Chevrolet Beat diesel is ready, launch next month

    With the petrol prices rocketing, car buyers have a sign of relief in the form of Chevrolet Beat diesel. The diesel powered Beat is completely ready and will be launched next month. The company feels the diesel Beat launch has come at the right time, though it would liked to have it much before.


     Mr. Siddharth Vinayak Patankar of NDTV’s Car and Bike Show has revealed the Beat diesel on his show. He compares the Beat diesel with that of the Figo’s.

Here are the details of Chevrolet Beat diesel given in the Car n Bike Show:

• Diesel engine 3 cylinder, 936cc with 57 Bhp power and 150 Nm of torque coupled with a 5 speed manual gearbox.
• Diesel engine developed by downgrading the famous Fiat’s 1.3L Multijet diesel which powers everything from Fiat Punto to Maruti SX4
• The turbo lag is minimal as the turbo is small and comes to optimum operating speed quickly
• The suspension tuned for a better ride and comfort, cabin more silent than Figo’s.
• Same variants available as that of petrol, steering system shifted from hydraulic to EPS
• ARAI approved fuel efficiency of 24 Kmpl

     According to President and MD of GM India Karl Slym, the Beat and Spark have different set of customers. The Beat diesel is aimed at Wagon R and i10 fans.

2012 Mercedes Benz B Class caught without camouflage

     The 2012 Mercedes Benz B Class hatchback was snapped without camouflage when shooting for the promos. To remind our readers, Mercedes Benz has plans to launch A and B Class hatchback cars in India soon.


     The 2012 Mercedes Benz B Class will be a front wheel drive vehicle like the A Class. The new B class looks like a mini MPV with lots of boot space. The rear tail lamps resemble the E Class sedan. The creases on the side uplift the vehicles profile.


     With the big high profile tyres and so many Mercedes goodies, the B Class is surely going to create a benchmark in luxury hatchbacks in India.

Source – AutoBild.de

Nissan roll out 1,00,000th Micra in India

     Nissan has rolled out 1,00,000 Micra cars from its Oragadam near in Chennai. The milestone has been achieved in over a year since Micra was introduced in India.


     Micra is exported to International markets in both LHD and RHD versions. Nissan plans to launch a sedan based on Micra and a MPV for India next year.

Official press release


CHENNAI, 16 June 2011 – Employees at the Renault Nissan Alliance plant in Chennai, India are celebrating today after producing their 100,000th Micra in just over a year.


The first Micra compact hatchback rolled off the production line in May 2010. Since then the workforce has expanded to nearly 4,000 (from an original 1,500) to meet demand from within India and across the world.


The 45-billion Rupee (990 Mn USD) facility is the first dedicated Renault-Nissan Alliance vehicle manufacturing plant, and the 4th generation of the iconic Micra is the first model to be produced there.


It will be joined later this year by an all-new global sedan, and in 2012 a commercial vehicle will be added to the line-up as part of a joint venture with Ashok Leyland Ltd.


Since its launch in India last July the Nissan Micra has driven a sales boost within the market, with over 15,000 units sold to date. The innovative Micra is also produced at plants in Thailand, Mexico and China.


Chennai, which will have an overall plant capacity of 400,000 units at full ramp up, will ultimately supply Micra to over 100 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To date nearly 70,000 units have been shipped from the nearby Ennore deep water port.


Gilles Normand, Nissan Corporate Vice President for Africa, the Middle East and India, commented: “I would like to congratulate everyone associated with the Chennai plant on reaching what will be the first of many production milestones.


“The plant, which provides us with a skilled and localised production base, is a key part of our strategy for profitable and sustainable growth within India, and Micra’s success is only the first step in realising our potential within this market.


“Chennai is also crucial in terms of manufacturing high-volume, high-quality products for export to many world markets. With the continued strong support of the Tamil Nadu government, I hope that the facility will develop into one of Nissan’s most important production hubs.”


In addition to Micra, Nissan also sells the X-TRAIL lifestyle SUV, Teana sedan and 370Z sports car in India. By 2013, Nissan is aiming to have 85% coverage of the Indian market by expanding the number of dealers from 35 to over 100.


