Monthly Archives: October 2009

It’s all about Toyota

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Toyota has many plans for India. The Japanese car honcho is all set to launch the Prius in India early next year.

World’s numero uno car maker Toyota also plans to expand in the Indian car industry. It is planning to foray into the small car segment by 2011. Toyota has secured its ground in India with sedans and SUVs and its sales chart topper Innova MUV. And now, for the first time, the car giant is going to make inroads in the small car segment in India. For this, Toyota is bringing in its small car brand Daihatsu in India and India is going to be Toyota’s base for all of its future global small cars.

The upcoming Toyota small car will stand against the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Hyundai i20. It will be positioned at the premium end of the small car market. The car will comply with needs and tastes of the Indian buyer.

It has been revealed that the Toyota small car will be within four metres in length and come with a 1.2-litre petrol engine. The company is planning to launch both the hatchback and sedan versions of the car. The sedan will come with a 1.5L engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine may follow the petrol version. The base model of the car will also have options to select various high-end safety features like Anti Braking System (ABS).

Toyota is keen to give the proposed car a contemporary international look while keeping the price as low as possible without any compromise on quality. The company is looking at sharing components from other models with the proposed compact car to reduce the production cost.

The small car will also be at least 10 per cent more fuel-efficient than a similar-size competing car in the present Indian market. Moreover, Toyota will introduce the car with a four-cylinder engine that will be Bharat Stage IV emission norm compliant.

Toyota has a minimal market share of 3 per cent in India. It is evaluating to increase its market share by 2015. Toyota also expects that sales from India will contribute up to 4 per cent to its total global sales by 2015 on the back of its proposed small car launch.

With the launch of the Prius and the above mentioned upcoming small car, Toyota is looking to add another product to its portfolio. The company is looking to position this car between its proposed small car and the Innova. This car will be priced somewhere between Rs 6-8 Lakh.

This car model is likely to go on sale in the next two years. The all-new car will accommodate five-six persons comfortably and feature a sub 2.0-litre diesel engine. As Toyota Kirloskar Motors Limited wants to play safe with the new car and not affect Innova sales, the proposed new car is classified as “a ‘people mover’, not an SUV.”

The parent company has been evaluating certain models for India, including the Toyota Avensis Verso MPV and the Toyota Avanza for benchmarking purposes.
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Fiat Punto Creative Launched In Brazil, New Engines In Pipeline

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It was just yesterday that we had blogged on Fiat Linea due to be launched in India with a more powerful 1.9 L engine to give enough bang for the customer’s bucks. It seems like Fiat is working its charm on the Indian mass in stages. Just when we thought Punto was out of the picture, we get this report of an upgraded engined Punto being tested in Brazil.

But this time Fiat Punto has made sure that Brazil gets another variant. Punto 1.4ELX is now available with two optional kits, termed as Punto Creative I and Punto Creative II. Meanwhile Autossegredos, a Brazilian automobile blogger reports Fiat is testing a 1.6 16V Flex engine in Punto. Both the news is equally exciting and can really contribute a lot of momentum to Punto’s successful journey in coming days.

Fiat Punto Creative I is Punto 1.4ELX with factory fitted accessories like MP3 CD radio, electric rear panel, knife type key, alloy wheels, rear spoiler and creative stickers in the columns of the front doors. Punto Creative II adds Blue & Me system, operated by voice commands and includes Bluetooth, USB port in the glove and leather steering wheel with radio controls and telephones to the list. Fiat added $1,970 and $2,880 to base price of Punto 1.4ELX for Creative I and Creative II respectively.

Now the second excitement, the above Punto was spotted in Brazil with a 1.6 16V Flex engine. We also anticipate the arrival of 1.4ltr 16V Flex engine in near future.

Both the engines are capable to return better power (say 5bhp or more) and fuel economy. The 1.6 16V engine uses electricity for valve timing but the previous engines uses belt. The Fiat Punto 1.6 16V and Punto 1.4 16V will hit market by next quarter, let us wait and see Fiat India is planning this upgrades to our market too!
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No Panic! Tata Nano will No More Catch Fire

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New Tata Nano Cars in India
Tata Nano is now in the news for not so pleasant news. It has happened before, but it was never been so bad. There has been news that the Nano cars are caching fire when they are stationary.

As we all know, the Tata Nano was in the news even before for the wrong reason. Tata Motors was able to amuse the car customers of India and abroad alike. Nano, the cheapest car of the country brought in a lot of praise and applause even before it was launched. But the charm didn’t last long and the glory was fading away slowly.

