Renault Pulse Unveiled

Renault Pulse is the bunny from the hat. Renault was in the lime light with its recent speculations of coming up with a small car. The list just seemed to swell from the likes of the Renault Modus to the likes of the Renault Clio, but on the D-day it was the Renault Pulse that raced across the finish line after the Indian Grand Prix.

The Renault Pulse has been designed for India from the Mumbai Renault design centre. The grand event yesterday night at Noida saw the birth of the Renault Pulse. The event was attended by F1 drivers Mark Webber and Karun Chandok.

On the racy occasion, Carlos Tavares, COO, Renault s.a.s said, “Renault is fully committed towards the Indian customers; the launch of 3 new models within 6 months clearly demonstrates this commitment. India will witness the best product, power train, technology and design from Renault”. The Renault Pulse engine will be equipped with a K9K engine which will be the best in class with superior mileage as well.

Managing Director of Renault India, Marc Nassif, said “After having established the Renault DNA with products like the Fluence and the Koleos we now launch the PULSE which will enable us to reach a much wider segment of customers. The Pulse carries forward the Renault DNA of safety, quality and innovation and we are sure the customers will like this premium compact which combines all the luxuries of a bigger sedan with the economy of a small compact. We are not only adding to our product portfolio but we are also growing our sales and service network to address the needs of our customers.”

Volkswagen Seat Looking To Sit In India

Volkswagen Seat is looking for a seat in the already overcrowded small car segment in India. This company is planning to further its base and boost up its volumes in India. The addition of Seat to could improve the company’s scale of operation and increase its reach in the market.

The company is however caught in its own trap with the trouble of being unable to differentiate the already existing Volkswagen and Skoda line up. The company is hoping that the offbeat style of the Seat and vacationing attitude of the car will be a craze with the likes of youth and people alike.

Volkswagen Seat will initially make its presence in the neighboring China and then come down to India. Recently Volkswagen has seen an improvement of 12.1 percent in the sales this year. The Seat has been a bit sluggish with the growth rate of 2.3 percent. The entry of the Seat into the developing markets is looked upon to test new waters and in the process help boost its numbers.

The Volkswagen Seat Ibiza is most probably the model to make its Indian debut. The Volkswagen Seat Ibiza hatchback which is on par with the likes of Volkswagen Polo falls between the Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Passat and is looked upon as rival to the likes of Toyota Innova and the Tata Aria as well. Poor relationships in the past with the Maruti have also dented the company’s progress and hopefully the Volkswagen Up! should salvage some lost pride. Skoda Citigo inspired from the Up! is also expected to get its Indian ticket.

All these high volume cars are built on the same platform, engines and lots of other similar parts in variably lead to huge cost savings for the company. Strategies like this could very well make the company realize its ambition of the becoming the world’s biggest car maker in the near future. In the process to achieve this numero uno tag the company is planning to splurge a mammoth Rs 4.3 lakh crore for the next five years.

Dhamaka Car Offers Available This Diwali

Maruti Alto bijli, Fiat Punto sparklers and Skoda Laura twinkling stars are not the names of crackers. They are the dhamaka car offers available this diwali. Right from the likes of entry level Maruti Alto to the high end Skoda Laura are all vying for some huge prospects during the festive season.

Most of the blasts are happening at the hatchback segment. Nissan is going all guns blazing by rolling out the maximum number of Nissan Micra cars as possible in the forth coming days. Maruti too has its own sales dhamaka in the form of discounts of nearly Rs 25,000 cash on the purchase of any Maruti Alto. This could have also stemmed from the threat of the Hyundai Eon. Maruti is no mood to be careless and has even gone a step further with Rs 15,000 cash discount.

