Mahindra Mini Xylo Facelift Coming in Next 24 hours

Mahindra Mini Xylo is coming soon to set this festive season on fire. The Xylo facelift will make its debut in the next 24 hours. This has been one of the most talked about vehicles after the launch of the highly successful XUV500 and looks there is no stopping the SUV maker. The Xylo facelift has been spied under strenuous conditions and looks like it will be a vehicle that will successfully meet the challenges on the terrain.

The company has not at all hurried the process of launch and is leaving no stone unturned to make the Mini Xylo deliver the best performance in all possible conditions. Recently the Xylo facelift has been spied in the icy conditions of Scandinavia in Europe.

Previously the company has received overwhelming response with the facelift launch of the Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra Bolero and even the Mahindra Verito. The facelift version of the Xylo becomes all the more important because the original version of Mahindra Xylo has not been able to repeat the success like some its other cousins. All the details regarding the Mahindra Mini Xylo have been kept under tight wraps.

In terms of the pricing the Mahindra Mini Xylo is expected to knock the sails off the premium hatchbacks with a price tag of Rs 5 Lakhs. The Xylo Mini is also expected to come with the same chassis but will be shortened aptly suiting its Mini tag. The 2.5 CRDe engine of Mahindra Xylo is also expected to be reduced to 1.5-litres and reductions include one cylinder, bore and stroke. The Mahindra Mini Xylo will have only two row of seats there by limiting the seating capacity to five.

Renault Pulse Petrol Coming Soon

Renault Pulse will soon be available in both the fuel variants. The car is already available in the robust diesel engine. However, it will soon be available in the refined petrol engine also. This is really a contrasting move from the company considering that most of its vehicles were running on diesel. In fact the first car Renault India brought on was Renault Fluence sedan, which was available in both diesel as well as petrol variant. Later the Koleos SUV entered the market which is only offered in diesel version.

The petrol variant of Renault Pulse will be having a 1.2 litre, 3 cylinder petrol engine which will delivers 80 BHP of power. Strangely, one would also be eagerly be awaiting the price tag of the Renault Pulse because the Renault Fluence petrol price is higher than its diesel version. The petrol version of Renault Fluence sedan has automatic transmission, whereas the diesel version has been bestowed with the manual gearbox. Therefore, there is a slight possibility that Renault Pulse petrol variant might be blessed with an automatic gearbox.

This means that the Renault Pulse which has been inspired from the Nissan Micra platform will be costlier than its inspiration in the market. The Renault Pulse diesel has a 4 cylinder in-line K9K diesel engine with a displacement of 1461 cc which delivers 64 Ps of peak power at 4000 rpm and 160 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm.

The Robust diesel vehicle also delivers a highly robust mileage of 23.08 kmpl and hits the 100 km mark in just 14.5 seconds with a top speed of 160 kmph. This means the car is a nippy mover on the busy city streets and good hitch on the long escapades as well.

The Renault Pulse weighs just 970 kg. The length of Renault Pulse is 3805 mm. The width is 1665 mm with a height of 1525 mm. The wheel base of Renault Pulse is 2450 mm. The base model of Pulse diesel (RxL) has been priced very competitively at Rs. 5.77 lakhs while the top-end RxZ version is priced at Rs.6.25 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. Renault Pulse competes with likes of the Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz and the Volkswagen Polo in the premium hatchback segment.

BMW X6 In A New Avatar

BMW revealed the first official pictures of the updated X6 SAV (Sport-Activity Vehicle). At first, one might not notice the difference at all, but upon careful inspection one should notice a plethora of changes from the front to back.

BMW X6, the multi faceted SUV with the stance of a coupé will be available in a face lifted version in the global markets sometime in mid-2012. The makeover includes relocated foglights, which now sit high up in the outer air inlets. The grille is now louder with the addition of optional adaptive LED headlamps; these come as standard on the new performance-oriented BMW X6M as do the blue aluminium brake callipers. The bravado of this car is admirable and it has loads of personality.

The makeovers on the back side include a new horizontally mounted twin LED light banks that add weight age to the car’s width. The new paint finishes in the form of Marrakech Brown metallic, Orion Silver metallic and Midnight Blue metallic and new bi-color, along with double spoke 19-inch alloys for the BMW X6 xDrive 50i model complete the makeover job. On the inside, there are two new upholstery color choices of Ivory White Nappa Leather and Vermillion Red Nevada Leather.

