Autocar Professional – December 1 magazine out now

Two names from the automotive industry dominated the past fortnight – Mahindra and Carlos Ghosn – for very different reasons. The Anand Mahindra-led conglomerate continues to chart new paths in the electric mobility space and at the same time pushes the envelope in the traditional SUV space.

It has to as the era of electric mobility nears and at the same time peers step up their activities in the Indian SUV space. The just-launched Mahindra Alturas G4 has become the most premium vehicle in the domestic market wearing an Indian logo. With a price tag that's nearly double that of the entry-level XUV 500, the Alturas G4 faces a test of Mahindra's brand equity. Mahindra first tried it with the Scorpio in 2002 and then with the XUV 500 in 2011. Will it be third time lucky?

After a failed attempt at building a two-wheeler business, Mahindra, in association with two more entrepreneurs, has now taken a new step in the two-wheeler space by resurrecting the Jawa brand. In what can be called as the first worthy competitor to the mighty Royal Enfield, the Jawa story will be interesting to follow. The larger theme is that the midsize motorcycle market is getting more interesting. And Jawa is not the last entrant in it. A four-page report on the Jawa Motorcycles launch, accompanied by an interview with Ashish Joshi, CEO, Classic Legends, reveals the company’s strategy in the Indian market.  

Carlos Ghosn always creates news, only this time it has been for the wrong reasons. Who would have thought that Ghosn, who is credited of leading Nissan in one of the biggest turnaround stories in the global auto industry, will one day be ousted as the chairman of the same company?

Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki India, which is feeling the pressure of slowing sales, has launched the new Ertiga MPV. The second-generation model, now bigger and with more creature comforts, also gets a new 1.5-litre engine. Find all you need to know about the latest Maruti in town.

Staying ahead of customer expectations is always difficult, particularly in a value-conscious market like India and the changing dynamics in the automobile service sector change. Hyundai Motor India has topped the 2018 JD Power India Customer Satisfaction India for the second year in a row, followed by Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. We reveal the detailed findings of the study.

Among the many global majors betting big on India is specialty chemicals company Lanxess. The company, which aims to grow its supplies of materials for the automotive, electrical and electronics industries, is working on optimised, tailor-made grades of high-performance plastics for India which aid in lightweighting, among other gains.

As OEMs and suppliers target higher productivity in a time of disruption, having top-class machinery on the shopfloor is imperative. EMAG, the German manufacturer of CNC machines, is looking to enable industry, particularly Tier 2 and 3 suppliers to produce more with less. How? It’s all there in this issue.

The Guest Column of the fortnight takes on the topic of testing techniques and methodologies for autonomous vehicles. In an incisive manner, Douglas Farrell, senior solutions marketing manager – HIL and Test Cell Systems, National Instruments, details the way to go about it.

All this plus plenty of exciting industry news in the latest issue of Autocar Professional.

Where to buy?
Autocar Professional  magazine is available through select newsagents and for digital download from Magzster. 

You can also buy one-off copies of Autocar Professional magazine – contact Ganesh at ganesh@haymarket.co.in.