#AIFWSS18 - EVENT RECAP

FDCI ANNOUNCES THE SHOW SCHEDULE & LIST OF DESIGNERS PARTICIPATING IN THE 31st EDITION OF AIFW AW’18

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) announced the show schedule and list of designers for the 31st Edition of the Amazon India Fashion Week in association with Nexa Autumn Winter 2018. The five-day event will be held from March 14-18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. 

Almost 100 designers will present their ideas through the medium of ensembles on the runway and exhibit area, making it a memorable season.

From showcasing the power of handlooms to an ode to digital revolution, from taking a stroll down memory lane through retrospectives to introducing fresh formats — this year we will be homage to lots more. 

Announcing the schedule, Sunil Sethi, President FDCI said, “We, at the FDCI, have always believed in introducing newer ideas to break free the monotony. Taking this spirit forward, every evening of Amazon India Fashion Week will have the vibrancy of a grand show, instead of just a last-day grand finale, in order to commemorate as many designers as possible and to celebrate inclusivity.”

SHOW SCHEDULE AIFW AW’18

MARCH 14-18, 2018

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Lodhi Road, New Delhi

DAY - 1

WEDNESDAY: MARCH 14, 2018

3:30 PM                OPENING SHOW BY SAMANT CHAUHAN                                                            MSA 2

                                                                

5:00 PM               ANUPAMAA BY ANUPAMA DAYAL

                               PATINE                                                                                                                              MSA 1

                                                                                                                                                                                    

6:30 PM               DEFIANCE BY ADARSH GILL                                                                     

                                 SHYAMAL & BHUMIKA                                                                                                   MSA 2

8:00 PM               ABRAHAM & THAKORE                                                                                                  MSA 1

9:30 PM               NEXA PRESENTS

ASHISH N SONIGAURI & NAINIKA                                                                                 MSA  2

DAY – 2

THURSDAY: MARCH 15, 2018

                                

2:00 PM               PEARL ACADEMY PRESENTS

INFLUENCE

A SHOWCASE BY PEARL ALUMNI                                                                            MSA 1

3:30 PM               RAHUL SINGH

SAAJ BY ANKITA

KARISHMA DEEPA SONDHI                                                                                         MSA 2

                                                                

5:00 PM               KOMMAL AND RATUL SOOD

PAWAN SACHDEVA

ROHIT KAMRA                                                                                                                    MSA 1

                                 ( Men’s Show )

6:30 PM               NOT SO SERIOUS BY PALLAVI MOHAN                                               

                                 VINEET BAHL                                                                                                                MSA 2

8:00 PM               MALINI RAMANI                                                                                               

                                 NIKASHA                                                                                                                        MSA 1  

9:30 PM               HONOR  9 LITE PRESENTS              

NITIN BAL CHAUHAN                 

RINA DHAKA                                                                                                                    MSA  2

                                

DAY - 3

FRIDAY: MARCH 16, 2018

12:00-2:00PM  FDCI – AMAZON

DESIGNER BOUTIQUE SEMINAR                                                                                MSA1   

3:30 PM               AARTIVIJAY GUPTA                                                      

ABHI SINGH     

ILK                                                                                                                                             MSA 2  

5:00 PM               MADHU JAIN

                              SANSKAR BY SONAM DUBAL                                                                                         MSA 1

6:30 PM               TOM TAILOR    FASHION SHOW                                                                                   MSA 2

8:00 PM               LIVA PRESENTS

                                 ANJU MODI

  ESHAA AMIIN

 AKAARO BY GAURAV JAI GUPTA

 NIDA MAHMOOD

  PINNACLE BY SHRUTI SANCHETI

 WENDELL RODRICKS                                                                                           MSA 1

9:30 PM               INDIE EYE PRESENTS

SHIVAN & NARRESH                                                                                                        MSA  2

                                

DAY - 4

SATURDAY: MARCH 17,2018

               

