auto parts manufacturers,auto parts suppliers

Bosch Rexroth acquires majority stake in Chinese pneumatics company Easun

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:55:16 +0000

Lohr, Germany / Cixi, China. Bosch Rexroth is set to acquire a majority stake in Zhejiang Easun Pneumatic Technology Co. Ltd. (Easun), based in Cixi, China. The purchase agreement was signed on June 30 in Cixi. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The acquisition is subject to approval by the authorities.

Easun is one of the leading pneumatics companies in China. Under the brand name Easun, it develops, produces and sells pneumatic cylinders, valves, maintenance units and accessories for the local market. The Chinese pneumatics specialist employs around 900 people.

“With this acquisition, we are strengthening our position in the growing Chinese pneumatics market and offering an extended pneumatics range that is specially tailored to the requirements of Chinese customers,” explains Dr. Albert Hieronimus, Chairman of the Executive Board of Bosch Rexroth AG. “The move is a continuation of our ongoing strategy of regionalization,” adds Hieronimus.

Bosch Rexroth has been represented by its own companies in China since the 1970s, offering its customers the complete range of drive and control products and manufacturing at three locations. In 2007, Bosch Rexroth generated sales of around 350 million euro in China with a workforce of more than 2,000 associates. In 2007, the Bosch Group as a whole achieved consolidated sales of around 1.8 billion euro in China and employed more than 17,000 associates.

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mjunction to expand regional language consumer base with the launch of Hindi versions of Coal Insights and Steel Insights

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:54:43 +0000

mjunction re-launches mjunctionedge with a renewed focus on knowledge exchange
Corporate site www.mjunction.in launched in Hindi as a client / customer connect initiative
Other initiatives include digitisation of magazines, launch of specialty reports on steel and coal

mjunction services, India’s largest eCommerce company, announced the re-launch of its content and conference division as mjunctionedge along with the launch of its premium industry magazines namely, Steel Insights and Coal Insights in Hindi language. The launch was followed by unveiling of mjunction’s corporate portal (www.mjunction.in) in Hindi language. The magazines and the corporate portal were unveiled jointly by PS Bhattacharya, chairman, Coal India and Viresh Oberoi, managing director, mjunction services.

The company’s decision to launch the Hindi version of the magazines and the corporate portal was based on feedback it had been getting from its pan-India customer and subscribers base to incorporate a regional preference. While the primary aim of the regional versions of the magazines will be to reach out and engage to a larger segment of target audience who adhere to the coal and the steel industry within the Hindi speaking community in northern India and parts of western and eastern India, the launch of the corporate portal in Hindi will endeavour to position the portal from a mere transactional to a high–end information exchange platform.

Unveiling the Hindi edition of the magazines and the corporate portal, Mr Bhattacharya said: “Such initiative from mjunction will not only benefit the huge base of the buyers and sellers from the steel and coal industry but also act as a knowledge sharing platform between the stakeholders and contribute to the overall development of the coal and steel sector. It also creates a sense of responsibility in terms of efficiency and transparency from mjunction to all its users and ushers confidence in them for the eCommerce sector in India.”

Addressing the conference, Mr Oberoi commented: “The launch of these magazines in regional languages only strengthens our commitment of adding more value to our services. We are optimistic that such initiative will provide us with an opportunity to provide our share of knowledge about the industry back into the system and thereby enlarging the community that mjunction serves. High-end specialty reports catering to the steel and coal industry are also in the pipeline. This apart, we have also planned several conferences from varied industry verticals like steel, coal, shipping, logistics and many more.”The Hindi language edition of the magazines will be an exact replica of its current English versions and will start with a print run of 1,000 copies to start with and has a target of increasing the figure to 5,000 copies by 2008 end. mjunctionedge also has firm plans to launch its ‘Insights” magazines in other regional languages like Bengali, Gujarati etc in the future.

mjunctionedge will focus strongly on becoming a leading knowledge exchange platform for its businesses in steel, coal and sourcing to educate and engage and thus enlarge its consumer base of mjunction facilitating its business objectives. mjunctionedge also plans to digitise the publications as its businesses and customer base grows beyond India.

The re-launch of the contents and conferences division is part of mjunction’s “Vision 2008-13” through which the company plans to achieve five fold growth to Rs50,000 crore in terms of transaction value. It closed FY 2008 with a transaction value of Rs10,314 crore.

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Volkswagen Group with new delivery record for the period January to May 2008

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:54:10 +0000

WOLFSBURG—The Volkswagen Group sold 2.69 million vehicles worldwide from January to May 2008. This represents an increase of 6.6 percent compared with the same period last year and is yet another new delivery record. Group deliveries increased by 2.0 percent to 553,400 vehicles in May. As a result, the development of deliveries by the Group was significantly better than developments on the world market, where deliveries were down 2.9 percent in May and up 2.3 percent for the period January to May.

