Tata has unveiled the Safari Storme at the Auto Expo 2012 in India. The new-generation SUV’s exterior has been reworked, with a new front grille, side cladding, new projector headlamps and all-new rear looks heading the list.

Elswhere, the bonnet has also been given a restyling job to include a ‘power bulge’ to lend the Storme a sportier look, and the spare tyre has been relocated to under the vehicle. Other fresh items include new pull-type door handles and side footsteps, as well as newly-designed roof-rails, side cladding and a new tailgate trim, replete with an ergonomically-designed grab handle.

The Safari Storme is powered by a 2.2 litre DiCOR diesel with a Variable Geometry Turbo, and has 140 PS at 4,000 rpm and 320 Nm at 1,700-2,700 rpm for numbers, with a five-speed G-76 Mark II manual transmission in attendance. There’s electronic shift-on-the-fly (ESOF), enabling switching from 2WD to 4WD mode while on the move, and the Storme offers a generous 200 mm of ground clearance, handy for those off-road moments.

Tata has dressed up the Safari Storme’s cabin with the inclusion of beige seats matched with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, chrome highlighted gear knob, wood-accented dashboard and door trim, a new instrument cluster, chrome-lined speaker grilles and inside door handles.

Other interior kit includes tilt-adjustable steering, dual air-conditioning with a separate integrated roof mounted blower for rear passengers and integrated 12V-gadget charging points across all three rows of seating.

Safety-wise, there’s four-channel ABS with EBD, dual front airbags, disc brakes throughout and an Inertia Switch, which automatically cuts off the fuel supply to the engine, unlocks all the doors and switches on the hazard warning light in the event of a crash.

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The party at Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi wouldn’t be complete without Tata Motors, and as expected, the Indian manufacturer has brought a number of new wares to the show, one of them being the Indica Vista Concept S2.

The car is a reinterpretation of the form, as previously seen on the Indica Vista Sport, which came about at the last Auto Expo in 2010. The Concept S2 has a wider and wedge-like stance, and the design features a central volume that’s encased by two arrow-like flanks. A two-tone paint scheme – a matte metallic dark shadow and bright silver combination – and the use of aluminium and red accents helps highlight the shape further.

Dress-up kit includes a metallic brow for the headlamps, a lower grilled with a polished black lip surround and signature LED daytime running lights at the front, while the rear gets a spoiler, restyled rear bumper and a stylised LED tail lamp cluster. The inclusion of side skirts completes the picture.

Inside, the Vista Concept S2 gets a black-themed cabin, with sporty race bucket seats clad in black leather and a smaller diameter, sportier steering wheel among the cue changes.

On the mechanical front, the car wears a turbocharged 1.4 litre petrol engine offering 140 PS at 6,000 rpm and 188 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm, mated to a five-speed Fiat C510 manual gearbox with revised gear ratios. With disc brakes all around and a retuned and beefed up suspension, as well as 17-inch alloys and 205/40 series rubbers, Tata says this one is every bit the handler as it looks suggest.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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10. Funny little things: New Tata Magic Iris and Ace Zip

The Tata Nano, famous as the world’s cheapest car, hasn’t been as hot-selling as Tata has hoped, although it has been hot enough to catch fire occasionally. Tata seeks to reverse this (sales, not fire risk) by improving the small car for 2012. More power, more economy, more features, but at the same price, is the formula used.

The 600 kg Nano’s 624 cc engine gets slight improvements – it now puts out 38 PS (was 35 PS) and 51 Nm of torque (was 48 Nm). Claimed best case fuel consumption is now 25.4 km/l from 23.6 km/l. The nano has a top speed of 105 km/h and the ability to climb 30% inclines.

There’s also a revised suspension set-up, including an anti-roll bar at the front, a “steering mechanism made even easier” plus a racier sounding exhaust note for “a more assertive road presence.” Booster-assisted brakes, already available in the CX and LX trim, have now been added to the Standard as well. There’s also the addition of bright new colours, including the likes of Neon Rush, Mojito Green and Papaya Orange.

