Royal Enfield Rising To Be A Global Brand Again

Royal Enfield! Many a man would sigh at the mere mention of the legendary motorcycle as memories come racing in.

Royal Enfield is a name that never fails to stir a few strings in any heart. Many are the stories built around its famous ruggedness and reliability. Royal Enfield is the motorcycle around which memories have been built - memories and experiences that endow the brand and the bike with a certain halo.

Royal Enfield is fast acquiring a global image and presence again and re-staking a claim to its status as a world class motorcycle. It is expected that by 2012 Royal Enfield would be present in the martkets of about 40 countries and that the exports of Royal Enfield would make up 6% of its total annual sales.

Enfield Manufacturing Company, established in 1893 at Redditch, Worcestershire, UK, manufactured bicycles initially. By 1899 they started producing motorcycles under the name 'Enfield'. In 1890, the British Crown licensed the company to prefix the word 'Royal' to the brand. In 1968, the company was sold to Norton-Triumph-Villiers which, again, was liquidated in 1971 - the production having ceased a year earlier.

The company was called upon to manufactrure motorcylces for the use of the British army during World War II. Its Indian incarnation was to perform a similar role later in India. 

Royal Enfield started selling its motorcycles in India from 1949. In 1955, the Governemnt of India picked Royal Enfield Bullet 500 cc as the motorcycle that could meet the needs of its armed forces operating in the rough, unfriendly terrains of its borders, and the requirements of its police force. One might well say that a legend was born.

'Enfield India' was established at Madras in 1955 to manufacture the Bullet from imported componets under license from the British company. In 1957, they started manufacturing some of the components locally and by 1962 all the components were being made in India itself. In 1995, Enfield India acquired rights to use the name "Royal Enfield".

Enfield India was acquired by the Eicher group in 1994.

Long after the closure of the British company, the Indian company with its plant at Tiruvottiyur, Chennai, is still going strong and Royal Enfield is a revered - yes, revered, and, if you insist, deified - motorcycle brand in India - thanks to the legendafry Bullet which is available in 350 cc and 500 cc variants. Royal Enfield Bullet has the distinction of being the oldest motorcycle to be in production till date.

Royal Enfield is presently exporting bikes to about 29 countries. It has more than 180 dealers in India.

The company has made fabulous growth in the last five years. Royal Enfield has established a redoubtable presence worldwide. In 2010 Royal Enfield was among top 10 selling 125-500 cc motorcycle brands in UK - in the august company of intenationally famous brands like Kawasaki. In January 2011, Popular Mechanics ranked the Royal Enfield Classic Chrome and Bullet 500 among its Top 10 picks from the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York.

Dr.Venki Padmanabhan, CEO, Royal Enfield remarked, "Interest in our brand in developed markets such as the U.S., U.K., Germany, Italy, France and Australia stems from the desire for some to own a piece of history; a true British Single. When they discover that vintage styling can be had at an attractive less-than-antique price, the interest heightens.

Then, when they ride a Royal Enfield and are thrilled by the way in which their senses are engaged, they reach to find the rational reason to buy. There are many rational reasons now: close-by dealer and service, more reliable bikes with regular side shifting and quietly, more than 70 miles per gallon fuel efficiency!"

"We are now figuring out the right brand and value positioning needed to appeal to the vastly untapped "developing country" markets that, owing to our success in India, we are well prepared to handle," Dr.Padmanabhan added.

Tata Nano Launched in Srilanka

Tata Motors has launched the Nano in Srilanka. Thus starts the international launch of Tata Nano which is the pride of Tata Motors and India too.

Three variants of the Nano have been introduced into the Srilankan market, the prices starting at LKR 9.25 lac (INR 3.80 lac, approx) A duty of 110 per cent levied by Srilanka on the car accounts for the price in Srilanka.

 

Five hundred units of the Nano have already landed on Srilankan soil and the bookings commenced today, i.e.29th May 2011.

The car will be sold through its 50-year old distributor in the country -- Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) with whom Tata has an association dating back to 1961 are the disrtributors for Nano in Srilanka.

Incidentally, Tata Motrors began their international operations in 1961 with exports to Srilanka - then called Ceylon. Tata Motors has once again chosen Srilanka to commence its export of Nano to the world markets.

On the occasion of the launch of Nano in Srilanka, Carl- Peter Forster, Managing Director and Group CEO, Tata Motors, said: "We are celebrating 50 years of our relationship with Sri Lanka with the Nano."

"The Tata Nano will play a major role in the next phase of growth of our international business," he added.

P.M.Telang, Managing Director (India Operations), Tata Motors, said: "We have already formulated plans to introduce Nano in several countries." He said further: "The stupendous international response to the unveiling of the Tata Nano in 2008 established that customers across the world are awaiting such a car. With the launch in Sri Lanka, we begin that journey."

Google to Launch 'Google Wallet' Soon

Google has announced that it would be launching 'Google Wallet' soon.

GoogleWallet is an Android application that allows one's mobile phone to assume the functionality of one's wallet.

According to the webpage of Google Wallet, it "will be able to do more than a regular wallet ever could, like storing thousands of payment cards and Google Offers but without the bulk. Eventually your loyalty cards, gift cards, receipts, boarding passes, tickets, even your keys will be seamlessly synced to your Google Wallet."

One can use Citi Card, MasterCard and Google Prepaid Card with Google Wallet. One can only expect many more cards to be compatible with Google Wallet over a period of time.

To start with, Google Wallet will be compatible with Nexus S 4G by Google, available on Sprint. More phones are going to be supported over time.

Google Wallet says: "This is just the beginning, but we believe that, in time, your phone with Google Wallet will be the one thing that holds everything you need to carry."

