70 years ago, on October 8, 1949, the British Military Government handed over trusteeship of Volkswagenwerk GmbH to the Federal Republic of Germany. The young West German state, which had only been founded shortly before with the promulgation of the Basic Law on May 23, 1949, assigned responsibility for the administration of the company to the state of Lower Saxony.

The British had laid the essential foundations for the later global success of the Beetle and of Volkswagen itself when they transferred Volkswagenwerk GmbH and the Wolfsburg plant to German control precisely 70 years ago.

The British Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) were responsible for the Wolfsburg plant from June 1945. Senior Resident Officer Major Ivan Hirst came to the plant in August and immediately started to establish a functioning automobile plant for the VW Beetle (Type 1) with pragmatism and a farsighted approach.

As a company under British military management, Volkswagenwerk was able to take a pole position from which it was able to start immediately in Germany’s nascent automobile society and to become a symbol of West German reconstruction and the German economic miracle.

The British are celebrating the successful mission in Wolfsburg of their predecessors headed by Major Hirst at the present REME headquarters in Lyneham, Wiltshire, in the south of England on October 8. About two weeks ago, Colonel Andy Thorne, CEng, Deputy Chief of Staff British Forces Germany, and Lieutenant Colonel Tony Maw, MBE CEng FSOE, Officer Commanding the Germany Enabling Office, were guests at the works meeting in Wolfsburg. At the meeting, the workforce, employee representatives and management commemorated the transfer of Volkswagen to German control 70 years ago together with Stephan Weil, Minister President of Lower Saxony.

Volvo Cars is fundamentally rethinking infotainment in the forthcoming fully electric Volvo XC40. Powered by Android, the new infotainment system offers customers unprecedented personalisation, improved levels of intuitiveness and new embedded Google technology and services.

Volvo Car Group is the first company to team up with Google on integrating an infotainment system powered by Android, with the Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Google Play Store built-in. The two companies have been development partners for the past several years.

The new system offers full integration of Android Automotive OS, Google’s open-source Android platform, with real-time updates to services such as Google Maps, Google Assistant and automotive apps created by the global developer community.

The electric XC40 is also the first Volvo that will receive software and operating system updates over the air, placing Volvo Cars at the forefront of automotive connected services. The fully electric XC40 will keep evolving and improving over time, rather than it being at its peak when it leaves the factory.

“We are finally giving you the same experience in your car that you’re used to on your phone, but adapted for safe interaction while driving,” says Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer at Volvo Cars. “And by introducing over-the-air updates for everything from maintenance to completely new features, the car can stay as fresh as your other digital products, always with the latest and greatest features.”

One of the best features of Android Automotive OS is that it is an Android operating system familiar to millions of developers, tailored to run in the car. Technology and services created by Google and Volvo Cars developers are embedded in the car, while additional music and media apps optimised and adapted for cars will be available through the Google Play Store.

The Google Assistant allows customers to get things done using just their voice for in-car functions such as controlling temperature, setting a destination, playing their favourite music and podcasts on apps like Spotify, and keeping in touch by for example sending messages.

This integration contributes to reducing driver distraction, helping drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The Google Assistant also allows you to interact with your smart-home devices from your Volvo car.

Google Maps will be able to provide refreshed map and traffic data in real time, keeping drivers informed about upcoming traffic situations and proactively suggesting alternative routes, as well as suggesting the nearest charging station en route.

This same rich and fresh map data will be used to improve the capabilities of the XC40’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) by providing important information such as speed limits and curves in the road to the car.

Volvo Cars also continues to develop software and connected services, using its growing force of software engineers and its digital services platform Volvo On Call.

For example, the new infotainment system will be fully integrated with Volvo On Call, offering new features such as monitoring battery status and charging levels.

Volvo On Call classics such as pre-heating your car on a cold winter’s day, finding your car in a large parking lot, remote locking and unlocking and car sharing via a digital key are also included.

The fully electric XC40 will be first shown to the public on October 16.

With India experiencing a decline in sales volume and a drop in average after-sales spend, automotive dealers are feeling the effects of a difficult year, according to the J.D. Power 2019 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study, released today.

