Monthly Archives: October 2009

Less Than A Month, Over 15 New Cars

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New Cars In India
The decision of buying a car does not come overnight. An intelligent buyer will research well before he takes the plunge of buying one.

You might have all made plans for the ongoing festival season. And it also includes the plan of buying a car, and you are just blessed with so many new options. And these new cars will surely push you off into a deep sea of thoughts where it might take a few more weeks for you to make a peaceful and satisfied decision for which you will not regret about later.

There are a whole range of new car models that is being presented to the Indian car audience. And this has happened in a short span of one to one and a half months. To add on to the list of car launches are cars that has been launched with a minor facelift, or an upgraded version or new variant of the existing model.

For those who have settled their thoughts to buy an SUV has the large number of choices. As we have mentioned in a previous blog of ours, it was raining SUVs in India for the past few months. There was an upgraded Discovery 3 and Range Rover launched on September 23. And this launch was soon followed by the launch of Freelander 2, Ford Endeavour, facelifted Nissan X-trial, and the new Audi Q7.

The two most acclaimed models of Honda, City and Civic, came as new offerings for the Indian car crowd. The Honda City gets a new variant and a facelifted version of the Civic was launched. The two top luxury car makers of the country Mercedes-Benz and BMW also had gifts for its customers this festival season. Mercedes-Benz launched its new 2010 E-class and BMW launched a new Roadster, Z4.

The facelifted version of the existing Teana was also launched by Nissan. Porsche also made its presence through Porsche Panamera, a four seater sports sedan.

Chevrolet also launched its sedan Cruze this week, just days before Diwali. Finally yesterday, Tata launched its mid-size sedan, Tata Manza. And we are still waiting for the launch of the re-launch of Maruti SX4 and the new SUV from Premier motors.

Well, what do you think? A whole lot of cars, right, now it is up to you to take a clever decision.
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A Car Without Steering Wheels

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Toyota FT-EV II Interior

Yes, you read the headline right. A car without a steering wheel. Sounds pretty interesting!

World’s largest car maker Toyota Motor Corporation has come up with a concept car, FT-EV II. The FT-EV II is going to take all car enthusiasts by surprise as it does not have a steering wheel like regular cars do.

You must be wondering, how anyone could drive a car without foot pedals and steering wheels. Well, it turns out that is how this car functions.

The Toyota FT-EV II concept car relies on the core technology of the Toyota Hybrid System. The concept car runs on a lithium ion battery and this battery can provide fuel for upto ninety kilometres. Moreover, the FT-EV II can reach a maximum speed of 100 km/h. Cool, eh?

But what will happen if this car goes into production?
Traffic rules will change, that’s for sure, particularly for this car. New traffic rules will then allow drivers of this car to talk on cell phone without the hands free devices while driving as the driver’s hands will be free.
There is no information about the price or availability as the Toyota FT-EV II is still in the conceptual stage.

But, is the world ready for such a futuristic concept?

Toyota FT-EV II
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There Might Be A Lag In The Launch Of Up!

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Volkswagen Up!
The Indian car market is at its best this season. There have been lots of cars that are getting launched. And the car manufacturers are assuring that they provide new choices for all the customers. No one is left unhappy, the new cars ranges in price and also in performance and class.

Amidst this good news there is information on a car that we have been long waiting to be delightedly accepted in India. To give you a clue, this model is from the Volkswagen stable. Alright do not leave your thoughts wander, and don’t think it is the Volkswagen Polo that we have mentioned here. It is Volkswagen Up.

The Volkswagen Up has close similarity with another model of the same manufacturer, Beetle. The engine of the Up will be placed at the rear and is expected to be available in both petrol and diesel engines. And you will find the expected date of the car in India as late 2009 or early 2010. But now there might be a change in this. And the reason is that there are some internal issues in the company and it has postponed the launch of the car to late 2011.

Yes you will have to wait another two years to drive a Volkswagen Up. The production of this mini car, as per what is known now, will start only by March 2011. And it will reach the showrooms only by late 2011. This might also affect the launch of the Skoda small car that is based on Up.

This is depressing information, but the merry and cheer in the air as a part on the ongoing festival season might lighten things up. And after all you should wait for good things happen, and in most cases it will be worth the wait.
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Tata Manza Introduced in India

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Ratan Tata unveiling Tata Indigo ManzaThe Manza is here!