Given our experience with currency and credit cards, it seems to be neither a wild dream nor a farfethced claim.

Kuch Love Jaisa – Movie Review

‘Kuch Love Jaisa’ is a refreshing and good time pass movie. The film is about a bored & lonely typical housewife, Madhu Saxena (Shefali Shah) who is not happy with her husband (Sumeet). She wanted to a total makeover in pursuit of finding her happiness and freshness again.

One day she met a guy Raghav (Rahul Bose) whom she thought a secret investigator but in reality Raghav is a criminal and running from cops.

After some tantrum and funny situation Madhu offers Raghav to let her accompany him on his secret mission to which he agrees after much speculation. The rest of the film is based on the incidents that they both encounter and present a roller coaster ride of fun and thrill to the audience.

‘Kuch Love Jaisa’ is a simple story with very good presentation. Debutant director Barnali Ray Shukla did deserve compliments for narrating the story so well and connecting to the audience.

Shefali was very good in her roles, first time as bore housewife and second time after new makeover avatar. Rahul has done an excellent job. His acting skills are brilliant and its awesome feelings to see his natural acting. Remaining casts also justifies their roles.

The story is fresh and well presented. A good fun to watch this movie.


Director: Barnali Ray Shukla
Producer: Vipul Amritlal Shah
Cast: Rahul Bose, Shefali Shah, Neetu Chandra, Sumeet Raghvan
Music: Pritam

Rahul Dholakia's next movie based on Nandigram Issue

Nandigram is in news again, and this time award winning director Rahul Dholakia is going to make this social conflict into a big celluloid movie. Rahul Dholakia is known for taking references from real social incidents and make screenplay based on that.

His national award winning movie “Parzania” (2005) based on Godhra massacre. The film Parzania received rave reviews from all quarters of lives. His last movie "Lamhaa: The Untold Story of Kashmir" (2010) also was based on terrorism and social scenario in today’s Kashmir.

He is all set to venture his next movie, influenced by 2007 land takeover by government and followed by Nandigram massacre in West Bengal. He is concentrating on writing the courtroom drama "Kanoon" based on this event.

Dholakia was signed for this movie by B.R. Films a year ago, but got delayed as producer Ravi Chopra was undergoing some major health problems.

"It has a close reference to the Nandigram issue. It's a courtroom drama on corporate crime. Actually, it shows how common poor people suffer, lose their lives, in the political or corporate clashes. It's something around those lines. It's a fiction set in Kolkata.

Nandigram would be too direct to say. It's not Nandigram but a similar situation. But it definitely had to do with Kolkata.” Dholakia told in an interview recently with the press.

"Almost after a year the B.R. Films has revived it again. Actually Ravi (Chopra) was not keeping well, so it got delayed. We are ready with the first draft of it. We are sitting and reviving that. Hopefully, we will finish that very soon and after that we would approach the actors," Dholakia adds.

Dhilakia has previous exposure and experience with Bengali people, Bengali culture and its art & literature as he made a documentary film "Calcutta Chronicle" in 1995.

As the movie based on west Bengal Dholakia is looking for few Bengali actors and music director for the roles as he needs people who understand the flavour of soil and feelings of the region. It is expected to all star started film like his previous encounters.

Honda Motorcycle (HMSI) to Commission Second Plant and Set Up the Third

Honda Mototrcycle & Scooter India Limited (HMSI) has announced that it would set up its third Indian plant near Narasapuram near Bangalore, Karnataka.

Honda Mototrcycle & Scooter India Limited (HMSI) whose first plant in India was set up at Manesar, Haryana, with an installed capacity of 16,00,000 units is going to inaugurate its second plant at Tapukara Industrial Area, Rajasthan, on 1st June 2011.

The plant at Tapukara is going to have an installed capacity of 6,00,000 motorcycles p.a and the capacity will be doubled to 12,00,000 units p.a. by March 2012.

The proposed third plant at Narasapuram in Karnataka is expected to be ready by June 2013 with an installed capacity of 12,00,000 units per annum. On completion of the third plant, the installed capacity of HMSI would be 4 million motorcycles per annum.

The plant at Manesar has been producing Honda Activa, Honda Dio, and Honda Aviator (all scooters) and CB Unicorn, CB Shine, CB Twister, and CB Stunner. The plant at Tapukara is going to produce Activa, Twister, and Shine. The proposed plant near Bangalore will also be producing Activa, Twister, and Shine.
India is the second largest motorcycle marketr in the world - China being the largest market. In 2010, a total of 11.32 million motorcycles were sold in India - reflecting a 30% growth in the market over the previous year.

A press release by HMSI states: "In order to fulfill the diversifying needs of customers in the growing market of India, HMSI is enhancing its product lineup with last year's introduction of CB Unicorn Dazzler, its first model in the 150cc class that was targeted toward young consumers, and by introducing CBR250R, HMSI's first 250cc sports bike. HMSI will continue fulfilling the expectations of its customers by enhancing its product lineup and expanding the production capacity."

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Commissions First Plant in India

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), owned now by the Tata Group, commissioned its first plant in India at Chikli near Pune on Friday, 27th May 2011.

The Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV's imported in Completely Knocked Down condition from their plant at Halerwood, Liverpool, UK, will be assembled at the Pune plant.

JLR intends to establish its retail presence in 12 principal cities in India by appointing 14 dealers.

Ralph Speth, Chief Executive officer, JLR, said: "We are excited about the prospect of assembling cars in Pune for the India market where we have achieved significant growth since we opened our first showroom in 2009. it is a great time to be expanding our operation in India due to the increasing demand for luxury products and the strength of the Indian economy." He added: "The reason as to why the brand is making a headway in India is because it has contributed 1,043 million GBP to the Tata Motors brand."