Fiat had always been on your wish list but you could never stretch your purse strings, well then, this could your lucky day. Fiat Punto Grande is being offered at a throw away discount. Even the warmed-up hatch Skoda Fabia is offering more than a bargain deal.The Saloons are also ready with their share of the festive bonanza. Honda City is also available with a discount for all the models putting the consumer’s in a huge dilemma. The company’s move should help it maintain some breathing space from the likes of the Volkswagen Vento and the Hyundai Verna diesel.

Fiat is going all broke making every other competitor drop their jaws with discounts close to a lakh for the festive season. Even the slow and steady Ford Fiesta is being paraded with an exchange bonus, free insurance and free give away of the complete set of accessories for the petrol engines until the end of October 2011.

Even the rich daddy of the car segment seems to have dropped from the heavens. Luxury car maker Skoda is ripping off a huge cash price value on the 160 bhp petrol variant of the Skoda Laura. Mercedes-Benz has even breached the space by breaking the roof with a huge, huge, huge and a huge discount for the GL350 CDI.

Renault Pulse Is the Small Car for India

Renault Pulse, the secret’s been finally revealed. Yes, it’s not the Modus, it’s not the Clio. It’s the Renault Pulse, the new small car that is finally going to be unveiled on the 29th of October on the sidelines of the Indian Grand Prix. The car will be the third in the series of Renault’s upcoming cars followed by the release of the Renault Fluence and Koleos in the D-segment sedan class.

The Renault Pulse will be a hatchback inspired from the Nissan Micra platform. The Pulse will have the same V-platform and will also be equipped with the same engine and specifications similar to the Micra. The resemblance does not end here and the car is also expected to be doled out from the same Chennai manufacturing factory facility.

The Renault Pulse will be bolstered by the same triple cylinder and 1.2 gasoline engine. The diesel cousin of the Renault Pulse will be equipped with a more powerful 1.5 litre engine similar to the one on the Nissan Micra. The shock absorbers will be of MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam for the rear.

The interiors of the car will have a never seen before style for the dashboard, a new drive wheel and inside door panels. With regard to the cabin space the passengers and boot the space will remain the same. Given that the Pulse and the Micra will be like siamese twins one can expect them to even have the same wheelbase for both the front and the rear track. Even the overall length of the Pulse will be an inch to inch rip off the Micra.

The only difference and probably a huge one would be the market positioning of the two cars. The Nissan Micra was more of a premium segment car therefore one can expect the Pulse also to be a bit higher on the costs. The cost will be justified with some good features as well. The car will be equipped with a driver and passenger airbags and ABS for safety. On the comfort and luxury factor the car will have features like climate control, keyless entry and start, and automated controls built on the steering wheel among others.

The Renault Pulse will be looking to give a run for the money to the likes of Maruti Swift, Honda Brio, Hyundai Eon and Ford Figo etc.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Hybrid Confirmed For India

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Hybrid is soon going to be a reality on the Indian roads. The auto maker is all set to deliver the popular luxury car in the Indian market very soon. The plan of launching the car in the Indian terrain had been in the loop for a long while but now the company has officially confirmed the launch of the latest variant of the new Lancer for the desi audience.

On more information regarding the launch of the new Lancer Evolution Hybrid model, the President, Mitsubishi Motors, Mr. Osamu Masuko said, "We will start work on the project next year, and it will be ready within three years. I have set the goal of developing a sporting car featuring electric power."

The development comes as a huge Christmas bonanza; in fact previously the company had intentions of putting an end to the production of the Lancer Evolution X and explained that the present model of the Evolution X will be a swan song in the hugely famed car’s line up. Putting the past behind the company has decided to continue with the car by launching a new generation Lancer Evolution very soon.

The out of the world Mitsubishi Hybrid Lancer Evolution X will be of utmost eco friendly in nature and will have the least carbon footprint as possible on the environment. On the power front the car will not be a disappointment and will deliver a whopping power of over 350 bhp, as compared to 291 bhp of the current model of Lancer Evolution X. All this development is possible due to the addition of a new electric motor delivering 63 bhp. After the reversal of the decision, Mitsubishi has revealed that the Evo of the future will be a diesel-electric hybrid. The car is expected to give a run for its money to the likes of Maruti Suzuki Kizashi and Hyundai Verna Fluidic.

