Peugeot 301 revealed, to come to India

     French car maker Peugeot has revealed its new compact sedan 301 for emerging markets. With the 301, Peugeot announces new revised naming strategy for the brand’s model line-up. The first digit will represent the vehicle’s segment or size, small numbers for small cars and large numbers for large cars. The naming of the cars will not change regardless of the market in which they are sold.

     Thought Peugeot has not officially announced 301’s entry into India, it is clear that Peugeot 301 has been designed for emerging markets which include India. Peugeot says the 301 has been designed keeping in mind the extreme climatic conditions and bad roads.

     Peugeot has been testing its vehicles in India for quiet a long time. The company has plans to invest Rs. 4000 Crores in India to set up a plant in Gujarat. We in our earlier post has posted spy pictures of Peugeot 207 and 508 cars testing on Indian roads.

     Peugeot 301 will be available in both petrol and diesel versions with varing power outputs between 71 Bhp to 115 Bhp. Two petrol engines (1.2L & 1.6L) and one diesel (1.6L) mated to manual or automatic transmission will be on offer. Peugeot’s diesel motor, like Renault’s 1.5L is a renowned engine will class leading performance and fuel efficiency. 

Continue Reading | comments

Tata Indica with 90 Ps 1.3L Multi-jet spied

     Tata Motors has been exploring all possibilities on its Indica platform and this latest spy picture of Indica with changes to the front is one of the classic examples. From the picture the front of the Indica gets the Indigo CS treatment with double barrel headlamps, wider grill and prominent bumper.

     The major change is under the hood. From the badge on the rear and side it is evident that Indica now gets 90 Ps 1.3 L Multi-jet diesel engines. Till now Indica was available with 1.4L TDi and Turbo engine and a 1.3L Multi-jet diesel was long awaited. With the new engine, the price of Indica will go up which might not be a good news for cab drivers. Indica with power steering ss presently available at Rs. 5.75 lakh on-road Bangalore which might go up to Rs. 6.50 lakh with the new engine.

     Tata Indica has been a very good vehicle in terms of price factor. The running cost of Indica very cheap, no wonder cabbies prefer it to any other cars. Indica offers good interior space as well and can seat 5 persons in good comfort. With the new engine there will be a big boost in Indica’s performance, which it lacked right from its inception. 

Continue Reading | comments (1)

Garware Motors to launch Hyosung 250cc bikes in India

     Kolkata based Garware Motors will launch 250cc bikes from Hyosung stable in India in 3 to 4 months. The Hyosung range consists of three motorcycles, which include GT650R, GT650N and ST7 Royale, all of which will be available in India soon. These motorcycles will be marketed across India through the company's 16 dealership spread over the country. A new manufacturing unit is also planned at Wai in Mahrashtra with capacity of 2000 motorcycles per year. Garware Motors has entered inot the joint venture with South Korea's S & T Motors which manufactures Hyosung marque motorcycles. The company aims at tie-II cities of India with its first offering GT250R.

Continue Reading | comments

Next Generation Toyota Innova launch by 2014

     According to sources Toyota is planning to launch a latest version Innova in India by the year 2014. Toyota in its vehicle policy has a product life cycle concept which ranges between 8 to 10 years. Since Innova is 7 years old after its launch in 2005, it is nearing the end of its product life cycle and hence need a replacement to stay competitive in the market. 

This is just an illustrated picture and not the original Innova 2014 

     In an emerging market like India, new launches are happening in a short span of time and a product life cycle of 8 to 10 years will be too long. Toyota will keep this aspect in the mind and reduce its product life cycle to launch latest models to stay in the competition. Like the old Swift which was a good looking vehicle underwent phasing out and gave way for the latest model which looks even better. No wonder the Swift is currently ruling the Indian car market.

     Toyota is expected to increase the length of the next generation Innova to create more space for the third row passengers. The interior trim, quality and design will improve to offer more space for the occupants. A new powerful engine is also expected for the new model. However there is no news of a Hybrid option, but Toyota will sure keep an option of Hybrid for its new Innova in future.

Picture source: Wheelosphere

Next Generation Innova 2014: What to expect?

Continue Reading | comments (13)

Maruti Ritz facelift clear pictures, launch around the corner

     The Ritz facelift has been undergoing test runs for a while and now we have clear images of the Ritz facelift posted on a Facebook page. The Ritz facelift has a redesigned front bumper which includes redesigned grill and foglamps. The Ritz now looks more stylish with prominent creases on the front bumper. Apart from the change in the front bumper, there seems to be absolutely no change in the car.


