N e w s Suppliers and Misc

Hda in ust n Motors | Veer LCV Launched

Hindustan Motors entered the fast growing light commercial vehicle segment in with its new offering – Veer CV. The commercial vehicle is based on the manufacturer’s Ambassador plat- form and necessary changes have been made to the transmission to ensure optimum driveability, the company claimed. The suspension too has been strengthened in order to keep up with Veer’s loading capacity of 0.8 tonnes or 800 kg. Available in BS III (diesel) and BS IV (CNG) ver- sions, the LCV comes in two variants – Veer and Veer LX. Veer has a separate load tray, while Veer LX’s load tray is seamlessly integrated with the front cabin. The three-seat bench in the front cabin offers the comfort of a car, the company claimed. In addition, Veer is available with a drive- away chassis (DAC) with front cabin. The launch is initially confined to East India but will be expand- ed to the rest of India in the present financial year.

Acqi u sition | GKN Signs Agreement to Acquire Getrag’s Driveline Business

GKN Driveline recently signed an agreement to wheel drive cars. Going forward, the company is reflecting increasing demand globally for crossover acquire the all-wheel drive (AWD) components looking to supply transmission and axle products vehicles and compact SUVs. Combining our engi- business of Getrag KG, a privately held German for electric and hybrid drivetrains. The transaction neering and technology resources will strengthen company. The acquisition includes Getrag Corpo- also provides GKN with an exclusive license in our ability to provide customers with leading-edge ration, a JV with Dana Corporation and Getrag All Europe and Americas to use Getrag’s electric drive- technology, fuel-efficient solutions and to develop Wheel Drive AB, a JV with Dana Holding Corpora- train technology. next generation drivelines.” tion and . Nigel Stein, CEO of GKN Driveline said, “This ac- Total acquisition cost includes a £283 Getrag Driveline Products primarily supplies quisition is a significant step forward for Driveline, million cash transaction and a further deferred driveline products such as Power Transfer Units accelerating our strategy for growth in AWD systems consideration of upto £12 million, depending on (PTU) and Rear Drive Units (RDU) for AWD vehi- and hybrid/electric drivetrains. Production of AWD Getrag’s success in winning new supply con- cles, along with Final Drive Units (FDU) for rear- vehicles is forecast to grow at above market rates tracts.

Joi nt Venture | Beru, Jayant Group tie-up

Beru Diesel Start Systems, a 51:49 joint venture between the The announcement of the new plant comes at a time when Jayant Group and Beru has set up a new greenfield facility at diesel car sales are witnessing a strong growth and the trend Talegaon, India with an investment of `30 crore. The facility should result in significant market expansion for the company. will manufacture cold starting systems such as glow plugs, Beru has been present in India since 1996 through a pro- grid heaters, glow plug controllers, electronic parts and duction plant for glow plugs in Pune. Operations for this facilty allied system components. will now be moved into the new plant. The company’s customer The 80,000 square feet facility will increase the JV’s annual list in India includes the likes of Tata, , Mahin- production capacity from one million glow plugs to five million. dra & Mahindra and Fiat.

8 www.autotechreview.com Coi nt nental | India Plans Announced

Continental AG, the German automotive major, Production will be increased at the Modipuram has announced its expansion plans for the plant beyond 500,000 bias truck and bus tyres (TBX) Indian market post the acquisition of Modi Tyres within this year and will eventually grow to more than Company Limited (MTCL). The company plans 10,00,000 units in two years. Continental AG strongly to expand its operations in both the OEM and believes that the demand for premium technology will replacement markets. In July 2011, Continental go up in India with the radial technology driving the had formally completed the acquisition of Modi truck market. Towards this the company will invest in Tyres, which included the existing TBX plant in excess of €50 million to initiate production of radial Modipuram, the tube plant at Partapur and all tyres for passenger cars and commercial vehicles in related operational assets to those plants, the second half of 2013. The move will result in crea- including all customer relationships. tion of 600-800 jobs in the next few years.

A utomotive Aftermarket | NK Minda Group Launches CNG Kits

The NK Minda Group recently marked its entry CNG kits to carmakers such as , Tata made significant investments towards the same. into the rapidly growing automotive aftermarket Motors and . The CNG kit has been tested and approved by Inter- segment with the launch of its four-wheeler CNG The company claims that the product is in line with national Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT), kits. The company is already a Tier 1 supplier of its philosophy of prioritising safety and quality and has a certified Government of India agency and has passed all tests as per ISO 15500 specifications. A few technical highlights of the kit include the usage of solenoid valve to supply gas to the engine only in engine start conditions. The cylinder valve is equipped with safety devices such as fusible plug and burst discs to release CNG from the cylin- der if temperature and pressure levels exceed the specified limit. The regulator can withstand tem- peratures ranging from -200°C to 1,200°C without hampering the regulator’s performance. The kits are presently available at NK Minda authorised Retro Fitment Centres (RFCs) in Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

GARC | Recycling Demo Centre Inaugurated

A Recycling Demo Unit for End of Life Vehicles cut and sold for scrap in the unorganised sector, was recently inaugurated at the Global Automotive which in turn use obsolete techniques that not only Research Centre (GARC) at Oragadam, near create pollution but also reduce the recycler’s returns Chennai. GARC is part of the National Automotive due to lower recoveries. Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP), Efficient recycling can help the country recover under the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government over 1,500,000 lakh tons of steel scrap, 180,000 of India. The specifications for layout and equip- tons of aluminium scrap and 75,000 tons each of ment were laid out by SIAM. recyclable rubber and plastic. Future regulation India does not have any regulations for the and development in technology will lead to consid- disposal of vehicles, resulting in an unregulated erable increase of employment, energy-saving and sector performing the job in an inefficient and the Indian ’s carbon-footprint less-profitable manner. Presently, the vehicles are reduction.

autotechreview S eptember 2011 Introductory Issue 9