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Tag: car

  • Volvo Car India Announces Lifetime Parts Warranty Scheme

    Volvo Car India Announces Lifetime Parts Warranty Scheme

    Volvo Car India announced a new “customer lifetime parts warranty” scheme across its model range. Under the new scheme, parts bought after the standard period of warranty and installed at an authorized workshop will carry a lifetime warranty and will be applicable on genuine parts bought from October 1, 2021. The coverage period begins on the date of purchase of the part and remains till the time the ownership of the car does not change. However, the scheme will lapse when the ownership changes. Under this scheme, both parts and the labor costs are covered. The initiative has been taken to provide customers reassurance on aftersales services given the high spare parts and replacement cost in luxury cars.

    Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director, Volvo Car India said, “It is for the first time in India that such an initiative has been offered to the luxury customers. This is a unique offer in the automotive industry that gives the customer carefree and secure car ownership. In the unlikely event of customers requiring a part changed for their car, the company will give a lifetime warranty on the part. The warranty commences on the date of purchase of the part and will follow the combination of car and car owner. If the car has a new registered owner, the warranty will end.”

    Moreover, the company also reaffirmed that any genuine Volvo part which will require repair or replacement because of material or manufacturing defect will be repaired or replaced free of charge by an authorized dealer. However, the scheme is not applicable of normal wear and tear of parts, consumables, batteries, accessories, and Software which is not associated with a hardware replacement. Also, parts replaced under new car warranty or extended warranty or goodwill warranty would not be covered under this scheme.

  • Apple Developing A System For iPhone To Control ACs, Seats, Stereo In Cars

    Apple Developing A System For iPhone To Control ACs, Seats, Stereo In Cars

    Apple already has CarPlay which is highly successful as it allows users to beam the interface and features of their iPhone onto the infotainment system of their vehicles. It allows to get navigation, voice recognition via Siri and also taps into contacts and music streaming services. But Apple as per a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman is working on a bolder system that will enable the iPhone to control core features of a car like the air conditioning, the seats, and even the stereo. The initiative internally is apparently called “IronHeart” and is in the early stages of development and will likely require the compliance of automakers.

    The automotive market is clearly a long-term goal for Apple as it also has its electric self-driving car project in the works called Project Titan. But that project is a long-term play and has had many issues, but in the meanwhile, Apple has made solid inroads with CarPlay. One of the latest automobile-focused features that Apple introduced in 2020 was CarKey which has even been emulated by Google.

    But IronHeart takes things to another level and it will provide inside and outside temperature and humidity readings. It will have information around temperature zones, fans, and defroster systems. There will be settings embedded for surround sound speakers, EQ settings which Apple doesn’t even provide for Apple Music, and fader and balancer settings; things that are standard in a car infotainment system that allows the user to sculpt the sound of the sound system in the car.

    Users will also be able to control the seats and armrests and it will also embed the car telematics data and will pull information from the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel instrument clusters – basically, Apple is trying to combine all the functions that are found in both the infotainment screen and the instrument cluster and make it accessible right from the iPhone. Apple is turning CarPlay into the interface for the car itself and potentially with access to such data, Apple could allow third parties to develop more apps over these core functions.

    Apple has faced resistance from major manufacturers like Tesla with the adoption of CarPlay. The updates that Apple is working on will reduce the reliance on the core car infotainment interface and most users will likely default to Apple’s interface. Apple could also use this information that will further help its efforts to make its own car which has been a tumultuous project since 2015.

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  • Geneva Motor Show Cancelled For The Third Time

    Geneva Motor Show Cancelled For The Third Time

    Due to industry-wide issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation Comité permanent du Salon international de l’automobile, as organiser of the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS), has announced that the 2022 edition of the show will be canceled. The decision to cancel GIMS 2022 was made with the best interests of both car manufacturers and automotive fans in mind. The direct and indirect issues relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic left the organisers with no alternative.

