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Category: Automotive

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Auto and Car news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Hyundai Mobis Builds Camera System To Replace Vehicle Side Mirrors

    Hyundai Mobis Builds Camera System To Replace Vehicle Side Mirrors

    South Korea’s largest auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis on Sunday said it has developed a camera monitoring system that will replace side-view mirrors in next-generation vehicles. With the advanced sensor technology, Hyundai Mobis has joined a couple of global future mobility developers and it aims to export the technology to carmakers, Yonhap news agency reported.

    Three high-performance camera sensors inside the vehicle will not only increase driving safety by significantly reducing blind spots, and but also improve fuel efficiency as side-view mirrors will be hidden inside the car, Hyundai Mobis said in a statement.

    “The paradigm shift to the future car is demanding both functional and design upgrades of all core components, which have been taken for granted until today,” Vice President Gregory Baratoff in charge of autonomous vehicle development at Hyundai Mobis said in the statement.

    The company will not only develop element technologies, like sensors and solutions based on them, but also the core parts portfolio that it has already secured in accordance with the future car era, he said.

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  • Porsche To Use Holoride’s Virtual Reality Tech To Keep Rear Passengers Entertained

    Porsche To Use Holoride’s Virtual Reality Tech To Keep Rear Passengers Entertained

    Porsche has collaborated with Munich-based entertainment firm Holoride to come out with a special Virtual Reality (VR) based entertainment device for rear passengers. Recently unveiled at the Start-up Autobahn Expo Day, the immersive virtual entertainment tech uses a VR headset with sensors, which is paired to the vehicle so that its content can be adapted to the car’s driving movements in real-time. With this new tech, the German luxury and sports carmaker is trying to show what entertainment could be like in the future for the backseat passenger in a Porsche.

    How this device essentially works is, suppose the car is being driven around the curve, the virtual vehicle that the passenger is traveling in, let’s say, for example, a space shuttle, will also change direction. The company says that this results in a highly immersive experience, which significantly reduces the symptoms of motion sickness. Although still in prototype stage, Porsche says In future, the system will also, for example, be able to evaluate navigation data to adapt the length of a VR game to the calculated duration of the journey. This technology can be used to integrate other entertainment services such as watching a film or even virtual conferences, the applications are many. Also, as Holoroid has an open platform approach, car manufacturers and content producers can customize the content to adapt to driving time, motion, and context.

    Nils Wollny, CEO of Holoride founded the entertainment tech start-up at the end of 2018 with his partners, Marcus Kuhne and Daniel Profendiner. Using the Start-up Autobahn platform, the up-and-coming company has now shown that their “holoride” software works seamlessly with manufacturers’ vehicle data for motion-synchronized, real-time generation of virtual reality (VR) and cross-reality (XR) content.

    Porsche will have the new VR technology on display and to experience at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, from September 20, 2019. Under the motto “Next Visions. Change the Game – Create tomorrow”, Porsche is inviting innovators and partners to the motor show to discuss the future of mobility.

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  • Volvo S60 And V40 Discontinued In India

    Volvo S60 And V40 Discontinued In India

    Volvo Auto India has finally pulled the plug two of its oldest models in the domestic line-up. The Volvo S60 sedan and the V40 hatchback have been discontinued in India, along with their cross country versions. The cars have also been de-listed from the company’s website. The Swedish automaker has confirmed the development. With both the cars already discontinued globally, it was only time that they would go off sale in India too. Volvo imported these cars as Completely Built Units (CBUs), which means they adhere to the global lifecycle. While the cars have been discontinued, certain dealers do have an example or two of the older generation S60 in their inventory.

    So, when do we see the new Volvos then? Well, not for a while actually. The Volvo V40 will be discontinued globally by the end of this year and will not have a direct replacement. Instead, a new SUV coupe likely to be positioned below the XC40 and will replace the hatchback instead. Power is expected to come from petrol, hybrid and electric options on the new offering. The V40 replacement will be based on the automaker’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform that also underpins the XC40 SUV.

