Across India, Ford dealers are receiving vehicles for demo and test drive activities as we write this, and a booking can be made by depositing 50,000 rupees.

As we’ve laid down three telephone directories worth of content on Ford EcoSport over the last year and a half, we request you to go to our Ford EcoSport tag page to know everything about the car.

General Note for the 2013 Model Year Tata cars and Pointers from the Press Conference

Tata tell us that all the MY 2013 products have been improved upon after taking into account feedback from the dealer and customer level. About 500 Tata employees met with the dealers and the customers before the start of the MY 2013 program. In general, Tata say that the overall reliability and performance of the cars have been improved.

Mr. Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors, told the media that Tata Motors had planned products for the Indian market until the year 2020.

He also said that 150 new generation dealerships would be opened by this year. Not to mention, there would be 11 new service programs in the coming weeks.

Tata Safari Storme Explorer Edition Part 1

Two cars were shown and both with varying levels of kit. We’ll talk about the basic one first. As you can see, you get some decals of a compass on the bonnet and on the side of the car. Apart from this, you also get a front nudge guard.

The headlights and the taillights get a chrome garnish while the front fenders get some ‘Explorer’ badging.

Head to Page 2 for more details.

Good thing is, the entry level variant doesn’t skimp much on vital equipment. The Scala RxE diesel comes with driver side airbag, ABS with EBD, Brake Assist, music system, rear cooling vents and anti pinch power windows.

Sumit Sawhney, Executive Director, Marketing & Sales, Renault India said: “The Scala RxE not only offers the luxury, roominess and excellent ride and handling of the Scala diesel variants, but also delivers a host of features high on safety, comfort and entertainment – all in a price currently unmatched at the entry level of the premium sedan segment.”

The Scala is powered by the popular 1.5 litre K9k diesel engine which puts out 86 PS of power and 200 Nm of torque. The diesel variants are available only with a 5-speed manual transmission while the petrol Scala can be opted with X-CVT automatic gearbox as well.

The Renault Scala RxE diesel is priced at Rs. 8.29 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi). The sedan is offered with Renault’s Complete Care Package which has 2+2 years/80,000km warranty along with roadside assistance and navigation assistance.

Head to Page 2 view the press release.

General Note for the 2013 Model Year Tata cars and Pointers from the Press Conference

Tata tell us that all the MY 2013 products have been improved upon after taking into account feedback from the dealer and customer level. About 500 Tata employees met with the dealers and the customers before the start of the MY 2013 program. In general, Tata say that the overall reliability and performance of the cars have been improved.

Mr. Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors, told the media that Tata Motors had planned products for the Indian market until the year 2020.

He also said that 150 new generation dealerships would be opened by this year. Not to mention, there would be 11 new service programs in the coming weeks.

Continued on the next page.

General Note for the 2013 Model Year Tata cars and Pointers from the Press Conference

Tata tell us that all the MY 2013 products have been improved upon after taking into account feedback from the dealer and customer level. About 500 Tata employees met with the dealers and the customers before the start of the MY 2013 program. In general, Tata say that the overall reliability and performance of the cars have been improved.

Mr. Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors, told the media that Tata Motors had planned products for the Indian market until the year 2020.

He also said that 150 new generation dealerships would be opened by this year. Not to mention, there would be 11 new service programs in the coming weeks.

On the outside

The 2013 Sumo Gold adds two new exterior color choices: Blazing Red and Twilight Gray. Apart from being more colorful, the new Sumo gets a ‘new mascot for the tailgate’ which promises a ‘unique rear look’.

The wheels now get new wheel covers, which we must say, look pretty good. The side of the car gets some new body graphics while the front of the Sumo gets a new chrome grill.

Continued on Page 2.

The renovated E Class is heading towards us this 25th, Mercedes has forwarded us the invite confirming the date. The new E Class will be MB India’s third launch this year and that too in a quick succession.

After lying dormant in the first quarter of 2013, MBIL went on to launch the new GL class in May which was quickly followed by the A Class. The luxury hatchback has started off strongly boosting the German stalwart’s morale.

The launch of the new E Class would further add momentum to Mercedes India’s 2013 campaign. The current E Class feels a bit old when compared to the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Jaguar XF.

As you know, the new E breaks the tradition with its amalgamated headlamp units. However the detailing of the headlamps, especially the daytime LED lights give a twin-unit feel. The taillamp detailing has also been fine tuned resulting in a marked improvement to the overall appearance. The interior too gets minor upgrades.

As far as the variants are concerned, one petrol (E200 CGI) and one diesel variant (E 250 CDI) is expected to be on offer. The E350 CDI could be shelved but we will learn the final details at the launch floor.

