Mahindra’s design issues

     We have never seen a good looking vehicle from Mahindra, except the Bolero, thanks to its bold front grill.

     Right from MM 540 International to today’s Xylo, Mahindra vehicles have not be able to turn heads. Many of you might argue for Scoprio’s design, but we should tell you, the Scorpio was a hit because it was the first off-roader cum SUV in Indian market with rounded contours. Tata Safari was big flop because of its engine. The Scorpio’s other success secret was its engine.

     Coming to the latest W201 SUV design, Mahindra has put some effort to make it stand out from its competitors. The unique door handle design and huge rear wheel arch are some of them to mention. But by the front picture of W201, which was posted on a facebook fan page, the vehicle did not impress us honestly.  It is still premature to say that as we still have not seen the complete picture of the SUV. Let’s wait and see if Mahindra could indeed pull out a head turner. 

Hindustan Motors launches Veer pickup truck

     India’s oldest automobile maker Hindustan Motors is looking for a comeback. The company has launched Veer pickup truck based on the good old Ambassador platform. The Veer pickup truck is priced at an inaugural offer of Rs. 3.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Kolkata) for the diesel variant.

     The Veer Pickup truck has been announced for the Kolkata market which will soon spread to other parts of the country. The vehicle has payload capacity of 800 Kg and is available in both diesel and CNG versions. The vehicle can also be ordered at a drive-away chassis.


     The launch of Veer pickup has not come as a surprise for us as we had posted some spy pictures of this pickup truck in our earlier post.

New Maruti Swift teaser video

     The new Maruti Swift will be launched in India on 17th of August. The company has released couple of teaser videos of the car. Have a look at them…

Honda Jazz facelift launch on 18th August

     Honda will launch the facelifted Jazz hatchback on 18th of August, a day after the launch of new Swift. Honda is already offering discount of Rs. 1.75 lakh on the Jazz hatch.


     The new Jazz facelift features some cosmetic changes which include an altered fascia, revised tail lamp cluster and other changes in the cabin. There will no change absolutely on the powertrain and transmission though a CVT variant is expected to come. Honda might revise the price of the new Jazz when launched.

Toyota Etios diesel on test run, will be launched in September

     Toyota is already testing the Etios diesel in India. The recent AutocarIndia magazine has a picture of Etios diesel testing somewhere in Kerala. The Etios diesel is expected to be launched in September this year which is the time when the car sales will be on a high in India.

     Toyota Etios diesel will be powered by the same 1.4L diesel engine which also powers the Corolla Altis. The difference is, the diesel engine in Etios will not have variable turbo geometry, which means the Etios diesel will have power of 75 Bhp as compared to 87 Bhp of Corolla Altis. With 75 Bhp of power, the Etios diesel will have sufficient power to drive the car as Etios is much lighter than the Corolla diesel.


     The Etios diesel will be mainly tuned for fuel efficiency more than the performance and about the performance, who cares now as the fuel prices are rocketing. The Etios diesel will be priced Rs. 1 lakh more than the petrol model. After the launch of Etios diesel, Toyota will also launch the Etios Liva diesel soon.

Tata Indica Vista facelift launch on 22nd August

     Tata Motors will launch a facelifted Vista on the 22nd of this month. In our earlier post we had showed you spy pictures of facelifted Vista on a test run.


     The facelifted Vista features twin barrel headlamps, borrowed from Manza, chrome slabs between the lights (again from Manza), chrome surronund on the fog lamps, new colour options (Yellow is definitely one), sterring mounted audio controls and power outside rear view mirrors. There are some cosmetic changes in the rear as well with minor changes in the tail lamps and a black strip below the rear windscreen.


     With the launch of new Swift, which will be on 17th August, Tata Motors want to pose the Vista in a new avatar to get its sales going. The Vista sales have suffered in previous months, and the facelift could be a desperate effort from Tata to keep the Vista going.

     We have also got news about the 3rd generation Indica which is on the drawing board. Do we see it in the Auto Expo 2012?

Mahindra mulls to launch a small car at Rs. 3 lakh

     After Tata, Maruti & Nissan, it is Mahindra now who wants to enter into the bottom most segment of Indian car market. The company is planning to launch a small car which will be priced at Rs. 3 lakh.


     A car under Rs. 3 lakh is the vehicle which the people in India are looking for. The sales of Maruti Alto, which sells over 25,000 units a month is a classical example. Though Tata could able to make a car under Rs. 2 lakh, the Nano could not make a big impact because of quality issues.


     So what can we expect from Mahindra? Since Mahindra is known for its rugged vehicles, we might see a small car which can withstand tough Indian roads. Again the quality is an issue with Mahindra. Mahindra has to really work hard on the quality before its small car comes on road. Otherwise it too will bite the dust like Nano.

     Mahindra has a four wheeled passenger vehicle – Gio Cab for the rural market. Knowing the company for its versatility in sharing the products, the Gio platform might well be used to build the small car.
Watch this space for more updates…