    On the other hand, the next generation Volvo S60 has already been revealed globally and is based on the automaker’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform that underpins the new and larger cars from the automaker. The new generation S60 was expected to go on sale this year in India but the launch has been postponed to 2020, according to the company. The new S60 is likely to be locally assembled when it arrives in India, like the other models based on the SPA platform including the S90 sedan, XC60 and the XC90 SUVs.

    The outgoing Volvo S60 arrived in India in 2011 and helped the brand grow amidst the German offerings. The Volvo V40 arrived in India in 2013 in the Cross Country guise, and was the brand’s most affordable offering till the standard version was launched later. Currently, it is the Volvo XC40 that is the brand’s most affordable offering in India. The company’s newer models have also been able to help the brand grow immensely in recent times. Volvo India registered a 11 per cent increase in volumes for the first half of 2019, quite contrary to the lull period that the Indian auto industry is going through.

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  • 50th Anniversary Edition BMW R Nine T/5 Unveiled

    50th Anniversary Edition BMW R Nine T/5 Unveiled

    BMW has completed the 50th anniversary of the /5 Series motorcycle models, as well as 50 years of BMW Motorrad production in the Berlin Spandau factory. To celebrate both anniversaries, BMW Motorrad has introduced an exclusive BMW R Nine T/5 anniversary model. The R Nine T/5 uses the BMW R Nine T model as a base and incorporates several historical aesthetic touches, in addition to modern bits. The BMW R Nine T/5 anniversary model uses the classic silver and black finishes throughout the bike, as well as classic chrome on the mirrors, exhaust manifold, and rear silencer. The double seat with chrome decorative elements and white piping evoke the historic predecessor.

    The retro touch of the BMW R Nine T/5 is further accentuated by fork gaiters, spoked wheels and aluminium finished wheel hubs for the classic old-school look, as well as standard fork gaiters. Modern gizmos include standard ABS, ASC (automatic stability control) with heated seats and handlebar grips. There’s also the elaborate use of high-end details such as fork bridges and footrests in forged, clear anodised aluminium. The R Nine T/5 continues to be powered by the same 1,170 cc, twin-cylinder engine which puts out 110 bhp at 7,750 rpm and peak torque of 116 Nm at 6,000 rpm. Prices and availability are yet to be announced for the special edition motorcycle.

    The original BMW R50/5, R60/5 and R75/5 marked the beginning of a new production era at BMW’s new motorcycle operations in Berlin in the 1960s. The first /5 models went on to become popular choices for the customer well into the 1970s, with more than 12,000 motorcycles leaving the factory by 1970. When the /5 series was discontinued in 1973, BMW had built a total of 68,956 motorcycles in Berlin, and in that same year, the company celebrated “50 years of BMW Motorrad” with the manufacture of the 500,000th BMW motorcycle.

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  • Volkswagen To Build New Plant In Turkey

    Volkswagen To Build New Plant In Turkey

    German carmaker Volkswagen is planning to build a multi-brand production plant in Turkey, a German trade magazine reported on Friday without citing sources.

    Automobilwoche said Volkswagen supervisory Board on Thursday made the decision to build a plant near the city of Izmir, adding that Volkswagen’s subsidiary Skoda will be one of the brands to be produced there.

    In April, Czech daily Hospodarske Noviny reported that Skoda was choosing between Bulgaria or Turkey as the site for a planned new plant.

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  • Ford To Lay Off Around 200 Workers At Canadian Plant

    Ford To Lay Off Around 200 Workers At Canadian Plant

    Ford Motor  will lay off about approximately 200 employees in September at a Canadian manufacturing plant in Oakville, Ontario, with the possibility of more layoffs in January, the company said on Friday. Ford employs approximately 4,600 workers at the Oakville plant. “We have been arguing as a local for the past several weeks trying to persuade the company from somehow avoiding this scenario, but to no avail,” Dave Thomas, president of Unifor Local 707, in Oakville, Ontario, said in a note to members that was posted on the union’s website on Wednesday.

    “As always, it’s based on a business decision and it all comes down to dollars and cents,” he said.

    Ford attributed the layoffs to slowing sales of the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT, both of which are produced at the Oakville plant.