    On the one hand, direct issues of the pandemic include continued travel restrictions for international exhibitors, visitors, and journalists. On the other hand, indirect issues of the pandemic, such as the semiconductor shortage, have presented car manufacturers with new priorities that they need to solve first. These issues led to several recent cancellations, which resulted in the final confirmation of the show’s postponement

    Maurice Turrettini, President of the Comité permanent du Salon international de l’automobile said, “We have pushed very hard and tried everything to reactivate the Geneva International Motor Show in 2022. Despite all our efforts, we have to face the facts and the reality: the pandemic situation is not under control and presents itself as a big threat for a large indoor event like GIMS. But we see this decision as a postponement, rather than a cancellation. I am confident that the Geneva International Motor Show will come back stronger than ever in 2023.”

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  • Continental Restructures Technology Unit, Downsizes Board

    Continental Restructures Technology Unit, Downsizes Board

    Continental’s tyres business and the ContiTech division, focused on rubber technologies, will become independent group sectors, while its Automotive Technologies branch will split into five business areas including a new focus on smart mobility and user experience.

    German car parts maker Continental announced plans for a restructuring that will combine from the start of next year business activities around connectivity, mobility, and high-performance computers, it said on Thursday. Its tyres business and the ContiTech division, focused on rubber technologies, will become independent group sectors, while its Automotive Technologies branch will split into five business areas including a new focus on smart mobility and user experience, a statement said.

    The restructuring is a further step by Continental to reorganise its business after spinning off its powertrain unit Vitesco in mid-September.

    Continental will combine business activities around connectivity, mobility, and high-performance computer

    “Mobility of the future is sustainable, automated and connected,” Chief Executive Nicola Setzer said in a statement. “We are thus making the most of the potential presented by our unique strong technology position in all of these fields.”

    As part of the restructuring, management board members Helmut Matschi and Frank Jourdan will step down, nearly three years before the end of their contracts. That will shrink Continental’s board to five members from Jan. 1.

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  • Samsung turns Galaxy smartphones into digital car keys

    Samsung turns Galaxy smartphones into digital car keys

    Samsung is making its Galaxy devices even more useful than they are right now with the addition of a new feature that will turn them into digital car keys. Thanks to the revolutionary UWB technology, Samsung Galaxy users will be able to unlock, lock, and start their cars using their smartphones.

    UWB is a short-range, wireless communication protocol that uses radio waves to function, similar to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Unlike these two though, UWB sends radio wave at a much higher frequency, enabling highly accurate spatial awareness and directional capabilities that allow smartphones to correctly understand their surroundings better.

    More importantly, UWB enables passive entry, which means you’ll be able to lock and unlock your car, start the engine, open the trunk and even activate your personalized settings through your smartphone. The digital key can be shared if you’re lending your car to a friend, and you can even set a time limit on how long the shared key will work.

    Initially, Samsung’s digital key will be available in NFC and UWB with the Genesis V60 luxury electric vehicle in South Korea by the end of the year. Also, the smartphone maker announced that the UWB digital key is compatible with Galaxy S21+ and Ultra, Note 20 Ultra and Z Fold 2 and 3.

  • China Tells Firms To Boost Cyber, Data Security Oversight On Connected Vehicles

    China Tells Firms To Boost Cyber, Data Security Oversight On Connected Vehicles

    China’s industry ministry published a notice on Thursday telling companies to step up cyber and data security oversight over connected vehicles, saying that security risks in the industry had become increasingly prominent.

    All relevant companies should establish data security management systems and regularly assess risks from network attacks, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement.

  • Stellantis To Push Into Challenging Indian Market With Citroen

    Stellantis To Push Into Challenging Indian Market With Citroen

    Carmaker Stellantis plans to launch a new model in India and Latin America next year under its Citroen brand, the group said on Thursday, as it aims to push out of its European turf and branch further into emerging markets where it has less exposure.

    The plan marks Citroen’s return to India, a market it left in the 1930s, and comes at a time when some other foreign carmakers are leaving the country after struggling to make a profit.

