Auto show !

oimbatore Motor Parts Dealers Association (CMPDA) is organising the auto show 2009 at Suguna Kalyana Mandapm from December 18 to 20.

Talking to reporters, R. Sivakumar – Chairman, K.C. Sekar – Secretary and P. Srinivasan – President of CDMPA said that the association since inception in 1966 is organising the show for the first time. There would be 115 stalls.

S. Narayanan, Executive Director of Madras Auto Service, K. Ramasamy, Chairman of Roots Group of companies and S. Guru of Jai Motors will release the souvenir.

M&M opened Pre owened car showroom !!

Mahindra & Mahindra's pre-owned cars sales arm Mahindra First Choice has shared plans that it targets to sell at least 1 lakh used cars by the year 2014. The announcement was made by Mahindra First Choice CEO Shubhabrata Saha at a press conference in Coimbatore, where he had made an appearance to inaugurate the city's first Mahindra dealership.

Currently the unit has 60 outlets across India and last year alone had sold as many as 10,250 used cars. This year's target by the company has been set at 18,000, and over 9,000 have already been sold at various cities across the sub-continent.

Pre-owned or used cars reportedly have a market of 1.5 million vehicles a year, with a scope of 20% annual growth, a sector with a tremendous growth opportunity. More and more people are now coming forward to buy used cars, especially in Tamil Nadu.

CEO Saha also shared that the firm plans to open as many as 300 more outlets across the nation in order to fuel its attempts to achieve the 1 lakh sales by 2014 target.

Hyundai i-20 Launched !

Three diesel variants of the Hyundai i20 were launched at Chandra Hyundai showroom, Avanashi Road here on Thursday.

Ravi Sam, Chairperson, Confederation of Indian Industry- Coimbatore, launched the first car. Placed in the D-plus segment, the variants range from approximately Rs. 7 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh on road. According to C. Karthikeyan, Sales Manager of Chandra Hyundai, The i20 diesel has all the features of a Hyundai Sonata, which include six airbags, automatic climate control air conditioning and music controls on the steering wheel.

The car comes with anti-locking brake system and electronic brake distribution . The Asta variant comes with an optional sunroof.

Volkswagen outlet at Coimbatore !!

Volkswagen has been very active in India lately. A few months ago, they inaugurated a new plant near Pune, a city in western India. The plant is expected to have a maximum annual production capacity of 110,000 vehicles. As for their dealer network, VW appointed a second one in Bangalore as it expands in other major cities of the country.

They continue to increase their presence as Volkswagen India has sent word that they have appointed Volkswagen Coimbatore as the authorized dealer in the second largest city of Tamil Nadu. The German company has stated that the facility is not only well-equipped but has equipment and tools competent of serving eight cars a day.

Sathish Jagadeesan is the MD of Volkswagen Coimbatore. He says, “We are pleased to partner with Volkswagen and look forward to building strong relationships with our premium customers in and around Coimbatore. We are confident of providing Volkswagen standards of experience to our customers as any other Volkswagen international dealership.”

Neeraj Garg is a member of the board and a director at Volkswagen Passenger Cars. He explained the dealer network strategy of Volkswagen, “Our partnership with Volkswagen Coimbatore reiterates Volkswagen’s strong focus on widening our presence across key markets and providing prompt and efficient services for our existing customers as well as the opportunity to for others to own a Volkswagen car. We are confident that these new partnerships will be major milestones for Volkswagen’s expansion plans in India.”

At present, VW is operating franchises in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi Bangalore, Chandigarh, Noida, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Cochin, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Goa. However, the German carmaker has a goal of adding twenty-five more outlets in the country this year and take the number of total outlets to forty.

Award for mechanic ..

C.R. Jestin of Popular Motors won the Castrol Golden Spanner Awards at a contest held at Coimbatore city level recently.Close to 400 car mechanics participated in the contest. Mr. Jestin finished the Coimbatore city finals with 565 points. He will now represent Coimbatore at the national finals to be held in Chandigarh later this month. Anuradha Bambawale, Marketing Manager, Passenger Car Oils, Castrol India Limited said C. Thangaraj of CRT Motors finished as runner up with 495 points.

