1. It seems straight from a Hollywood Movie! But its true! Something beyond our wildest Imaginations
2. Our Teams : DURING LOCKDOWN : Our Communication , How to engage , Benefits , Getting the work done
After Lockdown : How to re engage ,
Nikunj Sanghi – Past President and Current Director – F A D A , Chairman – ASDC, MD – J.S. Fourwheel Motors
Hardeep S Brar – Director – Mktg & Sales, Great Wall Motors
Ashish Gupta – Head of Sales – Volkswagen India
Tanuj Pugalia – CMD – Gallops Motors – A Pugalia Group Venture
Vinkesh Gulati – VP – F A D A, Director – United Automobiles
Harsh Vashist – MD- Satyam Group of Cos & Sparsh Autotech
Vikrantt Mohan – President – All India Automobile Workshops Association
Anuj Guglani – CEO, WAF
A Few Pointers :
1. The SC Order on BS4 Extension and the confusion around it ( We can discuss it without getting sued for contempt :). )
2. When was the last time we were in a lockdown like this ? Any Learnings though the world would have been very different then..
3. Consumer Sentiment & Industry Sentiment : How to rebuild ?
4. How to Rebuild with Govt & Industry Partnerships ?
5. How to Kickstart Economy / Industry Revival when things get Normal. How would we define and Qualify ‘The New Normal’ ?
PTI
New Delhi: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology here have developed a method to detect COVID-19 which can significantly reduce the test cost making it affordable for large sections. The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune is in the process of validating this test on clinical samples. The “probe-free detection assay” developed by the researchers at the prestigious institute’s Kusuma School of Biological Sciences has been optimised and tested for sensitivity at the research laboratories of the Institute.
According to the team, considering the scale of the ongoing pandemic, development of indigenous kits is the need of the hour. The central government on Saturday recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs 4,500. All private laboratories which have NABL accreditation for real-time PCR SA for RNA virus will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests, according to the guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for COVID-19 testing in private laboratories, which were notified by the Health Ministry on Saturday night.
Continue reading “IIT Delhi researchers develop test affordable test kits for COVID-19”
Indian Automotive Industry has seen one of the biggest slowdowns in last 20 years which has been “On” for last 2 years. As most industry pundits comment, it is a ‘Secular Slowdown’. No Vehicle type or Industry fragment has been spared. It is across Dealers, Makers and Suppliers.
Continue reading “Why it’s Grossly Unfair Not to Move BS6 Deadline to 31 May 2020”
The Much Awaited Volkswagen T-Roc has been launched Online in India. The SUV Enthusiasts and Car Aficionados had been waiting for this product for a while now!
Indian Theatre Actress Radhika Apte had joined Steffen Knapp Director VW Passenger Cars for the Innovative Online launch today at 11.30 AM
T-Roc was showcased by the company at the recent Auto Expo 2020. It had won great reviews by visitors and people on social media last month.
T-Roc is the second SUV launched by the Company this year. It is a CBU and is being imported under the 2500 Units Relaxation Rule of the new Central Motor Vehicles (Eleventh Amendment) Rules, 2018, just like its sibling the Tiguan Allspace.
Continue reading “Much Awaited Fully Loaded Volkswagen T-Roc launched at Rs 19.99 lakh”
|
Right now everyone agrees we have to protect ourselves….
Everyone knows about basic hand hygiene/respiratory etiquettes/social distancing….
Though I m no expert in Yoga/ Ayurveda/Homeo still I like to read about herbs and Nutrition..And India has a treasure of herbs and spices available in our kitchen
(No evidence in favour of protection against COVID 19 but i personally feel these will help)
1. Saline Gargles in the morning/ when u come home and at Bed time….generally protects u against many viruses…is simple to do
2.Neti..with lukewarm salt water….salt kills……will keep ur nose…upper Respiratory Tract and sinuses clean….
3.Kunjal….once a week….will keep ur GI system clean and also strengthens ur Respiratory system…avoid if u have High BP/ Cardiac problem/Stomach Ulcers/Piles/History of stroke or any issue related to ur Brain
4.Drink Water….better if lukewarm…helps u loose weight too😄
5.Honey lemon water first thing in morning
6.Ginger….Have lukewarm Ginger water atleast twice a day
7.Turmeric….increase in ur diet…Raw turmeric in ur salad..in ur Vegetable Juice…Turmeric Tea
Continue reading “Simple Home Remedies to keep Covid19 Away”
Orix is the Global leader in Vehicle Leasing and Infrastructure related services. They complete 25 glorious years at India. Orix operates at India through two companies, both being 100% subsidiaries of Orix Corporation Japan.
Silver Jubilee Celebrations at Orix India
Continue reading “Orix India Turns 25 Years Young. Throws a Big Bang Silver Jubilee Bash”
WAF CHRO roundtable organized by World Auto Forum on Friday, 28 th February 2020 brought together top CHROs, HR experts and CXOs. It brought into focus, the core issues related to HR, people management, compliances and lots more.
