Bharat Rakshak

Sanjay M wrote:nice tatas

amit wrote: Neela I don't really agree to your point about asking for something in return. If the Brits wanted management control why didn't they nationalise when Ford wanted to dispose JLR?

I think in true Brit style they let Tatas pick up the huge tab for JLR ($3b) and now, thinking the Tatas are in difficulty they want to get JLR back for cheap.

I really hope the BS report is correct. It's about time the Indian govt via the banks uses Indian's increased financial muscle to help companies like Tatas in their foreign acquisitions.

The thing to remember is the JLR acquisition has been a really huge infusion of technological knowhow into Tata Motors. For example Jaguar's suspension tech is supposed to be industry leading. And Land Rover still makes the best SUVs in the world.

Looking at forum posts on the UK newspaper articles, the UK seems to be full of left-wing nuts who are only to happy to see JLR bite the dust.

NEW DELHI: As it gears up to launch its ultra-premium compact 'Jazz', Honda has started work to bring in another small car at lower price.

Senior officials at Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) told TOI that a new R&D team will be in place from June whose main task would be to further indigenise and localise production of key components to keep the price of the new car at around Rs 4.5 lakh, much lower than the Jazz's expected Rs 7 lakh tag. The new small car is expected to be launched within three years.

"The R&D team will be headed by a senior Honda official from Japan. The expected size of the team is around 25 members and it will also have people from Honda's India operations from departments like manufacturing and purchase," officials said.

The new car will push Honda at the centre of the highly competitive big volume compact car segment. While Maruti dominates the premium compact segment with its Swift petrol and diesel models, other key players are Hyundai's Getz and i20, Skoda Fabia and GM's U-VA.

The new car would be the first model from Honda that will be developed with India as a lead market. While Japan was the lead market for the Jazz, US was the lead market for the Accord and Civic and Thailand for City.

Sources said unlike expectations of modest volumes from the Jazz due to its high price, Honda expects the new model to garner big volumes, riding on competitive pricing. Sources indicated that the car could be made in the company's yet-to-be-completed plant at Tapukara in Rajasthan where work was stopped last year in view of the slowdown.

"Honda is looking at big volumes from the new car. The new Rajasthan plant will have an initial capacity of 60,000 cars annually that can go up to 2.5 lakh units, making it a natural choice for a big volume product," the sources said.

Bajaj Auto has applied for patent in several countries for this unique technology and is taking necessary steps to counter the menace of Chinese manufacturers unscrupulously marketing cheap copies of the technology in Nigeria (as "NeXus" brand motorcycle) and in Kenya and Uganda (as "Nebula" brand motorcycle), the statement added.

May 17, 2009
Handlebars
A British Classic, but It’s New (and It’s Not British, Either)
By JAMES PARCHMAN

CHENNAI, India

AMID all the recent buzz over vehicles coming out of India, here is one model you may have missed: the Royal Enfield Bullet Classic C5.

In some circles, this introduction is bigger news than the debut of the Tata Nano; if the past is any guide, the next all-new Royal Enfield Bullet won’t arrive for another half-century. While a list of motorcycle brands predating Royal Enfield is short — Harley-Davidson, Triumph and a handful of others qualify — the tally of bike models that have lasted 54 years is pretty much limited to the Royal Enfield Bullet.

The Bullet Classic C5 (not to be confused with the Bullet Classic, a much older design, or the Bullet Classic G5, a model that uses the newest engine in an older chassis) went on sale in Europe late last year. The first production bikes destined for the United States began rolling off the assembly line here at the Thiruvottiyur factory, where Bullets have been made for more than 50 years, in mid-February and are expected in showrooms next month.

To say that the C5 is a striking motorcycle or one that looks to have been lifted directly from a motorcycle museum is no overstatement. On a visit to the factory in this coastal city of more than four million people (and known as Madras until 1996), it easily stood out from the olive-green military Bullets and chrome-laden domestic-market Electras and Thunderbirds awaiting final inspection and shipment.