The company was not able to deliver the Nano to the customers on time and this has bought in a bad impression about the company and its small wonder. The restless customers started cancelling their orders and the famous Nano became, the notorious Nano.

But Tata Motors was able to rectify all the uncertainties and bring the rhythm back very soon. Now this is a true mishap. Do not worry, this is not going to be a final blow to the company, Tata has faced many a problems and this will be just another one for them. And it is sure the company will come out of it successfully, like a phoenix.

The faulty combination switch is the reason why three Nano’s caught fire. It happened in North India, Delhi, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad. In Ahmedabad, the company repaired the Nano and returned to the customer and the Lucknow customer will also get back his repaired car very soon, but the company has not had the access to the car of the Delhi customer as of yet.

Unlike the American or European countries, where a company will have to call back the car if there is a technical fault, in India, the rule is not mandatory. And now, the company’s plan to run a pre-emptive check on all the cars it has delivered will also ease down the panic among the Nano customers and also to set right any technical mistake.

The fault in the car seems to be a very minor one and it can be rectified easily.
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Volkswagen Polo and Beetle in India

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Volkswagen PoloWatch out Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata and others so called major players in the game.

Volkswagen, The German Car maker and the largest car maker in Europe is all set to bring in the most popular cars from its portfolio, Volkswagen Polo and the iconic Beetle to India followed by a slew of other models.

VW will be launching the hatchback model of Polo in the first half of 2010 followed by the sedan version of Polo later in the second half of the year. Well-camouflaged test mules of the car is being tested for Indian conditions and is all geared up for the proper launch of the car in the Indian market.

Volkswagen Polo will be available in India in both petrol and diesel models which will be manufactured at the 500-acre manufacturing unit at Chakan near Pune which has an annual production capacity of 110,000 units. The company has so far invested around Rs 3,800 crore in the plant.

Besides this, 50 per cent of Polo’s components and parts will be sourced from the domestic market which might be later increased provided the quality of the materials are of superior standard.

Volkswagen which currently sells premium sedans like Passat and Jetta also sells Touareg SUVs in India will be launching the Beetle sometime by the end of this year or early next year.

Volkswagen would also be expanding its network in cities like Nagpur, Nashik and Vijayawada. Looks like Volkswagen is taking the competition to the extremes.
Volkswagen Beetle
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Prius to Tread in India

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Toyota PriusToyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) has secured its hold in the Indian car market. The Fortuner proved to be fortunate for the Japanese car maker. Now Toyota has more to offer to India. The world’s number one car maker will not stop with just offering petrol and diesel powered variants in the country.

Toyota is planning to bring in the fuel efficient Prius to India. This hybrid car is presently the most fuel economic car of the world.
As a result, Toyota is busy these days conducting feasibility studies for its hybrid car Prius in India.

In fact, the Toyota Prius was unveiled to the general public at the 18th International Engineering and Technology Fair (IETF) in Bangalore in year. The aim of this display was to assess the mass reaction.

Toyota Motors might decide to bring the Prius in Complete Built Unit (CBU) to India. But this could prove to be very costly. Moreover, the Indian government does not offer any duty slashes for imported hybrid vehicles.

Toyota must have noticed that the Honda Civic Hybridhad no customers when its price tag was around Rs. 20-25 Lakh. When the price was brought down by 8 lakh rupees, the consignment was sold in just a matter of days.

That leaves Toyota with just one feasible option – Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits.

The Prius has to be priced competitively to attract customers in India.
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Hyundai Entices US Car Market

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The latest name doing rounds in the battered US car market is Hyundai-Kia.

At present, Hyundai-Kia stands at the fourth largest car maker in the world. Hyundai secured this prestigious position by edging out the legendary Ford Motor Company to take the fifth place.

The South Korean car company was able to secure its place in the US car market despite having strong opponents. In fact, the company has separate operations for its Hyundai and Kia brands in the US and is the only one to report sales growth this year.

US car sales for General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler Group, as well as Japan’s Toyota Motor (TM), Honda Motor (HMC) and Nissan (NSANY) are all down between 25 per cent to 50 per cent from a year ago. But the combined U.S. sales for the Hyundai and Kia brands are up 2.6 per cent.

Consequently, the two brands have picked up 2.2 percentage points of market share during the first nine months of 2009. Hyundai and Kia now combine for 7.4 per cent of the US car market. This puts Hyundai Motor Group just ahead of Nissan as the sixth-largest car maker in terms of US car sales. Moreover, the Korean car maker is rapidly closing in on Chrysler, which now has just a 9.2% share of the U.S. market.

The big question is, “How could Hyundai compete with the Detroit’s Big Three and the Japanese auto giants?” The obvious answer is, “Right cars at the right time.”