    In addition, the Ford Edge is no longer being sold in some European markets, which the company also pointed to as a reason for the Oakville layoffs.

    “We have a longstanding practice of matching production with consumer demand,” Kelli Felker, Ford’s manufacturing and labour communications manager, said in an email.

    The plant will slow production as of Aug. 1, cutting one shift and reducing hours, Thomas said.

    Robert Gibson, spokesman for Ontario’s minister of economic development, said the provincial government is disappointed to learn of the layoffs.

    “We want the employees in Oakville to know that our government stands with them and their families,” Gibson said in an email to Reuters. “We will work with our partners to continue to fight for good jobs in Oakville and support the affected families.”

    Ford had announced a 10% cut to its global white-collar workforce in May, eliminating 7,000 jobs.

    The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker also announced intentions to slash 12,000 European jobs by 2020.

    Canadian auto sales in June were down 7.2% from a year earlier, the latest drop in a 16-month decline.

  • Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric Motorcycle Unveiled

    Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric Motorcycle Unveiled

    Harley-Davidson has unveiled the production version of its first electric cruiser and it is expected to go on sale in 2020. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire made its debut as a concept at the EICMA 2018 motorcycle show and at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2019, the American motorcycle maker had announced that it will take pre-orders for its first electric model. Harley-Davidson intends to work on a complete range of electric motorcycles and the LiveWire will kick things off for the company in the electric mobility space. The bike maker has also revealed the pricing on the Livewire that costs $30,000 in the US (around ₹ 20.56 lakh).

    The LiveWire is powered by a new electric motor which Harley-Davidson calls the “Revelation” drivetrain. The new drivetrain uses a belt drive to power the motorcycle forward. The electric bike also comes with a number of advanced features like a telematics system called H-D Connect which gives data about the motorcycle’s battery charge and service reminders to the owner via Harley’s connected app. Harley-Davidson aims to make LiveWire the first cellular-connected electric motorcycle.

    The company has already revealed the specifications and details about the performance of the LiveWire and claims that it can clock triple digit speed in just 3.5 seconds along with a top speed of 177 km on a single charge. The manufacturer claims a range of 235 km on a single charge. Ride assist features on the LiveWire include traction control and anti-lock braking system (ABS) which will be assisted by an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Moreover, it also features a signature Harley-Davidson sound as it accelerates.’ Additionally, the LiveWire gets rear-set pegs, Brembo calipers and a steel trellis frame with inverted Showa forks and a monoshock at the rear. It is also packed with equipment like multiple rider modes, Bluetooth connectivity and a full-colour TFT instrument console.

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  • China Liberates Its Automotive Strategy To Support Hybrid Vehicles Sales

    China Liberates Its Automotive Strategy To Support Hybrid Vehicles Sales

    China is one of the biggest EV markets in the world and many global automakers have developed electric vehicles particularly for the Chinese market. However, some carmakers like Toyota and Honda have also invested heavily in the hybrid technology and have been expecting support from the Chinese Government to promote the sales of hybrid vehicles. Finally, it looks like that the Chinese Government will consider their demand and has started focussing on hybrid vehicles as well in its new strategy for the auto sector.

    Earlier this year, the Chinese government had introduced manufacturing and sales quota to promote new-energy vehicles which include electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and plug-in hybrids. According to the quota rule, new-energy vehicle must account for 10 per cent of automakers fleet in 2019. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology wants to amend the regulations and allow automakers to include more fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles in their line-up. Hybrid vehicles will be still categorised under the fossil fuel powered segment but will be classified as low-fuel consumption vehicles. The new rule is likely to help automakers in China to meet the environmental quota norms along with allowing them to add more hybrid vehicles in their product line-up.

    The current rule requires automakers to manufacture 20,000 high performance EVs for every one million hybrid vehicles. If EVs do not meet the performance standards, then they require to manufacture more than 20,000 units as hybrids are grouped along with petrol and diesel vehicles, under the same category. That said, the new proposed rule will allow automakers to manufacture only 6000 EVs for a million hybrid vehicles, while the number of EVs for one million petrol or diesel vehicles will be increased to 29,000 units. China is also world’s largest car market and hybrid vehicles being more fuel efficient and low on emission will help carmakers to achieve emission targets in such a high-volume market along with improving sales.

