Gone are the times when you knew where cars were made just by looking at the brand, and when luxury carmakers made the manufacturing of their vehicles in their home country one of their top selling points. Nowadays, you have BMWs built in China, India, South Africa and the USA, Mercedes-Benz cars made in Russia, Thailand and Egypt and so on.

The latest premium automaker to go global is the Jaguar-Land Rover group, which inaugurated its first Indian factory on Friday. A Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV was the first vehicle to roll out of the assembly plant, which is located just outside Pune in the Maharashtra region of India. We’ll remind you that Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008 after losing some US$15 billion in two years.

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Pakistan’s 240 kilometre (149 mile) Lowari Pass is the only supply route between the town of Dir and the small villages in the mountainous Chitral Valley. It is here on the Afghan border in the country’s northwest that truckers risk their lives for a paltry US$60 (Pakistan’s average wage) and a bonus of US$180...if they make it back alive and with their precious cargo unharmed.

The trucks are old, some nearing the one million-kilometer mark (620,000 mile) on the odometer, with avalanches, landslides and falling rocks marking the four-day journey. The roads are worn and there are no crash barriers; there is not even enough room for two trucks to pass side by side. The highest point is 3,100 metres (10,170 feet) above sea level where the air is so thin it is difficult to stay awake or even move. Brakes overheat on the descent and without them death is a long drop to oblivion.

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The first ever Ferrari dealership in India opened its doors today in the heart of New Delhi. The Grand Opening, which was hosted by Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari Commercial and Marketing Director Enrico Galliera, and Ashish Chordia, Chairman of the Shreyans Group, the official Ferrari importer for India, was devoted to the members of the local and international press. India is the 58th country where Ferrari is present in the world. Read more »

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Tata Motors' Nano city car is once again making headlines in India, but not for the reasons you might think. Following three separate cases in 2009 when owners of the Nano in Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Delhi reported seeing smoke and flames coming out of their vehicles' dashboard, another Nano caught fire. Only this time, Tata's much-vaunted 'world's cheapest car' literally went up in flames.

According to Indian news sites, the particular Nano was owned by insurance agent Satish Sawant who had just bought the car from a dealership in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, that provided him with a chauffeur as he -surprise, surprise- didn't know how to drive.

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Daimler AG, the company that owns Mercedes-Benz, today sold its entire 5.34% stake in India's Tata Motors ending a relationship that stretches back more than five decades.

The German firm said that the sale of 25.6 million shares will generate approximately €300 million (US$401 million) of cash and earnings before interest and taxes, with around €265 million (US$362 million) to be accounted for in the first quarter of 2010.

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Tata's newly formed "Jaguar Land Rover" premiere car group has announced that it will enter the Indian market for the first time later this year. The Jaguar and Land Rover models will be distributed in the country by the British group's owner, India's Tata Motors Limited with the first showroom scheduled to be open at Ceejay House in Worli, Mumbai, in June this year. The group's initial portfolio will include the Jaguar XF and XK, and the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover models.

"We are delighted to be formally entering the Indian market, an economy which is still growing appreciably, and able to offer our premium products to a whole new group of customers," said David Smith, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. "It is an important strategic move for Jaguar Land Rover and will enable us to realize our competitive potential in this significant market."

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Today, French carmaker Renault and its affiliate Nissan performed the ground breaking ceremony for their new passenger vehicle plant in Chennai, India, that’s expected to begin operations in 2010. The facility will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 and will produce vehicles for export and the local market for both Renault and Nissan, including the all-new Nissan Micra and the Renault/Dacia Logan. The 50:50 joint venture between Renault and Nissan, represents an investment of a minimum of €780 million / U.S. $1.1 billion.

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Apparently there are plenty of customers in India who wouldn’t mind paying a few extra bucks or in this case, rupees for a more luxurious version of the Renault / Dacia Logan. The low-cost Logan sedan is produced in India through a joint venture with domestic automaker Mahinda & Mahindra or M&M for short.

M&M Renault will sweeten up the Logan not with chocolate chips, but with a new music system, higher quality upholsteries and different trim. According to M&M’s vice president Rajesh Jejurikar, the top-end Logan will be launched in the Indian market in July.

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