Kawasaki thinking big for India

     Japanese super bike manufacturer Kawasaki is planning to launch more of its products in India. It has re-launched itself in India as India Kawasaki Motors Pvt. Ltd. reconfirming that they have officially re-entered India for some good business.

     Currently Kawasaki sells its Ninja 250R model through Bajaj Probiking centers. It aims to sell at least 1000 bikes in a year with the launch of new models. The new models will be assembled as CKDs at Bajaj’s Chakan Plant.

BS4 Innova makes it to the showrooms

     Toyota Kirloskar India Ltd has come out with a BS4 complaint Innova for the 13 cities across the country which comes under fuel emission norms. According to the dealers, the engine remains the same but a new intercooler has been added to the turbocharged 2.5 liter common rail diesel engine. Minor changes to the catalytic converter and fine tuning of ECU has been done which has resulted in a slight increase in the performance. The price difference between the BS3 and BS4 Innova is around Rs 25-30,000.

Logan price slashed by up to Rs 80,000

     Mahindra & Mahindra, which is the sole owner of Logan now, has slashed the prices of the car by Rs 24,000/- to Rs 80,000 depending up on the variants The price reduction is a move by the company to give its customers a better value for money vehicle.

     Last week Mahindra bought 49% stake in the JV from Renault. This gives 100% rights to the company on Logan. Mahindra plans to bring in more models on the present Logan platform.

     Logan was successful vehicle when it was launched, but eventually lost its ground due to various reasons. The small car norm of 8% tax was a major setback for the car because it was slightly bigger than the small car dimension. Secondly, for its value for money package, it ended up finally as a good comfortable cab.

     However now with full authority on the car, Mahindra is thinking positive and planning to bring in more innovative products from the platform. A chopped boot Logan and a sub 4 meter mini SUV are in the pipeline.

Hero Honda to set up manufacturing facility in Karnataka

     India’s largest two wheeler manufacturer Hero Honda will setting up a manufacturing facility in Karnataka. The plant will be situated on the outskirts of Dharwad and is likely to employ 1000 skilled workers. It will have a capacity to manufacture 1, 00,000 vehicles per annum. This will be the first plant from Hero Honda in South India.

     The Karnataka State Govt. has allotted 500 acres of land for the company. Dharwad is an upcoming industrial town in Karnataka which also houses the Tata Marcopolo bus manufacturing factory.

     Hero Honda is feeling stiff competition from its competitors, thanks to the Japanese invasion. Its bread and butter 100cc motorbike segment is also being challenged and the company is finding had to maintain its top position in the segment. The company has ambitious plans to increase its sales to 5.6 million units with the launch of 12 new products which includes a 250cc motorcycle in the next 18 months.

Hyundai unveiled next generation Verna / Accent

     Hyundai unveiled the next generation Verna / Accent at the Beijing Motor Show. The 2011 Hyundai Verna looks like a miniature 2010 Sonata with typical ‘floating design’.

     Exterior design features sweptback headlights, a bold grille, and rearview mirrors with integrated LED turn signals. In the interior the design has been improved with use of quality materials.

     Two new Gamma petrol engines of capacities 1.4L and 1.6L powers the new Verna and are equipped with 5 speed manual and 4 speed automatic transmission. The base 1.4L generates a maximum power of 107 PS and maximum torque of 135 Nm. The 5 speed automatic transmission delivers fuel economy of 17.5 kmpl where as the 4 speed automatic runs 16 km with a liter of petrol.

     The 1.6L petrol engine is more powerful with 122 PS of maximum power and 115 Nm of torque. It will be exclusively available in 4 speed automatic transmission.

     The wheelbase is of the new Verna is biggest in its class with 2570mm. Increased amount of ultra tensile strength steel is being used, so we can expect improved handling and better NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness).

Volkswagen Vento – The Polo sedan

     India’s leading automobile magazine AutocarIndia has scooped the name of Volkswagen Polo sedan – “Vento”. Vento means wind in Italian and Portuguese language. The Polo sedan has been caught while testing in India and we has posted the spy pictrures of it in earlier post.

     The Vento (codenamed: VW251) is built on the Polo platform. Both Polo and Vento are similar up to the B pillar with little changes in the grill and lights. The Vento has 50 mm of longer wheelbase which gives more space at the rear. Keeping Honda City as the benchmark, the engineers at VW has designed rear seat accommodation to be more comfortable. Boot space is in the segment level of 500 liters.

     The Vento is expected to be launched in July this year and will come in both Petrol and Diesel engines. Both the engines are 1.6 liter and produce same power of around 105 bhp with diesel engine having 25.5kgm of torque and the petrol one with 15.8kgm.

     VW will price the Vento between Rs 7-9 lakh when it will be launched in July 2010. With a perfect blend of performance, luxury and economy it could give a run for the money for its competitors, especially the Honda City. Since City has no diesel option, Vento diesel could be a undisputed leader in the segment for a long time.

Maruti launches next generation Wagon R in India

     Maruti Suzuki today launched the next generation Wagon R termed as “The Blue-Eyed Boy” in India priced at Rs 3.28 to Rs 4.12 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).

     The new Wagon R is powered by a 998cc 3 cylinder K-Series engine (K10B) which generated 68 PS of maximum Power. The engine used is the same one which powers the A-star and meets the Bharat Stage 4 norm. The new Wagon R will be manufactured from Maruti’s Gurgaon plant.

     "This new launch of Wagon R is important to Maruti Suzuki for many reasons. It demonstrates the growing research and development capability of the company," Maruti Suzuki India MD and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi told reporters.

     According to the company the new Wagon R return a fuel efficiency of 18.9kmpl. It also sports a new suspension and transmission system. The Air Conditioning has been improved with the HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) reducing the temperature by 4 degrees than the older model.

     The new Wagon R is bigger in dimentions with Length, Width and Height being 3595 mm, 1495 mm & 1700 mm respectively. The wheelbase has also been increase to 2400mm which is 40mm more. Increase in dimentions has lead to larger interior space and the space has been managed brilliantly.

     The exterior look though not very appealing, but gives the vehicle a new contemporary look. The headlamp has been tweaked so do the tail lamps. A new prominent front grill highlights the change in the new Wagon R. The rear quarter glass has been dropped paving way for thick C pillar. Interior gets a new dashboard. As of safety features, ABS, airbags and fog lamps are available only in the top end model.

New Wagon R key features:

Tillable steering
Electrical outside rear view mirror
Superior AC
Tubeless tyres
Cable type gear Transmission
K Series Engine
L shaped front suspension
New grill
Bigger headlamps
Prices of various model of new Wagon R (All prices ex-showroom New Delhi)

New Wagon R LX – Rs 3.28 lakh
New Wagon R LXi – Rs 3.57 lakh
New Wagon R VXi – Rs 3.81 lakh
New Wagon R VXi with ABS – Rs 4.12 lakh

Colours Avilable

Silky Silver
Glistening Grey
Superior White
Midnight Black
Breeze Blue
Firebrick Red
Bakers Chocolate