     Maruti has been upgrading its vehicles to woo customers who demand for something different as the time goes on. The Ritz is just 3 years old in India (launched on 15th May 2009), so a next generation model is still couple of years away. With new entrants coming in Maruti wants to keep the Ritz alive which has been a decent substitute for Swift buyers who do not want to wait for long (Swift still commands a waiting period of over 7-8 months). Just go and ask any Maruti dealer about the Swift, the sales person will try to pacify you by referring to the Ritz. The Ritz success credit for some extent has been due to the Swift long booking periods and Maruti just don’t want the car buyers to go in for another brand just because of the waiting period.


     The Ritz facelift could get an automatic option, new seat fabrics and new colour options. The petrol Ritz might get the VVT technology for increased fuel efficiency.

Continue Reading | comments

Renault Scala, the rebadged Nissan Sunny for India

     It is indeed a good news to hear that Renault is launching a sedan in India by the mid of this year. But again Renault has disappointed us because the sedan named Scala will be the same Nissan Sunny with a Renault badge.


     The Scala will be powered by the same Sunny’s 1.5L diesel engine. Only the diesel version is expected to be launched though Renault has not ruled out petrol Scala at a later date. Like the Pulse, the Scala is expected to have some cosmetic changes to differentiate it from Sunny and the changes will be minimal in the form of redesigned bumpers and grill.

     With Scala, the Renault-Nissan alliance seems to be going strong in India. To avoid cannibalization Renault will price the Scala little higher than the Sunny. At last what we have to say is, just by changing the name and bumpers you cannot make us believe that a new car is being launched. Renault has failed once; don’t know why they are repeating the mistakes. Renault, are u hearing? 

Continue Reading | comments

Maruti renames previous generation Dzire as Dzire Tour, on sale next month

     Like Ford renamed the old Fiesta as Fiesta Classic after the launch of the all new Fiesta, Maruti Suzuki has renamed the last generation Dzire as Dzire Tour which will go on sale next month. The last generation Dzire was stopped after the launch of new Dzire which is shorter in length and comes under small car category.

     The Swift Dzire has been a huge success story for Maruti Suzuki after the Swift. The comfortable rear seats and loads of luggage space wooed customers to buy this not so good looking sedan. Though through some angles the Dzire did look like a premium car, the overall side profile has been disappointing. Having said this we also feel that the current Swift has also some design flaws especially from the side. It is understandable because the Dzire has been built in on the Swift platform designed to be customized for Indian conditions.

     The Dzire has been so successful that every the good looking SX4 could not match half of its sales, thanks to the pricing of the later. The typical Indian customer who wanted more for less got a suitable recipe in the form of Dzire. The Dzire Tour will obviously cost more than the current Dzire because of its length commanding higher tax. With both the current and earlier Dzire on the roads, it is hard to who will be sold in big numbers.

Continue Reading | comments

Bajaj unveils next generation Pulsar, names it Pulsar200NS

     The spy pictures of next generation Pulsar being tested was going round on the net for a while. Bajaj Auto today unveiled the vehicle naming it as Pulsar200NS, NS standing for Naked Sport.

     The Pulsar200NS is powered by a new liquid cooled, 199.5cc, 4 valved carburetor engine which uses Bajaj’s latest technology of 3 spark plugs (The current generation Pulsars are driven by engines with 2 spark plugs). Bajaj has developed the new engine in house with the 3 spark plugs giving maximum combustion of the fuel. The engine is couple to a 6 speed gearbox. The new engine produces max power of 23.18 Bhp at 9500 rpm and max torque of 1.86 Kgm at 8000 rpm. The company claims the Pulsar200NS is capable fo doing 0-60 Kmph in 3.61 seconds and 0-100 Kmph in 9.83 seconds.

     The chassis is brand new which comprises of a steel fabricated, twin-spar, perimeter type frame with a rectangular tube-section swingarm. The new chassis offers 3 times more lateral stiffness compared to the existing Pulsar220cc. The 200NS gets gas filled monoshock suspension and under belly mounted exhaust. Brakes comprises of dpetal type disc rotors in both front and rear measuring 280mm and 230mm respectively. Wheel gets 17 inch alloy and tubeless tyres are at both ends.

