Meet the Most Happy-go-Lucky Driver in the World [Video]

Upon viewing this accident that was caught on a security camera for the first time, the initial reaction is shock: a large bus (seemingly) drives through a red light and crashes with an oncoming bus at the intersection.

Take a closer look at the footage though and shock is quickly followed by bewilderment when you notice a small green vehicle, which looks to be a three-wheeler tuk-tuk (or rickshaw), passing between the two busses milliseconds after the impact and just as the second bus falls onto its side!

From what we can tell, the green tuk-tuk came from the park and turned right on the central road. The accident reportedly happened in Bangladesh on Monday. Check it out for yourself in the clip after the break.

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Nissan Announces New Midterm Business Plan, will Introduce a New Vehicle Every Six Weeks for Six Years

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. revealed on Monday its new midterm business plan dubbed “Power 88”, with which it aims to boost both its global market share and profit margin to 8 percent within six years – hence the “88” reference in the name. Last year, Nissan, which is 44.3 percent owned by French partner Renault, had a 5.8 percent global market share.

The new plan calls for the introduction of 52 new cars for fiscal years 2011 to 2016, or about one new vehicle every six weeks.

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Locally Made Right-Hand-Drive Renault Duster to Launch in India

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is gradually expanding the availability of its Duster small SUV, originally branded as a Dacia, to more international markets. Following the recent presentation of the Renault Duster for the South American region at the Buenos Aires Motor Show, today, the French firm confirmed its launch in India.

To be sold under the Renault marque, the right-hand drive [RHD] version of the Duster will be fully produced at the Renault-Nissan Chennai plant in India and rolled out across the local market in the second half of 2012. The RHD Duster will also be available in the UK starting from next year.

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European Automakers Demand a Fair Deal in Emerging Auto Markets

At a recent meeting of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), industry leaders voiced their concerns over government assistance, high import tariffs and other trade barriers in newly minted auto markets such as China, India and South Korea. It’s a situation that’s made it very difficult, if not impossible, for the Euros to compete.

Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler and the President of ACEA puts it well: “We are asking for a level playing field.”

Paul Everitt, CEO of the UK’S SMMT motor industry group echoes those remarks: “Our vision is for us to design, develop and manufacture high-value vehicles to export around the world. That is difficult if we don't get access.”

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Investigators Uncover Multi-Million Pound Tax Scam in India; European Exotics, Foreign Diplomats and Bollywood Actors Involved

In what sounds more like the plot of a The Fast and the Furious movie than real life, investigators at India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence office (a.k.a. India’s IRS) have uncovered a massive exotic car smuggling operation in the nation’s capital of New Dehli. It all has to do with India’s notorious 100% import tax on new luxury vehicles.

It began with one New Dehli luxury car dealer, Sumit Walia, importing brand new luxury cars on forged invoices. These invoices listed the cars as second-hand, which saved Walia – and his customers – some 40% on import tax. Some of the cars – which included Porsches, Bentleys and Aston Martins – were found to have been stolen from the streets of Britain, France, Singapore and Japan.

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Jaguar-Land Rover Opens Assembly Plant in India, Rolls Out its First Model [with Video]

Gone are the times when you knew where cars were made just by looking at the brand, and when luxury carmakers made the manufacturing of their vehicles in their home country one of their top selling points. Nowadays, you have BMWs built in China, India, South Africa and the USA, Mercedes-Benz cars made in Russia, Thailand and Egypt and so on.

The latest premium automaker to go global is the Jaguar-Land Rover group, which inaugurated its first Indian factory on Friday. A Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV was the first vehicle to roll out of the assembly plant, which is located just outside Pune in the Maharashtra region of India. We’ll remind you that Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008 after losing some US$15 billion in two years.

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Pakistan’s Hell Road is Not for the Faint Hearted [Video]

Pakistan’s 240 kilometre (149 mile) Lowari Pass is the only supply route between the town of Dir and the small villages in the mountainous Chitral Valley. It is here on the Afghan border in the country’s northwest that truckers risk their lives for a paltry US$60 (Pakistan’s average wage) and a bonus of US$180...if they make it back alive and with their precious cargo unharmed.

The trucks are old, some nearing the one million-kilometer mark (620,000 mile) on the odometer, with avalanches, landslides and falling rocks marking the four-day journey. The roads are worn and there are no crash barriers; there is not even enough room for two trucks to pass side by side. The highest point is 3,100 metres (10,170 feet) above sea level where the air is so thin it is difficult to stay awake or even move. Brakes overheat on the descent and without them death is a long drop to oblivion.

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Ferrari Opens Shop in India, Cheapest Model Costs Half a Million Dollars

The first ever Ferrari dealership in India opened its doors today in the heart of New Delhi. The Grand Opening, which was hosted by Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari Commercial and Marketing Director Enrico Galliera, and Ashish Chordia, Chairman of the Shreyans Group, the official Ferrari importer for India, was devoted to the members of the local and international press. India is the 58th country where Ferrari is present in the world. Read more »

Polk Gives us a Peak at Vehicle Density in Emerging Markets

According to Polk, an automotive statistics website, one of the key performance indicators of a maturing auto market is the number of cars per 1,000 people or the nation’s “vehicle density”. Ten years ago in the U.S., for instance, it was 453 vehicles per 1,000 people. What with the global financial crisis and high fuel prices resulting in many people selling their cars, this has now dropped to 419 per 1,000 and is expected to continue its decline to 414 per 1,000 by 2015.