Sky high fuel prices kept pickup and SUV lovers at bay and people started opting for more fuel efficient cars and fuel efficient. Not to mention that fuel efficient cars are Hyundai’s specialty. The trend for Hyundai cars accelerated because of the popular Cash for Clunkers program. Moreover, cars from Hyundai-Kia stable cost less than similar models from rivals. Fuel- efficient lower-priced cars evidently appealed to buyers.

Hyundai-Kia’s US sales leapt 30 per cent over the course of July and August compared to last year’s. The rest of the industry suffered a 7 per cent decline in sales over those two months — despite a boost from Cash for Clunkers.

Besides, Hyundai also made some savvy moves to take advantage of the trends moving the market in its direction.

Hyundai believes that increase in production and more advertising means higher sales.

In January, the company rolled out its Hyundai Assurance program, which allowed buyers who lost their jobs to return their cars without penalty. A month later, Hyundai added a new wrinkle to the program. The company agreed to cover three months of payments for buyers that were looking for work. The program helped drive up awareness of the Hyundai brand.

Hyundai also did a better job than most of its rivals of preparing for demand from Cash for Clunkers. The company guaranteed its dealers they would get the up to $4,500 payments per car sold under Cash for Clunkers directly from Hyundai, rather than having them wait for reimbursement from the government. That turned out to be a smart move.

Hyundai has also been taking advantage of the troubles facing General Motors and Chrysler. The company has grabbed dozens of US dealerships or facilities cut loose by GM and Chrysler as part of their bankruptcies.

Hyundai has stepped up its marketing efforts as well — and at a time when many competitors were pulling back on how much they spend on promotions.
The company advertised during the Super Bowl for the first time ever in 2008 and did so again this year. The company also had a commercial during this year’s Academy Awards.

What’s next?

Hyundai-Kia have a solid group of new cars ready to hit the market in the next few years, such as the redesigned versions of Hyundai’s Santa Fe crossover and Sonata sedan and Kia’s new Soul and Forte small cars.

Industry experts said that Hyundai has primarily been a beneficiary of the economic downturn.
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Maruti Suzuki Kizashi to be Launched At Auto Expo 2010

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Maruti Suzuki KizashiThe stage is set and the play is just about to begin. India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki is bound to launch its feather-in-the-cap premium mid-size-sedan, the Maruti Suzuki Kizashi, at the upcoming Auto Expo in New Delhi in January 2010.

Maruti Suzuki which will be a new player in the D-segment will be pitting its Maruti Suzuki Kizashi, expected to be priced above 12 lakhs, against cars such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in India. Maruti Suzuki will be a clear winner with its awesome price tag while the other cars in the segment cost above 18 lakhs.

But the big question still remains unanswered. Would Maruti be able to sell a high-end sedan in India? Maruti Suzuki, is associated with small, fuel-efficient cars and not with the high-end cars. The best example of Baleno backs this statement. Though the Baleno was a superb car in all ways, didn’t go very good with the consumers here in India. But the company is nevertheless going ahead with it.

The Suzuki Kizashi which is marketed in United States in both two wheel drive and four wheel drive options comes in three versions-a six speed manual, an automatic CVT and an automatic CVT with paddle shifters, while the all-wheel drive version comes with an automatic CVT for a CVT with paddle shifters. But the company here in India has kept the options open for gossips and rumors until the car will be actually launched in India during the Auto Expo.
Maruti Suzuki Kizashi
But since there is a high demand for the automatic cars in the D-Segment in India, we guess that Maruti Suzuki will introduce only the six speed Manual version with two wheel drive (FWD) in India as the automatic is CVT. India does not have any four wheel drive sedans in this segment so far, and Maruti Suzuki is unlikely to take a risk with the new Kizashi.

The 2400 CC petrol engine produces 185 horsepower and 170 ft-lbs of torque. As far as the US reviews of the car are concerned, we have learnt that the car is reasonably good at cornering and power is adequate, and an electronic stability programme with ABS and EBD comes as standard features.

Safety and luxury wise, Maruti Suzuki Kizashi will have eight airbags including the rear outboard passenger side airbags. There are air conditioning vents at the rear. Just like the recently launched Chevrolet Cruze, the Kizashi comes with keyless push button start and entry, electric mirrors and central locking.

The steering wheel is tilt/telescopic adjustable, and features audio controls. The Kizashi has 10-way adjustable driver’s seat with three memory presets. The car also will have an option of either 17 or 18 inch alloy wheel, which might be retained for the Indian version also. The controls on the steering wheel include audio controls, cruise control, hands free mobile phone calling, and paddle shifters. Temperature can be adjusted separately for the driver and the front passenger.

