The charming Ford Figo has already got all the attention it deserved from the Indians. Now, it is all set for a launch in another country. Sometime this month, Ford will launch the super cool Figo hatch in the Nepalese market. Ford’s official distributor, GO Automobiles, has taken responsibility of launching it in Nepal and providing it with service backup.

March 2010 saw the launch of this amazing car in India and sales numbers have been rocking. Over 29,000 units of the Ford Figo have already been booked out of which a large number has been sold. Now, it’s Nepal’s turn to get lucky and experience the joy of owning a Figo. The new car will enter the country strapped with both petrol and diesel variants. Furthermore, the petrol Figo will be available in three variants.

Though very new, the Figo has already been the recipient of the best diesel small car award of the year given by Zigwheels. It has been a posing a tough competition to many more cars like the Hyundai i10 and i20, Skoda Fabia, Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ritz. The aggressive price that it carries adds to the Figo’s popularity. Compare the sales figures of the Figo even with the lovely Volkswagen Polo; the Figo wins.

Ford happens to be an American auto major. But surprisingly, the Ford Figo has not premiered in its fatherland. The Ford EXI is available with a host of features like full wheel covers, air conditioner, body-coloured bumpers, power steering, remote fuel filter opening, digital odometer and trip meter, electric boot open, anti-drip wiping, removable parcel tray, rear coat hooks, MP3 player with four speakers, dual tone horn, headlamp on reminder, intelligent central locking, laminated glazed windscreen, remote key and engine immobilizer.

The ZXI model has all of the above mentioned features, plus body-coloured outside mirrors and door handles, electrically adjustable mirrors, tachometer, driver seat head adjust, cargo area lamp, Bluetooth phone interface, rear wipe and rear defogger. If you feel that’s a whole universe of features, there’s more in the Titanium variant that comes with all features in the ZXI, plus six-speed variant intermittent front wipers, anti-lock braking system and dual front airbags.

“We are planning to sell at least 600 units of Figo within a year,” says Sunil Chhetri, manager of GO Automobiles. Ford India claims that its Figo has the best-in-class air conditioner, trunk space and handling. The new car comes painted in seven cool colours; Diamond White, Moondust Silver, Chill, Panther Black, Sea Grey, Sqeeze and Colorado Red. We believe Nepal too will accept the car just as we Indians have.

The Figo that will be sold in Nepal will be no different from what is sold in our country. GO Automobiles is also revamping and making a huge investment in its showroom at Thapathali and service centre at Swayambhu to welcome Figo by maintaining its standard.

Chhetri added, “In the coming days, we are planning to introduce a new model of car from Ford stable every year, including the lowest model of Figo, the LXI model. The Figo will have nothing more or nothing less compared to the car sold here in India. We’re not expecting Ford to bring out the 1.6-liter version as the market for such a hatchback is virtually absent. Increasing the engine displacement means it won’t qualify as a small car. It will attract higher duties which will make it expensive.”

It needs to be a win-win situation. This deal is surely going to do good to both parties. Yes, we are referring to yesterday’s Ssangyong-Mahindra bid play. Here’s more on the matter!

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., India’s #1 utility vehicle manufacturer was announced yesterday as the preferred bidder for the acquisition of a majority stake in ailing South Korean SUV maker, Ssangyong Motor Company (SYMC). The newly acquired preferred bidder status would require M&M to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Ssangyong, followed by a detailed due diligence process.

The Korean Ssangyong has 7 models under 5 brands in its name. As everybody thinks, Ssangyong is not really an ailing auto maker filled with gloom. Its line-up includes 2 large-sized sedans, 4 SUVs and 1 MPV. That’s not all. It also possesses the asset of a gasoline and diesel engine and axle manufacturing plant. Ssangyong has achieved quite a lot in the Korean SUV segment and has hit the record of hitting sales numbers of 1.3 million SUVs from 1990 to 2009.

Established in 1962, Ssangyong has earned for itself quite a good reputation in Europe, Russia, South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia as well. The auto maker has over 1,200 dealerships worldwide. The company has R&D manpower strength of nearly 600 people and state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure for design, testing and validation.

