Suzuki releases picture of new Vitara

        Japanese auto major Suzuki Motor Corporation has released the official image of the all new Vitara SUV. The new Vitara is based on Suzuki’s iV-4 concept shown first at Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013. The new Vitara will compete with Nissan Juke and Ford Ecosport Internationally.

        The all new Vitara will be offered with a four-wheel-drive option developed by Suzuki called AllGrip system. S-Cross 1.6L petrol and diesel engine will find its place here. Suzuki says the all new Vitara will have a striking road presence with distinctive design with customers having option of personalising the car with various colour and trim customisation options.

        Suzuki S-Cross has been confirmed for Indian market to be launched in 2015. Hopefully we might get the all new Vitara in India a year later.

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Maruti Ciaz launch nearing

        India’s leading car manufacturer will soon launch an all new sedan named ‘Ciaz’ in India. The Ciaz is said to be a replacement vehicle for SX4 as the latter’s production has been stopped. Looking at the dimensions of the car, Ciaz seems to be  positioned higher up than SX4, between mid-size sedans and premium saloons.

        Maruti has already produced ample number of Ciaz cars at its factory, probably at Manesar. A spy picture of so many Ciazs at the factory stock yard says so.

Picture Source: GaadiWaadi.com

        Maruti Ciaz will come with both petrol and diesel variants. The petrol version will be powered by the same 1.4L Ertiga’s petrol and the diesel variants engine is still suspense. Fiat’s 1.6L Multijet engine is in the talks, which will be confirmed only after the car’s launch. Maruti Ciaz will get both manual as well as automatic transmission, where as AMT (Automatic Manual Transmission) options will be missed in the car.

        Maruti Ciaz, as we said earlier will be positioned above the SX4 segment, it will get lot of features similar to the cars in its category. Projector headlamps, rear air-condition vents, rear defogger, central locking and electrically-adjustable wing mirrors could be offered as standard. Alloy wheels, climate control, touchscreeen, steering mounted controls, keyless entry, ABS and airbags will be offered as optional.

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Tata Zest launched in India at Rs. 4.64 lakh

          Tata Motors today launched the much awaited Zest compact sedan in India. The Zest compact sedan is priced at Rs. 4.64 lakh for base petrol and Rs. 5.64 lakh for the base diesel variant (All prices Ex-showroom, New Delhi).

          Tata Zest is the compact sedan version of Manza with lots of changes to the sheet metal to engine to driving dynamics. Tata Motors has worked hard to make the vehicle a pure driver’s car, the essence which was lacking in all Tata vehicles. Of course the Zest wins over all its competitor in terms of space and seating comfort, a feature seen in Tata cars. To remind our readers, Tata Motors was the first to launch a compact sedan in India in the form of Indigo CS.

          Tata Zest compact sedan is available in 4 trims on petrol and 5 trims on diesel. The petrol variant is powered by all new 1.2L Revotron engine developed in house by Tata Motors. It has power output of 88 Bhp and 14.27 kgm of torque and comes with three driving modes – Eco, City and Sport. The diesel variant gets the same Fiat sourced 1.3L Multijet diesel with two power outputs – 74 Bhp and 89 Bhp. Both the petrol and diesel variants are mated to a 5 speed manual transmission and top of the line diesel model gets an automated manual transmission (AMT) as well.

          The Zest compact sedan gets a dual tone dashboard and plenty of equipment seen first on any Tata car. Top end model gets day time running lights as well. With the car, Tata Motors has introduced a new warranty scheme of 3 years or 1,00,000 Km with an annual maintenance contract of 3 years or 45,000 km and a free 24X7 roadside assistance service for 3 years. 

TATA ZEST PRICES (EX-SHOWROOM, NEW DELHI)

Tata Zest Petrol Price

Tata Zest XE Petrol - Rs. 4.64 lakh

Tata Zest XM Petrol - Rs. 5.25 lakh

Tata Zest XMS Petrol - Rs. 5.43 lakh

Tata Zest XT Petrol - Rs. 5.99 lakh

Tata Zest Diesel Price

Tata Zest XE Diesel - Rs. 5.64 lakh
Tata Zest XM Diesel - Rs. 6.27 lakh

Tata Zest XMS Diesel - Rs. 6.45 lakh

Tata Zest XT Diesel - Rs. 6.99 lakh

Tata Zest XMA Diesel - Rs. 6.99 lakh (AMT)

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Hyundai Elite i20 launched in India at Rs. 4.89 lakh

        Hyundai launches the next generation i20 named ‘Elite i20’ in India with prices starting from Rs. 4.89 lakh (Ex-showroom, New Delhi) for the base petrol variant. Hyundai Elite i20 is available in both petrol & diesel variants with 4 trims – Era, Magna, Sportz and Asta in each fuel option. 