The better news for Indians is that there will be no price increase. The Nano Standard is priced at Rs.1.40 lakhs (RM8,500), the Nano CX Rs.1.70 lakhs (RM10,300) and Rs.1.96 lakhs (RM11,870) for the top spec Nano LX, which includes kit like central locking, front power windows, body coloured bumpers, fog lamps, electronic trip meter and full wheel covers. Downpayment starts from a low Rs.15,000 (RM908) with financing tenure up to 60 months.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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10. Funny little things: New Tata Magic Iris and Ace Zip

The edition was announced some time back, but now it has finally made its official debut – the Tata GoldPlus Nano, all Rs 220 million (US$4.6 million) worth of compact car, was unveiled in Mumbai yesterday.

Working on the idea that nothing succeeds like excess, the one-off Nano’s exterior is completely covered by 80 kg of 22-karat gold, 15 kg of silver as well as 10,000 semi-precious stones and gems. It’s all good enough to make the US$220,000 D.C. Design Nano a poor man’s choice. And let’s not even bother to count how many basic Nano‘s you could get for the price of this one.

Unfortunately, all that glitter can’t be bought – the car is to be used for branding and promotional purposes by GoldPlus Jewellery, which happens to be part of Titan Industries, which is a Tata Group company. GoldPlus happens to be the largest jewellery retail chain in Tamil Nadu.

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9. Funny little things: New Tata Magic Iris and Ace Zip

Not sure if you remember that funny little penguin that was spotted back in 2009, but it has just been launched as the Tata Ace Zip in India. Together with covered sister Magic Iris, the duo look soft toy cute (to me at least) with their wide open eyes and odd proportions. Eyelashes will work well here, don’t you think?

Wait, it gets funnier. The one with the roof, Magic Iris, is described as a four-wheel, 3-4 seater small passenger carrier, a good alternative to those three-wheelers that are popular in India. The pick-up bodied Ace Zip on the other hand, is described by the press release as a 600-kg micro truck “for deep-penetration goods movement”. By the way, this is not Google Translate playing tricks, the release is in English. Deep penetration goods movement, I like!

Both are powered by a 611 cc, water cooled engine with 11 hp and 31 Nm of torque. Those wheels are 12-inch items. No performance figures are given, but the Ace Zip’s payload is 600 kg. Turning radius is a small 3.5 metres. The body is all steel, including the hard top and double steel sheet doors on the Magic Iris.

The Magic Iris is priced at Rs 1.95 lakh (about RM13,000) while the Ace Zip costs Rs 1.90 lakh, ex showroom Thane without octroi tax. They come with a warranty of 36,000 km or 12 months.

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It’s based on the world’s cheapest car, but the Pixel concept Tata showed at Geneva looked anything but cheap. The Nano based city car concept looks like it could have been from any Japanese carmaker; in fact, it looks very familiar, just that we can’t point out exactly where we’ve seen this before!

Designed with Europe in mind, the Pixel, which is just over three metres in length, is claimed to be the most package efficient four-seater in the world. Tata says that it can comfortably accommodate four adults, which makes it more capacious than the 3+1 Toyota iQ. Tata says that those tall scissor doors allow effortless entry for all passengers in the tightest of spaces – I’m sure they didn’t have a shopping mall car park in mind!

A 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine sits in the rear of the Pixel. It’s said to be a low-friction design featuring variable coolant and oil pump and rapid warm-up systems. With a slippery shape, low rolling-resistance tyres and stop-start, the Pixel’s fuel economy is rated at 3.4 l/100km on the European combined cycle while CO2 emissions are just 89 g/km.

What’s unique here is the “Zero Turn toroidal traction-drive Infinitely Variable Transmission”. This efficient, cost-effective system assists rotation of the outer rear wheel forwards and the inner rear wheel backwards during low-speed manoeuvres, while the front wheels turn at acute angles. The result is a turning circle radius of just 2.6 metres.

Gallery after the jump.

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The new car is expected to be called the Tata Pixel and it will be unveiled at this week’s Geneva show in concept form, powered by a 3 cylinder turbodiesel engine. It will be bigger than the Tata Nano and the concept version will feature gull-wing doors, something not likely to make it to production.

