Daimler fires up BharatBenz heavy truck brand for India

Daimler has plunged headlong into the Indian truck market. The German automaker has officially unveiled a new truck brand, build and sell six heavy-duty vehicles to 39 tons. The vehicles are BharatBenz planned to be at a Daimler plant in Oragadam something built outside the port city of Chennai. According to the Wall Street Journal is set to start production in June 2012 and the German automaker says the plant will initially be able to handle about 36,000 units per year.

Analysts predict that the Indian truck market will expand to more than double by 2012, and Daimler wants a piece of the pie, which for obvious reasons. The company says it wants to have a leading position in the market, and BharatBenz is the key to these plans. In the meantime, the newcomer to the strong competition from Volvo AB, MAN AG, Navistar International, and the heaviest hitter of all, Tata.

The boom in heavy equipment sales is due to the fact that India plans to spend about 60000000000 $ to completely revise the country's highway infrastructure. Last year alone, truck and bus sales jumped by 45 percent. Hit the jump for the press release.

Report: Nissan-based four-door Smart scrapped

Hot on the heels of news that Penske and Smart have split word comes that the smart / Nissan collaboration is dead. Automotive News reports that the project that was built to a four-door model from a platform, Nissan and sold under the banner of Smart yield will not happen. The reason is simple enough if Smart had continued to blaze his own trail in America, at least one other model would have to support needed. have now, it's part of the Mercedes-Benz network was that considerably reduced.
Meanwhile, there are some concerns that a separate Nissan / Renault joint project can call the Quattro also be deleted. have with the killing of several projects and Penske walk away, more than a few heads started to wonder if this is the end for Smart in the land of the free. According to the report, but Automotive News says Roger Penske, that's not the case.
Penske said that the fact that Smart is from the Mercedes-Benz presented the death of a lobster or Mercury, there is nothing in comparison, and that his company simply not the volume or the marketing muscle Smart effectively enforced.
Either way, one says that the shift towards Benz dealer that the smart dealer network will shrink significantly, so that only 58 dealers across the country. That's because 21 Smart showrooms, which are not coupled with Mercedes models do not get to keep their licenses.

Penske bails out of Smart distribution deal, Daimler takes over

So much for Valentine's Day. Penske and Smart have jointly announced that the couple go their separate ways.

Penske walk away like distribution rights, management, sales and marketing duties, but that does not mean the brand is going anywhere. From now on peddle the pint-sized city Mover Mercedes-Benz and Smart USA, says the movement is only part of a larger growth strategy. In a letter to the owner, Smart said that all guarantees still valid, and that all should be ironed as soon as June of this year by the transfer kinks.

Talk about a quick rebound.

Daimler takes over Smart Distribution in the world, so the move makes sense for the troubled brand here in the States. Hobbled by low fuel prices, Smart sold 100,000 units worldwide last year. In comparison, the company was able to move to 114,000 vehicles amid the global recession of 2009. A poor 5927 fortwo were sold in the U.S. in 2010.

Rumours are told about a number of new models planned for the company, including a ForTwo +2 as well as a five-door hatch cut off. Hit the jump for the full press release and the company's letter to current owners. Thanks for the tip, Vince!

Video: Pagani gives the Huayra/C9 a detailing job with third teaser

An elaborate example of rolling sculpture like a super car Pagani is as much about the details of how to do it the whole package. Normally, you take the general form and then focus in the details. But Pagani is the other way with its latest teaser video disappeared.

The third in a series of five videos expected, the total is the latest clip quite dark - and still packed with vintage-style noise - so it is hard to see too much. But some shifting focus to get insight into some details of the highly anticipated follow-up of the Zonda.

We'd purchased the car and its development code name "C9", but earlier reports suggested the final product could name Huayra "bear. We are pretty sure that "Deus Venti" (the name that the first teaser accompanied and the many blogs have adopted as an indication of the car's name) means "two coffees" as any liberal arts student works at Starbucks could give you say, This is our money not materialize on the nameplate. Follow the jump to see the video.