Tats Group Global Sales Increase.

There couldn't be any time better for Tata Motors which has posted Cumulative sales for the fiscal (April-November 2010) were 678,598 vehicles, higher by 30 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2009-10
"While the group global sales were 79,959, cumulative sales for the fiscal were 678,598," a spokesperson said.
"Global sales of all commercial vehicles - Tata, Tata Daewoo and the Tata Hispano Carrocera range - were 40,244 in November 2010, a growth of 21 percent. Cumulative sales for the fiscal were 314,567, a growth of 29 percent," he added.
Global sales of Jaguar Land Rover in November 2010 were 22,957, higher by 22 percent. Jaguar sales for the month were 5,621, higher by 30 percent, while Land Rover sales were 17,336, higher by 20 percent.

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Autogarage.co.cc is an automobile news and information site managed by New Media Marketing.
We are currently a small publishing network of automobile enthusiasts and bloggers.
Our first issue of Autogarage magazine is currently on sale and we intend to keep publishing on a Bi-monthly basis, so our next issue will be out by the end of July.
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2011 Jeep Cherokee can never be more grander.

I can't confirm that the "Trail Rated" 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee will plow through 18 inches of water without conking out.
I won't swear that it can step over 10-inch logs without getting hung up on a hunk of timber.
And I have no idea if it can climb up the side of a peak with the aplomb of a Sherpa mountain guide.
I can't confirm any of those capabilities because during a week behind the wheel of a new Grand Cherokee Laredo, the closest it got to going off-road was a gravel driveway.
But I can tell you unequivocally that the Grand Cherokee excels on the terrain where it is most likely going to be driven most often: In stop-and-go traffic and on the interstate at 70 mph.
Actually, "excels" might not be enough of a superlative to describe the Grand Cherokee's on-road performance. After spending nearly 15 hours in a Laredo 4x4 during a 900-mile round trip on mostly highways, I anointed the Grand Cherokee one of the best SUVs I've ever driven on the highway.
Think Range Rover at half the price. The Grand Cherokee's road manners are that good.
It is quiet enough for the driver to carry on a conversation with a backseat passenger without either raising their voice --at 85 mph. It rides as smoothly as a luxury touring sedan. And it holds the road well enough, tracks unerringly straight enough and responds competently enough to make driving long distances a tireless proposition.
I've tested some similarly utilitarian crossovers with comparable characteristics. What distinguishes the Grand Cherokee is that it comes with Jeep's pedigree, which means that while it may not run circles around most competitors, it can probably run over them.
Everyone knows Jeep's reputation for building vehicles with remarkable off-road prowess. I've driven Wranglers over boulders and through ponds. I've seen older Grand Cherokees make their way unabated through axle-deep mud.

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Recall round up.

It's time for another rootin'-tootin' recall roundup, and it looks like the 2011 models are looking to get a head start on potentially dangerous quality defects: Three auto manufacturers are already announcing recalls on 2011 models, and it's not even New Year's.

The 2011 Toyota Sienna is being recalled for a braking defect.
Anyway, there's a whole herd of recalls to cover here, so let's get along, little doggies.
•Honda is recalling 143,083 2007-2008 Honda Fit hatchbacks over a faulty wiring harness that can cause the car's headlights to go out unexpectedly, something that can be especially inconvenient in the dead of winter when much of the country goes dark around 5 p.m.
•Chrysler is recalling 367,350 2008 Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans. The problem: a water leak caused by improperly assembled air-conditioning drains could produce an "inadvertent air bag deployment" on the passenger side of the vehicle.
•One more for the Mopar contingent: Chrysler is recalling 76,122 2010-2011 Dodge Ram trucks over the Hydroboost brake system in diesel models, which can build up excessive vent pressure, causing brake lights that are slow to extinguish and increasing the risk of a crash.
•General Motors is recalling 97,843 2011 Cadillac SRX, Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain SUVs over a safety belt buckle anchor that could fracture in an accident, making it probably less effective as a safety device, I would imagine.
•Volkswagen announced a recall of 377,000 2007-2009 Golf, Jetta and Jetta SportWagen models, 2006-2010 New Beetles and 2007-2009 Rabbits. The issue is a fuel line prone to chafing against a small plastic tab, causing a fuel leak, which is bad, apparently. From the recall announcement: "Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire."
•Last, but not least, what recall roundup would be complete without a Toyota recall? Luckily, the company is recalling 94,126 2011 Sienna minivans over the placement of the switch that shuts off the van's brake lights. That could cause it to be damaged, leaving the brake lights on even when the brake pedal is not being pressed down. Worse still, the brakes could inadvertently become partially engaged, degrading brake performance.
That's all for now, folks. Does anyone own any of these vehicles? Does seeing a lot of recalls for a brand make you less likely to buy one of its cars? Happy trails.

