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.

Mahindra XUV 500 Has The License To Thrill

Mahindra XUV 500 is all set to rule the roads from the 28th September this 2011. The XUV 500 will be a first of its kind from the house of the Mahindra. In fact the car has been designed by taking inputs for style and development inputs from customers all over the world. The car has been also tested in various parts of the world across Europe, Australia and South Africa among others.

Mahindra is looking to create a niche identity for itself in this category. It is looking at a place between the Scorpio and the upbeat SUVs. The car is aimed at the gen next and will be styled according to the taste of the youth. The 00 in the name of the Mahindra XUV 500 is not just mere numbers. They are similar to that of 00 in the James Bond character. In short the car wants to convey that it is a class ahead in terms of fashion and high tech features. To testify this gen next breed the car has been manufactured using the best in class quality standards.

The Mahindra XUV 500 also owns the distinction of being the country’s first indigenously developed monocoque SUV. It is also equipped with a novel transverse engine from the Mahindra. The XUV 500 is truly niche and world class and this is further exemplified in the way it was conceptualized and created. Right from ensuring the global standards, quality, technology, testing norms, regulations and emissions every aspect related to the car has not at all been comprised.

The XUV500, in fact seems to indicate the future path of the Mahindra. The Mahindra XUV 500 SUV will be run by a 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine and generates a maximum power of 140 bhp and a torque of 326 Nm.

Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, M&M Ltd. told “We are all set to create a new milestone with the launch of the Mahindra XUV 500 which truly embodies and encapsulates the essence of the Mahindra Rise philosophy. Having extensively tested and validated our product with global and Indian customers alike, I am happy to add that we will simultaneously launching the XUV 500 in South Africa under the same brand name. I am confident that the XUV 500 will follow in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors to evolve into an iconic brand.”

Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd. said, “The Mahindra brand has evolved over time. Today it enjoys the strongest equity in the SUV category. Therefore, Mahindra will now be the lead brand for the XUV 500. Additionally, with the XUV 500 we are attempting to create a new category in the SUV segment, that will not only challenge the conventional but will also certainly translate into double customer delight.”

Mahindra has now sort of made a track record in the SUV category with a huge share of the market. The company leads the pack with a market share of 60.5 percent. The success of Mahindra is largely attributed to the Indian and global iconic brands like Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra Bolero and Mahindra Xylo.

Fiat Linea, Fiat Punto is the flavor of this Diwali

Fiat Linea and the Fiat Punto seem to be flavor of this festive season. The special festival discounts go up to Rs. 1, 30,000/- on the Fiat Linea and Rs. 75,000/- on the Fiat Punto. The special festival offer also includes an attractive exchange benefit of up to Rs. 20000/- package. This means that customers can actually exchange their old Fiat cars to buy new Fiat cars. The icing on the cake is the festival discount also extends to 50 months road side assistance package along with 1st year insurance for 1 Rupee only.

President and CEO, Fiat India, Mr. Rajeev Kapoor says that “With the launch of this campaign we portray our commitment towards the Indian market and communicate that this campaign has been designed keeping in mind the emotions, sentiments and key values deeply portraying our Indian connect. We at Fiat India hold the same values that an Indian holds. Fiat has exhilarating plans for this festival season. This is our first offering this festive season to celebrate and share the festivities with our customers."

This is looked upon as a bid to increase sales during the festival season. "With the launch of this campaign, we portray our commitment towards the Indian market and communicate that this campaign has been designed keeping in mind the emotions, sentiments and key values, deeply portraying our Indian connect," said Fiat India chief executive Rajeev Kapok.

Fiat India has also gone ahead in terms of its brand building in India with a new Ad campaign. The company says that the new ad campaign is not just for mere brand presence but also for generating a real feel with the customers. Fiat wants to show case how exactly it thinks about its customers. The new ad brings in the festivities of the desi tradition and the fashion of La Italia which in turn signifies the combo of Fiat’s path breaking technology and creations.

India which is rightly referred to as the land of festivities follows a wide range of festivals being celebrated in all parts of our country. Not to forget that the common vein that links them is its preparations and celebrations, that are carried out very passionately. The outcome is being happy, excitement, enthusiasm and its affection because it is reflected in its honesty and stronger ties.

At Fiat, we are proud of working in a synonymous way executing passionately at every platform related to car production. Starting from the guaranteed designs of our car are as timeless and stunning as always, to them a matter of convenience and comfort for drivers and passengers at every point of time. Also, not to forgot the creation of the heart of the car- The Engines, in a way no body would even possibly think of. This isn’t just engineering, it’s a philosophy and a vision because we believe that when you combine passion and inner drive you can create wonders.