During the two roundtables planned for the day, insights were shared on the expectations of the millennials, the new dynamics of corporate HR, the need to focus on compliances and
labour reforms.
Anuj Guglani, CEO, World Auto Forum, speaking on the aims of the program explained, “the whole of last year was a real challenge for the Auto sector. With shrinking bottom-lines, massive retrenchments became a sad reality. With that came a host of HR related challenges and union problems. People management came into sharp focus.
We at World Auto Forum felt the need for a dialogue on HR best practices, especially during such
turbulent times. We plan to use the insights gathered here to create Automotive HR Action plan 2020.”
Two roundtables were organized during the day.
Roundtable 1 : Managing Our Most Important Asset – “Our People” during challenging times
Harsh Vardhan, Director, EeVe India shares how one visit to Spain made him swing to EVs #autoexpo2020
Jeetender Sharma, Founder & MD, Okinawa Scooters talks about his Patents, BMS, Better Batteries, No Compromise on Safety #autoexpo2020
Why cant all Automotive factories and warehouses be powered by Solar? Meet Anil Bhat SVP Amplus Solar talk about it ! #autoexpo2020
Meet the Cartist Man of India Himanshu Jangid, Founder & MD, Cartist as talks about Sustainability with Art at Automotive #autoexpo2020
Hardeep S Brar Director Mktg & Sales, Great Wall Motors shares the Co’s Great Plans for India #autoexpo2020
|
|
|
Renault, the number one European brand in India, has a clear objective to grow its presence in India and Renault India continues to be an important part of Groupe Renault’s global expansion plans. With a developing product portfolio, Renault has more than 6 lakh customers in India. Renault has also expanded its network reach to more than 370 sales and 450 service touchpoints.
FADA successfully concluded the 11th edition of Auto Summit 2020
Announces the likely implementation of the scrappage policy that will help reduce manufacturing cost in the country
Continue reading “FADA successfully concluded the 11th edition of Auto Summit 2020”
|
|
|
|
|
|
LONDON (Reuters) – Years into a bond market bull-run, investors are banking on a brighter future for funds that buy the debt of financially troubled European companies whose bonds are offering meatier returns because they are more risky
With European economic growth expected to be subdued in 2020, and default rates tipped to rise, investors expect an increase in the number of companies that will struggle to service their debt.
That creates an opportunity: to buy the bonds of a troubled company at a deeply discounted price, and make big profits if the company manages to turn itself around and the bond price recovers.
Private equity groups and asset managers are creating so-called special situation funds to identify suitable targets for these high-risk – and potentially high-reward – bets.
“We have seen a significant increase in the number of stressed and distressed European corporates being screened during our team’s discussions,” said Mark Brown, co-head of special situations in Europe at private equity firm KKR.
“We do think we are late-cycle and, as the fund is focused on deploying capital in a cyclical downturn, having capital ready to go makes sense,” he said.
The appeal of distressed debt is enhanced by the fact that a large chunk of the European bond market is offering yields close to or below zero.
KKR last year started fundraising for a third special situation fund and is seeking $1.5 billion.
Elsewhere, JP Morgan Asset Management launched its first ever special situations fund in November, raising just over $1 billion, while private equity firm CVC raised $1.4 billion for a global special situations fund in June.
PIMCO is also fundraising for a special situations fund, said a person familiar with the matter.
Bond prices show markets beginning to price in increased concern that the most troubled European companies will struggle to fund their debt obligations, providing an opportunity for those who specialize in dealing with such situations.
The ratio of European high-yield bonds trading at a spread of more than 1,000 basis points over their respective government benchmarks— one measure of distressed debt — hit 7% at end-2019 compared to 1.4% a year earlier, JP Morgan data showed.
In a slowing economy, most investors will have to look at challenging situations if they want to perform, said Amundi high-yield portfolio manager Marina Cohen.
“There are clearly going to be some opportunities in those types of (distressed) situations in the mid-term.”
Recent examples of such plays include Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA.TA), Britain’s Jaguar Land Rover and French supermarket chain Casino (CASP.PA), all of which found themselves in difficult situations earlier last year before rebounding and raising fresh debt.
Recent performance for distressed debt funds has lagged another favored debt play – lending money to help finance mergers and acquisitions via leveraged buyout funds (LBFs).
LBFs generated an internal rate of return of nearly 14% in the second quarter of 2019, according to the latest data available from the investment software provider eFront, compared to 8.5% for distressed debt funds.
But the volume of money flowing into distressed debt suggests investors see improving prospects there.
Assets under management in European distressed debt — which combine unrealized funds from existing investments and “dry powder” for future investments — hit a record $48.5 billion in June, Preqin data showed.
“They (special funds) have been waiting and watching for a few years now, and we may finally be moving towards an environment where this trade becomes viable,” said White & Case European leveraged finance lawyer Jeremy Duffy.