Renault Modus Is The Next Operandi

Renault Modus will look to seal the fate of the company in the Indian markets. Renault has already realized the paradigm shift of its other contemporaries and how the small car market in India plays a big role in the Indian market.

For any car maker in India to truly establish itself it has to go a big way with its small cars. This is exactly what Renault is planning with the Modus. Renault has made its intentions clear with the launch of five new cars for the upcoming year. The Renault Koleos and the Renault Fluence have already hit the Indian shores and the only thing that lacked in its portfolio was a small car which is now very soon to be a reality.

Renault Modus had been gathering a lot of flash lights and was also reported to have been caught during some test drives at the Renault Nissan plant in Chennai. The Renault Modus has two cousins namely the Modus and the Grand Modus. However, it is speculated that the Grand Modus will not make its way to India. On the specifications front the, Modus will be equipped with the same engine as the petrol and the diesel variant of the Nissan Micra.

It is also expected to come with the same 1.2-litre petrol power plant and a 1.5-litre dCi engine of the Fluence as well. The Modus was the first small car to get a 5 Star Euro NCAP (an assessment programme that judges car safety) rating.

The Modus will complete a trio of sorts for the company’s portfolio within this year. The Modus can expect to see the light of the day at the Indian Grand Prix in the last week of October, in Delhi. The Renault Modus is expected to compete with the likes of Nissan Micra, Maruti Ritz, Honda Brio and the Hyundai Eon.

Ford Endeavour Hurricane Is Coming This Diwali

Ford Endeavour Hurricane 4X4 is looking to cash in big time this festive season. The car maker is looking to woe the audience during this auspicious period and ramp up its sales volumes.Ford has always tried to make the maximum use of the festive season and now has come up with the launch of an all terrain sports utility vehicle (SUV) Endeavour. The new Endeavour 4x4 Hurricane limited edition will be a value for money buy and also have an aggressive and eye catch appearance. The car will also be loaded with safety systems and comforts.

The Endeavour 4x4 Hurricane Limited Edition will be available with an attractive price of Rs. 20, 13,244. The revamped car will have a heavy front nudge bar that makes it a mean machine with its tough outlook. The specially designed chrome exhaust trims, 5th-door convex mirror and the standard hurricane body decals all make the car rip through even the worst of hurricanes.

"The introduction of the Endeavour 4x4 Hurricane Limited Edition offers value for money coupled with distinct class and safety features for our customers during this festive season. This special variant offers aggressiveness, adventure and agility with features that improves safety, adds style and class'', said Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director of Ford India.

The space factor inside the Hurricane Limited Edition has been dealt with, keeping it mind the comfort of all the occupants. With three rows of seats and satisfactory legroom, the Endeavour 4x4 Hurricane Limited Edition has commensurate room for seven people and their luggage."We are encouraging the outgoing, adventurous customer to take the new Hurricane where no one has gone before and come back impressed with its off-roading, safety features and overall performance. This is an extremely capable machine winning acclaim for its wonderful dependability," Boneham added.Ford Endeavour is a well known competitor against the SUVs like Toyota Fortuner, Tata Safari, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mitsubishi Pajero, BMW X1, Chevrolet Captiva, Skoda Yeti.

Mahindra To Launch The Cheapest Mini SUV

Mahindra is all set re write the SUV market in India with the launch of a mini SUV with an estimated pricing of Rs.3-4 lakh which is sure to create huge waves across the market. The project is secretly working under the codename S101 and the mini-SUV will be made available in both petrol and diesel variants with 1.0-1.2L engines powering the petrol variant and a 1.5L engine running the diesel cousin. The Indian SUV leader is teaming up with the South Korean Ssangyong Motors to bring up this latest marvel.