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Preparing for rising sales, chairman Ratan Tata, who is set to retire in 2012, wants to open Land Rover factories in India and China to pacify demand. This was confirmed by JLR CEO Carl-Peter Forster who said that Land Rovers will be assembled in India starting next year. Talks on producing Land Rover and Jaguar models on a JV basis with a partner in China is ongoing.

Jaguar-Land Rover is back into the black with a net income of 221 million GBP ($348 million) in the most recent quarter, a stark contrast to the same time last year, when it lost 64 million GBP ($101.6 million). In the period, JLR sold 57,153 vehicles, more than the 35,947 in 2009. Future plans for the leaping cat include the introduction of an XF estate (see Theophilus Chin’s version here) and a new entry level roadster.

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Ratan, who never married, has no children. Indian media have speculated that Noel N. Tata, Ratan’s half-brother and son in law of Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry, who also happens to be the largest shareholder of the company, may be the man groomed for the job. Noel will join Tata International Ltd, the group’s overseas unit, as MD after stepping down from the same post at retail arm Trent Ltd.

The successful candidate will control a huge conglomerate that has 96 companies making cars from the $72,500 Jaguar XJ to the $2,500 Nano, producing steel and growing tea, among other things. The company creates revenue of over $70 billion and accounts for almost 7% of India’s gross domestic profit. Ratan, who is a Cornell University-trained architect, took the hot seat in 1991 and charted Tata’s growth via at least 35 overseas acquisitions, including steelmaker Corus Group Plc and Jaguar Land Rover.

It’s never easy when a family empire passes from one generation to another. Let’s hope that this one goes smoothly!

Source

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After the hype surrounding the Nano’s launch, demand was high and Tata collected 206,703 orders during the initial sales period last April. From this, 100,000 customers were chosen by a lottery. Deliveries of the cars began in July, and up till April 2010, 33,875 units have been accounted for.

The original dedicated Nano plant in Singur, West Bengal, was delayed after the automaker halted construction due to violent protests by farmers who originally worked on the land. Tata abandoned the near-complete facility in October 2008 and began building the Sanand facility on a 445-hectare plot.

One of the possible reasons Tata cannot take its own sweet time is that the ultra-cheap Nano will have some rivals soon. The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Bajaj Auto are teaming up for a $3,000 car that is projected to hit showrooms in 2012. They have earmarked a plant in Maharastra that will have a production capacity of 400,000 vehicles a year. Bajaj is a huge company that produces motorcycles and auto rickshaws.

The basic Nano, with one wiper, no radio or air conditioning costs $2,615 in New Delhi. A better equipped version will go on sale in Europe late 2011.

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Forster, 55, has 24 years of experience in the automobile industry. Most recently he was the head of GM Europe, overseeing Opel/Vauxhall, Saab and Chevrolet’s European presence. Before joining GM in 2001, Forster was with BMW for 13 years, where he held various positions including that of Managing Director of BMW South Africa. He was also on the “Managing Board” of BMW responsible for manufacturing.

On the appointment, Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said: “Tata Motors expects that Mr. Forster’s induction will greatly facilitate its ambition towards being a truly international company.”

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Tata seems to be on a mission to improve motoring standards in India, to get people off bikes and trikes and into a four-wheeler. It started with the Nano, which low entry price gave families an alternative to cramming everyone on a bike. Now, the company has launched the Magic Iris at the Auto Expo in Delhi, which should be a decent alternative to the three-wheeled auto rickshaw common in India.

To be launched this year, the Magic Iris “is for public transportation, offering safer and more comfortable mobility for those who depend on three-wheelers”. The tiny body can sit five, including the driver, and occupants will be fully enclosed, unlike in tuk-tuks.

The Magic Iris is powered by a 611cc water cooled diesel engine. With a 10-litre fuel tank, it’s capable of longer distances than a three-wheeler and has a top speed of about 55 km/h. 11 bhp may not be much, but it’s more than what the auto rickshaws offer. Tata also promises lower maintenance costs and a higher load capacity than the popular vehicle it’s trying to replace.