In one recent example, investors rushed into Jaguar Land Rover’s five-year bond offer in November, with demand so strong that the company had to print another seven-year tranche, raising 800 million euros in total. Jaguar – owned by India’s Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) – offered a yield of 5.875% and 6.875% on the tranches, respectively.
Earlier in 2019, the British carmaker was hit by a $4 billion writedown, a slump in China sales and Brexit worries that forced it to look for alternative funding from bond markets.
Adding to the appeal of distressed debt, European Central Bank stimulus has compressed yields across the European bond market to such an extent that volatility is likely to be quite high in a downturn.
“Wobbles within individual companies are triggering some quite severe selloffs,” said Laura Frost at M&G Investments.
“That presents an opportunity for people like us”.
(GRAPHIC – Bond ‘tourists’ added to Aston Martin’s summer travails: here)
DETROIT (Reuters) – A U.S. regulator said it will review part of a recommendation made last fall that India’s Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd infringed upon the intellectual property rights of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Jeep SUV design.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) on Wednesday said it would review an administrative law judge’s initial determination last November that Mahindra’s Roxor off-road utility vehicle infringed on the “trade dress” of FCA’s Jeep. The judge recommended the commission bar entry of Mahindra vehicles or parts that infringe and issue a cease-and-desist order.
Trade dress consists of the unique characteristics that make a product stand apart and is generally accepted as identified with that product by the public. For example, FCA sees Jeep’s grille and round headlights as distinct to the brand.
The commission, which in September 2018 initially opened its investigation, said on Wednesday it is targeting completion of the inquiry by March 20.
If the ITC recommends a form of remedy, the U.S. Trade Representative would have 60 days to approve, disapprove or take no action on that determination.
Mahindra, which previously has called FCA’s claims without merit, on Thursday welcomed the commission’s review.
“We are optimistic that the ITC will in its review conclude that FCA did not establish previously unclaimed U.S. rights in trade dress and that there was no infringement of either trade dress or registered trademarks,” the company said in an emailed statement.
Mahindra said it has launched its model year 2020 Roxor with what it described as “significant styling changes” and said it would make additional changes if the ITC required it.
FCA was unconcerned the commission will overturn the judge’s initial recommendation.
“Review is a part of the commission process,” the Italian-American automaker said in an emailed statement on Thursday. “Based on the facts and law, FCA US remains confident the administrative law judge’s initial determination of violation by Mahindra will be adopted by the commission.”
The Roxor is assembled in Auburn Hills, north of Detroit, by Mahindra’s North American subsidiary.
Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; editing by Jonathan Oatis
Unedited Newswire of Reuters
Fiat Chrysler’s motion to dismiss GM’s civil racketeering lawsuit was expected. The company has said GM’s lawsuit is baseless and aimed at disrupting the Italian-American automaker’s proposed merger with France’s Peugeot SA (PEUP.PA).
GM general counsel Craig Glidden told reporters in November the FCA-PSA merger had nothing to do with GM’s legal action.
Fiat Chrysler’s arguments were filed on Friday evening in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
In response, GM said it remained confident in the legal underpinnings of its case and will respond in court.
“We are confident in the legal and factual underpinnings of our case, which have already been documented in part through the guilty pleas and admissions of FCA executives made in connection with the government’s ongoing criminal investigation”, GM said in a statement.
GM sued Fiat Chrysler in November charging its rival with bribing officials of the United Auto Workers union in order to gain advantages in 2009 and 2015 labor contracts and have the UAW withhold those terms from GM. Fiat Chrysler’s now deceased Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne sat “at the center” of the schemes, GM charged in its lawsuit.
In its response Friday, Fiat Chrysler rejected GM’s claim that Marchionne tried to force a merger between GM and FCA by agreeing to labor contracts that favored the UAW.
GM failed to show “why Mr. Marchionne would want to saddle FCA and GM with unfavorable CBAs (collective bargaining agreements) if his ultimate goal was to run the merged company (presumably on a profitable basis).”
GM’s accusations relied in part on revelations from an active federal criminal investigation of corruption within the UAW. That investigation began at Fiat Chrysler but has since spread to past and present UAW officials at GM.
In its motion on Friday, Fiat Chrysler said GM’s lawsuit was “fatally flawed” for several reasons.
The lawsuit was filed after a four-year statute of limitations had expired, Fiat Chrysler argued. GM is not a direct victim of wrongdoing by FCA executives or UAW officials related to labor contracts, and so cannot bring a RICO action, FCA argued in its motion.
The UAW is such a large organization, “the notion that FCA seized control of the UAW by virtue of the alleged prohibited payments is implausible on its face,” the FCA brief stated.
Further, Fiat Chrysler argued that GM’s allegations about corrupt contract negotiations should be heard by the National Labor Relations Board, not by a federal court.
Reporting by Joe White; additional reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Sandra Maler, Diane Craft and Grant McCool
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic U.S. presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg unveiled a plan on Friday to slash greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by making electric vehicles accessible to even low-income families and improving access to public transit.