He too was awarded the Castrol golden spanner. All mechanics qualified for the city level finals have been covered by Castrol with an accident insurance policy worth Rs. 2 lakhs each.The grand prize for the All India winner of the Castrol Golden Spanner Awards is a miniature of gold model of a car.

Audi comes to coimbatore soon !!

Audi is doing rather well in the Indian market despite the economic slowdown.The company is now planning to expand their dealer network in the country to further boost the availability of their products in the market.

Audi India MD Benoit Tiers said in a statement: “Currently we have 11 dealerships in major cities. We will be soon appointing new dealers in Lucknow, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Nagpur.”

They are already working with Bangalore based Jubilant Motors for expanding their dealerships in Southern India.Audi said that they are aiming to grab 30% of Indian luxury car market in the coming 2 years. Expanding their network is one of the most important steps in that front.

Ford starts service plan for Fiesta & Ikon

Carmaker Ford India has announced a service offer for the new buyers of its Fiesta and Ikon cars to boost sales through reduced cost of ownership.It has come out with scheduled service plan (SSP), a new service offer for periodic and scheduled maintenance of Ford cars.“This new scheduled service plan will initially be available for Fiesta and Ikon range of models. We are working on such offerings for other Ford models as well,” said Nigel Wark, executive director (marketing, sales & services), Ford India.

The new plan has come into effect from May 15 and the services will cost between Rs 8,400 and Rs 9,350 for Fiesta petrol and diesel cars. A wide range of schemes will be available according to customers’ requirements. The SSP can be availed by new customers at Ford dealerships across 15 cities in the country. These include Chennai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad & Secunderabad, Delhi & NCR, Mumbai, Ahme-dabad, Ludhiana, Pune, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Jai-pur, Cochin, Kolkata and Surat.

The new scheme covers scheduled services such as engine oil change, fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, among others. The pack includes labour charges of periodical maintenance service and replacements at a discounted price for a fixed duration.“The SSP scheme is aimed at offering easy maintenance and allowing the cost of periodic maintenance at specific intervals to remain unaffected by inflation, with the consumer making a one-time payment upfront,” said Wark.

The SSP is being offered as an extended service business (ESB) product where the customer pays for the same upfront. The new plan will be available to both fleet and retail customers. In addition, the plan is also transferable. SSP does not cover wear & tear of parts, accident repairs, mechanical & electrical failures and tyres. There are over 80,000 Fiesta cars running on Indian roads. Ford India sold 2,034 units in April 2009 as compared with 2,223 units in April 2008, according to Siam statistics.

Logan Edge connect launched !

With the launch of its smart variant of Logan Edge Connect, Mahindra Renault expected to capture 10 per cent market share in the 'C' car segment soon, a senior company official said on Tuesday.The company, which is having seven per cent share at present, would touch double digit, since Logan Edge exceeded supply with all 500 units sold within two months, Jyoti Malhotra, Head, Channel Marketing, Mahindra and Mahindra, told reporters here, launching the Logan Edge Connect here.

Stating that the Logan Edge Connect is an extension of the Logan Edge, redifining luxury for the Indian car buyer, he said compared to national average of market share, Tamil Nadu was having 10 per cent share.Bluetooth technology, a unique Driver Information System and four vibrant colours were some of the striking features of the new variant, which has been developed on the basis of evolving customer needs,he said.

The new variant featured a high end music system and hands-free telephony integrated via Bluetooth, Malhotra said.Available in three new colours, including the very popular Mystique purple, launched with the original Logan Edge, the 'Connect' has additional features include sporty decals, leather upholstery, reverse parking sensors, Anti-lock braking system and electronic brake distribution, he said.

The prices ranged from rs.5.33 lakh to rs.7.30 lakh for five categories--three in diesel and two in petrol--(all ex-showroom), Malhotra said.

Nano Booking started !

Thursday, R. Sampathkumar signed a check for 3,809 rupees ($78) and ordered his first car: a Tata Nano.