Looks quite cute and cartoonish, don’t you think?

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While it may look like another bland MPV, the new Tata Aria is billed as a crossover by its maker. Tata says that the Aria blends the functionality and comfort of an MPV with the all terrain assurance and “premiumness” of an SUV. To be launched in the second quarter of this year, the Aria can be ordered with torque-on-demand AWD and sits on a ladder frame. The ground clearance looks pretty substantial too, so perhaps Tata’s SUV claims aren’t that unreasonable.

Tata is proud of the Aria’s cabin, which has “theatre style” seating for seven. It sports premium features such as 3D surround sound, dimming roof lamps, built in GPS, “state-of-the-art infotainment system”, multifunction steering wheel, climate control and cruise control. Safety features include six airbags and ESP, which is a first for an Indian OEM.

The Aria, which sits on an all-new platform, is powered by a 2.2-litre direct injection common rail diesel engine with 138 bhp and 320 Nm of torque. It is Tata’s most expensive model and will take on the popular Toyota Innova in India.

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This is the Tata Nano based 0.5-tonne pick-up truck scheduled for Indian market introduction next year. Codenamed Penguin (it looks like a penguin too, doesn’t it?), the bird’s four wheeled namesake will compete with the just launched Mahindra Gio – a simple two-seat machine powered by a 441cc direct injection two-pot diesel.

The Tata is reported to be powered by a 350cc one-cylinder diesel engine, not likely to top the Gio’s 55km/h top speed, 9.5bhp and 21Nm of torque. The Penguin uses proven simple and cost saving techniques from the Nano like a single windshield wiper, three wheel lugs, scooped out dashboard and short wheelbase. The engine is mounted at the rear axle, so it doesn’t need a propeller shaft.

There will be plenty of mocking, but I think that these low cost machines are perfect for the intended market and a logical development from three-wheel auto rickshaws and bullock carts currrently used to ferry anything from manure to gas cylinders. The modest performance is adequate in bustling Indian cities, where initial acceleration from rest is more important than an 80km/h cruise speed. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve visited Delhi or Mumbai before.

Source

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They really should make more amusing ads like this. Check out this Volkswagen Touran TV commercial after the jump. They’re promoting the car’s Park Assist system, which by the way is available locally on the Volkswagen Tiguan. The dude in the video can’t dance though but he kinda looks like Schumacher. The Touran is a Golf-based MPV that isn’t available in Malaysia, though there were a number of pre-owned ones (CrossTouran) sold off by Volkswagen Malaysia recently. Volkswagen recently announced that they will start assembly of the Touran in Indonesia.

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The Tata Nano is officially here and on sale! Bear in mind this is the Indian domestic market version and not the larger, more well-equipped version that was showcased as the Tata Nano Europa recently.

The Indian version of the Nano will go on sale from the 1st of April onwards at Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships and other select authorised outlets, available in 3 variants – Standard, CX and LX, with a 24,000km or 18 month warranty. The cheapest one is priced at 1 lakh as promised, but only when it leaves the factory, after that it gets some other costs tagged on including shipping, taxes and registration.

The Tata Nano has its engine mounted at the back, a 624cc 2-cylinder aluminium multi-port fuel injection engine mated to a 4-speed transmission. The engine produces 35 PS at 5,250rpm and 48Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, with a top speed of 105km/h.

Not much power, but the car weighs only 600kg. It can negotiate a maximum of a 30% grade incline. Fuel efficiency is rated at 23.6 km/litre, certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) under mandated test conditions – this is said to be the most fuel efficient petrol car in India.

The Nano measures just 3,100mm long, with a width of 1,500mm and a height of 1,600mm. Tata claims despite it having the smallest exterior footprint of any car in India, it is 21% more spacious than the smallest car available today.

The Standard is very bare, with 3 colour options, single-tone seats and a fold-down rear bench. If you notice, it doesn’t even have side view mirrors. The CX adds 2 more colours, climate control, two-tone seats, a parcel shelf, boost-assisted brakes, and a fold-down rear seat with a nap rest.