Bloomberg, a media billionaire and former mayor of New York City, has long fought to curb emissions, serving recently as a special envoy to the United Nations on climate action.
Other Democratic candidates have included transportation in their climate plans. Bloomberg, who is putting out a suite of climate plans, is the first to issue a specific strategy on transportation, the top U.S. source of greenhouse gases.
He wants to offer low and moderate-income communities a “Clean Cars for All” program with rebates for trading in old cars for electric ones.
“We’re looking to turn over the polluting stock faster,” a campaign aide said on condition of anonymity ahead of the plan’s unveiling. The aide said Bloomberg wants to help taxi and ride-share programs to electrify their fleets before 2035.
His plan does not specify where rare earth minerals would come from for the new vehicles.
Bloomberg aims to slash U.S. emissions linked to climate change by 50% by 2030 if he wins the November vote. Cutting emissions from the power sector and buildings are the other major planks of his clean economy plan.
This week Bloomberg, a late entrant into the race, introduced plans to prevent forest fires, directed in part at winning over voters in California, the most populous state, and one of 14 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday, March 3.
While California has struggled to build high-speed rail, another aide said an initial advanced rail project could be less ambitious than the state’s plan, yet still show Americans what many travelers have in other countries. “It might actually be a shorter course,” than current plans in California, he said.
Bloomberg, like other candidates, wants to reverse the policies of Republican President Donald Trump who is slashing rules on environment regulation while boosting output of fossil fuels.
But he is not putting a dollar figure on his climate plans because of the complexity of the issues, a difference from most of the other candidates.
This is an unaltered Newswire from Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) – Around 250 Germans on Saturday protested in the outskirts of Berlin where electric car startup Tesla is planning to build a gigafactory, saying its construction will endanger water supply and wildlife in the area.
The U.S. carmaker announced plans last November to build its first European car factory in Gruenheide, in the eastern state ofBernd Kutz, a Gruenheide local.
Politicians, unions and industry groups have welcomed the move, saying it will bring jobs to the region, but environmental concerns drove hundreds of locals to the streets on Saturday.
“We are here, we are loud, because Tesla is stealing our water,” protesters called.
Saturday’s protest came after a Brandenburg water association on Thursday warned against “extensive and serious problems with the drinking water supply and wastewater disposal” for the proposed factory.
Anne Bach, a 27-year-old environmental activist, said Tesla’s plans published earlier this month showed it would need more than 300 cubic meters of water per hour which would drain the area’s declining reserves.
“I am not against Tesla … But it’s about the site; in a forest area that is a protected wildlife zone. Is this necessary?” Bach said.
“In such an ecological system like the one here and with the background that climate is changing, I cannot understand why another location was not selected from the beginning,” said Frank Gersdorf, a member of “Citizens’ Initiative Gruenheide against Gigafactory”, a local group that organized Saturday’s protest.
Environmentalist protests in Germany have previously halted and delayed major companies’ plans such RWE’s lignite mining at the Hambach forest, near Cologne, which has become a symbol of the anti-coal protests.
Saturday’s protest, which Gersdorf and Bach said developed spontaneously from a 50-people forest walk demonstration, highlighted the deforestation of around 300 hectares to build the factory and its impact on wildlife, including birds, insects and bats.
People were also protesting against an expected “enormous” increase in traffic on a nearby highway and through the villages.
Next to the protest, on the other side of the street, around 20 people carried banners welcoming Tesla in their village, with children chanting, “We are here, we are loud, because Tesla is building our future.”
Bernd Kutz, a Gruenheide local, said Tesla would bring improvement to the area, create jobs and give chances to young people.
“I am here because I don’t understand those demonstrators who shout and show us the finger,” Kutz said. “Why has it always to be negative?”
Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; editing by Christina Fincher
This is an Unaltered Newswire of Reuters
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Great Wall Motor (601633.SS) has agreed to buy General Motors’ (GM) (GM.N) car plant in India, the companies said on Friday, as the Chinese automaker expands overseas amid slowing domestic demand.
The deal, which is expected to be completed by the second half of 2020, will jumpstart Great Wall’s plans to build and sell cars in India and bring to an end GM’s manufacturing operations in the country.
People aware of the deal told Reuters earlier on Friday that the two companies had agreed on the sale, with one of the sources adding that Great Wall is likely to pay around $250 million to $300 million to acquire the plant.
“The Indian market has great potential, rapid economic growth and a good investment environment. Entering the Indian market is an important step for Great Wall Motors’ global strategy,” Liu Xiangshang, vice president, global strategy at the Chinese automaker said.
Great Wall, one of the biggest sellers of sports-utility vehicles (SUV) in China, plans to enter India with its Haval and electric vehicle brands and will announce detailed plans at the Delhi auto show in February, Liu said in the statement.
However, Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI), Ford Motor (F.N) and GM are scaling back in India after battling it out in one of the world’s most competitive markets, which is dominated by smaller, low-cost cars made by Maruti Suzuki (MRTI.NS) and Hyundai Motor (005380.KS).