Everything regarding the S101 has been kept sealed. Mr. Rajan Wadhera, Chief Executive, Technology, Sourcing and Product development, on the upcoming plans of the company said that, "Work on a new platform should be concluded very soon and it will be on the compact side”. Currently SUV cars from MNC automakers come at a premium price tag of 15-20 lakh and Indian car makers offer the same at a price tag of Rs 6.5 lakh.

Presently entry segment cars in India are ruling the roost with the likes of Tata Nano (priced between Rs 1.47 lakh to Rs 2.05 lakh), Maruti Suzuki 800 (Rs 1.99 lakh to Rs 2.42 lakh), Hyundai Santro (Rs 2.84 lakh), Maruti Alto (Rs 2.39 lakh to Rs 2.89 lakh), Hyundai Eon (Rs 2.71 lakh to Rs 2.93 lakh) and Maruti Eeco (Rs 2.95 lakh).One must tread the path of buying a low cost entry level cars with caution and only price should not influence the purchasing decision. Customers should tread the path of buying a car with caution and keep in mind that low costs always does not lead to a good value buy. Sooner or later you might end up losing a lot more if you have not brought the right car.

Maruti Ertiga The New Mini MPV

Maruti Ertiga is all set to give some stiff competition to the likes of Toyota Innova
in January. The company is now ready to set foot in the multipurpose vehicle (MPV) segment, for the first time. The company is now looking to spread its business across the entire length and breadth of the car market and ensure that not even a single area remains untargeted by the leader in the auto car market.

Maruti has the distinction of being India's largest car maker. In fact the company sells every second car in the country and has decided not to rest on its past laurels and is all set to very soon un wrap its first MPV, the Ertiga. This invariably leads to a serious threat in the already existing car brands in the segment. Ertiga made its debut as a RIII concept in India.

The seven seater multi utility vehicle will look to vie for people looking to buy a bigger vehicle or double up as a family car. The car will also come at a cheaper price compared to its competitors with a starting price of Rs. 6 lakhs and will go up to 9 lakhs for the higher end models. Official sources from the company also confirmed the same and told that the cost factor of the car would be kept quite affordable while other details were kept quite secret.

The Ertiga will look and have the dimensions of any other standard mini MPV on the road. The car will be adorned with light and sleek materials and is expected to carry a rich posh look. The MPV is expected to compete with the likes of Chevrolet Tavera, Tata Sumo Victa, and Mahindra Bolero, Mahindra Scorpio.

India’s First Grand Prix Just Got More Real

India’s first Grand Prix just got more real as the curtains on the Buddh International Circuit was dropped. Formula 1 fanatics have already been going crazy to get their eyeballs on the first Indian Grand Prix and there has been a mad surge for the tickets. The tickets are priced between Rs 2,500 and Rs 35,000.

The tickets for most of the stands are already sold out but this has done very little to deter the fans from digging deep into their wallets to get hold of a seat at the greatest spectacle in motor sports. In spite of the tickets priced at a high range of Rs 2,500 to Rs 35,000 for the magnificent grand stand, the organizers are walking away happily to the banks and are completely confident of a resounding success despite the expensive pricing of tickets.

The launch put rest to all the doubts regarding the racing spectacle’s quality and readiness for the October 30 showpiece. The 5.4-km long racetrack, Jaypee's Buddh International Circuit, was formally opened admist the presence of Manoj Gaur, the chairman of Jaypee Group, Vicky Chandhok, president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and Karthikeyan.

The track got its spiritual (name) connection from the founder of Buddhism, the great Gautam Buddha. As a matter of co incidence the track is located in the Gautam Buddh Nagar District. The entire racing area measures over 875 acres, with the fastest run on the track clocked in less than 1 minute 27 seconds at average speeds crossing 210 kmph. The venue will host the complete sixty laps of race. "It's the greatest sporting infrastructure created by a private company and it also conforms to the latest set of FIA guidelines," said Gaur.

