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manufacture the 1.0 liter diesel engine for the Beat elsewhere in the world, no final call has been taken
as to whether diesel engines for the Sail and the MPV will be manufactured exclusively in India.
The 1.0 liter diesel engine for the Beat (the company’s smallest diesel engine globally) is manufactured
at GM’s plant in Talegaon, Maharashtra. The capability for diesel engines is being developed by GM’s
technical center in Bangalore which currently has 2,100 employees. The company has five engineering
centers, four design centers and nine satellite research and development facilities within GM
International Operations. The technical center India in Bangalore is a medium-sized engineering
operation which specializes in tailoring vehicles for the Indian market while also undertaking
engineering work for GM globally
P. Balendran, vice-president (corporate affairs), informed, “Diesel vehicles constitute around 42-45 per
cent of overall passenger vehicle sales today. But wherever, petrol and diesel variants are both available,
80 per cent of sales come from the diesel option. If I talk about the Beat alone, diesel sales used to be 40
per cent earlier, now it has gone up to 80 per cent. It has thus become important to develop the
capability.”
Industry estimates say diesel variants accounted for 28 per cent of passenger vehicle sales in the last
financial year. With petrol prices rising five times in the current financial year, the differential between
the two fuels now stand at Rs. 25.51 per litre, up from Rs. 10 in April 2010, making an increasing number
of consumers opt for diesel cars.
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India, US joint $125 million fund for research in clean energy
India and the United States have announced a joint $ 125 million fund to carry out combined research in
the field of clean energy. As such three institutions each from India and the US have been selected for
the US-India Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC), which is part of the US-
India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy, announced during the November 2009 visit of US President
Barack Obama to India.
While National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Florida and Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory have been selected from the US, three Indian institutions are the Indian Institute of Science-
Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology-Hyderabad, and CEPT University-Ahmedabad.
Consortia researchers will leverage their expertise and resources in solar technology, advanced biofuels
and building efficiency to unlock the huge potential of clean energy technologies that can reduce energy
use, cut dependence on foreign oil, and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources, the US
Department of Energy said.
"This innovative research programme will help promote clean energy, create jobs, and open export
opportunities for US business," said David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International
Affairs in the Department of Energy. "By bringing some of our best scientific and technical minds
together, we can strengthen both our great nations," Sandalow said. As part of a planned five-year
initiative, the Energy Department will make $5 million available in fiscal year 2012. The Department
plans to make additional requests to Congress for up to $ 20 million over the next four years.
India has committed to funding $ 25 million over five years that will be used to support work by Indian
institutions and individuals. In addition, U.S and Indian consortia members have pledged over $ 75
million in matching funds, for a combined funding total of more than $ 125 million for joint research and
development in solar energy, advanced biofuels and building energy efficiency.