Mahindra TUV300 variants revealed, to come in 3 variants – T4, T6 and T8

        The upcoming mini SUV from Mahindra, the TUV300 will be available in 3 variants, which are T4, T6 and T8. Air conditioning, power steering and power windows are offered as standard in all variants. Other features pertaining to variants are:

Mahindra TUV300 T4:

Three paint shade options (silver, black and red)

ABS and front airbags (optional)

Mahindra TUV300 T6:

Three paint shade options (white, silver and black)

To come with body coloured bumpers, door handles and wing mirrors

AMT gearbox (optional)

Mahindra TUV300 T8:

Six paint shade options (red, white, silver, black, blue and orange)

Alloy wheels, ABS and airbags

AMT gearbox (optional)

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Maruti’s Ecosport rivalling compact SUV spied without camouflage

        The segment which is devoid of Maruti/Suzuki is the compact SUV segment in India. Maruti has an answer for it now as we came across clear pictures of the compact SUV getting readied at its factory near Delhi. Thank to GaadiWaadi for getting the first ever clear pictures of the highly anticipated mini SUV from Maruti.

        In 2012 Delhi Auto Show, Maruti had showed a mini SUV concept codenamed Alpha XA which was quiet onlooker and ignited the minds of young buyers, thanks to its muscular look and elegant features. It’s been long time since then and the company has held back its decision to launch the vehicle, probably it has different plans (as always), to bring in a product which be the Uno in the segment. Now that we have seen the pictures of mini SUV in India, it is expected to be launched soon, probably in the early August or September 2015.

        Some days ago also there were spy pictures of Maruti’s mini SUV with full camouflage and we could hardly make out any design element of the car. With the clear picture it is evident that the mini SUV is built on Swift platform and shares lots of design cures from the Swift. In fact, from the side profile it is surely to be confused to a Swift – body panels, ORVM & roofline all resembling to it. However the front end is entirely different with rectangular headlamps and teethed grill giving the mini SUV the macho look it deserves.

        Speculations are going around that the Maruti’s mini SUV will be called Vitara Breeza, but there is officially no communication from the company as of now. Also seen from the picture is absence of spare wheel on the tail gate and the length would perfectly fit into less than 4 meters mark.

        Regarding the powertrain, Maruti might fit in Ertiga’s 1.4L petrol and the diesel one could be all new 1.5L Suzuki diesel which was under development for a while. That is why we guess, Maruti delayed the mini SUV launch, well its is just our guess. An in-house diesel engine will definitely cut costs and Maruti can price the mini SUV competitively in this price sensitive market of India.

        Regarding rivalling Ford Ecosport, the Maruti’s mini SUV lacks the dynamic looks, and also the dimensions of it could be far less than that of Ecosport. The only place where Maruti mini SUV could get ahead is in fuel efficiency and after sales service.

        Lets wait and watch to see how things are going to change for Ford Ecosport, or will it not???

More spy pictures

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Scoop: Tata Kite compact sedan spied

        At a time when industry is thinking about Tata Motors shoddy sales, here comes a spy picture of the Tata Kite compact sedan which was seen testing in Pune. Tata Motors has been testing Kite hatchback for a while and the spy picture of its compact sedan is indeed a very surprise.

        Tata Motors has been struggling since the Nano problem started. At present, apart from Zest which was recently launched, the company has no model which is getting it good profits. The new Kite platform gives a hope for the ailing company which once dominated the diesel hatchback segment with its Indica car.

        The spy pictures of Tata Kite compact sedan reveals lots of details about the car. The camouflage tapes with Zest monogram put on the boot is to confuse the people or the tape would have been left over when Tata Zest was being tested and hence used it here. It is clearly seen that the racking C pillar almost eats the boot and the rear tyre is almost at the end giving no overhangs to the car at all. The car looks more coupeish, a good effort by Tata to make its cars more futuristic.

        The Kite compact sedan is expected to launch after its hatch sibling. Powering both hatch and compact sedans will be 1.2L Revotron petrol engine and new 1.05L 3 cylinder Dicor engine which was showed at a Motor Show earlier this year.  