The Tata Indigo Manza debuted in India amidst much fan-fare. The big and affordable sedan was unveiled by Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Motors in Mumbai yesterday evening.

The Manza sedan is based on the J300 platform that also houses the shell of the Indica Vista, but the Indigo Manza is much larger and wider than the old model of Indigo. The grapevine has it that the Indigo will go out of production, with only the CS, Marina and XL variants to be offered going forward.

The Indigo Manza is pitted against the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Hyundai Accent, Ford Ikon, Chevrolet Aveo and the Renault Logan.

The Indigo Manza comes in two engine types sourced from Fiat. The 1.4L multi-point, fuel injected Safire petrol engine can tap a 88.5 bhp@6000 rpm. The diesel engine, a 1.3L Quadrajet 90, can churn out the same power at 4000 rpm. Both the engines variants can haul this sedan car to a top speed in excess of 160 km/h. Besides, the Tata Indigo Manza comes in four variants: the Aqua, Aura, Aura ABS and the Aura +.

The Tata Indigo Manza is a modern, contemporary sedan, an altogether new car. The car makes a bold styling statement. The striking front wraparound three barreled headlamps add to the linearity and impart a feline aggressive appearance to the Manza. The large 15-inch wheels ensconced in their flared arches give the sedan a higher and more commanding stance. The chrome inserts on the side impact strips and outer door handles add to fineness. The new rear monolithic angular shaped tail lamps calls for attention.

It is a big car, too big to be an entry-level sedan with a length of over 4.4 m, a width of 1.7 m and a wheel base of 2,520mm. The statistics reflect that the Manza has extravagant interior space to give you an ‘utterly-butterly’ relaxed and convenient ride. The trunk has an amazing capacity of 460 litres to meet every need of travel.

Coming to the interior, the cabin is a fine blend of technology and luxury. The rich double tone fabric endows the cabin with a warm feel. The tilt adjustable power steering with a height adjustable driver seat allows a comfortable driving posture.

The Manza comes equipped with electronically adjustable and controlled Outer Rear View Mirrors. The driver information system on top of the central console provides information on fuel consumption and ambient temperature, while the sporty instrument cluster shrouded in the swoop of the soft-feel dashboard completes the styling statement.

The Tata Indigo Manza is designed to offer the very best in comfort compared to any other cars in its category. Indulge in those spacious and comfy inclination rear seats with the centre armrest, you will feel like you are relaxing in your living room. The Manza pampers you to the core!

The Aqua variant will be equipped with a 2-DIN music system. While the three Aura variants will come with a new infotainment system using Blue5 as a standard feature along with stereo controls on the steering wheel. The Bluetooth technology allows the occupant to make or receive calls, listen and dictate text messages. This is a first in the class.

As the name suggests, the Aura ABS will come with ABS and the top model Aura + will boast ABS as well along with two frontal airbags for the safety of the driver and front passenger. Other safety features in the Indigo Manza include a collapsible steering column, engine immobilizer and the central locking system.

The car comes with a warranty of 2 Years/75,000 km. It is amongst the best in the industry and the mid-size will be available through 224 dealerships with 493 sales points across 401 towns in the country.

Tata Motors is offering the Manza in a palate of seven exciting colours to select from. Your Tata Manza can be opted from Breeze Blue, Dew White, Grey Noir, Gold Satin, Infinity Black, Minimal Grey and Monarch Red.

According to Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the Manza diesel, can deliver 21 km /l of mileage, while the petrol version can run 14.5 km on a litre. However, under city driving conditions, the mileage will be less by about 10 per cent.

The best is yet to come!

The Indigo Manza is priced very competitively with price starting at Rs 4.8 Lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi); while the top-end model comes for Rs 6.75 Lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi). With this competitively pricing, the Tata Manza is going to rule the market in its segment as it undercuts all its rivals!

The Manza booking starts today. So, why waste time? Indulge in the Manza!!!

Tata Manza
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Force India Hopeful of Brazilian Grand Prix

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The Brazilian Grand Prix is around the corner and the Force India Formula One Team is looking forward to this event. The team is depressed after the disappointing Japanese Grand Prix in which Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi could finish just out of the points.

The Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo is ‘a low to medium’ downforce track, where the Force India F1 team hopes to capitalise on the strong performance of the VJM02 on this circuit configuration and add to its World Championship points’ total.

