India

Hyundai i20 launch on december 28th

2008-12-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hyundai have decide to take the bull by its horns and inspite of the dull economy are going in for a car launch.However Hyundai arent taking the risk of discontinuing the getz for the i20 in the Indian market atleast.

Maruti too plan a new launch by early next year and it would be interesting to see how both of them are able to spark new interest in the automobile industry with the new launches.

Wile Hyundai plan to go only with a 1.4l petrol engine,maruti also plan a diesel engine for their hatchback which should give it an egde.Hyundai plan to launch the i20 at around the Rs.5.40 lakh price tag,now that is a pretty high price and looks a tad too overambitious.

Maruti still number one in the Indian Market

2008-12-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Maruti still being the number one choice amongst Indian consumers may come as a suprise but what was even more suprising is Hyundai not being able to emerge a winner in a single segment even.

Cars were rated best on the 10 factors , covering aspects such vehicle exterior, fuel economy, driving dynamics, engine power and transmission smoothness, driving safety, music system and air-conditioning.

Honda emerged the winner in the luxury segment with its civic and Toyota was able to wino the MUV segment with its innova.The maruti swift and the SX4 have won this particular title now for the second year in a row.

source:
[the economictimes]

New MPV from Toyota

2008-10-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

As much as I have been harping on the need for a qualis replacement and the need for Toyota to bring the Avanza to the Indian market,a new vehicle has emerged and could very well fill into the gap left by the qualis.

The mpv although compact has a rather impressive 2750mm wheelbase and yes just as the innova can seat 8 passengers as well[ok leave out the term comfort].Do i see taxi operators already running towards their dealer for details.

Yes it is cheap and is being co-developed by Daihustu and Toyota for the Asean market.

However all this still does not mean much hope for us here in India.Hopefully production constraints and a diesel engine can be worked on and this MPV is not kept away frm the Indian markets.

Source:paultan.org

New Chevrolet u-va is here

2008-10-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Anybody heading to buy the chevrolet aveo be warned,your car is going to get outdated soon.The hatchback version has received a chevrolet family grill and a few additional features to better compete with the Hyundai i10[and perhaps even the i20].

The New U-VA comes with a number of additional interior and exterior features including:

Driver airbag and ABS system
Keyless entry with burglar alarm
A rear spoiler
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob
Split folding rear seats
Premium deco moulding on the instrument panel and door trims

This launch is on the back of the recent Tavera neo 2.0 launch.Which incidentally does not get the all important engine change.

Toyota could we have the new Avanza please.

2008-10-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

So we are all set to recieve a facelifted new innova but is that what we want.It want be suprising if even some toyota guys would have been happier if toyota instead focussed on launching the avanza here rather than giving a fresh lease of life to the innova.

The innova version 1.00 was no beauty queen and the facelift[expected by december 2008] has actually ended up being a joke,trying to project a van as a racecar.How concerned is a person looking for utility with how sporty his car looks like.A person looking for an SUV certainly would not head towards the Toyota showroom even now.

What we need instead is something which would be ore cheaper and at the same time offer utility[qualis].Ok the qualis is far too outdated but the avanza surely that fits the bill.Yes toyota don't have a diesel engine yet for it but surely something could be done on that count.

Toyota must have got enough feedback by now to realise the need for a qualis replacement.Hopefully they act now.

Hyundai India supressing workers

2008-09-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hyundai India may be doing well when it comes to cars but look who has to pay the price of it.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of two umbrella labor groups in South Korea, accused Hyundai Motor Company of suppressing the activities of unionized workers at its subsidiary in India.

The KCTU also criticized the South Korean government for preventing two union officials at the India plant from traveling to South Korea, saying it is blocking the union’s activity to engage in international exchange.

Wonder why suck things slip from the Indian media.Anyways here's the article :
The Hankyoreh

Scorpio Automatic launched

2008-09-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

It was just waiting to happen,Mahindra plan to enter the US market soon and if they wanted to sell anything there then they cannot leave out automatic transmission.