Picture source: CarToq

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Scoop: Next generation Ford Figo hatchback spied in India

        Ford India has already started testing the Figo hatchback. Here is the first ever spy picture of the car being tested around Pune city. The new Ford Figo was unveiled in its production version at Sao Paulo Motor Show last year.

        The new Ford Figo will be powered by 1.2L petrol and new 1.5L DV5 diesel engine. A tuned down or without turbo Ecoboost engine producing 80 bhp might also find its place under the new Figos hood. The new Figo will replace the current generation car in 2015.

        Ford also has plans to bring in a notchback version of new Figo hatchback. Ford is lacking a compact sedan in India which the new Figo notchback will fulfil the vacuum giving the company a niche for competition.

        Ford Figo has been a highly successful car in India. Since its launch in 2010, Ford’s sales have tripled enabling Ford to sustain in this market and go further with new launch opportunities.

        The new Ford Figo doesn’t look much different than the current one. The overall dimensions looks the same, except for the height of the car which has been increased to give more head room. The ground clearance might have been worked out as the major problem of Figo was the ground clearance making the car to scrub in Indian unscientific road humps. The open mouth grill has become a signature of Ford’s new cars and will follow in the new launches as well.

Source: ACI

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Renault’s small car for India spied, to rival Alto

        Early last year Renault had announced its plans to develop a small car for India to compete against the largest selling car in the country ‘Maruti Alto’. Here is the first spy picture of Renault’s small car for India undergoing testing on Indian roads.

        As seen from the picture, the car looks bigger and taller than the Alto. Heavy camouflage gives minute details of the car but it is evident that Renault is serious about competing with Alto which has been the bread and butter car for India’s largest car manufacturer ‘Maruti Suzuki’.

        The dropping down bonnet and a arch roofline suggest the Renault’s small car to be more rounded with smooth contours unlike European cars with sharp edges. The front end will feature Renault’s signature grill with a large Renault diamond logo on it.

        Renault will fit its latest 3 cylinder 800cc petrol engine in the new small car. The engine has been exclusively designed for the vehicle and is optimised to deliver good performance and better fuel efficiency. The engine is said to deliver 21 Km per liter of petrol. As of diesel, Renault has no plans to launch a diesel variant as of now.

        Renault’s small car will be priced around Rs. 4 lakh. Other cars along with Alto at this price point are Hyundai Eon & Datsun Go which will also be hit by the competition. 

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Maruti’s mini SUV Alpha XA spied for the first time

        It was in 212 Auto Expo, New Delhi Suzuki displayed a mini SUV concept. Since then the loyal Suzuki fans in India has been waiting with mouth watering to see a glimpse of the mini SUV in flesh. Good news is that the mini SUV (codenamed Alpha XA) has been spied for the first time with some camouflage.

        This is the first ever spy picture of Maruti Suzuki mini SUV Alpha XA. It is not sure whether the test mule has reached Indian shores, but since the spy photo has appeared, it suggest the vehicle’s launch in India in the next six to eight months.

        The heavy camouflage of the mini SUV reveals very less about the vehicle’s design architecture. However the mini SUV looks p roportionate in dimensions with some sharp looking features. It indeed looks to be under 4 meter length mark and hence qualifying for small car norms. The backwards sloping window line is the signature sign of the recent Suzuki vehicles (Even Swift has backward sloping window line). The air dam looks big and the headlamps are in close resemblance to that of the concept Alpha XA. The floating ‘C’ pillar is the highlight of the mini SUV design. The wheel arches are bulged giving a muscular look, plastic cladding might give aesthetics to the mini SUV. As seen from the picture, the mini SUV will have tail gate mounted spare wheel, like that of Ford Ecosport.

        Maruti Suzuki will use its 1.4L K series petrol and 1.3L DDiS diesel engines for the new mini SUV. Some sources say Suzuki might bring in its self developed (still under development) 1.5L diesel engine for India through this mini SUV. If that is the care then Maruti might price the mini SUV very competitively as using its own engine will cut costs by not paying the royalty money for Fiat’s Multi-Jet engine technology. Practically speaking, Suzuki’s 1.5L diesel engine should be powering the mini SUV as its competitors (Ford Ecosport, Hyundai ix35) are/will be run by bigger 1.5L diesel engines.

