We are afraid to invest more in India: Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Toyota has been one of the worst impacted among automobile companies in the country after the recent ban on sale of Diesel cars with engines larger than 2,000cc in the National Capital Region (NCR). Such sudden changes in legislation are bad not only for it but for the overall sector, Akito Tachibana, the new managing director at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, tells Alnoor Peermohamed. Edited excerpts:

The recent ban on diesel cars with engines larger than 2,000 cc in Delhi/NCR has taken a toll on Toyota. How is the company looking at mitigating the impact?

The current impact is almost eight per cent of the total sales for Toyota in India. Not only have we and our suppliers been impacted but also the dealers in Delhi. They've lost 60 per cent of their sales because they can't sell the Innova or Fortuner; both models have only diesel engines. We hope that in the next Supreme Court hearing, this ban is removed. Automobile companies need long-term strategies, as it takes four years or more to develop a vehicle.Read more.

Maruti's LCV launch delayed due to activism against diesel vehicles

Maruti Suzuki has missed a date set earlier for entering the light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment, pointing to the activism against diesel use. The country’s largest car maker was to launch a mini truck, which it has been developing since 2013, before March 31.

Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director, said: “Launching the LCV this financial year is quite difficult. So much has happened against diesel.

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Maruti Suzuki to launch compact SUV Brezza today

Maruti Suzuki will formally launch the Vitara Brezza on Tuesday, its first serious attempt to break into the already-competitive sport utility vehicle segment.

Designed and fully developed in India by Indian engineers, the Brezza will take on the likes of Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300 (in the sub-4 meter category) as well as the Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster.

Delhi's transport sector 3 times more polluting than Mumbai's

Delhi’s transport sector produces six times as much greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) as that of Kolkata’s, five times as much as Ahmedabad’s and three times as much as Greater Mumbai and Chennai, according to a study.

Delhi’s transport sector contributes 32% of the city’s GHG emissions—gases responsible for global warming—said the report, GHG Footprint of Major Cities in India, conducted by the Centre for Ecological Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

However, data presented to the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) said that Delhi transport sector contributes only 28% to the total greenhouse gas emissions, excluding emissions from compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.

Despite a 187 km, seven-line metro network carrying 2.4 million commuters every day, private vehicles rose 92% over the last 15 years, even as buses and their ridership declined, according to Delhi’s Economic Survey 2014-15, as we will detail in part two of this series.

Delhi’s transport sector emits 12.39 million tonne of carbon-dioxide (CO2) equivalent, followed by Greater Bangalore (8.61) and Hyderabad (7.81). The transport sector in Hyderabad emits the greatest proportion (56.86%) of GHG emissions compared to other Indian cities.

The transport sector includes motor cycles, scooters and mopeds, cars and jeeps, taxis, buses, light motor vehicles (passengers), light motor vehicles (goods), trucks and lorries, tractors and trailers. Transport emissions of Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai also include emissions from shipping.