The heart of the C5 is its air-cooled 499 cc power plant, an all-new design that continues the single-cylinder layout of its predecessors. It retains the trademark cadence of a thumper — the common nickname given to large-displacement 1-cylinder bikes — but now the engine and transmission, formerly separate components, have been integrated to create the Unit Construction Engine. The UCE, as Royal Enfield calls it, is fuel-injected and designed to be efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly. It will be used on all Royal Enfield export models.

The C5 will cost $6,395, not including a destination charge of about $300, depending on the dealer’s location. It will be offered in black, deep maroon and a retro teal green that is midway between mint and turquoise. The primary color is used on the frame, fenders and side-cover lids; the fuel tank features white panels with a prominent Royal Enfield logo. Knee pads and hand-painted pinstripes complement the 3.8-gallon tank.

Taking into consideration the dense traffic and left-lane driving protocol around Chennai, my testing of the Bullet C5 was confined to Royal Enfield’s track. Fully fueled, the C5 felt solid at 412 pounds, and 18-inch Avon Speedmaster tires provided good grip. Steering was responsive, but not twitchy.

The bicycle-style sprung solo seat is comfortably large, and a passenger pillion will be available as a dealer option. The instrument panel is spartan; I found myself wishing for a tachometer.

If the randomly picked test machine was any indication, Royal Enfield got it right with the electronic fuel injection from Keihin, a Japanese maker that supplies many bike companies. The C5 started quickly and the idle was smooth and quiet; transitions between power on and off — a maximum of 27 horsepower, according to the company — were seamless.

The C5 is electric-start only, though other models with the UCE will retain the kick pedal for now. A cable-actuated clutch provides good feel, allowing the 5-speed transmission to shift flawlessly. The front brake is a single 11-inch disc; combined with a rear drum, ample stopping power is on hand for the C5’s achievable speeds.

The claimed top speed of 82 miles an hour will not keep the C5 in the lead dog position for long, even in a pack of 250 cc Kawasaki Ninjas. However, a design requirement was for all-day cruising at 70 m.p.h. That’s higher than the speed limit in much of the United States, and should not overly tax machine or rider.

An unseen cost of many motorcycles is the need for regular maintenance that requires a trip to the dealer. The Bullet Classic C5 shines in this respect. Being air-cooled, there is no need to look after antifreeze and radiator hoses. Hydraulic lifters in the UCE motor eliminate periodic valve-lash adjustments; the filters for air and oil can be replaced in minutes. Royal Enfields equipped with the UCE are being backed with a two-year unlimited mileage warranty in the United States.

Kevin Mahoney, the importer of Royal Enfield for the United States, said that the fuel economy of the UCE engine, over 80 miles a gallon in early tests, will be a pleasant surprise.

California riders need not reach for their checkbooks, at least not yet — Royal Enfields are currently 49-state machines. The company expects California certification to be completed this year and bikes to be on sale there by spring of 2010.

Like Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield holds its heritage as an important part of the product’s story. Gordon G. May, author of “Royal Enfield: The Legend Rides On,” writes that 1891 was the year in which production of bicycles and rifle parts began in Redditch, England.

Royal Enfield was an established motorcycle manufacturer when the single-cylinder Bullet made its debut in 1932. Its chrome trim, full mud guards and peanut-shaped gas tank made it a sporty addition to a company whose products had become a bit stodgy.

The Indian military played a major role in assuring the Bullet’s longevity. In 1953, Prime Minister Nehru began encouraging development of a domestic automobile manufacturing industry. Subsequently, 800 British 350 cc Bullet’s were sold to the Army as kits, to be assembled in India.

Enfield India was formed in 1955 to make civilian and military Bullets under license. The following year, the current factory in suburban Chennai began production, using tooling shipped from Redditch. In the succeeding half-century, the fortunes of Enfield India generally waxed, while those of the parent company — and the entire British motorcycle industry — were on the wane.

In the 1950s, the roster of British motorcycle brands included AJS, Ariel, BSA, Matchless, Norton, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Velocette and Vincent; today only the Triumph name continues as a production brand (and Norton has had many attempts at resuscitation). Bullet production in England ended in 1962. Attempts were made to revive the marque but it folded in the 1970s.

Enfield India continued churning out Bullets, even exporting them to Europe in the 1980s. The company was also innovative in production of a diesel-powered motorcycle, the Taurus. The 6.5 horsepower machine achieved over 160 m.p.g. but production was halted in 2002, before the rise in fuel prices that might have secured its viability.