“Once again, the enormous model diversity of our eight brands has proved itself in an ever more difficult market environment. Both for the month of May and for the period January to May, demand for our cars has developed significantly better than the total industry on European markets, where overall demand is weakening,” said Detlef Wittig, Executive Vice President, Group Sales and Marketing, commenting on the Group’s delivery figures.

In Europe, the Group delivered 1.55 million vehicles (+2.0 percent) to customers, while the Group’s eight brands sold 432,700 vehicles (+4.1 percent) in Germany. In Western Europe (excluding Germany), 886,000 vehicles were delivered to customers (-2.5 percent), while 229,500 vehicles were delivered to customers in Central and Eastern Europe, an increase of 18.6 percent compared with the same period last year.

The Volkswagen brand, the Group’s highest volume brand, delivered 1.57 million vehicles (+6.7 percent) from January to May. Audi delivered 426,200 vehicles (+1.5 percent) and Skoda delivered 301,500 vehicles (+18.4 percent). Seat delivered 170,100 vehicles (-5.9 percent). Deliveries by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles totaled 216,400 units, a rise of 13.4 percent. Bentley delivered 4,000 models to customers, Bugatti 25 and Lamborghini 1,100.

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BMW Motorrad wins major Police motorcycle contract

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:53:45 +0000

Company’s new Navigation Radio System provides seamless integration of radio, GPS, iPod/MP3 player, Bluetooth® phone, CD/DVD entertainment, and more

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., July 1, 2008 — The Visteon Navigation Radio System – a fully integrated replacement in-dash entertainment system featuring GPS navigation, iPod/MP3 command and control, Bluetooth hands-free phone operation with audio streaming, DVD video, and other premium functionality – is now available for North American passenger vehicles.

The innovative Visteon system, available through automotive dealerships and mobile electronics retailers, dramatically expands on the functionality and convenience of original equipment (OE) radio head units. Featuring a striking 7-inch color digital LCD touch-screen monitor, the new system combines dozens of advanced capabilities within a single unit that fits in most vehicles with a double-DIN radio opening. The Visteon system is compatible with existing steering wheel controls on most vehicles, plus rear (backup) cameras and satellite radio modules.

“This powerful new in-dash system enables vehicle owners to enjoy the most sought-after mobile electronics functionality – from high-quality audio to GPS navigation to seamless command and control of their iPods – in a single, affordable unit that fits precisely in place of the factory radio,” said Mark Boyle, director of sales and marketing, Visteon Mobile Electronics.

Key features of the Visteon Navigation Radio System include:

Convenient GPS navigation via high-resolution 7-inch color TFT-LCD touch-screen mapping and video monitor (System includes GPS antenna and Tele Atlas map database with more than 10 million points of interest)
Command and control for iPod
Bluetooth hands-free phone operation with streaming audio
Multimedia disk player for audio CDs and video DVDs
Premium AM/FM tuner
Compatible with steering wheel controls
Satellite Radio capable
Includes USB port, SD Card slot and RCA jacks for audio/video inputs
Integrated 4×45-watt peak power amplifier and 5.1 channel surround-sound pre-amp outputs
Rear backup camera video input

The unit’s integrated GPS navigation system provides an intuitive graphic interface combined with touch-screen controls and voice guidance. The 480×800-resolution digital LCD display ensures precise map detail as well as exceptional picture quality.

The Visteon system’s button backlights can be customized to the dashboard control colors for a true “factory” appearance

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Mazda Launches New Sales Network in Turkey

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:53:15 +0000

HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that its national sales company (NSC) in Turkey launched its new sales network in early June 2008.

Mazda transferred responsibility for the Turkish market to Mazda Motor Europe (MME) in 2007, and the new NSC in Turkey was established in September 2007. Since then, further preparations were made toward the launch of operations in Istanbul in early June. The company was officially established as Mazda Motor Logistics Europe N.V. Merkezi Belçika Türkiye Istanbul Şubesi. Mr. Steve Newton was appointed managing director of the new distributor on June 2, 2008, and operations began on June 5. Mazda’s distributor has 10 employees, with 22 sales outlets in Turkey.

Mazda’s distributor in Turkey plays a unifying role in several areas of the Mazda business, including importation and distribution of Mazda-brand vehicles, parts and accessories; technical and servicing support; sales, marketing and public relations campaigns; and efforts to strengthen the company’s brand image and sales networks.

The full-scale commencement of sales operations for Mazda’s distributor in Turkey is part of Mazda’s successful and ongoing strategy to establish wholly owned distribution subsidiaries in Europe. Now with 21 national sales companies doing business in 39 countries, Mazda controls over 90 percent of its sales volume in the European market through wholly owned subsidiaries.