If we get the all wheel drive version of the Kizashi, you can either choose to drive only in the front wheel drive mode for better fuel efficiency, and switch to all wheel drive at any speed to transfer 50 per cent of the power to the rear wheels. USB Port is a standard feature to connect the MP3 player to the car’s audio system. As per the reviews and test drive reports, the car is extremely grippy compared to other cars in the segment.
Maruti Suzuki Kizashi
The twin silencers at the rear, integrated into the rear bumper, helps to give the Kizashi some sporty pretensions.

The interior of the car is reported to be quite spacious, similar to other Suzuki cars. This is one field where the Suzuki engineers are specialists at. The interior of the Kizashi is much more modern than the interior of the Suzuki SX4 which we have in India.

Maruti Suzuki Kizashi will not be here to win any beauty contests, as Suzuki always believed in Macho styling. Think of Maruti Suzuki SX4’s The Men Are Back TV commercial. To sum it up, Kizashi is a car which is really handsome and looks muscular at every given angle. Though the name “Kizashi” is not that macho-sounding, people here in India will certainly have a tough time pronouncing the name Ki-Za-Shi, which is so much like a tongue twister.

Now with the Auto Expo 2010 New Delhi around the corner, let the games begin. May the best manly car win the game. Good luck Kizashi, on your Indian outing.
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Fiat Linea To get 1.9L Diesel Engine ?

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Fiat Linea

Fiat’s stylish sedan Fiat Linea has long suffered from underpowered engines since its inception here in India. Fiat Linea currently runs on a 1.3L diesel and 1.4L petrol that lacks the punch.

The owners of the car certainly feel that they haven’t got their share of power for their money with the Linea. The guys in Fiat finally have taken the complaints and grumblings quite seriously and are all set to launch a series of powerful engines by next year in the upcoming 2010 Delhi Auto Expo.

Fiat’s sedan Linea and hatchback Grande Punto is of much importance to the Fiat India’s Indian presence as these two models have given tremendous sales figures. Now Fiat India would not want to give their customers a great car with underpowered engines, which takes the josh out of motoring and dwindles the size of their coffers due to poor sales.

Fiat India therefore might as well showcase powerful 1.6L or the 1.9L diesel engines for the gracious Linea. If launched in India, the 1.9L diesel engine will come with two configurations that might be 8 valves and 16 valves. These two engines would have four different power outputs that would generate 100PS, 120PS, 130PS and 150PS.

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Button is 2009 Formula One Champion

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Jenson Button
Jenson Button became the F1 World Drivers’ Champion on Sunday.

Button made the race of his life by overtaking from fourteenth to a fifth-place finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

After winning the six of the first seven races, Jenson Button, lead driver for the Brawn GP team, had a string of bad finishes; while his teammate, Rubens Barrichello, scored well in every race. Fans and experts alike began to ask if Button’s early wins were due merely the Brawn’s technological edge; many pointed to his uneven performances throughout his ten-year career.

As he crossed the finish line, the British speed king broke into an impromptu chorus of “We Are the Champions,” pumping his arms in the air. As soon as he parked his car, he ran to his crew to thank them.

After qualifying terribly in Interlagos, Button’s hopes for clinching the championship in Brazil seemed slight, particularly since Barrichello put his Brawn on the pole. But Jenson Button was not waiting for luck or fate to assist him! Button jumped ahead from the start, battling past everyone in his way, earning the title through effort and skill.

The 29-year-old Button is the 10th British driver to claim motor racing’s greatest prize, inheriting the crown from Lewis Hamilton.
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Car Sales Soars On Dhanteras

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The Indian car industry sold maximum numbers of cars during Dhanteras. On the occasion of Dhanteras, an auspicious day on the Hindu calendar two days ahead of Diwali, people make investments and bring new gadgets to the house.

The Indian car industry registered a record selling of 25,000 cars in a day across India. It was the highest ever booking of cars in a day. This proves that the Indian car market remain unaltered by the global recession.

Maruti Suzuki recorded highest number of sale with over 8,000 cars on the Dhanteras day. It was the highest sell in a day by the country’s leading small car manufacturer.

Demand for cars was so high that dealers could not make deliveries to many customers on the same day.

Moreover, small cars are an opportunity for middle class to display wealth in the festival season. The unexpected delivery of cars has also shown impact on BSE and its sensitive index were reportedly trading in green zone.

Of late, car sales have boomed in India as a result of the festive season. Many car makers have introduced new models and revamped existing models to the market.
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