        Autocarindia says Maruti Suzuki will unveil the mini SUV Alpha XA at New Delhi Auto Expo 2016. But we feel Suzuki might launch the mini SUV in India sooner than that because Maruti Suzuki does not want to lose a good piece of market share, which they always hate to do so. 

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Hyundai ix25 compact SUV spied alongside Ecosport and Duster in India

        The compact SUV market is surely hotting up in India. A test mule of Hyundai compact SUV was spotted testing alongside Ford Ecosport and Renault Duster in India. Ford Ecosport is less than 4 meters long and the Dusters is good 4315 mm in length. Hyundai compact SUV, sold as ix25 in China is measures 4.27 meters in length.

        Hyundai has slated its compact SUV launch in India next year. As we have seen Grand i10 and Elite i20 being tested for more than 6 months in India, Hyundai is doing the same for its compact SUV, that is testing the vehicle in Indian conditions for a good amount of time before launching on the road.

        Currently, Ford Ecosport is ruing the compact SUV market, thanks to its good looks and competitive pricing. Hyundai with its fluidic design theme and very good pricing will give a stiff competition to the Ecosport. So will the waiting period for Ecosport will come down, let’s wait till next year? 

Hyundai ix25

Source: Motorbeam.com

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2015 Next Generation Toyota Innova spied in India

        Till now we have been just speculating the launch of next generation Toyota Innova in India in 2014 or 2015 or 2016. Not it is evident that the all new Innova will be launched soon India, probably next year as a test mule of the new Innova has been spied in Bangalore.

        A Team-Bhpian managed to click some spy pics of the new Innova in Bangalore and according to him, the new Innova was being tested along with the current Innova with some passengers in both the vehicles, some of them Japanese.

        As seen from the picture, the all new Innova looks bigger and features redesigned front and rear ends. However thee side profile looks similar to the current one except the rear side glass which now seems to be of an inverted triangle shape. Carefully looking, the front end could resemble Toyota Highlander and the rear tail lamps could be inspired from the latest Yaris hatchback.

        The spy pictures have surfaced just couple of days earlier to the launc h of Honda Mobilio, which is a serious competitor to Innova. With the price of around Rs. 10 lakh, Mobilio will be ‘the vehicle of choice’ as oflate Innova prices hav reached nearer to Rs. 20 lakh. In fact a top end fully loaded Innova cost you Rs. 22 lakh on road Bangalore.

        Apart from design changes, the new Innova might come with latest interior design with high technology drive information interface system. The new Innova might as well get new engine with different power outputs.

        Further details are bleak. We try to get the latest information about the new Innova and reach you as soon as possible. Till then keep tuned to AutomboilePlanet.com.

More spy pictures of 2015 Next Generation Toyota Innova

Picture Source: Team-Bhp

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Suzuki S Cross spied in India

        With what we see from the picture is for sure that the test mule is indeed the Suzuki S-Cross undergoing testing on Indian soil. The spy pictures courtesy Autocarindia has been taken from Manali where the test mules were undergoing high altitude testing.

        Carefully looking at the pictures you can sure that there is not a little difference from the basic look of the car. Suzuki S-Cross has been in international markets for a while and Suzuki might just launch it in India without changing its looks. Of course the mechanicals will be altered to suit the Indian driving conditions.

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Honda Mobilio spied on Indian roads, launch near

        Honda’s third model on Brio’s platform, Mobilio MPV has been spied on Indian roads. Honda had earlier announced the Mobilio launch in India in July 2014 and we fell the launch process is going as per the plan.

        Honda Mobilio will compete with Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova in Indian Market. The former is likely to be direct competitor from Honda as both Ertiga and Mobilio will be offered in petrol variant as well. The second point is, both the vehicles have been aimed at personal car buyers unlike the Innova which has got good share of fleet buyers.

