New Fluidic Verna: The hot 'chic' in India

As the new fluidic Verna mesmerizes the views with its teaser ad during the ongoing DLF IPL 4 this season, the company stated that the bookings for this new beauty has already clocked 5,000 Pan India. The company is working round the clock to meet the whopping demand  of the customers in India.

Check out the various features of the car, the first in its segment, is sure to turn on the heat on its competitors like Ford Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors.

Photos:

Features:

    * Front map lamps with Sun glass holder

    * 4 Speakers

    * Illuminated P/Window switches with Drv side Auto Down

    * Electrically adjustable outside rear view mirrors

    * Keyless entry - integrated on folding key

    * Air conditioner

    * Driver information display

    * Electric power steering with tilt function

    * Front seats back pockets

    * Driver & Passenger vanity mirror

    * MT shift indicator

    * Alternator management system

Exteriors:

    * Full Wheel Cover

    * Body colored outside mirrors with LED turn lndicators

    * Chrome front grille

    * Door black out tapes

    * Chrome tipped dual mutfler

Luxury Interiors:

    * Rear Center Armrest w/ Cup Holder

    * Full Cloth Upholstery

    * Blue interior illumination

    * 2 DIN MP3 player with AUX-in & USB

    * Audio hand remote

Safety Features:

    * Central locking system

    * Front Fog Lamps

    * Clutch lock system

    * Immobiliser

Check out the various variants available in India

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.4 VTVT

CC: 1396cc Petrol

Transmission: Manual            

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 7,04,943

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 VTVT

CC: 1591cc Petrol

Transmission: Manual

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 7,70,992

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.4 CRDI

CC: 1396cc Diesel

Transmission: Manual

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 8,15,891

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 VTVT SX

CC: 1591cc Petrol

Transmission: Manual

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 8,31,502

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 CRDI

CC: 1582cc Diesel

Transmission: Manual

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 8,81,942

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 VTVT SX Opt

CC: 1591cc Petrol

Transmission: Manual

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 9,02,096

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 CRDI SX

CC: 1582cc Diesel

Transmission: Manual

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 9,42,451

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 VTVT SX Opt AT

CC: 1591cc Petrol

Transmission: Automatic

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 9,72,691

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 CRDI SX Opt

CC: 1582cc Diesel

Transmission: Manual

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 10,13,411

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 1.6 CRDI SX Opt AT

CC: 1582cc Diesel

Transmission: Automatic

Ex-Showroom Price: Rs. 10,84,025

Watch out this space as we bring you the latest from the auto world.

Venky, Signing Off!

Middle East Unrest : The Coming Oil Price Shock!

As the Egypt’s contagion continues to spread across nations in the Middle East, it raises fears of a spike in already volatile international oil prices?

Crude prices continue to surge owing to the growing unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and also limited gains in US crude inventories. Crude oil prices just crossed $108 a barrel, highest ever in last two-and-a-half years as worries grow that the distressed public in Libya may cut off some of the worlds oil supplies, ranked as OPEC's 10^th largest crude exporter with 44 billion barrels of proven reserves account more than 3% of the global total oil reserves. The risk of higher oil prices sent stock markets from Tokyo to Paris to New York plummeting while Asian stocks were facing sharp losses. Stock Markets have relatively tranquil despite chaos in Egypt and Tunisia, but growing concerns in Libya is more frightening to investors because it is a major oil producer. Now investors concern that the turmoil in Libya could spread further across the Middle East which contains 57% of the world's total oil reserves and 30% of global oil production.

Global Recovery Trauma

Amidst growing signs of global economic recovery, but rising oil prices is posing a big threat to that recovery. The old rule of thumb was that a $10 increase of crude oil prices reduces global growth by half a per cent. As higher oil prices impact adversely on the cost to produce food and other goods and act as a drag on consumption of all from domestic devices to entertainment.  Rising oil prices is mainly worrying given the feebleness of the global economy. During the conditions of increased global risk, the dollar generally goes up since oil priced in US dollars. However, temporarily stronger dollar will not enough to keep oil prices down and moreover it will cause stress on the US economy. Analyst believes that the US economy and the dollar might be poorly positioned to weather an oil price shock at this juncture.

Against a turbulent background, gold and silver prices are sky rocketing as investors turned to safe assets in the face of mounting unrest across North Africa (third-biggest oil supplier) and the Middle East. Gold prices climbed above $1,400 an ounce for the first time in nearly seven weeks as demand for the precious metal flourished as a haven from risk. Similarly, US gold futures for April delivery rose $18.90 an ounce to $1,407.50.

