Mini SUV segment to boom with Maruti, Volkswagen & Tata entry

        Ford has managed to pull out a rabbit out of the hat through the highly successful Ecosport. The mini SUV segment in India is still in infancy and has very little competitors as of now and Ford Ecosport is enjoying the privilege of being the winner in the segment.

        But things are going to change soon. Hyundai is coming up with a mini SUV codenamed ix25 which has already spied testing alongside Ford Ecosport and Renault Duster on Indian soil. Now the spy picture of Maruti’s mini SUV based on Alpha XA concept has given a broader dimension to the segment. Being a Maruti, it can offer a product very competitively to its competitors, the trend which Maruti Suzuki has been following for a long time.

        Volkswagen is planning to bring Taigun in 2016 and mini Duster or new low cost mini SUV from Renault is also on the cards. Tata Motors is launching Nexon mini SUV soon. So in coming years we will see a huge demand as well as competition in the mini SUV segment in India. Does B segments 2005 to 2014 success story will be carried to mini SUV segment? Chances are more likely...

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Renault’s small car for India spied, to rival Alto

        Early last year Renault had announced its plans to develop a small car for India to compete against the largest selling car in the country ‘Maruti Alto’. Here is the first spy picture of Renault’s small car for India undergoing testing on Indian roads.

        As seen from the picture, the car looks bigger and taller than the Alto. Heavy camouflage gives minute details of the car but it is evident that Renault is serious about competing with Alto which has been the bread and butter car for India’s largest car manufacturer ‘Maruti Suzuki’.

        The dropping down bonnet and a arch roofline suggest the Renault’s small car to be more rounded with smooth contours unlike European cars with sharp edges. The front end will feature Renault’s signature grill with a large Renault diamond logo on it.

        Renault will fit its latest 3 cylinder 800cc petrol engine in the new small car. The engine has been exclusively designed for the vehicle and is optimised to deliver good performance and better fuel efficiency. The engine is said to deliver 21 Km per liter of petrol. As of diesel, Renault has no plans to launch a diesel variant as of now.

        Renault’s small car will be priced around Rs. 4 lakh. Other cars along with Alto at this price point are Hyundai Eon & Datsun Go which will also be hit by the competition. 

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Maruti’s mini SUV Alpha XA spied for the first time

        It was in 212 Auto Expo, New Delhi Suzuki displayed a mini SUV concept. Since then the loyal Suzuki fans in India has been waiting with mouth watering to see a glimpse of the mini SUV in flesh. Good news is that the mini SUV (codenamed Alpha XA) has been spied for the first time with some camouflage.

        This is the first ever spy picture of Maruti Suzuki mini SUV Alpha XA. It is not sure whether the test mule has reached Indian shores, but since the spy photo has appeared, it suggest the vehicle’s launch in India in the next six to eight months.

        The heavy camouflage of the mini SUV reveals very less about the vehicle’s design architecture. However the mini SUV looks p roportionate in dimensions with some sharp looking features. It indeed looks to be under 4 meter length mark and hence qualifying for small car norms. The backwards sloping window line is the signature sign of the recent Suzuki vehicles (Even Swift has backward sloping window line). The air dam looks big and the headlamps are in close resemblance to that of the concept Alpha XA. The floating ‘C’ pillar is the highlight of the mini SUV design. The wheel arches are bulged giving a muscular look, plastic cladding might give aesthetics to the mini SUV. As seen from the picture, the mini SUV will have tail gate mounted spare wheel, like that of Ford Ecosport.

        Maruti Suzuki will use its 1.4L K series petrol and 1.3L DDiS diesel engines for the new mini SUV. Some sources say Suzuki might bring in its self developed (still under development) 1.5L diesel engine for India through this mini SUV. If that is the care then Maruti might price the mini SUV very competitively as using its own engine will cut costs by not paying the royalty money for Fiat’s Multi-Jet engine technology. Practically speaking, Suzuki’s 1.5L diesel engine should be powering the mini SUV as its competitors (Ford Ecosport, Hyundai ix35) are/will be run by bigger 1.5L diesel engines.