Mitsubishi Compact Car

Volkswagen Polo, Fiat Punto, Maruti Ritz , Hyundai i10 and Nissan Micra have all made the evolution to the small car segment. Now Mitsubishi Motors could also succumb to evolution in the small car segment in India and if all goes well as planned by the Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors could well roll out its own small car. If rumors are to be believed then the company is already planning to bring in a small car for the Indian market.

The South Asian plant of the company is expected to roll out up to 2 lakh units annually. However, the exact production figures will depend on the demand for the small cars in the upcoming car markets. The car is expected to come with an engine capacity of 1.0L to 1.2 L for the hatchback.

This development comes close on the heels of the company’s launch of a new Hindustan Motors-Mitsubishi dealership under the sponsorship of BMS Motors. This increases the dealership number in the country to 41. This new dealership is the second such start up in Andhra Pradesh; the former was launched in Vijayawada by BMS Motors. The first BMS Motors showroom in Ranigunj, Secunderabad, was thrown open to the public by Mr. Ashish Kaul, HM-Mitsubishi’s Head of Sales and Channel Expansion. The service station at Phoolbagh in Old Bowenpally was opened by Mr. Rajeshwar Prasad, HM-Mitsubishi’s Head of Service and Spare Parts. This clearly goes to show that the company is not only interested in the premium market but also looking to expand its wing to the end consumer in terms of low cost cars and other auto related services.

The new development is clearly a paradigm shift from Mitsubishi’s offerings of high performance cars in India including the likes of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Mitsubishi Pajero, Mitsubishi Outlander and Mitsubishi Montero.

Skoda Rapid Is Coming Soon To Indian Market

Skoda Rapid is looking to make some rapid in roads into the Indian sedan market. The Czech Republic Company expects the car to hit the jackpot in the auto market. The Skoda Rapid will make its debut on the Indian roads by the end of December 2011. The car will also have the distinction of being the first ever sleek sedan car in the country from the house of Skoda. Currently Skoda mostly has high end sedans like the Skoda Laura, Superb, sports utility vehicle Yeti and compact hatchback Skoda Fabia. The introduction of the Skoda Rapid will finally bridge the price gap between the high end and the entry level Skoda models in India, and most importantly bring the much needed volumes to boost the sales.

The upcoming Skoda Rapid will start with the price of Rs 6.5 to 8.5 lakh, and will be available in both the petrol and diesel variants. The Skoda Rapid is expected to compete with the likes of Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Ford Fiesta, Maruti SX4, Toyota Etios, Nissan Sunny and Volkswagen Vento.

On the intentions of launching the Skoda Rapid the company’s global chairman Winfried Wahland said, “We launched 'Yeti' recently in the compact SUV segment. We have done well with ‘Fabia’, and this year too we have grown in that segment. But 'Rapid' will beat everything. It will be the volume seller for India.”

The company has already started the production of its entry level sedan, Skoda Rapid, at its plant in Chakan near Pune. The car is a first of sorts from the house of Skoda which has been specifically made for the Indian audience and exclusively made in India.

Looks like Skoda is surely on a roll. With the upcoming launch of Skoda Rapid the gap between Fabia and Laura will be filled. The specifications like the engine refinement, the power, and an attractive price - the car really looks set to storm in the mid sedan segment.

BMW LAUNCHES 6 SERIES COUPE

BMW 6 Series Coupe Coupe and the 650i Convertible will soon be a common sight among the Indian roads. BMW has finally revealed the 6-Series hard top in India. The sporty coupe will come in two versions that are the 650i and 640d. The entry level variant which is the 640d will be equipped with a diesel engine and will come at price tag of Rs 75 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai. The high end V8 petrol engine powered 650i will cost around Rs 85 lakh which is Rs 10 lakh less than the convertible that debuted just a few months back. However this time around the launch was toned down in glamour compared to the Udaipur launch for the 650i convertible, this was rather a pale shadow of the previous launch with the least of fanfare.

