India Yamaha Motor gives R15 Version 2.0 more colour

India Yamaha Motor has launched four new colour variants of its R15 Version 2.0 motorcycle to drive sales.

Speaking about the new variants, Roy Kurian, National Business Head, India Yamaha Motor, said: “Since its launch the R15 version 2.0 has gained immense popularity. Our strategic intent is to provide customers with stylish variants to suit their personalities. We have launched the R15 Version 2.0 in a complete new look in terms of colour and graphics and are confident that these variants will be an instant hit among biking enthusiasts.”

While the new Thundering Green (Special Edition) R15 Version 2.0 costs Rs 112,750, the Racing Blue (Motogp edition) is priced at Rs 113,750 and the Raring Red (Standard colour) and Invincible Black (Standard colour) have a sticker price of Rs 110,750 (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).

JNTO launches Winter Gifts Promotion campaign

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has announced the launch of its “Winters Gifts Promotion” campaign for its’ Indian Facebook page fans. The campaign is open to Facebook Page users in India from December 22, 2012 – February 28, 2013. 

To take part in the contest, the participants will have to answer to a set of six questions (four quiz questions) after registering themselves at the “Visit Japan from India” Facebook Page. 

At the end of the campaign, the winners will win a prize from a choice of seven souvenirs which includes Evangelion Figure, a famous Japanese Manga character; a Fortune Cat; 2 Thermos Handy Bottles; 5 Shinkansen’s mug cups, 5 mouse pads with Japanese scenery; 5 traditional toys “Akabeko” from Fukushima Prefecture and 5 iPhone Pouches made from Japanese traditional beautiful texture. 

Reflecting on this initiative,  Motonari Adachi, Executive Director, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Singapore Office, said, “With an increasing number of people adopting social networking platform as a medium of communication in the Indian market, we are pleased to initiate “Winter Gifts Promotion” for our Facebook page fans. 

The page provides an excellent platform to explore and learn interesting facts about destination Japan and simultaneously stand a chance to win exciting prizes. This is a second such opportunity which JNTO has organized exclusively for Indian fans.”

JNTO’s Facebook page features latest tourism trends and visitor information on Japan, interesting travel tips and reviews by experts, destination images and videos besides links to promotional materials by JNTO. 

Sony launches full-frame RX1, a99 cameras in India

As part of the Consumer Electronics Imaging Fair (CEIF) 2013 in New Delhi, Sony India has launched nine cutting-edge high-end camera models across categories. The new models include full-frame DSLRs and compact mirorless models.

Taking forward the success of its DSC-RX100, Sony's new DSC-RX1 has a 35mm full-frame sensor and wide aperture F2 fixed-focal lens into a very compact camera body.

Much smaller and lighter than any full-frame DSLR, the Cyber-shot RX1 offers superb imaging quality thanks to its fixed lens. The camera comes with full manual control options and are easy to operate.

The RX1 will cost Rs 1,79,990.
Sony has also launched its a99, the World's first Translucent Mirror camera. This camera comes with a 24.3MP full-frame 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor paired with an advanced BIONZ image processing engine. The camera also promises superb video shooting and unmatched sound quality.

The a99 will also cost Rs 179,990.

At the same price, NEX-VG900E is a Full HD camcorder with interchangeable lens capability. A uniquely designed product aimed at professional videographers, the camera will have a full-frame 24.3 MP Exmor CMOS sensor. This sensor is twice the size of the APS-C sized sensor found in other interchangeable lens Handycam models.

Sony's latest in the NEX series, the NEX 5R and NEX 6, have also made their way into India and will cost Rs 39,990 and Rs 49,990, respectively.

Kenichiro Hibi, MD, Sony India said the new Full-Frame Imaging sensor camera range from Sony is very high-end and an option for professional quality cameras.

2012 grosses Rs 900 million in India

Sony Pictures' 2012 has crossed the Rs 900 million mark in India to become the highest-grossing Hollywood film ever to make it so big in the country.
In India, the film has had its widest release ever for a Hollywood film with a total of 766 prints in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. 2012 continues to run successfully in all centres in its sixth week.

The film surpassed the previous record-holder Spider-Man 3 that grossed
Rs 680 million, back in 2007.
In its opening weekend, thanks to 90 per cent plus occupancy figures in all centres, gross box-office figures were second only to Spider-Man 3, despite the film not being part of a known franchise. By the end of the first week, the film registered the highest Hollywood opening ever, putting it well on its way to creating new records at the Indian box office.

