Leading Japanese car manufacturer, Nissan Motor, is planning to sell more than 1,00,000 vehicles per year. Company plans for an aggressive launch in all segments ranging from entry-level cars, sedans, Hatchbacks to SUVs and light commercial vehicles.

CURRENTLY NISSAN X-Trail and Teana shine on the Indian roads and by 2012, the company will launch eight new models, out of which, four will be locally manufactured. Nissan Murano – the premium Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) will hit the Indian roads in 2009. The company is also planning an entry-level compact car that will be powered with an engine between one-litre and 1.2-litre and a light commercial vehicle.
In 2010, a new hatch back model will be also launched and the production for the vehicle is expected to begin next year at its Chennai factory. The hatch back model will carry the price tag ranging from Rs 3 lakhs to Rs 4 lakhs.

Nissan sees India as the future strategic market for them and there are tremendous potential. Another project that they are working on is with Renault, where they are setting up a Greenfield plant near Chennai in Tamilnadu with an investment of Rs 450 crores and will start its operations early 2010.

Nissan has also entered into an agreement to buy vehicles from Maruti Suzuki India to source its A-star to export it to Europe and also plans to export its own small car from India in a joint venture with Renault and Bajaj Auto.

Ford launched its new Fiesta Compact in the Geneva Motor show this year. It could be launched in India in coming times. Boneham, current ED of Ford India, said, “”It can be a possibility and we are studying this.” Boneham takes over Arvind Matthew as MD next month. Arvind Matthew shall be heading Michigan to be a part of the development team for the parent company.

Ford is planning to become a major player in India in the coming years. It has also made considerable investments to expand its dealer networks and strengthened its distribution across the country. Currently Ford India is under the process of integrating its domestic operations with global vehicle platforms. “Ford is changing perspective towards global platforms. We are looking at global platforms to make them part of the India strategy,” said Boneham.

Ford Fiesta Compact shall be on roads in Europe, Asia and South Africa, Australia and North America by mid-2010. However, each country shall have its regionally tailored model to suit the specific needs and style.

If you want to sell your car, you need to know a few things before doing so. Here are tips on how you can sell your car the best way.

- There are different ways you can sell your car. You can go through a dealership or you can sell it yourself. It is more convenient when you sell your car to a dealer, but your car may be priced below what you anticipate. On the other hand, you can get a better price if you sell it yourself, but it will take much of your time and effort.

Whether you decide to enter to a dealership or sell your car by yourself, you need to know the market. Research how your type of car sells today and look for what other buyers at looking to buy. This way you can price of your car accordingly. You should highlight the features that your car has in order to match the desired market.

Choose how you will advertise your car. You can simply put a CAR FOR SALE sign on it so that every where you go you advertise it, or you can be more serious about marketing and place an advertisement online or inn the classified ads of your local newspaper.

If you decide to place an ad in the classifieds or on the net, provide a photo of your car to make it more appealing to buyers -so get out your camera and take pictures of your car!

Use unforgettable statements to give your car “charm”. Match these comments with your markets needs; highlight the excellent features so that they can be easily noticed.

Assess your vehicle and price it reasonably. As mentioned make a research on how cars sell are selling. If you price your car too high, chances are you will lose the sale. However, by putting a very low price on it will you will incur a loss.

Set up your car for the show. Your car is the star of the show, so it should be in tip top shape. Take the necessary measures to entice buyer have the engine tuned-up so it runs well.

Keep a record of all the services and repairs of your vehicle. Some buyers also look at these records to determine how well the car was maintained. These records also tell if the car is in good condition.

Now that the city of London has voted out “red Ken” in favor of Conservative candidate Boris Johnson, it is expected that the congestion charge scheme may undergo some changes. One electric car company, NICE (No Internal Combustion Engine), is showing no fear and is sounding positive about the future with their new mayor. They are even predicting increased business in the coming year. Julian Wilford, co-founder of the London-based company, states, “We know that Boris recognises the many benefits of owning an electric car,” in a press release that extends an invitation to the politician to give their shop a visit as well as discuss their upcoming plans. Perhaps they read his “colorful” opinion piece in the Telegraph in defense of that other London-centric electric car, the G-Wiz.

