Maruti has increased the prices of its cars with immediate effect and has stated “rising input costs and introduction of BS IV norms” as the main reason behind it. List of car models and their respective price rise -
| A-Star/Ritz | by Rs. 1000 |
| Estilo/Omni/Swift | Rs. 2500 – 3750 |
| Dzire | Rs. 7000 |
| SX4 | Rs. 9000 |
| Eeco (New) | Rs 10000 |
| Maruti 800/Omni LPG (BS III) | Rs 3000 |
Skoda India has launched a new variant of its premium sedan, the Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI (Petrol) with manual transmission (MT) priced at Rs 18.28 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). This one is 1.5 lakhs cheaper than the existing 1.8 TSI Automatic model which retails at Rs. 19.81 Lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi). The company had launched the Superb in March 2009 and has sold 3000 units of the car since then.
Hyundai will be launching an 800cc petrol car in India by 2011-2012. Currently the lowest cost model from Hyundai is the Santro. But the company wants to launch a car which costs even less than the Santro and the i-10. It wants to produce the car on scale comparable to the Maruti 800 (which has been phased out in 13 metro cities all over the country because of the stricter BS-IV emission norms). Though the company said the car will be cheap, it made it clear that it does not have in mind to compete with the Tata Nano because it can’t afford to produce a Rs 1 lakh car right now. The car will be for both the domestic and international markets.
Does this maroonish beauty look like the current Verna you see on the Indian roads? Not by any chance, no? This was caught during a commercial shoot in Korea's Incheon International Airport. This Verna (codename:RB) has striking similarities to the Elantra and the Sonata YF with the stretched headlamps and steeper windshield. Looking forward to see this stunner in flesh in India!
Bentley, today, unveiled its super luxury car Mulsanne at the British High Commission in New Delhi. The car is priced at Rs 2.9 Crores and will be available in the market in October.
According to Chris Buxton, regional director, Bentley (India, Middle-East and Africa)
We have debuted this car in the Indian market for Bentley car connoisseurs. India has a very strong and vibrant economy. We are very hopeful about the future prospects of our business here.
Bentley's legendary hand-assembled 6.8-litre V8 engine pays homage to its predecessors yet for the new Mulsanne it has been comprehensively re-engineered to employ advanced technologies that deliver unstressed, refined performance. The engine is capable of producing 512 bhp with 1,020 Nm torque.
The new Bentley V8 engine is lighter and features cylinder de-activation and variable cam phasing, a combination that can significantly reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
It will be a highly customizable car and the buyers will be able to choose from 114 paint colors, 21 carpet colors, 9 wood veneers & 24 interior leather hides all of which will be tanned using a decades-old process to ensure this future classic retains its distinctive scent.
In addition, through Bentley's bespoke service, unique colours can be developed which will match a customer's vision and taste. With more standard leather and wood veneer than any other Bentley in the modern era, it is understandable that each Mulsanne will take nine weeks (about 650 hours) to build.
Mitsubishi India has discreetly launched the facelifted 2010 Outlander. The SUV now gets more aggressive front looks, with styling cues adopted from the Outlander GT Prototype which was first displayed at last year’s New York International Auto Show.
The 2010 Outlander gets contemporary design elements such as new headlamp cluster, Lancer Evo inspired ‘jet fighter’ style front grille, reshaped bumper and hood, new roof rails, and door mirrors with integrated turn lights.
No changes have been made to the rear and Mitsubishi hasn’t touched its power plant either. It retains the same all-alloy twin-cam 4-cylinder in-line 2.4-litre engine petrol motor that produces 167bhp of power and a max of 23kgm of torque. Coupled with a 6-speed CVT box, the Outlander can touch 0-100 in under 10secs and reaches a top speed of 190kph.
With the updated looks Mitsubishi has given the Outlander a fresh lease of life and with a price cut of Rs 60,000, it hopes to take the fight to the Honda CR-V, which is the current segment leader. The Outlander now retails at Rs 23.58 lakh (on-road Mumbai), making it more than Rs 2 lakh cheaper than the CR-V.
Bentley’s new Continental Supersports Convertible will be the fastest and most powerful open-top Bentley ever when it goes on sale in June.
Supersports models are the most extreme interpretations of the Continental — hence the name, which was made famous by 1925’s Bentley Supersports, the fastest and most powerful car of its day.
The Supersports Convertible’s twin-turbocharged W12 engine produces 621bhp and 81kgm of torque. It takes 3.9sec to get from 0-100kph and 9.6sec to reach 160kph from a standstill, and can reach a top speed of 325kph.
Power is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed ZF Quickshift automatic gearbox, which cuts shift times to just 93 milliseconds and allows double downshifts.