        Honda has stretched the wheelbase of Brio to 2650mm which gives ample space inside. The design has been futuristic as always from Honda and from any angle its difficult to call it a MPV. The sporty looks will appeal to personal car buyers which Honda is aiming for.

        Honda Mobilio will be offered in both petrol and diesel engines. Both the engines will be borrowed from the City sedan. An important point to note is, the 1.5L i-DTec diesel engine will be borrowed from the City and not the Amaze as Mobilio is a heavy vehicle and the improved i-DTec engine from City will deliver better performance.

        As Honda is gearing up to launch Mobilio in India in July, expect Maruti to slash the prices of Eritiga LUV!

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Toyota Etios Cross caught in India

After Skoda and Volkwagen, Toyota is all geared to launch a Cross variant of its hatchback Etios. The vehicle to be called Etios Cross Cross was found during its promotional shoot at Pune and we can guess Toyota is planning to launch the vehicle at Auto Expo 2014. The Etios Cross is currently sold in Brazil and Argentina markets.

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Renault Master people carrier spied in India

Renault’s people carrier ‘Master’ MPV has been spied in India amid heavy camouflage. The vehicle was spied during its test run in Pune. Though the vehicle has been covered extensively, the front end reveals it to be the Renault Master MPV. Notice the left hand drive position of the vehicle. 

Will this means Renault is planning to launch a MPV in India? Certainly no. It is the Tata Motors which has flown down a test vehicle to India for preliminary testing. To remind our readers, Tata Motors has launched Winger MPV which is basically the older generation Renault Trafic. Tata Motors has bought the royalty and dyes to produce and sell Renault Trafic in the name of Tata Winger in India.

 As like the Winger, Tata Motors is testing the possibility of buying and bringing older generation Renault Master and launch it with a new name here. Since Master is a luxury people carrier, it will be positioned above Winger catering to luxury mass transportation.

Tata Winger is powered by a 2 liter 90 Bhp diesel engine and we guess the company has two other engine options for Master MPV – the 3.0 liter 70/85 Ps engine of Sumo Gold or the modern 2.2 liter 140Ps VariCOR engine of Safari. Like for Winger, Tata Motors will only import the dyes and mechanicals of Master MPV and not its engine as it would be a costly affair. 

Earlier Generation Renault Master

Stay tuned for more updates on Renault Master based Tata’s new luxury people carrier.

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Honda to launch 125cc Activa by September

Honda launched its first two wheeler ‘Activa’ in India in the year 2000. Ever since its launch, ‘Activa’ has been a huge success and has become an household name in India. In fact Activa changed the entire dynamics of two wheelers in India, with all ages of people liking the vehicle for its gearless and easy manuarability.

The first generation Activa when launched was powered by a 100cc engine. The second generation vehicle got a bigger 110cc engine giving better pick up and performance. But still Activa was short in terms of engine capacity and power as the rivals had bigger engines and better performance, yet at a price competitive to Activa.

Honda now has decided to give a bigger heart to its success icon. The new Activa with 125cc engine will be launched by September this year. The Activa with a bigger engine promises class leading power and performance in its segment. The new Activa 125cc will have a better riding position for a comfortable ride.

We have minimal information about Chassis, Suspension and Fuel efficiency of the new Activa 125. Stay tuned for more updates on the new Activa 125cc...

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Mahindra S101 compact SUV spied for the first time

Mahindra’s new compact SUV codenamed S101 to take on the Ford Ecosport and Maruti Alpha XA

The first ever pictures of Mahindra’s new compact SUV codenamed S101 has been posted by Autocarindia. As seen from the picture, the compact SUV looks to be sportier aiming directly at the Ford Ecosport and Maruti Alpha XA. Of course the compact SUV will be under 4 meters length, the second offering by Mahindra in the segment after the Quanto.

Mahindra S101 compact SUV will be positioned below Quanto and we expect it to be priced aggressively. The test mule seen in the picture is probably in its early stage of development and as we know Mahindra it will take probably 9-10 months to be launched in the market.