GM, which stopped selling cars in India at the end of 2017, has already sold its other plant to SAIC, where the Chinese automaker builds cars under its British brand, MG Motor.
Although the American automaker continued to build small cars for export at its plant in Talegaon in Maharashtra state, it has been exploring strategic options for the site, Julian Blissett, senior vice president, GM International Operations said in the statement.
“Our decision to cease production at Talegaon is based on GM’s global strategy and optimization of our manufacturing footprint around the world,” Blissett said, adding that the company will provide support to employees affected by the decision.
Great Wall is expected to upgrade and modify GM’s plant to suit its needs and set up a base for its suppliers, said one of the sources, adding that the automaker expects to begin production within a year.
The plant is expected to have an annual production capacity of about 150,000-160,000 vehicles, the source said.
Reporting by Aditi Shah in New Delhi, additional reporting by Yilei Sun in Beijing; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, Shri Navaratnam; Kirsten Donovan
|
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) will revive the Hummer name to sell a new family of electric pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles and will tout the return with a Super Bowl ad featuring NBA star LeBron James, two people briefed on the matter said on Friday.
Continue reading “GM to revive Hummer name with electric pickups, SUVs: sources”
January 08, 2020 – Mercedes-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz) and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), the German and Chinese automotive groups, today announced that they have formally established the global joint venture “smart Automobile Co., Ltd.” for the smart brand after receiving the regulatory approvals.
Continue reading “Global joint venture formally established by Mercedes-Benz & Geely “
The year was 2016. World Auto Forum was running an Online Poll where Industry People could vote for their favourite Chairpersons, MDs and CEOs of Auto Companies at India and across the World.
So we had the corner office occupiers of Indian & Global Auto Makers.
On Oct 24 , 2016 Mr Cyrus Mistry who was the Chairman of Tata Group and also Tata Motors was sacked. As per protocol, our team switched Mr Mistry’s Pic with Mr Ratan Tata’s Pic as the latter had become the interim chairman.
|
|
World Auto Forum ( WAF) Site is created, owned & operated by WAF Garage Ventures Pvt Ltd and the Trademark of World Auto Forum is owned by Anuj Guglani. hereinafter referred to as “WAF”
Thank you for using WAF! Here we describe how we collect, use and handle your personal data when you use our websites, software and services (“Services”).
What & Why
We collect and use the following information to provide, improve, protect and promote our Services.
Account information. We collect, and associate with your account, the information you provide to us when you do things such as sign up for your account, upgrade to a paid plan
Data Security
The security is provided on “As received from Service Provider” Basis. We do not provide any additional layer over the one received from the Hosting Space Provider. We don’t guarantee 100% safe storage at all times. Though negligible but practically there are always risks of leakages, data theft, data erosion.
Contacts. You can choose to give us access to your contacts to make it easy for you to do things like share and collaborate, send messages and invite others to use the Services. If you do, we’ll store those contacts on our servers for you to use.
Usage information. We collect information relating to how you use the Services, including actions you take in your account (such as sharing, editing, viewing, creating and moving files or folders). We use this information to provide, improve and promote our Services, and protect WAF users.
Device information. We also collect information from and about the devices you use to access the Services. This can include things like IP addresses, the type of browser and device you use, the web page you visited before coming to our sites, and identifiers associated with your devices. Your devices (depending on their settings) may also transmit location information to the Services. For example, we use device information to detect abuse and identify and troubleshoot bugs.
Cookies and other technologies. We use technologies such as cookies and pixel tags to provide, improve, protect and promote our Services. For example, cookies help us with things like remembering your username for your next visit, understanding how you are interacting with our Services, and improving them based on that information. You can set your browser to not accept cookies, but this may limit your ability to use the Services. We may also use third-party service providers that set cookies and similar technologies to promote WAF services.
Marketing. We give users the option to use some of our Services free of charge. These free Services are made possible by the fact that some users upgrade to one of our paid Services. If you register for our Services, we will, from time to time, send you information about upgrades when permissible. Users who receive these marketing materials can opt out at any time. If you don’t want to receive a particular type of marketing material from us, click the ‘unsubscribe’ link in the corresponding emails.
We sometimes contact people who don’t have a WAF account. For recipients in the EU, we or a third party will obtain consent before getting in touch. If you receive an email and no longer wish to be contacted by WAF, you can unsubscribe and remove yourself from our contact list via the message itself.
Bases for processing your data. We collect and use the personal data described above in order to provide you with the Services in a reliable and secure manner. We also collect and use personal data for our legitimate business needs. To the extent that we process your personal data for other purposes, we ask for your consent in advance or require our partners to obtain such consent.
With whom
We may share information as discussed below, but we won’t sell it to advertisers or other third parties.
Others working for and with WAF.
WAF uses certain trusted third parties (for example, providers of customer support and IT services) for the business purposes of helping us provide, improve, protect and promote our Services. These third parties will access your information to perform tasks on our behalf, and we’ll remain responsible for their handling of your information per our instructions. .
