In many ways this is an important launch for Maruti Suzuki, since it has no other vehicle apart from Eeco in the utility vehicle market, which has witnessed impressive growth in past few years.

Here is the full press release from Maruti Suzuki

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited, unveiled industry’s first Life Utility Vehicle- Ertiga here today. With Ertiga, the Company formally announced its much awaited entry in the Utility Vehicle (UV) segment. Ertiga strengthens the product portfolio of the market leader and also creates an all new Life Utility segment at an attractive price point.

In recent years, MPVs have emerged as the fastest growing sub-segment among UVs, showing a growth of around 20 percent (3-year CAGR). MPVs presently account for around 10 % share of the Indian automobile industry. Ertiga is positioned as a Life Utility Vehicle.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. S. Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO said, “Ertiga is a major step forward for Maruti Suzuki. Many urban families in India are now looking for a vehicle that offers more space and flexibility than a sedan, without being bulky, bland and expensive like a Utility Vehicle.These families are currently having to compromise, and settle for a vehicle which does not meet their lifestyle needs. The Ertiga is designed for these customers. Itis another example of our ability to pack power, performance, space and features in a compact package.”

Global launch

Designed primarily for India at Suzuki, Japan, Ertiga represents aspirations of young urban Indian families that are active and connected. It also displays Suzuki’s ability to bring compactness, style and high fuel efficiency to Utility Vehicles. India is the first market to sell Ertiga, followed by other South East Asian markets.

Ertiga: A unique package

On the first glimpse, the Ertiga displays the distinct UV outline, but under the monocoque frame lies the car DNA which makes Ertiga special.

The Ertiga is an attractive option for customers looking to upgrade to a sedan. Besides, families who had to earlier settle for Utility Vehicles now have an option that is stylish, plush, spacious and attractively priced.

The initial test drive reports on Ertiga have complemented its car like ride and handling capabilities while offering UV like space, and power, performance, fuel efficiency.

• It is stylish and contemporary, not huge and overbearing
• Offers flexi-seating to accommodate 5+2 people (2+3+2) and a lot of baggage
• Compact, easy to drive, park and maneuver.
• Plush interiors and upscale features
• High on performance
• Having set the highest benchmarks across segments on ‘lowest cost of ownership’, Ertiga simply expands the experience in terms of fuel efficiency.
• Attractively priced

Technology beast

Ertiga carries forward the sporty, dynamic, bold and aggressive design philosophy of Swift platform. Under the hood of the petrol variant lies the all new powerful K-Series, 1373cc VVT (K14B) engine.The diesel variant is powered by the highly acclaimed 1248cc DDiS VGT engine.

Unveiling K14B Engine

With the K14B unveiling, Maruti Suzuki strengthens its acclaimed K-series engine portfolio. K14B is the third engine in the K-series technology introduced by Maruti Suzuki. The earlier K-series engines, K10B and K12M, power most of the Company’s high selling models.

K14B carries forward the trusted and tested attributes of K-series engine technology such as light weightedness, high fuel efficiency, excellent power, low running and maintenance costs, and low noise, vibration and harshness.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Specifications

Petrol Engine: K14B1373cc VVT, 95ps@6000rpm, 130nm@4000rpm, 16.02 kmpl
Diesel Engine: D13A 1248cc DDiS VGT, 90ps@4000rpm, 200nm@1750rpm, 20.77 kmpl
Length: 4265mm
Width: 1695mm
Wheel base:2740 mm
3-row flexi-seating (5+2) = 7 seating with 240mm sliding (For 1st& 2nd row)
Cargo Space: Flexible 135Ltr (7Seating mode) to 735ltr (2 Seating mode)
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Ground clearance: 185 mm
Turning radius: 5.2 mm
Gross vehicle weight: 1760 Kg (Petrol) to1845 kg (Diesel)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 45 litres
Suspension: McPherson Struts (front) and torsion beam (rear)
Tyres:185/65R15 (Alloy on Z trim)
Safety: Front Dual SRS airbags, ABS with Brake assist & EBD, Immobilizer and Security alarm

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Petrol Price (Ex-Showroom Delhi)
Ertiga LXi: Rs. 5.89 lakhs
Ertiga Vxi: Rs. 6.60 lakhs
Ertiga Zxi: Rs. 7.30 lakhs

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Diesel Price (Ex-Showroom Delhi)
Ertiga LDi: Rs. 7.30
Ertiga VDi: Rs. 7.90
Ertiga ZDi: Rs. 8.54

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga launched in India is a post from: The India Car

While Mercedes is attributing the volumes generated by Audi and BMW on the fact that it is selling stripped down corporate editions in India, in a bid to gain more sale, one cannot deny the fact that Audi has been aggressively marketing its products in India and has at times been offering good discount as well.