Along with S101, an upgraded version is also on the cards (codename S102) for the export market. Mahindra has also invested heavily on the engine development at Mahindra Research Valley Chennai to develop a range of petrol and diesel engines for its future products. Three petrol and three diesel engines is reported to be under development with capacities of 1.2, 1.5 and 1.6 Liters.

Mahindra in association with its Korean company SsangYong Motors is developing new vehicles for India as well as abroad with parts sharing between the two to keep the costs low. Stay tuned at AutomobilePlanet.com for more updates on Mahindra’s new compact SUV S101.

Picture Source: Autocarindia.com

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Honda starts testing new Civic in India

Next Generation Honda Civic 2012/13 in India – Not a distant dream.

Its not too late that we heard about the news of Honda axing Civic sedan in India. Honda had also mentioned about the next generation 2012 Civic being kept out of Indian market. According to the latest news from oncars.in, Honda has started testing the latest Civic in India. Though we have no spy pictures of the new Civic, we got to believe coz the latest CR-V was also not in Honda’s list for India and now it has been spotted testing on Indian soil.

The poor sales of Civic, thanks to its only petrol option made Honda to wipe out Civic from India. This in fact shattered may Civic fans as Civic has a most dynamic looks which no other car in its category had. In terms of performance, its stood way ahead than its competitors. Thankfully the Civic stays and will come in the new avatar, hopefully with a diesel mill.

Honda is planning to launch its first diesel car Amaze in the middle of this year which will be soon followed by diesel options in all Honda models. The 1.5L iDTEC EarthDreams diesel engine will power Amaze, Brio and Jazz while the City is expected to have both 1.5 and 1.6L iDTEC engines. Of course the new Civic will have the bigger 1.6L iDTEC engine, after all the Civic is known for its performance and dashing looks.

Since the new Civic is on the test runs, be alert – you might find some camouflaged in your city. Don’t forget to snap it and share it on the web.

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Scoop: Mahindra’s Vertio hatchback spied

Mahindra coming up with Verito hatchback and compact sedan

Ever since Mahindra announced that its lone sedan will bear a hatchback and compact sedan avatar, the buzz in the automotive world has been very vibrant. Mahindra known for its value for money vehicles has aroused lot of hope for car buyers looking for a no non sense car which would give good fuel efficiency, space and reasonable price in spite of being not a beauty pageant winner.

Here we have some spy pictures of Verito hatchback, courtesy team-bhp doing its testing rounds. As seen from the picture, the boot has been chopped considerably and the tail lamps have been moved to the C pillar which is a wonderful thought. In fact the car looks like a big Ford Figo at least from the rear. The original place of the tail lamps does’t seam to bear anything which means the car looks bland at the rear. We feel Mahindra might do some scoop or bulge works on the tail gate to mask the rear bland image.

Apart from the rear changes, the Vertio hatch will have no major changes. The interiors too will same as the Verito sedan sans some features which will be missed in the base Verito hatch. The Verito CS might get a tail gate opening like an hatchback as seen in the Skoda Octavia.

The advantage Verito hatch and CS has in its side it the price factor. Mahindra will price them competitively as it has done with its SUVs. Will the Verito hatch be priced around the Indica? A car with the price of Indica, with almost same space and with a 1.5L dCi engine will definitely make its way for cabbies and we are sure Mahindra do not want it. Mahindra might price its two new products of Verito to compete against the best selling cars in the segment. So watch out Swift and Swift Dzire, a new competitor is coming...

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Scoop: Honda teases Brio sedan in its Thailand website

          This is the first picture of Honda Brio sedan which has been teased in Honda’s Thailand Website. Have a look at the picture and post your comments...

Like the Brio hatch, the sedan version of Brio will be first launched in Thailand and then will make it to India by March next year. Honda will bring in its first diesel in India through Brio sedan followed by Brio hatch diesel. The Brio sedan will be less than 4 meters in length and hence will enjoy 12% excise duty.