The BMW teams are 11 points ahead of Force India in the constructors’ championship. Hence, Vitantonio “Tonio” Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil should push hard in the Brazilian Grand Prix for some points to beat BMW. The drivers of the team are pretty optimistic about the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Japanese Grand Prix was Adrian’s 50th Grand Prix. He made his debut at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix. Till date, he has scored six points, secured one fastest lap (Italy 2009) and has started on the front row once (Italy 2009).

While Tonio Liuzzi has raced in two Brazilian Grands Prix, finishing 16th in 2006 and 13th in 2007.

The Brazilian Grand Prix going to be an exciting race and we are looking forward to another race where we believe the VJM02 should perform well.
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Where is the new SX4 ?

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Yes, we were also eagerly waiting for the launch of Maruti’s Diwali gift, the new Maruti Suzuki SX4. The company had many promises about the car and that was expected to be launched yesterday, October 13, 2009.

Maruti, even though is the master car manufacturer of the county, has certain limitations. And it was SX4, which belongs to the A3 premium segment, which suffered the most. The car during the initial days after the launch was able to top in sales. But the glory subsided soon and the sedan was not able to stand the competition from other major car models.

The final blow was the launch of the new Honda City. And then the SX4 was not able to take it anymore. The superior designing and performance of Honda created a huge competition for Maruti and as a result the sales of SX4 came down considerably. This also gained more momentum to the view that Maruti Suzuki is good at manufacturing small cars and but luxury cars are not its cup of tea.

And the new facelifted model of SX4 from Maruti is expected to erase off this view. But where is the car? There could be a reason why the company didn’t launch SX4 yesterday as reported by many news. The Indian car company might have thought in an Indian way. Yesterday was Tuesday, a day which is considered to be inauspicious by the Indian mass. The company would not want to challenge the age old belief that Tuesday is not a good day for starting any new ventures. The company, we expect would relaunch the SX4 today or tomorrow.

Or is it waiting to enter the Indian car market together with Tata Manza, a mid size sedan!
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Chinese Auto Companies Forays in India

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The latest entrant to the growing Indian car market is the Chinese auto makers. These automakers from China are keeping themselves busy by sealing agreements with Indian car makers to form a joint venture in a bid to sell their competitively-priced brands in the Indian car market.

Chinese carmakers such as Chery Automobile, China FAW Group, Great Wall Motor Co and Zotye Auto are trying to find a place for themselves in their neighbouring country after setting up operations in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Russia.
As China develops price-competitive products, their products have a lot of opportunity in India. Besides, the Indian auto market is very price and value sensitive.

The erstwhile Premier Automobile Limited (PAL) now known as Premier Auto has partnered Chinese Zotye Auto to launch a compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the Indian market. The base variant of the mini SUV is expected to be priced at Rs 5 lakh, the cost of a mid-size sedan in India. Other Chinese firms such as Chery, FAW and Great Wall have had discussions with potential Indian partners to come into the car market of the country.

One of the new entrants in the commercial vehicles segment in India, the Asia MotorWorks imports heavy truck kits from China, while Hindustan Motors has tied up with Shandong Shifeng to import knocked-down kits of mini trucks from the company. On the other hand, Bajaj Auto is buying parts and kits from China to retain competitiveness. However, the company continues to make the engines for these export models at its Indian plants.

Over the years, Chinese companies have built huge car making volumes that are expected to touch 12 million vehicles this year, more than those in the US and ten times India’s capacity. Moreover, China has now started to focus on quality instead of volume. There has been a lot of push from their government for them to develop indigenous vehicles and stand firmly on quality parameters.

As volumes start building up, economies of scale kick in. Manufacturers start investing in better dies, tooling, fixtures, gauges and other production equipment, giving components consistency, quality and accuracy.

An indirect subsidy from the government has helped Chinese auto firms price their products competitively. While almost every Chinese carmaker would like to enter the promising Indian market, they are likely to face copyright issues similar to the ones they faced in the developed world, especially the US and Europe.

Many western automakers have accused Chinese companies of copying their design. Apart from possible copyright issues, another inhibitor would be finding local partners as there aren’t enough established Indian OEMs that are without any tie-ups.

Like in India, car ownership in China is low, only 15-17 people per thousand own a car, presenting a significant growth opportunity in the Chinese automotive market. A two-decade headstart in reforms when compared to India and government support—by way of purchase tax trimming, car subsidy programme for rural areas and subsidy for vehicle scrap, among others—helped Chinese auto market grow.