And what of those future plans? They plan on adding yet more models to their already-varied vehicle line-up which includes the Vectrix and Mega Multi Truck. For more a more detailed look into the future hit the jump for the press release.

Press Release :-

NICE Car Company to introduce more clean car choices in Boris’s London

London’s electric car company NICE (No Internal Combustion Engine) says it expects to build sales under new mayor Boris Johnson. That’s thanks to a combination of exemption from the capital’s congestion charge, free parking and growing concern among Londoners over the spiralling cost of petrol and diesel.

While the new mayor has said he will reform congestion charge, NICE believes owners of its Mega City car should continue to pay nothing to enter the zone. Small and pretty, the cars travel up to 40 mile on just one overnight charge, more than adequate for the majority of daily journeys. Crucially, they are also pollution-free; they emit no CO2, no NOX and no carbon monoxide.

“We know that Boris recognises the many benefits of owning an electric car,” said Julian Wilford, co-founder of NICE cars. “But we also understand the importance of choice to the mayor – and to our customers. At the NICE Car Company we have the widest range of zero-emissions vehicles on the market and hope the new mayor will find time to visit our West London base to learn more.”

Petrol and diesel now cost more than £5 a gallon which means around 14p per mile for an owner of a medium-sized car, capable of 35mpg. NICE owners pay around a tenth of that - just 1.5 p per mile. As Vehicle Excise Duty is also CO2-based, they also benefit from no annual road tax.

Launched at the British Motor Show in 2006, the NICE Car Company will be back at the ExCeL-based show from 23 July to 3 August this year. It will have a bigger stand, with several model launches. It will also reveal more about plans to have electric models in many different market segments by the end of the year.

In addition to motor show, NICE is looking forward to its first-ever SMMT Test Day on 22 May 2008. The Millbrook driving event will present an opportunity to launch a new car to the media, one of the first model launches by any participant at the event.

We got to see Toyota’s iQ in production form at the last Geneva Motor Show, and so far, we like what we see. We’re still waiting for specific details regarding what will power the “small yet premium ” 3+1 and whether or not it’ll make it over to the states. Already, though, we are hearing that there could be a larger version of the vehicle built on the same platform. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose? Maybe, but it could also help Toyota to defray the cost of the vehicle, which shares no major components with other Toyota models. The larger model could allow Toyota to compete with both the smart fortwo and the Mini, not to mention VW’s upcoming up!.

In other iQ news, Toyota is reportedly not planning on adding a hybrid option to the iQ, instead relying on a choice of two gas and one diesel-powered engine options. The reasoning behind not offering a hybrid relates again to the size of the vehicle. There’s just no room to store a battery. Plus, the battery would add too much weight to the little car. Stop/start, though, is expected to make an appearance here.

RIA Novosti cited Ms Valentina Matvienko governor of St Petersburg, when delivering the annual address to the Legislative Assembly of the city, as saying that General Motors will launch its new plant at St Petersburg on November 5th 2008.

Ms Valentina Matvienko said “The second automobile plant of General Motors will be launched on November 5th 2008 and that laying the foundation stone of Hyundai has been slated for June when St Petersburg hosts the Economic Forum.”

The report added that General Motors, will launch in St. Petersburg the plant worth roughly USD 300 million with the annual capacity of 70,000 cars. Captiva off highway vehicles are amid the models to be made by GM in that city of Russia.

General Motors is represented in Russia already. The company has a joint venture with local automobile giant AvtoVAZ. GM-AvtoVAZ was set into motion September 2002 and it currently makes Chevrolet Niva off highway vehicles and Chevrolet Viva cars.

Vehicle sales confidence indicator, compiled by auto financier Wesbank, dropped to 5.1 points in the first quarter from 5.4 points in the fourth quarter of 2007, it showed on Wednesday.

The indicator, which polled 500 vehicle sales staff, finance and insurance people, measures confidence on a scale of 1-10 with the highest score indicating an upbeat market and the lowest score indicating a subdued market.

“Given the rate hike and fuel increase, the South African vehicle sales market has fallen on tough times. With the bleak economic picture that is being painted by many commentators, the positive future outlook of dealers may be misplaced,” Wesbank said.

In the medium term, Wesbank said the respondents’ expected the market to pick up slightly with the indicator reading rising to 5.2 in the next three months before climbing to 6.1 by this time next year.