Nissan Sunny Launched in India

The wait is over for the much awaited Nissan Sunny. It is now on Indian roads, the Nissan has launched it on 20/09/2009 at Mumbai. After getting a huge success through Nissan Micra. The Company is expecting the same result from the Nissan Sunny also. This car is expected to directly compete with the upcoming Volkswagen Up.

Nissan Micra has already set the benchmark in the Indian auto markets. In spite of it’s out of the box looks, the car is being held as the best in its class. The Nissan Sunny is expected to come with a 1.5 litre engine and with a price starting from 5.78 lakh up to 7.68 lakhs for the high end variants.

The Nissan firm has a target of selling more than 40000 cars in the Indian market. The company top sources also revealed that for the Indian markets, “We are planning to sell 40,000 units across all models available in India by the end of this fiscal year. Of this, we aim to sell around 12,000 units of the Sunny”.

The Nissan is expected to come in 3 variants XE, XL and XV. It is also expected to sport an airbag for all the three variants. The Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd on the launch of its Nissan Sunny petrol version sedan in Mumbai on Tuesday said that the company is also planning to bring out a diesel variant. The corporate vice president Gilles Normand says the diesel version is due to the market demand in India for the diesel variants.

“We have been talking to our engineers to see if we can pull forward the launch,” said Normand. He also added that the petrol diesel gap is widening from the earlier figures of 45:55 to the earlier 20:80. The diesel variant is expected to be available by the end of this fiscal year, he said.

Honda City Old Cars Recalled

Honda India has recalled 2005 and 2007 Honda City cars. The main reason to recall is to replace power wind switch. This shows the credibility of the customer service. Honda City is one of the successful sedans in India. till to date Honda City has got high demand and recently the company has launched the upgraded version of it in Indian market.

The Honda's Indian unit, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI), spokesperson said the recall was part of a global exercise by Honda Motor Company‘s promise of “stringent quality standards for its products" in spite of no faulty complaints with regard to the power switch in India. Jnaneswar Sen, senior VP, sales & marketing, HSCI, explained that "Every time we have done a recall or product up gradation, we have done it proactively." The company also said that the replacement would be completely done free of cost and no extra charges will added for the replacement.

The news has been passed onto the dealers and the replacement parts are being distributed to the contact points in batches for a smooth execution of the same. The company sources also added that any expenses arising out of the process will be invested by the Honda Motor Company (HMC) while also indicating that there would no loss borne by the Indian division of the Honda enterprise. The parts for replacement shall be sourced from Japan in phases.

HMC also cleared airs about the power switch problem is not a worrying factor in its current City models operational in India. This effectively means that the Honda Jazz and Honda CR-Vs sold in India will not be affected and does not need any recall program me or replacements to be undertaken.

This does come us a set back to the company as they already had to reduce the prices of the Honda City car to clear up volumes in stock in spite of ten years of dominance in the mid-size category. The same story was also endured by its Honda Jazz which too underwent huge price slashes after which the sales showed an upward trend.

On the global auto market, HMC declared that around 9,62,0000 Honda City sedans will be recalled for the replacement of the power windows and the computer systems. The models are Honda Jazz in India, CR-V crossover and Fit Aria (named as City in India) in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe. The Company is also planning to launch Honda Brio.

Honda To Launch Small Car in India

Honda Brio is the most awaiting hatchback in Indian market. The truth is finally out. If reports are anything to go by then Honda is indeed rolling out a new small car, the Honda Brio. The car will be launched by the fag end of September, giving the Indian eye balls yet another choice to be spoilt for in the small car segment.

The Honda Brio will be launched in trio version aka three models while the pricing has been kept unwrapped till the ribbon cutting ceremony. Though Honda is the bag daddy in the car segment, the Honda Brio is surely a bit out of their forte, as the Honda Brio is surely smaller in size. The i10, polo and swift hopefully will have their hands full and would be all ready set and match for this new competitor in the market. This beast is expected to fight with recently launched Toyota Etios Liva and upcoming Maruti Cervo in India.

What makes the Brio stands out is actually the least concentrated aspect in all the previous Honda cars. You guessed it right, it’s the tail lights. The Brio has triangular shaped tail lamps at the back end corner of the car. The light from these tail eyes will surely light up any one’s eyes.

Though lacking on the boot lid and a not so alluring alloys it does spice up with some fantastic interiors, dashboard and other attractive features. The car seems to have been trimmed as much possible to keep the entry price as low as possible and so one can look forward to yet another car that will surely pinch your desires and not your pockets.