In the increasingly economically developed BRIC countries, that is Brazil, Russia, India and China, it’s not as dense but it is emerging. In Russia, for example, it’s 235 vehicles per 1,000. In India and China, it’s more like 27 vehicles per 1,000. Though consider this: with populations topping 1.6 and 1.3 billion respectively, 27 vehicles per 1,000 would be more like 100 vehicles or plus per 1,000 if those nations had population numbers equaling the United States.

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VIDEO: Indian Daredevils and the Well of Death

The ‘circle of death’ is neither new nor shocking, but it’s one thing to see a professional stuntman who follows the necessary safety precautions doing it and another a group of gifted but nevertheless amateur daredevils going at it in a shoddy well made out of wooden planks with the crowd only inches away….

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Aston Martin Enters Indian Market, Opens its First Dealership in Mumbai

British sports car-maker Aston Martin announced its first foray into India’s booming luxury market on Friday with the opening of its first dealership in the country located in the city of Mumbai. India’s car market posted sales of 1.87 million units in 2010 recording an impressive 25 percent increase over the previous year. More importantly for brands like Aston Martin, the premium car sector grew by a staggering 70 percent last year.

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Indian Firm Whips up a Ferrari F430 Replica out of a Toyota Corolla

Here at Carscoop we’ve shown you Ferrari F430 clones based on all sorts of sports cars ranging from the oh-so popular Pontiac Fiero to the Toyota MR2 and even the Toyota Celica. Now it’s time to show you an F430 doppelganger of even more humble origins as this creation is reportedly based on a Toyota Corolla.

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India's Mahindra & Mahindra Seals SsangYong Acquisition

Indian industrial giant Mahindra & Mahindra announced today that it has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in South Korea's SsangYong Motor Company, with the deal also signaling that SsangYong is no longer in court receivership. Mahindra won the bid for the troubled Korean carmaker in August 2010.

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Tata Nano Sales Rose by 1,136% in December

In an effort to boost sales of its US$2,900 Nano micro car, India's Tata extended the warranty and offered easier financing in December, while it also launched a new advertising campaign that included a TV spot.

It turns out that this was a smart move, as sales of the Nano spiked reaching 5,784 units, which represents a 1,136% increase over the 509 units the company shifted a month earlier. This is still below the 9,000 monthly sales record achieved in July, but it seems that the Nano is back with a vengeance for 2011.

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VIDEO: Tata Tries to Boost Nano Sales with New Ad

As previously reported, Tata Nano sales in India have dropped significantly in the past few month, with just 509 customers opting for the US $2,900 micro car, down from 9,000 in July. It seems that Indian buyers have higher aspirations and are moving away from the Nano, as the nation’s market is booming. Reliability issues and a few spontaneously combusting units didn’t help sales either.

To mend the situation, the automaker has extended the car’s warranty and launched a new TV ad, depicting the Nano as the most lovable thing of Earth. Hit the jump to watch the commercial.

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India's Car Market Booming yet Customers Show Little Love for Tata Nano

Sometimes being cheap and cheerful just isn’t enough. Production delays, land debates and questions over occupant safety are killing the Tata Nano faster than an unexplained engine fire. India’s people car is struggling in spite of the nation’s booming car market and a low asking price of just US$2,900, half of what its nearest rival costs.

With economic growth at a staggering 9% per annum and a 22% year-to-date increase in car sales, Tata must have felt it was onto a sure thing. Things started out good, with 200,000 advanced orders for the sub-subcompact before its 2009 launch.

However, sales have been flagging these past four months with the Indian carmaker selling just 509 Nano’s in November, down from 9,000 in July.

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Toyota Tries to Break Indian Market with New Low-Cost Etios Sedan

The world's largest automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., is eyeing emerging markets with a new low cost model that was unveiled this week in India. The production version of the 2010 New Delhi Show Etios Concept is available at launch as a four-door sedan model, but will be joined by a five door hatchback called the Etios Liva in April of 2011.

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Honda Brio Prototype Previews New City Car for Asian Markets

As a follow up to the New Small Concept model showcased this past January at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi, India, Honda revealed the pre-production version of its new small city car called the Brio at the 27th Thailand International Motor Expo (press day: November 30, public days: December 1-12.).

Developed for Asian markets and scheduled to be introduced in Thailand and India in 2011, the Brio has a small footprint measuring just 3,610mm in length, 1,680mm in width and 1,475 mm in height. Even though the Brio keeps the basic styling theme of the concept car, the pre-production prototype's design has been watered down with the new grille looking like a last minute addition and a not very attractive one at that.

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