Stay tuned to Indian Autos Blog for real time updates!

General Note for the 2013 Model Year Tata cars and Pointers from the Press Conference

Tata tell us that all the MY 2013 products have been improved upon after taking into account feedback from the dealer and customer level. About 500 Tata employees met with the dealers and the customers before the start of the MY 2013 program. In general, Tata say that the overall reliability and performance of the cars have been improved.

Mr. Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors, told the media that Tata Motors had planned products for the Indian market until the year 2020. He also said that Tata would be playing in future segments. In Sanand, Tata will be making another vehicle apart from the Nano. Mr. Slym did not reveal the vehicle though.

He also said that 150 new generation dealerships would be opened by this year. These flagship dealerships would have a new and different type of customer experience. Not to mention, there would be 11 new service programs in the coming weeks.

Tata Nano EMAX

Check out the Green outline to the speedometer.

The CNG powered cars from Tata Motors have the ‘emax’ suffix to them. Apart from the Nano, Tata also launched the 2013 Indigo eCS and the 2013 Indica eV2 in CNG avatars.

The rear of the car sees the ‘emax’ logo. This is the only giveaway. While the display car had some body graphics on the side, we don’t if Tata would feature that on the production variant.

Inside, you get a button to switch ON and OFF the CNG. This is not the only change. If you notice carefully, the speedometer of the EMAX Nano has a green surround to it. This is not so in the normal Nano.

Continued on Page 2.

Models that get the MY 2013 update are the Nano, Indigo eCs, Indica eV2, Sumo Gold. The updates deal with numerous minor improvements and in case of some models (Indica, Nano and Indigo eCS), the addition of CNG options.

The product blitzkrieg marks the Indian automaker’s new strategy which is called as the ‘Horizon Next’. The four main pillars of the HorizonNext strategy are,

• Intense product focus
• Focus on world-class manufacturing practices
• Enriched customer purchase experience
• Consistent quality of service

Mr. Karl Slym, Managing Director of Tata Motors says that the product portfolio has been planned until 2020. The new products will be spanning the segments that the company currently has presence in as well as new segments that promise growth. However he stopped short of divulging the total number of new products.

Mr. Sylm acknowledges that not having a presence in the fast growing softroader SUV segment has affected the company’s growth considerably. We could expect a future contender from Tata in this segment.

When asked about the Aria’s debacle, he said that the there are no significant changes yet on the premium MPV. Tata has already repositioned the car price wise.

Another important information is that the underutilized Sanand plant will be building a second model in the future. We reckon it could be the new hatchback which is being developed on the Indica platform (codenamed X0). Also the the production capacities will be optimized in such a way that the passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles will share resources.

We hope Tata Motors’ new product centric strategy bears fruit in long term. It’ll be interesting to observe Tata Motors’ future moves.

[The image of the Tata Nano 2013 is used for illustrative purpose only]

Head to Page 2 for press release.

General Note for the 2013 Model Year Tata cars and Pointers from the Press Conference

Tata tell us that all the MY 2013 products have been improved upon after taking into account feedback from the dealer and customer level. About 500 Tata employees met with the dealers and the customers before the start of the MY 2013 program. In general, Tata say that the overall reliability and performance of the cars have been improved.

Mr. Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors, told the media that Tata Motors had planned products for the Indian market until the year 2020.

He also said that 150 new generation dealerships would be opened by this year. Not to mention, there would be 11 new service programs in the coming weeks.

Continued on Page 2.

General Note for the 2013 Model Year Tata cars and Pointers from the Press Conference

Tata tell us that all the MY 2013 products have been improved upon after taking into account feedback from the dealer and customer level. About 500 Tata employees met with the dealers and the customers before the start of the MY 2013 program. In general, Tata say that the overall reliability and performance of the cars have been improved.

Mr. Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors, told the media that Tata Motors had planned products for the Indian market until the year 2020. He also said that Tata would be playing in future segments. In Sanand, Tata will be making another vehicle apart from the Nano. Mr. Slym did not reveal the vehicle though.

He also said that 150 new generation dealerships would be opened by this year. These flagship dealerships would have a new and different type of customer experience. Not to mention, there would be 11 new service programs in the coming weeks.

On the outside

Exterior wise, the new eV2 has a few discreet changes. The ORVMs feature turn indicators (first time on an Indica). At the rear, there is an all new chrome garnish extending along the width of the car. A triple-stepped chrome tipped grill is also seen on the 2013 updated.

Continued on Page 2.