Bookings for the ultracheap car, which retails for 100,000 rupees ($2,050) plus tax and transport fees, opened Thursday across India.Sampathkumar, who is 30 years old and single, makes about 20,000 rupees a month ($410) as a goldsmith and says he wants a Nano for "status."Automatically, women will come forward," he said, grinning.

Dozens gathered Thursday to gawk at the silver Nano sitting on a red platform with pink satin skirting at the Tata dealership in Coimbatore, a mid-sized manufacturing hub in southern India. Two DJ's blasted Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin and Madonna songs, while college kids snapped photos of the snub-nosed car on their cell phones.

Despite the festivities, analysts say Nano sales won't do much in the short term to help debt-strapped Tata Motors, which is facing falling sales and is in talks with banks to refinance a $2 billion loan it took out to buy Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford last year.Vaishali Jajoo, auto analyst at Mumbai's Angel Broking, estimated that even if Tata Motors manages to sell 250,000 Nanos a year, it will only add 3 percent to the company's total revenues.

Production constraints mean Sampathkumar won't get his new Nano until July, at the earliest. Violent farmer protests forced Tata to relocate at the last minute a factory that was to exclusively build Nanos, and the replacement won't be operational before year's end.

Customers who want to buy the Nano must pay 300 rupees for an application form, then pay the entire cost of the car or get financing from one of 18 banks Tata Motors made special arrangements with.Tata will accept orders until April 25 and then randomly select 100,000 people who will get the first shipment of vehicles. Everyone else will have to wait. Tata will pay interest on booking deposits: 8.5 percent for people who have to wait one to two years to get their Nano, and 8.75 percent for those who hold out longer.Tata spokesman Debasis Ray said the company would not release data on the number of orders until after the process closed, but added that "the signs are encouraging."

He said 300,000 people had visited Tata's 400 showrooms across the country since the car went on display April 1.In the last two weeks, the Nano Web site has gotten 20 million hits, he said.

K. Thamilarasu, the divisional sales manager for Tata Motors in Coimbatore, said 21 people paid for the car in full at his dealership Thursday. Another 19 made downpayments for financing arrangements."I have been in this field three decades," Thamilarasu said. "This is the first time we are noticing a revolution."Rajeswari Nandagopal, a teacher, paid 300 rupees for a booking form because she wants to buy a Nano for her son, 17, who currently rides a motorbike."These days going on two-wheelers is a great risk," she said.

J. Rathimasawamy, 70, a retired schoolmaster, said he sold his Maruti WagonR two months ago because he wants to buy a Nano. "It's the cheapest," he said.Rathimasawamy, a wiry man with white hair and a dusty pair of flip-flops, took a bus from his home 25 miles away to buy a booking form.Vijayakumar Jayabal, 50, a policeman who earns 12,000 rupees ($246) a month, said he wants to buy a Nano because he can't squeeze his family of four onto his motorbike.

"We only fit three people maximum," he said.

Tata Nano Booking Center List - Coimbatore City

List of Tata Nano Booking Offices at Coimbatore. Booking will be closed on 25 Apr 2009, The First One Lakh Lucky Customers will be selected via lucky draw for First .

Offical Tata Nano website link.
The Nano Specifications are available in this link.
Comparison with Other available cars like Maruti 800, Alto & Santo link

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• TATA INDICOM STORE SHOP NO.173C, VIJAY COMPLEX N S R ROAD, SAIBABA COLONY


• TAFE ACCESS 27- C, RACE COURSE ROAD, OPP. MASONIC HOSPITAL,

TATA Nano arrived at coimbatore !

After arriving in the city four days ago, going on a short drive two days back, driving down to a temple, mosque and church, the Nano attracted a number of curious onlookers as it went on the podium at the TAFE showroom on Race Course Road here on Wednesday morning.

And, by 3 p.m. it had attracted over 500 footfalls.“We expect 50,000 to one lakh people coming in to see the car in the next 10 days,” says C.S. Seshadri, General Manager of TAFE Access Limited here.