  • Mercedes-Benz India Records 18.60 Per Cent Sales Decline In H1 2019

    Mercedes-Benz India Records 18.60 Per Cent Sales Decline In H1 2019

    The Indian auto market is under turmoil and luxury carmakers which account just 1 per cent of the market share are the first ones to bear the brunt of macro-economic headwinds. Mercedes-Benz which is the largest-selling luxury car brand in India has witnessed a sales decline of 18.60 per cent in the Indian market in the first half of calendar year 2019. The company has sold 6561 units in the January-June period this year against 8061 units which were sold in the same period a year ago. According to the German carmaker, high interest rates, inflationary hikes, liquidity crunch and rising import costs took a toll on sales. That said, the company still claims leadership position in the Indian market.

    Commenting on sales performance, Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “We are glad to maintain the leadership position in the luxury car market by sustaining our sales performance despite facing continuous macro-economic headwinds and a temporary limited availability of volume models. We expect sales to recover gradually from the third quarter, however, conditions would continue to remain challenging. We are excited to retain our customers’ loyalty and sustain the market leadership by continuing our customer centric initiatives. As a fundamentally strong brand, Mercedes-Benz continue to remain bullish on the mid to long term prospect of the dynamic Indian market.”

    The Mercedes-Benz E-Class LWB continues to the bestseller for the company followed by the C-Class and GLC SUV. In the same period, sales of AMG models have gone up by 47 per cent. Ahead of the recent budget session, Mercedes-Benz along with SIAM and several other carmakers had requested the budget committee to reduce the GST rates on cars measuring above four-metres to 18 per cent. Companies were expecting to absorb the price hike with tax reduction which could have helped them to control the prices and in-turn would have improved sales.

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  • BMW Group’s Global Sales Grow Marginally By 0.7% In June

    BMW Group’s Global Sales Grow Marginally By 0.7% In June

    Though sales of cars have taken a hit globally, the BMW Group sales continued their positive trend in June. The Group saw a marginal rise of 0.7 per cent in sales compared to the same month last year, with a total of 2,40,674 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles sold worldwide. This brings the company’s total sales for the year to date to 1,252,837 which is up by 0.8 per cent. This is the first time the company has sold more than 1.25 million vehicles in the first half of the year.

    Overall sales of the BMW brand grew by 1.4 per cent in June, with a total of 2,03,523 delivered to customers worldwide in the month. That result brings the brand’s sales total for the first half of the year to 10,75,959 a growth of 1.6 per cent. Both these figures are a new record high for the brand. The new or revised BMW X vehicles continue to be the brand’s biggest growth drivers, with global sales of the BMW X2 up 19.1 per cent in June, while sales of the BMW X3 rose by 66.6 per cent and deliveries of the BMW X4 increased by 70.8 per cent. Less than three months after market launch, a total of 13,555 BMW X7 vehicles have been sold globally and now India too will get the car very soon. In the first half of the year, a total of 4,67,134 BMW X vehicles were delivered to customers worldwide, accounting for 43.4 per cent of the brand’s overall sales; that figure was just 35.8 per cent in the same period last year.

    As far as electric cars are concerned, BMW i sales increased by 22 per cent in the first half of the year, with demand for the BMW i3 increasing by 21.2 per cent in the same period. Sales of the BMW 5 Series plug-in hybrid models increased by 43.4 per cent in the first half-year, while deliveries of the plug-in hybrid MINI Cooper SE Countryman ALL4 rose by 55.8 per cent

    MINI brand sales in the first half of the year decreased slightly. Deliveries in the year to date were down by 3.9 per cent while sales in June decreased by 3.5 per cent.

    Rolls-Royce too delivered a total of 2,534 cars across the globe which showed a growth of 42.3 per cent. Growth was seen in every region worldwide, with sustained demand for all model families. Exceptional customer demand for Cullinan continues, resulting in a strong order book, already stretching into the first quarter of 2020. The marque remains on track for a strong year in 2019.

