The Mini Classic, greatest British car of all time?

Timeless Classic

What would you consider the greatest British car of all time? The Land Rover? Jaguar? Oh, of coursethe Austin Mini- according to a poll carried out by Autocar.

The Mini is a vehicle that’s demand has never really slumped; in fact it’s on the rise. By 2015, the UK will be producing two million Austin Minis, beating the previous record of 1.92 million manufactured in the year of 1972. It’s a car so popular abroad, that 80% of the vehicles produced will be exported.

The Austin Mini, designed by Alec Issigonis more than 10-foot long and yet would be able to seat four adults. Despite how we recognise the vehicle today, it only began to gain popularity when celebrities started to drive it and after the famous film The Italian Job (1969).

It’s a British icon described as “was one of the most remarkable cars ever built”- Autocar editor, Steve Cropley.

[images courtesy of newspress from Mini World Magazine]

Mini Cooper S

[image courtesy of newspress]

Mini: A Century of car-making in Oxford

[image courtesy of newspress from British Motor Industry Heritage Trust]

First production of the Mini Minor- 1959

[image courtesy of newspress from CMW Imaging]

Birmingham gets a taste of the original Italian Job

[image courtesy of Scott Edwards on Flickr]

Mr Bean Mini in a police chase - Goodwood Revival 2009

[image courtesy of newspress]

Last Longbridge Mini up for sale- recovered from the Longbridge tunnels in 2012

[image courtesy of newspress]

The all-new MINI Paceman

Hyundai Eon facelift spied

Hot competition prompts Hyundai to give a facelift to the new Eon 

Hyundai Eon was launched in India in October 2011, and in less than 2 years, the Eon is getting ready for a facelift. A Eon with heavily camouflaged front and rear end has been spotted near Chennai along with next generation i10 and i20. The launch of striped down Nissan Micra Active, the Datsun go slated for early next year launch and the news of Alto getting facelift has prompted Hyundai to give a facelift to Eon to stay in the competition.

Hyundai Eon was launched mainly to rival Maruti Alto, but some how the price of Eon goes up to Rs. 4.5 lakh which is too high for the competition. The Eon with its size, design and fuel efficiency won hearts of many customers. The beautiful fluidic sculpture design of Eon makes it one of the beautiful cars on road today.

Rumour of a diesel engine on Eon is going around the web. If indeed the diesel mill gets into the Eon, it will be 1.1L 3 cylinder one, probably the downsized engine of 1.4L of i20. More details of the car is still bleak, but one think is for sure, Hyundai will have series of new launches in coming days in the form of Eon facelift, next generation i10 and also all new i20 which is supposed to be a notchback.

Stay tuned as we are trying to get more details of news Hyundais in India...

Nissan to unveil Terrano on 20th of August

Nissan Terrano to be costlier than Renault Duster, to be positioned in premium segment.

Nissan India has officially confirmed that, its Renault Duster based SUV Terrano will be unveiled on 20^th August. Nissan Terrano has been tested in and around Nissan’s factory in Chennai, spy photos of which have been posted on the net. Nissan had earlier released two sketches of the Terrano SUV, which though is a facelifted Renault Duster, looks different and better than it.

Click on the image to enlarge

In the sketch we see the front end getting typical Nissan look with broad grill and sharp headlamps. The rear gets additional lamps on the tail gate giving a broader look to the vehicle. Apart from minor exterior changes there will nothing significant in the Terrano. However expect a lot of changes in the interiors, as Nissan aims to position Terrano in a premium segment.

Nissan will price the Terrano Rs. 50,000 higher than the Renault Duster, which is a reversal of the trend currently going on in Renault Nissan alliance in India. 

Tata Nano diesel with clear image, launch could be around the corner

Tata Nano diesel features a smiling front bumper and a functional boot which can be opened.

Tata Nano diesel is not a hot news. The Nano diesel has been spied many times during its test runs. Since the clear picture of the Nano diesel has surfaced, Bosch engineers would have achieved the target of 32 Kmpl from the 700 cc Dicor engine powering the Nano diesel.

The front with new bumper with smiling air dam reminds us of the Tata’s philosophy of smiling grill (first seen on the Indica). Indeed with its awesome mileage, the Nano diesel will bring more smiles to the car, only and only if Tata gets the Nano right this time with more fun to drive features. The Nano diesel will get a boot openable, unlike the petrol sibling. The rear windshield and bumper has also been redesigned to give a unique look to the car.

Since we have  spotted the Nano diesel undisguised, the launch is around the corner. Price? May be around Rs. 3 lakh Ex-showroom for the base model. 

Picture Source: team-bhp.com & autocarindia.com

Maruti Wagon R Stingray India launch soon

Maruti Wagon R Stingray to be positioned about the current Wagon R and slated to be launched soon.

Maruti will launch the sportier version of Wagon R named Stingray in India soon. The Wagon R Stingray was spied during a photo shoot which suggest the car launch is around the corner. The Wagon R Stingray will be positioned above the current Wagon R and sold along with it.

This is a desperate effort to bring back the attention of buyers to the brand. In spite of having a good brand value, the sales of Wagon R has suffered, thanks to the competitors who are offering a diesel variant almost at the same price. Wagon R has been one of the successful model from Maruti, which has helped the company in maintain its market share.

The Wagon R Stingray features a sleek and clear lens headlamp. The grill is sleek and sportier as well giving a new look to the car. The front bumper also has been re-designed to give a sportier look to the car. In the rear, the tail lamps get clear lens treatment and the re-designed bumper now houses the number plate. The side profile looks to be similar to the current wagon R. The Wagon R Stingray is expected to come with upgraded interiors with different colours for upholstery. Expect to have minor tweaks in the interiors as well.

The Wagon R Stingray will be powered by the same 1 liter K10 series petrol engine with 67 Bhp of power. It is likely to be priced with a premium of Rs. 50,000 over the current model. 

Next Generation Honda Jazz/Fit 2014 revealed

Honda says, Jazz 2014 has been benchmarked against Volkswagen Polo and performs as good as it. 

 

Honda releases new MPV sketch, to debut this September

The new Honda MPV aims to fill Honda’s portfolio of cars in every segment.

It’s not new to hear about an MPV from Honda. Honda, manufacturer of cars known for its performance, had recently showed interest in the MPV segment and intended to have an MPV in developing markets. Honda today released a sketch of the new MPV which will make its debut at 21st Indonesia International Motor Show, held between September 19-29 at Jakarta.

As seen from the sketch, the new MPV shares the Brio platform which has been stretched to make it an MPV. The front end looks similar to Brio with minor changes in the bumper and grill. The side profile reminds us of the Honda Oddessy with ‘Z’ shaped bottom window line, though we feel the new MPV looks better than the bulky Oddessy. The rear end bears a similar Honda design with big creases giving a muscular and futuristic look. The wrap around tail lights with some scoops are the hall mark of today’s Honda. Overall, the new MPV looks good and will fit exactly in Honda’s vehicle portfolio.

According to Honda, the new MPV has been built keeping in mind the customer’s requirement and road conditions in Indonesia which is not different from India. After its debut in Indonesia, the new MPV (Brio MPV) will soon make its way for India as well. In Indonesia the new Honda MPV will be powered by renowned Honda 1.5L i-VTec gasoline engine and we guess a diesel variant with new 1.5L Earth Dreams diesel will be added in India, to fit in the segment dominated by diesels.

The new MPV has been designed to accommodate 7 seats with 3 rows configuration just like that of the Ertiga. The new Honda MPV features an innovative design, spacious cabin and advanced safety features which again is the hallmark of Honda. Price when launched in India? Could be around Rs. 10 lakh.