Said Sony Pictures India managing director Kercy Daruwala, "Our approach to marketing and distributing this film was to engage all sections of the audience, multiplex as well as single screen, metros as well as small towns, much like any large scale Indian film.
"We believe this approach paid off by bringing in audiences who may not generally watch Hollywood films. 2012 has indisputably changed the face of the movie business in India and made Hollywood films a force to reckon with, setting a benchmark in the industry. It will undoubtedly be among the top films of the year in India, in any language."

Sony Pictures India released 2012 across the world on 13 November. Directed by Roland Emmerich who has directed films like Godzilla, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 10000 BC, the film reveals the director's vision of the apocalypse that is expected to occur in 2012.

Sharp to market its Plasmacluster air purifiers to healthcare providers in India

Sharp Business Systems (India) Ltd, the 100 percent subsidiary of Sharp Corporation is now focussing on healthcare providers in India to install Plasmacluster Ion Technology for Indoor air treatment.

Plasmacluster Technology creates Forest-Fresh environment indoors. The ions kill all harmful substances like pollen dust, allergens, virus, mould, gases and foul smell not just from the air but also from the surface of things kept indoors and thus creating a neutral and fresh environment to breathe easy and safe air. The effectiveness of Sharp’s Plasmacluster Ion air purifiers have been verified by renowned academic and research institutes around the world.

The product is certified by the Asthma Society of India and British Allergy Foundation as it was found to be most effective in removal of triggers that cause morning allergy and asthma.

“It is evident that air is the most important substance going into our bloodstream. Studies reveal that the indoor air is many times more stale and suffocating than the outdoor air. The urban outdoor air gets replenished twice a day due to land and sea breeze. However, there is very little replenishment of our indoor air. As we spend more time indoors, we are exposed to stale air which is increases the threat of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Sharp Plasmacluster Air treatment Solution sends out the same positive and negative ions found in nature, that kills the harmful substances from the air as well as the surface of our indoors, thereby creating a fresh indoor environment,” Sunil K Sinha, managing director of Sharp Business Systems (India) Limited.

“Products equipped with Plasmacluster Technology have crossed more than four crore units worldwide. It a big relief for those suffering from respiratory and chronic diseases to give their immune system rest while they are indoors,” he added.

Plasmacluster Ion Air Purifiers can be used wherever the threat of air and surface contamination remains high like doctors' chambers, homes, wash rooms, wardrobe, public spaces like hotel lobbies and rooms, theatre and banquet halls, office, changing rooms, pharmaceutical and food storage to name a few. They are priced in the range of Rs.14, 990 to Rs.57, 990 and are available through retail outlets across India.

Japan-based Sharp Corporation, a worldwide developer of innovative products and core technologies is working on cleaner and greener technologies . The company has business capital stock of 204,675 million yen with a worldwide employee strength of 64,500 people with 32,000 in Japan and 32,200 overseas. Its Rs.400 crore Indian subsidiary has national sales and service network.

Lexus defers India debut to beyond 2013

It may be the slowdown blues, or just the wrong timing. But whatever it is, Lexus — the luxury brand of Japanese auto giant Toyota — has decided to defer its India entry. Against its earlier plan to enter the Indian market by 2013, the brand has decided to put off its India debut.

Sandeep Singh, deputy MD of Toyota's Indian subsidiary Toyota Kirloskar Motors, confirmed that the luxury brand will not be making a debut anytime soon.

"It will not be in 2013," Singh said, blaming a variety of negative factors behind the decision. The Toyota official said that import duty on fully-built cars is very steep in India, especially after it was raised further in the Union Budget last year.

"This is a major hurdle as far as getting in Lexus is concerned as we have plans only to import the vehicles and not make them here." A sharp depreciation of the rupee is another factor that has given cold feet to company officials. "The fall in rupee has also emerged as a major challenge, and just does not make it right to import the cars."

The slowdown in the Indian economy and uncertainty over its turnaround timing can also be one of the reasons behind the company's decision to go slow.

While the initial success of brands like BMW and Mercedes could have prompted Toyota to look at the Indian luxury market, the tough times they are facing now would have prompted the company to be cautious.

Mercedes saw its sales fall for the first time since 2009 last year and BMW has also been facing a big pressure in staying positive.

Toyota's plans to get Lexus to India were announced by a senior company official on the sidelines of the Tokyo Motor Show in late 2011. The company had plans to have separate dealerships for the brand, as is the case in most markets where Toyota and Lexus are retailed.

