Monthly Archives: January 2009

Fiat Contingent on Linea for Revival

The latest sedan Linea is launched by Fiat India solely with a view to strengthened its presence in the Indian car market.

The company has tied high hopes with the car and is completely relying on it to bring good sales.It also targets to sell 24,000 cars in the first year and export around 3,000 cars to international markets like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and UK.

The recently launched Fiat Linea boasts unmistakable Italian design, aesthetic glaring lines with modern features. The impressive design with a smooth body shape, elongated dual-parabola headlights, and a steeply raked windscreen improves aerodynamics. Welcoming and bright environment in the interior accentuated with a host of interior elements delivers a perfect blend of aesthetics and functionality. There is nothing left behind to roll a beauty on wheels. With such an elegant design and high quality interiors, the Fiat Linea is sure to attract a large number of car buyers across the country.

If this new car succeeds to win hearts of Indian car buyers, it is sure that the impact of slowdown on the company will be nullified. Fiat expects to increase the market share and aims to sell about 40,000 cars during 2009. The Linea is surely going to coup over leading sedans like the Honda City and the Ford Fiesta if its gains car buyers’ confidence. This would then definitely help to revive Fiat’s business in India.

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Indian Car Industry Moves Up the Value Chain

There was a time when India was learning from the West and was picking their expertise, knowledge, and talents to graduate from the low technical profile. But now the trend has changed as the West is smitten by the ideologies and talents of India.

India is gradually moving up the value chain in all areas. Today, the country is proudly known for its calibre to produce technological marvels as well as the low-cost cars. India is even supplying its expertise and engineered car components to the international car market.

A glance back to January 2008 reminds us of the day when Ratan Tata unveiled the world’s cheapest car in the Delhi Auto Show. Though the car has not yet rolled out but it has created several lucrative opportunities for auto engineering and designing as majority of the vendors are based in India. A significant milestone in automobile engineering is marked by Tata reportedly filing 34 patents with regards to design innovations of the Nano.

Going further back down the line about two decades ago, we could see only the Fiat Premier Padmini and the Ambassador with restricted number of component manufacturers in the country. The actual race that took India towards a brighter future began in 90s. It was a time when component manufacturers started jostling for space and signing partnership with leading global players.

Counting on the present state of the global car market, big players like General Motors and Ford take their car components from India. Infact some of the foreign car manufacturers even outsource engineering and designing talents from the country. Some of the leading cars like the Hyundai i10, Tata Indica Vista, Mahindra Scorpio, Reva Maini, Maruti Suzuki A-Star, and the Hyundai i20 are also manufactured in India utilising country’s best expertise.

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BMW X3 Glowing on German Roads

The BMW X3 rides high on a wave of style and luxury with its elegant design, superior agility, and exemplary efficiency.

The car is doing very well in the German market which is clearly reflected by its achievements in the country. The BMW X3 has been declared as the most reliable vehicle on German roads for the second consecutive year based on German breakdown statistics on over 2 million cases, and customer satisfaction study on the assessment conducted on 43,000 participants. The car has been also crowned by German Automobile Association in “Quality” category. Not only this, the car has even experienced a sales jump of up to 9 per cent in 2008.

Though the car have impressive features like ornamental twin-kidney grille, sophisticated bumper, sleek headlights, and a high-end roomy interior, it fails to lure Indian buyers. The BMW X3 is not able to win over other cars in its segment perhaps due to absence of diesel version and may be also because of the high cost. The reason may be anything but the fact remains that Indian roads are don’t witness such huge numbers of X3 like the German terrain.

posted by admin @ Friday, January 30th, 2009 Comments Off links to this post
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Maruti in Search for India’s Best Young Driver

New Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire Cars in India

Maruti Suzuki is in search for India’s best young driver in association with Autocar. To complete the search Maruti Suzuki and Autocar is holding a contest. The winner of the contest will have the opportunity to rejoice the victory with an award of ‘Maruti Suzuki – Autocar Young Driver 2009′, a free ownership of Maruti Suzuki A-Star, and will also be appoint as an ambassador for promoting safe driving in India.

This competition will test a contestant’s knowledge of traffic rules, awareness on road safety, and the driving skill. Any individual between the age group of 18 – 30 years with a valid Indian driving license are eligible for participation. But those who have the learner’s license are not eligible.

For selection of the final winner, the contest will undergo three phases. In the first phase, participants have to register themselves online and give an online theory test and those who get the top scores will be selected for the second phase. In the second phase all the selected contestants have to give a simulator test at one of the eleven Maruti Driving Schools situated in Mumbai, Delhi (Gurgaon), Delhi (Faridabad), Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Jamshedpur, Ahmedabad, Indore, and Cochin. Top 33 finalists will be selected on the basis of simulator test and then in the third phase the selected 33 finalists will be taken to Delhi for the Grand Finale of the event on 28 February 2009.

If you enjoy an adventurous and thrilling ride and willing to participate in the contest then click here.

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The Jaypee Vintage and Classic Rally

Morris Minor England Vintage Cars in India

Vintage cars carrying the legacy of cars manufactured during the vintage era are adored by most of the car enthusiasts. Car fanatics desperately wait for the opportunity to take a glimpse of these rare cars. Therefore, car rally events showcasing vintage cars are known to attract large crowd and hold a great significance.

Many car rally events are frequently organised in India that not only offer an eye feast for car lovers but also a platform where they can buy unique and classic cars.

A vintage car rally recently held in Delhi reflects the zeal and curiosity of masses to get familiar and own these cars. The vintage car rally was organised by the Heritage Motoring Club in association with the Jaypee Group on 25th Jan. under the banner ‘The Jaypee Vintage and Classic Rally’.