The coupe will also have the option of a diesel unlike the convertible which comes in a huge 4.4 litre V8 engine. The 640d coupe is powered by a 3.0 litre turbocharged diesel engine powering up to 313 bhp at 4400 rpm. The car also easily gallops a hefty 630 Nm of torque from 1500-2500 rpm. While top speed remains limited at 250 kph, the 100 kph dash is conquered within 5.5 sec. The gear transmission is an 8 speed automatic transmission which is a standard on the both versions while customers can choose from 15 shades of exterior colours.

The car powers a smoking 407 bhp and 600 torque, enough to spin the rear wheels even with the traction control system is turned on. The car will compete with the likes of Audi A5, Jaguar XJ Series, Lexus IS F, Porsche 911, Audi A8, Jaguar XK Series, Maserati GranTurismo, Bentley Brooklands, Lexus GS, Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, Chevrolet Corvette, Lexus IS C, and Mercedes-Benz SL-Class.

Maruti Alto Specially Re launched

Maruti Alto Xplore is now available in a special limited edition for this festive season. Interestingly the introduction of the Maruti Alto Xplore coincides with that of the Hyundai Eon launch. The planet’s highest selling brand Alto is now loaded with more features on the inside and outside. In fact there are more than 10 new features.The special edition car is available only for the high end variants of the Maruti Alto Lxi and Maruti Alto-K10 Vxi.

The Maruti Alto Xplore will come in six shades for both the high end variants. The car will also be adorned with a high tech twin-din stereo with USB and bluetooth, leather seats, new body graphics, body coloured bumpers, ORVMs and door handles and sporty Roof Spoiler.Currently the Alto has gulped up over 1.48 lakh in this financial year alone. The demand surged further when the company’s newly re modeled Maruti Alto K10 made its entry last year. This only helped in adding more thrust to the already best selling story.

Mr. Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager - Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India, said "Alto has been the favourite hatchback for Indians. With festive season coming up customers look forward for exciting offers. With the introduction of this limited edition we will cater to this need of Alto buyers."

The Maruti Alto Xplore car will have features and accessories worth Rs 20,000. Meanwhile on the other major auto story the Hyundai Eon too made its much awaited appearance on Thursday. The new small car from Hyundai is pitted against the mighty Alto. The battle has surely heated up this monsoon for the supremacy of small car crown. This time Maruti too does not want to take things for granted and undoubtedly, Alto Xplore appears to be Maruti’s attempt to match Eon feature-for-feature. Only time will tell who has the upper hand.

Hyundai Eon Launching Today

13-oct-2011: Hyundai Eon is all set to carry forward the numer uno place of the Hyundai company in the market. Hyundai has been ruling the roost since the last year with the launch of its high end SUV Hyundai Santa Fe. The Second ranked auto company is now looking to gulp up record volumes by introducing a line of compact cars in the Indian market.

The Hyundai Eon is speculated to come in four variants namely D-Lite, D-lite (O), Era, Magna, Magna (O) and Sportz variants. However there has been no official confirmation yet on the exact variants and their prices. The D-Lite Variant will be the entry level car with body colored bumpers but will not have the AC and power drive option. The D-lite-(O) though has air conditioning but might lack the power steering. The power steering finally makes its appearance with the Hyundai Eon Era variant.

The Hyundai Eon Magna variant is expected to come with bigger 13 inch tubeless tyres loaded with some high tech comforts. The car will boast of an entertainment console in the form of a music system for the Magna(O) variant. The Hyundai Eon Sportz variant is the top end model fully loaded with front air bags. Surely this Diwali the Audience will be spoilt for choice.