The limited edition is a part the Italian supercar manufacturer’s 50th year anniversary. Lambo says that India Limited Edition Gallardo LP 550-2 was designed and built exclusive for India. The car, which pays a rich tribute to the strong relations that Lamborghini enjoys with India, is limited to only six units.

The exterior of the special edition supercar is adorned with three color options – Arancio Borealis (Pearl Orange), Bianco Monocerus (White) and Verde Ithaca (Pearl Green), depicting the Indian national flag. Only two cars will be painted in a same shade. A Indian tricolor strip runs along the length of the car starting from the nose all the way to the engine hood. The driver side quarter glass gets a plate that reads “India Serie Speciale”.

The interior of the car is finished predominantly in black. The drivers seat gets Verde Ulysse (green) contrast stitching, the passenger seats are sewn in Arancio Leonis (orange) while the stitching on the doors, centre console and dashboard are in Bianco Polar (white).

The same monstrous 5.2 litre V10 petrol engine that develops 550 horses (or should we say raging bulls?) powers the tricolor Gallardo. All that power is transferred to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox. Robotized sequential e gear system is available as an option.

The Lambo can catapult you to 100kph from rest in just 3.9seconds before reaching a top speed of 320kph! The fact that it is rear wheel driven makes it one difficult beast to tame!

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 India Limited Edition is priced at Rs. 3.06 crores (ex-showroom Maharashtra) and its aimed squarely at super-rich enthusiasts who are equally patriotic about Lamborghini as well as India! As we said only six units of the RHD India Limited Edition Gallardos are available and Lambo says that the first one is already booked a few days ago!

We recommend the Indian government to buy one to lead the Republic and Independence day parades!

Head to Page 2 for a detailed image gallery and Page 3 to view the press release.

General Note for the 2013 Model Year Tata cars and Pointers from the Press Conference

Tata tell us that all the MY 2013 products have been improved upon after taking into account feedback from the dealer and customer level. About 500 Tata employees met with the dealers and the customers before the start of the MY 2013 program. In general, Tata say that the overall reliability and performance of the cars have been improved.

Mr. Karl Slym, MD of Tata Motors, told the media that Tata Motors had planned products for the Indian market until the year 2020. He also said that Tata would be playing in future segments. In Sanand, Tata will be making another vehicle apart from the Nano. Mr. Slym did not reveal the vehicle though.

He also said that 150 new generation dealerships would be opened by this year. These flagship dealerships would have a new and different type of customer experience. Not to mention, there would be 11 new service programs in the coming weeks.

On the outside

The 2013 Tata Nano can be easily identified thanks to the chrome strip on the front bonnet. The new blue color is a talking point as well. The rear of the Nano gets a new bumper with some vents while an additional chrome strip takes shape across the car.

Continued on Page 2.

The 500L Living measures 4.35 meters bumper-to-bumper. It comes with seating for 7 people in a 5+2 layout. Fiat says that it is the only car in its segment to have a 638 liters load capacity

According to Fiat, the 500L Living is “Agile and compact as a mid-size car, comfortable and capable as a Station Wagon, roomy and functional as an MPW (Magic Purpose Wagon).”

Page 2 contains details on the engine options and powertrains.

Tata Nano refresh

The Tata Nano refresh sees a host of changes to the exterior and the interior. The exterior gets a new chrome strips on the bonnet and above the rear bumper. The new rear bumper gets additional air intake to promote better cooling of the engine. The color that you see here is new as well.

We expect some changes to the interior of the car with respect to a music system and a newly designed glovebox. We should know by the end of the day about the CNG variant and mechanical changes if any.

2013 Tata Indigo eCS facelift

As you would have already read from our numerous posts, the Indigo eCS gets updated with ‘smoked’ headlamps, a new front bumper and grill and a new chrome strip at the rear. The interiors feature a lot of changes as well (Stay tuned for those updates). Even the mechanicals of the car such as the gearbox and suspension have been revised.

2013 Tata Sumo Gold facelift

The updated Sumo Gold features some new body graphics with full wheel covers. There are two new exterior colors which are going to be added. No mechanical changes expected, but a few feature additions such as Bluetooth and rear AC could be seen.

The first lot of 64 FUSO trucks that are made at the company’s Oragadam plant departed from Chennai Port to Sri Lanka. The continued exports would see the trucks headed to various countries in Asia and Africa.

Japan based Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks, along with DICV started production of FUSO trucks at Oragadam last month.

Mr. Marc Llistosella – Managing Director & CEO, DICV said -

The export of the first FUSO trucks to Sri Lanka is a realization of our promise to export from DICV, Chennai. The quality standards at our state-of-the-art plant in Chennai combined with the quality of parts from Indian suppliers has made this possible. Going forward, more trucks will be exported to other Asian and African markets.

