Indian Autos blog

Toyota to launch Corolla Altis diesel this year?

Jaz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:03:20 +0000

Could the Toyota Innova's diesel engine power the Corolla Altis diesel?

In December last year, we attended the launch of the refreshed Toyota Land Cruiser Prado diesel. During a conference that followed immediately after, Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) of Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Mr.Sandeep Singh said the company was considering the launch of the Corolla Altis diesel. He did not mention any time frame or price tag, but the manner in which he addressed the question clearly indicated the company would do it shortly. Now Carwale is reporting the Corolla Altis diesel will be introduced in India in the second quarter of 2010. Power output will be between 85-100bhp and the price will certainly be much more than the petrol model. Displacement is unknown, but could Toyota use the Innova's 2.5-liter diesel engine tuned in favor of economy? Maybe the Innova's engine could be re-engineered to a smaller displacement? This is easier said than done. Carwale adds the diesel version of the Altis and the car is currently undergoing tests. Toyota has launched both petrol and CNG versions of the car and expressed no desire in transplanting the 1.3-liter petrol engine found on the European Corolla into the Indian model. We're waiting for more information Toyota! And before I forget, Toyota is also working on an Corolla Altis hybrid in Thailand. Could this be the next Corolla variant after the diesel?

Suzuki Swift Sport Rock am Ring in Europe

Jaz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:40:37 +0000

Swift Sport Rock am Ring has a good reason to be here

Suzuki will introduce a special edition of the Swift Sport dubbed "Swift Sport Rock am Ring." Some of you may ask why, and there's a good reason (unlike manufacturers unveiling special editions to celebrate a victory at a local award ceremony) This model will mark the 25th anniversary of the music festival sponsored by the Japanese manufacturer scheduled to take place at the Nurburgring race track in June. The Suzuki Swift Sport Rock am Ring is distinguished by logos, a new entertainment system that comprises of a Clarion Navigation system, featuring a 6.9 inch color display, a 30 Gb hard drive for storing music, multiple power speakers and an iPod auxiliary adapter. You can buy your Rock am Ring in three shades - Whit Pearl Metallic, Cosmic Black Pearl Metallic and Supreme Red Pearl Metallic. You get the standard Sport Swift’s configuration. This means that the car will continue to be powered by a 1.6 liter petrol engine, that makes 125 hp at 6,800 rpm and 109 lb-ft (148 Nm) of torque at 4,800 rpm. 0-100kph comes in 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 124 mph (200 km/h), makes for a fast car. Only 700 units of the music-inspired Swift Sport will ever be made and it'll set you back by 17,990 euro when sales begin next month. If you choose to buy one, that is. click through for image gallery

Video – The engineering of Mercedes Benz

Jaz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:29:01 +0000

So what do you look for in a car before buying it? Do you even consider safety in the list of priorities? While it is almost impossible to examine and understand how safe a car is, if we have the financial muscle we can always go in for a car/variant with added safety features. The video above shows how the passenger cell of the Mercedes Benz C-Class stays in tact post a few somersaults on a muddy terrain.

Spied – Undisguised Wuling CV for India

Jaz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:14:04 +0000

The Wuling CN100 van could be sold in India by 2012 by General Motors

We've shown you a set of disguised Wuling CN100 test mules evaluated in cold weather a few months back. Here are undisguised pictures of the vehicle for the first time. GM will sell the SAIC vans such as the CN100 under a new brand in India. The vans will be manufactured in Talegaon and it is rumored that GM is in talks with Piaggio (source - Autocar India) for sourcing low-cost diesel engines for these vans. We think the CN100 will the entry-level van from GM and it could be priced at around 3.5 lakh rupees with a frugal diesel engine. That would give it an edge over the Maruti Eeco. An announcement from GM India is expected in the following months.

2012 BMW 3 Series pictures leaked?

Jaz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:10:25 +0000

The 2012 BMW 3 Series will be longer, albeit weighing the same

The next generation BMW 3 Series is at least two years away and BMW is planning to make it look aggressive to maintain uniqueness. The images released bare a close resemblance to the CS concept unveiled a couple of years ago. Sure, the CS concept will donate many of its styling elements to the forthcoming BMWs, but the next 3, we believe, will be even more radical and revolutionary. The next generation 3 Series will benefit from the usage of lighter materials like aluminium. Being longer than the current model, this is how it will manage to maintain exactly the same weight. The new generation 3 Series will have plenty of bodystyles like sedan, estate, coupe, convertible and even GT! Facts on the next generation 3 Series * Cd figure of 0.24 * use of three-cylinder engines * climate control system — will be completely re-engineered * data from thousands of existing BMW cars through black boxes that were fitted recently, will shape the next generation car. * to come in both hybrid and fully electric forms. * headlights and other electrical items to become more energy efficient The 2012 3 Series will also borrow technologies from the bigger 5 Series. The Efficient Dynamics version will get aerodynamically designed wheels, Active Aerodynamics, solar roof panel, regenerative braking, stop-start and many others. A new range of 3 cylinder engines, 4 cylinder engines and inline 6s are expected on the new 3 Series whose pricing should remain close to the current cars.

Rendering – Nissan Micra sedan

Jaz — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:50:39 +0000

The Micra sedan should compete with Ford Fiesta and Honda City

We know Nissan will build a sedan on the Nissan Micra's platform in the Chennai plant along with a MPV. Here's a rendering showing how the sedan will look like. It is said to compete with the likes of the Honda City, Ford Fiesta etc when it hits showroom floors in the first quarter of 2011. The sedan will get a 1.5-liter engine (petrol or diesel yet to be confirmed) and the dimensions are 4200-4390*1690*1490 MM (L*W*H) India, China, Thailand and other 1 undisclosed country will see production happening locally. The sedan will be very affordable and sporty. The car could debut by the end of this year in any of the international auto shows.

