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 News, Blogs, Journals and Portals

• MotorBeam.com
• Burn Your Fuel
• Team-BHP.com
• Carazoo
• WheelsUnplugged
• 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, New Delhi
• Bus and Special Vehicles Expo '09, Bengaluru

Motorsports

• Rally.co.in
• ForceIndia F1 Team
• Northern Motorsport
• Desert Storm Rally
• 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) - 2010

	Passenger Cars	Commercial Vehicles	Two-Wheelers
July	158,764
June	141,184		933,101
January	145,905	53,447	834,383

Monthly Domestic Sales Figures (units) - 2009

	Passenger Cars	Commercial Vehicles	Two-Wheelers
November	133,687	40,847
September	129,683	45,451
August	120,669	40,624	776,777
June	107,531	36,193	706,000
May	113,490	30,800	727,937
April	102,899	29,842	700,995
February	115,386	31,069	~630,000
January	110,212	23,157	581,742

Monthly Domestic Sales Figures (units) - 2008

	Passenger Cars	Commercial Vehicles	Two-Wheelers
November	83,059	20,637	567,502
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 '09 - Mar '10)

• Passenger Vehicles: 1.95 million
• Commercial Vehicles: 0.53 m
• Two-wheelers: 9.37 m
• Three-wheelers: 0.44 m
• TOTAL: 12.29 m

Automotive Research

• The Automotive Research Association of India

Imported Car Brand

ASTON MARTIN

Aston Martin has plans to launch its V8, DB9, Rapide and DBS models by the end of 2010.

BENTLEY

Bentley offers five models through its New Delhi showroom, including the Arnage (RL saloon), Azure convertible, Brooklands coupe (two allocated to India), 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 sales for for 2008 were estimated atl 30-35 units. 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.

JAGUAR INDIA

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. Other Lamborghini models include the Gellardo Superleggera. Lamborghini sold 11 cars in 2008.

LAND ROVER INDIA

PORSCHE CARS INDIA PVT LTD

Porsche has showrooms in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Chennai and Bengaluru will be the next cities to have Porsche dealers. Porsche has sold around 650 cars till Oct '08 (150 in 2008). Porsche sells Boxter, Cayman, 911 coupe models and the Cayenne SUV (incl. the diesel version) in India. The Cayenne is the best selling Porsche in India. The four door Panamera coupe (price tag range Rs 14m - 20 m) was launched in Oct '09. 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 and the Phantom Coupé (price tag Rs 40 m). The new "baby" Rolls-Royce, the 200EX, is expected to be available in India in 2010. Rolls-Royce sold 12 cars and 14 cars in 2007 and 2008 respectively and has projected sales of 14 units in 2009. A total of 41 RR's have been sold till Feb '09 in India ever since the brand re-entered the Indian market in 2005. 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 seven dealers located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Kochi, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai. Car models on sale include the S80 sedan (the D5 diesel version was launced in Jan '10) 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 XC60 soft.roader and the S60 sedan by the end of 2010. Volvo sold around 100 cars in 2008.

Passenger Car/Utility Vehicle Manufacturers

AUDI INDIA

Audi sells the A4, A6, A8, Q5, Q7, TT and R8 models in India. Audi competes in a niche market along with BMW and Daimler-Chrysler's Mercedes cars and sold 1,658 cars in 2009 (1,626 in Jan-Jul '10). Audi assembles the A4, A6 and Q5 models at ŠkodaAuto's plant (installed capacity is 1,400 units per annum) located at Aurangabad, Maharashtra while the other models are imported from Ingolstadt, Germany. Audi cars are available through 12 dealers across India.

BAVINA CARS INDIA PVT. LTD.

Bavina Cars has plans to launch a two and four seater electric cars.

BMW INDIA PVT. LTD.