Other users. Our Services display information such as your name, profile picture, device, email address and usage information to other users you collaborate with or choose to share with. When you register your WAF account with an email address on a domain owned by your employer or organisation, we may help collaborators and administrators find you and your team by making some of your basic information – such as your name, team name, profile picture and email address – visible to other users in the same domain. This helps you sync up with teams you can join and helps other users share files and folders with you.
Certain features let you make additional information available to others.
Law & order and the public interest. We may disclose your information to third parties if we determine that such disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or appropriate government request; (b) protect any person from death or serious bodily harm; (c) prevent fraud or abuse of WAF or our users; (d) protect WAF rights, property, safety or interest; or (e) perform a task carried out in the public interest.
Stewardship of your data is critical to us and a responsibility that we embrace. We believe that your data should receive the same legal protections regardless of whether it’s stored on our Services or on your home computer’s hard drive. We’ll abide by the following Government Request Principles when receiving, scrutinising and responding to government requests (including national security requests) for your data:
Be transparent
Fight blanket requests
Protect all users and
Provide trusted services.
How
Security. We have a team dedicated to keeping your information secure and testing for vulnerabilities. We continue to work on features to keep your information safe in addition to things like two-factor authentication, encryption of files at rest, and alerts when new devices and apps are linked to your account. We deploy automated technologies to detect abusive behaviour and content that may harm our Services, you or other users.
User controls. You can access, amend, download and delete your personal information by logging in to your WAF account and going to your account settings page.
Retention. When you sign up for an account with us, we’ll retain information you store on our Services for as long as your account exists or for as long as we need it to provide you the Services. If you delete your account, we’ll initiate deletion of this information after 30 days. Please note: (1) there might be some latency in deleting this information from our servers and backup storage, and (2) we may retain this information if necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes or enforce our agreements.
Where
Around the world. To provide you with the Services, we may store, process and transmit data to India and locations around the world – including those outside your country. Data may also be stored locally on the devices you use to access the Services.
Your control of and access to your data
You have control over your personal data and how it’s collected, used and shared. For example, you can:
Delete Your WAF account.
Change or correct personal data. You can manage your account and the content contained in it, as well as edit some of your personal data, through your account settings page.
Access and take your data elsewhere. You can access your personal data from your WAF
account and you can download it
Object to the processing of your personal data. Depending on the processing activity, you can request that we stop or limit processing of your personal data.
If you would like to submit a data access request, ask for your personal data to be deleted or object to the processing of your personal data, please email us at anuj@waf.bz
The Investment reports, decks, information of any kind shared by WAF or its affiliates in collaboration with our Client and Professionals; where required on a need basis
The information presented : namely numbers, data analytics, analysis and views expressed herein are based on Research undertaken in Public domain (both Digital and Non-digital)and information provided by our Client(s), potential Client and their affiliates; they are derived from sources believed to be reliable.
WAF provides no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the content and completeness of the information and do not accept liability for any loss arising from its use. To the extent this Document contains statements about future performance, such statements are forward looking and subject to several
risks and uncertainties; simulations and forecasts are not a reliable indication of future performance
Nothing in these Documents constitutes Legal, Finance or Tax any form of Advice; they are provided for information only . They don’t constitute an offer or an invitation by or on behalf of WAF to any person to make any Financial or Business decision; individual judgement and discretion is
advised.
The Document is location agnostic and hence does not necessarily represent compliance with any local Laws, Statutory or Regulatory requirements. The legal jurisdiction submitted to is solely the courts of New Delhi and no other place.
The information provided is subject to change at any time without notice and without obligation on WAF or the authors to update
The information provided herein is for the exclusive use of the recipient and is intended only for the person to whom it is issued by WAF
It is expressly not intended for persons who, due to their nationality or place of residence, are not permitted access to such information under local laws
This document may not be reproduced either in whole, or in part, in any form; any further publication,
distribution including dissemination of content in any form digitally, electronically or physically is expressly forbidden without our written permission
For further information or clarifications if any, feel free to reach us at hi@waf.bz
WAF takes sponsor partners for individual programs too. All payments have to be 100% in advance at the time of booking of slot. In an exceptional scenario of part payment at time of booking, program participation shall be allowed strictly and only when complete payment is done.
Select Top Companies in Tech, Auto & Mobility are invited to be Annual Partners at WAF.
It’s a paid slot and in return they get a 25 points engagement with the Auto & Mobility Cos across Digital , Events, one to one introductions. The deck listing out the deliverables is shared at the time of on-boarding.
The Annual Partner fees is payable in advance. If the partner takes option of payment every quarter then there ‘s a 25% higher amount which needs to paid.
Starting 1 April 2026, WAF Annual Partner Slots shall never be Exclusive slots. WAF is open to all companies far and wide. The Annual Partner slot can be cancelled anytime if the organisation flouts any principle of Corporate governance and /or laws of the land. In that case, refund shall be processed on a Pro-rata Basis.
