If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The first of the eight new premium Ford cars, the Ford Fiesta was launched in Mumbai on Monday. The car, which is sure to trigger a storm in the luxury C-segment, is priced between 8.23 Lakhs and 10.42 lakhs (ex-Showroom Delhi).
Equipped with EBD, ABS, steering wheel audio controls and airbags, the car would most certainly stun its competitors which include market leader Maruti’s SX4, the Japanese auto giant Honda’s City, Volkswagen Vento and recently revamped Hyundai Verna.
The car is powered by 1.5 L petrol or diesel engine and is offered in four variants namely Style, Trend, Titanium and Titanium+. Titanium+, the top model of this car, comes loaded with features to outclass every C-segment sedan in the Indian market. Pull Drift Compensation, Bluetooth connectivity, auto-fold mirrors and voice activated climate control; Ford India has armed the Fiesta 2011 with all the premium features in its arsenal. Continue Reading »
To boost the flagging sales of its premium hatchback Jazz, Honda Siel Cars India Pvt. Ltd is offering a discount of up to Rs 1.75 Lakh. This discount will be offered on selective models of Jazz, the sales of which are experiencing a sharp decline of nearly 40 percent.
Honda managed to sell only 643 units of Jazz in the April-June quarter of the current fiscal year, compared to the last year’s figures of 1050 units, the decline in sales are ominous signs for this model. Continue Reading »
Within hours of Maruti Suzuki announcing about their plans to launch an upgraded version of their flagship hatchback Swift, Nissan and Renault have started their preparations to give their rival a very tough competition. 
Leaving the Logan fiasco behind, which was produced in a joint venture with Mahindra and Mahindra, Renault has reentered the Indian automobile market with the launch of the luxury sedan Fluence. The company has a target of setting up over 100 dealerships across 75 cities by 2012. The date coincides with the launch of the company’s small car B58, Renault plans to unveil the car in the 2012 Auto Expo.
Although the company has not revealed anything about the car yet, it is speculated that the car will be based on the Nissan V platform, which is the same platform that supports Nissan Almera, Nissan Micra and Nissan Sunny. The buzz is that the car will have the same engine as Micra, a 1.2 litre petrol and a 1.5 litre diesel engine. The car will be designed at the company’s Mumbai design studio, and it is likely to have looks like the Maruti Wagon-R. The French auto giant has refused to comment any further on the design or the technical specifications of the car.
It is evident that the car will be pitted against market leader Maruti Suzuki’s Swift, Toyota’s Etios Liva and Hyundai’s flagship hatchback i10 and i20. The car is expected to offer a similar engine horse power as well as mileage as that of the above mentioned cars, therefore it is a matter of speculation as to what new features will be offered with the Renault B58. Continue Reading »
There is some good news for customers who are looking to buy a Chevrolet Beat, now they can own the GM’s premium hatchback without worries of the ever escalating petrol prices. Say hello to the new Chevrolet Diesel Beat! The same looks, the same driving pleasure and the same attitude, surprisingly at a lower running cost. The diesel version of the Beat will be launched in Mumbai on July 25, 2011.
The President and Managing Director of General Motors India, Karl Slym confirmed the launch date while speaking to the media in Coimbatore. An ecstatic Slym told the reporters that the car is specially designed to cater to the taste of the Indian consumers. Although, Slym did not comment about the cost of the vehicle, he told reporters that it would have a 1L diesel engine and an improved ground clearance level. He said: “With fluctuation in fuel prices in India from time to time, the new diesel Beat, the prices of which will be announced at the launch will revolutionise the small car segment, with its engine capacity and fuel economy.”
When asked about the company’s future plans, Slym said that the company has already invested approximately 1.5 Billion US dollars in India and plans to invest about 250 Million US dollars each in their two plants Halol and Talegaon over the next 18 months. Slym also added that GM has established their design, manufacturing and development capabilities in India and owing to that they have become the fifth largest car manufacturer in India. Continue Reading »
With the Logan fiasco behind them, the French auto giant Renault has brought to its Indian customers, one of its excellent C Segment offering, which looks good enough to deliver a sucker-punch to all its existing competitors in the Indian market. Engineered to outclass and designed to trigger envy, the Renault Fluence is poised to set the Indian automobile scene on fire.
Renault Fluence is available in two engine variants, a 1.5L Diesel version capable of producing 240 Nm torque @ 2000 rpm with 106 PS @ 4000 rpm and the more furious 2.0L MPFI (Multi-Point Petrol Injection) version 190 Nm of torque @ 3700 rpm with 137 PS @ 6000 rpm. The diesel version has a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed CVT transmission is provided in the Petrol version.
An ecstatic Sudhir Rao, Deputy Managing Director of Renault India told reporters “Today, we have reached the first big milestone in our India story. It was a promise we made a year ago, not only to the Indian customer, but to ourselves, that we would work hard to ensure we meet the seemingly difficult timelines we had set for our independent entry into the Indian market.” He also vowed commitment for delivering quality to Indian customers, “We understand that the Indian customer is extremely value conscious, hence not only will our products be in tune with customer expectations, but our commitment will be visible through every aspect of a customer’s interface with us … globally benchmarked Product Quality, Service quality, Network quality and our After Sales Service commitment,” he added. Continue Reading »
With consumers in the rustic parts of the country parting from frugality and demanding performance tailored bikes, Bajaj Auto India Ltd is gunning to take advantage of this novel trend by pitting models that cater to the requirements of the hinterlands. The company, which is expecting to sell more than two-and-a-half million bikes in this calendar year, is all set to launch new Pulsar 250. This would be the latest addition in the hugely popular Pulsar series of bikes. The Pulsar already has the 135, 150, 180 and 220 cc segment in the markets. The company will also roll out the new Boxer 150, dubbed by auto giant as “Tank on Two Wheels”, by the mid August. This vehicle is directed at the rustic market.