This is what Audi had to say in their press release about the quarterly numbers;

“Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, recorded a strong first quarter with 2269 cars delivered in India between January to March 2012 – an impressive growth of 41 percent over the same period last year (1611 cars: Jan- Mar 2011). Powering ahead with its positive outlook for 2012, the brand with the four rings continued its growth trajectory with a sale of 1002 cars in March 2012 – a growth of 47 percent over the same period last year (681 cars: March 2011); which nearly equals Audi India’s annual sales figure of 2008 (1050 cars).

“Our impressive sales performance this quarter is testimony to the positive customer response to progressive design, world-class services and high qualitative network growth. We further strengthened our dealer network with the opening of a new Audi showroom in Nagpur recently and have planned for more developments on this front later this year. Our recently launched high performance sports Coupe Audi TT, has received an overwhelming response from customers across the country. Our business luxury limousine, Audi A6 and the Audi A4 have contributed greatly to this sales performance. This is the beginning of what we believe will be Audi’s most successful year in India to date and I am confident that we will continue to meet the needs and demands of the young and aspirational Indian luxury car buyer”, said Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India.

Audi continues to be the fastest growing luxury car brand in India. The brand with the four rings continues to be the market leader in the super sports car segment with its R8, RS5 and now TT and in the luxury SUV segment in India with its Q5 and Q7. The launch of the Audi Q3 later this year will further consolidate Audi’s leadership position in the segment.
“Learning from our 21 years of market leadership in China, our strategy of building a strong brand, a high quality network and a strong product portfolio is paying its dividend also in India.” added Mr. Perschke

The luxury carmaker will further expand its footprint to cover markets like Coimbatore and Lucknow this year while further consolidating its presence in Mumbai and Delhi. Dealerships will be announced in these locations shortly.

The Audi model range in India includes Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi A7 Sportback, Audi A8L, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi RS5 Coupé, Audi TT, the super sports car Audi R8 and the Audi R8 Spyder available across the country: in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai West, Nagpur, Pune and Surat. Further developments include Coimbatore, Delhi West, Lucknow and Mumbai South.”

Audi becomes no. 2 luxury Car Company in India is a post from: The India Car

As a part of their teaser campaign, they have released a sound clip, which they are referring to as the new soundtrack of Bentley! For the benefit of our viewers, we have gone ahead and uploaded it on youtube and are sharing it below. Those who can not access youtube, can download the file from our server by Clicking here

Sound of the Bentley to come… is a post from: The India Car

Before the rally was flagged off from Inorbit Mall, the roads around it were bustling with Mumbaikars, trying to catch a glimpse of these rare and classic beauties, such as Fiat Millecento-1929, Lancia-1932, Austin-7-1934, Ford Jeep-1942, VW Beetle -1946, Woleseley-1948, Cadillac-1951, Austin 12-1955, Fiat-1955, Dodge Kingsway Custom-1955, Dodge Custom Royal-1959, Rover P5-1960, Karmann Ghia-1961, Sunbeam Rapier-1964, Paekard Chipper-1965 and many-many more.

CarWale Vintage Wheels 2011 was eventually flagged off by Mr. Javed Ahmed, Police Commissioner, Navi Mumbai from Inorbit Mall, Vashi.

Talking about this endeavor, Mr. Mohit Dubey, Co-Founder & CEO, CarWale, said, “Most vintage car exhibitions last just a few hours and attendees barely get a glimpse of the cars in such a short time. With Vintage Wheels, however, we have a unique format. The cars are exhibited for two whole weeks, so people get sufficient time to truly appreciate these timeless beauties, and the event culminates in a majestic drive through the city streets. We are now in our third installment of Vintage Wheels and it has grown to a multi-location event. We look forward to growing it even further in the coming years.”

Speaking at the flag off, Mr. Kishore Bhatija, CEO, Inorbit Malls said, “After the tremendous response that we saw from our patrons for the Vintage Car exhibition over 2 years, we chose to partner with Carwale for this unique annual property. We at Inorbit believe in creating properties that excite and engage our consumers from time to time. Vintage car rallies are normally held in South Mumbai with limited access to view the vintage cars. Our main intention was to make these oldest marvels accessible to residents of the suburbs and enjoy these beauties.”

Vintage Car Rally held in Mumbai is a post from: The India Car

The new i10 LPG is powered by a 1.1 liter iRDE engine and comes with a factory fitted 34 liter LPG tank and can run on either LPG or Petrol, depending on the availability and owner’s choice.

While the Hyundai i10 BlueDrive Era is priced at Rs. 4.16 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom Delhi), while the i10 BlueDrive Magna is priced at Rs. 4.3 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom Delhi).