2:00 PM               AEKATRI BY CHARU VIJ

AUTRE BY GAUTAM GUPTA

DIKSHA KHANNA

KANIKA GOYAL LABEL

PRIYAM NARAYAN                                                                                                          MSA 1

                                                                                                                                   

3:30 PM             PINNACLE BY SHRUTI SANCHETI

                             SAHIL KOCHHAR                                                                                                              MSA 2

                                                                

5:00 PM               RABANI & RAKHA

SIDDARTHA TYTLER                                                                                                      MSA 1

6:30 PM               SET WET PRESENTS                                                                                     

DHRUV VAISH

NOUGHT ONE

SAHIL ANEJA                                                                                                                    MSA 2

( Men’s Show )

8:00 PM               péro                                                                                                                                       MSA 1

9:30 PM               NAMRATA JOSHIPURA                                                                                                  MSA  2

DAY - 5

SUNDAY : MARCH 18,2018

PEARL PORTFOLIO – FUTURE OF FASHION

Live streaming of the Audi Annual Press Conference

At the Annual Press Conference on Thursday, March 15, AUDI AG will present its annual balance sheet and a roadmap for the future. Viewers can watch the event live worldwide starting at 10:00 a.m. (CET) on www.audimedia.tv.

Audi is broadcasting the event live by satellite, on the Internet and via smart TV. Recordings, as well as additional TV footage and audio material with soundbites from the members of the Board of Management, will be available after the event ends at www.audimedia.tv. 

AUDI AG Annual Press Conference

Thursday, March 15, 2018

starting at 10:00 a.m. (CET)

Audi A4 Named 2018 Cars.com Luxury Car of the Year

HERNDON, Virginia – The 2018 Audi A4 has been named the 2018 Luxury Car of the Year by Cars.com at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The annual award is presented as part of the 2018 Cars.com Best of Awards, with vehicles judged on quality, innovation, and value. Cars.com editors praised the Audi A4 for its “balance of sport, luxury, function, amenities, quality and comfort” in the compact luxury sedan category.

“The versatility and competency of the A4 is unshakable, and combined with unwavering interior material quality, the A4 remains an outstanding luxury car,” said Cars.com editors.

Cars.com editors also praised the “luxurious trimmings, chassis dynamics, spacious interiors and well-executed electronics” of the 2018 A4, in addition to its breadth of variants. The A4 sedan is available with a 2.0-liter TFSI® with FWD, quattro® or Quattro with a manual transmission. The S4 sedan is available with a 3.0-liter TFSI®. In addition, the A4 Allroad with 2.0T engine offers the driving dynamics of the A4 sedan with the versatility of a wagon.

As one of the brand’s bestselling models, the A4 line represents the best in design, driving dynamics, infotainment and available driver assistance systems.

The A4 interior features driver-focused technologies such as the available Audi virtual cockpit and standard Audi smartphone interface for compatible devices that support Apple CarPlay™ and Google™ Android Auto integration. Advanced driver assistance systems such as standard Audi pre sense city® and available adaptive cruise control with stop & go and traffic jam assist help drivers to navigate the road with increased confidence.

Cars.com Best of Awards includes six categories: Best of 2018, Best Pickup Truck of 2018, Eco-Friendly Car of the Year, Family Car of the Year, Luxury Car of the Year and Most Fun-to-Drive Car of the Year. To be eligible, the vehicle must be a 2018 model and excel in three key criteria: quality, innovation, and value. Pickup trucks are judged on power, capability, and value. To qualify for the top award – Best of 2018 – models must be all-new or fully redesigned.

with thanks: AUDI

Mercedes-Benz introduces India’s first ‘BS VI compliant - Made in India, for India’ vehicle; strongly reiterates its environment and India commitment

Pune: India’s largest luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz, today achieved a historic milestone in the Indian automotive industry, by being the first automobile brand in India to launch the first ever BS VI compliant vehicles, ‘Made in India, for India’. The Certificate of Compliance to the CMVR (Central Motor Vehicles Rule) for Mercedes-Benz India was presented by ARAI Director, Smt. Rashmi Urdhwareshe to Mr. Roland Folger, MD & CEO, in the honorable presence of Shri Nitin Gadkari Ji, Minister of Road Transport Highways & Shipping and Water Resource, River Development, & Ganga Rejuvenation and Shri Abhay Damle Ji, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport Highways and other dignitaries.

