India car market sales data for February 2011

Chevrolet
Optra : 359
Cruze : 766
Aveo : 172
UVA : 118
Tavera : 1554
Spark : 2998
Beat : 3183
Captiva : 133

Fiat
Linea : 757
Punto : 1082
Palio : 3

Force
Force : 687

Ford
Figo : 7,883 
Fiesta : 1,074 
Endeavour : 336 

Honda
City : 3668
Civic : 512
Accord : 242
Jazz : 400
CRV : 21

Hyundai
Santro : 8,070
i10 : 15,105
i20 : 6,834
Accent : 1,224 
Verna : 1,241
Sonata : 29
Santa Fe : 126 

Mahindra
Logan : 1151
Xylo : 2287
Scorpio : 3924
Bolero : 7161
ST+Marshal+Maxx : 916
3 wheelers + GIO + Maxximo : 10299

Maruti
M800 : 2712
Omni : 7756
Alto : 33015
Estilo : 4469
WagonR : 14131
Dzire : 9490
SX4 : 3534
Eeco : 5780
Swift : 10936
A Star : 3657
Ritz : 5882
Kizashi : 25
Gypsy : 151
GVitara : 5

Mitsubishi
Ambassador : 302 
Cedia : 19
Outlander : 72
Pajero : 140
Montero : 11
EVO X : 01

Nissan
Micra : 2030
X-trail : 36
Teana : 14
370Z : 1

Skoda
Laura : 538
Fabia : 1466
Superb : 255
Yeti : 253

Tata
Nano : 8262
Indica : 10044
Indigo : 8966
Sumo : 2315
Safari : 1850
Aria : 173
Venture : 299

Toyota
Etios : 2786 
Innova : 4515 
Corolla : 985 
Fortuner : 991 
Camry : 20 
Prado : 8 
LC 200 : 3 
Prius : 0 

Volvo
S60 : 11
S80 : 2
XC60 : 10
XC90 : 5

VW
Jetta : 201
Beetle : 25
Polo : 3,303
Vento : 3,548

Tata Pixel city concept car unveiled at Geneva Motor Show

     Mr. Ratan Tata today unveiled Tata Pixel city car concept at the 81st Geneva Motor Show. Pixel is developed mainly for the European markets. It will take 3 years for Tata Motors to bring it into the European streets.

     Looking similar to the famous Nano, Pixel is just 3 meters in length and powered by a rear mounted 1.2L 3 cylinder diesel engine. The company claims Pixel will be the cleanest vehicle on the European roads which it will be launched 3 years from now. A host of features like low-friction design motor along with optimized aerodynamic drag, low rolling-resistance tyres, stop-start technology and intelligent battery charging will make Pixel to be the environmental friendly car.


     Pixel sports a pair of scissor type doors with large glass area including the panoramic roof. An intelligent set up which moves outer rear wheels forward and inner rear wheel backwards during turning at acute angles give a shortest turning diameter of just 2.6 meters.


Press Release:

Carl-Peter Forster, MD and CEO, Tata Motors, said, “Tata Motors holds true to its belief that there is an opportunity in Europe for a city car, which is optimal in space, maneuverability and environment-friendliness. The Tata Pixel is a reflection of Tata Motors’ idea of what such a car should be.”

New Tata Indica V2 Turbomax with more power and mileage soon

     Tata Motors will soon launch the Indica V2 hatchback with a more powerful and economical diesel engine. Named as Indica V2 Turbomax, the car will comply to the BS4 emission norms.  The new 1045cc CR4 diesel engine produces power of 70 Ps and 13.7 Kg of torque. The company claims it to be the most fuel efficient car in India with mileage of 24 Kmpl. Currently Tata Nano other than Toyota Prius(which is a hybrid) is the most fuel efficient car in India with 23.6 Kmpl.

     Apart from engine change, there are host of other changes and added features as well. The V2 Turbomax will get some changes in the exterior and interiors. The car sports a larger and sporty 14 inch wheels. Pricing will be little higher than the present model. Get to see the car in your nearest showrooms by first week of March.  

Chinese truck manufacturers eye India

     With the growing demand of trucks in India, Chinese truck manufacturers want to have their share in Indian truck market. One of the largest truck manufacturer of China 'Sinotruk' is planning to establish a assembling plant in India. Also Beiqi Foton Motorwhich manufactures trucks in India is finalising locations for its Indian subsidary. Shandong Shifeng, a manufacturer of agricultural light trucks is already making light commercial trucks in India with Hindustan Motors.

     "We are hoping for an India partner to introduce our products into local market. Our India strategy is to establish a local assembly facility, which invites lower taxes in order to tap the buoyant local market that is ideal for our range of big trucks," said Shen Xiangke, Sinotruk's international spokesperson.