Hyundai Eon is the going to be the cheapest yet latest offering from Hyundai this Diwali. Hyundai Eon will be the eighth car and the fourth hatchback by Hyundai. The buzz is that this latest entrant is already being called as Hyundai HA and Hyundai 800. This new Hyundai Eon price is sure to stir the hornet’s nest with a price range of under Rs 3 lakh. To be precise the Hyundai Eon Price is expected to come in the range of 2.5 lakhs. The car is expected to compete with the likes of Maruti Alto and the Tata Nano.

No One Can Beat The Sedans

Nissan Sunny is the latest entrant to join the big league of the Sedan car market. The Nissan Sunny has now joined the likes of big daddies like the Maruti Swift Dzire and the others. Out of the huge line of Sedans the new Hyundai Verna Fluidic is a car that seems to have a place of its own in terms of the over all style with its innovative ‘Fluidic Sculpt’. Hyundai Verna Fluidic has all the ingredients of taking forward the legacy of the Hyundai Accent which was the first sedan from the company.

Not to be left behind India’s leading auto giant Maruti Suzuki India is planning some giant leaps in the voracious sedan market. In fact the Maruti SX4 diesel was a huge chart buster after its ‘OBD-2’ compliant certification and accredit ion, which was a first time achievement for any car maker in India. The feature informs the driver in case of any sort of mal function in the emission control mechanism. Further more, Maruti bolstered by this development also debuted its Maruti Kizashi which is the first luxury sedan from the car maker.

Meanwhile Renault India looking to regain its lost glory brought out the Renault Fluence targeting the C segment market. The car was launched at the New Delhi Auto Expo 2010. The Renault Fluence was one of the most expected cars for the current year in India. The Renault Fluence sedan is available both in the gasoline and the diesel versions, which was all set to take on the market by storm against the already well-established competitors right from the start.

Honda Motor Company also showed its stuff with the unveiling of its Civic model at the Detroit Auto Show. The newly renewed variant has a totally revamped interiors as well as exteriors. This move is looked upon as a strategy to ward off its competitors like the Toyota Corolla Altis and Chevrolet Cruze.

Mahindra Verito is The New Office Stopper

Mahindra Verito is now available in a special limited edition offer. The company with aim of gulping huge volumes has launched the limited edition Verito saloon, the Verito Executive.

The special edition Verito is bolstered with alloy wheels, body decals, leather seat covers and leather-wrapped steering wheel, matching door inserts, integrated Bluetooth and USB connectivity. The Executive class car also comes loaded with the same options of the Verito D6 like the airbag, ABS with EBD, variometric AC, body side cladding, ski racks, rear spoiler and chrome applique. The Car comes in two special contrasts, Pearl White and Walnut Brown.

Vivek Nayer, Sr. Vice President – Marketing, Automotive Sector, M&M, said , “The launch of the Verito Executive Edition will add a more premium status quotient to the saloon. Together with the propositions of space and mileage, which Verito is already known for, this new edition will provide premium interior and exterior features to our customers.”

The festive edition cars are looked upon to hook the ever busy business acumen and professionals. Since its inception on the roads the Mahindra Verito has been a chartbuster delivering good sales in India in comparison to its other sedan cars in India.

The Verito looks ready to lock horns with the likes of other entry level sedans such as Toyota Etios, Maruti Swift Dzire, Chevrolet Aveo, and many others.

Hyundai Eon To Be Launched On October 13

Hyundai Eon being launched on the October 13th around the price tag of 2.5 Lakh for the entry level, the Maruti Alto could very well have met its nemesis. The Hyundai Eon gets its cuts and curvy exterior design from the Hyundai’s Verna Fluidic design philosophy that seems to be the in vogue fashion these days with the company and also the fluid design looks much more contemporary than that of the aging Maruti Alto.

