Toyota is launching its new entry-level sedan, the Etios, in India at an aggressive price of around Rs. 5.25 lakh. The Etios has been specifically designed for India and other emerging markets. Toyota hopes the Etios will help it increase its low single-digit market share in India and achieve its goal of 10% market share by catering to high demand for entry-level sedans. It also plans to double its annual sales in India from the current 73,000 units to 145,000 units after the Etios launch.
2. Toyota is all set to make a pitch for the Indian car
market as it launches Etios, the entry-level sedan, at
an aggressive entry price of around Rs 5.25 lakh.
The car, the most ambitious product from Toyota’s
stable, has been specifically designed keeping in mind
India and other emerging markets.
It will be launched by Toyota’s global president Akio
Toyoda.
The exact price will be known on December 1, when
we launch the car. Deliveries for the model will begin
in January.
3. Its current line-up in India includes multi-purpose vehicle
Innova, luxury sedans, Corolla and Camry, and SUV
Fortuner and it hopes to sell around 73,000 units this year,
expecting to double this to about 145,000 units after the
launch of the Etios.
The company currently has low single-digit share of the
Indian car market and said it wants a 10% share.
With Etios, Toyota hopes to ride the high demand for
entry-level sedans in India.
This segment is led by Maruti Suzuki’s Dzire on the lower
side, while Honda’s City dominates the upper-end.
4. A Delhi court today sent former CWG Organising Committee
official M Jayachandran to 11 days' judicial custody in the case
related to alleged financial bunglings in conduct of the Queen's
Baton Relay (QBR) in London last year.
Special CBI Judge A S Yadav remanded Jayachandran to judicial
custody till December 8.
Jayachandran, who was arrested on November 23, moved a bail
application and the court posted the matter for hearing on it on
December 8.
The court had earlier remanded two other sacked CWG OC
officials T S Darbari and Sanjay Mahendroo, who were arrested
on November 15, to judicial custody till December 8.
5. All the accused had been sent to Tihar Jail after the CBI
told the court that they were no longer required for
interrogation by the agency.
CBI had lodged two separate cases against the former OC
officials.
The first case, registered under IPC and Prevention of
Corruption Act, pertained to the award of contract to AM
car and Van Hire Limited for various functions related to
the conduct of the QBR, preceding the sporting event.
They have been booked under sections 468 (forgery of
court records and public documents), 471 (using forged
documents as genuine), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC
and Prevention of Corruption Act.
6. Real estate developer ATS Group today announced to set
up a premium housing project along with a five star hotel
at Dera Bassi in Punjab with an estimated investment of
Rs 1,500-2,000 crore.
Proposed to be developed over 300 acres of land located
12 kilometers from Chandigarh, the entire project will
boast of 2,500 to 3,000 dwelling units, including flats,
independent floors and villas.
The project will be completed by 2015, ATS Group MD
Getamber Anand told reporters here.
The company also proposes to come up with a 5-star
hotel, hospital, shopping mall, retail park and sports
facilities in the upcoming housing project.
7. With Dera Bassi emerging as a gateway of
Chandigarh, we are confident of playing a
key role in expansion of the city.
ATS Group has already developed 350 flats
and out of which 300 units have already been
sold.
The group has also tied up with Sarovar
Group for the five star hotel coming up here.
8. Gun-totting British policemen have been deployed in many
shopping centres in Britain to combat the threat of a
Mumbai-like massacre ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Armed patrols have been stepped up to protect potential
terrorist targets such as shopping centres.
Among them are the Westfield mall in Shepherd's Bush,
West London, and Kent's Bluewater complex, the Sun
reported.
London's Metropolitan Police's firearms unit has been
ordered to keep within a three-minute drive of possible
targets, including Canary Wharf, a major business area.
9. The alert comes after reports of Al Qaeda terrorists
planning a copy of the Mumbai attacks in India two
years ago, when gunmen killed 166 and injured
hundreds.
Civilian staff at the Met's emergency call centres
have been briefed on how to deal with a "mass
shooting". The strategy has been codenamed
Operation Plato.
Metropolitan Police chief Sir Paul Stephenson had
also warned that "terrorists search for weaknesses
and vulnerabilities".
10. Clarifying the withdrawal of offer of admission to 52
candidates from IITs, the human resource development
ministry on Friday said that the offers were made
"erroneously" to the candidates.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that according to
the Joint Admission Board, 52 candidates in the general
category were offered admission to IIT though they had
not qualified in the test.
"Some candidates who wrote the JEE 2010 were
erroneously offered admission. The inadvertent error in
course allocation pertained to candidates who had not
qualified in the architecture/design aptitude test, were
offered admission," Sibal said quoting information from
the Joint Admission Board.
11. Their admission was later withdrawn and the places were
filled by eligible candidates," he said.
According to the ministry, 41 of the candidates were
provided admission in the second list while the rest 11
could not be taken as "they had not filled a large number
of choices even though they has been advised to do so
during their counselling".
The minister also said that two of the candidates had gone
to court.
"The JEE system has introduced additional checks in their
procedure so that such an error does not recur," Sibal
added.