The study finds a 10 per cent drop in the average amount spent per service visit compared with 2018. On average, customers spend Rs 5,000 per service visit, compared with Rs 5,600 in 2018. The decline is greatest among after-sales customers who are 39 years or older, whose spend declined 17 per cent year over year. The decline in service revenue is significant for dealers as 31 per cent of their profits are generated from after-sales vs. 25 per cent from sales.

“Typically, dealers rely on service work to keep their businesses profitable especially during a downturn in new-vehicle sales,” said Kaustav Roy, Director and Country Head for India, J.D. Power. “A drop in average service spend bodes negatively for overall dealer profitability. More than ever, dealers need to focus on delivering an excellent service experience to retain customers and encourage loyalty and advocacy.”

For the customers who rate their experience in the top quartile of satisfaction (929 points and above on a 1,000-point scale), 89 per cent are more likely to return for post-warranty service work. Similarly, 90 per cent of customers in the top quartile will recommend the service centre to a friend or relative.

Following are additional key findings of the 2019 study:

• Reluctance to go digital: After-sales customers rarely use digital channels to set appointments despite indicating higher satisfaction when used. Satisfaction is 875 among the 1 per cent of customers who use a manufacturers’ app and 868 for the 2 per cent who use a dealers’ website. For the majority (81 per cent) who still prefer to call a dealer, satisfaction is 831. Customers who walk in without an appointment (14 per cent) are the least satisfied (786) across all appointment types.

• Fewer customers stay at the dealership: More than one-fifth (21 per cent) of customers stay at the service centre during their visit, a decline of 10 percentage points from 2018. However, satisfaction is typically higher among customers who wait for their vehicle service to be completed (837) vs. those who opt to leave and then return (821).

 Study Rankings

Hyundai ranks highest in overall service satisfaction with a score of 903. Tata (870) ranks second and Mahindra (863) ranks third.

The J.D. Power 2019 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study is based on responses from 7,177 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between March 2016 and August 2018. The study was fielded from March through August 2019.

Now in its 23rd year, the study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with the after-sales service process by examining dealership performance in five factors (listed in order of importance): service quality (30 per cent); service initiation (18 per cent); service facility (18 per cent); service adviser (17 per cent); and vehicle pick-up (17 per cent). This study examines service satisfaction in the mass market segment.

The study also includes the Net Promoter Score (NPS) which measures new vehicle owners’ likelihood to recommend their vehicle brand on a 0-10 point-scale.

Nissan India today announced a price increase on Datsun GO and GO+ up to 5 per cent.

”With safety at heart, Datsun is committed to offering accessible and value-for-money products powered by Japanese engineering. Owing to increase in multiple costs, we are making a planned price incerase to our Datsun GO and GO+ models.” commented Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd. 

Datsun GO and GO+ in T & T(O) grades now come with the first-in-segment Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC).

Nissan India has announced for its Datsun brand the bookings for the CVT variants of Datsun GO and GO+. Customers can pre-book their Datsun GO CVT and GO+ CVT with a fully refundable down payment of Rs 11,000 at any of the Nissan and Datsun dealerships across the country.

Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. said,” We are introducing Nissan’s proven CVT technology in Datsun GO and GO+ to cater to the demand of customers pan India. The new Datsun GO CVT and GO+ CVT is the first-in-segment with the USP of 5S – SPACE, SAFE, SMART, STYLE and SURE (Japanese technology). We are confident that these class leading offerings will surely delight the customers.”

The Datsun GO and GO+ CVT also offers enhanced crash performance with front and side crash performance, roof and pedestrian protection reinforcement. The first-in-segment Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), dual airbags, anti-lock braking system with EBD and BA, engine immobilizer, reverse parking sensors and follow-me-home headlamps speed sensing auto door locks make Datsun GO CVT and GO+ CVT one of the safest cars in the segment.

Celebrating their long-standing technical partnership, Shell Lubricants and Ducati, organised the first edition of Shell Ducati Riders’ Day, a thrilling experience for India’s passionate rider community. This came as the latest endeavour by the two brands to commemorate riders’ passion and establish a stronger connect with their customers.