Shri Nitin Gadkari Ji, Minister of Road Transport Highways & Shipping and Water Resource, River Development, & Ganga Rejuvenation commented, “To mitigate the rising pollution in Delhi and adjoining areas, the Government is trying to advance BS VI grade fuel availability in Delhi NCT by April, 2018 and shift to BS VI norms by April, 2020 across the country. This will drastically reduce pollution and help us advance to better technologies used globally. I want to congratulate Mercedes-Benz for their efforts towards not only making safe vehicles but also for a greener vehicle, by introducing the first BS VI vehicle in India much ahead of the regulations.”

Smt. Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, ARAI stated, “It is our endeavor to support the Government and the auto industry in terms of developing and testing the vehicles and promote the cleaner technology. In line with this, we are happy to present the Certificate of Compliance to CMVR, to Mercedes-Benz India for both their BS VI compliant petrol and diesel vehicles. We conducted stringent and extensive tests on both the vehicles, which includes particulate numbers, engine power test, on-board-diagnosis test and Real-world driving emission (RDE) data collection. The results of the test are in compliance to prescribed CMVR rules followed by ARAI. BS VI test protocol and facilities are significantly different than BS-IV and ARAI is fully equipped to handle upcoming development and certification work for all vehicle models and engines.”

Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India stated, “We are glad to fulfill our commitment to the customers and to the Government’s vision of ‘Make in India’, by introducing the first ever ‘Made in India, for India’ BS VI compliant vehicles. Mercedes-Benz vehicles are world-class products and they comply with the most stringent emission standards, and the ARAI certified new BS VI vehicles reiterate this high benchmark. The introduction of India’s first BS VI vehicles for the Indian market is a significant milestone and we strongly believe that this will pave the way for other manufacturers to introduce their BS VI vehicles in India. This, we believe would also be beneficial for the end customer as they could use the latest technology available.”

“Mercedes-Benz has introduced BS-VI vehicles in India almost 2 years in advance of the regulations. We strongly believe that early introduction of BS-VI vehicles will further accelerate the adoption of cleaner vehicles in the market and thereby be achieving the Government’s clean air initiative.” Mr. Folger elaborated.

Benefits of BS VI standards:

BS-VI standards are far-reaching in scope and incorporate substantial changes to existing Bharat Stage IV emission standards. Of particular note is the tightening of Particulate Matter (PM) & NOx mass emission limits. In a BS VI vehicle, the NOx limit reduction is up to 68% and PM limit reduction is achieved at 82% in BS-VI, compared to that in BS-IV.

Stringent tests related to BS-IV emission norms:

The Mercedes-Benz S 350 d has undergone stringent emission test related to BS VI emission at ARAI, Pune and has been certified as BS VI compliant. Following are some of the tests done at ARAI for the certification of the BS VI engines:

• Tailpipe emission test in laboratory – limits lowered to 68 to 82% as  against BS-IV
• Engine power test – BS-VI fuel based test
• Onboard diagnostic (OBD) test – Stringent OBD test
• RDE (Real Driving emission) - On-road emission performance test 

Key highlights of BS VI engine in the Mercedes-Benz S 350 d:

S 350d vehicle comes with a state-of-art engine and exhaust after-treatment technology, such as refined engine, EGR, DPF, SCR etc. These technological measures lead to reduce the emissions significantly and meet the BS-VI regulations with huge margins. The S 350 d features the most powerful diesel car in Mercedes-Benz history.