A cross-section of visitors is expected to have a look at the car, from college students and first car aspirants to aged couples.Those who came on Wednesday morning had several queries such as – can the car be driven to Ooty or Munnar?, when will it be delivered?, etc.

With the lights and music on, display boards explaining the finance details, executives ready to answer customer queries, TAFE allows visitors to have a close look at the car, though the vehicle will not be available for a test drive.

The model displayed is Nano LX, which has two power windows and air conditioner.TAFE showrooms are located in Tirupur, Udhagamandalam, Mettupalayam, Udumalpet and Erode and applications will be available from April 9 in these outlets too.

Nano Test Drive At Trichy Road

Nano, the people’s car from Tata Motors, seen on Tiruchi Road in Coimbatore on Wednesday. The car is set to be launched on March 23. For those driving on Tiruchi Road in Coimbatore this morning, it was a huge surprise to spot Tata’s newest offering, the Nano. Many motorists, whether in plush cars or two-wheelers, stopped to have a glimpse of the “people’s car”. It was surprising to find the vehicle on a road in Coimbatore because the official launch of the car is nearly two weeks away – on March 23 – and hurried enquiries with the Tata Motors dealer here as to whether the car has arrived and whether it would be available for a test drive drew a disappointing response that the vehicle is yet to reach the showroom.

After several discreet enquiries and false leads, it was found that the Coimbatore-based Jayem Automotives Ltd (JAL) was doing driving tests for Tata Motors and Nano was indeed in Coimbatore, courtesy JAL. When reporters caught up with Mr J. Anand, Managing Director of JAL, an ace car rally driver himself, he said his company was associated with the Tata group because of which he was able to test-drive the Nano. Declining to go into the specific details of the driving tests done by his company, he said: “It is extremely easy to drive and it is very, very exciting to drive (the Nano).”

Mr Anand said though it is a small car, “you will be amazed how much space it has inside”. He said four 6-feet-tall adults (he himself is 6’ 1”), could comfortably sit in the car. Referring to his own familiarity with high-performance cars as a rallyist, he said Nano is a “very exciting and enjoyable car”. As of now no car exists in the price range at which Nano will be available, said the Managing Director of JAL. What would amaze people is the “value for money” the car offers. Nano accelerates well and it is not sluggish and absolutely no rattling noise was heard while on the road. The car is easy to drive and is manoeuvrable as it can turn in a small radius, he said. The big plus was its interior and it has “fantastic air conditioning”.

Mr Anand did not expect Nano to be a hit merely with first-time car buyers. Even those who own luxury cars would love to buy it. It would not be a poor man’s car but would be a proud ownership statement and it was a well engineered vehicle, he said. On the nature of tests Nano was subjected to by JAL, he said his company does validation tests. It also does development work with Tata Motors. He said when his employees go for testing Nano, they had been chased and stopped by two- and four-wheel drivers to make enquiries about the car and where they could book the vehicle.

The former rally driver said he had never come across a new car launch that generated so much excitement as the Nano. Asked for the impact of Nano on the auto and auto component industry (Coimbatore is home to many big and small auto component makers), he said apart from the revival of the market, Nano would show that India could develop such a low-cost car that none imagined would be possible.

On the question of refinement and sophistication of the vehicle, Mr Anand said the perception about Tata’s cars has dramatically changed with the new Indica Vista and Nano. For its price, Nano was fantastic in terms of refinement and it is comparable with any car of its class and will enhance Tata Motors’ image for producing refined vehicles at such a low cost, said the Managing Director. The Nano would be launched at a function in Mumbai on March 23. The cars will be on display at Tata Motors dealerships from the first week of April and bookings will commence from the second week. The booking process and other details will be announced on March 23.

New Innova Launched At Coimbatore

The Innova, from the stables of the Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Pvt. Ltd, was launched at Anaamalais Toyota recently. “We have added seven new features, and to give our customers the value for money we have not increased its price by a penny,” said R. Venkat Krishnan, TKM’s Deputy General Manager (Sales Operation Division).

The new and enhanced interior features include an automatic climate control (auto air-conditioning), Optitron Metre with illumination control, Multi Information Display (distance travelled and average / real time fuel consumption indicator) and elegant new interior cabin colour.

