It has been almost 26 years since Tata Motors introduced is one of the most light commercial vehicles in India way back in 1986. The Tata 407 is well-known for a solid body and powerful engine to perform heavy tasks. It ruled the market for a long time here in India and it had everything which is ideal for a commercial vehicle buyers. Recently our good friend at Burnyourfuel has spotted the test-mule of the upcoming 407 facelift caught testing in the streets of Pune.

From the images, the changes evident on the front-fascia with a bigger grill and the headlamps and turn indicators are now integrated into a single unit. Also the usage of plastics has increased as the headlamp surroundings and even on the front bumper. To make the facelift noticeable, the company has also added a chrome strip above the Tata logo.

The folks at Burnyourfuel say the overall size remains almost the same but the inner cabin is made much more comfortable and spacious, the front windscreen is bigger in size and that helps the driver to get a better view of the road ahead. The exisiting 407 EX has a power and torque output of 71.3 PS and 200 Nm respectively and has a load carrying capacity of 2.25 tonnes.

The facelift could also get a tweaked power train to meet the latest emission norms and also a higher payload rating. The prices and the launch date have not been disclosed yet.

Also see - Tata motors celebrate 25th birthday of its mini truck 407

2012 Auto Expo – Tata Motors unveils Ultra range LCV & ICV trucks, commercial vehicles line-up

Source – BurnYourFuel.com

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Bajaj Auto will be launching the new RE60 four-wheeler sometime in 2013. The RE60 is an attempt from Bajaj Auto which aims at the replacement of the omnipresent autorickshaw. Now once again thanks to Anything-On-Wheels reader Guru for snapping the spy pictures of Bajaj RE60. This test-mule was spotted doing trial runs at a suburb in Pune.

The RE60 is actually a fall-out of a failed Indo-German-Japanese joint-venture in which Bajaj was assigned the task of developing a frugal small car to compete with the Tata Nano, while Renault and Nissan would help in marketing and selling the car. What started off with a pretty decent prototype at the 2008 Auto Expo changed track all of a sudden and ended up with this at the 2012 Auto Expo. Renault and Nissan obviously weren’t enthusiastic about this change of direction by Bajaj and decided to part ways. (Click here read more)

Refresher – Bajaj RE60 is powered by a 200cc, water cooled, single cylinder four stroke engine that produces a peak power between 16 to 20 Bhp. This engine will feature Bajaj’s DTSi dual spark plug ignition technology that can hit a limited speed of 70km per hour while returning a mileage of about 35 kmpl in real world condition and weighs only 400 kgs. The RE60 4-wheeler can seat 4 people in a 1+3 or 2+2 layout and priced under INR 1 lakh, when it hits production in mid-2013. Apart from petrol, RE60 will also be available in the LPG and CNG variants. No diesel or electric options will be available.
 
Checkout more pictures below the jump.

Also see - Spied – Bajaj RE60 four-wheeler with heavy camouflage in Pune

Source - Anything-On-Wheels

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MAN FORCE TRUCKS unveiled its first offering in the bus segment, the ‘MAN Airobus’ at the 2012 Auto Expo held in New Delhi earlier this-year. The MAN Airobus is a 45 seater Inter-City Air conditioned Coach with full Air suspension, powered by a MAN D-0836 6.9-litre turbocharged direct injection engine that produces 220 bhp. It is a BS3 compliant diesel motor and is mater to a 6-speed ZF gearbox. However, this is a single axle bus and is front wheel driven.

Features include luxurious reclining seats, individual reading lights, individual AC vents, aisle seats which can be moved side-ways for class leading elbow room, ample leg room, large overhead storage racks and equally spacious underbody luggage compartment. This bus is a boon not only for the passenger but also for the operator as well as the driver. Excellent ergonomics, smooth and effortless gear shifting, best in-class pickup on account of the powerful and high torque engine make driving the MAN Airobus a sheer joy.

Now our good friend at Motorbash has spotted the Man Airobus doing the trail-run in Pune and according to the same, the Airobus has been launched in India but due to some body related issues, it had to be discontinued and the bus is no more on-sale and there is a possibility that they might be doing the body building of Airobus themselves or working on stricter quality norms. They also reveal the new AiroBus might be launched sometime during the first quarter of 2013.
 
Checkout more spy pictures below the jump.

