American automobile giant General Motors is facing a labour strike at its Halol plant in Gujarat. Over 700 workers are on an indefinite stike at the factory site. This is the second strike at the factory in the last 5 months. The company has reported the strike as illegal.
The Halol plant is very important in terms of GM’s future plans in India. Production had been ramped up recently to roll out LCVs which is manufactured in association with GM’s Chinese partner SAIC. In last December, the company had signed an settlement agreement for 3 years covering salary increase and productivity related matters with the Employees Union. The workers on strike belong to a new union formed in the company.
According to Mr. P Balendran (VP – Corporate Affairs, GM India), “A group of employess who opposed to the earlier settlement agreement have gone on stike without notice. Government authorites have intervined into the matter and have declared the strike as Illegal. The workers on strike are threatening and attempting to stop the workers who are willing to work and forcing them to join their illegal strike.”
He also said that workers who were willing to work had already resumed to the duty and the management takes this opportunity to appeal to the remaining striking workers to stop threatening their fellow workmen and resume to their duties failing which the management will be left with no option to initiate action against striking men.
BMW took a bold step in launching the X6 crossover last year. The success of X6 has inspired Audi to develop Q6 which will be positioned between the Q5 and Q7.
Details of the project are limited. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has hinted that the company is looking at a model between Q5 and Q7 which will be a coupe like, four wheel driven. The crossover will feature a sporty styling and will be built on the same platform of that of VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne
Engine for Q6 could be borrowed from Q7 but according to rumors a hybrid powertrain as well as the turbocharged 4.0 liter V8 of Audi S6 could find its place.
The Q6 might debut after the launch of redesigned Q7 in 2013. We might have to want to an year to see Q6 in India.
Honda has officially unveiled its much anticipated small car Brio in Thailand. Brio is the small car from Honda for the emerging markets like Thailand, India and China. Brio Concept was showcased as Auto Expo last year in New Delhi. Brio was to be unveiled in India on the 17th of March but due to the Tsunami affecting Japan which is the home country of Honda, it has been postponed. Brio is likely to be launched in India by September this year. Honda is expected to raise the bar and set a new standard for small cars in terms of design, packaging, cabin comfort and fuel-efficiency in India.
The Brio is powered by a 1.2L 4 cylinder i-VTEC petrol engine that produces 90 Bhp of power. The engine promises to give better performance by delivering stress free driving experience at any rpm. Fuel efficiency is again class leading with 20 Kmpl.
The Brio also features Honda’s safety technologies such as dual SRS front airbags, disc brakes, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) which enhances braking performance. These features are available in all versions.
Honda’s G-Force Control (G-CON) technology gives Brio high performance body features and enhances driving performance, ride comfort and collision safety. The high performance body satisfies standars for both front and side impacts as specified by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)’s regulations 94 and 95.
The Brio is available in 3 variants – SMT, VMT & VAT. It is priced in the range of 399,999 Bhat to 508,500 Bhat which is Rs. 6 – 7.5 lakh in Indian currency. 5 colour options are available - Fresh Lime Metallic, Taffeta White, Cerulean Blue Metallic, Alabaster Silver Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl.
The Halol plant is very important in terms of GM’s future plans in India. Production had been ramped up recently to roll out LCVs which is manufactured in association with GM’s Chinese partner SAIC. In last December, the company had signed an settlement agreement for 3 years covering salary increase and productivity related matters with the Employees Union. The workers on strike belong to a new union formed in the company.