    Stellantis, which was formed earlier this year by the merger between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot-maker PSA, has brands like Jeep and Ram in the United States, but is still aiming to reduce its reliance on Europe.

    The company said it plans to produce a new version of the Citroen C3, positioned as a city car in Europe, in India and Latin America for launch in the second half of 2022.

    Citroen said it would be the first of three models which it will produce and aim at India and Latin America over the next three years.

    Stellantis has said it expects India to become the world’s third-biggest car market after China and the United States by 2030 with total new cars in the country reaching 4-5 million cars a year.

    Still, the country has proved challenging for many foreign carmakers, which compete with local manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki there as well as South Korea’s Hyundai. Ford last week said it was stopping production in India.

    Stellantis aims to grow sales outside Europe to 30% of its revenue by the middle of this decade, compared to 15% now.

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  • Lightyear Raises $110 Million To Bring Its Solar Electric Car To Market

    Lightyear Raises $110 Million To Bring Its Solar Electric Car To Market

    Lightyear which is a startup that has been developing electric cars based on solar power has announced a $110 million in a round of funding that will enable it Bira its vehicle to the markets The company came to prominence when it was spun out of Solar Team Eindhoven which was basically a group of engineering students from the Technical university of Eindhoven who were competing in the world solar challenge with their  Stella and Stella Lux energy positive solar cars. These cars were producing more energy than they consumed.

    The Solar Team Eindhoven even recently unveiled a solar RV also, but Lightyear has graduated to becoming a full fledged automotive player than a college project. The project which was announced back in 2019 promised an electric sedan with integrated solar cells and that enabled it to give a whopping range of 725 kilometres based on the WLTP cycle.

    The team at Lightyear has made bold claims of an 724 kilometre range

    “We reached the $110 million funding milestone with the help of one of the largest international insurers in the Netherlands, Cooperation DELA. This investment aligns with their long-term focus on sustainability. Together, we can work on our shared mission of bringing clean mobility to everyone, everywhere,” said the company.

    “It is great to see the acknowledgment from investors, which is a testament to the confidence that they have in Lightyear. Thanks to the trust and funding received from our investors, we can further grow as a company and bring our Lightyear One exclusive model on the market in 2022,” said Lex Hoefsloot, the CEO and cofounder of the company.

    It still plans to deliver the first units to the market in 2022 but it must be noted that this car will not come cheap as it will cost upwards of $100,000 at around $170,000 for a starting price.

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  • Covid restrictions put the brakes on car sales

    Covid restrictions put the brakes on car sales

    The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association said its members sold only 7,714 vehicles in August, the lowest number in seven years.

    Their sales were down 68 percent year-on-year for the month and 47 percent from July.

    The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association said its members sold only 7,714 vehicles in August, the lowest number in seven years.Their sales were down 68 percent year-on-year for the month and 47 percent from July.

    It marked the fifth consecutive month of decline for the industry, which attributed the slump to social distancing amid Covid-19 in many provinces and cities, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

    The country’s largest automaker and non-member TC Motor, which assembles Huyndaicars, saw sales plummet by 60 percent year-on-year in August to 2,182.

    VAMA members have sold 157,777 vehicles so far this year, up 8 percent from 2020.

    Car sales increased sharply in the second half of 2020 after a 50 percent cut was made to registration fees, which are substantial at 10-12 percent of the vehicle price. There have been no rate cuts this year.

    TC Motor’s sales for the year were down 2 percent to 40,248 units, the first time ever its sales have declined.

