Audi Q3 spied testing, could rival BMW X1 in India soon

     Rivalry seems to be there right from the birth for German automobile manufacturers. BMW developed a small SUV X1 and with in no time launched it in India with a competitive tag. Audi does not want to fall back and we guess Audi will certainly launch it Q3 SUV in India as soon as it is launched internationally at the Shanghai Auto Show next month.


     Autocar has been able to click some of the spy pictures of the Audi Q3 while testing. Lot of spy pictures of Q3 have already surfaced on the net but by looking at these pictures we get to know how exactly the Q3 would look. The Q3 will definitely take some design cues from its big brothers Q5 and Q7 and is based on the Volkswagen Tiguan. Audi might offer three petrol engines - a 1.4 liter 140 Bhp, a 1.8 liter 180 Bhp and a 2.0 liter 210 Bhp. Two diesel engines with 140 Bhp and 170 Bhp is also in the pipeline.


     Audi Q3 could be priced between Rs. 22-30 lakh in India. With the technological innovation and brand value Audi might not just compete with the BMW X1 but might pull the buyers of SUVs such as Chevrolet Captiva, Honda CR-V and Toyota Fortuner.

Maserati India debut in April 2011

     Italian sports car brand Maserati will make its Indian debut next month competing against the fellow country cars like Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ferrari. Maserati will bring all model to India.

Maserati spokeswomen Silvia Saporetti - "We see a great potential for Maserati marquee as all major luxury brands are sold out in the Indian market."

Source: Economictimes

Diesel cars to get dearer in Delhi

     In a move to generate more revenue, the Delhi Government has proposed to raise the registration tax on diesel car by 25%. With the 25% increase in the registration cost, the diesel cars in small car segment will cost Rs. 4,000-6000 more, mid-sized sedans and SUVs upto Rs. 10 lakh will cost Rs. 11,000-17,000 more. The buyers of diesel luxury cars costing over Rs. 25 lakh will have to shell out Rs.25,000 more due to the new tax system.

     According to some dealers, this new taxation will force Delhi people buying diesel cars to move to neighboring state like Haryana which has low tax on diesel cars.

Mercedes to drive in A Class and B Class to India

     German luxury car maker Mercedes Benz will bring in its new generation A Class and B Class cars to India. These cars will be priced below the currently selling C Class sedan and will create a new price war in the luxury car segment. Mercedes Benz intend to regain the lost ground to BMW which surpassed the former this year with greater sales and profit.


     The A Class and B Class are sub compact hatchbacks in the Mercedes stable. The next generation vehicles of A and B Class are under development for global launch in 2013.

Peter Alexander Trettin , president and CEO of Daimler's central/eastern Europe, Africa and Asia regions -
"The new range of A and B Class cars are currently under development and would be launched globally in 2013 (market introduction in 2012) along with India in the same year with Mercedes looking at developing right-hand-drive versions from the beginning. These will have the front-wheel architecture and will be priced lower than the current C-Class. The new range will be much more fashionable than their existing versions and the cars will be younger and much more modern."

Maruti Suzuki SX4 diesel gets 5000+ bookings in less than a month

     Barely a month ago, Maruti Suzuki launched SX4 with a diesel engine and the company has got over 5000+ bookings already. The waiting period for the SX4 diesel has already raised to 2-3 months (As per a dealer in Bangalore). Rivals Hyundai, Volkswagen and Ford are definitely feeling the heat of the SX4 diesel.

“We have received an overwhelming response for the SX4 diesel. Our target was 2000 units per month but with this kind of response we will have to work harder to cater to the demand.” - Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India.


Maruti Suzuki SX4 diesel Specifications

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