As in last year’s Supersports coupé, Bentley has reduced the weight of the four-seat Supersports Convertible over the standard car. Almost 100kg has been shaved off the base car’s 2485kg kerb weight, through the use of lightweight 20-inch alloys, carbon-ceramic brakes, lightweight seats and carbonfibre in its cabin.
The Supersports Convertible is the latest Bentley to receive the firm’s FlexFuel technology, which allows it to run on petrol, E85 biofuel or any mix of the two. Bentley says FlexFuel cuts ‘well to wheel’ emissions by 70 per cent and the technology will be standard across the Continental range from the 2011 model year.
Bentley has revised spring, damper and steering settings, and the four-wheel drive system has a 40/60 rear-biased torque split to cut understeer. The rear wheel arches have been flared to accommodate a 50mm increase in rear track, and the ESP has been tweaked to intervene less at low speeds.
Source - Autocarindia
Nissan has revealed that it is seriously studying the feasibility of a US$ 5000 car (approximately Rs. 2.5 lakh) for markets like China and India.
According to Colin Dodge, Executive Vice-President, Nissan Motor Company -
"We believe there is huge potential for a car in the gap between the ultra-low cost car that Bajaj is developing and the Nissan Micra"
Colin Dodge also indicated that the car may be developed with Indian partner Ashok Leyland.
"Our relationship with Ashok Leyland is growing and we believe there is an opportunity to develop a price entry vehicle with them"
Nissan feels that India with its unique low cost base and frugal engineering skills is well placed to develop such a car.
"In Europe or Japan engineers can no longer go back to basics and they have lost the ability to engineer products that meet the low end of the market. Indian engineers challenge everything from a cost point of view"
Tata, yesterday, launched the Nano EV – the electric, battery operated version of the Nano at the Geneva Motor Show. This Nano is primarily aimed at the European Market and as of now, the company has no Nano EV plans for India.
According to AutoCarIndia, “The compact electric motor and battery pack has been neatly packaged without compromising on the cars functionality”
The Nano will use the same lithium super polymer batteries as the Indica, which will allow it to reach 37mph from rest in a rather sedate 10 seconds. However, this allows the Nano to travel 99 miles on a single eight-hour charge.
The price hasn’t been disclosed, but the company says that the EV will be very ‘price conscious’.
The SUV sales in India this January saw the Tata owned Land Rover overtake the BMW SUV sales with the Land Rover selling 35 units in January and BMW selling 16 units of its SUVs. Audi, however, remained at no.1 position by selling a whopping 114 units. Mercedes, seemed to struggle, selling only 6 units of the M-Class.
This rise in the sales of the Land Rover is being attributed to its lower starting price of Rs 35 Lakhs as compared to the Rs 55 lakhs which is the price of BMWs entry-level SUV X3. However, BMW plans to catch-up on this by assembling X1 at its Chennai plant which will become its entry-level SUV at a price tag of Rs 26 Lakhs.
According to analysts, another reason for the increase in sales is that Land Rover has a wider range of models available for India which include the Freelander 2, Discovery 4 Sports Tourer, the Range Rover Sport and the Range Rover as compared to BMW’s smaller range comprising of the X3, X5 and X6.
Another thing worth mentioning, here, is that Land Rover has been able to project itself as rugged SUV model, fit for rough terrains, while BMW pitched for a lifestyle alignment in the market.
The Volkswagen Polo is finally all-set to hit the roads in February. The price which has been a closely guarded secret will also be announced on February 23. VW has been working aggressively on localisation to price the Polo competitively so you can expect the base Polo to start at around Rs 4.5 lakh.
There will be three engine options available, but the first one to hit the showrooms will be the 1.2-litre 75bhp petrol. The other two engines – 1.2-litre 75bhp diesel and a 1.6-litre 104bhp petrol will follow shortly. The Polo promises to bring class leading levels of quality and comfort to the segment and will be available across three trim levels – Trendline, Comfortline and the Highline.
Source - Autocar India
French car manufacturer Renault is looking for an Indian partner with whom its Zero Emission cars can be developed for India. The Twizy Z.E Concept occupies the prime spot in Renault’s zero emission plans for India.
The Twizy Concept has a four-wheel chassis and offers the driver and passenger – seated one behind the other – an all-electric means of transport which produces zero CO2 emissions. With 2.30 meters long and just 1.13 meters wide, the Twizy ensures that it sneaks through the urban traffic without much problem.
It has a turning circle of just three meters and a footprint barely larger than that of a scooter. So, parking should not be an issue in India’s crowded streets. Powered by a 20 bhp electric motor the car develops 7.14 kgm of max torque and can attain a top speed of 75 kmph. It combines comfort with responsive performance at all engine speeds and it can accelerate at a similar rate to a 125cc bike.