Detailed specifications and features of the Hyundai i10 LPG would be posted soon.

Hyundai launches LPG i10 in India is a post from: The India Car

While the updated interiors are always welcomed, it is the newly tweaked engine, which is sure to cause curiosity and excitement in the minds of perspective customers.

While the power has been bumped up by 3PS to 38PS, torque too has gone up by 3Nm to 51Nm. Tata Motors is also claiming a 1.8kmpl (7.62%) increase in fuel efficiency, with a ARAI test figure of 25.4 kmpl, which is a welcome thing in the age of spiraling fuel prices.

Ride and handling too has been improved and now even the standard model of Tata Nano comes with a booster-assisted brakes!

While it is expected to see prices of cars go up, after such an update, Tata Motors has decided to keep them as it is for now, likely in a bid to attract more customers towards the year end, when the car sales usually slows down.

Commenting on the introduction, Mr. P.M. Telang, Tata Motors’ Managing Director – India Operations, has said, “Tata Nano owners, over 90% of whom are highly satisfied with their choice, have given us valuable insights on what more can be done. We have introduced some of these ideas. We will continue to add features, as has been our tradition across our product portfolio.”

The three trim levels and their key features are:

Tata Nano Standard: The standard version comes with three colour options — Rouge Red, Aqua Blue, Serene White — along with clear headlamps, tubeless tyres and tip-tap driver side mirror, booster-assisted brakes and front suspension with anti-roll bar. The interiors comprise dual-tone vinyl seats and fold-down rear seat.

Tata Nano CX: The Nano CX comes in six colour options — Rouge Red, Champagne Gold, Neon Rush, Meteor Silver, Papaya Orange and Serene White. The interiors have been refreshed with trendy black fabric seats, ebony black interiors, fold-down rear seat with nap rest. Besides these, the variant offers best-in-class air-conditioning with heating (optional), parcel shelf, booster-assisted brakes, tip-tap mirrors on driver and passenger side and half wheel covers.

Tata Nano LX: The top-end variant comes loaded with features like premium beige fabric seats, central locking, door handles, front power windows, cup holder in front console, provision for 12V socket, body coloured bumpers, fog lamps, electronic trip meter, rear spoiler, full wheel covers and tip-tap mirrors on driver and passenger side and booster-assisted brakes. The Nano LX comes in six premium colours — Pearl White, Papaya Orange, Mojito Green, Sunshine Yellow, Meteor Silver and Champagne Gold.

All the variants come with an unmatched warranty of 4 years or 60,000 kms, whichever is earlier.

The Tata Nano will continue to be available at the same price. The Tata Nano is priced (ex-showroom, Delhi), at Rs.1.40 lakhs for the Nano Standard, Rs.1.70 lakhs for the Nano CX and Rs.1.96 lakhs for the Nano LX.

2012 Tata Nano Launched is a post from: The India Car

While the Diesel cars costing less than 6 lakh Rupees will have to pay 5 % of the cost as registration fee, a car costing between Rs 6-10 lakh be charged 8.75 % registration fee, instead of the earlier 7 %. Hardest hit would be the luxury cars, which cost more than Rs 10 lakh, which will now have to pay 12.5% as registration fee. Similarly, registration fee of Commercial vehicles has been hike 25% as well.

While we certainly agree with the Government’s move to hike the registration fee for diesel vehicles, especially considering that 40-50% of the new cars registered in Delhi are running on diesel and the government essentially subsidizes diesel for infrastructure, public transportation and farming purpose, we feel that commercial vehicles such as trucks should be exempted from the rate hike, as they are intended beneficiaries of the subsidy.

Diesel cars to cost more in Delhi is a post from: The India Car

The four-wheel-drive Santa Fe is now available with six speed automatic transmission and the addition of features as push button start and smart key ensure convenience with one-touch operation. The new supervision cluster enhances clarity of the instrument panel.

Mr. H W Park, MD and CEO, HMIL, said, “The Santa Fe launched last year has been extremely well received, the new offering with automatic transmission further improves our value proposition.”

The Santa Fe AT is available with 2.2.L CRDi engine, the most powerful engine in its class delivering a maximum power of 197PS/4000 rpm and an impressive torque of 44.5kgm/1800-2500. The hi-tech engine of the Santa Fe has a host of advanced technologies that gives optimal balance of performance, excellent drivability on all terrain and a fuel mileage of 11.72 kmpl (ARAI certified).

Santa Fe also comes loaded with various active and passive safety features such as electronic stability program (EPS) and anti-lock braking system (ABS) — with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) to ensure greater driving stability. The six standard airbags and active head rests greatly enhance passenger protection and safety.

