Team-BHP - M&M lines up 7 new vehicles

Hope this is correct section and is not a repeatation

Source: Article Window

M&M lines up 7 new vehicles

New Delhi: Looking to cash in on the boom in auto sales, domestic utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra has lined up as many as seven new products in the passenger vehicle segment that will hit the roads over the next 15-18 months.
The list includes an allnew premium SUV from its own stable and two from the recently-acquired Korean company Ssangyong, apart from new versions of Logan, the mid-sized passenger car. The thrust in the SUV space comes at a time when environment minister Jairam Ramesh has termed their usage as “criminal” and even recommended that they be sent off the roads.
The company, which has lined up investments in excess of Rs 7,000 crore over 2011-13, will focus on the multi- and sports-utility space, that is its strength and core business area. “We are in the process of working out a number of new models, and these would hit the market in the next 15-18 months,” Rajesh Jejurikar, chief executive of Mahindra’s Automotive Division, told TOI. Jejurikar said the Indian automotive market, including the SUV segment, was growing at a fast clip. “Our focus would clearly remain in the SUV space and a variety of factors make us confident on the segment that we feel will grow at double-digit rates over the next few years. While globally the ratio of SUVs and MPVs to cars is 40%, in India it is still at 15%. Now, with the rapid growth in demand, even if this goes up to 22-23%, we are talking of sustained double-digit growth over the next couple of years.”
The new launches of the company will straddle across the price spectrum. At the bottom-end of the market, Mahindra plans to launch a lower-priced version of its MPV “Xylo”. The new vehicle will be a compact version of Xylo and the company is believed to be working on a price range of around Rs 5 lakh, which will be about 35-40% cheaper than the existing version's price. This will be driven by lower excise duty as Mahindra plans to rework the vehicle to bring it in line with the government’s definition of a small car, which stipulates vehicle length under 4 meters and engine capacity under 1500cc for diesel and 1200cc for petrol. “We are planning variants of Xylo on the lower side,” Jejurikar confirmed but declined to disclose details.
The company may, however, begin with the introduction of Thar, a reworked version of the Commander that was pulled off the roads in early 2000. The retrostyled SUV, which is selling in the South African markets for the last two years, is expected to be launched soon.
The company is also giving final touches to a new global SUV that will be placed above the Scorpio. The new vehicle will be a crossover —a vehicle derived from a car platform while borrowing features from a SUV —and the company is investing around Rs 700-800 crore for the development of the vehicle that is likely to roll out during this financial year. But the company will make a bigger pitch at the upper-end of the SUV market with products of Ssangyong, a company that it hopes to acquire over the next few weeks.
“We would get at least two SUVs from the Ssangyong stable that would be pitched in the upper-end of the market and certainly be premium to all the products that Mahindra currently offers. The company has a fullblooded SUV like the Rexton or the smaller one like the Kyron. The new version of the Korando cross-over is also in contention for the Indian market and we will assemble them in India and launch them within the next 12-15 months,” the Mahindra executive said.

@Mods: Please update thread title accordingly.

GM follows the trail

GM India to launch 6 new models, pump in $500 mn

Source: GM India to launch 6 new models, pump in $500 mn - Rediff.com Business

General Motors India, the owner of the Chevrolet brand, is looking to invest $500 million (Rs 2,250 crore) over the next two years as part of its new product development and plant expansion plans.

The company will launch six new vehicles -- a pick-up van, multi-seater van, hatchback, notchback, sports utility vehicle and multi-purpose vehicle.

This will be in addition to the light commercial vehicles that would be launched in 2012.

Most of these products are made by the GM-SAIC-Wuling joint venture, which is operational in China.

The products will go through the company's Bengaluru research and development centre to make them suitable for Indian buyers.

It will also sport a localisation level of 90 per cent.

The company, a 50:50 joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, has also awarded contracts worth $500 million to component vendors that supply parts to its international plants.

About 80 vendors are currently supplying to its international plants.

General Motors, which has come out with an initial public offering in the US, has no plans to fund expansion activities of subsidiary companies like the India unit.

good that competition is hotting up in the 12-18 lac segment of SUV's.
will provide the utility seeker with some more options to choose from.
the priorities for this segment (from a regular joe Indian consumer perspective) would be (not in strict order of priority);
1. drive-ability, torquey-ness, power
2. diesel engine with low pollution
3. reliability and ease of servicing
4. reasonable costs of spares, maintenance and upkeep
5. plenty of safety features like airbags, abs, ebd, traction control
6. 'electronic driving aids' of a high quality/reliability aspect
7. 4WD option
8. plenty of luggage/ storage space and predominantly utilitarian/ functional aspects
9. stability and handling (more likely from a vehicle with a lower centre of gravity built on a monocoque chassis)
10.On road pricing to be as VFM as possible.

am looking forward to it!

Here is the confirm news about this article which the subject that is being handled in this thread:
M & M is on a bit aggressive mode & its planning to launch 7-8 vehicles in next one & half years.
Here is what Mr. Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief Executive of Mahindra's Automotive Division says:
"We are in the process of working out a number of new models, and these would hit the market in next 15-18 months. Our focus would clearly remain in SUV space and a variety of factors make us confident on the segment that we will free grow at double-digit rates over the next few years."
Here is the link:
Mahindra & Mahindra on aggressive mode and planning to launch 7-8 models in next one and half years-WheelsUnplugged Automobile Industry News