Coimbatore Auto Ancillary Sector Seeks Bailout Package

The auto ancillary sector in Coimbatore is in deep trouble. It is forced to cut back production to avoid inventory pile up. The situation looks bleak for the coming financial year. After Chennai, the texcity is the next big auto component hub in the State. It meets nearly 30% of auto parts requirements in the country. However, now the original equipment manufacturers ( OEMs) are the worst hit by the decline in automobile sales. Decline in vehicle sales has left the component units with stocks upto 30 days against the normal seven days.

Since the export orders have also dropped by 25% the companies have piled up more than three months of stocks meant for exports. Leading players like Pricol, Roots Industries and LG Balakrishnan & Bros have trimmed production. But, so far they have managed without any massive layoffs. LGB which has eight units in the city have closed one of its forging units. However, in other units, the employees are paid according to the number of days worked. While Pricol has decided to close down plants by combining with holidays, other companies have gradually slowed down output since October 2008. "We have consciously been lowering our production in the last four months by taking precautionary measures, like working for only four days and cancelling the third shift," said an official from Roots Industries.

The company's specialised product, horns holds 60% market share in India. Though horns come under the after-market accessory segment, still the fall in vehicle sales have contributed to drop in turnover in the first three quarters of FY08 compared to same period last year, he added. "We see a 25% to 30% decline in accessories sales this year," said a marketing official of Roots . He added the products catering to workshop segment is doing relatively better. Elgi Equipments, GM, Mathew Kurian also added, the business in the auto service segment is doing good despite the company not seeing the expected growth this year. The major supplier of chains and sprocket in India, the LGB has seen a drop of 25% to 30% in orders. The company known to hold a market share of 70% in chains and sprocket category in the country is now banking on replacement market segment to break even.

The worst hit are the manufacturers, who cater to the OEM segment. "The sales volume has come down by 50% to 60% in OEM category," said an official of Roots. Sources said, the companies are planning to deplete its piled up inventory in the first three months of 2009 and then wait for signals from the vehicle market. Industry sources are looking for a bail out from the Government. "Unless the government announces some duty cuts for automobiles and lowers the interest rates, the industry would see a downslide next fiscal as well" they added.

Coimbatore Automobile Companies Hit Worstly

The downward spiral being witnessed by automobile manufacturers is leaving a deep scar on component manufacturers who are either resorting to block closure of plants or putting off capacity expansion plans. Automotive Axles Ltd (AAL), a joint venture of the Kalyani group and Arvin Meritor Inc., USA (formerly the automotive division of Rockwell International Corporation), has informed the stock exchanges that ‘all capacity expansion proposals have been withdrawn’. (It is not clear what particular project the company meant by this announcement.)

In a notification last year Automotive Axles Ltd informed BSE that the board of directors at its meeting held on April 15, 2008, had approved expansion of axles capacity from 168,000 axles to 240,000 axles a year at an investment of Rs 112 crore. The company had been informing the stock exchanges about the status of the auto industry at various times. It had said the commercial vehicle market was witnessing a steep fall in demand, which had driven the company’s OE customers to resort to shut down/lay offs. This compelled AAL to moderate production. The company decided to shut down operations for at least a week during November and December 2008.

It decided to shut down production from January 10-18 and again from January 22 to 31, 2009. The company’s sales for the first quarter ending December 31, 2008 fell to Rs 49.45 crore from Rs 174.46 crore for the same period last year, while net profit dropped to Rs 6.85 lakh from Rs 14.61 crore previously. In its filings with the BSE, the company stated that the ‘current quarter’s sales have been affected due to severe downturn in the CV market’. Kesoram Industries Ltd, which among others manufactures automobile tyres under the brand name Birla Tyres, has not only announced temporary closure of operations at its Balasore unit during January but also has indicated that there would be steep production cuts during the next two months.

