Automark

Fresh on the success of its compact SUV Venue, Hyundai Motor India plans to bring three refreshed products in the Auto Expo besides a new concept for the Indian market, as it targets 20% market share in 2020.

South Korean carmaker Hyundai will be launching three models at upcoming Auto Expo 2020 to be held from 6th to 12th February, including Tuscon facelift, new-generation Creta and Verna facelift along with showcasing some other concepts.

Revealing its line-up, the automaker said it will bring the second-generation of its Creta bestseller with a new 1.4-litre turbo-petrol unit (currently available in Kia Seltos), along with a set of 1.5-liter petrol and diesel engines.

New additions also include automatic parking brake, LED DRLs, connected car tech, a big vertical touchscreen system in the cabin and a panoramic sunroof.

Another Hyundai SUV that will be showcased at Auto Expo 2020 is the facelifted Tucson. The upgraded version will come with the BS-VI compliant set of 2.0-liter petrol and diesel engine.

It will also sport features such as LED headlamps and in the interiors, the Tucson facelift is expected to be embedded with additional features such as a new 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Hyundai’s Blue Link connectivity features, a 360-degree camera and adaptive cruise control. Both the models are expected to go on sale soon after the expo.

The Verna will also get a facelift and come with the newly developed BS-VI compliant 1.5-liter petrol and diesel powermill engine that powers the Kia Seltos too. The Verna sedan will have significant design changes with wider cascading grille, newly re-worked headlamps and front bumper. The improvised rear with a new boot and tail-lamp design is also expected.

Inside the cabin, the 2020 Hyundai Verna gets a larger 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support with BlueLink connected car solution.

Other notable launches among the 70 expected launches at the week-long extravaganza are Mahindra sub-9 lakh EV, Tata Altroz EV, Volkswagen T-Cross compact SUV, T-ROC and the Tiguan 7-seater.

Courtesy: Auto.com (Economic Times)

More than a dozen automakers are giving Auto Expo 2020 a miss this time due to slowdown in automobile industry. Honda, Yamaha, TVS, Hero MotoCorp will not be at the Indian motor show this year. However, the Auto Expo 2020 will still have around 60 new launches and new technology offerings.

Here are motorcycles to look forward at the Auto Expo 2020:

Suzuki: Japanese automaker Suzuki is expected to unveil a more powerful version of the Intruder with 250cc single cylinder motor. Currently, the Intruder comes with an 155cc engine. The current Intruder shares same 155cc motor with Gixxer. The Intruder 250 would also share a 249cc fuel-injected single-pot engine, which develops 26 hp and 22.6 Nm of torque, with Gixxer 250. The upcoming Intruder 250 is likely to be priced around Rs 1.8 lakh (ex-showroom).

In the entry-level adventure bike segment, Suzuki could enter the competition with the V-Strom 250, which also sports similar engine as the Gixxer 250. The V-Strom 250 is expected to cost about Rs 1.9 lakh (ex-showroom). The bike is likely to have 19-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy wheels paired with a long-travel suspension system.

Additionally, Suzuki could also unveil the V-Strom 1050, which produces 107 hp and 100 Nm of torque from a 1037cc BS-VI engine. The Suzuki V-Strom 1050 is expected to be priced around Rs 14 lakh (ex-showroom).

Suzuki may also unveil a Burgman Street scooter with more powerful engine at the 2020 Auto Expo. The Burgman Street scooter is famous for its plush ride, ample space, and distinct design features. The Suzuki scooter will compete with Vespa SXL 150 and Aprilia SR 150.

Japanese auto maker plans to introduce a new street motorcycle SV650 in its middle-weight lineup in the country. The Suzuki SV650 has a 645cc V-twin engine and is likely to cost around Rs 6 lakh (ex-showroom).

Aprilia: The Italian motorcycle maker Aprilia will unveil its BS-6 lineup at the Indian motor show. The company is expected to launch BS-6 variant of SR125 and SR160, with increased prices.

Aprilia is also rumored to unveil two 150cc motorcycles, RS150 and Tuono150.

Okinawa: Japanese company Okinawa is expected to unveil Oki100, an electric motorcycle with a swappable battery pack and the riding range of around 150 km. According to the company’s claims, the Oki100 has a a top speed of 100 km per hour.

The automakers opting out of Indian motor show this year are; Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India, TVS, Honda Cars India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor ltd, Audi, BMW, Ford, Nissan and Ashok Leyland. Other two-wheeler manufacturers like Honda, Yamaha, TVS, Hero MotoCorp will also remain absent from the motor show. Other absentees are Royal Enfield, Harley Davidson, Triumph motorcycles, Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Bharat Benz and Volvo Cars India, but these companies have given the showpiece event a miss in the past as well.

Courtesy: Business Today

The Toyota GR Yaris has finally been unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon, and it’s better than we expected. It actually makes more power than previously reported, with 268 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. It comes from a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-three cylinder engine, making it the world’s most powerful three-banger. Toyota says it will get to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.

But the engine is only the start of a monster hatchback. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission that’s matched to an all-wheel-drive system that uses a multi-plate clutch center differential to divvy up power, with three different settings (Normal, Sport and Track). As previously reported, the default split is 60/40 front/rear, with Sport switching to 30/70 and Track going with 50/50. Both ends of the car can be fitted with mechanical Torsen-type limited-slip differentials.