Rather than risk trying out the new systems in the US market,Mahindra have taken the safer option of the Indian markets after all nobody is going to sue them here if anything goes wrong.

Mahindra are not looking for numbers and hence the automatic is the most expensive scoprio to be sold at about Rs.10.2 lakhs ex-showroom price in pune.The scoprio and Mahindra have come a long way and the tractor maker looks likely to be heading the Landroer way and focussing more on the premium segment than utility.

All new Honda city is here

2008-09-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

The car we have all been waiting for is finally here and from the first looks Honda have not dissapointed one bit.The car is worthy enough to be called the smaller brother of the D-segment Honda civic.

If there is any thing you can pick on Honda its the rear of the car,somehow the futuristic front is not translated at the back.The back is more down to earth and should I dare to say a rather outdated look. We may soon see a facelift shall we.

This car is meant for markets like the US, and Europe and a LHS version of the honda city too as been developed.Honda have reduced the number of variants and now like the civic you just have the E and S variants.Pricing is ofcourse very honda like on the higher side.But hey Honda cars sell well don' they and expect this to do well,so well that perhaps the civic could feel the pinch.

For the details of the car you could check out the ET article,which is nothing but Honda PR at its best.
Honda unveils 3rd generation City in India

Toyota Corolla review

2008-09-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you guys have been waiting for a review of the Toyota corolla altis.Check this link out for the detailed review.

Corolla test drive

My thoughts,frankly speaking Toyota has disappointed with the nod diesel for corolla policy.My only hope is they are following the Maruti strategy and shall launch the diesel version of the car in a few months time.A very likely possibility. As far as ground clearance and easy ingress and degress the corolla wins hands on compareed to the civic.

Yes the engine remains the same old unit,is it not sufficient enough definitely not but surely Toyota could have given us a more modern engine.Look at Honda they don't discriminate.

Lastly the ride quality,I would prefer the civic anyday when it comes to that and oh what about that futuristic meter when will Toyota learn to make their cars more interesting.

Think of the new corolla as the maruti 800 of luxury cars,yes it comes decked with features but just does not have that luxury car feeling[that x factor seems to be missing].If gizmos are what you are concerned with then this is certainly the car for you but if you are looking at dream car this somehow does not seem to fit the bill.

Toyota Launches New Corolla Altis

2008-09-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

Toyota has finally launched the much awaited Corolla Altis in three different grades at a price between Rs 10.83 lakh and Rs 12.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Altis uses Toyota's 1.8 liter VVTi petrol engine, which produces a decent power of 132bhp@6000RPM and torque of 17.3KGM@4200RPM and is available with a 5 speed manual and a 4 speed automatic gearbox. The Civic has similar engine specifications. The new Corolla is really impressive, atleast on paper. It looks like a Mini Camry and has features un talked of in this segment.

We are really very impressed with the pricing of the car and the features it offers. The car has features like 8 way powered driver seat, lumbar support, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, multi information display, cruise control, audio controls and multi information switches on steering wheel, Hgh Intensity Discharge headlamps, headlamp washers, Electro Chromatic inside rear view mirror (auto dimming mirror) and all wheel disc brakes to name a few. It also has has flat rear floor, ABS, Dual SRS Airbags, Automatic Climate Control, ORVM Turn Signals, 195/65/R15 tires and Integrated Audio System like the Civic. There is no black colour yet. But at the price Toyota plans to sell the Altis, it seems extreme value for money. On paper it looks faster then the Civic with better brakes. Diesel is on the cards too. The Civic and the Jetta better run for cover. Stay tuned for a test drive report of the Corolla Altis.

P.S Looks like the timer on Toyota's site seems to be working overtime :) but you can check out the site here.

Source - Indian Cars And Bikes

Enhance Engine R&D : Suzuki Tells Maruti

2008-09-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Japanese auto major Suzuki Motor Corporation has asked its Indian subsidiary Maruti Suzuki to enhance the level of research and development (R&D) for small car engines to meet growing demands.