Carl-Peter Forster, MD & Group CEO, said: "Tata motors has made a huge step forward as a group in overall capability. Also, there are benefits for JLR by using what has to offer and by using the engineering capabilities in India by tapping into the India-based community of engineering services." Forster said further that JLR aimed to develop a R&D centre which will aim to design new body chassis, engine derivatives, and also introduce new vehicles itself.

Ferrari Enters the Indian Market with Fanfare

Ferrari, the famed Italian maker of luxury sportscars, made the much awaited grand entry into the Indian market yesterdeay, 26th May 2011. India is the 58th country in which Ferrari is officially present now.

The Shreyans Group has been appointed as the dealer for Ferrari cars in India.

Ferrari entered the Indian market with the official launch of models like California, 458 Italia, 599 GTB Fiorano, and FF which is the latest in the Ferrari range.

The prices of the cars launched in india range from Rs.2.20 crore for California to FF which costs Rs.3.41 crore.

Amedeo Felisa, Chiuef Executive officer, Ferrari SpA, said on the occasion: "We are here for the long run. WE hope to sell more than 100 cars in the next 2-3 years." He added: "We expecct to beat our best-ever sales of 6,700 units achieved in 2007." Ferrari sold 6,500 cars across the world in 2010.

Mahindra & Mahindra Launch Scorpio EX

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) have launched Scorpio Ex, a new entry-level SUV complying with BS-IV Emission Norms.

Scorpio EX is priced at Rs.7.21 lakh (ex-showroom Pune). for BS-IV). It is available in four attractive colours: Diamond White, Fiery Black, Mist Silver, and Rocky Beige.

Scorpio EX is equipped with a 2.5 litre, 75 bhp m2DiCR engine and is claimed to give a mileage of 14 km/l (as per ARAI). Thye vehicle can go from 0 to 60 kmph in mere 11.2 seconds. Like the other Scorpio models, the EX also features "Micro Hybrid Technology" which switches the engine into standby mode when appropriate - resulting in fuel savings and reduced emissions as well.

 

Crash-protection crumple zones to protect passengers, and a digital immobilizer to protect the vehicle from theft are among the other features of the new Scorpio.

Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice-President, Marketing, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said: "At Mahindra, our endeavour has always been to offer the best-in-class products and this new offering from the Scorpio stable is no exception. With its easy drivability, great mileage and refined performance, I am sure that the Scorpio Ex will be an instant hit with young customers looking for an affordable entry point into the Scorpio franchise. An unmitigated success in the SUV segment since its launch, the Scorpio has kept up its momentum with constant up-gradations and new offerings."

Apple iPhone 4 to Start Selling in India from Tomorrow

Apple iPhone 4 is going to be released in India tomorrow, i.e. 27h may 2011. Aircel Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd have made an announcement to that effect.

As per Apple's practice, the phones are tied to subscription to the mobile services of either of these two companies.

Aircel said, in a Press Release, that iPhone 4 will be offered along with post-paid as well as pre-paid mobile phone services.

The 16GB version of iPhone 4 would cost Rs.34,500/- and the 32 GB version would cost Rs.40,900. Customers can recover the entire cost of the phone by way of monthly credits in their service plans over 24 months, it said in a statement.

According to a statement from Airtel, the phone would be availbale from them under similar offers.

Airtel has the largest subscriber base with well over 162 million subscribers whereas Aircel has some 55 million subscribers. India is the second largest mobile services market after China.

With 3G services being rolled out by various operators in different parts of the country, the sale of smartphones with 3G - like the iPhone 4 - is expected to increase substantially. According to CyberMedia Research, 12 million smartphones - representing a growth of 100% over the previuous year - are expected to be sold in India during 2011.

Airtel and Aircel have the necessary bandwidth to offer 3G services in 13 of the 22 service areas of the country.

With more than 811 million subscribers, India is the second-largest market in the world for telecom services, China standing in the first position.

However, it has been rumoured that a new version of iPhone is likely to be launched later this year. It is worth noting that so far Apple has never released its iPhones in India at the same time as in US and Europe. Indian users have so far been forced to buy obsolescent iPhones long after their introductory launch in the US. The story seems to be repeating now. Against this background, the rumoured launch of a new iPhone acquires some credence.

The following snippet gathered from Apple's website is quite informative as well as instructive:

"Customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS should check with their service provider for pricing options or visit www.apple.com/iphone/buy. For those who are not qualified customers, are not eligible for an early upgrade, or wish to buy iPhone as a gift, the prices are $499 (8GB), $599 (16GB), or $699 (32GB)."

If $699 is the price to pay for the iPhone 4 (32 GB) without being saddled with the compulsion to tie up with the services of any particular mobile operator, the price at which the phone is being offered in India (tied up with specified operators at that) does not appear to be particulalry appealing.

The practice of tying up the sale of a mobile phone with the services of specific operator(s) does not seem to have gone well with the Indian consumers so far for what seems to be an apparent reason. But the Indian consumers may respond differently now, given the impressive features of iPhone 4.

Tata Steel’s Net Profit for Q4 Up By 72%

Today Tata Steel announced the results for the fourth quarter ending March 31st 2011; they have announced a 72% rise in the profits for the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year.

Tata Steel’s consolidated net profit is Rs. 4,216.5 crore for the fourth quarter against Rs2,547.0 crore last year. Consolidate revenue increased to Rs 34,137.00 crore during the quarter compared to Rs 27,760.00 crore in the same period last year: a rise of 23%.

The consolidated results included earnings of the company's operations in Europe, India, Thailand and Singapore.