FUSO range of trucks that are made in India comprise of 5 models ranging from Medium to Heavy-duty (25 – 49 tonnes designated as ‘FJ’, ‘FO’ & ‘FZ’) and Light to Medium-duty (9 – 16 tonnes designated as ‘FA’ & ‘FI’).

The target markets of the made in India FUSO trucks would be Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Mauritius and the Seychelles. More and more markets would be added in the future.

Head to Page 2 to view the press release.

The first Datsun car is a hatchback based on the Nissan Micra’s lightweight ‘V’ platform. According to a tweet from Mr. Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor of Autocar India, the hatchback in question will be powered by the Micra’s 1.2 litre petrol engine.

The three pot motor develops 75bhp of power in Micra but it remains to be seen whether Datsun engineers would detune the engine in the interest of better fuel economy.

The car, codenamed K2, will be competing with the Hyundai i10. The Chevrolet Beat’s petrol variants are also in the crosshairs.

Datsun wants a killer price tag and hence there are bound to be a lot of cost cutting measures. The car has been engineered with strict cost targets in mind.

The first Datsun will make its global premiere at Gurgaon, India. The target markets would be India, Indonesia and South Africa. The Datsun small cars for these markets are being developed at Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India (RNTBCI) which is located in Chennai.

Stay tuned to Indian Autos Blog as we bring you all the updates about Datsun’s first car all the way from the ground zero!

[Source: Hormazd Sorabjee's Twitter handle]

Take a look at the Walk Around video first.

[Head to YouTube if you cannot see the video above]

Here are a few things you should know.

Volvo says there are no plans to introduce the petrol variant or the 4×4 version at the present. Internationally, the Cross Country 4×4 is available only on the petrol model.

Volvo is continuously expanding its dealer network in India. Kolkata and Vizag are next on their list for a dealership.

You’ll be seeing 2 new Volvo products by the end of this year.

Volvo say that they aim to sell about 100-120 V40 Cross Country’s by the end of this year. They seem to be confident about reaching that target and have already gathered sizable amount of bookings (the Chennai launch held today also saw the delivery of the first car).

Head to Page 2 for a detailed look at the features.

[can't see the video above? Head over to Youtube]

For all the photographs, reports and technical data of the car visit our Mahindra Verito Vibe tag page.

Today we can tell you that Volvo India are firming up plans for the R-Design and Polestar variants. This is how these are going to be introduced:

Volvo R-Design

R-Design is very tasteful and gives a lot of appeal to the S60.

Volvo’s R-Design ensures that your S60/XC60 looks nothing short of outstanding! The R-Design Volvos have a different bumper and a new Tech Matte Black grill with high gloss black strips. The R-Design range shown at the 2013 New York Auto Show also featured Ixion 19-inch wheels on the S60 while the XC60 got 20-inchers.

R-Design on the XC60 will appeal to those who seek a unique identity through their cars.

In short, Volvo India would like to offer the R-Design body kit as an option on the S60 and the XC60 SUV once facelifts of the normal variants are launched in September.

Volvo Polestar

Internationally, the S60 Polestar just went on sale in Australia a couple of days ago. Only 50 examples are being made. To give you an idea of its performance, the S60 Polestar accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds, which is in the supercar league.

Polestar would come as a body kit for the S60 and XC60.

Do not expect the same for India. Volvo will introduce the Polestar body kit on the S60 and XC60 complete with aggressively shaped bumpers, side skirts and black ORVMs. The Polestar kit would not come on the V40 Cross Country however.

Engine specifications of the S60 and the XC60 with the Polestar kit are likely to be unnerved.

The Swedes have been commended for their safety and with help from the R-Design and the Polestar variants, their new cars also have the chance to turn heads.

So could the Vietnamese Sunny have roots in India?

In response to an email sent by IndianAutosBlog.com, Nissan India said this evening that key parts of the Nissan Sunny are being shipped from India to the Vietnamese assembly line that officially began rolling out vehicles on the 11th of this month.

Making an investment of USD 40 million, TCIE Vietnam Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of TCM, owns and operates the 129,500 square meter factory. The press release outlining the launch doesn’t directly mention of exports from this facility, but this may eventually ensue as it states that “production will initially be dedicated to assembling Sunny for Vietnam” meaning there’s something more in the future.

Tan Chong Motor Group has been the authorized distributor and after-sales service provider of Nissan vehicles for over 50 years in Singapore and Malaysia. It also distributes Nissan vehicles in Cambodia and Laos.

Over 800,000 units of the Sunny have already been sold in global markets since the launch in late 2010. The Sunny is sold as the Versa, Almera and Latio away from India. Nissan India exports the Sunny to Africa and the Middle East, while plants in Thailand and China manufacture the car mostly for their domestic demands.