So, you think you are the best driver in India, eh? Well, some news that might interest you! Autocar India and Maruti Suzuki have come up with Young Driver 2010 - a competetion for India's safest driver.
The competition will be held in three phases – an online theory test, a simulator session and the final driver analysis at the Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) at New Delhi.
The Rewards? Well, the winner of the competetion gets a brand new Maruti Suzuki A-Star alongwith the title of being India's safest driver.
Interested? head to www.youngdriver.in to register. (Last Date for Registration -> 25the February 2010
IAB published the images of what could be the new variant of the Ford Endeavour in India. The Endeavour spied is said to be the same as the showroom model the only difference being that this one had a “On Test” badge on the rear windshield.
Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director, Ford India last year hinted at 2.5 Litre – Automatic & 3 Litre Manual Transmission versions of the Endeavour. This one here, could well be one of the two!
“It (the price) will be very competitive. We will compete with the i10 and Swift and others as we are targeting the segment, which accounts for 70% of all new vehicles sold in India; The definition of small car in India is a “bit different”
Mr Boneham said Ford intends to introduce a series of new products to the market in a 12-18 month span. It would take about 5-6 years to reach full capacity, he said, responding to a query. Though it would focus on the compact car segment, it did not necessarily mean that Ford would not look at other segments.
Volvo Auto India, yesterday, launched the new Volvo S80 in India. The car is priced at Rs 38.79 lakh (Ex-Mumbai) & Rs. 37 lakh (Ex-Delhi) Volvo currently sells two models in India, the Volvo SUV XC90 and Volvo S80.
The New Volvo S80 meets the Euro 5 emission norms. It has a 2.4 litre diesel engine which delivers 205 hp, 420 Nm of torque and a fuel efficiency of 13.09 km per litre. The D5 engine also comes equipped with the latest twin turbo and Peizo high-pressure technology. It has the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) feature which is provided in all Volvo diesel models.
The S60 offers rear seat entertainment with a dual DVD screen connected to a Dolby Prologic II Dynaudio music system, GPS Navigation system and an anti-theft personal communicator.
In terms of safety, the S80 comes with Intelligent Driver Information System, Adaptive Brake Lights, Ready Alert Brakes - which further reduce braking distance during an emergency, Dynamic Stablity Traction Control, Whplash Protection System and Side Impact Protection System.
The company said that it has no plans to set-up manufacturing units in India as the company is not getting that kind of sales figures yet. Moreover, it said, that the country’s present duty structure doesn’t make much difference to the cost of the cars even if they are imported as CKD’s to India as opposed to the current CBU imports.
As Mahindra-Renault joint venture of 4 years nears its end (due to the differences between the two companies on the pricing and engineering issues), Renault will be launching independent dealerships across the country. The number of cities that Renault will open its own dealerships is still under review.
Currently, MRPL (Mahindra-Renault) has 100-odd dealerships, which sell their low-cost mid-size sedan, Logan, across the country. If Renault were to go independent, MRPL dealerships would continue to sell Logan, said a couple of dealers.
Renault revealed in January plans to launch its own brands and set up an independent distribution network in India next year. The announcement confirmed talk of an imminent breakup of the JV, already under strain after the shrinking sales of Logan, which now sells just around 500 units a month from a peak of 2,200. Due to this, MRPL has been forced to cut down production at its Nashik plant, which has a capacity to make 50,000 Logans.
The Renault-Nissan combine also has alliances with two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto for developing an ultra low-cost car, and with Ashok Leyland for light commercial vehicles.
Maruti Suzuki has recently got the benefit of lower taxes for the new model of its Swift car. The company will save around Rs 40,000 per car thanks to a lower excise duty for the new Swift’s smaller engine.
The smaller 1.2 L engine attracts an 8% excise duty, 12% lower than that of the phased-out 1.3L version. Cars under 4 metres with 1.2-litre petrol engines and 1.5-litre diesel engines attract an 8% excise duty while other passenger vehicles are taxed at 20%.
Traditionally, car makers pass on these benefits to customers in the form of reduced prices. But Maruti has decided to keep the price of the base model of the Swift same i.e about Rs. 4 lakhs.
Maruti attributes this decision to the rise in commodity prices and the cost of the new petrol engine. However, industry experts say that Maruti has taken this step keeping in view the upcoming launches in the premium hatchback segment by rival companies such as the Ford Figo, VW Polo & Toyota Etios. At that stage, Maruti will attract the customers towards the Swift by lowering prices. Swift has been the leader in its segment ahead of hatches like the Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, Fiat Punto & the Skoda Fabia since its launch in 2005.
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