The European operations sold 4.13 million tons of steel products in the fourth quarter, with sales at $4.92 billion and the Indian operations posted sales of $1.87 billion, with the sales volume at 1.7 million tons.

Tata Steel, the world's seventh-largest steelmaker, have reported a one-time gain of $561 million arising from the sale of their plant in Teesside, U.K.

Expressing his satisfaction, Mr. Karl-Ulrich Kohler, CEO, Tata Steel Europe, said,"Higher selling prices and deliveries gave us a particularly strong end to the quarter, with additional one-off financial benefits from items such as the completion of the Teesside Cast Products sale,"

Mr. Koushik Chatterjee, CFO, Tata Steel, said “...European operations will continue to face cost pressures from escalating raw materials prices, such as iron ore and coking coal.”

He also confirmed that construction work for Tata Steel’s $7.8 billion plant in Orissa has begun and that they are looking for a total production capacity of 6 million tons per year after completing the full operational set-up; however, the first phase will have a production capacity of 3 million tons a year.

Amazon Kindle 3G With Special Offers Costs $164

Amazon Kindle 3G is now available for $189 whereas Kindle 3G with Special Offers is available for $164.

At $164, the Amazon Kindle 3G is the most inexpensive 3G e-reader.

The Kindle 3G with Special Offers is the same as Kindle 3G in features and functionality; but in the 'Special Offers' version, users receive special offers directly on the Kindle 3G; the special offers and sponsored screensavers display on the bottom of the home screen without interrupting reading.

The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader developed by Lab126 Inc, a susidiary of the online store Amazon.com.

The wireless connectivity of Kindle enables users to buy content directly from Kindle Store from anywhere. The Kindle e-book reader uses "electronic-paper display" which "provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper."

Amazon released the Kindle (First Generation) on November 19, 2007; its introductory price was almost $400. But it was a sesational success; it was sold out in just a little over fve hours and remained out of stock for almost six months.

The Second Generation Kindle was introduced in the last week of February 2009. It was slimmer than the first generation Kindle and less expensive too.

Amazon intoriduced an "Interntional Version" of Kindle in October 2009 and stopped selling Kindle 2G.

Amazon launched the third generation of Kindle on July 28, 2010. It comes in two vesions. The first version, the Kindle Wi-Fi, connects to the Internet only through public or private Wi-Fi networks. The second version suports both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Wi-Fi Connectivity allows one to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots. The free 3G connectivity, which is the same as the ones that mobile phones use, allows a user to purchase and download content from any area which has access to mobile phone services.

Both the versions use the proprietory E-Ink "Pearl" Display which provides greater contrast than the earlier generations of Kindle readers. The higher contrast of Kindle 3G - claimed to be 50% more than that of the earlier versions - makes it possible to read even in bright sunlight without glare.

Kindle 3G weighs a mere 8.7 Ounces and has a battery life of over two months. It can hold upto 3500 books and has an Enhanced PDF reader with dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights.

Perhaps the icing on the cake is that users can select from more than 950,000 books, audiobooks, and periodicals - not to mention the 1.8 million plus free books which are not covered by copyright.

MAXX Mobiles Launches MAXX GLO MX388 - A Gaming Phone

Maxx Mobiles, an Indian manufacturer of mobile phones, launched Maxx GLO MX388, a gaming phone, yesterday.

The MAXX GLO MX388 comes with 250 preloaded games and dedicated gaming buttons.

The new MAXX GLO MX388 is priced at Rs. 2,361; it shall be made available first in Mumbai and later to other cities in India through MAXX Mobiles' strong distribution network. MAXX mobiles can be found in more than 25,000 retail outlets across India including Planet M, Tata Croma, Hyper City, Star Bazar, Mobile & Gadgets, Indian Naval Canteen, Reliance Web World, NEXT electronics, Kings Electronics and Hotspot.

MAXX GLO MX388 will come with some default games spanning a wide range including Action, Racing, Puzzle, Adventure, Fighting, Shooting, and Sports. Some of the preloaded games are Super Mario, Pacman, Race, Trojan and Battle City.

MAXX GLO MX388 has three changeable A-cover shells, a 1.3 mega pixel camera, a free 2 GB memory card, FM radio, and MP3/MP4 player. The external memory can be expanded up to 8 GB. The phone is JAVA enabled and has Bluetooth for connecting with other devices. The battery has a capacity of 800 mAh.

Currently Mobile gaming is a very popular and vast market in India with 2.8 billion users. A survey conducted by FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry projects that the market would expand upto 45% by 2015.

Speaking on the occasion Ajjay Agarwal, Chairman & Managing Director, MAXX Group, said: "MAXX mobile phones have always been known for being value-for-money. We never cease to innovate for our customers basis their needs. MAXX Mobiles aims to be recognized as a brand that personifies not only quality at affordable prices, but also as a strong service backup. Currently, MAXX has a strong network of service centers already operational across India to ensure every customer gets the best service."

He added, "Gaming has developed at a rapid rate in India and we expect significant growth in the coming years. The tech-savvy Indian youth are now demanding entertainment at their fingertips even when on the move. We would like to take advantage of this trend by reaching out to the Indian youth with yet another cost-effective mobile phone that promises to satisfy their craving for mobile gaming."
　
Features & Specifications:

* · Free 2 GB memory card
* · 250 preloaded game
* · Dedicated gaming buttons
* · 3 changeable A-cover shell
* · 800 mAh battery
* · Expandable memory up to 8 GB
* · MP3/MP4 player
* · Camera: 1.3 MP
* · FM Radio
* · Bluetooth
* · JAVA enabled

India Yamaha Launches New FZ-Series Bikes

Last Thrusday (12th May 2011) India Yamaha Motor launched new variants of the FZ, FZ-S and Fazer bikes of its popular FZ Series with a complete makeover. These new bikes come in vibrant colors; the dashing colours combined with the new logos and graphics of these rugged bikes are expected to cater to the changing tastes of customers.

