In India, two-wheeled scooters and motorcycles are a very popular way to get around. Cars are out of the price range for many buyers, and until the Tata Nano comes out, will remain that way. Other factors are putting a crimp on the spending of many Indian households, including a huge inflation increase and the surging price of fuel. All of these things are likely to have a negative impact on the automotive sector. Some, though, believe that the two-wheeled market is set to pick up some of the slack. In fact, Hero Honda, the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in India, believes that there is a chance it could gain market share in these turbulent times. Some families that would otherwise purchase a second car may choose a smaller motorcycle or scooter instead in an effort to spend less money on the initial vehicle purchase and when keeping it filled with fuel. Similarly, scooter sales have risen dramatically in the United States as buyers find it more difficult to find sufficient credit to purchase an expensive new car and gas prices remain over $3.00 a gallon.

[Source: Business Standard]

The Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Annual Expo is happening in New Delhi and Tata Motors has chosen this venue in which to show off a prototype of their upcoming all-electric Indica. Although we had previously told you it exists and would be built in Norway, thanks to Cubic Capacity, we can now show you some pictures of the interior, exterior and under the hood.

There aren't many technical details yet available besides that it sports a single speed transmission and a 120-mile range but we have learned of a few interesting developments. We can say it is to built by Norway's Miljobil Grenland who is also rumoured to be putting the "E" in E-Nano, an all-electric version of the new "people's car" from Tata. Also, perhaps by coincidence, Miljobil Grenland is also the company who just signed a supply agreement with Canadian firm Electrovaya for its SuperPolymer lithium ion batteries. Tata is planning on selling the Indica EV first in Norway sometime next year before bringing it home to India within two years.


[Source: Cubic Capacity]

Questions about the future of the Tata Nano - questions that flared up when the plant that was to build the world's cheapest car was put under siege recently - are starting to be answered, but only just. The protest at the plant has now ended, the BBC reports, and the fallout is now beginning.

Opposition groups - which were protesting the way that land for the plant's expansion was acquired by the local government - stopped their protest after the government promised to return some of that land. But, the work stoppage at the plant has not yet ended because Tata Motors is "distressed at the limited clarity on the outcome of the discussions between the State Government of West Bengal and the representatives of the agitators in Singur," according to a company spokesman who talked to the BBC. Even though the Nano plant would still have land to grow under the expected new deal, whether the company moves Nano production to another part of India is still unknown.

[Source: BBC]

Tata Motors has confirmed that the rumors of an all-electric Tata Ace and the all-electric Tata Indica are true. In an unveiling in India this past week, the company took the wraps off of two lithium-ion battery-powered EV prototypes based on the Ace work truck and the Indica sedan (pictured). As we heard earlier this year, the Indica EV will first be sold in the Norweigian market next year because the Scandinavian country "has the necessary infrastructure in place to run electric cars which India lacks," as Tata Motors President Ravi Kant put it. Indians will get their own chance to buy the car in about 24 months. According to the Business-Standard, the all-electric Indica has two battery packs which can charge in eight hour and go around 110-120 miles on a charge.

Now, about an electric Nano...

[Source: Business-Standard]

click photo to enlarge

With work halted at the factory that is to build the Tata Nano, the future of the world's cheapest car is uncertain. Well, we're still pretty certain that it will be built somewhere, but the details are much more hazy now that people in the West Bengal region have spoken out against the way Tata Motors got the land to expand their plant. Tata might pull out and move to a more-friendly region, but what does the whole kerfluffle mean for cheap motoring in India and the world?

Writing in Automotive News Europe (subs req'd), Jesse Snyder makes a clear statement: "No matter who "wins" in the protracted protest over land in India's impoverished West Bengal region, the innovative Tata Nano will lose." Snyder's article is a fair look at the situation and says that the main problem here, for Tata Motors, is lost time. Ultra-cheap cars are coming for the masses, and if Tata wants to be in the game (a game they helped create), then they need to find a solution fast. Of course, if you're of the mindset that ultra-cheap cars are not what the planet ordered, then perhaps one siege isn't enough for you...