The new six-cylinder Diesel engine is designed to comply with future emissions legislation (RDE – Real Driving Emissions). All the components of relevance for efficient emissions reduction are installed directly on the engine. The integrated technology approach combining the new stepped-bowl combustion process, dynamic multi-way exhaust-gas recirculation, and near-engine exhaust-gas after treatment, for the first time combined with variable valve-lift control, makes further reduced consumption with low emissions possible.

Although the output has increased noticeably compared to the preceding model, the new engine consumes up to six percent less fuel. The special traits of the top-of-the-line engine in the diesel family include the stepped-bowl combustion process, two-stage turbocharging and, for the first time, the use of CAMTRONIC variable valve-lift control. Its design features a combination of the aluminum engine block and steel pistons as well as further improved NANOSLIDE® coating of the cylinder walls.

with thanks: Mercedes Bens

UN Environment and WHO agree to major collaboration on environmental health risks

Nairobi - UN Environment and WHO have agreed a new, wide-ranging collaboration to accelerate action to curb environmental health risks that cause an estimated 12.6 million deaths a year.

Today in Nairobi, Mr Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, signed an agreement to step up joint actions to combat air pollution, climate change and antimicrobial resistance, as well as improve coordination on waste and chemicals management, water quality, and food and nutrition issues. The collaboration also includes joint management of the BreatheLife advocacy campaign to reduce air pollution for multiple climate, environment and health benefits.

This represents the most significant formal agreement on joint action across the spectrum of environmental and health issues in over 15 years.

"There is an urgent need for our two agencies to work more closely together to address the critical threats to environmental sustainability and climate – which are the foundations for life on this planet. This new agreement recognizes that sober reality," said UN Environment’s Solheim.

"Our health is directly related to the health of the environment we live in. Together, air, water, and chemical hazards kill more than 12.6 million people a year. This must not continue," said WHO’s Tedros.

He added: "Most of these deaths occur in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America where environmental pollution takes its biggest health toll."

The new collaboration creates a more systematic framework for joint research, development of tools and guidance, capacity building, monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals, global and regional partnerships, and support to regional health and environment fora.

The two agencies will develop a joint work programme and hold an annual high-level meeting to evaluate progress and make recommendations for continued collaboration.

The WHO-UN Environment collaboration follows a Ministerial Declaration on Health, Environment and Climate Change calling for the creation of a global "Health, Environment and Climate Change" Coalition, at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 22 in Marrakesh, Morocco in 2016.

Just last month, under the overarching topic "Towards a Pollution-Free Planet", the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), which convenes environment ministers worldwide, adopted a resolution on Environment and Health, called for expanded partnerships with relevant UN agencies and partners, and for an implementation plan to tackle pollution.   With Thanks to WHO.

Audi of America sets annual sales record with 226,511 deliveries, as consumer demand overcomes a tight market

Source: Audi

Tata Motors delights its customers in 2018 with industry first, ‘Best-in-class Warranty’ for its Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles

Tata Motors has ushered in 2018 by providing a delightful experience for its discerning customers. The company has announced the first-of-its-kind ‘Best-in-class Warranty’ for 6 years for the entire range of Tractor-trailers, Multi-axel Trucks & Tippers of 16 tonnes and higher GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight). Tata Motors is the first company in India to introduce a standard driveline warranty of 6 years on the entire M&HCV range. This is a clear testament of the reliability, durability and technological supremacy of Tata Motors Trucks complemented by the trust reposed by the customers.  

Additionally, the drivelines (engine, gearbox & rear axle) comes as a standard offer, while the warranty on the overall vehicle has been enhanced from 24 months to 36 months.

Commenting on this latest Customer Experience Excellence, Mr. Girish Wagh, Head, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit said, “For more than 70 years now, Tata Motors has been pioneering new technologies, products and value added services. The 6-year (6-Y) Warranty is another industry first, in our pursuit of offering better lifecycle benefit for our customers. We are pleased to offer the new warranty on our Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles to our customers while reiterating our commitment behind the quality of our vehicles – including the ones that are subject to the hardest use. With this announcement we also assure customers of greater benefits and hassle free business on availing long term (6Y) Annual Maintenance Contracts. Together, 6-Y warranty and 6-Y AMC will ensure lifetime peace of mind to our customer. We believe it’s a perfect way to delight our customers in 2018 and reward them for their trust and loyalty.”