The Interiors are way ahead of its other contemporaries at least that is what we get from the latest leaks. The best part also flows onto the mileage of the car which is also more efficient than the Alto in terms of the road run. The ARAI certifies the Hyundai Eon’s mileage at 21.1 KMPL. The best part just does not seem to end here. The car also has an 814 cc three cylinder petrol engine with a maximum of 55 bhp and 76.5 Nm of top torque. These figures easily surpass the Alto by 15% on paper as of now. The Hyundai Eon is expected to be just priced below the Hyundai Santro Xing.

So what is in favour of the Maruti? The only cause of concern for the Hyundai would be to replicate or even come close to the huge network of Maruti sales and service outlets in India. Maruti’s thirty year dominance still does have a few tricks up its sleeve. Hyundai has recently been making some inroads into the tier 2 and 3 cities of India and town with standalone dealerships for selling entry level cars like the Hyundai Eon and the Santro Xing. It all comes down to the actual sales and services and will finally decide who is the winner in the Maruti Suzuki versus Hyundai battle? The dhamaka is all set to begin on the October 13th, 2011, when the Hyundai Eon will be launched in India.

Skoda Citigo will make its entry in India

Skoda Citigo is the newest and the smallest car from the house of Skoda. The Czech car maker is gearing up the car specifically for the Indian markets although initially the car was planned for the Europe. The past efforts from the company to break into the compact car segment in the Indian market with the Skoda Fabia was not very fruitful and is now once again planning to gulp up some big volumes by launching the entry level product.

"The Citigo, which is mainly a small car for the Europe, also has potential in a market like India," said the Skoda Auto Global chairman Winfried. Vahland, who was in India to monitor the making of the upcoming entry level sedan Skoda Rapid (inspired from Volkswagen Vento), adding that India remains one of the key markets for the company globally, along with China and Russia.

The Skoda Citigo will be launched in the Czech market in late 2011 and in Europe by the start of summer 2012. The car is yet another proof of the company's policy of value for money brand within the Volkswagen (VW) stable, the Citigo will be a cost efficient car compared to the Volkswagen Up.

Vahland further stated that the Citigo’s entry into India will be more as a supporter to the Volkswagen. "If it makes sense, we will do it together with the group." Reports also reveal that the brand treatment for the Citigo will have the same strategies and synergies to that of the Volkswagen Up! This is expected to be on the roads next year.

Vahland said the company is looking to rake up sufficient sales volume in India. "The Rapid is the first model in this direction and it is the first car from the Skoda brand which has been designed, keeping in mind the special needs of Indian customers. It will be manufactured here."

Maruti Swift Has Once Again Showed its Class

Maruti Swift has once again showed its class with 1, 08,000 units of the new Swift already being booked. This is highest pre sales booking figure for any car in India till date.

The company in spite of internal turmoil at the Manesar plant has taken stock of situation with a capacity of over 700 cars a day, as a combined capacity of its two plants. However, the efforts do seem to do very little for the long waiting period of about five months for the petrol version.
Maruti Swift, the new version might fool you as if there is nothing different but wait till you see the inside. The new version has some radical changes in the interiors, instrument console and also has a small yet very critical additional space at the back seat. The space at the rear seat is a result of competition and Suzuki has done well to increase the rear seat space which has been done at the cost of cargo space in the hatch.One problem though might still bother you at least in the Indian version is that the flood lights still have a lot left to be desired in terms of the quality.

The Maruti Swift should have had the headlights with the new technologies available. The low quality lights do require a bit of eye straining especially while driving during the night. However other safety aspects seem to have moved a notch higher. It has all the basic safety systems from gen next airbags to braking circuits and lots of small tweaks to ensure that your driving is not only smooth but also safe.

All said and done the new Swift does live up to its old reputation and the proof of this is the already record bookings of up to 100000. Surely Maruti still knows the Indian consumer well then anybody and has kept all the main ingredients of a successful car intact for the new Swift as well. This is really commendable in spite of a number of competitors namely Hyundai i10, Hyundai i20, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo and Nissan Micra.