All the models - FZ, FZ-S and Fazer - of the FZ family will now have a kick-start option. With the Triple Macho concept projecting the muscular silhouette, muscular body parts and muscular chassis, the 153cc FZ series bikes reflect visual expression of performance. All the bikes will continue to sport the signature Yamaha look.

FZ will be available in two new colors - Lava Red and Midnight Black.

FZ-S will be available in four band new colours: Black Cyber Green, Competition White, Golden Streak, and Yellow Streak. All the four colors maintain the earlier positioning of FZ-S as the ‘Lord of the Streets’.

Fazer will be available in four new colors - Black Cyber Green, Competition White, Lava Red, and Midnight Black.

In a statement, Mr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & MD, India Yamaha Motor, said, "The FZ series has gained immense popularity among youngsters since its launch in September 2008. The introduction of the FZ series in a whole new look is in line with our strategy to consistently provide our customers with fresh and new offerings. These bikes have been instrumental in taking our sales to a higher trajectory. We are confident that the new variants too will be an instant hit among the biking enthusiasts. We have also charted out an extensive plan for the promotional campaign of the new variants featuring our brand advisor John Abraham."

The new FZ will be available at Rs.67,000, FZ-S at Rs.69,000 and Fazer will be available at Rs.74,000. All these prices are Ex-showroom Delhi.

The launch will be complemented by an aggressive media campaign featuring Yamaha brand advisor in India and Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham.

Yamaha's promotional strategy for these new offerings will cover print media, television, and web.

Audi Launches A7 Sportback and RS 5 coupe in India

Last Wednesday Audi launched two new cars in the Indian market: A7 Sportback and RS 5 Coupe.

The A7 Sportback is priced Rs.64-lakh onwards, while the RS 5 Coupe is priced at Rs.76 lakh (Ex showroom, Delhi).

 

The A7 Sportsback is driven by a 3.0 TDI V6 engine, which produces 500 Nm of torque at 1400 - 3250 rpm and 245 hp at 4000 - 4500 rpm. The car races from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.3 seconds. 

The RS5 Coupe is driven by the 4.2-litre V8 FSI engine which produces a torque of 430 Nm at 4,000-6,000rpm and 450 bhp at 8,250rpm. The RS5 can zoom from zero to 100km/h in a mere 4.6 seconds.

Michael Perschke, the Head of Audi India said: "The introduction of two new cars in India reiterates our unwavering commitment to offer the discerning Indian customer with products of highest technical perfection and design finesse.

"While the A7 sports coupe is targeted at individuals who seek the luxury of customisation, the new RS 5 will further help us consolidate our position in the sports car segment," Audi India Head Michael Perschke told journalists here.

Audi hopes to overshoot the sales target this year by 10 per cent. The German Car manufacturer sold 1986 units during January-April 2011 compared to 967 during the same period in 2010.

Mr.Perschke said: "Going by the growth that we have seen in the first four months of this year, we believe that we can sell more cars in 2011 than we expected before. Earlier, we were looking to sell about 4,500 units in 2011, but now we think we can do 5,000 units this year."

Mr. Perschke further said: "We will be launching the Q3 model sometime next year. The A3, which was showcased at the Geneva motor show this year, has received good feedback and now we will see what will be the response from the customers in the Indian market."

Audi will be launching its new A6 sedan in India in August this year. But Mr.Perschke ruled out, for all practical purposes, the possibility of introducing the smaller A1 in India anytime soon when he said that it was too early to introduce the smaller car.

"Tree of Life" Wins theTop Award "Palme d'Or" at Cannes 2011

The 64th Cannes Film Festival awarded its top prize - Palme d'Or - to "The Tree of Life", a much-awaited film by the American Director Terence Malick. The last film by Malick was "The New World" (2005).

The dirctor as famous for his films as for his reclusive nature, lived up to the latter once again; he did not turn up to receive the much coveted prize.

Aki Kaurismaki’s film "Le Havre" was a favourite of the critics for the top award.

In addition to Robert De Niro (Chairman), the jury included the actors Uma Thruman, Jude Law, Martin Gusman, the writer Linn Ullmann, and the directors Olivier Assayas, Johnny To, and Mahamet Saleh Haroun.

Kirsten Dunst won the best actress prize for her role as a depressed bride in the film "Melancholia" by Lars von Trier of Denmark. The best actor prize went to Jean Dujardin for his role as a waning film star of the 1920's in the film "The Artist," a black and white film with almost no dialogues, by the French director Michel Hazanavicius.

The Grand Prix award was shared by "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" from the Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and "The Kid With a Bike" by the Belgian bothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.

The Best Director award was won by the Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, for the film "Drive" 

The prize for the Best Screenwriting was awarded to the Israeli writer and director Joseph Cedar.

The Jury Prize was awarded to "Polisse," from Maïwenn.

This year’s competition included four female directors; last year there were none.

In the short film competition, the Palme d’Or was awarded to "Cross Country" by Maryna Vroda, a Ukaranian director; the Jury Prize was given to "Badpakje 46" from the Belgian director Wannes Destoop.

Renault Launches Fluence, a Luxury Sedan, in India

Renault, the famous French carmaker, launched its luxury sedan 'Fluence' in India yesterday (23rd My 2011).