The 6-year standard driveline warranty is designed based on the study of operation in lifecycle of over 20 lakh Tata trucks & tippers operating all over the country, in varied terrain, applications  and loading conditions. The 6-year warranty is supported across Tata Motors extensive dealership & service network of over 1800+ touch points with service facility at every 50 kms across the country. Warranty is transferable on resale for balance period to second owner subject to vehicle transfer or hand change being intimated to Tata Motors and vehicle condition certified by TATA OK.
To provide a wholesome after sales experience, Tata Motors provides its customers with over 26 initiatives, including:

Source: TataMotors

Tata Motors growing by 52% in December ends 2017 with strong Commercial and Passenger Vehicles sales performance

Key growth drivers: M&HCV (83%), ILCV (78%), SCV (60%) and Passenger Vehicles (31%)

Continuing its turnaround, Tata Motors today announced a strong sales performance for December 2017. The Commercial and Passenger Vehicles domestic sales  in December 2017 was at 54,627 units as against 35,825 units in December 2016, a growth of 52%, due to the increasing demand for vehicles across segments, new product launches and strategic customer initiatives.

Domestic – Commercial Vehicles

Tata Motors’ Commercial Vehicles domestic sales in December 2017 were at 40,447 units, a growth of 62% compared to 24,998 units in December 2016. The commercial sector has shown good recovery after the headwinds and regulatory challenges of last year. The steady production ramp-up of the new range of BS4 vehicles and continued uptick in sales in consumption-driven sectors have led the growth. The cumulative sales performance of Commercial Vehicles (April-December 2017) in domestic market was at 269,536 units, a growth of 17%, over last year and continues to grow month on month.  

The M&HCV trucks segment continues its growth trend with robust sales at 15,828 units, higher by 83%, over last year. The ever-increasing positive customer response to the superior range of Tata Motors’ BS4 vehicles complemented by the success of the company’s innovative SCR technology led to this growth. Increased demand for the new tonnage vehicles, infrastructure development led by government funding and keen focus on customer requirements has helped reviving the M&HCV performance. 

The I&LCV truck segment at 5,103 units grew by 78% over last year driven by consumption-led sectors like e-Commerce and the superior performance of new product introductions like the Ultra range of trucks. 

The pickup segment sales was at 4,529 units, growth of 43% over last year as the Xenon Yodha and the Mega range continued to make inroads gaining wider acceptance and volumes across markets. The SCV sales at 10,576 units, witnessed a growth of 60% over last year at the back of strong response to Ace XL range. The commercial passenger carrier segment (including buses) sales at 4411 units also grew by 19% over last year.

Domestic – Passenger Vehicles

In December 2017, Tata Motors’ Passenger Vehicles sales performance was at 14,180 units as against 10,827 units, a growth of 31% over last year. The company recorded the highest ever December sales for Passenger Vehicles since 2012 and the retail sales for this month was also the highest in last 6 years. Strong performance of Tiago, Tigor, Hexa and Nexon drove the growth momentum for Tata Motors. The UV segment recorded a growth of 406% over last year on the back of strong demand of the newly launched Nexon and Hexa. Cumulative sales growth of Passenger Vehicles in the domestic market (April-Dec 2017) was at 129,229 units compared to 112,539 units, a growth of 15% over last year.

Exports

The company’s Commercial Vehicles sales from exports in December 2017 was at 6044 units, a growth of 26% over last year. This is also the highest sales achieved this year. Market share for Commercial Vehicles International Business in all the key markets continue to remain strong and have further grown during this fiscal year. 

Source: Tata Motors