Force Motors working on a new SUV?

Jaz — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:38:08 +0000

Force Motors is planning to launch an SUV in India. Force Motors operates in India with vehicles like the Tempo traveller and Trax which are passenger carriers. Force also uses its platforms for manufacturing goods carriers. Vicky.in is reporting Force Motors is taking the SUV market seriously by developing a new SUV. We don't know if this SUV will be a modern urban SUV with 4X4 capabilities. Would this one be like the Sumo or Sumo Grande? An older generation Mercedes Benz diesel engine is used on the Force Traveller and it is rumored that the new SUV will use a derivative, perhaps smaller, of this engine. Vicky blog claims Force Motors is testing the SUV and it may be priced a little over 10lakh rupees. Display image isn't related to the Force SUV

Shortened Mahindra-Renault Logan coming soon?

Jaz — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:52:48 +0000

Renault Logan deserved better; A new lease of life heading its way?

DNA seems to have the solid proof of a shortened Renault Logan in the pipeline for the Indian market. To improve sales M&M has long been asking to reduction of Logan's length and increased localization. But Renault till recently did not nod for unknown reasons. Maybe they planned to produce the Logan on their own in the Chennai facility? It seems Renault has indicated to its suppliers that a tinkered Logan is indeed on the cards and a shortened Logan is ready for internal evaluation. This enables the Logan to be classified under "small cars" and thus qualified for a 10% excise benefit. Carlos Ghosn, CEO Renault Nissan, expressed his disappointment over the poor showing of this globally successful model in India. He said he was not happy with the product's evolution in India. Could it be possible that Logan's production would be moved to Chennai after all? An announcement on the future of the Renault Nissan joint venture is expected by the end of this month

Spied – Tata Magic Iris, Penguin pickup truck (video)

Jaz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:37:30 +0000

Our friends at Motoroids can't cease publishing spy shots and videos of hot upcoming automobiles. In their latest update they've captured a video of the Penguin pickup truck formed on the Magic Iris passenger carrier. They've also managed pictures of the Magic Iris spied somewhere in Pune. An interesting bit of news is Penguin could be powered by the same 624cc petrol engine used on the Nano. This contradicts Overdrive's theory of a single cylinder 350cc diesel engine (essentially a single cylinder version of the Ace's engine). We don't know which one to believe. We'll wait for more concrete information before speculating further. click through for spy shot

Rendering – Skoda’s small car based on Up!

Jaz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:40:34 +0000

The small car from Skoda could use electric powertrains and high level of localization

We have no concrete details from Skoda India on its small car (dubbed Joyster) for the Indian market. During the Auto Expo, IAB spoke to Ashutosh Dixit, Sr. General Manager, Sales & Network Development, SkodaAuto India on the small car. He did not reveal anything about this car except that there are internal discussions and soon a decision would result. While such measly information is OK for the others, we went a step ahead and assumed such a small car had to use the mechanicals of the VW Up! which could be manufactured at the Pune plant of VW a couple of years from now. We think VW will use a small petrol engine (say a 1.0-liter?) and diesels could result at a much later date. VW will also experiment with electric powertrains on this micro car. It could be considerably smaller than the Polo/Fabia and serve as an alternative to the Tata Nano Europa. click through for hi res image

Quote of the day

Jaz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:10:57 +0000

The refreshed 5 Series will be launched globally later this month and we intend to launch it in India within 2010. The price is yet to be decided for the India market. BMW wants to set a new trend in the luxury car segment with this series in India. The new car will be aimed at driving volumes in the Indian market. The main intention is to maintain momentum in the Indian market against our rival from Stuttgart (Mercedes) and Ingolstadt (Audi).

- BMW Global Director (Marketing and Planning) Markus Schram on the new 5 Series and India to PTI

Chevrolet Beat – How it is to drive

Jaz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:30:29 +0000

The Chevrolet Beat has a good ride. The gearbox could have been better

Engine The Beat comes with 1.2 litre S-Tec II engine, it develops 79bhp at 6200rpm and max torque of 108 NM comes at a high 4400rpm. What's the deal with this as every manufacture offers a 1.2 litre engine to save money through excise cuts. Start the engine and you ask yourself whether its running or not; the engine is as silent as a ghost at night but the silence ends the moment you start revving the engine. It gets pretty coarse the more revs you gain the more louder and harsher it gets. It is not as rev friendly as the motors offered in Japanese duo of Ritz and Swift but it can be a fair match to the Kappa if not slightly better. The engine has a good low end grunt, which eases your day to day need in bumper to bumper traffic but once past the early perk it lacks the mid-range punch and delivers a feeble final punch at higher revs. It doesn’t possess the sound to provide you with an adrenaline rush and neither does it beg to be revved until the red line. To summarize, this engine feels at home at exactly where it should be doing duties 90 percent of the time in the hands of its international customers - that’s in city runabouts. It is designed for start-stop traffic. click through for more details

We’re back from the Nissan plant with Micra pics!

Jaz — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:28:37 +0000

The new Nissan Micra was shown to us for the first time. It is solid and attractive

The Renault Nissan plant at Oragadam Chennai was inagurated today in the presence of the chief minister and deputy chief minister of Chennai. The plant is 650 acres in size and can produce up to 400,000 cars a year. We'll discuss in depth about the visit in a post later today. For now let us show you live pictures of the new Nissan Micra on Indian soil for the first ever time! click through for images