On the other hand, Mahindra and Mahindra which went on board in 1945 by assembling the Willys Jeep is currently a U.S. $7.1 Billion Indian multinational employing over 1,00,000 people worldwide. The auto maker has a presence in nearly every segment of the automobile industry, from two-wheelers to CVs, UVs, SUVs and sedan. The company recently got the REVA Electric Car Co Ltd. in its stride. The Mahindra Group which is now a personification of global excellence needs no more introduction.

Yesterday’s strategic acquisition, once completed is possibly going to make Mahindra and Ssangyong a real tough competitor to contend with in the global SUV space. The plans, as of now, would allow Ssangyong to continue functioning as an independent entity with Korean management. “Korea is one of the world’s leading centres of automotive excellence and Ssangyong brings with it a rich legacy of R&D and innovation. Mahindra and Ssangyong will create synergy, which will make us significant global players,” said Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group.

“Ssanyong has very strong competencies and capabilities in technology. We are committed to leverage this competency by investing in a new Ssangyong product portfolio to gain momentum in global markets,” said Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive and Farm Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

There are a few very strong aspects in the combined portfolio of products of the two auto makers that provide an opportunity to create distinct positioning. The extensive sales and supply networks and corresponding product inventories may help both Mahindra and Ssangyong access many overseas markets. The Indian car market may also get a shot in the arm with the introduction of a premium portfolio of SUVs providing a fresh growth path for Ssangyong and further strengthening Mahindra’s leading position.

Ever since the market share of the company in the Indian market went below the 50 per cent mark, Maruti Suzuki has been on the lookout to strike back at its competitors. In all fairness, digesting a market share decline would not be an easy deal for a car maker which has enjoyed almost absolute monopoly in the Indian small car market for a long time.

We have seen a lot of new car manufacturers enter the lucrative small car market in India, and Maruti Suzuki has been bearing the brunt from all the new small car launches. But, MSI is not someone who would sit and cry over spilled milk. MSI has come up with a host of new market strategies to bounce back to its old glory.

The new Alto K10 has been launched, and going by the prestigious reputation of its predecessor, we would not be surprised if it becomes a chartbuster for Maruti Suzuki. Despite being busy with the upcoming launch of CNG variants of its popular models including Alto, Estilo, WagonR, Eeco and SX4, MSI has decide to go an extra mile to put the last nail in its competitors’ coffins.

Maruti Suzuki has announced that it will bring forth a new variant of its compact car A-star with automatic transmission early next week.

“By early next week, we will be introducing the automatic transmission (AT) variant of the A-Star. We see a growing market for the automatic transmission cars in India, as traffic congestion is increasing by the day resulting in driver fatigue,” Maruti Suzuki India chief general manager- marketing Shashank Srivastava said.

Well, he declined to share the price of the AT variant of the A-Star. So, we will have to wait for the prices till next week as it is yet to be decided. Currently, the A-Star is available between Rs 3.59 lakh and Rs 4.23 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

It is the second time, after the SX4, that Maruti is introducing an AT variant in its models. While the manual transmission variants of SX4 are priced between Rs 6.91 lakh and Rs 7.67 lakh (ex-Showroom Delhi), the Automatic variant is priced at Rs 8.33 lakh.

Currently, the SX4 AT contributes about 6-8 per cent of the total of about 2,000 units per month clocked by the sedan.

Since its launch in November 2008, the A-Star has sold around 85,000 units. Now, we will have to wait and watch to ascertain how much increase in sales could be expected after the launch of the AT variant.

Previously MSI had tried introducing AT variant in its Zen model, but lack of customer demand pushed the company to discontinue the production. “Our reading is that the market for AT cars is gradually growing in India as congestion on the roads has increased. The market will continue to grow,” Srivastava said.

When Mr. Srivastava was asked if MSI will also introduce the AT variants in other models as well, he said: “First we need to study the customer response to the A-Star AT and then we will take a call.”

Mutual understanding or love for cost-effective products? We do not know what it really is. Indians seem to have just fallen prey to the little wonder. There was not a single ad campaign on TV ever since the Tata Nano’s launch. Yet, it outdid the sales numbers of many popular cars. The world’s cheapest car also got into some consumers’ bad books after bursting out into flames, but not for long. He safety tests proved it safe enough. The first 1 lakh customers, just as promised, got the lovely car for just Rs 1 Lakh.