In a communication to the BSE, the company has said that looking into the demand from export market and vehicle manufacturers such as Tata Motors Ltd, Ashok Leyland Ltd and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, it is ‘inevitable to close down temporarily’ the production facilities at Birla Tyres at Balasore in Orissa from January 19 till January 31 and thereafter the production will be only for 13 days in every month till March 31, 2009. KIL said the matter would be ‘further examined and hope that the situation improves after March 2009’. Pricol Ltd, based in Coimbatore, announced the block closure of two units located at Coimbatore and Uttarakhand from January 22 to 31.

In a communication to the NSE today, the company stated that the decision was taken with a view to align its production plan ‘to avoid piling up of inventory’. Pricol has been resorting to closure of its manufacturing facilities for varying periods since December last year in an attempt to rejig its production to meet the demands of the automobile manufacturing sector. Since the company’s different units cater to different segments of the industry – from two wheelers to commercial vehicles – the timing and duration of closure are tailored to the demands of different customers.

Pricol Shutdown Its Plant To Avoid Inventory

Pricol, a leading auto ancillary company, has decided to further trim production due to adverse market conditions. The company informed stock exchanges on Wednesday, to avoid inventory pile up, it will close down close Coimbatore plant IV and Uttarakhand plant VI from January 22 to 31. A company official said it is also planned to block holidays at plant I, III and IV in Coimbatore for three days from January 29 to 31.

"We have inventory for almost 20 days against the normal five days and hence slowing down production," said another official. He said there was nearly a 30% drop in orders in the last few months. "The compan y used to Rs 52 crore to Rs 55 crore business every month, but due to recession, we are doing only Rs 40 crore business per month now," he added. Following the move to block holidays, around 220 workers employed at plant IV (Karamadai, Coimbatore) and plant VI (Uttarakhand) would have no for ten days.

Also, the three day closure planned in all the three units in Coimbatore would keep 1800 workers away from work during the period. Asked about the understanding with workers, he said "Initially during December, we paid them full salary but we will not be able to do that every time. So the block holidays would be adjusted against the workers’ leave entitlement." The workers draw 25% of their salary as incentive and these holidays would mean reduction in their variable pay, he added. Earlier, in December Pricol had resorted to full and partial block holidays at various plants in the country. Recently, the company closed Coimbatore plant I, III, IV from January 15 to 17 coinciding with the harvest festival in the state.

Vintage Car Show Held

Hundreds of enthusiasts of automobiles gathered at the Vintage Car show held here on Saturday. The unique event will last till January 17. This has been hosted by the G.D. Naidu Charities Trust and on display are more than 25 vintage cars. A couple of these cars date back to 1909.

The car models exhibited include Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz 170,Oldomobile, Morris Minor, Mini Minor, Ford, Plymouth, Studybaker, Buick,Caddilac, Austin, Hispano-Suiza that was owned by the Maharaja of Mysore, Gogo Mobile and Citroen - 2cv. “Since my childhood, I have loved cars particularly old cars. I am amazed to see these vintage cars. I saw these cars only on televisions and in magazines. But seeing such cars like Rolls Royce, Benz and other collections of model cars is really interesting and a beautiful memorable experience,” admitted Kartik, a lover of vintage automobiles.

Enthusiasts of vintage beauties from many parts of Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states of Kerala and Karnataka have planned to visit this rare exhibition. “They have exhibited many old cars which we cannot see anywhere. There are cars, which were used by the Maharaja of Mysore. There are other collections of cars too which are not seen on the roads anymore,” said Rajkumar, another fan of vintage cars. According to the trustees of G D Naidu Charities, the main focus of the show is to create awareness among the younger generation about the history of automobiles.

Pricol Annouses Close Down Dates To Avoid Inventory

Pricol Ltd has announced that in order to adjust the Company's production plan to avoid piling up of inventory, the Company's plants will be fully / partially closed on specific dates.The Plant I & IV Plant II at Coimbatore & Gurgaon will be closed from December 27, 2008 to January 01, 2009.

The Plant III at Coimbatore wil be closed from December 31, 2008 to January 01, 2009.The Plant V at Pune will be closed from December 26, 2008 to December 31, 2008.The Plant VI at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand will be closed from December 25, 2008 to January 01, 2009.The Plant VII at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand will be closed from December 29, 2008 to January 01, 2009.The stock closed the day at Rs.7.80, down by Rs.0.08 or 1.02%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.8 and low Rs.7.76.The total trading quantity was 4461 compared to 2 week average of 8948.