Renault Fluence is available in both diesel and petrol versions. Ex showroom Delhi, the diesel version of Fluence costs Rs.14.4 lakh and the petrol version costs Rs.12.99 lakh.

As many as130,000 units of the Fluence were sold across the world in 2010.

The petrol version of Renault Fluence is fitted with a 2000cc, 135 bhp engine whereas the diesel version is fitted with a 1500cc, 112 bhp engine. Fluence is being assembled at the Company's manufacturing facility at Chennai.

Marc Nassif, Managing Director, Renault India, said: "The ‘Fluence’ was designed for the Asian market and hence we are confident that it will not only shake up the segment, but also give the Indian customer their first taste of what Renault is capable of bringing to the Indian market."

Mr.Nasiff added: "India is one of the three key strategic countries in Renault’s international operations. Our aim is to sell 1-lakh cars by 2013. We aim to become one of the top three international automakers in India."

Renault has plans to introduce 'Koleos', a sports utility vehicle, later this year, and beef up their Indian presence with three more cars in 2012.

Sudhir Rao, Deputy Managing Director, Renault India, said: "Against our plan to start with eight dealer outlets, we have 14 fully operational dealers…and by end of 2011, we will be ramping up to 40 dealers pan-India. We will have the full range of 5 cars and 100 dealerships by December 2012."

He further said: "In 2010, Renault had sourced components worth 35 million euros from India, while this year it will be between 75-80 million euros. By 2012, it is expected to reach 100 million euros."

Renault Nissan has plans to invest Rs.4500 crores by 2015 in its manufacuring facility at Chennai with the aim of producing 400,000 car units p.a. there.

About the joint venture with Bajaj Auto for producing an ultra low cost car, Mr. Nassif said: "If it (ULC) really matches our DNA, we will go ahead. If the quality of development matches with the promises we see, we will go ahead." His statement lends further credence to the reports that Renault is not particulalry happy with the work on the ULC.

Ford Motors to Invest $72 Million in Chennai Plant

Ford Motor Company is going to invest $72 million for expanding its facility at Chennai, raising the total investment of Ford Motors in India to more than $ One Billion.

Incidentally, in March this year, the plant produced its 100,000th engine just 14 months after the commencement of its operations in January last year.

The Chennai plant is the first of Ford to have a single flexible production line to manufacture both petrol and diesel engines. It produces five Duratec Engine (Petrol) variants and a Duratorque Engine (Diesel) variant.

Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director,of the Company said: "This expansion will allow us to provide more technologically advanced and fuel-efficient engines to our customers in India and in markets around the world where we export Chennai-built vehicles."

Ashok Leyland's Profit Goes Up

Chennai-based Ashok Leyland Ltd has reported a Net Profit of Rs.631.30 crore for the financial year ending 31st March 2011. It is a 49% increase over the net profit of the previous financial year.

The Company has announced a dividend of Rs.2 per share (the face value of each shae being Rs.1) compared to the dividend of Rs.1.50 per share last year.

Ashok Leyland has gained market share in all its business segments.The company launched as many as 746 new products during the last year. Ashok Leyland's domestic sales rose by 45% ovr last year's volumes; it sold 83,800 vehicles during the financial year under review. The company's exports rose by a massive 72% over last year's exports - culminating in export of 10,306 units.

According to Mr.Vinod K.Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, the current year is going to be one of growth and consoldiation as the Company pursues its aim to be, gloablly, in the top ten truck manufacturers globally and top five bus manufacturers.

Pacnet Ties Up With Bharti Airtel and Launches International Gateway

Pacnet , the global telcom service provider, has announced the launch of its International Gateway in Chennai. The Company is planning to invest about $150 million to establish a data center in India in the next couple of years.

Pacnet has tied up with Bharti Airtel for setting up the gateway. According to Bill Barney, CEO of Pacnet, the new gateway would provide Indian business with access to international high speed broadband connectivity and a full suite of advanced communication solutions.

Barney said: "The launch of our international gateway is part of our plan to build our local presence and support India's growth through the delivery of enhanced international connectivity and hosting solutions cross the country."

Mahindra Satyam Announce 4th Quarter Results; Hiring 17000 Employees

Mahindra Satyam is planning to hire nearly 17000 employees during this financial year to meet the operational requirements of the Company.

In an interview, Vineet Nayyar, Chairman, Mahindra Satyam said, "Q4 is another quarter that demonstrated continuing progress on growth, operational efficiencies, high delivery standards and investments to capability building."

Mahindra Satyam declared their fourth quarter result on Monday and their income from operations increased almost 8% to Rs. 1,375.3 crore in 4th quarter over Rs. 1,279.3 crore during the same period last year. However, the company has registered a loss of Rs. 327 crore in the fourth quarter and a loss of Rs.147 crore in the financial year 2010-11.

Mahindra Satyam attributes the loss to restructuring, forensic investigation and litigation support, class action settlement, consideration and provisioning for impairment losses in subsidiaries. Mahindra Satyam had to pay Rs. 569 crore towards the settlement of class action lawsuit in the US. However, experts opine that but for this extraordinary item of expenditure, Mahindra Satyam could have returned a profit of Rs. 87 crore.

 

Mr.Nayyar said that the merger between Tech mahindra and Mahindra Satyam was expected to be completed by April/May 2012 after the necessary permissions are obtained from the Securities Exchange Commission.

Mahindra Satyam added 434 employees in the fourth quarter and their total employee count is now around 30,000.
　
M.V.Sridhar, head of recruitment, confirmed: "We will hire more than 12,000 people this fiscal and another 5,000 will be hired from campuses, either from engineering or management colleges." By the end of this financial year, Satyam Mahindra’s employee number is expected to be around 50,000 which is just 3,000 less than its pre-crisis original staff strength of 53,000.