     The Pulsar 200NS will go on sale in April 2012 with a price of around Rs. 1 lakh. 

Source: Autocarindia

Continue Reading | comments (1)

Chevrolet’s new MPV to be named ‘Enjoy’

     Chevrolet’s new MPV which is basically the Chinese Wuling CN-100 will be named as Enjoy in India. Chevrolet showed its MPV Enjoy at the recently concluded Auto Expo.

     The Enjoy MPV will launch with 95 bhp 1.4 liter petrol initially and a 1.3 liter SDE diesel engine will come by early next year. Chevrolet is hoping to grap a substantial market share in Indian MPV segment currently dominated by Toyota Innova. With its versatile seating arrangement and value for money, the Enjoy MPV will surely give run for the money for Toyota Innova, and Mahindra Xylo. Chevrolet is planning to price the Enjoy MPV starting from Rs. 6 lakh. 

Continue Reading | comments

Maruti Swift compact sedan will not come to Auto Expo 2012, launch in Feb

     Maruti Suzuki will not display its Swift compact sedan at the coming Auto Expo 2012. The Swift compact sedan is built on the new Swift platform and comes under 4 meter length mark; to be precise the Swift compact sedan is 3.99 meter in length.

     We in our earlier post had showed you a spy picture of the Swift compact sedan being testing in Maruti factory at Gurgaon. Maruti has developed the compact sedan keeping in mind the tax sops available to small cars under 4 meter length mark.

     Maruti will launch the Swift compact sedan in the 2^nd week of February and the car will be sold along with the old Swift Dzire. The Swift compact sedan will be priced Rs. 50,000 less than the Swift Dzire and the aim is to tap the compact sedan/notchback segment which is currently dominated by Tata Motors.

     The Swift compact sedan will see competition from Mahindra in the form of Verito compact sedan and Tata Motors which is planning to launch a Manza compact sedan very soon. As the compact sedan/notchback segment is growing, don’t be surprised to see other manufacturers like Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota and Skoda to come up with compact sedan variant of its popular C segment sedans.

Continue Reading | comments (1)

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga all set to be launched at Auto Expo 2012

     The suspense of Maruti’s MUV codenamed R3 is over. Maruti’s MUV will be called Ertiga and clear images of the Ertiga have been out in the net. Maruti has been showing glimpse of Ertiga on its website related to Auto Expo 2012. Maruti will launch Ertiga with 1.4L petrol and 1.3 L DDis diesel engine. The petrol engine has been specially developed for the Ertiga and promises to gives better performance compared to its 1.2L siblings.

     As seen from the pictures, Maruti (Suzuki) have done a wonderful job in conceptualization  of the MPV and bring it to the reality. Thought the Ertiga is different from the R3 concept shown at the Auto Expo 2010, the overall silhouette of the vehicle remains the same. The Ertiga production model is more practical with conventional Swift/Ritz looks.

     The Ertiga being an MPV and competing against the market leader Innova, it does not look too long. It features proportionate dimensions and can still seat 7 persons. As speculated earlier, the Ertiga will not come under 4 meter length mark and hence will not have tax sops as that of a small car.

     Built on the extended Ritz platform, Ertiga is designed to give class leading performance at affordable cost. The tall stance and intelligent seating arrangement accommodates 7 persons comfortably. Expected to be priced between Rs. 7-9 lakh, Ertiga is getting ready to give nightmares to Toyota Innova. In fact, the Ertiga is the first serious contender to compete against dominant Toyota MPV since its launch in 2005

Continue Reading | comments (2)

New Tata Safari facelift to be named Safari Storm

     Tata Motors has been testing the facelift Safari for quiet some time and rumors of its name Merlin has been in the net since the spy mules were spotted. Now it is official that the new Safari will be named as Safari Storm which will be launched at the Auto Expo 2012. This is the major facelift to Safari since its launch way back in 1998.

     Some spy pictures of the Safari Storm has also surfaced during its ad shoot out. From the spy pictures (see below) the facelift is very much evident, with new set of headlamps, new bumpers and new grill. The new grill gives a premium feel to Safari which now looks more like a Land Rover. The other change you can see in the new Safari is absence of the spare wheel on the rear door. Tata Motors has worked on the body in the rear to accommodate the spare wheel.