The highest grade LX model adds complete fabric seats, central locking, front power windows, body-coloured bumpers and etc, fog lamps, an electronic trip meter, a front console cup holder, a mobile charger point, and a rear spoiler.

There is limited capacity at the moment, as Tata’s Sanand plant is not ready yet in terms of capacity. The State Bank of India will be managing the Nano’s bookings. Application forms will be sold at Rs. 300 from 30,000 locations in 10,000 cities – Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships, State Bank of India and its branches, its subsidiaries and associates, other preferred financiers, and outlets of Westside, Croma, ‘World of Titan’ and Tata Indicom exclusive stores.

After one obtains the form, he can either pay the entire booking amount themselves or seek financing of the booking amount. Financing is available from 15 financial institutions, where a Nano can be booked for Rs. 2999.

After 60 days of the closure of bookings, Tata will use a lottery system to allocate the first 100,000 cars to be delivered in phase 1 of the delivery process. Deliveries will start in July 2009.

If you do not get selected for the first phase of delivery, unlike here where your booking fee gets stuck for ages if your car takes a long time to get delivered, customers will be eligible to interest on their booking fees – 8.5% for retention period between one year to two year and 8.75% for a retention period of more than 2 years.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Nano.

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The Tata Nano: how did they manage to make it so cheap?

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The Tata Prima is the first collaboration between Tata and Italian company Pininfarina and is based on the Tata Indigo platform stretched to a 2,700mm wheelbase. It kinda looks somewhat like a Nissan Sylphy actually, and you can see some latest design “trends” incorporated there although some can be considered overkill – it has TWO sets of daytime running lights – you get one strip on each side the bumper and another set integrated into the headlamps. I feel Tata should really reconsider a stronger corporate grille for its car. The front end that ended up on this one kinda makes it look like a smart forfour when viewed head-on. A prominent and good-looking corporate grille is really important. Hyundai has found a new one in their i-series of cars, albeit somewhat shamelessly ripped off from the pre-facelift current generation Honda Civic, while Kia has its new H-grille design penned by Peter Schreyer. Look after the jump for a gallery of the Tata PR1MA Concept.

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Tata has unveiled a more regularly-specced version of the Tata Nano that it intends to sell in more sophisticated markets such as Europe. It will be a car that has all the creature comforts that you’d expect, unlike the 1 lakh version that it intends to sell in India which will be stripped bare of even an air conditioning unit.

This high-spec version has been exhibited at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and is called the Tata Nano Europa. While the Indian Nano rides on a wheelbase of 2,230mm, the Tata Nano Europe has a stretched 2,280mm wheelbase and measures 3,290mm long and 1,580mm wide (the Indian Nano is 3,100mm by 1,500mm). It’s actually shorter both in terms of length and wheelbase compared to the Kancil but is wider. Powering the Nano Europe is an inline-3 fuel injection engine mated to a 5-speed automatic and it will also come with a power steering system.

Other features that the Nano Europa will get include ABS, ESP stability control and airbags, which already places it above many small cars in terms of equipment, especially the presence of stability control. Of course with all of this extra features the price will be far from the original pricetag that gave the Nano its “1 lakh car” nickname, but I doubt the European customer will accept driving something as bare as the Indian Nano. Who knows, we could even end up having this Nano Europa sold in Malaysia by the new Tata franchisee, whoever they may be.

Tata of course has other aces up its sleeve for Europe, and it begins to make sense why they acquired Jaguar once you see what else they are exhibiting at Geneva, coming soon right after this story.

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Some of you may be wondering what has happened to the Tata Nano after all the buzz that was created after it was unveiled back in January last year. Tata’s 1-lakh car had gone through so many downs such as having to abandon a nearly-completed production plant because of regional protests, and the continuous economic downturn doesn’t do much to help the Indian conglomerate who dreamt up this car for the masses.

But good news this time – in less than 1 month’s time, the Tata Nano will be officially unveiled in Mumbai on the 23rd of March 2009, with the first batch of showroom cars delivered from the 1st week of April 2009 onwards. Dealerships will be accepting bookings from the 2nd week of April 2009 onwards. We will get the full details on the production car at the March unveiling, but at the moment please check out our past coverage on the Tata Nano. There are some very interesting details on how Tata plans to make the car so cheap as well as videos.