Mazda will continue to strengthen its brand image and further develop its sales network in Europe as key elements of the mid-term Mazda Advancement Plan.

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Organizational and Personnel Changes

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:52:43 +0000

Mazda Motor Corporation has announced the following organizational and personnel changes, effective July 1, 2008.

1. Organizational changes
Changes in the area of customer service

Goals

-	To strengthen the Mazda brand’s quality and service worldwide and provide the best possible service to every customer. Achieve this by structuring departments according to function to improve business efficiency and by streamlining service promotional activities according to market.
-	To further promote recycling efforts by integrating recycling promotion activities with the internal control and the environmental management system (EMS) promotion functions of the Customer Service HR Planning & Administration Dept. to achieve synergies and improve efficiencies.
-	To improve services and better respond to customer needs by consolidating domestic parts sales and service promotional activities in line with the establishment of Mazda Parts Co., Ltd. on July 1, 2008.

Details of the organizational changes

-	All functions of the Recycle Promotion Office have been transferred to the Customer Service HR Planning and Administration Dept.
-	Some functions of the Global Service Marketing & Purchasing Dept. have been transferred to the Customer Service Business Development Dept.
-	The Customer Service Education and Training Dept. has been newly established; some functions of the Customer Service HR Planning & Administration Dept. and the Vehicle Service & Program Dept. have been transferred to it.
-	The Domestic Parts & Service Marketing Dept. has been newly established; some functions of the Customer Service HR Planning and Administration Dept., Customer Service Business Development Dept. and the Global Service Marketing & Purchasing Dept. and all functions of the Domestic Parts Sales Dept. have been transferred to it.
-	The Overseas Fields Service Dept. has been renamed the Overseas Parts & Service Marketing Dept.; some functions of the Customer Service Business Development Dept. have been transferred to it.
-	In line with the above changes, the Recycle Promotion Office, Global Service Marketing & Purchasing Dept. and Domestic Parts Sales Dept. have been eliminated.

2. Personnel Changes
(1) Executive officers

New Post	Current Post	Name
Executive Officer General Manager, Customer Service Div. and President, Mazda Parts Co., Ltd.	Executive Officer and General Manager, Customer Service Div.	Kozo Kawakami

(2) General managers and above

New Post	Current Post	Name
Staff Manager Global Auditing Dept.	General Manager Customer Service Business Development Dept.	Mitsunori Kariya
Program Manager Program Management Office No.2	Program Manager Program Management Office No.1 and Program Manager Program Management Office No.2	Hideaki Tanaka
Deputy General Manager Purchasing Div.	-	Peter Sahlstrom
General Manager Powertrain Production Engineering Dept.	Manager Foundry & Forging Production Engineering Gr. No.2 Powertrain Production Engineering Dept.	Iwao Aota
General Manager Powertrain Production Dept. No.2 Hiroshima Plant	General Manager Powertrain Production Engineering Dept.	Hiroshi Miyanaka
General Manager Powertrain Production Dept. No.4 Hofu Plant	General Manager Powertrain Production Dept. No.2 Hiroshima Plant	Keiichi Ishimaru
General Manager Vehicle Production Dept. No.4 Hofu Plant	General Manager Powertrain Production Dept. No.4 Hofu Plant	Hidenori Kawakami
Deputy General Manager Domestic Business Div. and General Manager Used Car Dept.	Deputy General Manager Domestic Business Div.	Hiroaki Shimada
Deputy General Manager Customer Service Div.	Deputy General Manager Customer Service Div. and General Manager Recycle Promotion Office	Teruhiko Miyazaki
General Manager Customer Service Business Development Dept.	General Manager Global Service Marketing & Purchasing Dept.	Hideaki Itami
General Manager Global Supply Chain Management Dept.	Manager Domestic Parts Business Promotion Gr. Domestic Parts Sales Dept.	Hiroaki Ozaki
General Manager Customer Service Education & Training Dept.	Manager Customer Service Business Planning Gr. Customer Service Business Development Dept.	Yoji Maekawa
General Manager Domestic Parts & Service Marketing Dept.	General Manager Global Supply Chain Management Dept.	Kazuhiro Kobayashi
General Manager Overseas Parts & Service Marketing Dept.	General Manager Overseas Fields Service Dept.	Hiroshi Okugawa
Dispatched to Kanto Mazda Co., Ltd.	General Manager Used Car Dept.	Keizo Mori
Dispatched to Mazda Parts Co., Ltd.	General Manager Domestic Parts Sales Dept.	Norihiro Matsuo
Dispatched to AutoAlliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd.	General Manager Vehicle Production Dept. No.4 Hofu Plant	Yasunobu Hiragochi
-	Deputy General Manager Purchasing Div. (Return to Ford as of June 30, 2008)	Tom E. Wessner

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BMW Museum re-opens after total refurbishment.