BMW has an assembly plant in Chenglepet located near Chennai. The plant assembles BMW 3 and 5 series sedans while the other available models are imported. The X1 SUV will be assembled in India from the end of 2010. 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's and the new X6 Sport Activity Coupe. BMW sells its cars through a network of 13 dealers located in 13 cities. BMW launched its two-seater Roadster Z4 sport coupe in Oct '09. A limited edition of the 5 series Gran Turismo model is on sale (100 nos). BMW sold 2,718 cars in the Jan-Jul 2010 period compared to 3,619 in 2009, 2,908 in 2008 and 1,293 cars in 2007.

FIAT INDIA AUTOMOBILES LTD. (FIA)

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, although these are gradually being phased out) 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. Fiat's sales in India accelerated to 8,401 units during Apr-Jul '10 compared to 8,200 cars sold in 2008-09. Sales have risen to 20,000 units during the Jan-Nov '09 period. Fiat launched the much-awaited Fiat Grande Punto in June '09. Fiat's Ranjangaon plant has an annual capacity to manufacture 100,000 cars and 200,000 engines and transmission sets. Fiat already manufactures the Linea and Palio Stile at its new Ranjangaon plant. Fiat's Indian product line also includes the imported Fiat Cinquecento (500) retro minicar.

Fiat Palio Stile 57 PS 1.1 litre/100 PS 1.6L 4-door hatchback and a 75 PS CRDi version (Stile Multijet).
Fiat 500
Fiat Bravo
Fiat Linea
Fiat Grande Punto

FORD INDIA LTD.

Ford India sold 29,499 cars in India in 2009 compared to 28,563 in the previous year. 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 unveiled its new small car, the Figo, in Sept '09. The car is expected to be launched in March 2010 while the new Fiesta, codenamed B299, model is expected to be available by the end of 2010.

Ford Fiesta
Ford Figo
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 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

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 65,702 cars in 2008 and a monthly record of 9,421 in Jan '10. GM's 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 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 of an 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 the new Spark launched at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show and a new hatchback (Chevrolet Beat) based on GM's M300 platform which is expected to be unveiled at the 2010 Auto Expo in Jan.

Chevrolet Cruze sedan
Chevrolet Spark minicar
Chevrolet Aveo sedan
Chevrolet Aveo U-VA A 1.2 L hatchback Aveo
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.

HINDUSTAN MOTORS LTD.

HM is a Kolkata-based car manufacturer with manufacturing facilities at Uttarpara (West Bengal), Pithampur (Madhya Pradesh), Thiruvallur (Tamil Nadu) and Hosur (Karnataka). HM sold 9,211 motor vehicles in 2008-09 including Mitsubishi models. HM manufactures Mitsubishi Lancers/Cedias, Pajeros, Outlanders and Montero SUV's at its Thiruvallur plant located near Chennai.

HM-Shifeng Winner HM's new mini-truck with a one ton payload capacity.
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. Despite its dated looks and technology the Ambassador still sells at 600-700 units per month. Governmental institutions are a major buyer for the Ambassador.
Ambassador Grand
Ambassador Avigo - The Avigo features most distinctly a new restyled rounded bonnet and many other minor alterations.

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). Production of the Contessa 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.
Multi-utility vehicles - HM's MUV range includes the Trekker, Porter and Pushpak models.
RTV - Rural transport vehicle. Production has stopped.

HINDUSTAN MOTORS LTD. - MITSUBISHI MOTORS

HM manufactures Mitsubishi Lancers/Cedias, Pajeros, Outlanders and Montero SUV's at its Thiruvallur plant located near Chennai. The new Lancer is expected to be launched by Apr '10.

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.

HONDA SIEL CARS INDIA LTD. (HSCI)

HSCI manufactures the Jazz, City, Civic 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's sales dropped to 52,420 cars in 2008-09 compared with 62,802 cars sold in the previous financial year. Sales have picked up in the Apr-Jun 1st quarter fiscal year 09/10 at 17,625 units. Honda is building a second auto plant located at the Tapukara Industrial Area, Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) although the opening of the plant (capacity: 60,000 units pa) has been put on hold. 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
Honda Jazz - Honda's new supermini hatchback is powered by a 1.2 liter petrol engine with 89 bhp output. The spacious Jazz is priced around Rs 700,000 in India.