[Source: Automotive News Europe]

Anand Mahindra is adamant that the first diesel trucks in America bearing his name be as good as possible. While this is good news for buyers hoping to get a good deal on a 30 mpg work-vehicle, the delay it has caused isn't. Mr. Mahindra says that his trucks will travel some 3.2 million miles in the U.S. before going on sale. For our part, we are glad that the company will work out all the possible kinks before sending the trucks Stateside. There are reportedly over three-hundred dealerships which have already signed on to sell the trucks, though the vast majority have not yet completed their projects. Global Vehicles, the Georgia-based company in charge of the importation, hopes to have four-hundred-fifty total signed on before the end of next year.

JD Power and Associates was also hired by the Indian firm to check out its new truck. Apparently, nearly two-hundred changes were recommended by the company - all of which were carried out. That's mighty impressive and it also bodes well for a quality product. While the powertrain is still awaiting EPA certification, Mahindra got plenty of help from established companies and is confident that there won't be any problems on that front. Keep your fingers crossed for these and the hybrids.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

I never thought I'd be typing in the words "nano factory siege" into Google, but now I have. On the drive home last night, I heard a staticky report on BBC Radio about some sort of siege, starting today, at the plant that is supposed produce the world's smallest cheapest car. Since I didn't catch the whole story on the radio, I thought I'd see the the Internets can tell me. In short, it's a tricky situation, but the BBC has the details.

Apparently, because Tata Motors is one of the biggest companies in India, the opposition party in West Bengal - where the plant is located - is protesting the a move by the governing communist party. The point of contention is (I think) the thousand acres that the state seized for the factory's expansion. Tata chief Ratan Tata is threatening to move the production facility to another state if things don't calm down - and other states are saying they're more than happy to welcome him. We'll keep an eye on this, as the Nano promises to be a game-shifting vehicle wherever it is built.


[Source: BBC]

Above: Mahindra's Appalachian pickup truck

Right now, the Reva G-Wiz has the Indian electric car market cornered. Rumors indicate that this may not be the case for long, though, as both Tata Motors and now Mahindra - India's two largest automakers - both have plans in place for zero-emission vehicles of their own. While we've heard about Tata's plans for both electrically-driven and air-propelled Nano microcars, this is the first we've heard of an EV from Mahindra, the company which has been making news with its plans to introduce new diesel and hybrid trucks and SUVs into the American market.

Mahindra's new EV would come with four seats, making it eminently more practical than the Reva. According to reports, the automaker would first launch the vehicle in its home market of India, which would act as a test-bed for the technology, before exporting to other countries. Would the U.S. be one of them? Time will tell, and consumer opinion over Mahindra's upcoming trucks and 'utes will likely play a big role in finding an answer.

[Source: CarTradeIndia.com]

Suzuki already has a little experience with vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, as its Crosscage motorcycle concept has been around the block a few times already since it first debuted in Tokyo last year. That two-wheeler is now a running prototype and will again be shown off in its latest form at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. Along with the Crosscage will be Suzuki's SX4 FCV, a hatchback with a fuel cell provided by General Motors.

Along with the hydrogen-powered electric machines on display, Suzuki will also debut its new Alto economy car. Built in India by the Suzuki/Maruti joint venture, the seventh-generation Alto will likely get a 1.0-liter engine which will be fully Euro V emissions compliant. While the fuel cell vehicles are likely still a ways off from regular production, the Alto will be on sale in India and in Europe shortly after the Paris Motor Show in October. We've pasted the press release after the break.


[Source: Suzuki]

Tata Motors announced last week, curiously, they would be building an electric car by the end of the fiscal year in Norway. One of the first questions that sprang to mind was answered today by news that the vehicle in question will be based on the "tried and tested" Indica (pictured above) and not the Nano which we suspect will also be eventually electrified. The program appears to be well underway since unnamed industry sources are claiming that Tata is, "... currently working on five prototypes of electric vehicles on the Indica platform." It isn't clear if they have 5 different configurations of the car or merely 5 "validation prototypes" under construction. They are also said to be depending on lithium ion batteries to give the city car a 200 Km (125 mile) range.

The other question that the annoucement begs is, "Why Norway?". Well, why not Norway? Already home to two electric car makers, Th!nk and Kewet, the Scandinavian country has most of its citizens and therefore, transportation needs, within a few cities. The climate provides an excellent testing environment as well. The location of electric plugs close to parking spots may even be a factor. What's important for non-Norwegians is that Ratan Tata has said that once the car has been deployed in Norway, "...then it will be available to employ in other markets". Who knows, maybe even America.