BAL President (Motorcycles) S Sridhar, the President of Bajaj Auto Ltd. stated, “Our market studies have found that there is a change in the demand from rural customers. They are moving beyond frugal, mileage driven products. They are asking for bikes that provide them safety and performance.”
Bajaj provides for the need of the rural customers primarily with its Discover range of motorcycles. This series has been going through a transformation in its sales figures. Continue Reading »
Maruti’s super seller premium hatchback Swift is up for a major overhaul. Swift was rolled out of Maruti’s garage for the first time in the year 2005 and has been a rage among the youth, owing to its sporty sub-compact. Maruti Dealers have started accepting bookings for the new model of Swift, the car has been codenamed as YP8 and the trials of it are on in the Manesar plant.
This B to B+ segment Hatchback sells close to 5000 units every month, Swift’s arrival had set the Indian hatchback segment on fire, with all the auto manufacturers vying to jump on the premium Hatchback bandwagon by launching their own models. In spite of multiple offerings in this segment, the popularity of Swift has never taken a beating. Continue Reading »
In a move to woo the customers and increase their sales, two-wheeler manufacturers and dealers are offering lower interest rates and cash benefits to the customers. The freebies have returned in the two-wheeler markets after a gap of four years.
Even though the two-wheeler industry is witnessing a double-digit annual growth, some models are short on sales. The freebies are being offered to boost the falling sales figures.
One such bike which is facing the heat is Honda Motors premium 110 cc bike CB Twister. Owing to staggering competition from models such as Hero Honda Splendor, Honda is offering a discount of rupees 3,500 on CB Twister to improve its sales. CB Twister was priced Rs 49,775 ex-showroom Delhi, whereas Splendor is priced 41,350. Continue Reading »
New Delhi: Britain’s iconic motorbike manufacturer, Triumph, is all set to enter the Indian premium bike market and has appointed Ashish Joshi, the former head of Royal Enfield Europe, as the Managing Director for its Indian venture.
“India is a very important motorcycle market and Triumph has assessed it carefully before deciding to step in. We see it as the next step in our global business model,” Nick Bloor, Chief Executive Officer Triumph Motorcycles UK, said while briefing reporters about the company’s expansion plan in the country. He further added that the appointment of Joshi as the MD of the Indian venture is a signal of the company’s earnestness to be successful in India.
Joshi was the head of Royal Enfield European operations before joining Triumph Motorcycles. He was instrumental in establishing Royal Enfield’s business across Europe. He has an experience of more than 16 years in Europe and Asia.
Although, no specific timeline has been specified by the company for launching its products in the country, it is speculated that the company plans to roll out its superbikes in early 2012. It is not yet clear whether the company will import or assemble units in India. It is also speculated that the company is looking to launch around 6-8 models from its range of 20 super bikes; these include classics, cruisers and naked sports bikes. The prices of these motorbikes range from 4.8 Lakhs to 9.5 Lakhs in the United Kingdom.
Triumph has been linked for an alliance or a stake acquisition with Bajaj Auto in the past. The company was established in 1902, and it has now shifted base to Hinckley, Leicestershire. It is renowned for the broad range of bikes it offers. Tiger 800, Speed Triple, Daytona 675 and 2.3 L Rocket III are some of its popular markets. Top global players of premium super bike market are looking to make inroads in India and Triumph Motorcycles is the latest addition to the list of companies which include BMW Motorrad, Ducati and Harley Davidson.
New Delhi: To further stagger competition in the small car segment, Toyota, the Japanese automobile giant launched Etios Liva on June 28, 2011. This is the first hatchback to roll out from the garage of Toyota Kirloskar Motors. Powered with a 1.2 L, four-cylinder, 16V, 79 BHP, 5 gear engine; the car is sure to be a pleasure for city driving and cruising on the highways equally.
Liva is the cheapest offering by Toyota with the prices ranging from 3.99 to 5.99 lakhs ( ex-Showroom, Delhi). The car is pitted against market frontrunner Maruti Suzuki’s Ritz and Swift, General Motors’ Beat, Ford’s Figo and Hyundai motor’s i10 and i20, which are all priced between 3.55 and 6.36 lakhs. The car is expected to give a staggering 18.3 kmpl on the highways and 14.3 kmpl in the city.
The car has been customized to suit the Indian customers. Toyota Motors expects to make further inroads in the Indian automobile markets with the launch of this car. Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD of Toyota Motors told the reporters, “India is an integral part of our global growth strategy. The Etios Liva has been designed keeping the Indian customer in mind and will help boost volumes in the country”.
Toyota, the Japanese auto giant, is working in India in a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, is expecting to make further inroads in the market by the launch of this model, elaborating on this Sandeep Singh, Toyota Kirloskar Motors’ Deputy Manging Director ( Marketing) said “This year, our plan is to sell 60,000 units of both the Etios and the Liva. Out of which, more that 20,000 units will be the Liva.” He further added that with both these models in its arsenal, the company expects to overtake 13 different rival products in the B segment of the Indian automobile market. He said “The B segment constitutes 38 per cent of the total passenger car market in India. With the Etios (sedan), we are enjoying 8 per cent of that market.”