The chassis has seen a number of upgrades, too. The front suspension continues to use MacPherson struts, but the rear has been changed to a double-wishbone independent design. The front brakes now have 14-inch slotted rotors and four-piston calipers, and the rear brakes have 12-inch rotors clamped by two-piston calipers. Weight is kept to 2,822 pounds through the use of aluminum doors, hatchback, hood and a carbon fiber roof.

One other cool note about the GR Yaris is that, while its production will play a role in the homologation process for a rally car, it’s also a result of Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda’s desire for such a car. According to Toyota, he had a chance to drive a WRC car with Tommi Makinen Racing and enjoyed it so much he wanted Toyota to build a production car with similar characteristics, and he kicked off the project in 2016. Apparently Toyoda-san will also be the one to approve the final tuning of the car.

Tragically, it’s practically certain we won’t get the GR Yaris here in Pakistan. It would likely be too expensive to attract an audience here, since it’s being built on a special assembly line and has so many changes to the base Yaris. On top of that, the Yaris it’s based on won’t be offered here, so Toyota would have to certify the GR’s safety and emissions equipment from the ground up.

Source: Autoblog.com

According to media reports, Punjab government increased the fare of Lahore Metro Bus Service by Rs. 10. The decision was reportedly taken after approval of the provincial cabinet, led by the Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

As per sources, Punjab Finance and Transport Departments had recommended an increase of Rs. 20 per head.

However, the Punjab government has rejected all such reports stating that Punjab Metro Bus fares are still the same as before and there has been no increase in the fares so far.

CM Buzdar was told that the transport service requires an annual subsidy of Rs. 12.30 billion on current rates and if the fare is fixed at Rs. 50/head, it will reduce to Rs. 10.5 billion.

The CM was also informed that the motorcycle rickshaws and wagons on the same route charge Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 per passenger.

However, the chief minister decided not to pass on the burden to the masses.

Source: ProPakistani

Former chairman of Pakistan Association of Auto Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) Mumshad Ali Tuesday gave an SOS call to the government to save the dying tractor industry.

He told the media here that the government should take notice of crisis-like situation prevailing in the tractor industry and take steps to save it from complete collapse. He said that tractor sales are expected to witness low sales in a decade as economic downturn and poor agri income had hit the industry hard forcing the tractor plants in the country to close down operations in Dec 2019 and a similar situation had also been witnessed in year 2018 as well.

Mumshad Ali said that industry was currently operating at below 50 per cent of its production capacity which means 50 per cent less employment and 50 per cent less tax revenues.

He claimed that 200 plus SMEs (small and medium enterprises) engineering units manufacturing parts for the two main tractor assemblers of the country i.e. Millat Tractors Limited and Al-Ghazi Tractors Limited, were affected severely. This sector forms the backbone of the country’s engineering industry, and was located around Lahore region and its neighboring towns and cities, he added.

Mumshad Ali said that these 200 vending units producing 1000s of parts for the tractor assemblers were family owned SMEs employing thousands of skilled workers operators and engineers. Over 90 per cent of the parts that fixed into a tractor were locally produced and these tractors had found markets around the world.

Currently all the specialised tractor parts manufacturing units were closed down and many skilled workers were sent home with more redundancies to follow. As the tractor plants shut down, these parts manufacturers had not been paid for over two months now and were facing severe liquidity crunch, wile many of them were struggling to meet their bank and suppliers’ liabilities.

The former PAAPAM chairman mentioned that tractors’ demand started to drop in August following poor crop yields of cotton and rice, which were super imposed on the overall country’s economic environment and the slow down of the CPEC projects. He said that this industry had been marred by such down turns over the last two decades as government support played a key role in its growth. Tractor loans and subsidies increased tractor sales while taxes, poor crop yields and low commodity prices affected it negatively.

He suggested the government as short-term measures to release Sales Tax (ST) refunds and funds to ZTBL (Zarai Taraqiyati Bank Limited) to finance tractors at single digit mark up rates. While, in the long-term, construction and development activity needed to restart so that tractor demands in non-agri sector rises. Pakistan’s trade missions should also get active in marketing this product in the world agri markets.

He feared that if immediate corrective steps were not taken many of the part manufacturing units might not be able to restart their operations because of bank defaults and losses due to repeated and prolonged industry closures.

Courtesy: UrduPoint

Millat Tractors Limited (MTL) has announced that they will be halting their production for another seventeen days. This has brought the shutdown time to be 29 days in total also including the previous shutdown. The company had stopped its production operations from Dec 11^th, 2019  to Jan 3^rd, 2020.

The notification says that the operation will restart from the 20^th of January 2020. However, the notice to Pakistan Stock Exchange does not mention the reason for extension in the shutdown time. 

MTL suffered a 48 percent fall in sales to 8,223 units during the July-November period in 2019. The persistent decline in demand for farm machinery and lack of orders from growers are the main reasons behind the shutdown, he said, adding that December 2019 sales were around 1,000 units.

The reason behind the falling sales by the MTL official is said to be the low crop growth. The farmers are unable to afford the loans which have a 17-18pc interest rate. Hence the growth has been low.

The other sector namely the construction sector, uses the tractors have also been facing a slowdown because of which the tractor sales have been hit there as well.

Also, rising dollar prices have caused an increase in price further bringing down affordability.

The year 2019 has been challenging for the automobile industry and hopefully, the next one will be better owing to the new ventures that will be entering the market.