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:51:57 +0000

BMW Group is one of the most forward-looking car companies in the world, yet it never forgets its roots.

One of Munich’s architectural highlights, the BMW Museum stands right next to the world famous BMW Group Head Office Four-Cylinder Building. It was here that the Chairman of the Board of Management of the BMW Group, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, officially reopened the Museum last week.

He highlighted the importance of tradition for the company: “Awareness of our heritage, the experiences and developments that our company has been through give us direction, power and inspiration for our work,” he said.

After a two and a half year refurbishment project, visitors can look forward to more than 120 exhibits in museum space covering 5,000 square metres. They will be presented in a completely new exhibition concept.

The circular museum will continue to be a landmark and a sought-out destination for car lovers from across Europe and the world. The adjacent low-level building now complements the ‘Bowl’ - as the circular museum building has been designated ever since it was opened in 1973. This has entailed increasing the available floor space five-fold. The museum will open its doors to the public this coming Saturday, 21 June 2008 from 10.00.

As guest of honour, Dr. Norbert Reithofer welcomed Eberhard von Kuenheim, who as Chairman of the Board of Management opened the museum in 1973. Although the exhibition has changed since then, the philosophy of the museum remains the same:

“A BMW Museum has to present living corporate heritage. And it must show how BMW defines the future, on the basis of concrete objects,” Dr Reithofer said.

The future was presented in an unusual way at the opening ceremony: 350 apprentices of the BMW Group surprised guests as representatives of the upcoming generation who would shape the history of the BMW Group, and themselves create new vehicles that will one-day be exhibited with pride in the Museum.

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Acura Announces June Sales Results

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:51:26 +0000

The TSX sports sedan posted best-ever June sales, making it Acura’s top-selling vehicle for the month as the luxury division posted June sales of 12,456 units, down 16.4 percent* based on the daily-selling-rate. Acura year-to-date sales of 77,914 are down 14.3 percent versus 2007.

In just its second full month on sale, the redesigned TSX sports sedan set a new June record with sales of 3,869 units, surpassing the previous record of 3,414 set in 2007. Year-to-date sales TSX reached 17,683, up 2.2 percent compared to last year.

“The TSX is receiving a tremendous response from customers who want it all - performance, luxury and fuel efficiency,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of sales. “The all-new TSX is clearly the right product at the right time.”

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American Honda Reports Record Sales in June

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:50:57 +0000

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., today announced total June sales of 142,539, up 13.8 percent on a daily-selling-rate basis(1), setting a new record for the month. Reflecting a shifting automotive marketplace, total car sales set a new June record for the first time since 1990 at 97,639, up 34.2 percent versus last year. Year-to-date American Honda sales are up 4.8 percent to 798,358.

“Staying true to our core values is allowing Honda to weather the storm of rising gas prices and help consumers find shelter in our products,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. “Our factories are doing everything they can to produce the fuel-efficient models consumers are desperately in need of.”

Honda Division sales rose 17.9 percent over last year to a new June record of 130,083, driven by record car sales which increased 41.4 percent to 89,947. The fuel-efficient Fit posted its best month ever with sales of 10,003, up 100.5 percent, while Civic hit a new June record, up 23.1 percent to 39,967, and Accord rose 54.5 percent to 39,704. Honda Division light-truck sales of 40,136 reflect a decrease of 14.2 percent. Honda Division sales are up 7.4 percent to 720,444, year-to-date.

Acura Division sales totaled 12,456. Sales of the completely redesigned 2009 TSX sports sedan increased 27.5 percent and set a new June record of 3,869.

(1) All percentages in this release reflect the daily selling rate as calculated with 24 days for June 2008, versus 27 for 2007. Year to date, the daily selling rate is calculated with 153 days for 2008, versus 154 for 2007

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he all-new 2009 Acura TSX sports sedan has earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK and 5-Star safety ratings in all governmental crash tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA*), Acura announced today. A 5-Star rating is NHTSA’s highest safety rating and TOP SAFETY PICK is IIHS’ top rating reserved only for vehicles that achieve GOOD ratings in all of its crash tests.

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:50:30 +0000

American Honda announces the beginning of the 2009 model year with the arrival of a number of favorite models for both on-road and off-road use. This first group of 2009 machines includes the ever-popular dirt-going CRF50F, CRF70F, CRF80F and CRF100F, the perfect starter bikes for beginning riders. Also within this group of first-release bikes are the thrifty Metropolitan and Ruckus scooters, the ideal around-town rides for people intent on ratcheting down the expense of running errands.

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