“Engines below 1,200 cc get excise benefit from the government of India and currently 60-70 per cent of R&D for these engines takes place in Japan. Now Osamu Suzuki wants 90 per cent of the R&D to be done in India. It is important that Maruti develops these engines in India with help from Japan. The R&D efforts will also have to enable our vehicles to meet the new emission and safety regulations, which are to come into force in 2010,” Maruti Suzuki India Chairman R C Bhargava said.

Already Suzuki has announced its plans to make India an R&D hub and bring the level of product developments to that in Japan.

Source - Motorbeam.com

Hyundai's small car to be out in 2012

2008-08-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hyundai are targeting to sell a small car with a price tag of $3500[Rs.1,50,000 approx].This car should cause a lot of problems to maruti especially and if there is a diesel available too at similar pricing God help Maruti.Maruti however have some time at their disposal since this car is only expected by 2012.

Hyundai have done well to realise the importance of the Indian markets much before other rivals.They have also gambled by launching the i10 first in the market and ensuring it caters to local choice as well.The end result is if you keep track of monthly car sales figures as each month passes by the gap between hyundai and maruti suzuki keeps getting narrower and narrower.Unless maruti does something drastic I have no doubt that Hyundai could unseat Maruti from its number one position.

GM to launch Beat in 2009

2008-08-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Remember the small car from GM which was caught testing in China.In all possibility we will see that car on Indian roads by 2009 itself.

This new car could be cheaper than the Spark even is what GM have told us and also the fact that this car could be here by the year end.Chevrolet have even talked about a sub 1.0L engine for the car.So this car may just see a 800cc engine in India.

Here's the link to the older post.
GM small car caught testing.

Tata Motors launch the Indica Vista

2008-08-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Just like Tata,microsoft too had big dreams with its latest product[Vista] which has more or less been nothing but a dissapointment.Same seems to be the case with the Indica vista too,although early days the new car from Tata too isn't particularly something to be proud of.

The indica needed to be something from the future if it has to take on the likes of the honda jazz,the hyundai i-10,maruti splash and Toyota's new car.However from the first signs the car seems to have missed the mark.A detailed review is awated.

Tata has made it clear this car is for meant for export and can be clearly seen in the centrally mounted instrument cluster which I not a big fan off.Looks wise too I am not particulary impressed.Tata also are using the same fiat multijet diesel engine only they are calling it quadrajet.Tata have dissapointed further by leaving out airbags and saying that they will introduce it once exports begin.The petrol engine is interestingly called safire.At 4.88 lakhs[ex-showroom new delhi] is it value for money its upto you to decide.

Microsoft Vista was and is a complete dissapointment hopefully the Indica vista does not disappoint as much.

[picture source:the telegraph]

Honda india hit by quality problems

2008-08-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

Just when toyota is on its quality revoultion is it just coincidence that one of its biggest rivals is hit by quality issues.And yes it is not a one off issue ,alarmingly quality issues are becoming far too common for Honda.

Things like faulty paint to substandard airconditioners are just not acceptable.Thankfully our consumer courts do think the same and Honda has been asked to compensate the consumer in all cases.Honda on its part is not willing to accept its fault and is more intent on settling the issue in courts.

The latest issue was regarding the Honda crv losing power abrubtly and stalling in the middle of the road.This after paying close to 20 lakhs on the vehicle.Similarly somebody else is fighting for faulty paint used on his Honda City.

Rather aptly ET calls it Mistrust rides with Honda[remember the nature rides with Honda campaign]

[source:economictimes]

Next generation corolla to hit the roads on 5th september

2008-08-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

The next generation corolla will be seen on our roads from september 5th onwards.Expect a grand launch from toyota.Its predecessor did suprisingly rather poorly in India were it was beaten hands down by its rival the Honda Civic.

This time though Toyota seem to have an ace up its sleeve in the form of its D4D engines[diesel].If it were not for diesel even this corolla would not really have been much of a problem for the Honda.

Before the launch toyota seems to have shed their move forward tagline and have taken up quality revolution as their punchline.Now how much of a quality advantage does toyota enjoy over rivals like honda is upto you to decide.