Also see - 2012 Auto Expo – Man Force forays into bus segment with ‘Man Airobus’

Source – MotorBash

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Couple of weeks before, we brought you the firstever spy picture of the new Tata 407 facelift caught testing in the streets of Pune. Now again our good mate at Burnyourfuel has managed to snap the test-mule of Tata Y1 series truck, the company was testing the chassis of Ultra range of trucks for its internal purpose. The Ultra range of trucks was first showcased at 2012 Auto Expo held at New Delhi.

The Y1 series truck seen here features the fake cab but under the skin retains the new chassis and engine. The Tata Ultra LCV & ICV range will comprise a series of variants from 5 to 14 tonnes. The new series will be strapped with DICOR engines (common rail technology) and will be BS4 complaint which will help Tata Motors to introduce them in cities where BS4 norms are strictly followed.

On the inside, the interiors have been tweaked and have spacious looking interiors with all the comfort inside the cabin to ensure that the driver feels at home and stress free for long drives. The folks at Burnyourfuel say that the steering has been given a new looks with the Tata logo placed at the centre. And they speculate that the upcoming truck might get AC as an option feature.
 
To read complete on the Tata Motors Ultra range of LCV and ICV trucks, click here

Also see – Spied – Tata 407 facelift caught testing in Pune

Source – BurnYourFuel

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Country’s leading car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India is planning to enter the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) market. So far the company has never actively ventured into the commercial vehicles segment apart from a foray into the market using the Omni van which was not very competitive due to the absence of a diesel motor.

As of now, Tata Motors is the unchallenged leader in the light commercial vehicle segment with more than 50% market share. The Tata Ace is the bestselling vehicle in this segment followed by Mahindra Maxximo. And soon they will have a new competitor, and that too in the form Maruti Suzuki India, the largest carmaker in the country.

It is still unclear, if Maruti could develop an all-new platform or use the existing Suzuki pick-up truck platform that is already on-sale in South East Asia. Developing a product platform would definitely require it to incur capital expenditure. Besides this, the company is currently working on the development of a two-cylinder 800 CC diesel engine for the passenger car segment.

The company as initiated a project to foray into the light commercial vehicles market; the project has been code named ‘AP’ and if successful could see MSI enter the commercial vehicle segment by 2015-2017. Additionally, the reason why Maruti Suzuki is seen as a threat to the other makers is because with the company has a far wider reach than any if its competitors. And with the brand, comes a name people can trust when it comes to cheaper cost of maintenance and higher fuel efficiencies.
 
( Note – There is no official confirmation of Maruti Suzuki India planning to enter LCV segment with diesel Eeco or Omni, but we at BharathAutos speculate it to be either Eeco or Omni.)

Also see - Spied – GM-Wuling Hongtu which will compete with Maruti Eeco

Source – Economic Times

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Indian 3-wheeler giant, Bajaj Auto plans to revamp its complete range of 3-wheelers in order to boost sales in the commercial vehicle segment. “Work on new platform for 3-wheelers has begun at our research and development centre, and we will be revamping the entire range with the new vehicles,” said S Ravikumar, senior vice-president, business development, Bajaj Auto.

So far the investment plans are not disclosed and the same is expected to be announced in April. Bajaj Auto is the leader in the domestic 3-wheeler market with a share of 41.29% this fiscal so far. It sold 166,052 units in April-December with a year-on-year growth of 10.9%. Piaggio is the close competitor with a market share of 34.48%.

According to the statement by Bajaj Auto for its Q3 results, 3-wheeler sales growth was led by the diesel passenger carrier segment, which grew 24% as against the industry growth of 14%. The 3-wheeler industry has remained flat in the current fiscal with not many permits up for grabs. According to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), 3-wheeler sales grew 4.96% in April-December 2012. Of this, passenger carriers grew 8.96% while goods carriers de-grew 10.29%.

Although Bajaj has 3-wheelers in the passenger and commercial segment. The sources on the web reveal, the launch is most likely happen in the passenger segment. Bajaj Auto also showcased the RE60 at the 2012 Auto Expo, but the launch has been delayed mainly due to the government which has not set rules for the Quadra cycle segment in India.

Also see – In depth details on why Renault-Nissan quits Bajaj’s ULC Car Project?