According to latest exchange rates – 1 lakh Indian Rupees is US$1,986 or RM 7,300. That’s seriously cheap, but the base model will be extremely bare, likely not to even have air conditioning! But still safer than a motorcycle.

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Tata Nano to get US$10 airbag?
VIDEO: Tata Nano unveiling at Delhi 2008
Tata Nano: how did they do it? (engineering details)
More photos of the Tata Nano
Tata Nano – the name of the Tata 1-lakh car

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I think we now know why Maruti’s low cost car was revealed to the banks earlier this month, they were probably pitching it to the banks to see if they would grant loans for people who want to buy it!

Banks in India are saying that they would only grant loans to buy the Tata Nano to second time car buyers instead of motorcycle owners who are looking to upgrade to a car. “We will not look to finance the purchase of the Tata Nano for those who already own a motorcycle but are stretching their budgets to buy a car. We have faced numerous problems of motorcycle loan defaults,” said an unnamed banker in an interview with Business Standard in Mumbai.

Rates to finance the Tata Nano are also expected to be higher at 18 to 19% instead of a usual new car interest rate of 13 to 14%, although it is still lower than the usual used car interest rate of 22%. This is because usually low income owners that buy such cars usually have their finances stretched to the limits every month, especially in the wake of astronomical fuel prices. This is also why Proton cars usually have higher interest rates than foreign makes in Malaysia.

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Even used car values are affected, with cars like a 6-year old Maruti 800 dipping in value by 30% from 110,000 rupees to 75,000 rupees and a 5-year old Hyundai Santro’s 200,000 rupee value down to 165,000 rupees. Values of small cars that are usually purchased by budget-concerned buyers are generally hit the most, because of the fear of an impending rise in fuel prices. Some of these buyers would have to go back to bikes.

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The Tata Nano is a no-frills car, but one of the more well-equipped, pricier versions of the Tata Nano will feature dual front airbags. And with luck, they’ll only increase the cost of the car by a minimum. Autoliv IFB India on the request of Tata is trying to develop a US$10 airbag for the Tata Nano, less than 10 times the price of airbags in other compact cars which cost around US$150 per airbag.

Swedish-American company Autoliv currently supplies 28% of the world’s airbags. In our market, an Autoliv joint venture with a Japanese company called Autoliv Hirotako Sdn Bhd supplies airbags for Proton, and the upcoming Perodua MPV.

Given that even these normally priced airbags sometimes do not work completely as intended and may end up injuring or killing occupants rather than saving them, are US$10 airbags really safe to use?

Related Posts:
Tata Nano: how did they do it? Cost-cutting secrets exposed
Tata Nano: the name of the Tata 1-lakh car

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Apparently MV Agusta could have a new owner or at least a large shareholder in the form of Tata Motors, according to Italian bike magazine euroMoto. MV Agusta used to be owned by Proton and was disposed of a few years ago for a sum fo 1 Euro. Since then, MV Agusta’s new owners have not been able to do much with the company, and its ails continue, lacking funds to channel towards new product development.

Source [ Translated ]

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This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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The interested parties are: 1) DRB-HICOM of course, this would mean they would keep the franchise, 2) the owners of Brooklands Motors Sdn Bhd (Citroen) and Competitive Supreme Sdn Bhd (Ssangyong), 3) Sime Darby Berhad (BMW, Hyundai, Inokom, Alfa Romeo, Land Rover) and 4) Naza.

If Naza gets a hold of the Tata franchise, it will be able to sell the Tata Nano here, probably positioned lower than the Naza Forza. Sime Darby will already have a relationship with Tata through its Land Rover distributorship here as Land Rover has just recently been bought over by Tata.

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Tata Nano archive at this blog

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© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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The Tata Indica Silhouette concept car is unlike what you’d expect an Indica to be. This is not a budget city car with a tiny engine, but rather a track monster powered by a 3.5 litre V6 mounted at the rear of the car, powering the rear wheels as well. This setup instantly reminds us of the Renault Clio V6, but this isn’t exactly a production road car, so think of it more of similiar to the Golf GTI W12-650.

