Honda reveals its small car Brio

     Honda has revealed the prototype of its small car Brio at the 27th Thailand International Motor Expo 2010. Honda small car concept (codenamed 2CV) was showcased at the Auto Expo 2010.


Honda has built Brio as a commuter vehicle which is easy to use even in urban areas. The compact dimensions of the car (length 3,610mm x width 1,680mm x height 1,475 mm) helps in easy handling for the car in city traffic. 


Honda is aiming at fuel effeciency of 20 Kmpl. Brio has been priced at 4,00,000 Bhat in Thailand which is around Rs. 6,00,000/-

More pictures of Honda Brio

Honda Brio Video

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Volvo XC60 launched in India

-->     Swedish car maker Volvo has launched its XC60 SUV in India priced at Rs 39.5 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). The XC60 is the first vehicle in the contemporary crossover segment and is believed to be one of the safest cars in the world.

      The XC60 is powered by D5 twin turbo diesel engine pumping out 205 Bhp of  power and torque of 42.82 Kgm at 1500-3250 rmp. 0-60 is achieved in 4.48 seconds and does 100 Kmph in 9.57 seconds which is remarkable for such a big size vehicle. 

The Volvo XC60 is loaded with unique safety features such as

Blind Spot Information System
Lane Departure Warning
Radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control
Collision Warning with Auto Brakes (optional)
Radar and camera-assisted Automatic Braking
Roll Stability Control
Hill Descent Control
Whiplash Protection System
Adaptive Brake Light and Ready Alert Brakes

Source: Autocarindia.com  

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Fiat to split its Truck & Car business

     Italian automobile gaint will split its Truck & Tractor business with Car making operations. The split will be officially effective from 1^st January 2011. The two split firms will be Fiat SPA, which will focus on the automotive sector and Fiat Industrial SPA, which will have truck, commercial vehicles, agricultural and construction equipment, and related powertrain divisions under its portfolio.The two firms also gets new logos designed by Robilant Associati

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Ford India planning for a second plant, in talks with Gujarat Govt.

     Ford India is scouting for a second plant in India. The company is in talks with Gujarat Govt. and deal is likely to be finalized soon. Ford has planned to launch 8 new models in India in coming years. With just one plant Ford will not be able to cater to the customer demands and hence has decided to open a second plant. Now Why Gujarat? Well who better than Narendra Modi can assure of all the facilities you need for the project. Tata Nano plant in Gujarat was the brain child of Modi who assured Mr Ratan Tata of all the sops he needed.

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Toyota Etios Liva is the hatchback Etios

     Toyota has named its small car as Etios Liva. The sedan version of the car will b called as Etios. Toyota will officially announce the name on the 1st of December when both the hatchback and sedan will be launched.

     The Etios Liva will be powered by a 1.2L petrol engine which produces 80 Bhp. With the Kreb weight of 890 Kg, Liva promises to deliver good performance along with fuel economy. A 1.4L diesel option will be launched after 6 months. The 1.4L diesel engine will be the same one used in the Corolla Altis but this engine is unlikely to get Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT). Instead a fixed geometry turbo with power of 70 Bhp finds its place which makes the engine litter cheaper.

     All eyes are on Toyota and it is indeed a big event for the company. Since Toyota has built a bullet proof reputation in India, it has to work hard to keep it up by delivering a better product in the form of Etios. 

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Jaguar XF Diesel launched in India

     Tata Motors owned British premium car maker Jaguar has launched diesel version of its luxury sedan XF in India priced at Rs 48.37 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).

     XF Diesel is powered by a 3.0 liter V6 diesel engine and will be sold in the country as a completely built unit (CBU). Jaguar had earlier launched XF with a 5.0 liter petrol engine and so far has sold over 200 vehicles along with its sister company Land Rover.

Press Release:

"The new Diesel XF introduced in India has been customised by Jaguar engineers in the UK for the Indian market. This symbolises the importance of and Jaguar's commitment to the fast growing Indian premium luxury car market," Tata Motors Head (Premier Car Division) Rohit Suri.

"We are in the process of establishing our network, so we are not disclosing any target at this point of time... We hope to do very well," Suri said.

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All new Hyundai Tucson / iX35 found on Indian roads

     Thanks  to goel.honey of teambhp.com who happen to take these pictures of the all new Hyundai Tucson / iX35 being driven on the Kolkatta roads. We guess its an imported vehicle being taken to the Bhutan (Number Plates - BTN)

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Nissan Micra Diesel priced at Rs 5.60 lakh

Nissan Micra Diesel will be launched in India on December 10, 2010. The car    is priced at Rs 5.60 lakh for the XV (Base) variant and Rs 6.20 lakh for XV Premium variant (Prices ex-showroom New Delhi).