Outlook

Going by the bearish US and EU economic outlook reports and high inflation in China driven by food and energy, rising oil prices will certainly weigh on the global markets.  International Monetary Fund (IMF) is of the view that the world economy can withstand the surge in oil prices sparked by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa so long as the increase proves short-lived. There is no doubt that economies are vulnerable to the rising oil price, but business and consumer confidence are relatively strong which will attribute the world growth will surpass 4%  for the second successive year. However, if oil-price spike continued will certainly faces a serious threat to the global recovery. BofA Merrill Lynch strategists suggest that not all economies are safe. Peripheral economies in EU, India, South Korea and Indonesia could start to suffer if oil averaged $110 to $120 a barrel, while a range higher than that would start to pinch Germany, Japan and China.

Jany, Chief Economist

Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women of Indian Banking

‘Here we are in 2011, and how odd is it that only a dozen Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs?’

-         Patricia Sellers, Fortune

Look for banks’ CEOs in America and the chances are you may not find many women at the top in these institutions. In fact, the latest Fortune 500 has only a dozen women CEOs in its list. So unfortunate. This is despite the fact that ‘placing women in key positions pays off for investors,’ comments Patricia Sellers of Fortune in one of her recent posts. Indian banking sector should be applauded for breaking the proverbial glass ceiling and giving female managers equal opportunities, at part with their male counterparts, and encourage them to lead from the front.

"It is very difficult for women to break the glass ceiling here (West)," Sheila Wellington, clinical professor of management at New York University's Stern School of Business told the Times of India in an interview. Given that, kudos to banks like ICICI Bank (Chanda Kochhar - CEO), Axis Bank (Shikha Sharma - CEO), Kalpana Morparia (Country Head – JP Morgan India), Naina Lal Kidwai (HSBC), Madhavi Puri Buch (CEO – ICICI Securities), Manish Girotra (MD - UBS), Renuka Ramnath, Meera Sanyal (India Head - RBS) amongst others, today’s Indian banks stand taller compared to their western counterparts when it comes to breaking the glass ceiling.

According to the executive research firm, EMA Partners, in India, 54% of the women CEOs are from the financial services sector. So what makes female managers succeed well in banking and financial services? “You got your next big challenge based on your performance and your potential, not whether you were male or female,” Chanda Kochhar, CEO of ICICI Bank, said in an interview to NY Times. In another study Standard Chartered Bank found that the financial sector performs best in terms of gender diversity, nine of the eleven banks listed on BSE-100 have a woman on their board, said a report in the Times of India.

In fact, many researchers have attributed Indian banking sector’s ability to scrape through the worst global financial crisis (of 2008) in living memory without getting hurt to their women power (read: women at top).  "Women are not driven by wanting to just show numbers," TOI quoted Renu Sud Karnad, MD of HDFC, India’s leading mortgage lender, as saying. She further added, "Women are more practical and moderate in risk taking."   

'

Besides women managers also possess certain qualities such as: they are sensitive, caring and less vulnerable to corruption.

While banking sector can look forward to continue the good work in this regard, there is a need for other organization too to ensure that they work towards improving gender equity at work and equally importantly make sure that a deserving female manager gets opportunity to occupy that corner office, CEO’s office. And also, other key positions.

(To be concluded….)

Runaway Oil Prices: Will History Repeat?

Crude oil prices rose about 30% in 2010 to levels not seen since the early 1980s. Given that, do rising oil prices predict another economic recession?

World oil prices are now hovering around the $90-per-barrel mark after having risen steadily in recent weeks amid debate over whether or not OPEC should increase oil supplies. In fact, oil prices have already entered into a risk zone and frightening the still delicate global economic recovery. In the BP Energy Outlook 2030, British Petroleum predicted the oil producers’ cartel, OPEC,  would see its share rise to 46% during the coming two decades – "a position not seen since 1977", just years after an OPEC embargo triggered the oil crisis in 1973.

In January 2011, the International Energy Agency (IEA) raised its oil-demand growth forecast for the year to 1.41 million barrels per day, lower than last year's jump in consumption, but higher than OPEC's growth estimate of 1.23 million barrels per day. Amidst supply-demand mismatch, rising oil prices are causing worries in importing countries about the economic cost of higher energy prices. In developed countries like the US, every single aspect of business and life requires some or the other form of oil.