Honda has already started testing its 1.2L diesel motor in India. We in our earlier post had posted some spy pictures and videos of diesel Brio test driven all over the country. As per sources, Honda is testing diesel Brio 16 to 18 hours a day and why not Honda is known for its quality products and hence do not want to compromise with its first diesel offering in India. The 1.2L diesel is a scaled down version of 1.6L diesel which Honda recently resealed at an International Auto Show. With Honda’s track record of delivering high performance vehicles, expect the diesel Brio to be as exciting as that of its petrol sibling.

As seen from the above picture, Honda has carried over the arrow shot design from City. The tail lamps look very familiar to the City’s and so do the overall rear profile. With the launch of Brio sedan diesel, the segment enjoyed currently by Swift Dzire and Tata Indigo will have a new competitor which is going to start from the top of the table.

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Nissan Urvan/Caravan spied testing in India

The next big launch from Nissan in India could be Urvan/Caravan, a MPV with 10-14 seater capacity. Thanks to an autocarindia reader who could manage to click some spy pictures of Urvan/Caravan being tested near Chennai. Nissan recently launched Evalia MPV in India and now with Urvan being spotted, Nissan seems to be aiming high on mini mass transportation segment.

India could be a great market for mini mass transportation segment as we have only one vehicle in the form of Tata Winger which could carry 10 to 14 people and most of you would agree Winger will not give a good comfortable ride. The only other vehicle which could carry 10-14 people comfortably was the Mercedes Benz MB100 van which is now discontinued from the market. The Urvan/Caravan has 4 rows of seats with flexible seating configuration and will provide a better comfort travelling than most of the MPVs.

         The Nissan Urvan/Caravan has a sliding door which makes entry and exit easy. The flexi seating and comfortable seats promises tireless long journey’s. The proven Nissan diesel technology will give unmatched fuel efficiency and power. In Philippines, the Urvan/Caravan is powered by a 3.0L 4 cylinder diesel engine which pumps out 105 Hp of power and 209 Nm of torque. The same engine could make it to India as well. We are sure, Nissan wont fint the same 1.5L Renault sourced diesel engine in Urvan/Caravan, otherwise it is sure to kill a winner in the making. 

Picture Source: Autocarindia

Nissan Urvan/Caravan pictures

Nissan Urvan/Caravan front	Nissan Urvan/Caravan rear
Nissan Urvan/Caravan dashboard	Nissan Urvan/Caravan interiors

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2013 Honda CR-V spied in India

          The next generation Honda CR-V 2013 has been spied in India with heavy camouflage. Autocarindia has posted pictures of 2012 Honda CR-V provided by Mr. Vinod Sharma. The CR-V in the picture looks huge and bulkier than the current model, especially from the rear.

      The next generation Honda CR-V made its debut at New Your Auto Show in 2011. As of every Hondas, the new CR-V design is dynamic with sharp edges and flowing lines on the body. In the front the headlamps and grill merge which looks like both overlap each other. The grill, bumper and air dams match to the car’s dynamic profile. In the rear, Honda has retained the tall tail lamps, now more curved to gel with the tail gate. From the side profile the vehicle looks stretched and one feels to imaging of a third row of seats. It is still not clear whether the 2013 Honda CR-V come with a third row of seats.

     With Honda working on the diesel engines, we might see a diesel Honda CR-V 2013 locking its head with the Fortuner, Santa Fe and Pajero Sport. Honda CR-V 2013 will be priced around Rs. 28 lakh in India. 

Picture Source: Autocarindia

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Scoop: Next Generation Hyundai i10 spied in India

     India’s largest selling automobile magazine Autocarindia has yet again come out with a scoop. This time it is next generation Hyundai being tested in India amid heavy camouflage. Couple of weeks ago the next gen i10 was spied somewhere in Europe and the pictures were published in an international automobile site.

     The prototype features a new bumper with large air intakes, swept back headlamps, upward sweeping shoulder line and a sloping roofline. The car seems to be wider from the rear angle picture.

     Next Gen Hyundai i10 was rumoured to be displayed at 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. But as we see the prototype being tested in India, the launch could be sooner than expected. Hyundai might as well consider launching a diesel version in India seeing the demand for diesel cars here. Hyundai i10 diesel is what Indian customers are looking for, so can we assume finally there is vehicle in the making to compete the invincible Swift?

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