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Audi A3 sedan launched in India

        German luxury car maker Audi has launched its entry level sedan A3 in India with price starting from Rs. 22.5 lakh (Ex-showroom, New Delhi) for the base diesel variant.

        Audi A3 is available in two fuel options – Petrol and Diesel. 4 trim levels are available for diesel - Attraction, Premium, Premium Plus and Technology and only one Premium Plus trim for petrol.

        Audi A3 petrol is powered by a 1.8L 178 Bhp TFSI engine mated to a seven speed automatic gearbox. The diesel gets a 2.0L 141 Bhp engine and 6 speed automatic transmission. The car comes with 17 inch alloy wheels.

Audi A3 prices (Ex-showroom, New Delhi) :-

Audi A3 Attraction Diesel - Rs. 22.95 lakh

Audi A3 Premium Diesel - Rs. 25.95 lakh

Audi A3 Premium Plus Diesel - Rs. 29.95 lakh

Audi A3 Technology Diesel - Rs. 32.66 lakh

Audi A3 Premium Plus Petrol - Rs. 28.95 lakh

Audi A3 India eBrochure

Fiat Punto Evo launched in India at Rs. 4.55 lakh

          Fiat has launched the updated Punto Evo in India with a starting price of Rs. 4.55 lakh Ex-showroom, New Delhi. Fiat Punto Evo is available in 3 petrol options – Active, Dynamic & 1.4L Emotion where as the diesel gets 4 options in the form of Active, Dynamic, Emotion and Sport 90 HP.

          Fiat Punto Evo has both exterior and interior changes compared to the old Punto. In the exterior you get new grill, bumper, headlamps and bonnet in the front and LED taillamps and new bumper in the rear. In the interior, the dashboard has been borrowed from the new Linea and top of the line diesel variant gets a rear AC vent as well.

          Fiat Punto Evo is powered by 1.2L, 1.4L petrol and 1.3L diesel engine with 2 power outputs. The 1.2L petrol has power of 68 PS and 95 Nm of torque and 1.4L petrol has 90 Ps and 115 Nm of torque. The 1.3L Multijet produces two power outputs – 76 Ps with 197 Nm of torque and 93 Ps with 209 Nm of torque. All the engines are mated to a 5 speed manual transmission.

Fiat Punto Evor Prices (Ex-showroom, New Delhi)

Fiat Punto Evo Active Petrol - Rs. 4.55 lakhs

Fiat Punto Evo Dynamic Petrol - Rs. 5.12 lakhs

Fiat Punto Evo 1.4-liter Emotion Petrol - Rs. 6.65 lakhs

Fiat Punto Evo Active Diesel - Rs. 5.27 lakhs

Fiat Punto Evo Dynamic Diesel - Rs. 6.21 lakhs

Fiat Punto Evo Emotion Diesel - Rs. 6.83 lakhs

Fiat Punto Evo Sport 90 HP Diesel - Rs. 7.2 lakhs

Fiat Punto Evo available colours:

Glirati Gold

Hip Hop Black

Tuscan Wine

Minimal Grey

New Pearl White

Exotica Red

Magnesio Grey

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Chevrolet launches limited edition Spark

        General Motors India launched a limited edition Spark today with prices ranging from Rs. 3.44 to Rs. 3.99 lakh Ex-showroom, New Delhi.

The limited edition Spark gets features such as -

• Steering wheel cover
• Neck rests
• Ambient foot-well lighting
• Beige seat covers with red stripes
• Exterior chrome kit
• Floor mats
• Outside rear view mirrors with integrated turn signals
• Side body graphics in a choice of two colors
• ‘Limited edition’ badge.

        The Limited edition Spark will be available for a limited period and in seven colour options - Summit White, Sandrift Grey, Misty Lake Metallic, Switchblade Silver, Velvet Red, Linen Beige and Caviar Black

Arvind Saxena, President and Managing Director of GM India, said -

The stylish, frugal and spacious city car with superior SMARTECH engine technology appeals to all aspirational first-time buyers and young nuclear families across India.

