Thursday, December 2, 2010

In pics: Toyota Etios - made for India

Toyota's entry-level sedan

Toyota's entry-level sedan Toyota Kirloskar Motor launched the Etios Sedan marking the company's entry into the highly competitive B Segment in India.

According to Toyota Kirloskar, the Etios has been developed specifically for Indian customers with more than 2000 engineers from Japan and India have working in close collaboration over the last four years.

The Etios sedan will be available in four variants, J, G, V and VX, priced between Rs 4.96 lakh and 6.86 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The Etios has a 1.5L, 16V DOHC engine coupled with a 5-Speed manual transmission

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The sedan boasts of a mileage of 17.6 kmpl.

Vodafone might take till 2020 to make Indian business turnaround

 

New York/New Delhi, Dec.1 (ANI): British mobile operator Vodafone''s foray into India has been a disaster, so much so that insiders and experts have gone on record to say that it could take the firm until 2020 to make an economic profit.
 
According to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, in 2007, Vodafone paid 5.5 billion pounds to acquire 67 percent of Hutchison Essar. In 2010, it was forced into a 2.3 billion pound write-down after regulatory changes flooded the market with an unprecedented level of competition and sparked a price war. Now, it faces a disputed tax bill and possible retrospective charges on licenses, which could amount to a monumental 500 million pounds.
 
Vodafone entered India with high expectations, paying 16 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for its majority stake. Including the cost of 3G licences, it has invested 7.2 billion pounds in the country to date.
 
It is committed itself to a further 3.1 billion pounds for the final 33 percent of the Indian business if Essar Group decides to sell its stake before May.
 
With the bill rising. India is chasing Vodafone for 1.6 billion pounds in tax charges which the mobile operator is contesting.
 
If it decides to impose additional charges for 2008 licenses, the market puts Vodafone''s likely bill at 500 million pounds.
 
Vodafone insists it is committed to India, but the best it can promise now is that it will cover its cost of capital sometime before 2020—and that distant target assumes double-digit revenue growth as mobile penetration and data use rises, market consolidation, and capital expenditure falling to midteens as a percentage of sales.
 
The Indian unit delivered 48 percent revenue growth in 2009 and still booked an operating loss.
 
Capital expenditure is currently almost 30 percent of sales, with a scheduled 3G rollout next year maintaining pressure on investment. Regulation remains highly uncertain and market consolidation some way off.  (ANI)

Two arrested in BPO staff rape case in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Police have arrested two people for allegedly raping a 30-year-old call centre employee from Mizoram in a moving vehicle on November 24.

BPO rape case

Sources say a third suspect has surrendered in Ballabgarh court in Haryana. Police say the duo, identified as Shamshad and Usman, has a criminal background and was involved in other similar cases. The truck in which the rape allegedly took place has also been recovered. "Two accused have been arrested in rape case.

Both have been involved in similar case earlier also. A vehicle also has been seized," said Delhi's Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), HGS Dhaliwal. Sources say the two men were earlier arrested in at least three more rape cases. The hunt is still on for the remaining accused. 

The two arrested men were detained for questioning by the Haryana police in connection with the abduction and rape of the girl late Wednesday night from Haryana's Mewat district. 

Police said they resembled the sketches of the three suspects released by them. The incident took place on November 24 when the Mizo woman was walking towards her home in Moti village near Dhaula Kuan in south Delhi along with one of her colleagues at 1:15 AM when the men in a vehicle abducted her and took turns to rape her. She was held captive for about 40 minutes and later dumped in Mongolpuri at around 1:55 AM after which she approached police. She filed an FIR on November 25 and her friend helped police prepare sketch of one of the accused.