Booth Space at WAF Programs
WAF gives JUST Booth Space. WAF or its team do not provide any booth fabrication or Backdrop of POS items for display for profit or as a service. WAF can just connect the exhibitor to the existing WAF vendors for supposed best rates and service. The Exhibitor needs to negotiate, finalise the terms of supply and payment on their own with the vendors. WAF shall have no liability in quality of work. Though WAF teams can surely help and facilitate in a friendly way if asked to.
Discount Codes & Slots
Discount codes and slots can go away without any notice. They are based purely on availability. WAF reserves the right to cancel a delegate ticket or a booth slot, before any event, or cancel offer post event benefits, in case of unprofessional, unruly or disturbing behaviour of the delegate, sponsor or exhibitor.
When you buy a ticket of WAF Program or attend as speaker or invited as a Guest, you agree to these conditions.
The link to these Terms & Conditions is present at each Event Page as a notice to all guests who attend.
Between 30 to 45 Days of Program : 10% ticket Amount
Between 30 days to 20 days : 50% Ticket Amount
Less than 20 days to Program : 100% Ticket Amount
In case the Program is Online under a special saving offer, the ticket fees is 100% Non Refundable
Speakers & trainers can change their schedule due to their personal exigency which is beyond control of World Auto Forum. The Venue can change for safety reasons and /or to suit convenience of Organisers, Participants and Speakers. World Auto Forum’s liability not beyond refund of ticket amount if program cancelled or postponed due to any reason beyond control of World Auto Forum.
Normally we don’t change venues, once announced. However in a rarest of rare case, if it happens, be rest assured World Auto Forum has done it to suit convenience of Most Participants and /or in interest of Safety.
We don’t believe in cancelling or Postponing programs. The Show Must go On! Still if this happens, rest assure there has to some compelling reason for safety and Convenience of the Members. In that case, Maximum Monetary Liability of World Auto Forum is Reimbursement of Ticket Amount.
Hotel Venues normally are amongst the Safest Places. Safety and Security at Venue is controlled solely by Hotel Staff. World Auto Forum has no control or responsibility for it. As the Adage goes, Caveat emptor. You have to be responsible of your own devices, gadgets and luggage. Please take care of them yourself.
We try our best to get prime spaces for advertising at best prices. For instance in The Economic Times( ET) , we normally prefer advertising in the Et Panache Section especially when its part of the main newspaper. That is normally the last page inner side.
It gets great visibility and value to the WAF Annual Partners and Sponsors.
Guest would need to adhere to the Covid precautions like Masks, Sanitisers and Physical distancing. The Venue staff would help you with any help with the covid precaution that you might need, over and above your carrying your own sanitiser and Masks.
WAF can facilitate by requesting Hotel or venue Staff and in no way would have the primary responsibility for any of your covid precaution or safety against covid.
WAF cannot be held liable in any way for any health related hazard that you might incur as a direct or indirect result of attending a waf program at a venue hired by WAF.
Any Hotel that decides to give venue to WAF for any of the programs cannot make WAF indemnify for any liability of any kind unless the apex court of law decides otherwise.
WAF Online Programs , Meetings, Webinars
Same Aforesaid Conditions of Ticket Cancellation Policy, Monetary Liability apply here too. The Online Platform which is used to access the Online Program is either WAF Website or a Third Party Software as a Service (SAAS) Provider. WAF is not liable or responsible for any data or financial loss or loss of any kind due to negligence or omission of duty of third Party Saas Provider.
Even the WAF Site, which is powered by several third Party Saas Providers. WAF can’t be held liable for any negligence or omission of Duty of its Website’s third Party Saas Providers.
Though we try to our best to perform our duty to keep service uninterrupted. Hack attacks are note 100% avoidable and in case of such attack or virus transmission from WAF Site or a third Party Saas Provider to your server, it is incumbent on you to install a Anti virus Software which stops such malaware attacks and its also your duty to inform us at anuj@waf.bz in a timely way so that we can take urgent corrective action and inform the third party Saas Provider. Under no circumstance can WAF be impleaded or held liable for negligence or contributor negligence or be made party to any kind of liability due to omission or negligence of third Party Saas Providers which includes WAF Website Saas Providers.
Respect for Fellow Participant at WAF
World Auto Forum reserves the right to blocking participant access whether offline or online event on display of unruly behaviour without offering any explanation or ticket refund. This is interest of respect of fellow participant/s and decorum.
Participant shall completely indemnify WAF for any kind of damage or loss to program venue, tech platform or fellow participants in any kind of way , for any kind of liability if it results from the participants conduct or action.
Offers of Internship & Placement Assistance for Students
In a few programs, we also give internship and placement assistance.
What we offer in that is sharing candidate’s profile through WAF Platform to Top Companies, Firms & recruiters. To avail this service, you need to populate your details on WAF Site as guided during the WAF Program.