        Autocarindia says Maruti Suzuki will unveil the mini SUV Alpha XA at New Delhi Auto Expo 2016. But we feel Suzuki might launch the mini SUV in India sooner than that because Maruti Suzuki does not want to lose a good piece of market share, which they always hate to do so. 

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New Maruti Alto K10 Price in Bangalore

New Maruti Alto K10 LX Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,23,471

New Maruti Alto K10 LX Non-Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,19,826

New Maruti Alto K10 LXI Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,39,437

New Maruti Alto K10 LXI Non-Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,35,792

New Maruti Alto K10 LXI CNG Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 4,00,504

New Maruti Alto K10 LXI CNG Non-Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,96,859

New Maruti Alto K10 LXI CNG Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 4,00,504

New Maruti Alto K10 LXI CNG Non-Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,96,859

New Maruti Alto K10 VXI Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,55,786

New Maruti Alto K10 VXI Non-Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,52,141

New Maruti Alto K10 VXI (O) Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,75,060

New Maruti Alto K10 VXI (O) Non-Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,71,415

New Maruti Alto K10 VXI AMT Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,98,978

New Maruti Alto K10 VXI AMT Non-Metallic Price in Bangalore: ₹ 3,95,333

*All prices Ex-showroom Bangalore of 01-11-2014. Prices may change.

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Suzuki YRA hatchback revealed, spied without camouflage

        Just couple of days ago we had posted about Suzuki YRA hatchback spied with little camouflage. Now pictures of the car without any camouflage have surfaced on the net, probable taken somewhere in Europe.

        Suzuki YRA hatch looks much bigger than the Swift and though the front end carries the Suzuki design language, the YRA hatch rear is completely new to the company’s design philosophy. The rear looks more European with raked C pillar, seen first on Suzuki hatches.

        Suzuki YRA hatchback will compete with Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz. We believe Suzuki will waste no time in bringing the car to India as they are known to capture the market sooner than any other car company.  

        Suzuki YRA hatchback will be positioned above Swift and expected to be priced around Rs. 8 lakh. It is expected to come with 1.2 and 1.4L petrol engines and 1.3L DDiS diesel. 

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Mercedes Maybach S Class makes its official debut at Los Angeles

        Daimler AG unveiled the Mercedes Maybach S Class luxury sedan at the Los Angeles Motor Show 2014. The Maybach nameplate had gone into woods from some time and the company is making its come back in the form of S Class.

        Mercedes Maybach S Class is 200m longer than the regular Merc S class and now stands 5453 mm long. Because of this there is added wheelbase which now measure 3365 mm.

        There are minimal changes in the exterior except for the “Maybach” badging and lettering and shorter rear doors to accommodate the rear quarter glass which is embedded in the C pillar.

        Most of the changes have occurred in the inside of the car. The rear passengers get to enjoy the additional legroom and the backrests now can be adjusted separately. The cushion can also be adjusted individually (inclination and horizontal).

        The Mercedes Maybach S Class will get the tag of “quietest car in the world” thanks to special seals optimizing the noise insulation along with the installation of additional sound deadening material.

        Scheduled to go on sale in February 2015, first the Maybach S Class will be offered in S600 variant with a twin turbo V12 6 liter engine with 530 Hp of power and 830 Nm of torque followed by less powerful S500 and S400 4MATIC variants.

Mercedes Maybach S Class video

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Toyota Prius V facelift 2015 unveiled at Los Angeles Motor Show

        Toyota has unveiled the 2015 Prius V facelift at Los Angeles Motor Show. The 2015 Prius V facelift looks more aggressive now with new front bumper, a revised grill and redesigned headlamps.

        The car now gets new colour themes - Attitude Black Metallic, Absolutely Red and Toasted Walnut Pearl. There are no much changes in the interior except a 8 way power driver’s seat (with power lumbar support) and an Entune infotainment system with 6.1 inch display.

        The Hybrid Synergy Drive system remains the same 1.8 liter Atkinson-cycle engine with electric motors. It produces a combined maximum power output of 134 Bhp and returns around 40 to 44 miles per gallon.

Source: worldcarfans

Toyota Prius V facelift 2015 video

Toyota Prius V facelift 2015 more pictures

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