The Lexus brand came into being in 1989 and competes with cars from BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi, apart from other luxury brands. Lexus cars are pre-dominantly made at four plants in Japan, and also at a facility in Canada in North America.

Panasonic India Becomes the Proud Winner of National Conservation Energy Awards 2012

Panasonic India Becomes the Proud Winner of National Conservation Energy Awards 2012

Panasonic India won the National Conservation Energy Award (NECA 2012) for its non inverter 5 Star Air Conditioners at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 14th December 2012. Hon’ble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee along with Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Hon'ble Minister of State for Power presented the award to Mr. Manish Sharma, MD- Consumer Product Division, Panasonic India. This award is organized annually by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) which is a statutory body under Ministry of Power, Government of India.


NECA is an award to give national recognition to the selected industrial units who have made systematic and serious attempts for efficient utilization and conservation of energy during the year. The scheme is open to all industrial units in the sub sectors like aluminum, automobile, chemicals, consumer goods, distillery and brewery, drugs & pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, forging, foundries, glass, integrated steel, mini steel, mining, paper & pulp, petrochemicals, refractory, sugar, steel re-rolling mill, textile plants and more.

After receiving the award, Mr. Manish Sharma – Managing Director- Consumer Product Division, Panasonic India said, “We are thankful to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India, to have recognized our green innovation efforts which indeed have resulted in higher energy efficiency of our products. One of the ways in which we have integrated our contributions to the environment with business growth is by creating our ‘eco ideas’ mark to help our customers quickly and clearly identify products that have been designed to minimize energy and resource use. This certainly is our step forward towards realizing our vision of becoming the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry by 2018. We have been putting the environment at the centre of our business decisions as a way to bring forth our vision of “Green Life Innovation” and “Green Business Innovation.” Winning this award is extremely reassuring that we are on the right track and would definitely strengthen the faith our customers have in our green products.”

Air Conditioner is a product that a consumer would associate with high electricity consumption in turn leading to high electricity bills. That is why the consumers in the low to middle income group treat an air conditioner as a high involvement purchase decision product. Having a power consumption of 1530 W Panasonic TC 1.5 ton 5 star Jade series gives you more energy savings over a non star rated air conditioner in the long run. The energy conservation depends on the input power, the running hours and the cost of per unit electricity. If we compare Panasonic 1.5 ton Jade series having a power input of 1530W with a 1.5 ton non star rated air conditioner having a power input of 2510W, with 80% compressor being functional we can easily say that the consumers will save up to 39.04 percent on their electricity bill.

Panasonic’s CS-TC18NKY/CU-TC18NKY, a 5 Star air conditioner is the winning product in the consumer goods category. Several unique features in the air conditioner make it highly efficient in energy conservation. The Econavi mono sensor in the air conditioner can detect wasted energy and automatically select optimum energy saving operation which leads savings up to 20 percent. The High activity detection feature automatically increases cooling power to improve comfort when needed. The Anti Bacterial Filter which combines three effects in one: anti allergen, antivirus & anti bacteria protection to provide 99 percent clean air for a healthy lifestyle. The Soft Dry Mode starts with cooling to dehumidify and provides continuous breeze at a low frequency to keep a room dry without much change to the temperature. The anti-rust coating on the condenser and the super tropical compressor make the product highly efficient and help it perform well under high load conditions.

Panasonic has long focused its efforts in India on developing the best products possible for its Indian customers and employees. As a testimony to that the company has recently inaugurated its first environment friendly model factory in India in the town of Jhajjar, Haryana. It is the largest manufacturing facility for Panasonic’s global operations yet the factory will create almost zero waste. The introduction of a number of eco-features in the Techno Park Jhajjar factory, make it one of the greenest facilities Panasonic operates globally.

Panasonic Corporate Vision

Panasonic has a vision to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry by 2018, when Panasonic will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Panasonic aspires for global excellence as a Green Innovation Company, encompassing two goals: Green Life Innovation to realize green lifestyles to enrich people’s lives and Green Business Innovation to bring forth innovation in our business styles.

About Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for three business fields, consumer, components & devices, and solutions. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.85 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2012. It aims to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry by the 100th year of its founding in 2018.The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE:PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net/

About Panasonic India

Panasonic makes available in India its wide range of consumer electronics and home appliances like LCD & Plasma TVs, DVD players, home theatre systems, cameras, camcorders, car audio systems, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, automatic cookers, vacuum cleaners and the like. The company has a workforce of about 12,650 in India and an estimated turnover of Rs 10,000 crores in FY 2012. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand in India, please visit http://panasonic.co.in.