     With the SUV segment hotting up with some new launches from Mahindra and Force Motors, it will be nice to see how the Safari Storm performs. Tata Motors will carefully price the Safari Storm and do not want to make the pricing mistake it did for the Aria. Recent Tata Motors was offering huge discounts of over Rs. 1 lakh on an Aria variant.

     The new Safari Storm will come with the same 2.2 L DICOR engine and we feel Tatas have worked on the engine to rectify the power woes (Safari’s main drawback was its engine which lacked power).

Continue Reading | comments

Chevrolet/ Wuling Sunshine van spied, could be launched at Auto Expo 2012

     Chevrolet’s Chinese minivan Sunshine has been spied again on Indian roads and as the Auto Expo 2012 is getting nearer, we can expect its launch very soon. Chevrolet has brought Wuling vehicles to India and has been testing them for quite a sometime.

     Apart from Sunshine, Chevrolet is also testing a minivan of the Maruti Eeco size in India. We in our earlier post (few months back) had showed you the spy pictures of this Maruti Eeco sized minivan. Seeing the sizes of these two Chinese vehicles we can asses that Chevrolet wants to tap Maruti Eeco and Mahindra Xylo/Tata Sumo segment.

     If Chevrolet can bring in good diesel engines for these vans, the can turn the fortunes of Chevrolet in India. But having said this no one can expect a vehicle’s success than the cautious Indian customer!

Continue Reading | comments

Honda City facelift Indian launch on 14th December

     Honda will launch its facelifted City sedan in India on the 14^th of December. The facelifted City will be the same one launched couple of months ago in Thailand. Honda had drastically reduced the price of the current City to clear the backlogs.

     The key exterior changes in the new Honda City are – new front grill with chrome plating, new altered headlights, new front bumper and fog light design, new rear bumper with diffuser, new taillights, new alloy wheel design. In the interior there is blue instrument cluster illumination and gun metal finish to the central console. The E variant gets beige interiors.

     The new Honda City comes in following colours - Chameleon Red, Sparkling Brown Metallic, Bold Beige, Tafeta White, Black, Silver, Urban Titanium. Six variants will be on the offerings - E M/T, S M/T, V M/T, VL M/T, V A/T, VL A/T. The V variant gets OSRVM turn indicators and new alloy wheels. The VL variant in addition to the features of V variants gets leather seats, sunroof and automatic climate control. The E and S will remain the same with just the facelift. There is absolutely no change in the mechanicals in the new Honda City. 

Continue Reading | comments

Tata Safari Merlin launch early next year

     Tata Motors has given a major uplift to its SUV Safari since its launch in 1998. Codenamed ‘Merlin’, the camouflaged Safari has been spied numerous times for over more than 6 months. It will be launched in the first quarter of next year.

     

     The changes in the front include new headlamps and grill which are now sharper. In the rear there is change in the tail lamps and no spare wheel. Lots of chrome in the front and rear are the major highlights. The interiors get plastic wood finish, apart from which there is no change absolutely.

     

     Powering the Safari ‘Merlin’ will be the same 2.2L DICOR engine. The ‘Merlin’ adopts the new X2 platform of Aria, shortened to Safari’s 2650mm wheelbase. This helps the ‘Merlin’s’ ride and handling characteristics. Like the Aria, the ‘Merlin’ too gets dual exhausts. 

Continue Reading | comments

Nissan Sunny diesel to be priced at Rs. 6.6 lakh

     The diesel version of Nissan Sunny will be launched in January next year with a starting price of Rs. 6.6 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). The Sunny TV ad of big Caaar has caught lot of attention and with a diesel engine coming into the car, the Nissan customers will have more options to choose from.

     The diesel engine of the Sunny is the same 1.5L engine which powers the diesel Micra. The 1.5L Renault source diesel engine has proved its mettle under the hood of Logan and Micra. This engine is one of the best diesel engines at present in India which delivers class leading fuel efficiency and performance.   

     With the diesel Sunny coming in, the rivals such as Tata Manza, Fiat Linea, SX4 diesel, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid and VW Vento will have one more competitor who will be hard to match in terms of price and fuel efficiency.   

Continue Reading | comments

Volkswagen Up spied in India, could be for Auto Expo 2012

     Volkswagen Up which was unveiled at Frankfurt Motor Show this year has been spotted in Delhi, mounted on a truck. Mr Sandeep Singh has posted these images on NDTV’s Car And Bike facebook page. We guess the car has been imported from Europe for the coming Auto Expo 2012.

