Bajaj Auto to rethink small CV project
At a time when Tata Motors is looking at increasing production capacity for the Ace, and Piaggio and M&M are also looking at getting into the mini-truck segment in a big way by the end of this year, Bajaj Auto seems to be having second thoughts about entering the small commercial vehicles segment. The company is, in fact, said to be looking at postponing its entry into this segment to mid-2011.
According to reports in the media, Bajaj Auto now believes that doing an 'Ace-type' product will not work unless the Bajaj vehicle is offered at a significant cost advantage. Since the Ace has the first mover advantage and since Tata Motors is anyway a dominant player in the commercial vehicles segment in India, Bajaj Auto wants to make sure its small LCV has a clearly defined USP, which would allow it to take on similar vehicles from Tata, Piaggio, M&M and possibly others, including a few Chinese manufacturers.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
Lithium-ion battery tech breakthrough
One of the things that's hampering the development of new electric cars - and the public adoption of existing ones - is the time it takes for EV batteries to recharge. With existing EVs, their batteries usually need a few hours to charge fully, while some EVs are fitted with a small IC engine that can charge the car's batteries on the run.
Now, Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder - researchers at MIT - have developed a new Lithium-ion battery technology that could allow electric car batteries to get fully charged in just five minutes. While explaining that technology is beyond the scope of this article, two companies are said to have licensed the technology already.
However, the MIT researchers' technology will involve a new approach to manufacturing lithium-ion battery materials, and production-ready Li-ion batteries made using the new technology are expected to be ready only by 2011-12.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
Bajaj Gets into Financing for its Two Wheelers
Bajaj Auto Finance Limited has launched a unique financing scheme for its models. The company not only finances its two-wheelers but also extend free warranty on every Bajaj motorcycle. Bajaj Auto Finance aims to bridge the gap between the customers and lack of lenders in the market.
The extended warranty comes as an extra bonus to lure the customers to buy Bajaj vehicles. "For a loan of 36 months tenor the free extended warranty offered by Bajaj Auto Finance extends for the entire 36 months. The customer therefore needs to only ensure timely payment of EMI's while Bajaj Auto Finance largely takes care of the cost of vehicle maintenance," said K Srinivas, Vice President (Retail Finance).
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