The 4WD (AT) Santa Fe is priced at Rs 24,36,500 (ex-showroom Delhi) and is available in five colours.

Hyundai Santa Fe Automatic launched is a post from: The India Car

According to Honda, the Brio (pronounced as Br-ee-o and means “energetic” and “cheerful” in Italian), embodies the best of Honda’s technologies to deliver fun and agile driving, fuel-efficiency, spaciousness & safety and was developed following Honda’s extensive market surveys in India on people’s driving needs and lifestyles.

Honda Brio is powered by a four cylinder 1.2-litre i-VTEC engine that delivers maximum output of 88 PS @ 6000 rpm and Torque of 109 Nm (11.2 kg-m) @ 4600 rpm, while giving a claimed fuel efficiency of 18.4 km per liter.

According to Honda, Brio’s efficient energetic exterior concept features a ‘Double Triangle’ Form’, conveying vibrant energy from nose to tail, and a sleek look that emphasizes its width and advanced styling. The “Dynamic triangle”, focused on the nose, sweeps forward, while the “Sporty triangle”, focused on the rear fender, jumps rearward. Overlapping yet shifted fore and aft, these two sections establish an energetic and lively side view that conveys forward motion, thereby simply and effectively realizing the Brio’s exterior design concept.

Honda Brio comes with an efficient impressive interior design concept, which leverages its innovative packaging to offer occupants an open and spacious interior. The Brio’s design takes Honda’s “man maximum, machine minimum” concept to a new level which is the basic approach to Honda car design calling for maximizing the space available for people and minimizing the space required for mechanical components.

The packaging of the Brio works with its compact body size to create excellent visibility and utility, as well as a spacious feel that leaves everyone pleasantly surprised. At 3610 mm long, 1680 mm wide and 1500 mm tall with a wheelbase at 2345 mm, Brio adopts the wide form to create openness and comfort within a compact body size. The small turning radius of only 4.5m helps make the Brio extremely easy to drive in congested city traffic environment.

The Brio provides comfortable mobility in a wide variety of driving situations, from careful maneuvering on narrow streets and in traffic jams to relaxed cruising on highways. The car features a McPherson strut suspension in the front and H-shaped torsion beam rear suspension for stable road handling, excellent road holding ability and comfortable ride. The Electric Power Steering delivers easy steering at low speeds and stable steering at higher speeds for a natural, stress-free steering feel.

Incorporating Honda’s G-CON (G-Force Control Technology, the Brio’s high-performance body makes extensive use of high tensile steel in key areas of the frame. Dampers, Trailing arms and Rear hatch area have enhanced rigidity to contribute to steady chassis performance, nimble driving as well as outstanding fuel economy. The Brio’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body enhances self-protection while mitigating damage to other vehicles in the event of a collision.

The Brio features Honda’s active and passive safety technologies including dual SRS front airbags, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) which prevents wheel locking, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) which enhances braking performance, front pretensioner seat belts that pre-emptively tighten the belt to prevent the occupant from jerking forward in a crash and impact-mitigating headrests. The Driver-side features the latest technology i-SRS airbag system with continuously staged inflation which can accommodate a broad range of occupant positions and potential collision situations. The front body structure of the Brio is equipped with Pedestrian injury mitigation technology designed to absorb impact energy.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Takashi Nagai, President and CEO, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. said, “We are delighted to introduce Honda Brio in the Indian market. We have been able to launch the Brio at a competitive price due to our concerted efforts to control costs, maximize production efficiencies and minimize impact of currency fluctuations. And we have achieved this through pure localization – localization of critical components, using local suppliers, local materials, local machines and dies, by localized drawings and our Indian associates.”

The Honda Brio will be available in four variants – EMT, SMT, S(O)MT and VMT in six exciting exterior colours – Energetic Blue, Rallye Red, Urban Titanium, Alabaster Silver, Taffeta White and Crystal Black Pearl

The Honda Brio comes with a 2 years or 40,000 kms warranty as standard value for all customers.

Honda Brio Delhi Price (Ex-Showroom)

E MT: Rs. 3.95 lacs
S MT: Rs. 4.35 lacs
S(O) MT: Rs. 4.90 lacs
V MT: Rs. 5.10 Lacs

Honda Brio small car launched is a post from: The India Car

The incident which occurred at ITO in New Delhi at around 8:15pm yesterday, although left the occupants without any harm, but has managed to once again reignite concerns over the build quality and safety of world’s cheapest car, which were supposed to have been already addressed by Tata Motors.

While there has been no words yet on what actually caused this incident, we certainly hope that it is just a one off stray incident and does not reoccurs in future.

Another Tata Nano goes up in smoke! is a post from: The India Car