Renault Kwid spied in dealer yard, launch expected soon

        Renault’s promising low cost hatchback Kwid has been spied in a dealer yard indication the launch of the car is around the corner. Mr. Carlos Ghosn, the top brass of Renault worldwide had announced Kwid’s launched in India by this festive season.

        Renault Kwid with its tough design appeal to the young car buyers and coupled with more space and a reasonable price, it promises to change the way people thing about buying a first car. Features ahead of its segment will be an addition to Kwid compared to its competitors.

        Renault Kwid will be powered by an 800 cc 3 cylinder petrol engine which the company claims to be simple in technology and delivers unmatched fuel efficiency in the segment. A bigger 1L engine is expected next year but a diesel option has been completely ruled out considering the cost of its development. 

Bookings open for Mahindra TUV300

        The dealers of Mahindra vehicles have started accepting bookings for soon to be launched Mahindra TUV300. The TUV300 mini SUV will be launched on September 10^th 2015. You can book your TUV300 for as little as Rs. 20,000.

        Mahindra is betting big on TUV300 mini SUV. The company has extensively tested the vehicle and aims to position the vehicle in the rugged SUV segment like it did with the Bolero. The TUV300’s design, as revealed by the company is inspired by a war tank which is evident from the angular windshield. TUV300 features a boxy look giving it a tough and go anywhere appearance.

        The TUV300 will be powered by a 3 cylinder 100 Ps diesel engine with twin turbo. It is the same engine of the Quanto but tweaked for optimum performance and fuel efficiency. The TUV300 is said to be a low cost product from Mahindra, which means the vehicle will be priced around Rs. 5 lakh. 

Honda introduces celebration editions of Amaze and Mobilio

        Feeling the heat of the competition, Honda has introduced a celebration edition of Amaze sedan and Mobilio MPV. As per Honda the celebration editions have been launched to commemorate the festive season in India. The Amaze which was the king in the segment is threaten by the recently launched Ford Figo Aspire and the Mobilio from Renault Lodgy which has received lot of attention by the Indian customers.

        The celebration edition vehicles will get upgraded seat covers and cushions, a steering wheel cover, new floor mats, body graphics and a logo to highlight the special edition. The offer is available in all variants and only in Tafetta white and Orchid Pearl White pain schemes.

            The celebration edition Honda Amaze price starts from Rs. 5,22,700 and Mobilio at Rs. 6,79,000 (Ex-showroom, Delhi). 

Ford Figo Classic Fiesta discontinued from Indian market

        Ford India has discontinued Figo hatch, Fiesta sedan and Fiesta Classic from Indian market. The Figo will be replace by the next generation model, the Figo Aspire will take up the Fiesta Classic position and the Fiesta sedan’s discontinuation is a surprise.

        The Figo has been a trump card for Ford as it bought back the Ford Motor Company into the Indian automotive map. Figo was a no nonsense car and was an able competitor to the Swift. The lack of rear power windows was a letdown, but in other aspects the Figo gave a run for its money for Swift. Though it had dated looks, the practicality and road manners won lots of hearts of young Indians who liked the performance of the vehicle and also the competitive pricing.

        The Fiesta Classic which was earlier named as Fiesta was a good product from Ford. The fuel efficiency of the car got laurels to it and so do the practicality. However with the launch of new cars in the segment pushed this Ford’s beauty into the dark.

      

  As for as the new Fiesta is concerned, Ford could never gain success from this product. The car was perceived as a ture driver’s car, thanks to the latest technology from Ford. However the lack of rear seat comfort and high price let down the product and now Ford has finally decided to self the plans of its continuation. The replacement model is yet to be finalised, and we feel for might bring in the stretched version of Figo Aspire to fulfil its position. 

Ford to launch next generation Figo in India soon

            After the launch of Figo Aspire compact sedan in India, Ford is geared up to launch the Figo hatch by the end of September or early October 2015. The new Figo gets dynamic styling, the Aston Martin grill is the highlighting feature.

            The current generation Figo gave a breather to Ford India when launched in 2010. Ford had almost hit the bottom of sales in India and thanks to Figo which pumped lot of faith in the company. The new Figo is likely to carry on the legacy of its predecessor. The rear power window issue has been addressed in the new Figo.

            Just like the Figo Aspire, the Figo hatch will be built to the Ford standards. Features such as Ford SYNC infotainment system, Ford MyKey, and automatic climate control
will be borrowed to the Figo hatch as well. Top of the line Titanium+ variant will get ABS and EBD as standard.

            Powering the Figo hatch will be 1.2L Ti-VCT petrol and 1.5L TDCi diesel. The petrol motor has 88 Ps of power and the diesel gets 100 Ps. Transmission duty is done by 5 speed manual gearbox. The 1.5L TDCi diesel with 100 Ps power will be performance based product considering the small weight of the car. As always Figo hatch will come with class leading drivability and handling.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz colours

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz is available in 7 colour shades:

1. Pearl Dignity Brown
2. Pearl Snow White
3. Pearl Sangria Red
4. Metallic Silky Silver
5. Metallic Glistening Gray
6. Pearl Midnight Black
7. Metallic Clear Beige

Pearl Dignity Brown

Pearl Snow White

Pearl Sangria Red

Metallic Silky Silver

Metallic Glistening Gray

Pearl Midnight Black

Metallic Clear Beige

Maruti Ciaz diesel mini hybrid launched in India

        Maruti has launched its first ever hybrid vehicle in India in the form of Ciaz diesel SHVS (Smart Hybrid Veicle by Suzuki). The Ciaz mini hybrid is priced at Rs. 8.23 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base variant. The Ciaz diesel SHVS/mini hybrid features start-stop technology, brake energy recuperation and Engine Power Assist Systems.

        The Ciaz diesel mini hybrid delivers fuel economy of 28.09 Kmpl making it the most fuel efficient car in the country. It surpasses even the two cylinder diesel of Celerio which as fuel economy figures of 27.62 Kmpl. In fact Maruti has stopped the regular diesel model of Ciaz showing how confident the company is with its SHVS technology.

        Powering the Ciaz mini Hybrid is Maruti’s 1.3L DDiS diesel engine couple to an integrated starter generator. Whenever there is breaking or use of start-stop technology, the integrated starter generator charges the additional new high capacity battery. The engine gets an electric boost through Engine Power Assist System via the battery during acceleration at 2500 rpm.

        Exterior wise there are no changes to the car but for the SVHS badge on the boot lid. There are additional lights on the instrument cluster and a gearshift indication is an addition. Same trim levels of Ciaz are retained with an addition of VDi(O) trim which gets dual airbags, ABS and seat belt pre-tensioners as addition.

        The Ciaz mini hybrid is slightly cheaper than the regular diesel model, thanks to FAME hybrid and electric car initiative by the Government of India. The car also becomes the only vehicle in the segment to come with hybrid technology. Its competitors are Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento.