Launch of exclusive Fiat-Chrsyler distribution network

Mumbai, Dec 6 (UNI)

Fiat Group Automobiles India Private Limited (FGAIPL) today announced a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening its position in the Indian market by focusing on its core strengths.

India being the 3rd largest market in Asia, 5th largest all over the world, Fiat and Chrysler plan to introduce 9 refreshed models with the essence of Italy in its vehicle styling as its unique selling proposition in the next few years.

'Our vision for India will revolve around a three-pronged strategy,' said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep Brand.

'Firstly, introduction of new vehicles that will soon include the legendary Jeep brand. Secondly, expansion of our independent dealer network and finally, strong marketing initiatives that will continue to improve our awareness and brand perception in the market.' Fiat Chrysler plans to expand its domestic production which will include model refreshing in 2013, New Punto (B High), Linea Classic (C Low), New Linea (C High) in 2014 along with special models in B High and C High in 2015. Apart from that, it plans to bring in Wrangler (D segment) and Grand Cherokee (E segment).

'We are optimistic about our prospect for growth in the Indian car market, which grew 12 percent in 2011 and is rapidly becoming one of the major markets in the world. With the launch of the Jeep brand, new Fiat products, an expanding dealer network and upcoming marketing initiatives, we will be in a strong position to capitalize on this growth.' said Enrico Atanasio, MD of FGAIPL', he said.

Top line reflects continued strong growth in NAFTA and APAC, LATAM flat y-o-y and EMEA down 12 percent. Its total investment suming upto 2,290 million euros and sales revenue for the financial year 2011-12 being 1058 million euros, the industry CAGR was 9.2 percent y-o-y. EBIT for the 9 month period for the financial year 2012 was 219 million euros. Total Group available liquidity was in excess of 20 billion euros.

It plans to employ around 7000 people making its presence felt across India.

Part of the dealer experience will include Fiat Caffe, which will offer its customers the opportunity to learn about Fiat's heritage and showcase its technological innovations. This will be another important touch point for consumers, since the goal is to replicate international service standards in India, he added.

--UNI

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Spotify to launch in US after long wait

NEW YORK | Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:22pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Spotify, the popular European music service, is set to launch in the United States on Thursday the company said.

The digital music service allows users to stream a limited number hours of their favorite songs for free every month betting that users will eventually sign up to a paid subscription.

Spotify, which has racked up more than 10 million registered users across Europe, has spent more than 18 months negotiating with major music companies to license top artists and songs.

But in the last few months the London-based company, founded by Swedish entrepreneurs, has inked agreements with Sony Corp Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group and independent labels through Merlin. It is expected to close a deal with Warner Music Group by launch or soon after according to a source.

U.S. music companies had been concerned that by giving away too much free music Spotify would end up cannibalizing their most important retailer Apple Inc's iTunes Music Store and other subscription services like Rhapsody and MOG. But in April Spotify introduced new limits to the amount of free music it offers.

(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke, editing by Bernard Orr)

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Spotify to launch in US after long wait

NEW YORK | Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:22pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Spotify, the popular European music service, is set to launch in the United States on Thursday the company said.

The digital music service allows users to stream a limited number hours of their favorite songs for free every month betting that users will eventually sign up to a paid subscription.

Spotify, which has racked up more than 10 million registered users across Europe, has spent more than 18 months negotiating with major music companies to license top artists and songs.

But in the last few months the London-based company, founded by Swedish entrepreneurs, has inked agreements with Sony Corp Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group and independent labels through Merlin. It is expected to close a deal with Warner Music Group by launch or soon after according to a source.

U.S. music companies had been concerned that by giving away too much free music Spotify would end up cannibalizing their most important retailer Apple Inc's iTunes Music Store and other subscription services like Rhapsody and MOG. But in April Spotify introduced new limits to the amount of free music it offers.

(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke, editing by Bernard Orr)

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Confirmed: Next Porsche 911 to Launch with 7-Speed Manual Transmission (Yes, the Clutch-Pedal Kind)

More isn’t always better. We’ll agree in terms of power, but respectfully pass when we’re talking about weight. Transmission gears? We’re not sure. Some recent automatics have featured seven and eight forward ratios (and ZF has even announced a nine-speed auto), but the maximum for traditional clutch-and-lever manual transmissions has been six for some time. That’s about to change, however, because we’ve confirmed from various corporate sources that Porsche will offer a seven-speed manual in the next-generation 911, a development we first reported last November.

The point is to offer a tall, seventh gear for improved efficiency and reduced engine noise during long cruises. The shifting experience is said to be similar to that of the current six-speed manual—which we love—there’s just a bit more rowing to do, although, depending on the ratio spread, veteran Porsche drivers might also have to slightly tweak their thinking in terms of gear choice for upcoming corners. Unless something changes and the shift pattern is seriously wacky, though, we doubt anyone will get confused during hard driving, since seventh will hardly be anyone’s go-to gear for corner exit.

As to the next 911 itself, it carries the internal 991 designation and is scheduled to debut at the Frankfurt auto show this September. It will be based on the stretched architecture of the 996/997 and offer more rear seat space and a more comfortable, luxurious interior. Vehicle stability will be improved thanks to a longer wheelbase. Future generations of the 911, however, are expected to share many components with the next-gen Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo as part of the VW Group’s highly flexible Modularer Sportbaukasten, or “modular sports architecture.” When and if this platform convergence happens, the 911 will keep its rear-engine layout, although the powerplant may nevertheless be moved forward significantly.