Audi A3 saloon concept sketches revealed

     Audi has released the sketches of its A3 saloon concept for the Geneva Motor Show. The A3 saloon will be powered by a 2.5 liter, five cylinder engine with 408 Bhp of power. The A3 measures 4440 mm in length and will be positioned below the A4 saloon.

      Audi A3 saloon is developed on the VW MQB platform and is the first vehicle to roll of the platform. Audi A3 features a pair of LED head lamps and a new trapezoidal front grill. A three door hatchback will make it to the Geneva Motors who and a five door Sportback and two door cabriolet may join later on. A3 will hit markets by mid 2012.

      Audi A3 saloon have been developed on VW MQB platform. Audi A3 will be the first product which will roll out from MQB platform. Like any other Audi, A3 also comes with a pair of  LED studded head lamps and a new trapezoidal front grille. Audi A3 sedan variant will be previewed in Geneva while a three-door hatchback, five-door Sportback and two-door cabriolet may join later on. A3 Sedan is scheduled to hit markets by mid 2012.

“We’ve looked at the situation very carefully and come to the conclusion that a small sedan (saloon) positioned below the A4 has the potential to significantly increase sales penetration in a number of markets,” an Audi official said.

Volkswagen to sell A-Star under its brand globally

     First of all let us remind that last year VW bought a substantial 20% stake in Suzuki Motor Company. The deal was seen as a mutual understanding to benifit both the companies. Though no future plans were revealed by the two companies, lots of speculations about technology transfer were anticipated.

One such thing is the sale of Suzuki small cars under Volkswagen brand. According to latest reports Volkswagen will sell Suzuki A Star which is popular grobally already under its own brand name. That is A Star will be sold as Volkswagen A Star worldwide. Currently A Star is manufactured in Maruti Suzuki's plant in India and exported to other parts of the world. Maruti Suzuki also manufacture A Star for Nissan which is sold globally as Nissan Pixo.

Volkswagen will be benifit with low cost small car manufacturing expertise of Suzuki. Volkswagen's sister company Skoda Auto is also likely to use its brand on some of the Suzuki smalls. With these development it looks obvious that VW is determined to dethrone Totoya as world's No. 1 automobile manufacturer by 2018.

Though this is not official, Suzuki might get access to VW's technologically advanced diesel engines. Currently Suzuki has only 1.3L multijet engine sourced from Fiat for its small cars and the company is finding difficult to fit the same engine is the mid-sized sedan as well. With the access to VW's diesel engines Suzuki will have an option to power its mid-sized saloons with a diesel mill, the main segment which it is lacking in. Though SX4 diesel has been launched, the company feels insecured as the cometititors are offereing a bigger and powerful diesel engine. The latest entry from Maruti Suzuki 'Kizashi' might as well get a VW diesel engine in future.

Nissan Micra DIG-S with powerful gasoline engine

     Nissan has come up with a new powerful petrol engine for its small car Micra. Christened Micra DIG-S, the car gets a supercharged gasoline 1.2L engine that develops power equivalent to that of a 1.5L engine. Apart from extra power the supercharged engine is easier on the environment as wel, the engine will emit only 95g/Km of CO2. Nissan claims the DIG-S (Direct Injection Gasoline-Supercharger) engine gives fuel efficiency of 24.39 Kmpl with power delivery as high as 97 Bhp.

Nissan Micra DIG-S Engine Features

• Innovative technology for low emissions, excellent economy and strong performance
• Advanced all-new ‘Pure Drive’ low friction three-cylinder engine
• 1.2-litres, 72kW (98PS), 12 valves, Direct Injection Gasoline-Supercharger (DIG-S)
• Miller cycle and supercharged for ultimate efficiency and performance
• Ultra-low CO₂ emissions: just 95g/km
• Start/Stop system
• Diesel-like economy with petrol engine power and refinement and no diesel cost surcharge
• Low cost of ownership

Press Release:

Nissan is just as committed to reducing emissions from cars powered by the internal combustion engine as it is to developing new zero emission electric vehicles. The Micra DIG-S showcases how far our engineers have come.

“It is clear that our new Direct Injection Gasoline-Supercharger engine offers the best solution for small cars like Micra. With instant throttle response, its performance and strong economy are a more than a match for any diesel engine with similar power outputs, but its emissions performance is much better.”

We have been able to achieve this ultra low CO2 figure in a cost effective package and without the complication of particulate filters needed to clean up diesel engine emissions and which are not entirely compatible with a car that spends much of its life in the city said Pierre Loing, Vice President Product Strategy and Planning, Nissan International SA.