Source – DNA India

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TVS which is selling its TVS King in Petrol and CNG versions is planning to launch Diesel version over the next 3-5 months.
According to Radhakrishnan, this segment growth in the past few years was good due to difference in petrol and diesel price. The current market for Diesel autos is around 30,000 a month.
“Our investment in this would be low, as the design is going to be the same and the target market would be largely domestic market,” he said.
He added, while the southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the largest, the company will also focus on other markets including Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan, Punjab and others, which are developing. “We also need to increase our penetration in Gujarat and Maharastra to increase our market share in overall three-wheeler segment,” he said.
The TVS King is powered by a 200cc single cylinder petrol engine which develops 7.4 bhp.
TVS Motor three wheeler sales for the quarter ended December 2012 stood at 13,602 units against 8,899 units in the quarter ended December 2011, an increase of around 53%.

Also see - Bajaj Auto all set to revamp its complete range of 3-wheelers

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Vibgyor Vehicles Ltd, the automobile wing of Vibgyor Group has entered into commercial vehicle segment. The organization has announced launch of a range of 3 wheelers – Vibgyor Auto (passenger vehicle), Vibgyor Cargo (pick up van) and Vibgyor Van (delivery van) which will be officially launched in mid April, 2013 in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam and Uttar Pradesh.

The company has actually firmed up technology collaboration with the Sonpat-based Pashupati Vehicles and has also teamed up with Greaves Cotton. The latter will be a channel partner, supplying state-of-the-art engines to Vibgyor, said Dibakar Chakraborty, CEO, Vibgyor Vehicles.
Vibgyor’s assembly line unit at Dankuni in Hooghly district, spread over a 10-acre land will have separate transmission lines, paint shop and body shop with CNC machines procured from global manufacturers. Initially the plant will have a capacity of 1,000 vehicles, which will be doubled by 2014.

These 3 wheelers will be priced between Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 1.85 lakh. Vibgyor Cargo, which comes in three stunning colours – Yellow, Blue & Red colours. The engine capacity for the range will be 435 cc. These diesel – run vehicles are estimated to give a mileage of 36 kms per litre.
Although the company will initially be looking at markets across West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, the company has lined up plans to make its entire range available across the country by 2015. And that’s not all. The company has also drawn up an ambitious plan of exporting its commercial vehicles to Bangladesh and eventually to east African market, said Chakraborty.

Vibgyor Vehicles will provide training to the dealers and service engineers for servicing of these vehicles. The dealerships will create employment generation in the rural belt across States.

Also see - Tata Motors introduces 3-new color options for its Venture MPV

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Maruti Suzuki gets approval from the Board in order to Manufacture LCV

Maruti Suzuki being India’s largest passenger car maker has got approval from the Board to manufacture LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) in India. Senior Maruti Suzuki Executives got this approval from the Maruti Suzuki Board in a meeting held at Malaysia last week. After having a major success in the passenger cars, Maruti Suzuki is now set to manufacture LCV codenamed Y9T.

Maruti is expected to manufacture Y9T in the upcoming new factory located in India’s western port state of Gujarat. More over the company is working on a range of LCVs, which are being manufactured at the India research and development centre. The company is also planning to develop range of diesel engines for its passenger cars and LCVs with diesel engines being sourced from the Italian car maker “Fiat”. Maruti Y9T is expected to aim on its rival Tata Ace and Mahindra Maxximo which are one of the best LCVs in the country.

Coming to the technical specifications, Maruti Suzuki Y9T is expected to be powered with a two-cylinder 800cc engine as per the information given by the person close to development. The company is also expected to include a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine and 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine.
 
Check out more pictures of Suzuki Ravi below the jump.

Also see - Maruti plans to enter LCV segment with diesel Eeco or Omni

Source - TheEconomicTimes

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Ashok Leyland Stile MPV

Country’s second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, Ashok Leyland is planning to increase its foot-prints in the fast growing Utility Vehicle segment. The homegrown auto-major displayed its Nissan’s Evalia based Stile Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo in Delhi. According to AutoCarPro report, the company may look to launch this vehicle on July 16 this year.

Although the Stile MPV is based on the Nissan Evalia platform, it will be positioned below the same, with respect to pricing. The company is speculated to roll-out a dual fuel avatar of the MPV which will be an urban transport solution as a Cab and a delivery Van. All the variants of the Stile are expected to be offered between Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh.

Mechanically, it will be available in diesel and CNG models which are reported to be the most fuel efficient trims in the segment. The diesel fuel run version of the vehicle could power the 1.5-litre K9K turbo diesel engine from Evalia MPV that churns out peak power of 85 Bhp and massive torque of 200 Nm.