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Datsun Go+ spied in India

        Barely 6 month after the launch of Datsun Go hatchback in India, has its bigger cousin Go+ MPV been spied in India near Nissan factory in Chennai. Earlier, at the Auto Expo 2014, Datsun had announced the launch of its second model for India in the form of Go+ MPV by this year end.

        The Datsun Go+ MPV is built on Go hatchback platform which in turn is based on Nissan Micra platform. Go+ MPV with its 1.2L engine and length of under 4 meters qualifies for small car norms and hence will get excise duty of only 8%. This makes Datsun Go+ MPV to be the first MPV coming in the small car category.

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Suzuki Alivio concept shown at Beijing Motor Show 2014

        Suzuki unveiled Alivio sedan concept at the Beijing Motor Show 2014. The Alivio concept was showed as Ciaz at New Delhi earlier this year at the Auto Expo.

        The Alivio/Ciaz concept is built on Suzuki’s new theme ‘Sporty and Noble’ which uses smooth curves with sharp character lines. The broad grill and multi function headlamp is the hallmark of the new theme.

        According to the sources, the Alivio concept when goes into production in China, will be powered by a 1.5L 4 cylinder petrol engine. The dimensions of the car are 4545mm long, 1730mm wide and 1475mm tall. 

  

Suzuki Alivio/Ciaz concept Promotional Video

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Next Generation Chevrolet Cruze found in China

        The all new second generation 2014 Chevrolet Cruze has been spotted in China without any camouflage. The first generation Cruze which was unveiled at 2008 Geneva Motor Show helped ailing General Motors with some good sales all over the world.

        The new Cruze is built on General Motors new D2XX platform and features a new front and rear ends. In the front there is new head lamps and grill giving a distinctive look compared to the present model. The rear gets a new taillamp with LED lights inspired by the Camaro. However the overall silhouette of the car remains the same as that of the current model.

        The interior gets a complete makeover in the form of brown suede, multifunction steeing wheel with buttons, large LCD screen and curved contoured dashboard. The new Cruze will make its entry through Beijing Auto Show stating on 20^th of April 2014.

        The cars Indian entry is till not certain in the near future but when launched it will surely give run for their money for its competitors such as Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla and Skoda Octavia.

Picture Source: auto.sohu.com

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Renault Fluence facelift launced in India

        Renault today launched the facelift of its Fluence sedan in India. The Fluence facelift was showed earlier at the Auto Expo 2014 bearing some cosmetic changes.

        As said, the Fluence facelift has some exterior cosmetic changes in the form of new grill, redesigned front and rear bumpers, a large Renault logo on the grill and new headlamps with integrated fog lamps. It also gets a new design 16 inch alloy wheels. The new Fluence retains things that power the car.

        In the interior there is a new audio system, a soft touch dashboard, dual zone climate control, a digital instrument cluster and an electronic parking brake. Features like smart key with start-stop button, cruise control, parking sensors, four airbags, anti-lock braking system (ABS), EBD, ESP, rain sensing wipers, dusk sensing headlamps, rear sun blinds and rear air-con vents finds place in the new Fluence. 

        Renault Fluence facelift is available in two trims – E2 an E4 and is priced at Rs. 13.99 lakh and Rs. 15.49 lakh, respectively (Prices ex-showroom, New Delhi). It is powered by Renault’s 1.5L K9K diesel engine with power output of 110 Ps at 4000 rpm and torque of 240 Nm at 1850 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6 speed manual transmission.

Renault Fluence diesel 2014 Price in Bangalore

Renault Fluence diesel E2 2014 Price in Bangalore	:	₹ 14,11,500
Renault Fluence diesel E4 2014 Price in Bangalore	:	₹ 15,64,200

*All prices Ex-showroom Bangalore as of 25-03-2014. Prices may change.

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Hyundai Xcent launced in India, priced at Rs. 4.66 lakh

Hyundai today launched its sub 4 meter sedan named ‘Xcent’ in India priced at Rs. 4.66 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi) for base petrol variant. Hyundai Xcent is based on the new Grand i10 platform with an addition of a boot.

Hyundai Xcent is available in both petrol and diesel options and retains the same 1.2L petrol and 1.1L diesel engines which power the Grand i10 hatchback. Both petrol and diesel models are available in 3 variants – Base, S and S(O) and six colour options. Both petrol and diesel models come with manual transmission and automatic transmission is available only in petrol model.