WAF is not liable for cancellation, rejection, acceptance of any offer. WAF is also not liable for conduct or behaviour or performance of the candidate or the other workers in the company or firm where the candidate gets placed. WAF doesn’t force any candidate to accept the offers. They are solely between the candidate and the company /firm.
WAF shall not give any notice on change of any Terms & Conditions here. It’s solely user’s duty to check for any changes or updates. This page can get updated time to time.
Legal Jurisdiction is Solely the Courts at New Delhi, India and Nowhere Else
World Auto Forum is a trademark licensed to WAF Garage ventures Pt Ltd
Delay in payments can attract late payment charge of Rs 1,000/- per day from the day it was due till the payment reflects in the WAF Bank account. In case of the delay of payment , any offers given also stand null and void and full amount is then charged.
Delay in payment of more than one month from date of invoice may attract cancellation of invoice and permanent debarment from WAF Annual Partners Community.
WAF CHRO roundtable organized by World Auto Forum on Friday, 28 th February 2020 brought together top CHROs, HR experts and CXOs. It brought into focus, the core issues related to HR, people management, compliances and lots more.
During the two roundtables planned for the day, insights were shared on the expectations of the millennials, the new dynamics of corporate HR, the need to focus on compliances and
labour reforms.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said earlier this month it had opened an investigation into a 12th Tesla crash that may be tied to the vehicle’s advanced Autopilot driver assistance system after a Tesla Model 3 rear-ended a parked police car in Connecticut.
NHTSA did not say if autopilot was suspected in Sunday’s crash in Gardena in Los Angeles county.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Los Angeles television station KTLA reported the driver exited the 91 Freeway in Gardena, ran a red light and struck a 2006 Honda Civic, killing its two occupants.
The two people inside the Tesla were hospitalized but did not have life-threatening injuries, KTLA reported, citing Los Angeles police.
Autopilot had been engaged in at least three Tesla vehicles that were involved in fatal U.S. crashes since 2016. The National Transportation Safety Board has criticized Autopilot’s lack of safeguards and said in September in its probe of a 2018 Culver City, California Tesla crash that the system’s design “permitted the driver to disengage from the driving task.”
Tesla and NHTSA both advise drivers that they must keep their hands on the steering wheel and pay attention at all times while using Autopilot. Tesla says Autopilot “enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane,” but does not make the vehicle autonomous.
Some drivers say they are able to keep their hands off the wheel for extended periods when using the system. Last month, U.S. Senator Ed Markey said Tesla should disable Autopilot until it installs new safeguards to prevent drivers from evading system limits that could let them fall asleep.
NHTSA has previously confirmed special crash investigations in a number of Tesla crashes but until earlier this month had not disclosed the total number of crashes under review. NHTSA previously investigated another Tesla crash that it initially suspected of being tied to Autopilot but ruled it out.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool
3 MIN READ
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey unveiled its first fully domestically-produced car on Friday, saying it aimed to eventually produce up to 175,000 a year of the electric vehicle in a project expected to cost 22 billion lira ($3.7 billion) over 13 years.
The project has been a long-time goal of President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party as a demonstration of the country’s growing economic power.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Erdogan said Turkey aimed not only to sell the car domestically but also wanted it to become a global brand, starting with Europe.
“We’re all together witnessing Turkey’s 60-year-old dream become reality,” he said, referring to failed plans in the past to build a fully home-produced car. “When we see this car on roads around the whole world, we will have reached our goal.”
Following his speech, a red SUV model of the car and another grey sedan one were raised onto the stage, sporting the TOGG label of the consortium that is building them.
Erdogan said the charging infrastructure for electric cars would be ready nationwide by 2022.
Turkey is already a big exporter to Europe of cars made domestically by firms such as Ford (F.N), Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI), Renault (RENA.PA), Toyota (7203.T) and Hyundai (005380.KS).
The new project, launched in October, will receive state support such as tax breaks, and establish a production facility in the automotive hub of Bursa in northwest Turkey, according to a presidential decision in the country’s Official Gazette.
Five models of the car will be produced, the statement said, adding the government had guaranteed to buy 30,000 of the vehicles by 2035.
Erdogan first revealed plans in November 2017 here to launch a car made entirely in Turkey by 2021.
The consortium, called Turkey’s Automobile Initiative Group (TOGG), was established in mid 2018 by five industrial groups: Anadolu Group, BMC, Kok Group, mobile phone operator Turkcell (TCELL.IS) and Zorlu Holding, the parent of TV maker Vestel (VESTL.IS).
TOGG’s CEO is former Bosch executive Gurcan Karakas and its chief operating officer is Sergio Rocha, former General Motors Korea chief executive. It said it would begin production in 2022 with compact SUVs.
In October, Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) said it had postponed a final decision on whether to build a car plant in Turkey amid international criticism of an October Turkish military operation in Syria.
($1 = 5.9339 liras)
Additional reporting by Ebru Tuncay; Writing by Daren Butler and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Mark Potter
NewsWire of Reuters and Picture by AP not changed or edited by World Auto Forum