Nissan Micra Diesel will be powered by a 1.5 liter dCI engine currently powering the Logan. The engine pumps out 63 bhp of max power and 16.3 Kgm of max torque. The company claims a fuel efficiency figue of 23.08 Kmpl. 0-100 Kmph is done in 14.37 seconds.

XV variant comes with 165/70 R14 tyres where as the top end XV Premium will get larger 15 inch wheels and wider tyres (175/60 R15). Over all height of the car is 5mm less than the petrol sibling. XV variant weighs 992 Kg while XV Premium is little heavier at 1008 Kg.

The Diesel Micra gets body coloured rear spoiler, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob as standard fitment. It lacks features such as security alarm system, front passenger airbag, ABS, EBD and Brake Assist.

The car will be manufactured at Nissan’s Oragadam plant near Chennai. Booking of the diesel Micra has been started with an initial booking amount of Rs 50,000 through all 20 Nissan dealerships across India.

Nissan Micra Diesel features

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Honda Brio production version rendering

     We came across a rendering picture of the production version of the Honda small car Brio. The picture gives us a clear image of how the car would look. We feel it is definately better than the concept show at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi.

     Brio will make its international debut in the Bankok very soon, followed which it will be launched in India. Brio design clearly reflects the Honda design philosopy of futuristc cars like its other cars Civc, City and Jazz.

     Positioning the Brio is the toughest task for the Honda in already crowded Indian market. But one this is for sure, since it is a Honda we can expect a world class product in Brio and is likely to create a unique niche for itself. Stay tuned for more updates.....

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Mahindra’s upcoming new launches

     Mahindra & Mahindra is planning a series of launches in the coming 18 months. The company is working on 7 new models which will be launched in the future. The 7 new vehicles include a new flagship SUV, compact Xylo, two Ssangyong SUVs, new Logan CS, Thar and US version of Scorpio. 

Pic source: Autocarindia

Press Release:

“We are in the process of working out a number of new models, and these would hit the market in the next 15-18 months,” Rajesh Jejurikar, chief executive of Mahindra’s Automotive Division, told TOI. Jejurikar said the Indian automotive market, including the SUV segment, was growing at a fast clip.

“Our focus would clearly remain in the SUV space and a variety of factors make us confident on the segment that we feel will grow at double-digit rates over the next few years. While globally the ratio of SUVs and MPVs to cars is 40%, in India it is still at 15%. Now, with the rapid growth in demand, even if this goes up to 22-23 %, we are talking of sustained double-digit growth over the next couple of years.”

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Scoop: Nissan Sunny clear pictures

All these days we have been seeing the spy pictures and sketches of the soon to be launched Nissan Sunny in India. Now we have clear picture of the car which tough built on the Micra platform has no similarity with it.

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Mitsubishi Exo X launched in India with price tag of Rs 50 lakh

     Mitsubishi has launched its high performance car Evo X in India price at Rs 49.95 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). The car was launched at the ongoing Autocar Performance Show in Mumbai.

     The Evo X is powered by a turbocharged 2.0 petrol engine generating whooping 291 bhp of power. 0-100 kmph is done is just 6.6 sec with a top speed of over 180 Kmph.

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Honda Brio is the new small car from Honda

Honda has christened its small car as Brio - meaning 'Brother'. We guess Honda wants to endorse the new samll car as a small brother to Jazz. Honda had displayed the car (Codenamed 2CV) at the Auto Expo 2010. Brio will compete against soon to be launched Etios and other B Segment cars such as Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra, Ford Figo and Skoda Fabia. 

The prototype of the Brio which will be very close to the production version will be showcased at the 27th Thailand International Motor Expo starting from 30th Nov this year. Brio will be entry level car from Honda with the length less than 4 meters and engine equal or smaller than Jazz's 1.2L one. Honda is also developing a 3 cylinder engine without VTEC technology.

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HM Ambassador to make a comeback with a new Avatar

Hindustan Motors is working on the Ambassador to give a new fresh look. The car is expected to be on the roads by July 2011. However the re-designed Ambassador will have the same platform with bodywork, interiors and characteristics to be revamped.

Most of the design elements are being worked up by overseas designers and HM is trying hard to preserve the Amby DNA which is great space, comfort  and ease of maintenance. HM has started a online campaign on Facebook to get feedbacks from the the customers and general public. According to the Company, next generation Ambassador will sport “cutting-edge” technology.

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Mahindra Thar launch by December end

     Mahindra & Mahindra will launch the Thar jeep in India before the end of this year. Mahindra had showcased the Thar concept at Bologna Motor Show. The Thar is powered by a 4 cylinder, 2500 cc turbodiesel direct injection common rail engine producing 107Kw of power. It is expected to be priced at Rs 6 lakhs. Stay tuned for more updates…..

Mahindra Thar Specifications

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Hyundai i20 gets Satellite Navigation System

     Hyundai has launched its premium hatchback with factory fitted Satellite Navigation System in India. It is first small car in India to be launched with a navigation system. Earlier few days ago Tata had launched Aria with a navigation system incorporated in it. With the trend going on, its not too far that we see navigation system in almost all the cars.