The event witnessed the presence of 250 car enthusiasts who bagged the chance to travel in 68 vintage cars and 46 two-wheelers. Classic cars that glittered the event are Jaguar, Graham-Paige, Rileys, Oldsmobiles, Plymouths, Austin of England, Morris Minor, Fiat, Buicks, Studybakers, Mustangs, Cadillacs, Fords, Chevrolets, Beetles, and Mercedes Benz.

Celebrities like Bishen Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, and Charu Sachdev who either came as a chief guest or simply to experience the event also added charm to the show.

Overall, this event was an ultimate destination for car enthusiasts, car collectors, and spectators who were seeking for an opportunity to get close to the vintage era.

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Chevrolet Mini to Arrive Soon

GM’s Chevrolet brand has rejoiced its victorious presence in the Indian car market. Seeing the winning success of its leading car models like the Aveo U-VA and the Spark, the company now plans to add an new car model in the portfolio of Chevrolet brand.

Both the Aveo U-VA and the Spark have embarked a success story for the brand receiving accolades and appreciations from consumers as well as experts. These cars have been tagged with the tile of best quality cars in their respective segments by J.D Power Asia.

The car manufacturer is thinking over the new car launch to dominate the small car segment of the Indian car market. The Mini is designed on the platform of Chevrolet Beat that demonstrates the flexibility, creativity, and innovativeness. Like Chevrolet Beat, the Mini will also display an eye-catching design that is sure to evoke a temptation to own the car.

Speculated to be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine or a 1.4-litre diesel engine, the new Chevy will be pitted against the Hyundai i20 and the Skoda Fabia.

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New Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss

At the time when Mercedes-Benz and McLaren were nearing the end of the SLR exotic car range, Mercedes announced a final-run edition dedicated to the legendary British racer Sir Sterling Moss. And excitingly it is the second devoted to Moss, the first being the Stirling Moss 722.

Stirling Moss is considered to be the most unfortunate driver of the Formula One race. This is because he never won any championship but is arguably the greatest all-round racing driver of all time.

Mercedes-Benz and McLaren are now delightfully adding a new car named as SLR Stirling Moss to the SLR supercar range. The new car has no similarity in style and look with the SLR range. Unlike them, the new SLR has no roof or windscreen protecting the occupants and also carries two deflectors that provide some sort of protection to the car passengers. It is developed using sophisticated technology and designed with a legendary style.

The SLR Stirling Moss is powered by a powerful V8 supercharged engine that generates 650 bhp. The top speed reaches 350 km/h and makes it one of the world’s fastest open top cars. Production is limited to 75 cars and is scheduled to end by mid 2009.

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Honda Civic Hybrid Stars in a Hollywood Flick

New Honda Civic Hybrid Cars in India

Honda Civic Hybrid is not only spreading glamour on roads but also in the film industry. This seductive green car has taken a starring role alongside Keanu Reaves and Jennifer Connelly in the latest Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’. Earlier Mustangs, Camaros, and Ferraris were mostly seen starring in Hollywood movies but now the new eco-friendly car has taken their place.

The futuristic movie ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ is a science fiction and the use of the latest green Honda Civic Hybrid completely compliments the theme of the movie. Six Honda Civic Hybrid are utilized in the movie which was shot in Vancouver, Canada.

The filmmaker chosed the Honda Civic Hybrid with a thought that it will convey the message of the movie to the audience as it is a fuel efficient and eco-friendly car. The car has perfectly performed its job adding style element with its distinct screen presence. The movie in turn has helped the newly launched car to get fame across the globe.

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New Innova on Indian Roads

New Toyota Innova Cars in India

The new version of the leading MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) Toyota Innova has finally arrived in the Indian car market. Innova rejoices a successful presence in the country due to the best-in-class ride quality and luxury coupled with versatile space, world class safety, advanced styling with solid durability.

The name ‘Innova’ itself symbolises innovation and this represents that the car is continuously being innovated to provide all that a buyer aspires.

The new Innova comes with redesigned exterior and slight modifications in the interior. Unmatched expertise and experience is wisely combined to build the new Innova.

A glimpse of the new car will acquaint you with a new bonnet that slopes to ensure better visibility, easy parking, and even contributes to driving safety. Highlighting the external appeal is the new taillight, impressive 3-dimensional grille, and front fog lamps. Interior gets an automatic air-conditioner and multi-information display. The new Innova is available in new vibrant colours complimenting the visual appeal of the car.

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Pay More for Your Favourite Maruti Cars

New Maruti Suzuki SX4 Cars in India

Maruti cars will be now heavy on pockets as the company has hiked prices of all its high-end cars including the Swift, SX4, and the Swift Dzire. The beginning of the year 2009 is witnessing car price jump across many car models. Car manufacturers like General Motors, Honda Seil India and Mercedes-Benz have already announced to increase their car prices.

The increase in car prices is basically in response to the pressures of high input cost and fluctuating currency exchanges. Many might have a question waving in their minds as to how fluctuating currency exchanges affect car prices. Simply because many car components are directly imported and any fluctuation in the dollar value in turn impact the car prices.

The price of recently launched A-Star hatchback has been increased by Rs 10,000 while prices of all SX4 variants have been hiked by Rs 9,000. The new prices of the Swift Dzire for both petrol and diesel variants is now raised by Rs 7,000 and the base version of Swift petrol will be available with an additional cost of Rs 5,000. If you are planning to buy higher variants of diesel counterpart of the leading hatchback Swift, then you have to pay an additional amount of Rs 6,000.

But if you have plans to buy the Maruti 800, Omni, Alto, WagonR, Zen Estilo, Gypsy, Versa or the Grand Vitara, then you can relax as the company has not changed the prices of these car models.

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