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.