Ford Figo - Variants, Colours, Features & Specifications

Variants:

     3 variants will be available – base, mid and high end called ‘Platinum’. A Titanium variant as an optional will also be on offer as high end plus.

Colours:

     Seven colours will be available - Diamond white, Panther black, Moondust silver, Chille, Sea grey, Squeeze and Colorad red.

Features:

     Safety features include ABS with EBD and twin airbags. In the comfort zone there is height adjustable driver seat, large glove box with lid, integrated MP3 player with bluetooth connectivity and an aux port and central locking. Other features available are includes dash mounted button operated boot control, programmable remote locking system, flip-fold down rear seat, lane departure signal and motorcycle inspired instrument panel.

Specifications:

     There will be two engine options for the Figo, a 1.2L petrol with max power of 70bhp at 6250rpm and a max torque of 104Nm at 4000rpm and a 1.4L (Duratorq) with max power of 68bhp at 4000rpm and 160Nm of max torque at 2000rpm.Both the engines are coupled with iB5 manual transmission.


     The Figo dimensions qualify for the small car exercise duty in India. The Figo is 3795mm long, 1908mm wide and 1227mm tall. The Ford company claims Figo has the longest wheels base in its class with 2498mm. All the three variants will be equipped with 175/65R14 radial tyres with 14” steel wheels, however there is no alloy option even in the top end variant. Braking is done by disc at front and drum at the rear. McPherson strut does the duty in the front where as the rear suspension gets a twisted beam one. Fuel capacity is 45 liters ensuring a longer drive for the customers. Figo comes with excellent cabin space and 284 liters of boot space.

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Maruti Swift & Dzire gets 1.2L K series engine

     With the strict emission norms coming into effect from 1st April 2010, Maruti Suzuki has replaced the old F series 1.3L petrol engine with the new 1.2L K series petrol engine in its popular hatchback Swift & its bigger brother Dzire sedan. This 1.2L K series engine is the same one which does the duty in Ritz, Estilo and newly launched Eeco MPV.

     The K series in the Swift & Dzire produces a good 84bhp of power 11.5kgm of torque, coupled to an much improved gearbox. The old 1.3-liter powerplant produced 87bhp and 11.3kgm torque.

     The K-Series engine is better refined and the company claims it has a fuel efficiency of 17.9kpl, a 2kpl improvement over the previous model. Maruti Suzuki will not hike the price of the new K series engine Swift.

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Will Volkswagen & Suzuki share dealerships in India?

     With VW buying Suzuki’s 19.9% share it can be speculated that both the companies could share their dealerships in India like Tata and Fiat.

     Tata and Fiat got into a JV couple of years ago. With the JV, Tatas got the technology from the Fiat and in turn Fiat which lacked the sales and service in India got a channel to sell and service their cars in a better way. Fiat though makes world class cars, could not make a big intact in India from past 10 to 15 years due of lack of its after sales services. Now with the JV, Fiat has sold a substantial number of its newly launched cars Grande Punto and Linea.

     This could set a great example for VW and Suzuki. Suzuki has a vast dealership network in India and VW is relatively new here. Setting up of good number of dealerships will consume both time and substantial cost. So it could be better for VW to share the dealerships with Suzuki. Suzuki can in turn get the diesel technology which it lacks in its portfolio. This could to be a win-win situation for both the companies if the JV is worked out well.

VW and Suzuki tie up story

     German and Europe’s largest carmaker Volkswagen bought 19.9% stake in the Japanese third largest carmaker Suzuki couple of weeks ago by purchasing shares of Suzuki worth $ 2.5 billion. Suzuki had its strength in small cars and for Volkswagen to become the world’s largest carmaker its needs small cars in its portfolio.

     On the other hand Suzuki will be benefited from VW’s diesel engines and sell its cars in Europe from which the company gets 57% of its revenue. Of $2.5 billion dollars, Suzuki will use half of the money to clear its debts and invest in development of next generation technology like electric, hybrid, low emission and low cost vehicles as well.

     One country which will be greatly affected from VW and Suzuki tie up will be India. Global makers are eying Indian market and are expecting their growth here for next decade. With the two company joining hands, both will be benefited in what could be the higly competitive automobile market in the world for sure in coming days.

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Tata Nano that hits 200kmph and costs $2,20,000

     Every one of us likes Nano, at least for the design, but those who have driven it might have a different thought. Nano has a small engine and does the job assigned to it, but if you are a petro head and wants to zip at high speed, naaaa Nano is not the vehicle you should be driving. Is it? Well give a second thought again.

     India’s ace designer Dilip Chhabria has announced plans to create a modified Nano that will have a top speed of 200kmph, that is almost twice that of the original. This increase in performance would nonly cost you a couple of thousand dollars, $ 220,000 Oops…

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General Motors increases the price of its 4 models

     In the midst of Auto Expo 2010 going on, General Motors has increase the prices of its 4 models by 0.5-1.5% citing steep rise in input costs. The price rise will be on the Spark, Aveo, Cruz and Tavera where as the prices of Captiva, Optra and Aveo U-VA will be not affected.

Press Release:

"The increasing input cost has been the biggest concern for us for the last six months. After the commodity prices reached its bottom last year, all materials like steel, rubber and aluminum are rising now," GM India sales Director Sumit Sawhney told reporters after the launch of Chevrolet Beat.

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Mahindra to roll out electric version of Maxximo LCV by October 2010

     Mahindra plans to roll out electric version of the Maxximo LCV by October this year. The electric Maxximo will compete with soon to be launched electric Ace LCV from Tata Motors. Maxximo which is powered by a 2 cylinder diesel and has a payload capacity of 850kg, but the electric one will have slightly lower payload at around 600kg.

     Maxximo LCV was recently launched at the Auto Expo 2010 at New Delhi. It is world first mini truck to be powered by a 2 cylinder CRDe engine with DOHC technology and 4 valves per cylinder. Maxximo combines best in class technology, unmatched performance, superior style and comfort. It is the first product to be rolled out from Mahindra’s state-of-the-art Chakan plant.

Press Release:

“Electric Maxximo will be as practical as any other commercial vehicle of its size. It has the capacity of going up to 90 kilometers per full charge of 8 hours,” said Pawan Goenka, president of the automotive division of Mahindra told ET Now, adding, “The savings will be high on this vehicle, but it will depend on the price per unit of electricity in different states,” said Goenka.


"The efficient movement of road freight plays an important role in the economic progress of a nation. Under the hub-and-spoke distribution model, the role of small goods carriers is also becoming important to ensure last-mile or end-point distribution of goods. The Maxximo has been developed with our winning mantra of customer centricity combined with modern, efficient technology to create the next generation mini-truck" said Anand Mahindra, vice-chairman & managing director, Mahindra Group.

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Toyota launches 'Toyota U-Trust' Program

     Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd has launched ‘Toyota U Trust’ to facilitate sales, purchase and exchange of Toyota and non Toyota cars. Toyota U Trust’ aims at providing professional service to the customers who want to exchange their old car to a brand new Toyota. Customers can also trade in their old car for a used Toyota. Customers will be provided with a wide range of value added service including the finance options at ‘Toyota U Trust’.

     The used car segment in the country continues to be largely unorganized and Toyota is entering the segment with the aim of ensuring that customers are offered the necessary choice, convenience and transparency in order to make an informed buy or sale. The customer has a choice of driving in with a car - both Toyota and non-Toyota to ‘Toyota U Trust’ and can choose a new Toyota or any used car available. ‘Toyota U Trust’ launched in Chennai and Bangalore, will be extended to metros and other cities gradually.

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