Mahindra Satyam succeeded in getting12 new customers in the last quarter of the financial year 2000-11. C.P.Gurnani, CEO, Mahindra Satyam, said that the Company was looking for new clients from the emerging economies instead of relying exclusively on the established economic powers.

Apparently, things are going well for Mahindra Satyam. This should prove to be a shot in the arm for Indian IT industry.

Tata International Ltd to Acquire 51% Stake in Move-On Shoes

Tata International Limited is poised to acquire 51% stake in Move-On Shoes, a Portugese footwear retailer. This will be a great opportunity for TIL (Established in 1962) to expand its business in the European footwear market. It was just last year that TIL had ventured into Indian footwear-retailing under the brand name Tashi.

Move-On has a presence in Portugal, Spain, Belgium and France. It has been badly affected by issues of solvency and has agreed to sell off their 51% share to Tata International Ltd.

In early 2011, TIL acquired a 76% stake in footwear manufacturers Bachi Shoes India Pvt Ltd (BSIPL) and Euro Shoe Components Pvt Ltd (ESCPL).

Tata International Ltd makes shoes for several famous brands including Escada and Hush Puppies. It has a tanning and finishing facility at Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, and has a manufacturing unit in Chennai.

After taking over as the Managing Director of TIL, Noel N Tata (who was heading Tata's retail business Trent) is now contemplating expansion of TIL’s conventional business to other areas. TIL will not be confined to Leather and Engineering anymore. They have now set their sights on footwear industry as well - both in India and overseas. TIL is expanding both through partnerships and acquisitions, depending on the circumstances.

Of late, other large businesses hae also been turning their attention to footwear and allied businesses.

In 2009, Reliance Industries Ltd signed a deal with footwear and apparel manufacturer Timberland for a joint venture and Reliance became their exclusive distributor in India. Recently Future Group also announced a 50-50 partnership with UK based footwear brand Clarks, for distributing their product through Future group showrooms and it will be known as Clarks Future Footwear. Earlier Clarks products were retailed through Reliance Retail.

Profit of Bajaj Auto Goes Up Beyond 100%

Bajaj Auto reported more than 100% increase in its Consolidated Net Profit for the financial year ending on 31st March 2011 compared to the previous year. The figures for the year ended 31st Match 2010 and 31st Match 2011 are Rs.1594.60 Crore and Rs.3,454.89 Crore respectively. The total income has increased from Rs.11,9974.15 Crore to Rs.Rs.16,642.24 Crore - a growth of 39 per cent.

The growth in the company's consolidated net profit is attributed to a vigorous growth in sales and a sales tax gain of Rs.827 Crore.

Automobile sales increase from 28.53 lakh units to 38.24 lakh units - a growth of about 34 per cent. Expots rose from 8.91 lakh units to 12.04 lakh units - a growth of about 35 per cent. In monetary terms, the exports rose from Rs. Rs.3246 crore to Rs.4552 crore - rise of about 40 per cent.

Kevin D'sa, President (Finance) of Bajaj Auto said: "We have a sales tax benefit, which is a deferred loan, of about Rs.1200 crore, which we have prepaid t a discounted rate of 11.4 per cent, thereby generating a surplus of about Rs.827 crore."

The surplus cash and equivalent of cash rose from Rs.3,263 crore as on 31st March 2010 to Rs.4,239 crore as on 31st Mrch 2011.

The Board of Directors of Bajaj Auto have proposed a dividend of Rs.40 per share on the share capital which has increased consequent upon the issue of bonus shares in 1:1 ratio. The amount so disbursed by way of dividend would be to the tune of Rs.1345 Crore.

Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto said: "Input cot pressure is expected to continue, but with reasonable certainty, we can say that the worst is behind us."

Chetan Bhagat to Release New Book During Diwali 2011

Chetan Bhagat's next book is slated to be released during Diwali 2011.



After a little hesitation about releasing the book during Diwali because Sharukh Khan's movie "Ra.one" is slated to be released the same time, Bhagat seems to have decided to go ahead with the release of his book the same time because "It's quite clear. No effect. Different mediums. Space for both. Diwali it is."

Chetan Bhagat has authored four books so far: "Five Point Someone – What not to do at IIT!" (2004), "One Night @ the Call Centre" (2005), "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" (2008), and and "2 States: The Story of My Marriage" (2009).

All the four continue to be best-sellers.

Chetan Bhagat put to rest all speculation about the film adaptation of his book '2 States. He said on Twitter: "Please don't believe any rumors about 2 states film. Good things take time. Loads of patience required to make a good film project."

Check below the screenshot of his tweets:

So, all the book lovers across India, please get ready to read another master piece from Chetan Bhagat during this Diwali. Hopefully this book will match up our expectations.

All the Best Chetan!

Godrej Launches "Music Refrigerators"

Godrej Appliances has launched a music-enabled refrigerator. The Godrej ‘Edge SX MuziPlay’ is the first music enabled refrigerator fitted with an MP 3 Player and FM radio. The refrigerators include a mobile charger with USB port.

The Godrej Edge SX MuziPlay refrigerators are available in 183 ltr and 221 ltr capacities and have 5-Star energy rating. They are priced in between Rs.12, 690 and Rs.15, 660.

Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Nandi, Vice President (Sales and Marketing), Godrej Appliances said, "With the launch of India’s 1first music-enabled refrigerator, we have set another milestone in our srong legacy in R&D and are totally committed to pioneering nouvelle technologies to meet the changing needs of the Indian market."

The company has stated that it is targeting a 35 % growth in their sales in the year 2011-12 and that it plans to increase its presence in the retail market by opening around 15 to 20 exclusive outlets all over the country.

