T Murrali The Nissan vision – Dream, Access and Trust, has been kept in mind while engineering the Datsun GO. The company has built an automobile by not merely changing the external looks but by bringing in some unique technologies, which were earlier confined to only their premium cars. The final product would impress and attract customers in totality –[Read More…]
Automotive systems major Continental has been aggressive in Asia with special focus on China and India. The company’s Indian arm is gearing up to support the OEMs emerging requirements by developing and adapting technologies to local needs. Claude dGama Rose, Managing Director of Continental Automotive Components India, spoke to T Murrali recently on the company’s plans. Edited excerpts: Q:[Read More…]
T Murrali With rising competition coupled with ever increasing operating cost the challenge for any component manufacturer to stay afloat is to contain the cost of manufacturing. This is gaining significance since these issues directly hit the bottom line and may even pave the way for organisations to exit the business. However, options to contain variable costs are falling due[Read More…]
T Murrali With the expectations of vehicle end-users ever increasing, OEMs are under constant pressure to retain market share, let alone increase it. They eventually exert pressure on the component manufacturers whose challenges are snowballing in terms of cost, quality and delivery. While these expectations are managed by large companies, they may appear humongous for SMEs. In the[Read More…]
J.D. Power designated 2014 Accent as its most appealing small car in its 2014 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study released on 24 July. Hyundai is also the highest-ranked non-premium brand in the J.D. Power 2014 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), marking the first time a nameplate has ranked highest among non-premium brands in both APEAL and IQS in the same year. In[Read More…]
SAE International published the J2601 standard, “Fueling Protocols for Light Duty Gaseous Hydrogen Surface Vehicles”, the light duty hydrogen fueling protocol which will serve as the baseline for fueling the first generation hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEVs) with hydrogen. This standard will be used worldwide for hydrogen fueling stations. “SAE J2601 enables a safe and quick hydrogen fueling experience[Read More…]
Nissan,on 25 July, announced the appointment of Antonio Zara, currently Managing Director, International Sales of General Motors Korea, as President and Managing Director of Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI), effective August 1, 2014. (Zara’s official inauguration will be after the Board of Directors Meeting in August.) Zara, a Filipino national, brings extensive automotive experience in sales, service, and marketing to[Read More…]
Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc., the parent company of Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. (“Cooper Standard”), demonstrated its commitment to global expansion in the Asia Pacific region during the grand opening event for its new Asia Pacific Technical Centre in Shanghai, China. The Company’s Asia Pacific headquarters will also relocate from Kunshan, China to the new Shanghai facility. The new Asia Pacific Technical Centre and headquarters covers 762 square meters with 55 employees who support the entire[Read More…]
Dr Seshu Bhagavathula has been appointed as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Apollo Tyres Ltd. Dr Seshu will spearhead the global initiatives for the company on tyre technology, research and new product development, for both passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle tyres. He will be assisted by the research, technology and design teams across all geographies. Said Neeraj Kanwar, Vice Chairman[Read More…]
BASF Shanghai Coatings Co., Ltd. today inaugurated its new automotive coatings plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai, China. The expansion of its automotive coatings production capacity with an investment of around €50 million further strengthens BASF’s presence in China and its position as a leading coatings supplier to the automotive industry. “BASF is the leading chemical partner[Read More…]