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 559,880 cars in 2009, second only to Maruti Suzuki. HMIL had reached a new milestone in Aug '10 having produced its 3 millionth car (1.6 million domestic bound and 1 million (Feb '10) exported). Hyundai is India's largest car exporter. 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 some 110 countries across the globe. Domestic sales amounted to 289,863 units in 2009 while exports reached 270,017 cars. A monthly record of 53,804 cars were sold in Sep '09. 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 Santa Fe SUV is expected to go on sale by mid-2010. The new Sonata 2010 model might also be launced in 2010. Hyundai sold a record 29,601 cars in the Indian market in Jan '10.

The i10 small car made a world debut in India and is manufactured exclusively in India for the global market. The i20 model has been launched and will cater mainly to the export market as a replacement for the Getz model though in India the i120 is sold along with the Getz model. Future launches include the new Evanta which will replace the current Elantra and the Santa Fe SUV (2010).

i10 - This 1.1 litre A-class car is the first of the new i-series of models to be launched. Over 300,000 (144,000 domestic and 156,000 exports) i10's have been produced till mid-Mar '09.
i20 - a premium compact car which has become popular both in India and overseas. 19,000 i20's were shipped to Europe during theJan-Mar '09 period. A 1.5l diesel version is expected by end-2009.
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 model is branded as "Hyundai Atos".
Verna HMIL's new mid-size sedan offering.
Accent HMIL's mid-size sedan offering.
Sonata Transform HMIL's D-class car model features a 175 bhp DOHC engine. A 2.0 l 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.
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 is mainly used for the production of the i10 model. These plants form the hub of Hyundai's global small car production.
© 2005 Google, © 2006 Europa Technologies, Image © 2006 DigitalGlobe

INTERNATIONAL CARS AND MOTORS LTD

ICML, a unit of the Sonalika Group, manufactures the Rhino MUV. ICML's auto plant is located at Amb, Himchal Pradesh and has a capacity to produce 24,000 units per annum.

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 from Jan 2010. Mahindra launched a completely new MPV, the Xylo, in Jan 09. A new generation SUV codenamed W201 is expected to be launched by end-2010. The SUV will be Mahindra's first front wheel-drive vehicle.

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
Maxximo mini truck
Gio mini truck

MAHINDRA RENAULT PVT. LTD.

Mahindra Renault produces the Logan sedan from a 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. 14,404 Logans were sold in 2008-09. Logan sales have nosedived in the past few months with 501 units sold in June '09. Renault is expected to launch one or two new models in 2009.

MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA LTD. (MSIL)

MSIL began manufacturing Suzuki Alto model cars in Dec 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 1.02 million units (incl. 147,575 cars exported) in 2009-10 (Apr-Mar). Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan has a 54.2 % stake in MSIL. MSIL's total auto production has exceeded 8 million. MSIL sold a record 95,649 (81,087 domestic) cars in Jan 2010.

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 one million units per annum. Further expansion includes an addition of a capacity of 300,000 units pa. MSIL also manufactures the Pixo model for Nissan on an OEM basis mainly for export markets (Europe in particular) . Maruti is expected to launch the new Suzuki Kizashi sedan by the end of 2010.

 

Maruti Ritz (marketed as the Splash model in overseas markets) compact hatchback comes with two engine options: a 84 bhp 1.2 l petrol and a 74 bhp 1.3 l diesel engine. Price range (ex-showroom Delhi): Rs 390,000 to 490,000

Maruti A-Star A popular export model, the 100,000 milestone (units produced) was achieved in Aug '09, The A-Star is also exported under the Nissan brand as the Pixo model.

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 300,000 Swift's till Feb '09.

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 Eeco - a compact Suzuki MPV (sold earlier on as the Versa).

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 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 880,000 units since 1993.

