Posts from — February 2010

While Toyota is under pressure for its brake and gas pedal recalls worlwide, the situation in India seems much rosier.

Toyota is reaching out to Indian consumers with a four-month promotional tour of 10 cities launched last month. Its venture there, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, expects its sales to reach 65,000 units this year and to more than double in 2011 with the launch of the Etios – the company’s first made-for-India compact car.

“We are quite bullish about the India market,” said Toyota Kirloskar spokesman Sandeep Singh near Bangalore India. A planned March launch of imports of the Prius – Toyota’s iconic gas-electric hybrid that was recalled for braking problems – will go ahead, he said.

Through most of the last fifty years the United Kingdom has looked to Western Europe and the United States for trade and investment. But no more according to UK Trade and Investment.

Between 2012 and 2014, the top ten export markets for the UK are predicted to be: China (1); US (2); India (3); Libya (4); Ukraine (5); Russia (6); Romania (7); Korea (8); Mexico (9) and Singapore (10). Just one western European country – Sweden – makes it into the top 20, while many of the UK’s biggest trading partners in the West slip dramatically; Germany (30); France (34); Ireland (42); the Netherlands (37); Belgium (44); Spain (47) and Italy (46), according to a report prepared by the Leeds Business School on behalf of the UK Trade and Investment.

Larsen & Toubro and Malaysia’s Scomi Group are expected to commission the first phase of Mumbai Monorail, India’s first such system, by end of this year.  The project involves design, construction, installation, testing and commissioning from Wadala and Chembur via Mahul (approximately 9 kilometres) in Phase I and Gadge Maharaj Chowk to Wadala (approximately 11 kilometres) in Phase II.

Mumbai Monorail

On January 26, India’s Republic Day, the companies ran a test run for about 100 yards as a crowd pleaser.  “Phase I, from Wadala to Chembur, is expected to be completed and commissioned by this year-end. The second phase is expected to be completed by December 2011,” L&T’s Executive vice-president & Head–Corporate Initiatives, Shailendra Roy told reporters here.  The  trial run, was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

The global financing storm hurt some more than others. According to Project Finance International he world’s  top Initial Mandated Lead Arranger of project financing in 2009 was the State Bank of India’s SBI Capital Markets which loaned almost $20 billion for domestic financing projects.  IDBI Bank of India  was ranked 5th at almost $4 billion.

No American of Chinese banks figured in the top 10 arrangers. French banks took the #2,3 and 4 spots.

SBI arranged 36 deals amounting or  35.2 per cent of the total volume for the Asia-Pacific region. This included some major deals such as financing for the Sasan ultra mega power station for Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infrastructure, projects for Adani Power and Sterlite Energy, and funds for Vodafone and Unitech in the telecom sector.  More than $22.3-billion loans in 53 transactions in the sector were signed globally during the year, accounting for almost 40 per cent of the entire PF market.  In India, a major contribution came from social infrastructure development schemes launched by the government recently.

“The King of Bollywood” was in the United States to promote his latest movie called “My name is Khan” about discrimination against Muslims.  Shah Rukh Khan and co-star Kajol participate in a video and audio inteview with Saja here

http://www.sajaforum.org/2010/01/movies-shah-rukh-khan-in-my-name-is-khan-webcast.html