Honda two wheelers aim to be No. 1 in India

     The two wheeler arm of Japanese automobile giant Honda aims to be No. 1 in India in the next one decade dethroning the Hero group. Honda two wheelers plans to enter into rural areas of India by launching its first ever 100cc motorcycle next year. Honda recently split with the market leader Hero Honda to make it on its own. The proven technology and engineering of Honda has all the ability to dominate the Indian two wheeler market. 

"Our target in next decade is to be number one in India...For the first time we will introduce a mass segment motorcycle in 100-cc category. At present two-third of sales is coming from urban and one-third from rural and semi-urban areas. In a decade, the situation may be reversed” -  HMSI President and CEO Shinji Aoyama 

GM's Halol plant on labour strike

     American automobile giant General Motors is facing a labour strike at its Halol plant in Gujarat. Over 700 workers are on an indefinite stike at the factory site. This is the second strike at the factory in the last 5 months. The company has reported the strike as illegal.

     The Halol plant is very important in terms of GM’s future plans in India. Production had been ramped up recently to roll out LCVs which is manufactured in association with GM’s Chinese partner SAIC. In last December, the company had signed an settlement agreement for 3 years covering salary increase and productivity related matters with the Employees Union. The workers on strike belong to a new union formed in the company.


     According to Mr. P Balendran (VP – Corporate Affairs, GM India), “A group of employess who opposed to the earlier settlement agreement have gone on stike without notice. Government authorites have intervined into the matter and have declared the strike as Illegal. The workers on strike are threatening and attempting to stop the workers who are willing to work and forcing them to join their illegal strike.”


     He also said that workers who were willing to work had already resumed to the duty and the management takes this opportunity to appeal to the remaining striking workers to stop threatening their fellow workmen and resume to their duties failing which the management will be left with no option to initiate action against striking men.

Content Source: Autocarindia

Audi developing Q6 to rival BMW X6

     BMW took a bold step in launching the X6 crossover last year. The success of X6 has inspired Audi to develop Q6 which will be positioned between the Q5 and Q7.


     Details of the project are limited. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has hinted that the company is looking at a model between Q5 and Q7 which will be a coupe like, four wheel driven. The crossover will feature a sporty styling and will be built on the same platform of that of VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne

     Engine for Q6 could be borrowed from Q7 but according to rumors a hybrid powertrain as well as the turbocharged 4.0 liter V8 of Audi S6 could find its place.


     The Q6 might debut after the launch of redesigned Q7 in 2013. We might have to want to an year to see Q6 in India.

Source: Worldcarfans

Audi Q6 Sketches

Japan car market sales data for February 2011

1.Toyota Prius 19.110
2.Honda Fit/Jazz 16.876
3.Toyota Viz/Yaris 16.484
4.Nissan Serena 9.646
5.Honda Freed 7.032
6.Toyota Ractis 6.781
7.Toyota Corolla 6.495
8.Toyota Passo 5.909
9.Mazda Demio/2 5.196
10.Honda StepWGN 5.151
11.Toyota Voxy 5,141
12.Nissan March 4.677
13.Toyota Vellfire 4.429
14.Toyota Noah 4.184
15.Suzuki Solio 3.981
16.Nissan Note 3.930
17.Toyota Wish 3.836
18.Toyota Estima 3.711
19.Toyota Crown 3.594
20.Nissan Juke 3.233
21.Nissan Cube 3.100
22.Toyota Alphard 2.843
23.Suzuki Swift 2.823
24.Nissan X-Trail 2.819
25.Nissan Leaf 2.593
26.Nissan Tiida 2.314
27.Mazda Premacy/5 2.306
28.Toyota Mark-X 2.300
29.Subaru Legacy 2.119
30.Toyota Vangard 2.057

Source: Autoten

Honda Brio unveiled in Thailand

     Honda has officially unveiled its much anticipated small car Brio in Thailand. Brio is the small car from Honda for the emerging markets like Thailand, India and China. Brio Concept was showcased as Auto Expo last year in New Delhi. Brio was to be unveiled in India on the 17th of March but due to the Tsunami affecting Japan which is the home country of Honda, it has been postponed. Brio is likely to be launched in India by September this year. Honda is expected to raise the bar and set a new standard for small cars in terms of design, packaging, cabin comfort and fuel-efficiency in India.

     The Brio is powered by a 1.2L 4 cylinder i-VTEC petrol engine that produces 90 Bhp of power. The engine promises to give better performance by delivering stress free driving experience at any rpm. Fuel efficiency is again class leading with 20 Kmpl.


     The Brio also features Honda’s safety technologies such as dual SRS front airbags, disc brakes, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) which enhances braking performance. These features are available in all versions.

     Honda’s G-Force Control (G-CON) technology gives Brio high performance body features and enhances driving performance, ride comfort and collision safety. The high performance body satisfies standars for both front and side impacts as specified by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)’s regulations 94 and 95.


     The Brio is available in 3 variants – SMT, VMT & VAT. It is priced in the range of 399,999 Bhat to 508,500 Bhat which is Rs. 6 – 7.5 lakh in Indian currency. 5 colour options are available - Fresh Lime Metallic, Taffeta White, Cerulean Blue Metallic, Alabaster Silver Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl.

Honda Brio Commercial

Honda Brio Pictures

Hyundai launches Accent facelift in India

     Korean carmaker Hyundai has launched a mild facelifted Accent in India. The mild facelift includes a new grill which seams to be inspired from the i10. Apart from the grill changes you can hardly find any changes in the Accent. Accent was launched in India 10 years ago and is in the verge of discontinuation. Unfortunately Accent is only available in petrol version now. The diesel CRDi had won many hearts in India, thanks to its fuel efficiency. Hope Hyundai might re-launch the Accent with the CRDi engine.

Photo courtesy - Siddharth Shankar via Indianautosblog

Mahindra Xylo Celebration II Edition launched in India

     Homegrown SUV major Mahindra & Mahindra has launched the Xylo Celebration II Edition in India to celebrate its 2nd anniversary. The Xylo MUV was launched in January 2009 and was mainly aimed at the sedan market as shown by its ads. The company will produce 1000 units of Celebration II Edition to keep it exclusive. The Xylo Celebration II is offered at a price of Rs 9.06 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Mahindra Xylo Celebration II Edition has following new features:


Special Walnut Brown Colour
Designer Body Graphics
Crest Emblem of Celebration Edition II
Celebration Edition Badging
Genuine Italian Leather Seats
Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
Leather Wrapped Gear Knob
Dark Chocolate glossy finish Door Trims

     Mahindra is currently offering a unique referral scheme in which anybody who recommend the new Xlyo Celebration Edition to their friend and if the friend buys the vehicle then both the persons will get a stylish Cross pen set worth Rs. 2500 as a mark of celebration.