    BMW Motorrad sales continue to grow strongly, with year-to-date deliveries up 7.1 per cent. In June, a total of 18,230 premium BMW Motorrad motorcycles and maxi scooters were delivered to customers around the world which is a growth of 7.4 per cent.

    As far as regions go, the brand continued to buck the trend in USA, achieving growth of 7.5 per cent in the month, while strong growth of 21.8 per cent was achieved in China. Despite a decline in the premium market in Germany in June, deliveries of BMW vehicles were up 0.5 per cent in the month. The Asian market too showed a strong growth of 6.9 per cent (year-to-date) thanks to all the new launches by the group in various countries.

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  • Kia Seltos SUV Pre-Bookings To Start

    Kia Seltos SUV Pre-Bookings To Start

    Kia Motor India has revealed that pre-bookings for the Seltos SUV will start from July 16, 2019. The bookings will start online as also across its 206 sales points in India. The company has started its innings in India with 265 touchpoints across 160 cities, thus enabling customers from across the country to gain access to its product. The pre-bookings for the Kia Seltos SUV will be made for a token amount of ₹ 25,000. The Seltos will be launched in two trims GT Line and Tech Line and there will be five variants on offer.

    Manohar Bhat, Vice President and Head – Sales and Marketing, Kia Motors India said, “The Kia Seltos has been built from ground-up, keeping Indian customers in mind and is equipped to redefine the segment. I am proud of the hard-work and dedication put in by all our team in the development of the Seltos, and that has paid off in the way the car has come about to be. We are confident that the customers will be equally delighted by the specifications combination and our wide-spread network of 265 touchpoints in 160 cities that will instill confidence and recognition of the brand. We can’t wait for India to experience the stylish Seltos.”

    Under the hood, the Kia Seltos will get the third generation Smartstream engine that will come in three iterations: 1.5-litre petrol, 1.5-litre diesel and the 1.4-litre turbo petrol. There will also be three 3 automatic transmission options alongside the 6-speed manual transmission options – 7DCT, IVT, and 6 AT . The vehicle also sports 3 traction modes – Mud, Snow/Wet and Sand, for a greater grip and control on all surfaces.

    Visually, the Kia Seltos gets the brand’s signature Tiger Nose grille with chrome surrounds, flanked by inverted L-shaped LED headlamps with LED daytime running lights. The SUV also gets a muscular bumper with another set of LED DRLs with chrome bezels, a wide central airdam, and silver skid plate. The top-end model will also get a set of new diamond cut alloy wheels, with the shark-fin antenna and silver roof rails. The rear features a pair of sharp-looking LED taillamps and a beefy rear bumper with brushed silver styling element and a large diffuser.

    There are a host of segment first features that have been included in the Kia Seltos and yes, the list is an exhaustive one. We already told you about the trim levels, it also gets a first in segment 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation. Adding to the premiumness, is an 8-speaker sound system by Bose. Kia has also provided an air purifier which has been placed between the front two seats and provides for an AC vent for rear seat passengers.

    In terms of features, the Seltos will also come with connected technology, which Kia calls UVO, which can be controlled a segment-first 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The SUV also comes with an 8-speaker sound system by Bose, a 360-degree surround camera, and a 7-inch colour TFT unit for the instrument console. With UVO, you can use your phone to operate the car’s ignition, AC controls and more. UVO can also be accessed via a dedicated button on the IRVM, which also has dedicated roadside assistance and SOS buttons that alert the dedicated call centre- in case of an emergency. Safety features include 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, HAC, VSM and is built using advanced high strength steel (AHSS).

  • Triumph Mumbai Dealer Demo Bikes On Sale With Hefty Discounts

    Triumph Mumbai Dealer Demo Bikes On Sale With Hefty Discounts

    Triumph Motorcycle India’s Mumbai dealer is offering its demo bike line-up to potential customers at heavy discounts. The bikes range from the Triumph Bonneville T100, Street Twin, Street Triple, Tiger XCx, and more. The catch though is the manufacturing year for these bikes that were produced in 2017 or 2018, and have a few kilometres on the odometer. The Mumbai dealer is the latest of the Triumph outlets to retail its demo bikes. The Delhi and Jaipur showrooms announced similar discounts on their demo motorcycles few weeks ago. In addition, the Pune dealership has a few demo motorcycles on sale including the Speedmaster, Bonneville T120 and the Street Twin from MY2018.