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  • Sales Of Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Crosses The Three Lakh Milestone

    Sales Of Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Crosses The Three Lakh Milestone

    Maruti Suzuki reports that the total sales of the Ciaz sedan have crossed the three lakh milestone. The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz was launched in 2014 and it becomes the fastest model in its segment to achieve the landmark. The Ciaz is offered only with a 1.5-litre petrol engine which makes 102 bhp at 6,000 rpm against 138 Nm at 4,400 rpm. Customers can choose between a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 4-speed torque converter automatic unit. Prices for the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz start at ₹ 8.72 lakh and go up to ₹ 11.71 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

    Speaking on the milestone, Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Since its launch in 2014, Ciaz has redefined the segment with its class-leading space, design and sophistication & has witnessed a resounding success in the highly competitive premium sedan segment. The milestone of 3 Lakh sales demonstrates customer’s faith and confidence in the brand”.

    Recently, Maruti Suzuki issued a massive recall for petrol models of the Ciaz, Ertiga, Vitara Brezza and XL6 vehicles. According to the company’s regulatory filing on the Bombay Stock Exchange, a total of 181,754 units, manufactured between May 4, 2018 and October 27, 2020, are said to be affected. The carmaker has said that the recall is for the inspection and replacement of the vehicle’s motor generator unit, which may have a potential safety defect. The company further stated that the inspection and replacement will be done free of cost.

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  • Vietnam’s biggest auto expo canceled again

    Vietnam’s biggest auto expo canceled again

    The Vietnam Motor Show, the biggest automobile expo in the country, has been canceled for the second year running over Covid-19 impacts.

    This year’s show was originally scheduled to be held next month.

    Members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) and the Vehicles Importers Vietnam Association (VIVA) said in a joint statement the VMS 2021 has been canceled as was VMS 2020.

    Earlier, the VMS 2021 organization board had planned to postpone the expo to the last week of November or the second week of December, but found that such plans were not feasible. The board is expected to make an official announcement about the cancellation soon.

    The VMS 2019 in HCMC drew the participation of 15 firms that displayed over 100 new cars. Many firms in the supporting industry also participated in the event that drew over 200,000 visitors.

    Vietnam’s car sales rose 27 percent year-on-year to over 166,500 units in the first seven months, thanks to a surge in the first quarter.

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  • Volvo’s Global Sales Down By 10% In August

    Volvo’s Global Sales Down By 10% In August

    Volvo Cars reported global sales of 45,786 cars in August, down 10.6 percent compared with the same period last year. Overall underlying demand in the car industry and for Volvo Cars’ products remained very robust. Since mid-July, supplier shut-downs due to Covid-19 in South East Asia, especially in Malaysia, has worsened an already strained supply situation. These material shortages have led to temporary production halts at Volvo Cars’ facilities in Sweden, Belgium, China and the US, with reduced production volumes as a result.

    Volvo Cars continue to monitor the situation and currently expects that, for the second half of 2021, it will be challenging to achieve the volume levels achieved during the same period in 2020. This will have an impact on revenue and profit. In the first eight months of the year, the company sold 483,426 cars globally, up 26.1 percent compared with the same period last year.

    The sales of Volvo Cars’ Recharge line-up of chargeable models remained strong and accounted for 24.2 percent of all cars sold in the month. In Europe, Volvo Cars reached an all-time high as 47.0 percent of all cars sold in August were from the Recharge line-up.

    The US reported a solid sales performance in August with 10,686 cars sold, a 3.0 percent increase compared with the same period last year. The increase was led by strong customer demand, mainly for the XC90 – which was the best-selling model – followed by the XC60.

    In Europe, Volvo Cars reached an all-time high as 47.0 percent of all cars sold in August were from the Recharge line-up.

    For the month of August, sales in China were impacted by the Covid-19 outbreaks in South East Asia. This led to lowered retail deliveries despite strong underlying demand and order intake. Total volumes for the month reached 13,112 cars, down 17.2 percent compared with August last year.

    European sales for the month were 13,052 cars, a 25.4 percent decline compared with the same period last year. The decline in sales was related to the material shortage, which affected the production volumes and, consequently, the sales performance in the region.

