Tag: JLR

Tata Motors Group July global sales down by 14% at 78,600 units

Global wholesales of passenger vehicles have increased by 4 per cent in July 2019, compared to the same month last year, with 52,432 units sold. New Delhi: Tata Motors Group has registered a 14 per cent decline in its global wholesales with 78,000 units sold in July 2019. The number includes Jaguar Land Rover global… Continue reading Tata Motors Group July global sales down by 14% at 78,600 units

Agents of change ‘Shine Bright’

Newsroom/Stories/Agents of change 'Shine Bright'

Agents of change 'Shine Bright'

At the launch of author Rashmi Bansal's tenth book, Shine Bright, (L-R) Kirti Poonia, Head at Okhai, Vineet Gautam, CEO, Bestseller India, Dr Pawan Goenka, MD, M&M, Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, Chairman, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and R Mukundan, MD and CEO, Tata Chemicals.

Is being an entrepreneur the only way to bring about an impact? What if you could do things that entrepreneurs do, but within the structure of an organization? Shine Bright, the latest book by best-selling author Rashmi Bansal chronicles inspiring stories from CEOs, including Dr Pawan Goenka, MD, M&M. The book takes us on a ride, up close and personal which is equal parts arduous and fulfilling. Tracing his tryst with destiny that began in a small village on the outskirts of MP and took him to Kolkata, Kanpur, and then the US, Dr Goenka speaks from the heart in 'Shine Bright', and drives home the fact that if one is not stuck' to the job, they too can be an agent of change.

Sharing anecdotes from his job interview with Anand Mahindra back in 1992, Dr Goenka, said, 'Looking at my resume at that time nobody would have considered me fit for the job that I was hired for because I knew all about a job that nobody cared about. Whereas in this job I had to do something much broader than what I had ever done in my life. Anand Mahindra only said – If you believe in the dream, and if it challenges you come and join the team. There was no discussion about the role, the designation or to whom I would report. Anand’s vision for R&D clinched the deal and I signed on the dotted line.'

Under Pawan Goenka's able leadership, Mahindra Auto now competes with global giants – and outperforms them. From taking charge of the R&D facility in Nashik to developing the iconic Scorpio from scratch, the professional struggle, personal turmoil and resilience through the years, shaped Dr Goenka into an ‘intrapreneur'.

French company makes EV conversions easy for old clunkers

Off-the-shelf EV conversions aren't just for classic cars like Prince Harry's Jaguar anymore.

French startup Transition One plans to make it easy to convert a wide variety of average old cars in the country to electric power by building a standard conversion kit. The company says the kit will fit several top-selling models in Europe, including the Renault Twingo II, Fiat 500, Citroën C1, Peugeot 107, Toyota Aygo, and VW Polo.

The kit will sell for about $9,400 (8,500 Euros), and buyers can receive a 3,500 Euro tax credit in France, bringing the equivalent cost down to about $5,500. The company plans to complete each conversion in about four hours, once production is up and running.

The company has started by building a prototype electric car from a 2009 Renault Twingo, a small hatchback about the size of a Toyota Yaris. It uses Tesla battery modules in three packs under the hood, along with the motor and power electronics, and two more battery packs where the gas tank once sat.

Classic Mini Cooper electric conversion by Swind

The packs weigh 265 pounds, giving it about 18 kilowatt-hours of energy, which the company says will deliver about 112 miles of range in the Twingo.

In an interview with Bloomberg, company founder Aymeric Libeau said, “I’m selling to people who can’t afford a brand new 20,000 Euro [$22,200] electric car.”

The plan might be compared to that of Montreal's Ecotuned—aiming to convert old Ford F-150s with dying gas powertrains to electric power for fleets. The types of large, body-on-frame trucks that Ecotuned converts are as plentiful in North America as the small cars that Transition One plans to convert are in Europe. Other conversion companies—and some automakers—have begun focused conversion efforts on certain classics, such as the Jaguar E-Type, Porsche 911, and the original Mini Cooper.

Libeau still needs to get his conversions approved by European regulators, which he says he expects to receive by the end of the year. Transition One is also seeking financing to buy a factory to produce up to 400 of the conversions a year, and plans to open orders in September to test the market demand.

S&P reaffirms B+ rating on Tata Motors with negative outlook

The ratings agency, however, cautioned that it may lower the ratings by one notch if it sees diminishing prospects of turnaround at JLR. NEW DELHI: Ratings agency S&P has reaffirmed Tata Motors‘ long-term issuer and issue credit ratings to be ‘vulnerable to nonpayment’ while keeping the outlook negative. S&P Global Ratings said it has reaffirmed… Continue reading S&P reaffirms B+ rating on Tata Motors with negative outlook

New cars can be broken into in 10 seconds

Some of the UK’s newest and most popular cars are at risk of being stolen in seconds, by exploiting weaknesses in keyless entry systems. The systems let drivers open and start their cars without taking their key out of their pocket. What Car? magazine tested seven different car models fitted with keyless entry and start… Continue reading New cars can be broken into in 10 seconds

EV startup NIO sold its Formula E racing team

Chinese EV startup NIO has sold the majority stake in its Formula E all-electric racing series team, according to longtime motorsports journalist Sam Smith. The company will remain a sponsor, a person familiar with the sale tells The Verge, but Chinese motorsports promotion company Lisheng Racing bought the stake and will run the team’s operations… Continue reading EV startup NIO sold its Formula E racing team

Tens of thousands losing jobs as India’s auto crisis deepens

The malaise has been spreading across much of the industry, both in terms of vehicle type and components as well as geographically in India’s manufacturing hubs. By Sudarshan Varadhan, Aditi Shah and Aftab Ahmed NEW DELHI : Slumping sales of cars and motorcycles are triggering massive job cuts in India’s auto sector, with many companies… Continue reading Tens of thousands losing jobs as India’s auto crisis deepens

Demands for higher taxation: Front against SUV in Germany is growing

In view of the ongoing SUV boom, the Federal Environment Agency has pleaded for more expensive vehicles with high CO2 emissions for more climate protection. “We have to find measures to promote climate-friendly mobility,” said the President of the Federal Environment Agency, Maria Krautzberger, the German Press Agency. A proposal of the Federal Environmental Agency… Continue reading Demands for higher taxation: Front against SUV in Germany is growing

Tata Motors announces partnership with Tata Power to set up public EV charging infrastructure

To be operated by Tata Power, the companies plan to set up 300 charging stations across Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad by the end of the fiscal year 2019-20. MUMBAI: To address the concern of a lack of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, Tata Motors announced a partnership with another group company Tata… Continue reading Tata Motors announces partnership with Tata Power to set up public EV charging infrastructure