    The Mumbai dealership is selling the 2018 Triumph Tiger XCX for ₹ 12.5 lakh, while the Tiger XRx is priced at ₹ 12 lakh. Both the bikes have clocked 11,500 km and 7500 km respectively on the odometer.  The 2018 Bonneville T120 has 2266 km on the odometer and is being sold at an on-road price of ₹ 9.5 lakhs. The Triumph Bonneville Speed Master with 2800 km has been priced at ₹ 10.50 lakh, while the 2018 Street Twin with 1401 km can be yours for ₹ 8.4 lakh. The 2017 Triumph Bonneville T100 is being sold at price of ₹ 7.5 lakh.

    There’s a completely new 2018 Triumph Street Scrambler as well with 0 km on the odometer available for ₹ 10.5 lakh. Lastly, the 2018 Street Triple RS is available for ₹ 11.25 lakh, while the Street Triple S with 2540 km can be yours for ₹ 8.5 lakh (all prices, on-road Mumbai). There are limited units of these motorcycles on sale with one or two examples of each at best. The discounts range anything between ₹ 1.5 to ₹ 4 lakh depending on the model, and makes for a good bargain.

    The pricing, dealerships say, has been depreciated taking into account the usage and the present condition. The demo bikes though are unregistered and customers will be the first owners of the motorcycles on paper. The motorcycles also get the two-year standard Triumph warranty as standard that covers unlimited kilometres, which can be extended to an additional two years. The warranty is applicable at all of the brand’s global dealerships and is transferrable as well.

    That said, the condition of the bikes including cosmetic and mechanical damage and the subsequent repairs, if need be, still remain a concern. Demo bikes are usually ridden by prospective customers and can be subjected to use and abuse by multiple riders. Then, there are also concerns of the market value of these bikes that is likely to affect customers that paid full price for their respective motorcycles. A number of Triumph customers that carandbike spoke to remained unaffected though. The customers said that since the demo bikes have likely seen more wear and tear then all-new motorcycles, the pricing in the used market will remain different.

    With the overall market slowdown in the auto sector, the sale of demo bikes could be to liquidate assets that will help dealers stay afloat. The auto industry is collectively witnessing a slowdown in sales across all segments, and dealers have been affected by the slow moving inventory. The second half of the year though is expected to see a growth in volumes across all segments.

  • Tesla Cuts Price Of Model 3

    Tesla Cuts Price Of Model 3

    U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla has lowered the price of its mass-market Model 3 and raised the prices of its premium Model X and S cars.

    The starting price of the Model 3 is now $30,315, from $32,225, Tesla’s website showed on Tuesday. The top-of-the-range Model X now begins at $75,315, rather than $71,325, while the Model S rises to $70,115 from $65,125.

    The prices include potential incentives and petrol savings of $9,875, Tesla said on its website.

    Earlier this month, Tesla said deliveries of all three of its models in the second quarter of this year rose 51% from the previous quarter to a record 95,200 vehicles. The Model 3 accounted for about 80% of the total, underscoring the vehicle’s role as the linchpin of Tesla’s growth strategy.

    The automaker said it expected production and deliveries to continue growing in Q3.

    On Tuesday, Tesla also changed its prices in China, the world’s largest market for electric vehicles.

    Its website showed the Model 3 starting price is now 355,900 yuan ($51,780), down from 421,000 yuan. It lifted the Model X to 790,900 yuan and Model S to 776,900.

    Tesla is building a factory in Shanghai. In May it said it will set a starting price of 328,000 yuan for Model 3 vehicles built at the new factory.

