Made in India Vehicles

Water Car Engineer · Feb 26, 2012

Mahindra and Mahindra is among the four companies that has shown interest in bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab. According to a Times of India report Mahindra and Mahindra has signed a confidentiality agreement with the bankrupt company and is in the process of finalizing its bid.

Sources told Times of India that M&M is likely to tie up its bid in the next 15 days and Kotak Mahindra is also likely to be a part the Saab deal. Reportedly the top brass of M&M Auto and its mergers and acquisition team will meet later this week and take a final call on the structure of the bid.

Pawan Goenka, president of the automotive business at Mahindra & Mahindra tells CNBC-TV 18 that they may be looking to acquire SAAB’s assets because of the R&D and tech benefits that they can derive from it.

“SAAB can bring in some technologies that go into SUVs, it can bring in infrastructure for R&D and it also brings in the global distribution network, but we will see if this is sufficient for us to be interested,” he told CNBC TV 18.

That M&M’s weakness lies in research and development is clear from its acquisitions in the last four to five years. Mahindra, which is on a hyper M&M drive, bought troubled Korean sports utility vehicle manufacturer Ssangyong in 2010 as well the Italian designer brand Engines Engineering. Previously it took over Kinetic, a two-wheeler company and now media reports say it is even eyeing Italian motorcycle maker Ducati.

While Ssangyong is a good fit in the technical department for the SUV business, Saab can give M&M an established brand, a manufacturing hub in Europe as well as a technical centre. But now that Saab is bankrupt, shouldn’t Mahindra do a complete due diligence before jumping in to buy yet another foreign asset? Moreover, Mahindra may not be able to purchase a Saab license agreement from General Motors Co, which it’s seeking as part of the deal.

SAAB filed for bankruptcy back in December last year. Since then the management and board members of SAAB are looking for a prospective buyer who will buy 100 percent of SAAB.

http://www.firstpost.com/business/is-bankrupt-saab-as-good-a-buy-as-ssangyong-for-mahindra-215453.html

luckych · Feb 27, 2012

Yamaha looks at making 250-cc sports bikes locally

Gauging at the success of the 250cc sports bike retailed by Honda, fellow Japanese competitor Yamaha is also gearing up for local manufacturing of its planned 250cc sports bike, as against assembly operations done by Bajaj Auto for Kawasaki.

A locally manufactured motorcycle will entail zero duty, thereby, allowing the company to price the product competitively as against 30 per cent duty attracted by an assembled product, where different parts of the bike are imported to be assembled together.

Arch-rival Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has been clocking an average of 3,000 units every month on the CBR250R sports bike, which the it fully makes in India. Over the last few months, Honda is in the process of phasing out the CBR250R, to make way for the new 2012 model.
Roy Kurian, national business head, India Yamaha Motor, said, "The market for 250cc is growing and we are studying that. There are a couple of models in that segment and people are upgrading to 250cc bikes. We will do 100 per cent localisation of that bike...we will manufacture it here."

Talks about Yamaha launching a 250cc bike has been doing the rounds for several months, but the company has only delayed its entry into the segment. "We have taken the feedback from people who have bought 200-250cc bikes and our feedback says they are not fully 'satisfied' with their products. So there is a need for a better bike than what is available today. Internationally, we have the Fazer 250, but I cannot comment when we will launch a bike in that segment, added Kurian.

Bajaj Auto imports several parts of the 250cc-powered Kawasaki Ninja into India, before assembling them at its plant in Chakan, Pune. Due to added duties, the Ninja is priced well above the price position of the Honda CBR 250R. While the Ninja costs Rs 300,000 (on-road Mumbai), Honda's CBR250R costs nearly half of that at Rs 155,000 (on-road Mumbai). Reports suggest that Yamaha has been doing a market study for a 250cc bike, which according to sources was scheduled for launch last year. However, the management decided to gauge the response for the Honda CBR250R.

This year, Yamaha has decided to focus on scooters, which is scheduled for launch in the second half. It is confident of achieving sales of 400,000 units (including exports) in the next year. This would constitute 40 per cent of total targeted sales of one million by 2013, said Kurian.

"While we are focussing on scooters this year, it does not mean we are moving away from bikes. The bikes will remain as our main stay in the longer term, added Kurian

Yamaha looks at making 250-cc sports bikes locally

Abingdonboy · Feb 27, 2012

Sir LurkaLot said:
Mahindra and Mahindra is among the four companies that has shown interest in bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab. According to a Times of India report Mahindra and Mahindra has signed a confidentiality agreement with the bankrupt company and is in the process of finalizing its bid.

Sources told Times of India that M&M is likely to tie up its bid in the next 15 days and Kotak Mahindra is also likely to be a part the Saab deal. Reportedly the top brass of M&M Auto and its mergers and acquisition team will meet later this week and take a final call on the structure of the bid.

Pawan Goenka, president of the automotive business at Mahindra & Mahindra tells CNBC-TV 18 that they may be looking to acquire SAAB’s assets because of the R&D and tech benefits that they can derive from it.