Maruti 800 - A 796 cc 3-cylinder minicar (based on the first generation Suzuki Alto model from the early 80's) was once India's best selling car models due to its reasonable price tag and maintenance costs. Sales figures for this minicar have gradually decreased (2,345 in Apr 09). A total of over 2.7 million 800's have been sold since its launch in Dec 1983. The on-road price of a standard variant 800 model is Rs 218,000 in Delhi. An LPG version is also available.

Maruti's sprawling manufacturing complex in Gurgaon has a capacity to manufacture 700,000 cars per year. Maruti's total manufacturing capacity amounts to 900,000 million incl. plants at both Gurgaon and Manesar. Total car production amounted to 1.02 million units in 2009-10. The total capacity is expected to increase to 1.1 million by 2011. Maruti Suzuki cars are sold through 702 outlets in 478 cities and towns across India.
© 2005 Google, Image © 2006 DigitalGlobe

MERCEDES-BENZ INDIA

Mercedes-Benz India's sales in 2009 fell to 3,247 cars (incl. 1,607 C-class, 1,048 E-class, 467 S-class and 125 various directly imported models) compared to 3,625 cars (incl. 1,756 C-class, 1,167 E-class and 561 S-class) sold in the previous year. A record of 2,922 cars were sold in the first seven months of 2010. The company sold 240 trucks and 15 in the HCV sector in 2008. Car sales between Jan and Nov '09 amounted to 2,913 units. Total sales since 1995, starting with 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. 240 trucks (Actros 4840K) were sold in 2008. Mercedes-Benz India inaugurated a new plant located on a 100 acre site in Chakan, Maharashtra with a capacity to produce 5,000 cars and 1,200 commercial vehicles per annum. The company has also launched an intercity Mercedes Benz bus model and sold 16 bus chassis in 2008. The next-generation E-class, codenamed W212, would be available in India by early 2010.

NISSAN MOTOR INDIA PVT LTD

Nissan sells its X-Trail SUV in the Indian market through a 20 dealer network. The premium class Teana model, a large premium sedan costing over Rs 2 million, is also available in India. Nissan's production in India has commenced with the manufacture of its new Micra model at its new plant (initial capacity: 200,000 units pa) located near Chennai. Nissan plans to launch eight new variants/models in India by 2012, including the 370Z sports coupe launched in Jan '10. Nissan's car sales in India is still very limited (ca 400 expected in 2009) but should grow multifold once the locally produced cars hit the market.

PREMIER LTD.

Premier has lauched a new compact SUV called Rio.

Premier, the erstwhile manufacturer of the Premier Padmini small sedan has made a comeback with the launch of the Rio mini SUV, based on the Chinese Zotye Nomad model. The Rio will be reasonably priced at less than Rs 500,000 and is powered by the Peugeot TUD5 1.5 l diesel engine.

RENAULT NISSAN AUTOMOTIVE INDIA PVT. LTD.

A 50:50 joint venture floated jointly by Renault and Nissan. A auto plant at Oragadam near Chennai is under construction and will initially manufacture Nissan models including the new Micra. Renault plans to launch the Fluence and Koleos models from the new plant in 2011. Several other models from the Renault range of cars will be launced within a four year time frame.

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. The new NXR model is expected to be launched early 2010.


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.

ŠKODAAUTO INDIA LTD.

ŠkodaAuto India's product range includes the Fabia, Octavia (1st generation), Laura (2nd generation Octavia) and Superb models. The Fabia, Octavia and Laura models are assembled at Škoda's Aurangabad plant, ŠkodaAuto's first auto assembly plant setup outside of Europe and among the largest. New variants of the Fabia are expected including the Fabia Sportline with a 1800cc engine, Fabia Combi estate version and the Roomster (leisure activity vehicle, The new Yeti soft-roader is expected to be launched inmid- 2010.