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Honda and Ford Ranks highest in customer retention survey.

Are we starting to see a bit of light at the end of the Great Recession tunnel? Are car buyers ready to have a little fun, fun, fun again?

It would seem so, as new-vehicle owners are increasingly citing fun-to-drive vehicles as a top reason for remaining loyal to their current brand, according to the new 2010 Customer Retention Study released last week by J.D Power and Associates.

Ford and Honda ranked highest in the survey – tying for first place – when it comes to retaining vehicle owners, each retaining 62 percent of their owners.

The Winners

Ford's high retention rate was primarily driven by the Edge, F-Series and Fusion models. Two of those models – the Edge and the Fusion – are relatively new, having been introduced in the last few years.
"So, that's a good sign for Ford," observed Raffi Festekjian, director of automotive product research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Ford seems to be doing the right things. In our initial quality study this year, Ford ranked higher than it's ever ranked – 5th place."
For Honda, meanwhile, it was the Accord, CR-V and Pilot that primarily drove their high retention rate.
When comparing the two brands, the study revealed that Ford owners are more likely than are Honda owners to say that they've stayed loyal because their new vehicle is fun to drive or features snappy styling. Conversely, Honda owners were more likely than Ford owners to identify resale value and safety as the main reasons for buying another Honda.
"Honda has been a consistently strong performer in this survey. Hondas have always been on the top tier with it comes to retention – their owners pretty consistently cite safety and resale value," said Festekjian.
That said, the study showed that fewer owners are citing more practical reasons, like anticipated resale value, as a reason for their loyalty to their current brand. The importance of having fun-to-drive vehicles increased by eight percent compared to last year, while the importance of resale value dropped by 10 percent over that same period.
What Price Loyalty?
The customer retention study, which has been conducted for the last eight years, measures the rate at which car brands keep their existing customers and asks owners why they remain loyal. Customer retention is always key to a brand's success in the marketplace, especially during a recession or slow economic recovery -- times when every sale is crucial to the bottom line.
The study also measures how well the various brands "capture" consumers who were previously driving other brands -- or, as it's known in the car biz, "conquest." The importance of vehicles being fun-to-drive has also increased as a reason why some brands are able to lure new customers away from competitors. In the new study, styling was also cited when it came to conquesting.
The 2010 Customer Retention Study is based on responses from 123,601 new-vehicle buyers and lessees. Of those, 81,350 replaced a vehicle that they had purchased new. The study was conducted between February and May, and between August and October, of this year
"This is a key study, because it's important to understand the reasons that drive loyalty within the industry," said Festekjian. "Customer retention is the primary goal of every manufacturer. It obviously has a direct impact on sales, and it fosters a favorable word of mouth."
Best Of The Rest
Ford and Honda didn't "beat out" their competitors by much. In a three-way tie for second, Hyundai, Lexus and Toyota each scored retention grades of 60 percent. Kia boasted the strongest increase in customer-retention compared to last year – the Korean carmaker improved by 21 percentage points in one year, notching a score of 58 percent in 2010.
Toyota's yearlong woes -- the Congressional hearings into the acceleration problems, the myriad recalls, etc. -- did not seem to hurt their ability to retain customers. "Toyota has historically also been in the top tier, and their current customers remain pretty loyal," said Festekjian. "The challenge Toyota now faces is the ability to conquest new customers, because now those buyers now have some questions about Toyota. In this survey, Toyota did, in fact, see a drop in their conquesting."
It's The Economy
Festekjian confirmed that customer retention is also critical during tough economic times, or during a sluggish recovery like the current one. "With total sales down, and with consumers having so many more choices now, it's really important for the carmakers to know why they're retaining customers, because it's a lot easier to retain a customer than to conquest a new one," he said.

But, since the economy and car market are improving, if only slightly, car owners are increasingly returning to citing emotional, rather than practical, reasons for staying with their current brand or switching to a different one, Festekjian added. "Developing new models that are fun to drive, with more attractive styling, seems to be increasingly more critical for automakers, as they continue to try to retain and conquest customers as the auto market continues to recover."

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