With over 500 attendees, the event came as the final leg of Shell Lubricants India’s flagship ‘MotoSport Promo Campaign’. It also saw the company celebrate the culmination of its unique limited-edition Advance promo pack series with attractive packaging and  surprise prizes. Over 25 Shell Advance consumers got a chance to attend the event.

The event also witnessed Ducati India unveil its official riding team for the 2019 competitive season with Rajini Krishnan, the renowned multiple national and international championship winner, one of the brightest and youngest talent  Dilip Lalwani, and India’s only liter-class female rider Neharika Yadav. Additionally, Aakash Rajshakha and Bhumik Lalwani were also named as the official pilots for the North Star Automotive Ducati’s dealer partner team.

The event saw Ducati create a thrilling riding experiences with over 100 Ducati riders. Ducati DRE-Certified trainers provided exclusive training to participants for the Ducati Road Academy to improve riders’ skills, thereby ensuring safe riding. This was followed by the Ducati Open Track Day which provided all Ducati superbike owners, excluding the Scrambler range, an opportunity to ride on the track.

Facilitated by Shell Lubricants, MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso also made his first ever appearance in India at the event. Dovizioso spoke about his experiences with Ducati on intensely competitive tracks and the crucial role played by engine oils in maintaining a bike’s health. He further highlighted how Shell Advance Oils provide protection even in the most adverse conditions, thus providing riders the courage to ‘Outride Anything’.

The partnership between Shell and Ducati is one of the most successful technical collaborations since 1999 wherein both majors have been co-learning from extreme testing environments on and off the racetrack. The transfer of knowledge gained from the track to Shell’s products for the road is central to the technical partnership with Ducati.

Shell Advance, the only motorcycle oil recommended by Ducati, is essential to powering Ducati bikes on the track in extremely testing environments and this itself is a testament to its superior on-road performance. Ducati not only uses Shell products on the track, but also chooses Shell Advance oil and Shell V-Power fuel as the first fill for every Ducati bike that leaves its factory in Bologna, Italy.

The advance of electric cars constitutes the biggest change in the history of the automobile. For the first time in over a century, cars move without a petrol or diesel engine in the engine bay and have a battery in the floor, changing the car at its core.

With the introduction of the forthcoming fully electric Volvo XC40 SUV next month, Volvo Cars is not just launching its first fully electric car – in true Volvo tradition, it is also introducing one of the safest cars on the road, despite a fresh set of challenges presented by the absence of an internal combustion engine.

“Regardless of what drives a car forward, be it an electric machine or combustion engine, a Volvo must be safe,” says Malin Ekholm, Head of Safety at Volvo Cars. “The fully electric XC40 will be one of the safest cars we have ever built.”

While building on the excellent safety standards of the original XC40, Volvo Cars safety engineers had to completely redesign and reinforce the frontal structure to deal with the absence of an engine, meet Volvo Cars’ high safety requirements and help keep occupants as safe as in any other Volvo.

“The fundamentals around safety are the same for this car as for any other Volvo. People are inside, and the car needs to be designed to be safe for them,” says Malin Ekholm.

To help keep passengers safe and the battery intact in the event of a collision, Volvo Cars also developed a new and unique safety structure for passengers and battery alike in the XC40. The battery is protected by a safety cage which consists of a frame of extruded aluminum and has been embedded in the middle of the car’s body structure, creating a built-in crumple zone around the battery.

The battery’s placement in the floor of the car also has the benefit of lowering the center of gravity of the car, for better protection against roll-overs.

Meanwhile, the car’s body structure has not just been reinforced in the front, but also at the rear. Here, the electric powertrain has been integrated in the body structure to realise a better distribution of collision forces away from the cabin and reduce the strain on people inside the car.

In terms of active safety systems, the battery-powered XC40 also introduces new technology. It is the first Volvo model equipped with a new Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensor platform with software developed by Zenuity, the joint venture company owned by Volvo Cars and Veoneer.