The 3.5 litre V6 engine (a race-ready version of the Renault-Nissan VQ engine) produces 330 PS at 7.000rpm and sends the 850kg Tata Indica Silhouette barrelling down the roads up to the 100km/h mark in just 4.5 seconds, up to a top speed of 270km/h. The engine is mated to a 6-speed sequential gearbox.

The 2-seater car is built on a space frame steel chassis made with aeronautical steel and uses the engine as a stress member. The car uses an adjustable progressive rate pneumatic suspension system. For track duties, it has a data logging system and a high-accuracy GPS unit.

So in reality this isn’t exactly an Indica adapted to fit a V6 in the rear, but a space frame and an engine with a shell made to look like an Indica put on top of it, much like R3′s rear wheel drive Waja.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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DRB-HICOM is currently evaluating whether or not to keep the Tata franchise in Malaysia, according to DRB-HICOM group managing director Datuk Mohd Khamil Jamil. Options currently are the logical three – A) keep as is, B) expand, or C) let go. According to Business Times, DRB-HICOM officials will be meeting up with representatives from Tata in May 2008 to discuss the future of the brand in Malaysia.

The current agreement between DRB-HICOM 70% owned Scott & English (M) Sdn Bhd and Tata Motors will expire by June 2008.

Tata is currently ramping up efforts in our region, with the new Tata Xenon (shown above) launched in Thailand not too long ago. Tata has been constantly featured in world headlines for the past few months thanks to its Tata Nano low cost car project and its recent acquisition of the Jaguar and Land Rover premium brands.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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Most of the management team will be retained, and Ford will continue to supply Jaguar and Land Rover with powertrains and technology for the time being, depending on existing supply agreements. Ford Motor Credit Co will also provide financing for Jaguar and Land Rover dealers and customers for the period of up to 12 months. The deal includes the Rover, Daimler and Lanchester brand names.

Tata Motors says it was confident this investment would have a positive effect on its balance sheet in the long run. Shareholders do not seem to share these sentiments as Tata Motors shares dropped as much as 7.3% yesterday, finally settling on a 3.6% drop at the end of the day as analysts says the deal will be a strain on the balance sheet. As for Ford, the money will help it focus on turning around its North American operations, which are currently operating at a loss.

The other bids for Jaguar and Land Rover are former Ford CEO Jacques Nasser’s One Equity Partners, Ripplewood, and Texas Pacific Group, which was advised by Bob Dover, CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover between 2002 and 2003.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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One company that is very happy about all of this is Fiat, who has a close relationship with Tata. Tata uses Fiat turbodiesel engines in their cars, and the two companies have a partnership worth Rs 4000 crore (3.3 billion ringgit) in India.

Fiat says this will most likely allow the Italian company to get access to Jaguar’s technologies. It is particularly interested in Jaguar’s rear wheel drive platform as well as Land Rover’s four-wheel drive technology. Yup, you guessed right – the first model from the Fiat group to benefit from this is most likely the new flagship Alfa Romeo 169, which Fiat plans to develop as a rear wheel drive car.

Related Posts:
Ford may forgo retained stake in Jaguar and Land Rover

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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While the original plan was for Ford to keep a minority stake in the company as it has done with Aston Martin (it retains a US$77 million out of US$925 million stake), Indian paper the Economic Times has reported that Ford has decided not to retain a minority stake in Land Rover and Jaguar as “it is convinced about the future development of these two brands in the hands of Tata.”

Ford’s earlier intention of holding a minority stake in the two companies, as with Aston Martin, was to ensure supply contracts and jobs are protected. Analysts have pegged the deal at worth between US$1.5 to US2.0 billion.

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© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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This is a series of 3 videos from the Delhi Motor Show – where the Tata Nano was unveiled for the very first time to the public. Watch the videos after the jump.

VIDEO: Tata Nano Unveiling 1

VIDEO: Tata Nano Unveiling 2

VIDEO: Tata Nano Unveiling 3

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 27 May 12 15:49:07 +0000.

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