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  • Toyota’s War With Dealer Over Recalls Cost It $16 Million

    Toyota’s War With Dealer Over Recalls Cost It $16 Million

    Toyota Motor Corp. must pay $15.8 million to a California dealer who accused it of retaliating against him because he had developed safety-recall software that was costing the automaker millions of dollars in car repairs.

    A state court jury in Santa Ana on Monday found Toyota liable for unfair interference in a contract Roger Hogan’s two dealerships had with the automaker. But the jury found Toyota didn’t intend to deceive the dealerships by hiding material facts, and as a result didn’t have to pay punitive damages.

    “Other dealerships should be aware that Toyota cannot mishandle safety issues and cannot retaliate against dealerships for their commitment to safety without consequences,” said Amnon Siegel, Hogan’s lawyer. “This jury has put its foot down and said there will be consequences.”

    The owner of Capistrano Toyota and Claremont Toyota accused the Japanese carmaker of concealing that it was planning to oust him from its franchise system as far back as January 2011 while he was investing millions of dollars to expand and renovate his dealerships.

    Hogan claimed that his Autovation program, which he started in 2011 after a massive recall related to complaints about sudden acceleration, was much more efficient than Toyota’s own system in identifying and contacting customers whose vehicles hadn’t had repairs done.

    According to Hogan, Toyota wanted to kill his program, which was also used by other Toyota dealers, and oust him because it was costing the carmaker too much money to fix all the cars Autovation identified.

    “I still have these hundred cars sitting in my lot that I can’t sell,” Hogan said after the verdict. “Even though we prevailed, I still have a hundred vehicles and I will not sell these cars. They’re still unsafe. The jury saw that we did the right thing by stop selling those cars. They understood that they’re still dangerous.”

    Toyota noted the jury discounted $2.3 million from its judgment because it found the dealerships weren’t blameless either and engaged in misconduct.

    “While we respect the jury’s decision, we remain confident the evidence and testimony clearly demonstrated that Toyota abided by its contractual obligations to the Hogan dealerships and has been transparent with its dealers, regulators and customers regarding the vehicle issues raised at trial,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We will consider our options moving forward.”

    At the trial, Toyota denied the allegations and argued that Hogan brought the lawsuit because the carmaker didn’t want to go along with the succession plan for his dealerships. The Autovation program was a for-profit side business Hogan was running in violation of his agreements with Toyota, the automaker’s lawyer said.

  • Mercedes-Benz Introduces Offers Across SUV Range

    Mercedes-Benz Introduces Offers Across SUV Range

    German auto giant Mercedes-Benz completes 25 years in India this year, and as part of its 25th year celebration, the car maker is has announced a number of offers for customers. The manufacturer has introduced offers across its SUV range bringing 25 per cent of additional benefits to the vehicles. The offers are available on the Mercedes-Benz GLC, GLE and the range-topping GLS SUVs, while the entry-level GLA and the sedans have been given a miss for now. The promotional scheme includes 25 per cent more value on interest rates, insurance, service packages, extended warranty and accessories.

    Earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz had organised the 2019 summer camp, offering 25 per cent rebate on select parts for periodic maintenance, applicable for customers who have owned a Mercedes for over five years. The company intended to reach out to 7000 customers this year as part of the service camp. Going forward, it is likely that the company will introduce more offers throughout its vehicle range.There is not discount on the entry-level Mercedes-Benz GLA SUV.

    Mercedes-Benz entered the Indian market in 1994 and was one of the first luxury car makers to establish presence in recent times. The company is headquartered in Chakan, near Pune, where it has an assembly facility as well with the cars being brought via the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) route. The company has invested over ₹ 1000 crore in its operations in India over the years. Over 100,000 cars have been produced at the Chakan plant.

    Mercedes-Benz currently dominates the luxury car market in the country for the fourth consecutive year in terms of volumes. The company is aiming to retain the position and has consistently introduced new products soon after their global launch. The brand is now being spearheaded by Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, who replaced Roland Folger in the second half of 2018. Earlier this year, Santosh Iyer took the role of Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Mercedes-Benz India, and took charge from July 1, 2019, aiming to grow the luxury brand even further. The automaker has 10 car launches planned for this year, which was kicked off with the V-Class MPV in January.

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