TILLERS TRACTORS LTD.

Earth Moving, Material Handling and Construction Machinery Manufacturers

JCB India Ltd.

Escorts Construction Equipment Ltd.

Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML)

Caterpillar India

L&T-Komatsu Ltd.

Voltas India

Automotive Parts Manufacturers

Ashok Leyland - Leyparts

Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd.(TACO), India

Lucas-TVS

Clutch Auto Ltd.

India Pistons Ltd.

Bharat Gears

Tyre Manufacturers

Tyre Statistics

• Indian tyre production (FY 2005-06) estimate: 65.5 million units
• Value of Indian tyre and tube exports (FY 2004-05): USD 349 million

Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association

Indian Rubber Expo 2007

Goodyear India

Apollo Tyres

Michelin India

MRF Tyres

TVS Srichakra Ltd.

Ceat Tyres

JK Tyre

Bridgestone

Copyright Timir Mozumder 1996-2008 

Updated 21 Nov 2008