Managing Director and CEO of the Chennai Plant, Kou Kimura, added: “I am very proud of the effort that our Chennai staff, supported by our suppliers, have made to produce 100,000 Micras in such a short period of time.


“Today’s announcement not only reflects Micra’s popularity – both domestically and within export markets – but also Nissan’s long-term commitment to India.”

India bound Hyundai HA spied in South Korea

     Hyundai has been testing its small car HA in India for quiet some time. This time we have found the spy pictures of HA small car in South Korea. By far these are the high resolution clear pictures of the Hyundai HA we have seen.
Since the small car has been spied in South Korea which is home to Hyundai, we guess Hyundai has plans to launch this car not only in India but in International markets as well.


     From the pictures it is evident that the design is a mixture of i10 and Santro. The head lamps look similar to the Fluidic design family, going up till the A pillar. In the rear the tails lamps has been positioned longitudinally like the Tata Indica which is the first in a Hyundai car.


     The HA small car is expected to be launched in India by 1st half of 2012. It will take on market leader Maruti Suzuki Alto with its aggressive price of Rs. 2.5 lakh.


     Last month during the launch of the Fluidic Verna in Andhra Pradesh, Mr. YK Koo, Senor Director (Sales and Marketing) HMIL said “We are planning to launch it in the first half of next year. The car will be manufactured in Indian plant. HMI is very strong in compact car segment. With this launch, we hope to dominate the rural market also. That is our strategy. If we have a small car it is easy to penetrate into the rural market,”

Source:  Noticias Automotivas

Cars to have fuel efficiency tag in India

     Cars in India will bear a fuel efficiency tag on them in India. Buyers can compare models based on Govt. certified fuel efficiency labels before buying a car.


     As we see in the Maruti Suzuki ad, Indian customer is more concerned about the fuel efficiency of a vehicle (Kitna deti hi). The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has almost finalized the fuel efficiency labeling rules.


     The cars in India will bear the fuel efficiency labels from March 2012. No car without the label will be on the road after March 2012.


     The fuel efficiency labels will make the manufacture to meet the norms and bring in new technology for a greener vehicle. According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency the Govt. expects industry wide fuel efficiency to improve by 20-25%.

Car Warranty Myths Busted!

     Car warranty can be one of the most beautiful things in the world - there’s nothing like seeing an expensive repair bill and knowing you won’t have to pay a dime of it. That’s why it can be a good idea to renew your warranty when it runs out – or even to purchase an extended warranty from an independent provider. The good thing with a brand new car is that a manyfacturer’s cover is included – it can last for anywhere between one and seven years and can be tied to mileage or unlimited. Few people know that some original manufacturer’s warranties don’t cover all parts of your new car.

     Unfortunately there are three very common myths surrounding car warranties that have spread like wildfire of late, meaning that a lot of people fail to understand the importance of car warranties.

Myth 1: New cars don’t break down as often – we all like to think that we’re at the stage now where technology can be trusted to 99 – if not 100 – per cent. Unfortunately, new cars break down nearly as often as they did 10 years ago.

Myth 2: Your existing warranty covers everything – most people only have their manufacturer’s warranty, thinking that it covers anything that may go wrong. Unfortunately such is not the case, so it’s worthwhile looking in to the limitations of your warranty and extending it with an external company.

Myth 3: Car warranties are pricey – only true if you don’t know where to look! Don’t just go for the deal offered by your dealer; search around online for the best offer, and don’t forget to haggle before you sign up! Prices of online providers on a similar level of cover can fluctuate tremendously meaning that you can save hundreds each year if only you take time to compare the quotes.

Strike at Manesar Maruti plant ends, resumes work tomorrow

     The ongoing strike at the Maruti Suzuki plant in Manesar has come to an end. The workers went on strike on 4th of July till today, for a total of 13 days amounting to loss of over Rs. 700 crores to the company.


     The 11 employees who were suspended has been reinitiated and work will resume normally from tomorrow. However no decision on a separate union has been taken.


     Maruti manufactures its diesel cars - Swift, Ritz and SX4 at its manufacturing plant. Due to the strike the company lost manufacturing of around 1200 cars in 13 days. Maruti indends to expand its Manesar plant to 5 lakh unit capacity.