The CarWale Daily Fuel - May 8, 2012

Hyundai has announced the '5-star Assurance Program' for the Santro and i10, providing free maintenance, low insurance costs, extendable warranty, loyalty benefits and road-side assistance. The program is aimed at consolidating the customer base in the small hatch segment owing to the ever increasing competition.

Tata declares successful completion of the first phase of developing, producing and selling cars based on the compressed air engine technology with its Luxemburg based partner, MDI technology. The proof of technology concept has been successfully demonstrated in two Tata Motors' vehicles.

Suzuki Motor Corp. has recalled around 109,000 Swift cars globally citing a possible fuel leakage problem. The recall will not affect the Indian bestseller as the cars sold in India are locally produced.

Mahindra and Mahindra have launched the Alfa Plus, the extended bed version of its popular commercial 3-wheeler Alfa, with better torque and transmission to supplement the enhanced load carrying capacity.

Toyota dealers in Bangalore are showcasing the Etios motor racing (EMR) concept cars to connect to the adrenalin pumping young customer. It is also aimed at popularizing the EMR, a motorsports activity, in India.

Volkswagen India has said that it aims sales of 1 million cars annually in India by 2018, to contribute to the global aim of Volkswagen group to sell 10 million cars annually over the globe. Volkswagen owners in India can relax as this means lots of schemes and after sales support.

Daimler Trucks, global leaders in the commercial vehicle segment, are investing about Rs. 4400 crore in India as BharatBenz. The investments are based on an ambitious growth plan involving competitive products and commitment. With the state of art facility for production near Chennai, BharatBenz is also investing heavily in sales and services.

India bound Mercedes B-class was spotted testing on roads in Pune, Maharashtra without any camouflage or cladding. Indian customers will not have to wait much longer for the budget(?) sports tourer.

The 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 was seen at the Nurburgring, the proving ground for performance car manufacturers over the globe. The 662PS power horse would certainly be eager to get a one up over its nemesis the Chevrolet Camarro ZL1 that clocked some seriously fast times at the 'Ring.

Ford cries foul over Japan's intentions of joining the Trans Pacific Partnership for free trade among the Asia-Pacific countries. They say that the already protected Japanese market should be restructured before any such incident. Given the 'zero per cent' import taxes on cars in Japan, we wonder where Ford is driving at.

The in-house project of an Australian, Mr. Russle Sutton of building a 9 cylinder rotary engine based on he Honda XR600 finally bore fruit after four long years of dedicated effort and skills. The joy of finally firing the 9 cylinder rotary engine was short-lived as the engine stalled due to mechanical reasons. Mr. Sutton has decided to keep on working till he manages to d\run it successfully.

Volkswagen has replied strongly to the Greenpeace declaration of them as the 'Dirtiest car-makers in Europe'. Volkswagen has announced that, by 2015, volkswagens will emit less than 120 gms of carbon per kilometer while burning a measly 5.3 litres of fuel for every 100 kilometers run.

The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.