The X6 is also equipped with an M-diesel engine. The desi audience gets the X6 xDrive50i with a 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine and an X6 xDrive30d. If rumors are to be believed, the new X5 and the X6 could also get an eight-speed gearbox. The X6’s suspension is tuned tightly to make it sporty, but some argue that it makes life difficult for the daily smooth terrainer. The new transmission is said to increase performance in both X6 models. The xDrive35i is claimed to be quicker by 0.2 second, whereas the twin-turbo V-8 xDrive50i is faster by 0.1 second off. It is expected to compete with its brother BMW X5 and its rival Audi Q7 in Indian market.

Mercedes Benz GL SUV Launched in India

Mercedes Benz GL Grand Edition makes its debut in India in a face lifted version. The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is a full-size crossover SUV built by the German carmaker Mercedes-Benz. Built to seat 7 in reasonable comfort, the GL-Class is the Mercedes-Benz of choice for those who want more than just a luxury car. With SUVs becoming a hot favorite in India in the recent past, so much so that the GL has been a runaway success in India. The GL-Class is a fusion of elegance, style and off-road capability.

The Mercedes-Benz GL350 CDI Blue Efficiency comes with a 2987cc engine with six-cylinder mated to a seven-speed transmission. The GL350 produces 221bhp, whereas the E350 CDI produces 228bhp and the ML350CDI produces 234bhp.This oilburner churns out 221bhp of power at 3800rpm and has a maximum torque of 510Nm packed in it. The SUV hits the 100kph mark in 10.7 seconds.

The new GL features a reworked front-end that gets a bigger grille with three horizontal chrome-bars and a slightly-larger and more prominent three-pointed star at the center. The front bumper is re-profiled as well and the head-lamps now get dark-tints too. Additional styling updates include new paint shades and re-styled 20-inch alloy wheels. Interior enhancements for the Grand Edition include black / porcelain and black / maroon leather upholstery, velour floor mats and a ‘Grand Edition’ badge on the centre console.

Standard on all GL-class models are features like the 4MATIC all-wheel drive, AIRMATIC air suspension, Direct-Steer system and the Adaptive Damping System. It also gets PARKTRONIC and COMAND APS system with a reversing camera. Additional features include off-road ABS, Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR) and Hill-Start Assist.

The GL ‘Grand Edition’ comes in two variants; Executive which is priced at Rs 60.9 lakh and Luxury retailing at Rs 65.5 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). The Mercedes Benz SUV competes with the likes of Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Volvo XC90.

Maruti Swift Dzire 2012 Starts from Rs. Rs 4.79 lakh

Maruti Swift Dzire goes 2.0 with its next generation avatar. The new Swift Dzire starts from Rs 4.79lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Like the old Dzire, the new is also available in both petrol and diesel engine options. Most importantly the new Swift Dzire has made the sub-four-metre cut and hence is cheaper than the current Dzire available in the market. The 2012 variant will also be offered as a four-speed automatic petrol variant.

The entry level petrol (LXi) variant starts at Rs 4.79 lakh, and goes up to Rs 6.19 lakh for the top-end ZXi variant. The automatic is only available in the VXi variant at Rs 6.54 lakh. The entry level diesel version starts at Rs 5.80 lakh and Rs 7.09 lakh for the top-end.

The new Dzire makes its entry in to the compact saloon category and this makes it quite different from the current variant. The car is shorter by 165mm at 3995mm. This means the boot gets shorter and will more or less look like a notchback instead of a proper sedan. The 316 litres boot space is a on a tight leash but is still good enough to hold the weekend’s luggage.

The power mills are the same 86bhp, 1.2-litre petrol and 74bhp, 1.3-litre diesel motors. The K-Series petrol engine is peppier by 2bhp compared to the older car. The 1.3-litre DDiS motor remains mainly unchanged.

In terms of the looks, the compact sedan manages to look different from its hatchback cousin – the Swift. The slatted grille at the front and wider air dam along with bigger fog light capsules are the makeovers at the exteriors.

On the backside, the quarter glass is now more typical along with bigger doors. The interior cabin is not much alien except for the odd beige plastics on the lower portion of the dashboard and door pads and the light seat fabrics really enhance the ambience inside.

On the road, the petrol Dzire hits the 0-100kph mark in 12.6 sec, while the diesel Dzire would take 14.8 secs for the same. The new Maruti Swift Dzire competes with the likes of the Tata Indigo eCS, Toyota Etios and the Mahindra Verito.