Whats the use of quality if you have to sell your house off to buy a toyota car.

New Honda city now spotted in China

2008-08-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Autocarindia were right after all.The new honda city is for all to see and guess what it is a stunner.I have no doubts it will sell well.What I also feel is this new car will make it to more markets across the world,one of which should definitely be the US.

The launch well seems like I am wrong by a month.It would be on the roads definitely now in a month or two.Even if you are thiniking of the Honda civic I suggest hang on till the new city hits the roads.

From the malaysian Honda jazz launch the i-dsi engines seem to have been dumped by toyota.Be prepared for the onslaught of the i-vtec's.One thing is for sure expect a steep hike in prices in the new nexy generation honda city.

[source:Paultan.org]

More pictures:

Here

Toyota to launch facelifted innova soon

2008-08-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

The entire toyota IMV platform[fortuner,hilux and innova] is all set to undergo a facelift.Actually the fortuner and hilux facelift is now no longer a secret and toyota itself has revealed plans for the facelift on its website if not actually displayed the actual vehicle.

However what interests me most is the impeding facelift for the innova as this is the only vehicle which is available here in India.The IMV platform means that toyota would be forced to give us the new facelifted model as soon as it is available elsewhere.

Thanks to paultan we have spy pictures of the facelifted innova.The changes don't seem very drastic from the pictures however can fully comment once I come across the vehicle myself.Toyota have changed the front grill and also the headlamps and the taillamps.Hopefully for the Indian market we get the same lamps nlike the predecessor in which the taillamps differed slightly.

The toyota NVX we were all talkng about may be this facelifted innova afer all.Expect this new innova before the end of the year[2008].

With the Mahindra ingenio and the Tata Xover just round the coner this facelift is just at the right time.

[Source:Paultan.org]

Ps:The first picture compares the old and the new innova.

Chrysler M&M Dispute

2008-08-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and Chrysler are embroiled in a dispute over the front grill design and shape of the Scorpio. Chrysler alleges that M&M copied the design from its automobile marquee Jeep. There is speculation that Chrysler could initiate legal action against M&M. This could delay the US launch of the Scorpio.

Copying is not the first thing you will see in the automotive industry. If for every design copied a company would sue the other, then Hyundai would have been bankrupt by now for copying designs of various cars.

Some one in M&M says that Chrysler told them the Scorpio grill and the Jeep Wrangler grill look similar. So, can you do something about it? Yeah sure, why not change the grille of the Jeep?

Source

Honda Civic Sport Launched

2008-08-11T05:12:00.000-07:00

Honda, which entered the Indian car market in 1997, has crossed the three lakh customers milestone in the country and thus launched the Limited Edition Civic Sport at Rs 12.36 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) to mark the occasion.

Honda had entered into a joint venture with Siel Limited, a Siddharth Shriram Group company, in 1995 to form Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (HSCI) and launched its first car in 1997.

The new sports Civic will be powered by the same 1.8 litre petrol engine as in the existing model but would have additional features such as front and rear spoilers, white alloy wheels with sports badging.

Till date HSCI has made an investment of Rs 1,620 crore with a further investment of Rs 1,000 crore being pumped in for setting up its second plant in Rajasthan, from where it will roll-out its compact car. The company has a current production capacity of manufacturing 100,000 cars.

Source - Motorbeam

Skoda retune fabia for Indian road conditions

2008-08-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Apparently skoda guys did not do their homework in India when they launched the Fabia.Sales have certainly not met expectations even if Skoda disagree.Now it seems they had not even tested their petrol engines properly before launching them,however to be fair to them even toyota had to retune their engines for their innova.

All petrol fabia's are being recalled[though skoda calls this differently] and say you can come to the dealership at your own convinience.They shall retune the softwares to optimise the engines for fuel efficiency.Makes you wonder what the guys at Bosch and Skoda were doing for more than two years since the cars was announced to be launched in the Indian market.

With the fabia[and the whole skoda brand] I think diesel shall remain king and petrol shall always remain the lesser sibling.