The base diesel variant is priced at Rs. 5.56 lakh, S diesel at Rs. 6,23 lakh and S(O) diesel at Rs. 6.98 lakh. The S and S (O) petrol costs Rs. 5.32 lakh and Rs. 5.56 lakh respectively (All prices ex-showroom, New Delhi).

As said earlier, the Xcent sedan is based on Grand i10 and design wise you hardly find any difference till the C pillar, which neatly blends with the added boot. Though the tail lamp has been redesigned, it retains the design styling of the Grand i10.

          Hyundai Xcent comes with host of goodies, many first in the class with makes it stand apart from its competitors. Hyundai Xcent competes with Maruti Swift Dzire and Honda Amaze in the segment and has an edge over its competitors because of its price and first in the class features.

Click Here for Hyundai Xcent Image Gallery

Click Here for Hyundai Xcent TV Commercial

 Hyundai Xcent eBrochure

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Hyundai Xcent launch on March 12th

Hyundai will launch the sedan version of Grand i10 named Xcent on 12^th of March 2014. The Xcent sedan was showed at the Auto Expo 2014 held in New Delhi.

Hyundai has indeed worked hard on design of the car to keep in under 4 meter mark and yet made it look good though not the best. The rear of the car might not be well taken by many, but slowly you will start liking it as happened with other Hyundai cars.

Hyundai Xcent will compete with Maruti Dizre and Honda Amaze in India. Though Honda Amaze is the best looking car with lots of features, Hyundai has an advantage of pricing its vehicles competitively. If priced below its competitors Hyundai is not away with another success story like the Grand i10.

The Xcent will come is both petrol and diesel engines. 1.2L petrol and 1.1L 3 cylinder diesel borrowed from Grand i10 will do the duty on this car as well.

Hyundai Xcent side profile

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Maruti launches Swift Dzire LDiX limited edition packed with features

Maruti Suzuki has launched a limited edition version of its best selling sedan Swift Dzire LDiX. Maruti Swift Dzire LDix is priced at Rs. 6.86 lakh on-road New Delhi.

Dzire LDi is the basic diesel variant with just power steering and AC as standard fitment. In LDiX limited edition you get host of features such as -

• remote central locking
• power windows
• double-DIN stereo system with four speakers
• vanity mirror under passenger side sun visor
• body coloured wing mirrors with integrated turn indicators
• front fog lamps

This means with LDI variant you get all the features of VDi with no much additional cost. The company says the savings would be around Rs. 16,500 by purchasing LDiX variant. Maruti has also got special discounts on 2013 models as well. For the 2014 models there is additional discounts such as loyalty or exchange bonus of Rs. 15,000 and corporate discount of Rs. 1500. Maruti Swift Dzire LDix is priced at Rs. 6.86 lakh on-road New Delhi.

Should we call its ‘the Amaze effect’ or the ‘Xcent effect!!! To remind you Hyundai is soon launching the sedan version of Grand i10 named Xcent.

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Ford Figo 2014 launched at Rs. 4.03 lakh

Ford Figo 2014 launched at Auto Expo 2014 with built in WiFi system

Ford India Ltd. has launched an updated version of its hatchback Figo at the ongoing Auto Expo 2014. The updated Ford Figo 2014 comes with a built in WiFi system and audio systems on EXi, ZXi and Titanium variants.

Apart from built in audio system, the ZXi variant now gets driver side airbags and electric mirrors. A new colour shade, ‘Mars Red’ carried over from Ecosport is in the offer. Ford say the earlier ‘Paparika Red’ can be ordered as a request from the customer.

Apart from these changes, Ford has decided to stay with the Figo 2013 facelift which got a refreshened front and rear ends. The price of the Figo 2014 has been hiked, Rs. 10,000 for the EXi, Rs. 20,000 for ZXi and Rs. 10,000 for Titanium model.

Ford and its dealers say the WiFi system is available to the Figo cars with a price of Rs. 10,000. Ford with its darling – the Figo is trying reach the young customers with next generation connectivity technologies. The base petrol variant of Ford Figo 2014 starts at Rs. 4.03 lakh ex-showroom, New Delhi. 

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Tata Motors to launch Nano with power steering, name it as Nano Twist

Tata Motors will launch the Nano with a power steering by second week of January 2014. Though the Nano steering is light (thanks to the rear engine) steering the car during tight parking areas has been an issue. Earlier Tata Motors had worked on the steering column and front suspension to ease the problem but was not very effective.