The Ashok Leyland Stile has been spotted numerous occasions during testing, and vehicle front looks more basic than Evalia which is elegant and comes with a more traditional looking grille. The headlamps and the air dam are smaller than its sibling Evalia. Also on the inside, most of the comforts in the interiors would be removed, in comparison to the Evalia to price competitively.

Also see - 2012 Auto Expo – Ashok Leyland showcases Stile and Partner

2012 marked as a ‘Year of the MPV’ in the history of Indian car market

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India’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus developed by Tata Motors and ISRO

Tata Motors in collaboration with the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) joined hands to develop the country’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus. This hydrogen powered bus was demonstrated at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Center (LPSC) in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu last-Sunday.

It’s a CNG-type bus, the The bus demonstrated at LPSC was seen with high pressure Hydrogen in bottles stored at the top of the bus which contributes to its zero pollution. The liquid hydrogen powers the fuel cells to generate electricity, that in turn drives the electric motor. At the moment, we don’t have an exact idea of the specifications as the company has not made an official commencement on that yet.

ISRO has been developing Cryogenic Technology at its Bangalore based headquarter over the past few years and this hydrogen cell technology is what has come about as part of this development. SRO has a very rich technology in producing, storing and handling gaseous and liquid hydrogen in the last three decades. Also its is an expertise in safety.

This development is also part of the Union Government guidelines for auto companies for expansion of hydrogen fuel in vehicles by the year 2015. The joint development by ISRO and Tata Motors is part of a MoU which the two parties entered into in 2006 for the design and development of a bus using hydrogen fuel cells. At last year’s Indian Auto Expo, Tata Motors showcased a hydrogen fuel cell powered Starbus concept.

 
Gnana Gandhi, honorary Adviser of ISRO, who led the technical team for the project said -

This is a leap for automobile industry for future transportation. In this vehicle there will be zero pollution since the product of cold combustion is water. This is a result of great team work of Tata Motors and ISRO specialists with contributions from DSIR (Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) and PESO (Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation).

Also see - Ratan Tata’s dream: car that run on H2O

Suzuki Ravi (called as the Carry LCV elsewhere) is Tata Ace’s rival in Pakistan. The upcoming Indian version is yet to be named.

Maruti Suzuki being the No.1 manufacturers of cars in the Indian market is also planning to enter into the LCV segment. Way back in 1983, when Maruti Udyog Ltd. was set-up in India, it had opened countrywide bookings for its Maruti 800 model and the Carry LCV. While the M 800 received 121,000 bookings, the Carry had only about 2,000. Thereafter, the company decided to drop the plans for launching the LCV.

After seeing the considerable growth of LCV’s recently in the Indian market, Maruti has now decided to go ahead with their plan which was actually on hold. Maruti’s new LCV is expected to be launched in two years in a view of competing Tata Ace, Mahindra Maxximo and Ashok Leyland Dost which is of great demands in the current market. It would be based on the Suzuki Carry platform which is currently on-sale in China, Indonesia and Pakistan.

As per the reports, Mr. R C Bhargava, Chairman, MSIL, said “It was planned in our original agreement (with SMC) in 1982 that the Carry LCV would be launched in India but at that time, due to poor response from the market, it was shelved. Now the situation has changed and the board has given approval to go ahead for launching the LCV in India. Our engineers are working on adapting the diesel engine that we have licensed from Fiat (1.3-litre MultiJet) to be used in the LCV. This will be a pure goods carrier.”

The new LCV being in its initial stage of development is expected to be produced in the upcoming Maruti’s Gujarat plant which is likely to commence its production from 2015.
 
Check out more pictures of the same, after a jump.

Also see - Maruti Suzuki gets approval from the Board in order to Manufacture LCV

Suzuki Ravi – FrontView

Suzuki Ravi – SideView

Suzuki Ravi – RearView

Source - Financialexpress.com

Tata has been ruling the Indian commercial vehicle scene for quite some time now, and it currently owns 60% of the Indian CV scene, but in the last year, Tata saw a steep drop in the sales of its commercial vehicles. To get back up and hit back, Tata has a slew of launches lined […]

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As already read by our dear readers in our previous posts couple of days ago, Tata recently introduced the power steering feature to its Nano and is now all-set to showcase its facelifted Aria at the upcoming 2014 Auto Expo in the month of February after which it would be launched in the Indian market […]

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