Toyota Resumes Normal Production in India From 20th May

Toyota Motors, who had to cut their production in India by 70% earlier consequent upon the disruption of component supply from Japan in the post-Tsunami scenario, is going to resume normal levels of production from 20th May - much ahead of earlier expectations.

Toyota Motors has announced that it would resume return to normal production levels in India by 20th May. Toyota cut down its production levels across the globe because of disrupted component supply from Japan in the wake of the earthqualke/tsunami that hit Japan earlier this year.

Shekhar Viswanathan, Dy Managing Director (Commercial), Toyota Kirloskar Motors, said: "The parts that we were not getting will start arriving in coming days. That is why we are confident of resuming normal operations earlier than expected.

Tyota had earlier announced suspension of production on Mondays and Fridays between April 25 and June 4. "We lost about 10,000 units of production across all models... Because of the production drop, the revenue loss was on an average Rs 6,50,000 per vehicle," Viswanathan said. The loss so estimatd runs into an aggregate of 10,000 units and about Rs 650 crore.

Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, said they would like to reduce the backlog resulting from the staggered production. The Company has stated: "Plans are afoot to recover the loss of production and reduce the waiting period. The plant will function on all weekdays and some of the non-working Saturdays."

In the meantime, the company is going ahead with its plans to launch its small car Etios Liva in he last week of June as already scheduled. Sandeep Singh, Dy Managing Director (Marketing), Toyota Kirloskar Motors Ltd, said: "We are now all set to launch the Etios Liva. The launch will be as per schedule in the last week of June."

Fly Mobile Launches Touchscreen Handsets E140 and E146

On Monday, Fly Mobile of the Meridian Group, UK, launched two full touchscreen mobile handsets - E 140 and E 146 - in the India Market. Both the handsets are aimed at the younger generation who opt for high levels of connectivity; in accordance with this, both the handsets support various social media networks.

According to Mr.Prem Kumar, CEO, Fly India: "We recognise the importance of social networks in the modern mobile industry. The design and functionality of our touch-phones meet the needs of a highly digitally connected and style conscious youth audience. The two new handsets are specially targeted to Indian youth which likes to carry a phone to complement and enhance their lifestyle."

The E140 is a dual-SIM phone which is very compact in size and weighs a mere 97g. It has a 2.8" WQVGA display, a 1.3 MP digital camera (with zoom) and can record video. It supports a MicroSDHC card up to 8GB.

The Fly E140 supports WAP, GPRS, Java and a built-in email client. It also sports an organiser, calculator, calendar, alarm clock, currency converter.

According to a press release by the company "Embedded audio player and FM-receiver can play music during nine hours continuously. Phone battery holds charge within nine hours in online mode and up to 300 hours in standby mode."

　
The E146, unbelievably light at 89 gm, is a sturdy dual-SIM mobile with a 3"  WQVGA display. The silver bezel around the phone is very attractive.

It has enhanced multimedia features coupled with support for social networking. The compact Opera Mini browser is pre-installed in the phone. The E146 supports mobile Internet, WAP, GPRS, and JAVA.It comes with an email client as well.

Fly E146 features, among other things, an organizer, memo manager,calendar, alarm clock, currency converter, and calculator.

The Fly E140 is priced at Rs.3,200 while the E146 is priced at Rs.3,600.
　
Features and Specifications:

E 140:

Form Factor: Bar, Full Touchscreen
Network/SIM support : GSM
SIM Support: Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)

Display : 2.8-inch,QVGA, 240X320 Pixels resolution
Dimension : 107x 57 x 11.3mm
Weight : 96.5 gm

Internal Memory : 4.9MB
Memory Card: up to 8 GB

Battery : 900 mAh
Talk Time Upto 9 Hrs
Standby Time Upto 300 hrs

Camera : 1.3 MP Camera

Video Play and Recording : .mp4
FM Radio
Schedule FM Recording
Sound Recording : AMR/WAV/AWB
Audio Player with Equalizer
Bluetooth with A2DP
Mini USB

Other features: Call recording, Call Conference, GPRS , Opera Mini Browser 4.2, Social Networking support, Dedicated Volume Key , JAVA, 2D Motion Sensor Games, email client, Message Sorting,Mobile Tracker, PC Sync Support.
　
E146:
　
Form factor : Bar, Full Touchscreen
Network : GSM – 900 /1800
SIM Support: Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)

Display : 3-inch WQVGA,TFT,262K Color Display
Screen Resolution : 240X400 Pixels
Dimension : 109x52x10.5 mm
Weight : 89 gm with Battery

Internal Memory : 7.9MB
Memory Card up to : 8GB

Battery Capacity : 1000 mAh
Talk Time : Upto 9 Hrs
Standby Time : Upto 100 hrs

Camera : 2.0 Mega Pixels Camera with Flash and Digital Zoom.

Video Recording
FM Radio with Recording
MP3 Ringtones
Speaker Phone
Bluetooth with AVRCP , A2DP
GPRS
USB

HTC HD7S will be launched on AT&T on 5 June

AT&T will be increasing its Windows Phone 7 series with the HTC HD7S, where “S” stands for S-LCD.  It will be AT&T’s 4^th Windows phone. HTC HD7S claims to coming up with new tech and attractive largest screen.

HTC HD7S device will feature 4.3-inch Super LCD touchscreen and promise of rich viewing experience with sharp and crunchy image quality.

HTC HD7S functions efficiently with a 1GHz processor and will have 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 720p video capture capabilities.

HTC HD7S will cost you $199.99 and will be available from 5 June through AT&T’s shelves. The Windows Phone 7 handset will come with a two-year contract.