Honda to Increase Presence in Indian Auto Market

The Asian continent is fast becoming a huge market for automobiles. While some European markets seem to be slowing down and the U.S. auto sales is hampered by housing problems, Asian countries are increasingly becoming a favorite of car manufacturers. In fact, China and Japan are only next to the United States in terms of auto sales.

Aside from these two countries, another Asian country is fast becoming a hub for car manufacturers. India is now the fourth biggest car market in the Asian continent and car companies are taking notice. Not so long ago, General Motors announced their interest in the growing auto market of the country. Aside from General Motors, the alliance of Nissan and Renault has already started testing the Indian auto market. Following their steps towards the high ranks is the second largest Japanese car manufacturer Honda.

The company announced that they will be manufacturing and selling compact cars in the region by the year 2009. The company's decision to market smaller cars in the country is due to the fact that the three-quarters of all the cars sold in India are compact cars. General Motors, Volkswagen, Nissan, and Renault have also announced that they will be manufacturing small cars for the country. Honda's small cars to be sold in India will be built on a plant to be constructed in Rajasthan. The company reported that they expect to spend $728 million in the construction of the new assembly facility.

Honda's announcement to enter the small car market in India is fueled by the prediction that the country's demand for small cars will continue to increase in the near future. It has been estimated that by the year 2016, annual car sales in India will reach 3 million units. This predicted car sales will be divided by car manufacturers such as Suzuki and Hyundai, both of which have an already established buyer base in the country, as well as other brands like Nissan, Renault, General Motors, Volkswagen, Honda and other domestic and international brands who are willing to invest in India.

Although it is speculated that Honda will be manufacturing small cars, the Japanese car company is yet to name what model they will be producing at the Rajasthan production plant. Upon completion, the assembly facility will be expected to produce 60,000 vehicles annually. By the year 2014, Honda plans to expand the facility and increase its production capacity to 200,000 per year. The facility will handle all the processes handled by a full time automobile assembly plant. Although Honda is yet to announce the full scale of jobs to be handled by the facility it is expected that the brake assembly for vehicles will be one of the tasks of the plant.

To meet the expected production output, the new plant will be employing 4,000 workers. This means that Honda will not only benefit from the growing market in India but they will also be helping the country's economy.

ZAP Expands Auto Dealership In Davis, California

ZAP, the pioneer electric car dealership, have expanded to cover the City of Davis. The company will be the first dealership in the territory to wade through the waters for the said purpose. Davis is famed for being one of the most bicycle-friendly towns around the world.

Additionally, the University of California at Davis is also popular for advanced transportation technologies, with its equally-famous Institute for Transportation Studies. Theo Drushell and Tom Kelly are Davis' first electric car dealers, with Davis Electric Cars. "I think the size of [Davis] allows you to live on the outskirts and drive to town and back several times on the same charge," said Theo Drushell, the co- owner of Davis Electric Cars, to the UC Davis Newspaper, The California Aggie. "Davis is also flat, so driving around will take less energy."

The new dealership in Davis carries ZAP's XEBRA truck and sedan. The XEBRA, also called the 'city-car,' is especially designed for short distance driving up to 40 mph. The car also was designed to easily and conveniently fill the need of all-electric cars and trucks. This is because auto owners are anxious about the inflation of gas prices. And the tendency is for them to search for more viable alternatives so as not to drill a hole in their pocket.

The efficiency of the truck and sedan is delivered without compromising affordability. According to the company, the XEBRA can be a great value for corporate and business fleets looking to save money on fuel, but also could be just what environmentalists are looking for as an alternative. In addition, purchasers can even order zebra-stripes.

The XEBRA, manufactured in partnership with a Chinese automaker, will be priced at about $10,000. It is also expected to cost about $0.02 cents per mile to charge on electricity versus $0.12 cents or more for gasoline. "[The cars] plug into regular 110-watt plugs," said Drushell. "You can plug it in at home, at work, at certain businesses and hotels."

The vehicles will be showcased at the dealership and previous events like the UC Davis Picnic Day Parade, the Green Car Gala and Celebrate Davis! On April 21st from noon to four o'clock in the afternoon, Davis Electric Cars will sponsor a Grand Opening Celebration at its Olive Drive location.

One of the best benefits of electric cars is maintenance. They have less than ten percent moving parts compared to a gasoline-powered auto. They do not have pistons, transmission, clutch, engine oil, grinding starters, rotors, spark plugs, valves, distributor, oil filters, fuel pumps, fuel filters, air filters, radiators, anti-freeze, water pumps, timing belts, fan belts, catalytic converters, or mufflers. But other efficient parts similar to the EBC brake pads are not compromised. Moreover, with electric cars, there will be no fumes, smog tests, exhaust, oil changes, loud engine, radiator flushes, warm-ups, and gas lines. Another plus point is that the batteries are recyclable.

Theo Drushell and Tom Kelly, owners of Davis Electric Cars, are advocates of bicycle transportation first and EV transportation as an alternative. Drushell, an alumnus of Humboldt State University, and his wife, a graduate of UC Davis, are committed to bring the goal to life. Kelly, an alumnus UC Berkeley, is also a long-time advocate of employing technology to support refinement in an environmentally friendly way.