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Honda unveils all new Fuel Cell Vehicle concept in Japan
Honda
has unveiled an all new Fuel Cell Vehicle concept in Japan which is expected to be
launched in Japanese market by early 2016. Honda aims to sell the FCV concept
in international markets as well, especially North America and Europe in
future.
Honda
FCV concept is the second concept from Honda. The first being the FCX Clarity
which was shown at Los Angeles Auto Show 2013.
The
FCV is powered by an electric motor which does 134 bhp, an increase in 60%
compared to the FCX Clarity. The fuel stack size of FCV concept has also been
reduced by 33%.
According to Honda, FCV is the first vehicle
to feature an entire fuel cell powertrain in its engine bay. Honda claims FCV can
do 482 Km with full tank of fuel and refuelling time has been redued to just 3
to 5 minutes.
Competing FCV concept will be Toyota’s
fuel cell car Mirai, and Hyundai’s hydrogen powered ix35.
Next generation Suzuki Alto unveiled in Japan, for Japan market
World’s largest
small car maker Suzuki has released images of the next generation Alto for
Japanese markets. The next generation Suzuki Alto will be launched in Japan on
December 22, 2014. It will replace the earlier model which made its debut in
2009 Tokyo Motor Show. Will it come to India, probably not as Maruti has
recently launched the Alto K10, which is basically a modified Alto 800.
Looking at the
design Suzuki designers have tried to give a distinct identity to the car. The
unusual shaped headlamp, fiat inspired front grill and upward kinking of rear
door window is something we see for the first time in a Suzuki car. There also
a sportier looking model with dual tone colours theme with black bumpers, hood
scoop and side cladding.
The new Suzuki
Alto could be powered by the same 660cc 3 cylinder petrol engine that pumps out
54 Ps of power at 6,500 rpm and 63 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. It might also get
a CVT gearbox along with 5 speed manual and 4 speed automatic.
The most interesting fact is the new
Suzuki Alto will be offered in 2 and 4 Wheel Drive options. Fuel efficiency is
expected at 21 Kmpl. A more powerful turbocharged engine is also on the offer.
A small car with 4 WD option? That’s the
vehicle suited for India roads. Suzuki, are you listening.
Tata Zest gathers 6 months waiting period
Tata Zest, the
compact sedan from Tata Motors developed under its “Horizonnext” strategy has
gathered waiting period of up to 6 months for some of its variants. This brings
a long gap for any Tata vehicle to gather this much of waiting period. Its was
Nano small car when launched in 2008 had managed to gather some waiting period.
The long
waiting period for Zest is attributed to supply chain constraint and inadequate
production capacity. In the month of October 2014, Tata Zest sold more than
Honda Amaze, and such popularity of the car had created demand more than the
production. Till date Tata Motors has sold over 10,000 units of Zest since its
launch in August 2014. According to company sources, the petrol variant of Zest
is also gathering momentum in sales.
Scoop: Suzuki YRA hatchback spied with little camouflage
Suzuki is
developing a bigger hatchback than Swift for India as well as international
markets. The test mule has been spied many times in Europe with heavy camouflage.
Now, pictures of the car with little camouflage have surfaced on the net.
It is evident
from the pictures that, Suzuki YRA hatchback has dimensions bigger than the
Swift. The front end though resembles the Swift (because of headlamp design),
YRA hatchback features a new grill inspired by Nissan. The side profile reminds
us of yet another Suzuki hatchback S-Cross, where as the rear end seams to be
all new design from Suzuki. Thought not pretty enough, the rear end gives a broad
bold look to the car.
Interior
pictures show an all new dashboard design. The massive boot offers luggage
space that will shy any mid size sedan. More details from the hood is still
remote. Suzuki might ponk in its 1.5L diesel which is almost in its final stage
of development.
When launched
in India by around 2016, YRA hatch will compete with Hyundai Elite i20 and soon
to be launched new Honda Jazz. With the dimensions of YRA, it will surely be
miles ahead of its competitors as far as space and comfort is concerned.
Mahindra P601 pick up mini truck spied, to feature dumbbell shaped headlamp
Mahindra is
testing its P601 pick up mini truck in and around Chennai where it has its
R&D facility (Mahindra Research Valley). From the latest spy pictures we
see dumbbell shaped headlamps which look cute on this mini truck.
Mahindra P601
will compete with Tatas range of mini trucks which has seen huge success in
this segment.
Tata Nano discounts November 2014
Tata
Motors is offering huge discounts on its range of Nano cars. The discounts
range from Rs. 80,000 for the regular model and Rs. 35,000 for the Twist and
eMAX CNG models.
The
problems with Tata Nano persisted right from its launch. Firstly the transfer
of its factory and later the fire issues made things difficult for Nano. Also
the build quality and the engine noise issues worsend the problems for the car.
Tata
Motors has worked hard to revive the brand name Nano. They bought in lot of
changes in the interior as well as exterior to make the car more valuable.
Addition of a power steering was a good move, however the sales of the car did
not pick up even then. Tata Motors sold just 1,654 units of Nano in October
2014 as compared to 2,120 units in the same month last year.
Upcoming
additions like automatic transmission, bigger fuel tank and openable rear tailgate
give some hope of the car. As of now its the best time to buy a Nano car. If
you are planning, just go and buy one.
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