[Source: Hindustan Times]

Photo: Times of India

Over the years, the Pope has been driven around in quite a few different vehicles, which most people refer to as the 'Popemobile.' The last time the Pope visited the United States, for instance, his ride was a modified Mercedes-Benz M Class SUV which had been specially modified to accommodate his needs. In fact, Mercedes-Benz has a long history of creating vehicles specially for the Pope, and now Piaggio has joined in as well. Piaggio's contribution, though, features just three wheels and is made from the rickshaw platform which is popular in India, where the vehicle was created.

According to Ravi Chopra from Piaggio's Indian subsidiary, "These vehicles were given a complete look and feel of a Popemobile by putting a white coloured hood, white tyres, seat upholstery, and white body paint. The insignia on the doors is specially handcrafted. The entire vehicle was given a complete unique decor to suit the aura of His Holiness." Piaggio hopes that Pope Benedict XVI can find a use for the vehicle at the Vatican, perhaps when touring the gardens.

[Source: Times of India]

Way back in January, rumors began swirling regarding a potential tie-up between Chrysler's GEM and India's Tata Motors. The rumored love-child was an electric version of the delivery truck known in India as the Tata Ace. Now, we have a potential price for the unit, and it sounds almost too good to be true. According to Auto Observer, the electric Ace could sell for as little as $5,000 and would meet all necessary safety regulations in the United States. We'd imagine that this vehicle would be classified as a NEV, which would limit it to twenty-five miles per hour and operation on streets with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less.

No details are available regarding what kind of batteries or range are available. We can see a small delivery vehicle which uses no gasoline going over rather well in dense urban areas. Sales possibilities exist in both the U.S. market as well as in India.

[Source: Auto Observer]

The Reva Electric Car Company has officially made the REVAi (A.K.A. the G-Wiz i) available for sale in its native India. It has high expectations for sales of the improved award winner in its homeland, saying they would be very happy to sell 3,000 vehicles in Delhi this year. No doubt, since it has only sold 2,500 units so far in 13 other countries. They expect and are preparing for a sharp increase in demand as the company plans on quintupling its production capacity from its current 6,000 units per annum to 30,000 by the end of this year, although it may actually take a full three years to ramp up to those output numbers.

Besides not having an expensive-to-fill gas tank, REVAi sales may also benefit from several tax incentives. There is a 15 percent subsidy on the base price, it's exempt from a 12.5 percent value added tax (VAT), and, in Delhi, it gets a refund of a road tax and registration fees. After all the discounts, Indians are looking at a base price of Rs299,000 (US$7,000) for the 50 mph capable, 80 mile ranging (50 miles with the A/C) vehicle. Future plans include adding a new model and new model variant in each of the coming years and possibly the creation of something a bit bigger.

[Source: Automotive World]

Considering how slow change tends to come in the compact truck market, perhaps the domestic automakers should feel a mild quaking in their collective boots over the impending arrival of Mahindra's new diesel-powered pickup. We can at least be sure that one of the Big 3 are wondering just how good the new Indian vehicle will be, enough to bring one over here for testing. Unfortunately, we don't have any driving impressions to share, but those should be coming soon enough. What we do know, though, is that the upcoming product will not be known as the Appalachian, which is what we've all been referring to it as until now. According to PickupTrucks.com, Mahindra is very well aware that its name is unknown in the U.S. market, so it feels the need to highlight that moniker as opposed to a model name.

The aforementioned 2.2 liter diesel engine powering Mahindra's truck was developed with assistance from Bosch and AVL. We expect about 150 horsepower, though the 300 lb. ft. of torque is the much more important figure. Paired with a standard six speed automatic transmission, the new kid on the block is looking mighty interesting.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

India has announced that fuel prices are going to be raised by 10 percent. The state-owned oil companies had no other option but adapt pump prices in response to the increase of crude oil prices in international markets. According to an article in Autoplus, gas stations in New Dehli were selling gasoline at 45.52 rupee and diesel at 31.76 per liter. That's about $1 and $0.75 (U.S.) per liter, respectively. Unlike Europe and the U. S., the price of fuel in India is regulated by the government, although prices differ from state to state.

[Source: Autoplus]