There are some forecasts that prices will go to $100 a barrel soon. On the other hand, some experts though say this price is nowhere as high as that caused the Great Recession of mid 2008, as the US economy is still recuperating from the recession. But at this juncture, even a comparatively lower oil price at $85-90 per barrel adds to the heavy burden being stuffed for the consumers across the oil importing nations.

Oil’s Vicious Circle

Rising oil prices also add to the woes of the financial markets. Analysts say that the world economy is caught in a vicious circle as far as market crashes and high oil prices are concerned with both of them aiding and abetting each other. Higher oil price increases the trade deficit of the US. The increase in export bill leads to a weaker state of the dollar currency. A weak dollar in turn pulls up the international prices of dollar-denominated commodities. This allows the oil prices to increase further leading to exorbitantly higher oil prices. A market crash for the US then becomes inevitable.

Impending Oil Crisis

Amidst falling oil reserves in most oil exploring countries and lack of new significant oil discoveries at the same time is a pointer that an impending oil crisis may hit the global economy soon. Thus the impending oil crisis would further drive up already accelerating oil prices, making it all the more difficult for the economies like the US to keep the stock market from crashing without preamble. It looks like the world economy is heading again for another peak oil cycle which is set to cause the largest tumble down in the history of the economy. Let us hope history will not repeat!

Toyota lines up Prius for Greener tomorrow

After a slew of recalls and cases for faulty malfunctioning of gas pedals and brakes, Toyota Motor Corporation, intends to bury its past and looks forward for a good sales ahead.

The world’s largest automobile maker is banking on its hugely popular hybrid model — Prius, its saving grace, and lining up a slew of new models from the Prius table, which have been hugely successful for its fuel efficiency,

The Japanese auto maker intends to promote green technologies like its world renowned "Hybrid Synergy Drive” from Prius and is launching more variants like Prius v — offering 50% more cargo space than the current offering; Prius c — a subcompact offering from the company.

With rising oil prices and consumers preference to more greener technology, Toyota Motor Corp. is anticipating Prius series to surpass its most selling model – Camry by 2020.

However, to realize its dream, the Japanese auto major should follow stringent quality norms and make sure it does not repeat its mistakes, or else, its supremacy as the world’s largest auto giant will be at risk from players like GM Volt, Nissan Leaf etc.

To know more from the automobile industry, keep coming at www.businessviewsreviews.blogspot.com

Hero, Honda dump yaari ki gaadi

The ubiquitous Hero Honda tag you saw on the bikes for the last 26 years will soon be history as the two partners have decided to end their joint venture, which has been nothing sort a corporate folklore in India

So what prompted the two firms to part ways after starting their JV in 1984 and launching their first motorcycle, CD 100, a year later, and which went on to command more than 50% market share of India’s motor cycle segment? The answer is: immense growth potential of Indian market. But if you wonder why now, the answer is, it’s only inevitable after the Japanese partner had set up HMSI in 1999 and forayed into scooters segment on its own with the launch of Activa and Dio, which went onto become hugely successful. This was followed by the launch of Unicorn, the first bike from HMSI’s stable, in 2004. And the writing on the wall was clear: it was only a matter of time before the two partners decided to call it a day.

Both the partners have different ambitions though (and, that is what they’ve said in the public). Honda, post-the break-up, which will be complete by mid-2014, will freely bring in new technology in India and pursue its growth plans independently in a market which is one of the most lucrative in the world, while Hero can tap new growth opportunities in overseas or export markets, which was not possible earlier due to the fact that Honda already is a significant player in such markets. The motorcycles segment continues to account for over 80% of total two-wheeler sales in India and grew at 24.1% — the best ever growth since 2002-03, according to Bajaj Auto’s latest annual report. Further, there is also a distinct shift in consumer’s preference towards bigger, powerful and sportier bikes which constitute the major chunk of India’s motorcycle market. The deluxe segment or in industry parlance Commuter DLX segment has grown from 48% of the market in 2005-06 to 64% in 2009-10 — or close to two-thirds of the total number of bikes sold while the share of the low-cost, Commuter STD motorcycles has fallen to 19% in 2009-10 from 43% of the market (in terms of volume) in 2005-06, according to the said annual report.

To quote Brij Mohan Lall Munjal, Hero Group’s patriarch and Chairman, Hero Honda, “Today is a new beginning to broaden our horizons.” While the news of separation must have brought cheers on the faces of rivals which long struggled to dethrone the mighty market leader for all these 26 years, let us wish the parting duo a happy ride and success.