The other day, we carried a post on the Onam-Special Tata Nano. We thought it was really unfair for Tata Motors to open bookings of the Nano only in Kerala when everyone else would want it too. But, the car maker had promised to re-start bookings throughout India very soon and the Tata Motors has kept up its promise once again. If it’s Onam special for Kerala, it’s Independence Day special for the whole of India.

Performance at the company’s Sanand plant is commendable. The plant has been working real hard with a real tight schedule to meet demand. At its peak capacity, the Sanand plant can produce 20,000 Nanos a month from March 2011. But very soon Tata Motors may realize that demand is greater than the supply and even monthly production of 20,000 units will not be enough. The sales of the Maruti Suzuki Alto crosses the 20,000 mark almost every month. For now, bookings for the Tata Nano re-open this Sunday, on 15th August.

As we all know, India’s largest auto maker, Maruti Suzuki has been making high royalty payments to parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. But few years from now, the situation may reverse. Wonder what’s going to happen and how? Read on!

Suzuki is drawing plans and doing all it can to build up a technology centre in India. The auto major believes it will receive final touches by 2015 after which it will be fully functional. Once this happens, don’t you think there’s more sense in Suzuki paying royalty to Maruti Suzuki contradictory to what’s happening now? The R&D centre will possibly be the focal point of Suzuki’s worldwide operations.

Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava too believes that once Suzuki starts sourcing technology from the company’s R&D centre at Rohtak the trend may reverse. “There is logic in Suzuki Motor paying a royalty to Maruti…the issue is bound to be addressed at an appropriate time. However, there’s no point discussing something that will come up in 2015,” Bhargava added. That’s an intelligent thought. Put forth your ideas at the right time.

This royalty payment matter, however, has spread like wildfire with auto industry analysts and media hyping it further. They hungry ears savoured the spicy news at two recent occasions. Firstly, when Maruti Suzuki’s market share in India went below 50 per cent for the first time in history, the blame was put on the royalty payment. The car maker’s net profit declined 20 per cent due to the high royalty payout.

Maruti paid a royalty of Rs 188.70 Crore or 5.9 per cent of its total revenues to Suzuki during Q1. The amount, however, included some arrears too resulting from revision in royalty. The government has removed the cap of 5 per cent on sales in the domestic market and 8 per cent on overseas sales. Suzuki had thus revised the royalty rates. As of now, royalty and similar technical payments have become a matter of concern for Maruti Suzuki as they add up as the second largest cost eaters after raw materials.

Meanwhile, parent Suzuki posted a seven-fold jump in its profit during the same April-June quarter with net profit of Rs 814 crore. Now, that was the second time when the royalty payment matter rose. These higher profits were on expense of a steep jump in sales from Maruti Suzuki’s refreshed WagonR and Swift.

Abdul Majeed, auto analyst with PricewaterhouseCoopers said that since leading global OEMs are looking to make India their R&D hub due to the cost effectiveness, Indian companies could soon start demanding royalty for their technology. Very true indeed! “The technology hubs are slowly shifting from developed countries to the developing countries. In the medium to long term, India and China are going to become R&D hubs for several global automakers…in case of Maruti, they are going to expect a royalty from the parent firm,” Majeed said.

The R&D centre in India spread over 700 acres of land and on which Suzuki is investing Rs 1,500 Crore, will be the car maker’s first R&D centre outside Japan. Phase 1 of the project will be completed by 2012. A year ago, the car maker had said that Maruti Suzuki would design and roll out a new car that would be completely developed in the country. Do come back while we get you updates on the same!

If you had been planning to sell your bike and obtain a safer means of transportation, the perfect time has arrived. Maruti Suzuki dealers in Mumbai and surrounding regions like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan and some other areas have come up with an amazing exchange programme to beat the increasing competition. Yes, now you can barter your old bike and avail a discount of Rs 25,500 on the 800cc Maruti Alto.

The ads of the offer, which was published in leading dailies on 10 August, strikes at the core disadvantages of motorcycles and highlights how they are uncomfortable and unsafe compared to a car. Considering that the monsoon has set in the country including Mumbai, the offer could not have come at a better timing. “Skip the risky two-wheeler skid. Give your family more safety this monsoon. Drive India’s favourite family car,” it reads.