  • Hyundai’s Global Sales Down By 7.6 Percent In August 2021

    Hyundai’s Global Sales Down By 7.6 Percent In August 2021

    Hyundai Motor Company has announced its global sales for the month of August 2021. Compared to 318,700 units sold in August 2020, the automaker recorded a decline in sales of 7.6 percent as it sold 294,591 units in the last month. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, Hyundai recorded a de-growth of 6 percent selling 313,451 units in August 2021. The automaker expects the sales could drop further for the rest of this year amid adverse business conditions caused by issues like global chip shortage and COVID-19 resurgence.

    Sales at Hyundai’s home market, Korea, slipped by 6.5 per cent year on year to 51,034 units. Compared to 59,856 units sold in July 2021, the carmaker has registered a Month-on-Month (M-o-M) de-growth of over 14 per cent. The carmaker says the sales were mainly affected due to the COVID-19 resurgence and the disruption of the semiconductor supply chain.

    For markets other than Korea, sales declined 7.8 percent to 243,557 units compared with 264,110 units a year earlier. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the automaker witnessed a drop of 4 per cent selling 253,595 units in July 2021.

    Last month, Hyundai has recorded a 2.3 percent growth in India.

    However, there was good news emerging out of India as the carmaker saw a growth of 2.3 percent last month. The South Korean automaker sold 46,866 units last month compared to 45,809 units sold in the corresponding month in 2020.

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  • Suzuki Expects 60% Drop In September Production Due To Chip Shortage

    Suzuki Expects 60% Drop In September Production Due To Chip Shortage

    India’s top carmaker Maruti Suzuki said on Tuesday that the global chip shortage will hurt production at its plants in the states of Haryana and Gujarat in September. Total production volume across both locations could be around 40% of normal output, it said in a regulatory filing.

    Top Indian carmakers, like their global peers, have been hit by semiconductor supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, which drove up demand for chips used in electronics like computers as people worked from home, and hit output at many automakers.

    Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd have already warned of the impact from rising commodity prices and a global shortage of semiconductors, combined with pandemic uncertainty.

    In July, Tata Motors said it expected the chip supply crunch in the second quarter to be greater than in the first, likely resulting in wholesale volumes for its Jaguar Land Rover to be about 50% lower than planned.

    Analysts earlier said Maruti was better positioned than rivals as it was not dependent on a single vendor for chips.

    However, Maruti Chairman RC Bhargava has indicated the semiconductor crisis was not over and that it is difficult to predict what happens next.

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  • Oil Falls In Biggest Weekly Decline In Months On Demand Worries

    Oil Falls In Biggest Weekly Decline In Months On Demand Worries

    Oil prices fell about 1% lower on Friday, posting to their steepest weekly losses in months, on worries that travel restrictions to curb the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 will derail the global recovery in energy demand. Crude futures also came under pressure as the dollar strengthened after monthly U.S. job growth came in higher than expected. A stronger dollar makes greenback-denominated oil more expensive for buyers in other currencies.

    Brent crude oil futures settled down 59 cents, or 0.8%, at $70.70, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 81, or 1.2%, to settle at $68.28 a barrel.

    For the week, global benchmark Brent shed more than 6%, its largest week of losses in four months, and WTI tumbled nearly 7% in its biggest weekly decline in nine months.

    “The price action we see now is really a function of the macro picture,” said Howie Lee, an economist at Singapore bank OCBC. “The Delta variant is now really starting to hit home and you see risk aversion in many markets, not just oil.”

    Growth in the rig count has slowed in recent months as drillers continue to focus on capital discipline.

    U.S. President Joe Biden said that COVID-19 cases in the United States, which have climbed to a six-month high, will go up before they come down and that the new Delta variant is taking a needless toll on the country.

    Japan is poised to expand emergency restrictions to more regions of the country, while China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, has imposed curbs in some cities and canceled flights.

    “Increased travel restrictions in China have come under the microscope of traders and could become a key oil price mover as this month proceeds,” said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates LLC in Galena, Illinois.

    U.S. oil rigs rose two to 387 this week, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said. Growth in the rig count has slowed in recent months as drillers continue to focus on capital discipline.

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