Honda plans to introduce CNG variant of City by Diwali

     Honda City was once the segment benchmark car in C Segment. As we have told many times, a lack of diesel option from Honda has made the City the biggest casualty in its portfolio of cars. Honda is now planning to roll out a CNG variant of City to boost its sale. This seems to be a temporary answer by Honda to attract customers till it fits a brand new diesel motor in the City.

     According to sources Honda has been working on the CNG variant of City for some time. The suspension of the car has been strengthened as the CNG tank will be housed in the boot of the car. Also some minor changes to the engine has been done in line with the requirements of a CNG car. The instruement cluster will also show some changes to reflect the CNG requirements.

     The CNG City is likely to be introduced by Diwali. Expect the CNG variant of City to be costlier by Rs 50,000 compared to the petrol car. 

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Suzuki S-Cross Concept, will it replace the aging SX4?

     Suzuki will display its new S-Cross Concept at the Paris Motor Show this September. No much details are available but from the official sketch and teaser it looks to be a C Segment cross over and might replace the aging SX4.

     Seen from the sketch, teh S-Cross Concept resembles the Kizashi concept from the front. The teaser image shows the protective body moulding and skid plate under the car’s front, but nothing can be confirmed till we see the production version.

      Suzuki badly needs a SX4 replacement, expecially in Inida. The new enternts like Fluidic Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Nissan Sunny and soon to be launched Renault Scala have almost pushed the SX4 to the sideline. Suzuki also need a bigger diesel engine for its future SX4 and we hope with the new concept Suzuki might as well develop its own 1.6L diesel motor!

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Maruti launches Limited Edition Wagon R Pro

     Maruti Suzuki has launched yet another Limited Edition car in the form of Wagon R Pro. The Limited Edition Wagon R Pro comes loaded with 13 accessories and is priced at Rs. 4.50 lakh On-road New Delhi. This is a smart way from Maruti to push Wagon R sales which has been hit by the high petrol price.

     
     The Wagon R Pro is basically the Wagon R LXi with 13 accessories added. The added accessories on the Wagon R Pro are Double din stereo with USB connectivity, Floor mats, Rear spoiler, Car perfume, Bumper protection rubber strips, Wheel covers, Side moulding, 4 Speakers, Body graphics, Seat covers, Security system, Steering wheel cover and Spoiler paint.

     The accessories are worth Rs. 30,000. Maruti is also offereing a 32 inch Sony Bravia LCD television worth Rs. 22,000 free to all Wagon R buyers. Customers can avail cash discount if they do not wish to go for the TV. An additional cash discount of Rs. 11,000 is also available on the Wagon R. This makes the effective price of the Wagon R to Rs. 4.17 lakh (On-Road, New Delhi).

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New Toyota Camry launched in India, priced at Rs. 23. 8 Lakhs

     Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd. today launched the 7th Generation Camry in India priced at Rs. 23.8 lakh ex-showroom, New Delhi. The new Camry was spied some days ago while undergoing test run on Bangalore roads.

     Unlike the last generation Camry, the 7th Generation Camry will be assembled in India. The rupee depreciation and duty increase prometed Toyota to assemble the car in India. Toyota’s Bidadi plant becomes the 10th plant to manufacture the legendary Camry.

     The Camry has been a highly successful vehicle for Toyota. The Camry was first launched in Japan way back in 1982 and made its Indian debut in 2002. Since then 6500 units of Camry has hit Indian roads. Worldwide over 14 million Camrys has been sold and along with Corolla, Camry constitutes 60% of total Toyota sales.

     The major makets for Camry is the US and Middle East followed by Japan and Australia. However, the Camry could not make good sales in India, thanks to its high price. With the price of around Rs. 30 lakh, Camry lost its pace to Mercedes C Class, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4. Indian customers preferred German luxury brands rather than bland and bulky looking Camry. But things might change now as the Camry is assembled in India and hence will cost less compared to the previous model.

     The new Camry is powered by a new 2.5 liter petrol engine which produces 181 Ps @ 6000 rpm of power and 233 Nm @4100 rpm of torque. The engine is mated to a 6 Speed Automatic gearbox (Sequential shift). The new engine is more powerful and fuel efficient than the old 2.4L petrol engine. Currenty Toyota has no plans to launch a diesel powered Camry in India.

     The Camry is offered in 4 colour shades - Beige metallic, Attitude black, White pearl crystal shine and Silver metallic. Test drives and booking for the car begin from today at all Toyota dealerships.

New Toyota Camry Specifications & Features

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Different Phases When Selling Your Car

Selling a car involves a few different steps, and it is good to be self-aware of each phase of the selling process. It can be made very simple with a little added help; these include informational websites, classifieds, appraisers, and more. If you are going about this process on your own, then you have come to the right place to familiarize yourself with the selling game.