Tata Motors has now decided to equip an electric power steering on the Nano sourced by ZF Friedrichshafen of Germany. The middle and top end variant will get the power steering options and will push the cost upwards by Rs. 15,000 to 20,000. Like Maruti and Hyundai used a suffix Spin and Xing respectively for their power steering cars Alto and Santro, the Nano will get a suffix too – Twist, so that it will be called Tata Nano Twist!

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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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All new Honda City to be unveiled on 25th November

In our last post we had mentioned about the new City’s India launch in December this year. According to latest news, the all new Honda City will be unveiled on 25^th of November which coincides with the Tokyo Motor Show happening from 20^th Nov to 1^st Dec 2013.

There are some rumors that the all new Honda City mule has already reached the factory in Gurgaon, but still not a single camouflaged test vehicle has been found on roads. Perhaps! Honda is keeping it very secret for the car to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show.

As always expected the all new Honda City gets an unmatched curiosity, thanks to its futuristic design. This time the curiosity is still more as the new City will come in diesel engine for India. It is likely to come in two diesel engine options, a 1.6L and 1.5L i-DTec for different category of buyers.

The 1.5L i-DTec, which has already become famous for its fuel efficiency in Amaze will be positioned in base model of City and aims at customers looking for no nonsense fuel efficient cars. The 1.6L i-DTec will fill in the top end variant of all new Honda City which for meanwhile has to cover the gap left by the Civic. The 1.6L i-DTec caters to the performance oriented customers and will command a premium compared to smaller engine variants.

We, like all others are curious to see the first glimpse of the all new Honda City. Stay tuned as we try to bring you the first glimpse of the all new Honda City as soon as possible...

This is just an illlustration of future Honda sedan and not the actual picture of the all new Honda City

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Honda to unveil fourth generation City next month, to come in diesel avatar

The fourth generation Honda City to be unveiled in India soon and will come with a diesel engine.

Good news for all the Honda City lovers, oh sorry for all the car fans in India as Honda City has been an excellence in an automobile and hardly can we find anyone who criticizes the car. The fourth generation Honda City will be unveiled in India next month that is November 2013 according to Economic Times. The icing on the cake is that the new Honda City will come in the diesel option as well, which means the only lacunae in Honda City has been fulfilled and the car now seems to stop now where but on the top.

The fourth generation Honda City will be built on the all new Jazz platform. To remind our readers, Honda recently launched the all new Jazz/Fit in Japan which is bigger and has sharper design. The new City will be an all new car with bigger dimensions and design cures inspired by the new Jazz/Fit. It is likely to come with premium features to get back the top position which it had lost to Hyundai Verna.

The new City will come in diesel engine option as well which makes it for the first time in the City’s history. The diesel City is likely to come with two diesel engine options - 1.5L and 1.6L i-DTEC. 1.6L i-DTEC? Yes we certainly feel so as Honda have to fill the gap of Civic as well and keep the City above the Amaze. Having seen success from Amaze Honda certainly wants to broaden its portfolio range in sedan segment starting from Rs. 6 -14 lakhs. 

At last but not the least, we like to emphasise that the next generation Honda City will be a rocker. Stay tuned as we get more updates on the car soon...

 Honda City rendering

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Datsun Go hatchback spied on Indian roads

The Datsun brand was revived by unveiling of GO hatchback in July this year. The prototype of the car has been spied in Chennai doing testing rounds.

As seen in the pictures, the Datsun logo and GO monogram has only been covered unlike other test mules which have their whole body covered. That is because the car has been officially unveiled and the unveiled car is the production model and not a concept car.

Datsun GO is slated for launch early 2014. Probably the car will be launched at Auto Expo 2014 being held in February 2014. Built on the Nissan Micra’s ‘V’  platform, the Datsun GO is aimed to cater to the lower end of the car market. It is likely to be priced at around Rs. 4 lakh and will compete with Maruti Wagon R, Hyundai i10 and Chevrolet Beat.

Datsun GO will be powered by the same 1.2L petrol engine which powers the Micra and Pulse. However it is likely to be tuned for more fuel efficiency and anything around 20Kmpl is what can be expected from the engine. After its Indian launch, Datsun GO will be launched in Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.

More Spy Pictures of Datsun Go in India

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