We Indians look at the third box of a car as a symbol of pride and status, but the Indonesians don’t subscribe to this philosophy. They are turned on by hatchbacks, MPVs and SUVs. Sedans have always been relegated to the taxi segment in the archipelago which is why you didn’t see Honda launching the Amaze and Toyota approaching the Etios sedan very cautiously.

Their indifference towards sedans continue and the Toyota Vios, in spite of its upmarket looks, is put to use as a taxi. Seen here are the first images of the taxi spec Vios, sent in by our Indonesian reader Idhuy. You can see that the car has lost some bling to feel more like a cab.

The Vios taxi loses its projector headlamps, foglamps, body colored ORVMs and door handles, and alloy wheels. The car is expected to take on a toned down interior as well. The overall design remains the same and we can’t help but wonder that this sedan would have earned a good brand equity had it been launched in India!

The Vios is powered by a 1.5 litre petrol engine which develops 109bhp. The taxi spec car is most likely to be offered only with a 5-speed manual transmission. Private buyers can also opt for a 4-speed automatic.

The Toyota Vios for the Indonesian market is made in Thailand. Due to heavy demand for the new Vios in the taxi market, PT Toyota Astra Motor, the Indonesian subsidiary of Toyota, is contemplating to complement the Vios with the introduction of the Etios Sedan as a taxi.

[Source: Idhuy from Autonetzmag.com]

Tata Motors is staring at a sales slowdown and a dwindling capacity utilization. The new Nano would be given the heavy responsibility of improving the situation riding on feature upgrades.

Mimicking the Nano 2012, the refreshed Nano is counting on numerous minor improvements to make it a more complete car.

Cosmetically, the new Nano has nothing much to offer other than a couple of chrome parts, one at the bonnet lip and the other above the rear bumper. The air intake area on the rear bumper is wider facilitate better cooling of the engine.

The interior would up its quality and finish at certain points. Glove box, new seat fabrics, new color theme and a new audio system with USB, Aux-in and Bluetooth connectivity are the noteworthy improvements.

Go through all the changes on the Tata Nano refresh

Mechanically the car will sport very few changes. Speculations of a power steering option are being floated and there was no way to confirm this through visuals of the television program aired in the build-up on MTV channel. The rear mounted 624cc 38PS twin cylinder petrol engine will continue to turn the rear wheels via a four speed manual gearbox.

Stay tuned to Indian Autos Blog and be the first to know everything about the refreshed Tata Nano.

The Amaze is set to be launched in our neighboring country on Monday, reports eKantipur.com. Syakar Trading Company, the sole and authorized distributor for Honda in Nepal, is ready with the cars.

While it was known that only the Amaze petrol would be exported to Nepal, eKantipur adds that only S-MT variants would be available initially. We do expect Honda to start selling other variants, not to mention the automatic transmission, sometime in the future.

Honda targets to sell about 25-30 Amazes every month and each would be priced at 2.8 million Nepali Rupees (INR 17.63 lakhs) due to the high tariff on imported cars.

Lomus Manandhar, manager, Honda cars at Syakar said -

We are all set to launch the Amaze in the Nepal market. Even before its launch, we have been receiving several queries from prospective buyers which shows the craze it has among Honda lovers. The car has numerous attractive features which will cater to the demand of entry level sedan seekers.

Honda officials told IndianAutosBlog.com this year that they would study the South African market where the Brio is currently exported out to, to learn if there’s a demand for the Amaze.

[Source - EKantipur.com]

The successor to the Gallardo has been spied very recently and these photographs were taken by Filippa K.

The Aluminium-Carbon fibre monocoque is expected to form the base of the new Lambo. The same platform would be used on the next generation Audi R8 due in 2015.

Use of carbon fibre will also be extended to the body panels to help achieve the sub-1500kg kerb weight target that Lamborghini engineers have set themselves.

The 5.2-liter V10 will continue on the new Lambo, however it will be retuned to offer about 600bhp of power. Lamborghini had also debuted their cylinder deactivation system on the 2013 Aventador which promised a better fuel efficiency. Expect the Gallardo successor to sport the same.

Like it’s predecessor, the new Gallardo will come in all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive versions.

The new Gallardo is likely to be called the Cabrera, which refers to a Spanish breed of bulls, thus keeping inline with Lamborghini’s tradition of naming their cars after famous fighting bulls.

Lamborghini will debut the new supercar as a concept in the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show first in September. The production version of the car will then be shown sometime next year.

[Image credits - TV2.Bilzonen.dk]