Chinese automakers have grown by adopting practical and frugal strategies when deciding capital expenditure on their plants and many facilities have manual assembly lines, developed at a low cost, that deliver quality and productivity.
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Reva-GM Electric Car May Get Launched in a Year

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You would all know how we celebrated the tie up of the only Indian electric car company, Reva, and the U.S. auto mammoth General Motors. It happened soon after Reva showcased its two new electric car models at the Frankfurt Motor Show that happened just a few days back. Except for those well informed, there would be many who would be wondering as to ‘what is cooking’ between Reva and GM after the mega tie up. Well, one thing is sure, both the companies are going to get benefitted from this tie up.

The companies, ignoring their tie up as a medium that would make them one and respecting its individuality, are preparing to bring out its first born. They will launch electric version of the small car Spark in India within the next 12 months.
Do you think twelve months is a pretty long time, but in fact it is not. If things go well, it is sure that one would not regret for waiting another year before the new electric version of the Spark gets launched. And meanwhile the Indian car market will see many new cars that would surely keep you entertained and you would hardly feel it as a long wait.

But now it is up to the car manufacturers to see whether the car ‘has it all’ to lure the customers. As after a year when there will be more electric cars with most modern technology the companies would benefit from the car only if they are able to anticipate what holds for them in the future.
And so the companies have chosen to work on fields that they excel. Reva will provide the technology and GM will engineer and manufacture the new Spark.
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Fate of Indian Small Cars in Europe

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Indian small cars have been quite a hit in the markets of Europe. It has been a consequence of the scrappage scheme or the green drive by European nations.

The governments of Germany, France and the UK had asked its citizens to exchange their old cars for new fuel-efficient and eco-friendly ones.

Moreover, these governments also promised to reward people who are buying fuel efficient cars. This led for a demand for Indian small cars where big cars dominated the local markets once upon a time.

The scheme profited Hyundai Motor India and Maruti Suzuki and they became the key players in export of cars to the European market. The A-Star, i10 and i20 became the most ‘sought-after’ cars of the European market.

But, with the passage of time things have taken a different turn and Indian small cars started having trouble in the European market. The exports of these cars have started shrinking as scrappage schemes in various European markets are set to lapse by the end of the year.
Hyundai Motor India and Maruti Suzuki have witnessed their exports go off to 35-40 per cent in the last few months on the back of incentives offered by Germany, France and the UK governments.

Germany and Austria have already ended their scrappage scheme and other countries are expected to wind up their green drive programmes by December. As a result, exports to Europe start declining and Indian carmakers have started hunting for a new market besides Europe.

But Indian carmakers are still hoping against hope that the European nations will announce new schemes to encourage small car exports or to extend the existing scrappage scheme.
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Glimpses of Tokyo Motor Show

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This would be the apt time to write on what one should expect from the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show or at least mention a few models that is all set to be unveiled in the show. Mentioning about the cars that will be showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show, there are a few of them that gushed into my memory.

Nissan will be launching two electric car models at the Tokyo Motor show. One is the much hyped EV, the Leaf, and the other, a concept car from Nissan, the Land Glider concept. The Nissan Leaf is available in a 24kWh of laminated compact lithium-ion batteries. It delivers a power of 90 kW of power and its electric motor delivers 80kW/280Nm. The Land Glider will be powered by a lithium-ion batteries and it is made of ultra light weight materials. The 1+1 seating arrangement of the car makes it slender enough to easily commute through any traffic situations.

The Deca Deca concept car from the Daihatsu stable will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show along some five other models from the manufacturer. The Deca Deca concept is a multi-functional super box that can be customized in whichever way needed to hold a huge range of activities. The flat floor and pillar less, side-by-side doors make it easy to load and unload and there are also the fold away seats that can be rearranged as per the requirement.

The 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour is also worth a mention. It has a remarkable Whitebread efficiency. And as always, the car will feature roomy interiors, which is apt to meet any of your travelling needs. The Crosstour is supported by a modified version of the Honda Accord chassis. The car will be powered by a 3.5-litre i-VTEC V6 engine.

The Motor Shows are truly the best way a car manufacturer can boast of his efforts in the past, pride of today and promise for tomorrow!
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