The Corona Virus outbreak in China has led to restrictions on movement of people and business activities in many provinces of China, in order to control the spread of virus. The closure of factories in China may affect Indian industries, which import components, intermediaries and raw materials from China like …
The auto industry focuses on pollution mitigating devices instead of improvising and improving on the basics of the engine. That is the general impression. But, the emission control equipment companies instal, even on the latest models, is not the best available. It barely passes the tests and the scrutiny of …
The auto industry refuses to invest in research and development of technology that suits the Indian conditions. They do not lack the resources to do so. They lack the commitment. Investment in research seems to be a pittance when compared to the massive revenues they generate. Consider this, General Motors …
when Brij Lal Munjal of Hero Honda Motors decided to invest in four-stroke engines in 1984, industry circles thought it was quixotic. This was the time when two-strokes were ruling the roost. But the gamble paid off. Today, he is laughing all the way to the bank. Four-stroke engines have …
Alternatives hold the key to the future of the automobile industry. There is tremendous potential both in terms of performance as well as reduced health risks. But the automobile sector has failed to show any real interest in these fuels. Consider this: the use of alternative fuels can reduce the …
The connection is unmistakable. All the top performers in the ratings are also those making huge profits. Those at the bottom are about to close shop. Maruti Udyog Ltd and Hero Honda Motors India Ltd, both in the top 10, are raking in millions, while Bajaj Tempo Limited and Hero …
Whenever a company is asked about its environment performance, it flashes its compliance record. True, compliance at the production plant has never been a problem for the Indian automobile sector
The auto industry releases a new model of vehicle every now and then. What is not new about them is that they all pollute. The emissions that these cars and two-wheelers spew out are a serious threat to public health. And the high emission is avoidable. The Green Rating Project's …
Faced with mounting pressure from local automobile manufacturers, the Nigerian government has decided to ban the import of vehicles more than five-year-old with effect from January 2002. "This decision is aimed at protecting the country from becoming a dumping ground,' said Aisha Ismail, the country's social development and women affairs …
after several years of discussions the Union ministry of road transport and highways finally notified the amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle rules for use of Liquified Petroleum Gas (lpg) for vehicles on April 24, 2001. The rules now allow lpg to be used as vehicular fuel. But a controversy …
The ministry of petroleum has cleverly reduced air pollution control to a high school debate on compressed natural gas (cng) versus diesel. During the recent meeting with prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Union government dismissed the plea for an ordinance to override the Supreme Court orders to convert Delhi's …
In 1977, S R Kamath, then professor of respiratory medicine at kem hospital, Mumbai, took up a detailed study to find out how people in the city were suffering from air pollution. It was one of the earliest studies to be undertaken in India
the deadline for Indian automobile manufacturers to inform customers regarding the emissions warranty scheme ended on July 1, 2001, but manufacturers have done precious little to inform their customers about the scheme that they were supposed to offer for Euro II compliant vehicles. The scheme aims at revealing technical malfunctioning …
Any sign of slapping tighter emissions standards on vehicles triggers doomsday prayers as a price hostile market appears bleak in the face of higher costs surviving. Introducing cleaner technology comes at a price. With no established practice in the country to relate cost of production with health costs of polluting …
People asked for it and the automobile industry gave it to them, but does the government even know about it. Six months after the automobile industry announced that it was willing to take responsibility for the on-road emissions from their vehicles, emissions warranty finally came into effect from July 1, …
When roads become an extension of living rooms When Hannes Linck moved in August 1999 to Quartier Vauban, a newly-built neighbourhood in the southern German city of Freiburg, he decided to sell off his car. Hannes lives with his wife and two children in a flat built by a housing …
Whereas European cities are making an effort to return to walking and cycling through innovative ways of pedestrianisation and car-restraint policies, the tradition of cycling and walking is being squeezed out of Asian cities. Only Japan and Singapore are making some efforts to revive these practices. In Chinese cities, where …