     The Up is the smallest car in Volkswagen’s portfolio which the company plans to launch in India soon, ofcourse in 5 door version unlike the 3 door one seen in the picture. Price of the Up is expected to start from Rs. 3.5 lakh. The Up unveiled at Frankfurt Motor Show had a 1 litre petrol engine with 75 Ps of power and 23 Kmpl of fuel efficiency. A diesel option, it is still a secret. 

Continue Reading | comments

Tata Motors comes up with upgraded Nano

     The People’s car of India has just got better. Tata Motors has come up with an upgraded model of Nano with some changes in the interiors and mechanicals.  After series of attractive offers and discounts, this is the first major upgrade for Nano since its launch in March 2009. The upgraded Nano has already reached the dealers across the country and the best part is Tata Motors has not increased the price of the car.

     The upgraded Nano (also referred to as 2012 Nano) gets following beige dashboard, improved cushioned seats with new head rest at front, beige and black door trims, passenger side outside rear view mirror and new wheel caps. Apart from these cosmetic changes, engine power has been increased by 3 bhp which means Tata Nano now produces 38 bhp power as compared to earlier 35 bhp. There is no power steering option which was expected in an upgraded Nano. But Tata Motors have worked on the steering column to make the Nano steering much more lighter.

     The upgrade Nano will be available in new colour shades. Here are the colour options available on different variants.

Nano Std

Serene White (Old Shade: Ivory White)

Aqua Blue (Old Shade: Summer Blue)

Rouge Red (Old Shade: Racing Red)

Nano CX

Serene White (Old Shade: Ivory White)

Rouge Red (Old Shade: Racing Red)

Meteor Silver (Old Shade: Lunar Silver)

Champagne Gold

Papaya Orange

Neon Rush

Nano LX

Papaya Orange

Meteor Silver (Old Shade: Lunar Silver)

Champagne Gold

Mojito Green

Sunshine Yellow

Pearl White

Continue Reading | comments

Skoda Rapid microsite goes live, car launch on 16th November

     Skoda Auto will launch its new midsize sedan in India on the 16^th of this month. As the launch date comes closer, there Skoda Rapid’s microsite goes live. However you will not get many details about the car as of now.

     Skoda Rapid is based on Volkswagen Vento platform and shares the same engines with the later. The Skoda Rapid will come in 3 variants - Active, Ambition and Elegance. Since there is sharing of platform, Skoda might have saved much of the cost which is expected to be passed on to the customer. The Rapid is likely to be priced between Rs. 7-9 lakh.

     The Rapid in the front reminds us of the Fabia hatch with its prominent Skoda grill. The rest of the car is Vento, as we have said earlier that Rapid shares its platform with the Vento. Only in the rear, the crease on the sides of number plate gives some differentiation with the Vento.

     The strategy between Skoda and Volkswagen is not still understood. They both have a same car with different names and of course will come with different price tags. How will Skoda and Volkswagen convince the customer to buy their own product? Let us see how this strategy works in India. 

Check out the Skoda Rapid microsite

Skoda Rapid Video

Continue Reading | comments

Peugeot unveils new 208 hatchback, might come to India

     We in our earlier post had posted many spy pictures of Peugeot’s B Segment hatch 207 testing in Indian conditions. Peugeot has zeroed Gujarat as its manufacturing hub in India with an investment of Rs. 4000 crores. Peugeot will launch its first vehicle in India in the form of 507 sedan which too was spied along with the 207 hatchback in India. Since the new 208 has been unveiled now, Peugeot might just bring in its latest hatch to compete in the hot B segment. They why are they testing 207 in India? Well that could be to test the car’s performance in Indian conditions. To remind you the 207 hatch which was spotted in India is a 3 door version and so we can imagine that the new 208 5 door hatch will soon ply on our roads.


     The new Peugeot 208 gets a very futuristic design with new grill and swept back headlamps. The tail lamps are boomerang type which gives an entirely different look to the car but still keeps that Peugeot’s French styling. The interior of the car has also been reworked with more knee room for the passengers.

     Peugeot will bring in its d-HDi technology to 208 along with start stop technology to all its diesel variants. Powering the 208 hatch will be 1 liter petrol and 1.2 liter diesel engine, both with 3 cylinders. Expect to get a car with class leading performance in the B Segment soon in the form of Peugeot 208.

New Peugeot 208 Video

Continue Reading | comments