The current capacity is 50,000 units per annum. Škoda sold 16,000 cars in 2009 through a network of 65 dealers across India.
The Fabia hatchback model, launched in January 2008, has sold over 6,634 units during 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. The assembly of VW and Fabia models will be shifted to new VW plant coming up at Chakan. ŠkodaAuto has produced over 80,000 cars till Dec '09.

TATA MOTORS LTD.

India's largest (2008-09 gross revenues - Rs. 286 bn) and the world's fifth largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer. Tata sold 642,686 units during the year ended March 2010. Domestic passenger vehicle sales amounted to 200,159 units while commercial vehicles sales added upto 265,012 units in 2008-08. Exports amounted to 33,410 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 low-cost (approx. 2,500 USD) people's car, the 4-door Nano, was unveiled at the AutoExpo 2008 in Delhi and launched on Mar 23 '09. Tata has invested approx. Rs 17 bn developing and producing the Nano. A dedicated auto plant (with an annual production capacity of 250,000 units) for the Nano at Sanang, Gujarat was inaugurated in June '10. Tata unveiled the Nano Europa (export variant) and Indica Vista EV (Electric Vehicle) at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The Indica Vista EV will be produced in association with Miljø Grenland/Innovasjon based in Norway. Tata Motor's UK subsidiary Tata Motors European Technical Centre plc has a 50.3 per cent stake in the company specializing in solutions for electric vehicles. The Indica Vista EV is expected to launched later in 2009 in Norway. Tata Motors offers a range of Land Rover and Jaguar models (Jaguar XJ, XF, XK and the Land Rover Freelander 2, Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover) in India. Tata Marcopolo Motors Ltd. (TMML) manufactures fully built buses and coaches inc. low-floor intra-city models. TMML bus sales amounted to 190 units in 2007-08.

A sleek DTC Tata intracity Starbus in central Delhi. Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland made low-floor buses are used on an increasing number of bus routes throughout Delhi comprising a fleet of over 600 buses (total bus fleet is 3,850), 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 '08 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. Quite a few other Indian urban transport companies, including those operating in Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Indore, Kolkata, Mysore, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai (54 cities in total) are gradually deploying modern buses under a funding scheme provided by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the financing of new passenger transport equipment (14,240 buses as of Feb '09). 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 Indicruz - Tata's new crossover (new platform coded X2) is expected be launched in Feb '10 and will be powered by a 2.2 l TD engine.
Tata Grande MKII Tata's new SUV.
Tata Nano Tata's new low-cost minicar was launched on March 23rd '09. Deliveries began in July '09. The Nano is powered by a two-cylinder 35 PS 624cc rear-mounted engine with a top speed of 105 km/h. Although only 3.1 m long (a tad longer than the Morris Mini), the Nano is very tall at 1.6 m and boasts 20 % more space than the Maruti 800 (based on the early 80's Suzuki Alto). Three variants with different trim levels are available. Export, diesel and even electric variants are expected in the coming years.

Autocar.co.uk Nano First Drive Review >>


Tata Nano test drives
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. Some 275,000 Indigo/Indigo Marinas have been sold till date (09/09).
Tata Indigo Manza
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 Xenon XT Tata's new 4-door 5-seater cross-terrain pickup model.
Tata Winger Tata's new maxi van offering. Below is a video from YouTube (by mcdzica) showing the Winger assembly plant.

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 >>

TOYOTA KIRLOSKAR MOTOR PVT. LTD. (TKML)

TKML sold 55,497 (54,327 in '08) cars in 2009. The 120 acre Toyota factory is located at Bidadi, Karnataka. TKML's Rs 32 bn second plant, adjacent to the first plant, is scheduled to become operative by the end of 2010 and will roll out the new Etios range of cars. The initial annual capacity of the new plant will be 70,000 cars as a result of which Toyota's total annual capacity will grow to 150,000 units. While Toyota currently manufactures Corolla Altis sedans and Innova MPV's in India, the Camry, Prius and Landcruiser Prado models 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. New models expected to be launched later this year include the Etios, codenamed "EFC" or Entry Family Car. A sedan version is expected to launched by the end of 2010 and a hatchback version by early 2011.