India has since become an automotive parts powerhouse. Local sourcing has helped Royal Enfield to remain competitive, and the domestic material content of the C5 exceeds 90 percent. With the Bullet Classic C5, the Royal Enfield designers have succeeded in building on the Bullet heritage and in their interpretation of retro-classic British style.

If you’re the owner of a few gray hairs, you can easily picture Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, dressed in tweed and astride matching green C5s, out for an afternoon ride in the English countryside. A little younger? Substitute Brad and Angelina for Cary and Kate, leather for tweed, black C5 for green and upstate New York for the Midlands; it still works.

Vipul wrote:Mahindra & Mahindra Indian car company readies Sarasota showroom.

Japan owns our car market, we have German Cars, English cars, Sweedish Cars, French Cars, if these India cars were made in the USA I would be all for their success, but to simply have their dealerships here and no production lines, we need India made cars like we need another
Rush Limbaugh.
If these were American Made, It would create jobs, and help restore the American car Industry, as for INDIA, no thanks, so some salespeople and mechanics will have jobs, otherwise it will be all India all the time.

Suppiah wrote:Wonder what labor problems they are talking about - is non-availability or have the commies taken control of the unions to sabotage the industry to benefit their masters in Beijing?

They also said that while there was no big resentment among permanent employees over salaries, the temporary workers were mostly underpaid and were often asked to do the work normally done by permanent employees.

As for working conditions, workload and the general treatment of employees, both permanent and non-permanent, there are a lot of grievances. Long hours of work, say 10 to 12 hours sometimes, job insecurity, harsh shop-floor practices and ruthless punishment for even petty slips have driven many of the workers to look for a protective shield.


The factory has a total workforce of about 6,000, of whom only 1,556 are permanent and earn anything between Rs.8,000 and Rs.22,000 a month. The rest, numbering about 4,500, are temporary and in the categories of casual workers, apprentices, trainees and contract labour. Their monthly wages range from Rs.3,000 to Rs.4,500. Labour contractors supply a substantial number of workers in these categories.

• Tata motors planning on launching 6 new trucks to take on Volvo and Scania
• Trucks will be produced in Jamshedpur and Gunsan (South Korea)
• New models developed by Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Co. in South Korea and a technical centre located in Europe

Yogi_G wrote: a lambretta scooter, ...err replace the lambretta scooter with a wagon r in my case

Suraj wrote:Tata has just released their World Truck range, built by the Daewoo Truck company they acquired. Very nice looking:
Tanker
Trailer
Trailer
Dumper
Covered trailer

The 10- to75-tonne trucks with 150-560 hp are fitted with air-conditioned cabins. The cabin is designed in Italy, the gearbox is sourced from Europe and the US while the chassis is from Mexico. The World Truck can hit 100 km/hour, which means, it can travel 700-800 km a day.

Tata Motors has invested nearly Rs 1,000 crore in product development and plant capacity for this range. The trucks will be made at the Jamshedpur facility and at Gunsan in South Korea. The Jamshedpur plant can produce 55,000 units initially, going up to 1.5 lakh units.

China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. said Tuesday afternoon that it reached an agreement to acquire the brand from GM for an undisclosed ammount. The Detroit automaker had announced Tuesday morning that it had a memorandum of understanding to sell the brand of rugged SUVs, but it didn't identify the buyer.

g.kacha wrote:Tata Motors launches six new vehicles; pilot runs in July

India's Tata Motors hopes to offer the Nano, which costs $2,300, to Americans within two years.

Kakkaji wrote:'World's cheapest car' coming to US

India's Tata Motors hopes to offer the Nano, which costs $2,300, to Americans within two years.

John Snow wrote:If GOLDB(L)UM can be a human name
and BILL LORRY (Australian Cricket team captain in 1960/70s actually spelled Lowry)

Why cant Truker Mann be a human may be germanic name from India?

John Snow wrote:If GOLDB(L)UM can be a human name
and BILL LORRY (Australian Cricket team captain in 1960/70s actually spelled Lowry)

Why cant Truker Mann be a human may be germanic name from India?