Business Roundup #Week45

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Yamaha To Focus On Premium Bikes

Yamaha will focus on premium bikes and scooters in India in the future as new Indian rules are set to come into play, says a report.

The implementation of BS-VI emission norms from April 2020 will prove to be a challenge for the Japanese two-wheeler major in offering affordable entry level motorcycles, according to a senior company official.

The company, which currently has a market share of 13 per cent in the 150 cc-plus in the motorcycle segment in India, is aiming to increase it to 20 per cent in next 3-4 years time, the official added.

Ssangyong To Develop New Products

Mahindra and Mahindra is leveraging its overseas unit SsangYong to develop new products and expand its portfolio seven years after acquiring the South Korean brand, says a report.

India’s leading manufacturer of utility vehicles has set itself a target of selling 9,000 units a month from three all new products planned this financial year.

The products have been developed using engineering assistance from Mahindra’s Korean counterparts and Italian car-design firm Pininfarina. The Mahindra Group acquired the Italian company three years ago.

Domestic Air Traffic Slows Down

Domestic air traffic growth during October slowed down a bit, registering a growth of about 13.34 per cent from a year ago, data released by the aviation regulator showed, according to a report.

The data, released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), showed that Indian carriers carried 11.8 million passengers during the month, up from 10.5 million in October last year.

Travel industry insiders said that the growth in October this year has slowed down due to the higher base effect of last year. A larger number travelled in October last year, as Diwali fell in the same month.

Atos Wins Key Supercomputer Deal

French IT services firm Atos has won a three-year contract to build the first phase of supercomputers under India’s 4,500-crore-rupee National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), says a report.

This comes as the country looks to create a cluster of machines for weather forecasting, drug discovery and data mining.

The tender to build these high performance computers (HPC) had been floated by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in February. Atos would be deploying its energy efficient Direct Liquid Cooled Bull Sequana supercomputers in India.

Panasonic On Track to Hit Sales Target

Panasonic is expecting to achieve a sales target of 140 crore rupees through its Bluetooth-based trackers ‘Seekit’ in the next one year, says a report.

The newly launched Seekit devices have been designed by Panasonic Innovation Centre, India. The company during the Seekit launch had revealed that it will start selling the devices starting from the first week of December this year.

Panasonic has priced the Seekit Edge and Seekit Loop, at 1,599 rupees and 1,299 rupees respectively.

Hero Cycles Seals Electric Cycles Accord

Hero Cycles has announced a strategic alliance with Yamaha Motor Co Ltd and Japan’s Mitsui & Co for technology, manufacturing and marketing of Hero electric bicycle powered by Yamaha electric drive unit, says a report.

“The partnership has been formed with a forward-looking plan which includes development of new e-mobility products jointly by Hero and Yamaha, with go-to-market sales, distribution and marketing support by Mitsui & Co. Ltd,” a top Hero Cycles official said.

The first product for India to roll out from this alliance would be a high-end E-MTB.

PepsiCo Launches Compostable Packing Programme

PepsiCo India has rolled out a six-month long pilot programme to sell its snack products in compostable packaging amid mounting concerns over the impact of plastic on the environment.

Popular variants of Lay’s and Kurkure snacks will be available in the new eco-friendly packaging at the Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3 in Delhi, the company said.

The new packaging, developed by its research and development unit, is made from plant-based material and 100% compostable, the American company said.

PSA India Plan Delayed

French carmaker Groupe PSA’s India foray with the locally produced models has been delayed by a year as the company aims to get its cost and product right the first time, according to a report.

Sources said that instead of the April 2020 roll out, Groupe PSA now plans to begin local manufacturing by April 2021.

The earlier India launch was planned in tandem with the BS VI emission norms implementation in 2020 in India.

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Babu Kalyanpur
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