Volkswagen Vento Has a Fiery Start

Volkswagen Vento had a fiery start at 7.42 am near Vaishali restaurant on Fergusson College road on Monday morning. Kailash Suresh Gupta, 40-year-old car owner, luckily managed to escape with help of passers-by pulled him out of the car after a struggle. Gupta got locked inside his Volkswagen Vento and was saved by other commuters, who pulled him out after breaking the windows of the car.

The fiery start on the morning has sent shivers down Volkswagen Vento buyers. The owner of the car had his seatbelt on and people had to struggle to get him out. Rakesh, Gupta's brother said the car company later took the vehicle in its possession and officials were trying to ascertain the fault that caused the fire.

"We have been informed by company officials that company authorities from Germany will be flying in to India to ascertain what went wrong," Gupta said. Rakesh said his brother had purchased the car not even a year ago and had recently got it serviced.

"Commuters present on FC Road saved my brother," Rakesh said. "Passers-by broke the glass to pull Gupta out from the burning car as he was trapped inside and was unable to get out." Unfortunately, Gupta before being rescued has 60 per cent injuries on his face, hand and legs and has been undergoing treatment at Surya Hospital.

The Deccan police said Gupta, a grocery shop owner in Kasarwadi, had gone for his daily exercise on the University of Pune campus. Later he had stopped over for breakfast at Vaishali. As he started off again from there, his car caught fire.

The fire brigade rushed to the spot and the flames were doused in about 10 minutes. The Deccan police said the fire was caused by a short circuit and as the car got locked up it became difficult for Gupta to come out. Recently, the Tata Nano was also in the news when it burst into flames. Even in the global market, The Japanese car maker Mazda recalls 65,000 cars due to poisonous spiders attack.

Volkswagen Up Launched

Volkswagen Up has been officially unveiled. The production model of the five-door hatchback has been revealed just ahead of its European launch in March. The five-door Up! is the same as the three-door variant. It has the same size, features and the range of engine options. With the addition of extra doors, the five-door variant makes away with the rear rising window line for a more conventional glass house. The new five-door Up! also comes with an increased leg room space of 79.5cm and head room space of 94.7cm. The luggage space starts at 252 litres that can be extended to 951 litres.

For the European market, the Volkswagen Up! five-door specifications include a 1-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine which chucks out a power of 60PS and 75PS of max power. The Volkswagen Up! price will cost around 10,325 euros in the European market which roughly translates into Rs 7.25 lakh approximately. The new Up! will come in five models in Europe - Take Up!, Move Up!, High Up!, Black Up! and White Up!

The five-door version of the Volkswagen Up will also follow suit in India before 2013. One of the main tasks ahead of Volkswagen India would be to bring down the making costs of the car, especially to fight off competition from its own Volkswagen Polo. The company is planning to go for heavy localisation of the Volkswagen Up! in India. The five-door version is also expected to give rise to an India-spec Skoda Citigo.

Indian-market Up will get the fuel fuel-efficient petrol and diesel engines ranging from 1 to 1.2 litre. The Up offers approximately 251 litres of luggage space, extending to 951 litres with the rear seats folded. For the Indian market however it will be a four-door version and will be positioned below the Volkswagen Polo. It is expected to compete with Hyundai i10 and Nissan Micra in Indian market.

Ford Ecosport In The Market By End 2012

Ford EcoSport will approximately gulp up USD 142 million at its Chennai plant in India as its manufacturing cost. The company's wholly owned arm, Ford India, will roll out the product in the market later this year. "We are investing USD 142 million in Chennai to produce that vehicle. It really is a tremendous show of confidence to the team in Chennai," Ford India President and Managing Director Michael Boneham told reporters.The company has not revealed the price range of this model, but it is expected to be in the price segment of Rs 7 to 9 lakh, where it will be competing with the Maruti Ertiga SUV.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Alan Mullaly, Ford Motor Company CEO, said on the occasion, "Majority of our growth now in terms of production facility and volumes will be focused on serving the Asia Pacific customers starting with India."

Powered by highly fuel efficient 1-litre Ecoboost petrol engine, the SUV is capable of delivering a peak power of 120 PS along with a peak torque of 170 NM. A 1.5 liter diesel version of the car will also be launched in Indian later. The choice of engines, a 1.5-litre diesel and 1.0-litre petrol, would have been ideal to benefit from the excise duty sop.

