- Fiat India has launched the Punto 90hp Sport at a price tag of 7.36 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. The Punto Sport has decals, contrasting mirrors, interior trim with chrome accents and different fabric over the regular 90hp diesel.
- Fiat also launched a Fiat Caffe at Koregaon Park in Pune, the second such café in India. India is the only country to have two Fiat caffes. One can shop for a Fiat or simply sip a cup of coffee at the café.
- The Bajaj RE60 will probably be launched by the end of 2013. It is said that the RE60 will compete with auto rickshaws for intra-city transport rather than the Nano that still owns the crown of the cheapest car in India.
- The Tata Safari Storme is expected to hit the showrooms by July this year. Tata is planning to keep the existing Safari on sale along with the Storme at least in the initial phase.
- The Premier Rio joins the ranks of Indian Fiat and Maruti diesels as well as some Tata diesels in being powered by the Fiat 1.3 Multijet engine. Fiat, under the new agreement, will deliver 28000 engines to Premier over the next three years.
- Hyundai India is expecting a slow growth of about 6 to 8 per cent over the year owing to rising fuel costs, interest rates and a general perception of a dampened economy. Meanwhile, the Korean company is taking efforts to ramp up its service and dealer network.
- Auto manufacturers in India may be required by law to issue a recall if a vehicle is found to have a defect. Nothing has been decided yet, but proposed steps include informing the government of the recall and issuing an official media statement. SIAM plans to get in the door first with its own set of voluntary guidelines, to be issued next month.
- The state of Kerala will soon have an automated system to judge vehicle fitness, thus giving a scientific approach to vehicle testing before a fitness certificate is issued. The cost is Rs 1.8 crore per machine, and two machines have been ordered.
- The state of Goa is going to get equally high-tech as Kerala: within six months, all the offences and accidents committed by a vehicle will be recorded on the registration card itself. Palmtop readers/writers will be provided to the traffic police to help record or retrieve the information.
- The world's first nationwide electric car network has been launched in Israel. 'Refuelling stations' swap the depleted battery for a new one instead of merely charging it, so that a refuel takes just as much time as filling up on a fossil fuel. The vehicle of choice is the electric Renault Fluence.
- With increasing electronic control over a vehicle's functions, it is getting harder for independent mechanics to diagnose and thus repair faults with modern cars. A law in Massachusetts, USA aims to make the necessary software available to these shops but with security restrictions beginning 2015, the same year that vehicle 'black boxes' become mandatory. However, the bill hasn't been passed yet.
- Bentley is expected to resume its motorsport participation in an unlikely form - the Dakar rally. Parent VW has been buying up all the race Touaregs it sold to privateer teams. This move would make marketing sense to the Winged B, since the EXP 9F SUV is its biggest upcoming product.
- British GT car manufacturer Aston Martin sees scope for further growth in the Chinese, Russian and other Asian markets besides China. They are planning to launch an SUV under the Lagonda brand to foray into the premium SUV segment.
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