BMW Plans To Strengthen Its Dealer Network In Coimbatore

Luxury car maker BMW India Private Ltd has achieved 100 per cent growth in its car sales this year, a top official of the company said on Wednesday. BMW India have already sold 2,703 cars till November and aims to sell 2,800 by the end of this year against 1,387 last year, company's President Peter Kronschnabi told reporters here. He, however, said the growth is likely to dip next year due to recession, he said.

The car maker plans to strengthen its dealer network by stepping into tier II markets of Ludhiana, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur and Coimbatore by 2009 end, he said after inaugurating BMW's first showroom in Kerala at Kochi. Presently, 12 dealers represent BMW in the Indian market. Asked if recession will impact sales in India, he said in the BMW's global car market, Indian market is less affected. In the last calendar year, 4,300 cars were sold in the luxury segment and this year 7,000 cars have been sold and BMW's market share was 39 per cent, he said.

There were no plans on slashing prices, he said. The BMW's Chennai plant has a production capacity of 3,000 units per year on a single shift basis, he said. Asked if production capacity was likely to be increased, he said 'we have a possibility of further enlarging production if market requires'. There are no plans to export from India, he said adding the company first has to fully establish itself in the country.

Coimbatoreian Appointed As Council Member In FMSCI

In a landmark decision, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) has appointed a chief executive officer in Rajay Syal who will be reporting to chairman Vijay Mallya and the newly-elected president K.D. Madan.The FMSCI’s Annual General body Meeting (AGM) was held here Monday and the elections were conducted Tuesday.

The CEO’s appointment follows Mallya’s professed wish to modernise the functioning of the FMSCI as part of a long-term plans of promoting and developing motorsport in India in a systematic manner. At an informal interaction with the Media here Monday night, Mallya said: “I want the FMSCI to function like the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, the world governing body for motor sport) and have a CEO to run the federation and possibly have a Board of Directors professionally.”

Speaking to IANS today, the 55-year old Chennai-based Syal, who will now relinquish his post as the honorary secretary of the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC), said: “Indeed, I am very happy. It is part of our efforts to run Indian motor sport in a professional manner.” The terms and conditions of Syal’s appointment are still to be finalised, but it is likely that he will take charge on Jan 1, 2009. Syal , himself a former racer and rally driver, has been the chairman of JK Tyre National Racing Championship for the past five years, a position that he would be giving up in view of his appointment as the CEO of the FMSCI.

K.D. Madan, representing the Madras Motor Sports Club, returns to the helm after an eight-year interlude while Mallya will continue as the chairman. Madan’s election was said to be unanimous as he replaces Kolkata police officer Rajat Majumder who headed the FMSCI for the past four years. Mallya will be the India delegate at the FIA and Madan will represent the FMSCI at the FIM (two-wheelers). The FMSCI recently regained the sporting power from its rival body, the Motorsport Association of India (MAI) that had overseen the sport in India since 2000.

The FMSCI office-bearers are:Chairman : Vijay Mallya. President : K D Madan . Vice-president: J Prithviraj.Council Members: Madras Motor Sports Club (Madan), Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (Prithviraj), Karnataka Motor Sports Club (Praneeth Perumal), Bengal Motor Sports Club (Rajat Majumder), Sportscraft (Shrikant Karani), Himalayan Motor Sports Association (Vijay Parmar), Sports Trek (Shyam Kothari) and Nashik Automotive Sports Association (Ravi Shamdasani).

The Chairmen of sub-committees: J Prithviraj (Two-Wheeler Race commission); Praneeth Perumal (Rally commission); R Gopinath (National Racing, 4-wheelers); Vicky Chandhok (International racing, 4-wheeler); Shrikant Karani (2-wheeler commission); Shyam Kothari (Motorcross/supercross); Balamurugan (Disciplinary) and Rajat Majumder (Safety and Environment).