“This seems optimistic given predictions that, even without the current proposals on electricity pricing not taken into considerations, CPIX is only expected to return to the target levels in the last quarter of 2009,” Wesbank said.

A SURVEY of three cars being offered for sale at a Cynon Valley garage to uncovered the fact two of the cars were dangerous.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s trading standards officers and VOSA staff joined forces to complete a survey of cars being offered for sale at Aberdare Car Sales.

The survey formed part of an ongoing campaign across the Rhondda Cynon Taff area to ensure the cars being sold to residents and driven on the roads meet safety standards and do not put the public at risk.

During the inspection last August, three cars on the forecourt of the Canal Road business were tested.

Two of them, including one trading standards officers had just taken for a test drive, were found to have defects that rendered them dangerous.

A Ford Mondeo and a Volkswagen Golf had tyre treads below the legal limit of 1.6mm.

When questioned, the manager admitted he did not know what the legal tread limit was.

The Golf, which officers had been allowed to take for a test drive, also had a faulty handbrake.

Manager Lyndon Alun Davies appeared at Aberdare Magistrates’ Court, where he admitted the two offences and was fined £350, ordered to pay a victim’s surcharge of £15 and also £455 court costs.

“It is concerning we continue to identify faults on these cars and managers of such businesses have to get the message,” said Rhondda Cynon Taf Council trading standards manager Tony O’Leary.

“We simply cannot have innocent customers driving away from showrooms on to public roads in vehicles that are illegal.

“There is a wealth of advice and support on offer for businesses to ensure their stock is safe and they are abiding by the law.

“And we urge them to take advantage of this.”

Norwegian automaker Think Global said Monday it planned to sell low-priced electric cars to the masses and will introduce its first models in the U.S. by the end of next year.

The battery-powered Think City will be able to travel up to 110 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of about 65 mph, the company said. It will be priced below $25,000.

Oslo-based Think said venture capital firms RockPort Capital Partners and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers had made investments to fund its entry into the U.S. under the auspices of Think North America.

“This is not a toy,” said Wilber James, RockPort managing partner. “This is a serious car that we expect to sell.”

Think North America is likely to be based in Southern California, the investors said, and the cars it sells here will be assembled locally. The venture investors will own half of Think North America. In March, General Electric Co. invested $4 million in Think Global.

Although technology for electric cars has been advancing — and consumer interest has been rising amid growing concern over gasoline prices and greenhouse gases — few vehicles have come to market. Last month, San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors began production of its Roadster, an electric vehicle that costs $100,000.

The Think City “is a mass-market vehicle,” said Kleiner managing partner Ray Lane, dismissing comparisons to the Roadster. Tesla’s car is being produced in relatively small numbers, with roughly 300 expected by the end of this year. “Our desire is to be selling 30-40-50,000 of these cars in a couple of years.”

Think Chief Executive Jan-Olaf Willums said the company would bring test vehicles to the U.S. in the coming months.

The Think City runs on sodium batteries, but future versions could use lithium ion batteries, Willums said. The company is working with A123 Systems and EnerDel Inc., to develop the batteries, which would boost range and speed.

With most automakers focusing on hybrid technology, only a handful, including Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motor Co., have announced plans to produce all-electric cars. Mitsubishi’s MiEV is set to go on sale in Japan next year.

Ford Motor Co. was the longtime owner of Think but sold it in 2003. It was purchased by Norweigan investors two years ago, and began selling cars in Norway this year, with sales in Sweden, Denmark and Britain expected this year. The company said its annual production capacity in Europe is 10,000 vehicles.

The Think City, a two-seater that can be fitted with two additional seats for children, has a mostly plastic exterior and is 95% recyclable. Willums said a convertible was in development. “Women want to buy it immediately,” he said.

General Motors Corp. plans to manufacture Chevrolet cars in Malaysia, with details to be finalized in the next few months, the Star reported, quoting a company official.

“Our intention is to add to General Motor’s Thailand story by extending our manufacturing presence in Malaysia,” said Steve Carlisle, president of Southeast Asian operations.

He added the plan is currently at the study stage. Details such as the number of vehicles to be produced and when production would start are to be firmed up over the next few months.

The manufacturing of Chevrolet models would be in partnership with DRB-HICOM Bhd (1619.KU), the paper said.