However recent reports suggest that Ford doesn’t want to compromise on the standards of space and styling it has already set. As a result, the car is expected to be closer to 4.25m in length, similar to the outgoing model. Therefore, the excise duty cut will have to be shelved off.

The company plans to offset the penalty of a higher excise duty with high levels of localisation. However, Ford is believed to be working on a sub-four-metre version by trimming precious millimetres off the bumpers, but it is very tight-lipped about this. We expect the EcoSport to start at Rs 7 lakh for the base petrol model and go up to Rs 10 lakh for the top-end diesel version. Ford EcoSport competes with Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra XUV500 and Skoda Yeti in Indian market.

Skoda Octavia Rises From The Ashes

Skoda Octavia is now on a comeback trail. If reports are anything to go by then the Octavia is about to mark its return in early 2013 and will take the place of the existing Skoda Laura. Currently under the codename ‘A7’ it will now be based on an innovative modular MQB platform, ripped from its parent company Volkswagen. The concept model of this New Octavia model is expected to be unveiled at 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

Rumor mills are also working overtime to reveal that the new platform will be bigger as compared to the current Skoda Laura that presently earns decent sales along with counterpart Skoda Superb sedan. In fact, this info is further substantiated by Mr. Winfried Vahland’s statement at 2012 Delhi Auto Expo in which he had informed that, the company would certainly like to bring back the most sales-ticking sedan to India and he also shared a personal fact that he loves the name ‘Octavia’.

As soon as the Skoda launches the sedan in India it will dump the name Laura and will put back the tag of Octavia on the sedan. With its initial launch in the year 2001, it actually introduced the Czech Republic based firm in India and conferred it with a golden platform to pursue further sales in the country.

The car is based on a VW Group platform shared with the Volkswagen Jetta. There have been two generations of the Octavia model to date. The 1.9l turbo-diesel engine is the one which has sold the most, and rightly so. It is frugal and manages to keep the performance-oriented driver happy at the same time. The petrol 1.8 L turbocharger engine is packed with electronic multipoint injection fuel supply system. This engine is very fuel efficient and a better performer and delivers an impressive power of 150 bhp. Other vehicles that have made the Skoda a brand to reckon with in India include the likes of Skoda Laura, Skoda Superb, Skoda Rapid and Skoda Fabia hatchback along with Skoda Yeti SUV in the country.

Skoda Fabia and Chevrolet Optra secretly topped 2011

Skoda Fabia and Chevrolet Optra did restore some lost pride for the older generation of cars. On the whole in 2011 the best selling cars were mostly that made their debut for the first time. The old timers were not much of game changer and even if they did manage a healthy run, the sales figures were dismissal compared to their 2010 earnings.

Surprisingly, the Chevrolet Optra and the Skoda Fabia came up trumps in 2011. Facts say that Chevrolet sold a total of 1824 units in 2010 of the Optra and a surprising 3044 units in 2011. On the other hand, the newly renovated Skoda Fabia in 2011 were a shocking 16,966 units compared to 8,965 units that were sold in 2010.

The Skoda Fabia comes in three engine variants of 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.4-litre diesel. The 1.4 TDI is a turbocharged three-pot engine which produces 68bhp and a maximum torque of 155Nm. The diesel is a bit noisy which is due the Pumpe-Duse technology that runs it. The idling is quiet and the engine responses are bit delayed when you hit the peddle. This does not take away from the fact that the car still responds better than most other turbo diesel hatchbacks. The car redlines easily but the revs fall quickly too once your foot is off the gas pedal.

The Skoda Fabia price starts a just little under Rs 5 lakh and goes up to almost Rs 8 lakh. It is actually a bit more compared to its other hatchback colleagues. It still however justifies the price it demands, if you consider that you get German build quality and small touches like the telescoping steering and ride and handling that can hold their own with much more expensive cars, it suddenly will seem worth it.

The Chevrolet Optra is a large sedan that falls between the upper C segment and the lower D Segment which makes it quiet a unique buy. The fashion statement of the car is done by Pininfarina however this was carried out when the Optra was still a Daewoo car and it was made predominantly for the Asian markets. The car has always performed beyond its expectations and though it has not heated up the sales it does sell at a steady pace and is a decent piece of machinery. The inside fit and finish surely makes you wanting for more with great space as well. The option of either petrol or a diesel engine also strengthens its portfolio. Overall the Chevrolet Optra offers a decent package with a starting price of Rs. 7.3 lakhs. Both the cars will compete with Volkswagen Vento, Nissan Sunny and Renault Pulse in Indian market.