John Paul Xavier of IIT Mumbai wins 'Design the next Chevrolet Contest'

     ‘Design the next Chevrolet Contest’ organized by General Motors India has been won by John Paul Xavier from Industrial Design Centre, IIT Mumbai and is awarded with a brand new Chevrolet Beat. Sachin Panchal from DSK international School of Design, Pune is the first runner up of the contest.

     General Motors India had organized the Design Contest in India for young and aspiring engineering/ design students to encourage to opt for automobile designing career and to provide Indian automobile manufacturers with talented designers from India. Over 1000 participants took part from across the country out of which 40 designers were shortlisted.








     The main objective of the contest was to design a car of Indian tastes, preferences and requirements. The panel of judges included Karl Slym, President & Managing Director, GM India, Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor-in-Chief, Autocar, Anil Saini, Director, GM India Design, Global Network Teams & Sumit Sawhney, Vice-President, Sales, Marketing & After-Sales, GM India who shortlisted the candidates on the parameters like aesthetics and visual appeal, ergonomics, developmental potential and overall presentation. The jury also kept in mind Indian driving conditions, the environment and safety.


Press Release:
Karl Slym, President & Managing Director, GM India –
“We at GM India, always believe styling and designing of vehicles to be an integral part of whole manufacturing process, and have always recognized and encouraged the designers who are helping to develop India as a destination for automotive styling and designing. The design contest offered a platform to the young students who aspire to make it big the in the field of automotive designing which eventually will benefit the automotive industry in the long term.”

The brand new look Tata Aria website and an exciting contest

     Tata Aria, the first Indian Crossover, is pleased to bring you 2 exciting new developments.

    The Tata Aria website has a brand new look. Now, along with the Share feature, Build your Aria, Blog and Gallery, the Tata Aria also has a dynamic homepage which changes according to the time of the day. There are 2 exciting new Tata Aria tunes which you can enjoy.

     Also, apart from the User, Owner reviews there is also the latest contest “Challenge of the Day – Cricket Guesstimations”. This T20 season you can win amazing prizes by following Tata Aria on Facebook  and simply making a guess. You can win a prize every day.

Next generation Land Rover Defender under development

     Tata Motors owned British Iconic SUV manufacturer Land Rover is developing the next generation Defender. The Defender which is an Icon itself from a bygone era will be built on an all new platform and be available in variety of body styles. The next generation Defender concept can be seen by 2013 and a production model by 2015.

2011 All new Ford Fiesta sedan unveiled in India

     Ford India has launched its all new Fiesta sedan in India. The company has not yet announced the price details of the car but it is expected to be priced much below its competitor Honda City.


     Ford had announced earlier that it would launch eight new products in India by 2015 and the all new Fiesta sedan is one of them. Following the sedan will be the hatchback version of Fiesta which has been found testing in Indian soil.
The all new Fiesta is built on the platform shared with the Mazda 2. Ford has tuned this platform to its own standards which give it a very comfortable ride and agile handling.

     Powering the new Fiesta is a 1.6 litre petrol engine with 120 Bhp of power and a 1.6 liter diesel mill with 64 Bhp of power and 20.7 Kg of torque. The diesel engine with good torque gives a very petrol like feel.


     Lots of technology features keeps the new Fiesta apart from its competitors specially the Honda City. The new Fiesta comes with lot of features such as voice control tech with Bluetooth to pair with mobile phones, pull drive compensation, a suspension that helps reduce understeer in a front wheel drive car and rear parking sensors.

Source: ACI

Force India F1 Team Academy launched, racing talent search begins

     India’s only F1 team Force India has launched Force India F1 Team Academy with an idea to search the racing talent in India and providing vocational and academic training for young Indians aspiring to a serious professional career in motorsports.

     The Force India F1 Team Academy is a non-profit entity which will devote in three key areas 1. Talent Vertical – Identifying and nurturing racing talent in India, Vocational Training Vertical – Providing vocational training for a career in motor sport or related industries and Academic Programmes Vertical – Providing specialized academic courses/programmes related to the field of motorsports.




Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman & Team Principal, Force India Formula One Team - 
“The setting up of the Force India F1 Team Academy is a historic milestone in the sports arena in India especially since it marks the first time ever that anyone has embarked on such an ambitious programme to create a pool of talent and groom aspirants who show exceptional promise by providing them the necessary corporate funding and support backed with a crystal-clear professional career path in motorsport so that one day, they can go on to represent India in the international arena and hopefully bring glory to the nation”.

Renault COO resigns, could hit Indian operations

     French automobile company Renault has reported that Mr. Patrick Pelata, the Chief Operating Officer of the company has resigned from the post. Mr. Patrick Pelata was involved greatly with Renault’s Indian operation and his exit would means some trouble for Renault in India.


     Renault has been looking Indian market for some time and sees huge potential here as Indian automarket is growing leaps and bounds. The company’s exit from JV with its Indian partner Mahindra could be the first set back and with the resignation of COO Renault’s Indian dream could be a distant one.

     Sources say Mr. Patrick Pelata was an important link from Paris with the top management here in India. He managed Renault’s Indian operations for 5 years and was bullish over Indian market inspite of initial setback of Logan. His resignation could be linked with removal of 3 Renault staff who were caught spying in the company. However, the company maintains that its Indian operations will not have any affect and would go on as per the plans.

Source: Wheelosphere

Yamaha official team partner of Deccan Chargers

     Japanese two wheeler giant Yamaha has tied up with IPL franchise Deccan Chargers (DC) as an official team partner for the IPL season 4. The deal entitles Yamaha the right to mention it as the “Official Team Partner” status in all its advertising and promotions, including web promotions, right to be mentioned in all official media release by the team, right to unlimited usage of team name and logo. Yamaha can also use images and signatures of minimum three players of the team along with access for two players for promotional events.

     IPL being the most watched sports event after the ICC World Cup, Yamaha wants to capitalize itself by strong branding and reaching out to customers. It wants to capture the youth share of market by promoting its products through youth studded IPL.

Source: ET