Porsche’s seven-speed manual only adds to the multiple gearbox options in the sports-car segment, which include dual-clutch, torque-converter, and modified automatics; traditional manuals; and even an entirely new single-clutch automatic in the Lamborghini Aventador. Will the seven-speed manual be offered by other automakers as well? At present, a supplier source tells us additional interest in the technology is limited.

UPDATE (6/1): Our sources are now confirming that, for cost reasons, the seven-speed manual is derived from Porsche’s seven-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic.

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Hot Wheels and Tanner Foust Launch Truck 332 Feet From Giant Toy Track at Indy 500 [VIDEO]

May 31, 2011 at 12:16pm by Alexander Stoklosa

As if the Greatest Spectacle in Racing needed more spectacle, toy-car maker Hot Wheels decided to toss in a giant ramp and a stadium truck. The idea was to capture a new world record for four-wheeled vehicle distance jump, and the whole thing took place as part of the Indianapolis 500‘s pre-race festivities. For added flair, the attempt was made using a larger-than-life section of orange Hot Wheels track hanging from the top of an equally humongous door; together, they rose 100 feet above the raceway’s infield. Adding to the anticipation of the jump, Hot Wheels kept the identity of the driver a secret, referring to him only as the “Yellow Driver,” and one of four drivers for “Team Hot Wheels.” The team drivers—the others are Green, Red, and Blue; we think they might be moonlighting from Power Ranger gigs—strive to accomplish outrageous drift, Moto X, and rally-based feats that fans can watch in short webisodes on the Team Hot Wheels site.

The Indy jump went off without a hitch this past Sunday, and the Yellow Driver—later outed as American Top Gear host and rally pilot Tanner Foust—and his stadium truck sailed 332 feet for a new world record. The Hot Wheels crew didn’t simply put a truck on a huge ramp and cross their fingers, though. Foust put in three months of practice before the public stunt, and as one can imagine, the jump is a bit more complicated than driving flat out down a ramp. The truck’s transition onto the steep ramp can make its rear wheels go very light, and in a worst case scenario could send the thing nosediving into the ground. Furthermore, Foust actually doesn’t hit full throttle until the bottom of the ramp, at which point the truck “bottoms out” and larger contact patches provide a big uptick in grip; the focus during the 100-foot trip down the ramp is on keeping the rig pointed straight. The ramp is just 40 feet wide, and after leveling out, Foust has just 90 feet to accelerate to more than 100 mph before hitting a 16-ft kick-up. During the trick, he was in the air for four seconds.

In all, the jump was a well-executed childhood fantasy brought to life, and you can check out the video of the record-breaking stunt below.

Tags: Indianapolis 500, stunts, Tanner Foust |

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Volkswagen to Launch Car-Sharing Program in Hanover, Germany

May 13, 2011 at 2:29pm by Alexander Stoklosa

Volkswagen is launching a car-sharing program in the German city of Hanover, dubbing the enterprise “Quicar – Share a Volkswagen.” Initial plans call for 200 VW Golf BlueMotions to be available at 50 locations throughout Hanover, and the picture above seems to indicate something’s afoot with the latest Beetle, too. Other than the fuel-efficient fleet, Volkswagen is following a similar model to that of Zipcar, in which program members can book time in a car over the internet, through a mobile app, or by phone. Once signed up for wheel time, a member goes to the location where the car they booked is parked and swipes a card over a reader affixed to the vehicle, which unlocks the doors. The user then enters a PIN on the car’s touch screen, and uses a key stored in the car to start the engine and drive off. Interestingly, customers will be issued an SD memory card, onto which they can save navigation destinations and routes, or even music, to be read by the cars’ nav and audio system.

Volkswagen is the third German automaker to start a car-sharing service; Mercedes-Benz launched Car2Go in Vancouver and BMW partnered with Sixt AG to start DriveNow in Munich and Berlin. Volkswagen hopes to expand the number of locations from 50 to 100 locations in the “medium term.” Within the same neither-large-nor-small term, VW may also add the Beetle plus the Caddy to the program’s fleet. The whole shebang gets rolling this fall.

Tags: BMW, car sharing, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Zipcar |

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Honda Will Launch the All-New 2012 CR-V this Fall

April 27, 2011 at 5:32pm by Justin Berkowitz

Honda, like your local artisanal bakery, has a habit of throwing away perfectly good stuff on a regular schedule. Except that while La Crise Cardiaque Belle is tossing out that morning’s croissants, Honda disposes of vehicles that are still near the top of the class. To wit: the present CR-V, introduced in 2006, still was good enough to take third place out of eight in a Car and Driver comparo with several much newer vehicles last year. It also continues to rack up sales for Honda, outselling Toyota’s RAV4 by almost 40 percent in March. But the proverbial palm flower crystal is now glowing in the CR-V’s hand, meaning that its time has expired. A new CR-V, Honda says, will join us in late 2011 as a 2012 model.

As for the rest of the details on the H’s upcoming soft-roader—you’re kidding, right? No companies play their cards closer to the vest than does Honda. Still, we can take a stab at a few likely details of the 2012 CR-V. Figure on a slight improvement from the current model’s EPA fuel economy rating of 21 mpg city/28 highway in two-wheel-drive form. Honda typically doesn’t jack up horsepower from generation to generation, and the brand-new Civic just launched with a five-speed automatic—not a six, like many of its competitors now pack—so don’t expect the CR-V’s power rating to leap beyond its present 180, either.

It certainly makes sense for the brass at Honda to stick with what works, but with so many of the company’s competitors in the process or rolling out outstanding compact crossovers, we’re not enamored with Honda’s conservative philosophy. Then again, after 22,000 CR-Vs found homes in March, maybe American consumers are.

Tags: Honda, Honda CR-V, Honda Pilot |

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