The new ADAS platform is a modern, scalable active safety system that consists of an array of radars, cameras and ultrasonic sensors. Because of its scalable nature it can easily be developed further and lays the foundation for the future introduction of autonomous drive technology.

Volvo Cars will reveal more details about the fully electric XC40 in the coming weeks, before it will be first shown to the public on October 16.

Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric India

Hero Electric has launched its new electric scooter – The Dash, with prices starting at Rs 62,000 further expanding its portfolio of easy to use and maintain e-scooters. The brand also showcased the Extended Range variants of the Optima and Nyx widening its range of e-scooters in India. The Optima ER and Nyx ER are now available across all Hero Electric dealerships for Rs 68,721 and Rs 69,754 respectively.

Commenting on the occasion Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric India said, “Hero Electric is determined to deliver the best of electric two-wheeler mobility options to eco-conscious customers who prefer smarter mobility solutions. The all-new Dash is our latest and most lucrative offering that offers style, practicality, performance with a powerful Li-Ion battery that is portable and reliable, and I am certain this will appeal to people of all age groups. As always, we will continue to bring in new and better products and are always listening to customer feedback.”

The Dash is powered by a 48v, 28 Ah Li-Ion battery with fast-charging of four hours and a range of 60 km per charge. Keeping in mind the Indian driving conditions, the Dash is made for India with a high ground clearance of 145 mm to tackle Indian road conditions. The Dash comes  equipped with features such as with LED DRL’s, LED headlights, digital instrument cluster, USB mobile charging port, tubeless tyres, dual tone body colour and
graphics, remote boot opening keeping the practicality quotient high. The Dash also gets a very striking design with a commanding front fascia that gives the Dash a string road presence, with the dual tone colour options sprucing up the looks of the Dash even more.

As a testament to its commitment to cater to the range anxiety associated with the purchase of e-scooters, Hero Electric also showcased its latest extended range offerings, Optima ER and Nyx ER during the event. Both the Optima ER and Nyx ER come equipped with dual Li-Ion battery with a total range of 110 kms and 100 kms per charge respectively.

Hero Electric is making strides in product development with products that go beyond the customer’s expectations in terms of usability, features and cost effectiveness. Heavy daily travelers using ICE bikes and scooters today can save more than Rs 1,00,000 in 2 years by switching to the any e-scooter from the Hero Electric ER range.

With Nyx ER already introduced in the market, the company has extensive plans to introduce heavy duty products catering to the myriad requirements of the B2B sector thereby expanding its offerings for the commercial segment. Hero electric products are best suited for commercial usage as they require lesser investment and have zero carbon emissions.

In sync with the government’s vision to promote and foster the adoption of electric mobility in India, Hero Electric aims to invest in R&D to introduce technologically advanced products that India needs in order to make the switch from ICE vehicles. Going forward, all high-speed products from Hero Electric will also be eligible for FAME II benefits and coupled with the lowered GST rates on batteries and chargers, products from Hero Electric will only get more attractive and affordable.

Hero Electric scooters are the perfect match for people who want to switch to clean mobility, with options ranging from lightweight to high-speed performance scooters, so both the first-time buyers and enthusiasts have a variety of scooters to choose from. These electric scooters do not need a pollution certificate as they have zero pollution and some of the scooters do not need even the RC or the driving licenses.The e-scooters from the company are gender agnostic with designs that can blend into anyone’s lifestyle and offer last-mile connectivity at minimal cost and zero emissions. Hero Electric will continue to innovate in this space and lead electric mobility in the country.

Hero Electric plans to take the 615 touchpoints presently to 1000 by end of 2020 and make the brand accessible even in the most interior parts of the country. The company has aggressive investment plans in the next three years to ramp up production capacity of its electric scooters to 5 lakh units annually.

With DBX’s unveil drawing closer, Aston Martin’s first SUV has entered the closing stages of the most comprehensive test regime of any Aston Martin and today, the luxury British marque can confirm the beating heart of the most versatile product in its illustrious history.

With extensive everyday real-world driving and high-performance track evaluation taking place at locations worldwide – including the brand’s two key engineering centres at Silverstone, UK and the Nürburgring, Germany – Chief Engineer Matt Becker’s team have focussed their development work to ensure the broad dynamic capability required of DBX.