“SAAB can bring in some technologies that go into SUVs, it can bring in infrastructure for R&D and it also brings in the global distribution network, but we will see if this is sufficient for us to be interested,” he told CNBC TV 18.

That M&M’s weakness lies in research and development is clear from its acquisitions in the last four to five years. Mahindra, which is on a hyper M&M drive, bought troubled Korean sports utility vehicle manufacturer Ssangyong in 2010 as well the Italian designer brand Engines Engineering. Previously it took over Kinetic, a two-wheeler company and now media reports say it is even eyeing Italian motorcycle maker Ducati.

While Ssangyong is a good fit in the technical department for the SUV business, Saab can give M&M an established brand, a manufacturing hub in Europe as well as a technical centre. But now that Saab is bankrupt, shouldn’t Mahindra do a complete due diligence before jumping in to buy yet another foreign asset? Moreover, Mahindra may not be able to purchase a Saab license agreement from General Motors Co, which it’s seeking as part of the deal.

SAAB filed for bankruptcy back in December last year. Since then the management and board members of SAAB are looking for a prospective buyer who will buy 100 percent of SAAB.

http://www.firstpost.com/business/is-bankrupt-saab-as-good-a-buy-as-ssangyong-for-mahindra-215453.html

Would be great, SAAB is known for its innovative philosophy and would be a great addition to the M&M family and would be good for the brand as a whole in R&D and innovation.

Zabaniyah · Feb 28, 2012

SAAB was my favorite. I felt sad when I heard it went bankrupt.

Skull and Bones · Feb 28, 2012

I hope TATA goes for SAAB, their management can turn around even the worst performing companies.

saweramughal · Feb 29, 2012

nice and great looking vehicles, thanks to share

patentneer · Feb 29, 2012

saweramughal said:
nice and great looking vehicles, thanks to share

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Much appreciated. Details please.

I will psot Pune, India assembled range of ATV's soon.

BoB's · Mar 1, 2012

takeiteasy · Mar 1, 2012

Anyone Watched "India on Four Wheels" BBC-2 August 2011 ?
BBC AUG2011 India on Four Wheels S01E02 (part1/3) - YouTube

patentneer · Mar 2, 2012

patentneer said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^

Much appreciated. Details please.

I will post Pune, India assembled range of ATV's soon.

Here we go, Nebula Auto (ATV's run on 800 cc Mrooti type engines) :

BoB's · Mar 3, 2012

Hero MotoCorp of India in Talks With Bankers on Possible Ducati Purchase

Hero MotoCorp Ltd. (HMCL), Indias biggest motorcycle maker, is in talks with bankers about buying Ducati Motor Holding SpA as it seeks technology to enhance its bikes and expand its business globally.

Lots of people have been coming to us with Ducati: Not one banker but many bankers, Pawan Kant Munjal, the managing director of Hero MotoCorp, said yesterday in an interview in New Delhi. Were talking to a lot of people. Not just Ducati, whoever comes to us, we talk to them.

Hero, which in December 2010 decided to exit a 26-year partnership with Honda Motor Co. (7267), is looking to gain technology through partnerships and acquisitions after that licensing relationship ends in 2014. The company has cash reserves of about $1 billion, Munjal said.

Investindustrial SpA, the Milan-based private-equity firm that owns Ducati, may hold an initial public offering of the luxury-motorcycle maker in Hong Kong this year or sell it to a rival, two people familiar with the plans said last month, declining to be identified because the plans are private. A spokesman for Investindustrial wasnt immediately available to comment late yesterday.

Motorcycle makers Hero and Bajaj Auto Ltd. (BJAUT) are looking to expand their markets amid increased competition in the worlds second-biggest motorcycle market as the Indian units of Honda, Yamaha Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Co. expand capacity in the country. Only China buys more motorcycles.

Looking Overseas

Motorcycle sales in India grew 15 percent in 2011 to 9.95 million units, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. The industry body expects deliveries of two-wheelers, including motorcycles and scooters, in the year beginning April 1 will increase 11 percent to 14 percent, it said Jan. 10.

Hero is looking to begin sales in Africa and Latin America this year as it tries to mimic the strategy of its nearest domestic rival, Bajaj Auto. Bajaj sells more than 35 percent of its products overseas and expects to exceed its export target of 1.5 million units in the year ending March 31.

Hero aims to export 1 million units annually in five or six years, Munjal said.

Weve been seen as a utility-bike maker, fuel-efficient bikes, and somebody whos at the lower level of the market, whos more small-town and rural-market focused, said Munjal. So our ambition is to become one of the biggest global two- wheeler players and to do that, you cannot only be in one small segment.

Ducati, whose bikes are owned by actors such as Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, was delisted in 2008 from the Milan stock exchange.

Honda is expanding its operations in India after separating from Hero, and will spend as much as 10 billion rupees ($202 million) on its third factory near Bangalore in southern India that will be ready in 2013, the company said in August. When complete, Honda will have a capacity to build 4 million two-wheelers in India annually