Monday 23 August 2010

M&M inks SsangYong pact

Mumbai, Aug. 23: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire a majority stake in troubled South Korean automobile maker SsangYong Motor Company.
SsangYong had picked the $7.1-billion Anand Mahindra-controlled M&M as the preferred bidder on August 12.
M&M president (automobile and farm sector) Pawan Goenka said, “We are committed to leveraging SsangYong’s strong competencies in R&D and technology by investing in a new SsangYong product portfolio which will help us to gain momentum in global markets.”

Read this news @ http://www.evhub.in/news/244#244

China Aims to Leapfrog Gasoline Cars with Electric Models

The Chinese government announced last week that it plans to invest up to $14.8 billion (100 billion yuan) over the next ten years to stimulate the production of plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars. The country intends to have 5 million of these vehicles on the road by 2020. That kind of commitment makes the $5 billion that the U.S. government plans to spend in this direction appear as a paltry sum.
How will China disperse those funds and why is China moving so aggressively in the electric vehicle space?

Can an electric car handle a Montreal winter?

BOUCHERVILLE - The upcoming three-year trial of 50 electric Mitsubishi cars in this South Shore city is “at the heart” of Hydro-Québec’s move toward the electrification of ground transport, a senior director of the utility said Monday.
Although Hydro-Québec is involved in tests with four different manufacturers of electric or hybrid vehicles, the $4.5-million Mitsubishi project is the largest test in Canada, said Pierre-Luc Desgagné, head of strategic planning and government affairs.
“We will have real-life experience with real people driving those cars, so the data provided will be very” significant, he said.
Desgagné made his remarks as the all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV made its debut in Boucherville. That emissions-free car, right off the assembly line in Japan, is on a 7,500-kilometre cross-Canada promotional tour.
The first five i-MiEV test cars are to arrive in Boucherville in December – in time to taste a real winter – followed by another 10 in the spring. The rest of the cars will follow in several batches.

Consumers ready to test electric vehicles

How well-received will electric vehicles be? Well, according to a new study, American adults are ready to get behind the wheel.
An online survey by the Consumer Electronics Association has found that 40 per cent of consumers are likely to test drive an electric vehicle. Known asElectric Vehicles: The Future of Driving, the study suggests consumers are enticed by improved environmental quality and potential cost savings.
Despite this apparent enthusiasm, overall awareness of the various types of alternative vehicles appears to be low. Around one third reports they are familiar or very familiar with hybrid vehicles; yet only a quarter are familiar with electric powered cars.

Perks eyed for hybrid, electric vehicles

THE BOARD of Investments is mulling incentives for hybrid/electric car importation and assembly as several automotive firms have noted weak demand for the pricey but environment-friendly vehicles, a ranking official said late last week.
Businesses behind these cars could be included in next year’s Investment Priorities Plan (IPP), said BoI Managing Head Cristino L. Panlilio, while a bill similarly proposing incentives remains pending in Congress.
"We will look into that for next year’s IPP," Mr. Panlilio said in a telephone interview.
This, he added, will come on top of BoI support for House Bill 1 which proposes that hybrid cars be exempt from import duties and excise, value-added and ad valorem taxes since these consume less fuel and have lower emissions than traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

General Motors working on electric Chevrolet Sail

Chevrolet sail hatchThanks to Tycho, we’re able to bring you a development on the India-bound Chevrolet Sail.
Tycho reports that General Motors is developing an electric variant of the Chevrolet Sail hatchback in China. While there are no technical details to share, we can safely expect a powertrain meant for maximum range and modest power.
That brings us to the question – Will GM India use the e-Sail as a replacement for the defunct e-Spark project?