Mercedes Benz plans steep hike in vehicles prices

Mumbai/New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS)

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India Tuesday announced it would 'substantially' hike the prices of all its models next month to offset rising input costs, unfavourable exchange rates and inflation, all of which have hit profit margins.

"Significant levels of cost escalations have been absorbed by us till now. But beyond a point we cannot continue to sustain such levels," said managing director Eberhard Kern.

However, the levels of the price hike for its various models has not yet been disclosed.

Kern pointed out that the company has made substantial investments to the tune of Rs.8.50 billion in the production facility at Chakan, near Pune, besides another Rs.4.80 billion by its dealer partners network in the country.

"We are responsible for the growth of our employees and dealer partners. We aim for a suitable profitable growth maintaining our premium appeal and are going to substantially to increase the prices of all Mercedes-Benz cars from next month," Kern said.

The company currently has the densest network amongst any luxury car maker in India with 72 touchpoints in 31 cities across India.

At its Pune manufacturing facility, it operates in two shifts capable of producing 10,000 units annually.

The company produces the C, E, S and M Class sedans locally and two months ago (Oct 2012) it kicked off its technologically advanced paint shop with a capacity of 20,000 units per annum.

--IANS

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Volvo plans to sell 'crash-proof' cars which 'drive themselves' by 2020

Wellington, Dec 5 (ANI)

Embattled Swedish firm Volvo is now aiming to manufacture cars that can drive themselves and avoid crashes.

The company discussed its plans during a recent autonomous-driving event at a track in Hallered, Sweden.

"Our vision is that no one is killed or injured in a new Volvo by 2020," Volvo's head of government affairs Anders Eugensson said.

According to Stuff.co.nz, the firm is preparing to launch in 2014 its first batch of autonomous vehicles capable of driving up to 50kmh, with the technology expected to be used initially in heavy traffic.

"We are convinced this is the future and we want to get there first," the report quoted Marcus Rothoff, head of developing driver assistance technology at Volvo, as saying.

According to the report, Volvo is one of several companies investing large sums to develop the autonomous vehicles, despite the complex legal problems that need to be overcome.

The Daily Mail said the biggest hurdle to introducing autonomous cars was not the technology, which was largely developed, but public acceptance and issues of who would be liable if a crash-proof car actually did crash, the driver or the manufacturer.

--ANI

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General Motors plans integrating Apple's Siri in some cars

Sydney, Nov 29 (ANI)

General Motors has planned to integrate Apple's voice-recognition software Siri into some of its cars next year.

The move will allow iPhone users to perform hands-free tasks.

According to the Herald Sun, GM announced at the Los Angeles International Auto Show it would use the Siri intelligent assistant in the Chevrolet Spark and Sonic LTZ and RS.

"Through the cars' standard Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system, customers with a compatible iPhone running iOS 6 can direct Siri to perform a number of tasks while they safely keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel," GM said in a statement.

"To further minimise distraction, Siri takes hands-free functionality even further with an eyes-free mode that enables users to interact with their iPhone using nothing more than their voice while keeping the device's screen from lighting up," it added.

According to the paper, drivers will be able to use the system to make hands-free calls, play songs in the iTunes library, or switch music sources from radio to iPod mode.

They may also listen to, compose and send messages to people in their contact list, the report added.

--ANI

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Mercedes Benz plans steep hike in vehicles prices

Mumbai/New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS)

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India Tuesday announced it would 'substantially' hike the prices of all its models next month to offset rising input costs, unfavourable exchange rates and inflation, all of which have hit profit margins.

"Significant levels of cost escalations have been absorbed by us till now. But beyond a point we cannot continue to sustain such levels," said managing director Eberhard Kern.

However, the levels of the price hike for its various models has not yet been disclosed.

Kern pointed out that the company has made substantial investments to the tune of Rs.8.50 billion in the production facility at Chakan, near Pune, besides another Rs.4.80 billion by its dealer partners network in the country.

"We are responsible for the growth of our employees and dealer partners. We aim for a suitable profitable growth maintaining our premium appeal and are going to substantially to increase the prices of all Mercedes-Benz cars from next month," Kern said.

The company currently has the densest network amongst any luxury car maker in India with 72 touchpoints in 31 cities across India.

At its Pune manufacturing facility, it operates in two shifts capable of producing 10,000 units annually.

The company produces the C, E, S and M Class sedans locally and two months ago (Oct 2012) it kicked off its technologically advanced paint shop with a capacity of 20,000 units per annum.

--IANS

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Ford Reveals Plans for New In-House-Designed Eight-Speed Automatic Transmission

We greedy, MPG-grubbing, gear-hoarding car shoppers. Look what we’ve done now. Ford has a perfectly good six-speed automatic, co-developed with General Motors—the master of slushboxes—deploying power throughout most of its front-drive vehicle lineup. The Fiesta and the new Focus use a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, which we assume was co-developed with engineering input from Hal, the computer from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey that distrusted human judgment rather a lot.

But as a result of our avarice, Ford has no choice but to announce a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The gearbox will be designed and built internally by Ford—a bit of a surprise in this era, when high costs have driven manufacturers to often buy transmissions from specialists like ZF and Aisin. Ford says the new transmission will deliver improvements in fuel economy from between two and six percent, depending on the application.