Toyota planning to launch Prius in India

2008-08-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

After a lot of yes and no Toyota once again seems to be preparing to launch the prius in India.Ofcourse just like the Honda civic hybrid it would not be a mass market car and would only be intended for the premium segment customers.Both honda and Toyota would not benefit from the lower duties for hybrids as their hybrids would be imported,the Government of India has made it clear if you want incentives to sell a hybrid make it India.

An all new prius is scheduled in 2009 and hopefully we get the same in India too.

Regarding their mass market cars Toyota seems to be too happy with the success of their innova mpv that their tone seems to be a touch too overconfident.Toyota say they have not missed the bus in India and are confident of growth in India.Considering the PR exercise they are currently undergoing with each media report screaming about toyta in India things somehow look different.Anyway lets hope we get some cars from Toyota here in India after all.

Suzuki A-star to replace the Alto

2008-08-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

Things have become a lot more clear now.The a-star is going to replace the existing alto which has so far been one of the most successfull models for maruti in India.However its well past its sell by date now and Maruti are doing well to replace the alto with the newer a-star.

The a-star would be powered by a 1000cc petrol engine,which should be one of latest from the suzuki stables as the car would be sold alongside the swift and the sx4 in the global market.Nissan to plan to sell the same car with its badge in some markets.

The car meets most european emission norms.Hopefully maruti price this new car as well as they have done with their existing cars for if they do so we certainly have a winner.

The a-star will debut at the Paris motor show in october. The A-star concept was one of the best looking cars at the auto show in 2008 sadly the production version is nowhere near that,what where the designers even thinking.

[source:times of india]

India In Top 15 Automakers

2008-08-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

With a burgeoning auto industry to boast of, India has made it to the top 15 automakers of the world and occupies the fourth position in the leading developing countries' category of motor vehicle manufacturers, a UNIDO report has said.
According to the UNIDO International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2008, India ranks 12th in the list of world's top 15 automakers, which is led by Japan followed by the US and Germany. Other countries making it to list are Mexico, France, Korea, UK, Canada, Spain, Iran, Sweden, Brazil, Italy and Indonesia.

In the leading developing countries category, India ranks fourth. The list is topped by Mexico, followed by Korea, Iran. Brazil holds the fifth position followed by Indonesia, Turkey, Argentina, Thailand, Singapore, China, China (Taiwan Province), Malaysia, UAE and Columbia.

India also figures among the world's top 15 producers of chemicals and chemical products, electrical machinery and apparatus, basic metals (iron and steel, non-ferrous metals), coke, refined petroleum products, nuclear fuel, non-metallic mineral products (glass and glass products, cement, lime and plaster, ceramic products), machinery and equipment, leather, leather products and footwear and textiles, the report said.

Source - Carsandmore

Toyota to consider Daihatsu for small car

2008-08-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Toyota Motor Corp, which plans to roll out a small car in India from 2010, may tap affiliate mini-vehicle maker Daihatsu Motor to help reach its target of 10 per cent of the Indian market, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Toyota, which now makes the Corolla and the Innova multi-utility in a plant near Bangalore, on Thursday said it would start construction of a new plant with an annual capacity of 100,000 units to make a new compact car and other vehicles.

"In this project we are proceeding on our own. But for future projects we would like to make use of the strength of Daihatsu," Akira Okabe, senior managing director of Toyota Motor, told the paper at the ground-breaking in Bangalore.

Toyota was finalising the design of its small car for the Indian market, and more details of the product would be available by year-end, the paper cited him as saying. Toyota, which has a capacity of 60,000 units at its existing Indian plant, sold 52,000 vehicles in 2007 in India, where small cars make up two-thirds of a passenger vehicle market that is forecast to grow to more than 2 million units in sales by 2010.

Top vehicle maker Tata Motors Ltd is scheduled to launch the Nano, the world's cheapest car at about $2,500, later in the year. Bajaj Auto is building a similarly priced small car with Renault and Nissan Motor Co.

Source - Motorbeam