Innova MPV. Over 132,000 Innovas have been sold till Mar 2008. A CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) version is also available.
Corolla Altis - A midsize sedan (1.8 litre 132 PS engine)
Camry imported premium sedan
Prius
Land Cruiser Prado imported SUV
Land Cruiser - imported SUV
Fortuner SUV
Below is a Toyota Fortuner SUV review by utvinews at YouTube.com

VOLKSWAGEN INDIA

Volkswagen operates an auto plant in Chakan near Pune (Maharashtra) with an annual capacity of 110,000 cars. The manufacture of Škoda Fabia began in VW's Chakan plant in May '09 followed by the new fifth-generation VW Polo model (hatchback) in Dec '09. A new sedan, the Vento, will roll-out from the same plant in July '10. The UP! range of small cars are expected to roll out by 2012. The VW Passat and Jetta sedans are currently assembled at Škoda's Aurangabad plant. The top-end Phaeton model is also available. VW sold 1,566 cars in 2008. VW also imports the Touareg SUV and the New Beetle. The number of VW dealers, now at 35, will be increased to 40.

Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers/Importers

ATUL AUTO LTD.

Atul Auto manufactures a range of three-wheelers from its plant located in Shapar, near Rajkot (Gujarat).

CERITA MOTORS

Cerita manufactures buses for various segments including intercity buses.

ASIA MOTORWORKS LTD.

AMW manufactures heavy-duty trucks (tractors and tippers) at a plant located in Bhuj, Gujarat. AMW has produced some 10,000 trucks till date (Feb '10).

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. AL holds a 51 per cent stake in firm (Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles Pvt Ltd.). The plant is expected to commence production in H2/2011.

MAHINDRA NAVISTAR

ASHOK LEYLAND NISSAN VEHICLES LTD.

HINO MOTOR SALES INDIA PVT. LTD.

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 440 buses in 2008. 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 the Roadstar, a small truck for intra-city transport.

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

LOHIA AUTO INDUSTRIES

Lohia Auto manufactures electric scooters at its plant located in Kashipur, Uttarakhand.

GLOBAL AUTOMOBILES PVT. LTD.

Global Automobiles produces 100-150 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 3.72 million two-wheelers (mainly motorcycles) in 2008-09. Its plants are located at Dharuhera, Gurgaon and Haridwar (Uttarakhand). Net sales amounted to Rs 123 bn in 2008-09.

BAJAJ AUTO LTD.

India's 2nd largest two/three-wheeler manufacturer (2007-08 net sales Rs 87 bn) and the world's third largest in terms of volumes. Bajaj Auto sold 2.19 million two/three-wheelers in 2008-09. Bajaj Auto's three plants are located at Waluj (Aurangabad, Maharashtra), Chakan (Dist. Pune) and Pantnagar Uttarakhand.

TVS MOTOR COMPANY LTD.

TVS Motor Co., the eight largest 2-wheeler manufacture in the world, recorded a turnover of Rs 32.9 and sold 1.28 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.

INDIA YAMAHA MOTOR 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. The company, a subsidiary of Italy's Same Deutz-Fahr, plans to expand its capacity to 11,000 units per annum by 2010.

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 largest (volume wise) tractor manufacturer sold 159,000 tractors in 2009.

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

Bharat Forge

Motherson Sumi

Exide Industries

Rico Auto

Bosch India

Amtek Auto

Sono Koyo

Tyre Manufacturers

Tyre Statistics

• Indian tyre production (FY 2007-08) estimate: 81.1 million units
• Indian tyre exports (FY 2007-08): 6.1 million units
• Indian tyre imports (FY 2007-08): 1.2 million units

Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association

Indian Rubber Expo 2009

Goodyear India

Apollo Tyres

Michelin India

MRF Tyres

TVS Srichakra Ltd.

Ceat Tyres

JK Tyre

Bridgestone

Copyright Timir Mozumder 1996-2010 

Updated 15 Aug 2010