Although the company hasn’t said which cars will receive the new octo-cogger, hints of front-drive applications and the description of it as a “transaxle” pretty much rule out eight-speed Mustangs or F-150s. Ford implied that the Taurus, Explorer, and Edge are prime candidates when a spokesperson said that the gearbox would be more advantageous in “larger” vehicles. We must admit that we’ll be a bit disappointed if the Fiesta and Focus aren’t slated for the new transmission, as we’ve said just once or twice that the dual-clutch PowerShift transmission on which they both depend is those vehicles’ only truly significant flaw.

Ford hasn’t said when the new box will hit the market, but we figure that some time in 2012 would be a good guess.

A New Hybrid Transmission, Too

How’s this for vague? Along with the eight-speed automatic, Ford announced that it is also developing—on its own—a new continuously variable transmission for its hybrid models. The transmission is being dubbed an “e-CVT,” or “electronic CVT,” which sounds an awful lot like the transmission in the Fusion and Escape hybrids now. It goes into production in early 2012, by which time we assume we’ll be hearing more about it.

With a continuously variable transmission, there are no gears in the traditional sense—just infinitely variable ratios. This may come in handy when it comes to bragging rights, as Ford’s upcoming eight-speed auto will likely be simultaneously overshadowed by the nine-speed transmission on which ZF and Chrysler are hammering away. Soon enough, we’ll be at bicycle or big-rig numbers.

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The Continental: Driving an Old Ferrari and a New Lambo, VW’s R Plans, and Looking Forward to Tokyo

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

I was invited by supplier Schaeffler to participate in the Kitzbühel Rallye in Austria, now in its 24th year, in a 1976 Ferrari Dino 208 GT4. Co-pilot was my colleague Ruben Danisch of MTZ (Motortechnische Zeitschrift). This Bertone-styled Ferrari is powered by a 2.0-liter mid-engine V-8, “downsized” to comply with the draconian tax regulation in Italy at the time, which gravely penalized vehicles with displacement above 2.0 liters. By today’s standards, the 208 GT4 still handles well, and despite the lack of power steering, it can be driven with remarkable ease. With a mere 170 hp, the 208 isn’t fast, but it sounds like it’s got at least twice as much power. Don’t look up my placement in the race; the alternator died, we lost two hours on the second day, and finished pretty much at the end of the pack . . .

Schaeffler is the mind behind the MultiAir (a.k.a. UniAir) electro-hydraulic intake-valve control system used in several Fiat and Alfa engines. The supplier will be building a new generation of turbochargers developed by its partner company Continental shortly; and there actually is strong enthusiasm for the electrification of the car. A few prototypes are on the road, and R&D executive Peter Gutzmer (who drove a Porsche 356 at the rally) strongly believes in the dynamic advantages of an auxiliary electric motor. A former Porsche engineer, he says his dream car would be a rear-engined, turbocharged sports car with an electric motor on the front axle for additional traction and power.

Aventador Impressions

On Sunday morning, right out of the historic Ferrari, I had the chance to step into the future: I took the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 for a rapid drive over some virtually abandoned mountain passes. While the country folk in the peaceful Tyrolean mountain villages flocked to church, I celebrated my personal cult of speed behind the wheel of this ferocious supercar. The steep walls of the valley reflected the roar of the naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 revving up to almost 9000 rpm, the Graziano single-clutch transmission lashed out with ultra-dry high-rpm upshifts, and the menacing crackle when coasting created an otherworldly experience—and it is reflected in the futuristic styling, an exercise in unparalleled aggressiveness. The only issue with the Aventador: Drive it as it is meant to, and be prepared for a helicopter above or a roadblock ahead. I returned inviolated. It was an experience to remember.

Some VW R Insights

I spoke with a VW source about the company’s thoughts on taking the “R” line further. A Polo R is pretty much a sure thing, and it might actually be powered not by a 2.0-liter TSI, but by a 1.4 twincharger, tuned to produce over 200 hp. Will there be a Passat R? That’s not decided; but it is pretty clear that neither the Golf nor the Passat will receive a variation of the turbocharged 2.5-liter five which powers Audi’s RS3 and TT RS. “Five cylinders are seen as an Audi, not a VW trademark,” says my source—the naturally aspirated five of U.S. Golf, Beetle, Jetta, and Passat fame is not sold in Europe. But the third-generation EA888 engine will gradually replace the EA113 even in the high-powered models, and it will produce close to 300 hp in its most powerful iterations, which will be the next Golf R and possibly a Passat R. The Touareg will likely get an R model at the top, a V-8 TDI. Will the VR6 survive in the long run? Not likely, as it will be complicated to get it emissions-legal for Euro 6. But internally, some engineers are still toying with the idea of a turbocharged VR6.

Tokyo Will Happen

The Tokyo auto show will take place this year, from December 3 to 11. Some European carmakers had pulled out in 2009, and a 2011 edition of the show was in limbo after the earthquake and tsunami catastrophe with the subsequent nuclear accident. But it would be in rather poor taste not to be present this year; the Japanese manufacturer’s association JAMA is already counting 175 exhibitors from 11 countries. Good. The Tokyo auto show was always one of the most interesting, and it was a shame that the 2009 show received such poor attendance from German manufacturers.

A Quick Fiesta

While we are still waiting for a Ford Fiesta ST with 180 hp or so, Ford is launching a Fiesta S with a 132-hp, 1.6-liter four—and a 94-hp turbo-diesel. A step in the right direction.

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