While conducting durability testing at the demanding Nürburgring race circuit, DBX has delivered cornering speeds on par with the brand’s most focussed sportscar Vantage, while achieving braking figures greater than the marque’s Super GT, DBS Superleggera. This brutal combination of performance for an SUV has already seen Aston Martin’s engineering team regularly achieve sub 8-minute Nordschleife lap times during their regular testing regime.

DBX will feature a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, tuned to deliver the exhilaration of a modern GT. While recognisable from its application in the brand’s existing Vantage and DB11 sportscars, DBX’s V8 engine surpasses the performance credentials of these V8-powered models delivering 550 PS and 700 Nm of torque.

High speed testing has already proven DBX to repeatedly exceed 180 mph, with final top speed and acceleration figures being set within the closing stages of the testing process.

DBX’s vocal chorus has also been honed by the brand’s dedicated acoustic team. With a focus on creating a broader, more solid acoustic note, DBX’s exhaust system has been tuned to reflect a deep bass with increasing mid-tones, creating true auditory exhilaration, particularly in more sporting drive modes.

DBX’s testing programme continues apace, with Matt Becker, Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer commenting: “We have concentrated our work to ensure that the calibration and tune of this 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 delivers both the everyday usability and refinement expected by SUV owners. However, we have also focused heavily on matching that with the engaging driving dynamics that are commanded by our brand and inherent in every Aston Martin and early indications of the car’s overall performance have been incredibly promising.

The next few months will be extremely important to us, as we continue to hone the powertrain credentials and a dynamic setup that will help make this the most exciting SUV on the market”.

DBX is set to be unveiled this December.

Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd unveiled the tyre.

Apollo Tyres today introduced the all-terrain tyres, Apollo Apterra AT2, for the SUV enthusiasts. This all-terrain tyre complements Apollo’s existing Apterra range including specialised Highway Luxury (HL), Highway Terrain (HT), High Performance (HP) and the All Terrain (AT) tyres for the SUVs.

Designed and developed as a collaborative effort between the two Global R&D Centres — in Enschede, the Netherlands and in Chennai, India — and a cross-functional team comprising members from R&D, Manufacturing, Service, Business Quality and Marketing, Apterra AT2 will be produced at the company’s Vadodara unit in Gujarat. With traction and durability, this tyre has been thoroughly tested in the toughest of conditions in South Africa before being introduced in India.

The company is looking at catering to the all-terrain market of approximately 15,000 tyres/month in India, and is introducing 8 sizes in phase 1, which are targeted towards vehicle like Endeavour, Fortuner, Pajero, Force One, Scorpio, XUV 500, Hexa and others. Another 6 sizes of Apollo Apterra AT2 would be launched in phase II, and together, the range will cover over 90 per cent of the all-terrain vehicle market.

Commenting on the launch, Satish Sharma, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd said “We are sharpening our focus on the SUV segment in India, with specialised tyres for different terrains, as this vehicle segment is growing faster than passenger cars. The excellent test results, and the global efforts that have gone into developing the Apollo Apterra AT2, gives us the confidence that this tyre will set a new benchmark in the all-terrain tyre space, and will further propel our leadership in the SUV segment.”

Equipped to handle obstacles both on-road and off-road, the Apollo Apterra AT2 is designed to tackle all terrains. It has a patented tread design with 3D interlocking sipes, tread with DPF technology and the shoulder design with SAW-Tooth technology, which provides a higher level of traction. Triplex casing and high tensile steel belts makes the tyre highly durable and impact resistant. The herringbone grooves of the tyre ensure efficient water drainage on wet roads and provide better control during off-roading. The wider tread width provides stability during cornering.

Apollo Tyres has also curated #BadRoadBuddies, a community for budding and existing off-roaders to come together and discover the unexplored beauty that beholds in this vast terrain that is India. The people who belong to this community are the ones who go the distance to make it through some of the harshest roads in the country to get breathtaking views and lifetime worth of experiences.