      Along with the navigation system, the i20 has an in-car entertainment unit with video playback from USB and iPod. The driver will be able to manage the system via steering mounted controls. The i20 Asta with the navigation system is priced at Rs. 6,30,439/- (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Hyundai i20 Specifications

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Scoop: Tata Merlin – the next generation Safari

     It has been a over a year that we all have been listening about the next generation safari being developed by the Tata Motors. According the sources from team-bhp, the next generation Safari will be named as Merlin. It has been developed in just 18 months in association with Range Rover.

     According to souces, the Merlin will be powered by the same 2.2 dicor engine. The AC is supposed to be improved and so do the interiors which go along with that of the Aria.  Stay tuned for more information…

Source: team-bhp.com 

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Tata Indigo Manza CS in the works

     Tata Motors is working on the compact sedan version of the Indigo Manza like it did for the earlier Indigo. The Manza CS will be less than 4 meters in length and hence will be entitled to the excise duty cut offered by the Government. The Manza CS Will be powered by the same engines which power the bigger Manza. Tata is working on some cosmetic changes to make it looks sportier.

     The Indigo CS has been a huge success for the company. It makes it to the top 10 car sales in the month of October this year. Since Manza is more stylish and up market, Tata might pull out a news winner in the form of Manza CS. 

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Skoda Yeti launched in India

     Skoda has launched its most awaited SUV 'Yeti' in India priced between Rs. 15.40 lakh to Rs. 16.62lakh, ex-showroom New Delhi. Yeti is available in two variants – Ambiente and Elegance.

     The Yeti is built on the Laura platform and has a length of 4.2 meters which makes easier to park in the tight parking spaces. It is powered by a 2.0 Liter common rail diesel engine coupled with 6 speed manual transmission. The engine pumps out 140 bhp, same as that of the Laura.

     The top-of-the-line Elegance variant gets added goodies like Hill descent control system, front Park assist, front side airbags plus curtain air bags both at the front and rear. It also gets LCD TFT screen, dual zone climate control, steering wheel mounted audio control and six-CD changer - the Ambiente comes with single-CD changer.

Skoda Yeti Specifications

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Skoda Fabia sedan rendering

Rendering by SRK

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Nissan Micra Diesel booking commences

     Nissan India has started the booking of the Micra diesel. The Micra diesel will be on Indian roads in December 2010. Micra diesel can be booked with an initial booking amount of Rs 50,000 through all 20 Nissan dealership in India.

     The Micra diesel will be  powered by 1.5 liter dCI engine which currently powers the Mahindra Logan. The engine pumps out maximum power of 65 bhp and 16.3 Kgm of maximum torque. Nissan has not revealed the price of Micra diesel but it is expected to be priced between Rs 4.50 lakh to Rs. 5.70 lakh.

Press Release:

Speaking on the occasion, Kiminobu Tokuyama, MD & CEO, Nissan Motor India says, “The success of petrol variant of Micra in the domestic market has given us huge confidence to introduce diesel variant within six months from the launch of petrol version. We are confident that the diesel-powered Micra would fulfill the discerning needs of Indian Customers.”

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All new Ford Fiesta spied testing in India

     The all new Ford Fiesta has been sped testing in India. This means the new Fiesta will be on Indian markets very soon. The new Fiesta is slightly bigger than the current one sold in India and of course more eye-catcher with the Ford’s global kinetic design.

      The new Fiesta is likely to get a 1.6 liter petrol engine with 118 bhp and a 1.6 liter diesel motor with 90 bhp, unlike the current 1.4 liter 68 bhp one. Also could be on offer will be a DSG like dual clutch automatic gearbox. The new Fiesta is expected to be launched by Jan-Feb 2011 and will be priced between Rs. 6.80 lakh to Rs 7.70 lakh. 

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Piaggio NT3 City Car revealed

     Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio has come up with a new three seat city car concept which could be launched by late 2013. The concept of a small city car was conceived in India to battle the Tata Nano and to be launched Hyundai Ha and Maruti’s sub 600cc car codenamed YE3.

     Piaggio NT3 City Car concept has been revealed at the Milan Motorcycle Show. The cabin consists of 3 seats – front driver seat and twin rear seats same as the McLaren F1 and BMW’s concept Z13. The NT3 is based around Piaggio’s three wheel Ape – the classic three wheel commercial pick up and van which is hugely popular in India. Powering the NT3 would be a 200cc to 300cc motorcycle engine.

Press Release:

Piaggio boss Roberto Colannino told Reuters that he had “very big sales numbers in mind for India” and that sales are also planned for “Asia and Europe”. No factory location or sales launch dates were revealed, although Piaggio is planning to start production “within three years.”

Source:Autocarindia

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