Determining the Price of Your Vehicle

Before you can even begin to market your car, you need to figure out just how much your vehicle is actually worth. You can do this by surfing different websites to find out what the base value of your car is; such as Blue Book value. Then, you must check to see the supply and demand of your model within the local area. This will greatly affect the price that your vehicle will bring. Damages and mileage are also important. If your vehicle has been wrecked, or the interior is not in great condition, it will sell for much less. Mechanically, the vehicle must be sound. Mileage is also a driving factor for potential buyers, so you will need to drop your asking price if the mileage on the vehicle is higher than the recommended mileage for that model and year.

Deciding: How to Sell

When I decided to sell my car in London, I took a look at WeWillBuyYourCar. Sites such as this make you an offer on your vehicle, can make a quick payment to you, and then proceed to pick up the vehicle- all within a short amount of time. This can be a wise option if you are short on time.
               

If you decide to sell it the old school way, you should proceed to making classified ads online and in newspapers. The more ads you place, the greater your reach will be; allowing more interested individuals to contact you. Your advertisement should be very alluring and captivating in order to snag the attention of those who pass by your ad. If you make your car sound irresistible, you will generate better leads.

Meeting Potential Buyers

When meeting with interested people, you should be sure to educate them on the specs of your vehicle. Afterwards, allow them to fully inspect the car as they please. They may also wish to have it evaluated by a mechanic. Test driving is very important to any potential buyer, so do not turn down this request. If all goes well and the individual is still interested in the vehicle, they may begin to barter your asking price. You should negotiate wisely; do not allow yourself to be ripped off, but do not allow a great offer to walk away, either.

Finalizing the Sale

Once the buyer and you have come to an agreement on the price, it is time to finalize the sale and allow them to take your vehicle home with them. The title should be transferred to the new buyer, and a bill of sale and receipt should be generated. Consider contacting a car dealer or lawyer in your area to ask for advice, to ensure that you are taking care of the legalities in the proper way.

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Renault Scala clear pictures, adds a CVT varaint

     Our friend Indianautosblog has posted clear pictures of soon to be launched Renault Scala. We thought we will show you these pictures of Renault Scala and tell you how it is different from the Nissan Sunny.

     As you can see from the pictures and our earlier post, the Scala is a rebadged Nissan Sunny with some modifications in the front and rear. The Scala features Renault’s distinctive styling in the front bumper (bull dog face appearance), redesigned headlamps and ofcourse the prominent Renault’s diamond logo. In the rear the tail lamp design remains the same but the assembly cluster has been changed which has indicator lights continuing with the chrome strip on the boot. The Scala written on the chrome strip reminds us of the Duster.

     The Scala will be powered by both petrol and diesel motors. The petrol engine is 1.5L with 99 Ps power and fuel efficiency of 16.95 Kmpl and the diesel motor produces 86 Ps of power and 21.54 Kmpl of fuel efficiency (Fuel efficiency figures as per ARAI).

     Renault Scala will be launched in the first week of September. The front and rear of Scala has been designed by Indian designers at Renault’s design studio in Mumbai. A CVT variant is an addition to the petrol model in comparison with the Nissan Sunny. Scala will be sold in two petrol (RxE, RxZ) and two diesel (RxL and RxZ) trims.

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Scoop: Mahindra mini Xylo to be named ‘Quanto’, launch soon

     The much hyped Mahindra’s mini Xylo will be named as ‘Quanto’, the name being in line with Mahindra vehicle’s ending with the letter ‘O’. We in our earlier post had showed spy pictures of the mini Xylo, naaa Mahindra Qunato doing testing rounds. We had also mentioned about a new 1.5L 3 cylinder mHawk diesel engine developed by Mahindra for Quanto.

     The Quanto uses the same Xylo’s latter on frame platform but the chassis has been shortened to make the overall length of the vehicle to come under 4 meters. Mahindra Quanto features short front and rear overhangs, redesigned tail lamps, spare wheel on the rear door and smaller wheels. Because of smaller wheels, the wheelbase would be reduced considerably and hence the Quanto will have a better ride than its bigger brother Xylo.

     The interiors including the dashboard will the same as that of Xylo and so do the suspension settings. Mahindra has removed one cylinder from 2.2L mHawk diesel engine and reduced the reaming 3 cylinder bores to develop a 1.5L diesel engine for this vehicle which still produces 100 Bhp of power. A seven seater version (the rear two seats facing each other like the ones in Bolero) is likely to come later on which might help fleet operators to push two more seats in their business.

Picture Source: Team-Bhp

Keep visiting Automobile Planet as we like to offer much more information about the Mahindra Quanto...

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