TCS from Tata Group is sponsoring Ferrari in India

Indian technology giant, TCS (Tata Consultancy) announced on Thursday a sponsorship deal with Formula One team Ferrari, bucking predictions that the sport could collapse in the global economic crisis.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will display its logo on Ferrari cars during the 2009 season, a company statement released in Mumbai said. "TCS has entered into a historic agreement with Ferrari for an enhanced technology and marketing partnership," it said, without giving financial details of the deal.

Last week Formula One agreed cost-cutting measures following a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Monaco.

The sport's governing body is clamping down on costs as it struggles to survive the global credit crisis. Honda's recent shock withdrawal from the Formula One raised fresh fears over the future of the multi-million dollar sport. TCS has been a technology partner of the Ferrari team since 2005. Cheaper mobile phone Samsung S7330 on 3 deals.

No sales crisis ; Ferrari denies

Ferrari has officially denied of being a victim to the global economic crisis, even though it plans to shed up to 10 per cent of its workforce this week. Global sales at the Italian supercar maker have dived from almost 600 a month to just 92 cars in November and Ferrari is now negotiating with Italy’s trade unions to trim unwanted road-car production staff.

The company has admitted it could shed up to 300 employees as early as this Friday. Ferrari will also shut its Maranello production plant for an unprecedented 20 days over Christmas, which sources insist will be to prevent vehicle stockpiles reaching unmanageable levels. The company won its 16th F1 World Constructor’s Championship last month and still boasts of a two-year waiting list on its high-priced, exclusive road cars, but sources said that troubling stocks have built up at some of its distributors around the world, particularly in the UK.

As recently as the Paris motor show last October, Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo had been speaking of a sales target of 10,000 cars for 2010 which, even with the new Ferrari California on stream early next year, now seems wildly optimistic.

Top 10 cars, that Americans hate

Times are so difficult for the auto industry that even Toyota and Honda have now experienced the kinds of double-digit sales dips that have been plaguing American auto giants General Motors and Ford all year. Sales for the entire industry were down 26.6 percent collectively in September as consumers grew skittish about making big-ticket purchases.

In good economic times and bad alike, however, there are some vehicles that American consumers seem to abhor outright. And they're not just the big, gas-guzzling SUVs that are currently out of favor. It turns out, the cars American consumers hate the most come in many different shapes and sizes, and they're disliked for a wide array of reasons.

"Buyers make the same choices and buy the safe brand," says Jessica Caldwell, manager of pricing and industry analysis at Edmunds.com, an automotive consumer information Web site. "They are not thinking outside the box and buying something that may stand out as an odd purchase."

But then there's well-earned hatred, particularly due to quality issues, which is the case with the Jaguar XJ, of which only 10,852 were sold (the leader in the segment, the Cadillac DTS, saw sales above 135,000). The Jaguar brand was sold last year to Indian company Tata Motors, and when Jaguar lost its British edge it also lost favor with American buyers, says Caldwell. Even though the quality problems of Jaguars, to that point, had been well-known among consumers, the idea of having a British car parked in the driveway was, for a long time, enough to attract loyal American buyers. Written by Rahul Vishela

Ferrari Roars to be Heard In India Soon

Ferrari is Italy’s most popular brand for cars. It sells its cars more on ‘wow’ factor rather than their price, sales figures or revenue generation. This company offers unique designs and exquisite interiors of the car which are flagship of its brand value.

The company is obsessed with its legacy and this has made the auto company to develop a cheaper and smaller car to the rising demand of the developing nations. “We want to remain an aspirational brand associated with our niche clientele. Our prime target is to maintain exclusivity,” Davide Kluzer, Ferrari spokesperson. Cars from Ferrari are never for mass consumption. They are known for their exclusiveness.

Although Ferrari has no plans to launch any car in India soon, however, it has already started its studies of the Indian auto car market. According to Kluzer, the company marks India as one of the top booming economies along with China, Brazil and Russia. Its current biggest market is North America that accounts for more than 30% sales of the company.
Source : http://www.cartradeindia.com