New Volkswagen Jetta India launch on 17th August

     Volkswagen India will launch the new Jetta on 17th of August this year. The new Volkswagen Jetta resembles its lower brother Vento from the front, though the rear tail lamps will clearly differentiate the two. However the new Jetta is much bigger than the Vento as well as the current Jetta. We had in our earlier post showed you some of the spy pictures of new Jetta being tested on Indian soil.


     News is that the new Jetta will be available only in diesel avatar but a petrol engine Jetta cannot be ruled out. The 2.0L TDI diesel with 140 Ps will power the new Jetta. Automatic transmission will be through 6 speed DSG gearbox, but a manual transmission model could also be offered as a lower spec variant.


     The current Jetta looks very dated and Volkswagen is finding hard in the car sales. The new Jetta promises good sales for Volkswagen in India. The new Jetta will compete with Skoda Laura, Renault Fluence, Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic in India. Expect the new Jetta to be costlier than its rival and come with loaded features.

Official – Honda City to get a facelift soon

     Speculation was that weather the All new Honda City which was launched just couple of years would get a facelift. It has become official through a Honda India’s facebook page that Honda City will indeed get a facelift in India soon. Facelift include changes in the exterior and interiors as well. 

Honda City prices slashed, now starts at Rs. 7.49 lakh

     Honda Siel Cars India has announced a price cut of its popular sedan City sedan in India. Now Honda City will start from as low as Rs. 7.49 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).


     The City dominated the C segment in India for over a decade. The rising petrol price and pressure from rivals such as Vento, Verna and SX4 diesel has made Honda to cut the prices of City to stay in the competition. The absence of diesel option is an added disadvantage to Honda as its rivals are currently doing good with diesel options which cost lesser than the City.


     However, the company says the price cut is due to reduction in the production cost due to localization. The price cut is effective from June 14th 2011.

The new prices of Honda City in Delhi is as follows:

India to become 3rd largest LCV Market by 2020 according to JD Power Asia Pacific

     Last 2-3 years has been good time for Automobile manufacturers in India. Cars sales grew more than 30% in these years making Automobile manufacturers all over the world to eye India as a potential market.


     Not only the bread and butter small cars, but also sedans, SUVs and luxury cars also sold in high numbers. Vehicles with latest design, technology and brands have flooded the Indian market.

     The commercial vehicle segment has also not lagging behind. We saw Mahindra, Force Motors and Piaggio launching LCVs following the footsteps of Tata Ace. Many more companies are also mulling to launch LCVs in the next couple of years. According to the JD Power Asia Pacific India will become world’s 3rd largest LCV market by 2020.






JD Power Asia Pacific Executive Director Mohit Arora -
Our forecast is that by 2020, India will become the third biggest market for light vehicles, that includes passenger cars and LCVs, with total sales of nearly 12 million units

Toyota Innova facelift spied in Indonesia

     Toyota Innova facelift was spied in Indonesia where it will make its debut on 22^nd of July this year. Innova is an important vehicle for Toyota in South Asian markets. Since Innova has completed more than 6 years of its lifecycle, Toyota wants to keep it fresh to stay ahead in the competition.

     Later this year the facelifted Innova might be launched in India as well. Expect the new Innova to be slightly costlier than the present one.

     Maruti, Nissan and General Motors are reading with new family MPVs for India. These vehicles will directly compete with Innova which is presently the market leader in India. Though the design of the Innova is not that dated, Toyota intends to give a facelift to make it look fresh and stay ahead in the competition.

     As Toyota developed Etios for India and has launched it here, hope other vehicles from Toyota make it to India soon after their international debut.

Skoda Auto completes 10 years in India

     Skoda Auto has completed its 10 years presence in India . Skoda Auto entered Indian market with the launch of Octavia sedan in 2011. Soon the Octavia Combi followed the Octavia sedan. In 2004 the company launched Superb luxury sedan followed by Laura in 2005 and Fabia in 2008.

Official Press release

Mumbai, 3rd June 2011:   Škoda Auto India, a fully owned subsidiary of Škoda Auto a.s., CzechRepublic and one of the most promising automobile companies in India completes a milestone of 10 years of its presence in India. On the occasion of its 10th anniversary Škoda launches ‘Škoda Celebration’ campaign with special offers across all of Škoda’s carlines.

A market leader in its category and known for its elegant designs and superior technology, Škoda has witnessed a good response across all its products; the all new Fabia, Laura, Yeti and Superb. Recently, Škoda achieved a 100% sales growth in the month of May 2011 over the same period last year.

Mr. Thomas Kuehl, Board Member, Sales and Marketing, ŠkodaAuto India said,” Our journey in India has been very promising, we have had a steady increase in sales for every product for the past 10 years and we are looking forward to have good growth graphs in future too. ŠkodaAuto’s Celebration is one such initiative through which we would encourage people to come and be a part of the Škoda family.”

ŠkodaAuto is committed towards India and has one of the largest authorized dealer networks spread across 81 dealerships (73 dealership+8 boutique showroom). Škoda has established a good presence and is looking to extend its reach across India.

About ŠkodaAutoIndia: Škoda has been operating in India since November 2001 as a subsidiary of ŠkodaAuto a. s. Czech Republic (Volkswagen Group), one of the fastest growing car manufacturers in Europe. It has set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Shendra near Aurangabad,Maharashtra. The facility is spread across 300,000 sq. mt. ŠkodaAutoIndia has 4 models on sale in India – Škoda Superb, Škoda Laura, Škoda Fabia and the recently launched Škoda Yeti. Škoda Auto India has a network of 73 Dealerships and 8 Boutique showrooms across the country and has sold over 114281 units since November 2001.

Kawasaki Ninja 650R launched in India at Rs. 4.57 lakh

     Japanese superbike manufacturer Kawasaki has launched its second model Ninja 650R in India with a price tag of Rs. 4.57 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi ).


     The Ninja 650R is powered by a 4 stroke, liquid cooled engine in parallel twin format. The DOHC fuel injected Ninja has power output of whooping 71 Bhp @ 8500 rpm and torque of 6.73 Kgm.


     The bike has telescopic front folks and a rear monoshock suspension. It will be imported from Japan as a CKD unit and assembled at Bajaj Autos plant in Chakan, Pune.