The idea is to expand the market for the Alto, said one of the dealers participating in the scheme. “Moreover with the launch of the Alto K-10 (with 1-litre engine), we needed to do something to keep buyer’s interest sustained in the Alto 800,” he said, requesting not to be named.

Shashank Srivastava, chief general manager at Maruti Suzuki, said the exchange offer, which is currently concentrated in the Mumbai region, would soon be initiated in the other parts of the country too. The average monthly sales of the model are 20,000 units.

Maruti launched the K-10 on 4 August. So the exchange offer seems more like a clearance sale. But we suspect that Maruti Suzuki would slowly bring down the production of the Alto, and eventually phase it out from the Indian market. Six years ago, Maruti had launched a similar programme for the 800 and Alto. But the results were not very significant. But times have changed and Indians have become ever so ambitious since then.

“It is a huge opportunity if we can get people to trade their two-wheelers for our cars,” Srivastava said.

For a long time, Maruti 800 had been the ideal choice for many a first car buyers. But since Tata Nano entered, things changed. And the M800 was phased out too. And even though competition has intensifies, Maruti is still going strong with the Alto.

Earlier this month, Maruti launched a new commercial for Alto cars. The key challenge, said Syed Ajmal Ali, executive vice- president of Lowe Lintas ad agency, was to differentiate between the existing Alto BSIV (800cc) and the K-10.

Since the company would not want one model to undercut the other’s market, the advertising strategy was to differentiate them in terms of attitude rather than features, he said. “Alto K-10 is aimed at appealing to those consumers who connect with a kind of lifestyle which is different from conventional living.” Maruti Alto is currently the largest selling car in the Indian market, and is priced at Rs 2.3 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai.

California’s Monterey peninsula is going to look amazingly beautiful this week. On it will stand some of the rarest Delahayes, Ferraris and Jaguars. Yes folks, it’s time once again for the annual collector car auctions which create that mesmerising effect every year at the Pebble Beach Golf Club. There are hardly any car makers though that unveil their new cars. No new car wants to take the risk of beginning its journey with the sarcastic glares from the flawless Ferraris, Bugattis and more. However, there’s one car maker that refuses to be disturbed by the glamour of others’ masterpieces.

It’s Lotus Cars which will be using the Monterey auctions to showcase three new cars at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance. The auto maker’s Exos Type 125, which was revealed recently at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, is the one that will steal the show though. Just 25 units of the $1 million carbon fibre racer will be available to buyers, and that too, they will be available only directly from Lotus’s Norfolk, England factory next spring.

The Exos Type 125 racer that weighs less than 1,500 pounds draws power from a Cosworth V-8 motor carved to possess the power of 640 horses. Is the car worth its 1$ million tag? Well, an array of luxury offerings comes along with the seven-figure price, like race clinics, cockpit fittings and nutrition consults. “This is a car that’s going to be capable of five G’s lateral. Not everyone can do it,” said Kevin Smith, a Lotus Cars USA spokesman, in a phone interview. “We’ll have nutritionists advising owners about proper F1 fitness and diet regimens.” Hmm…. That’s something special!

Mr. Smith also revealed that Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli, Lotus Racing’s Formula One drivers, would take part in an unrevealed number of the five total track days planned for Type 125 owners, primarily hosted in Europe. You think this new race car is race ready?

“It’s not like an F1 car in that you won’t require an army of engineers to get it started,” Mr. Smith said. “It’s got an onboard starter, for one thing, and the engine can go over 2,500 miles between rebuilds. It’s just much more usable than an F1 car.” So, does Mr. Smith mean that the Exos Type 125 could be the next-gen Formula One race car?

Earlier, there were speculations that the 125 may have been built in Malaysia as a guinea pig for Lotus Racing, to handle Formula One car-testing regulations. Mr. Smith cleared it all by saying “The 125 was wholly developed in Norfolk.”

The second car from Lotus that would be adorning the Pebble Beach Golf Club would be the one developed in less-technical corners of the Norfolk skunk works, the $159,950 Lotus Evora Cup GT4. Yes, it’s the car that premiered in North America just the other day. The high-performance Evora Cup GT4 is based on the $73,500 Evora sports coupe and draws power from a 360-bhp 4-liter V-6 motor. “Two expats who race in the Lotus Challenge series here in California are in talks to purchase a pair,” he said. Whoa! Already? In Europe, Lotus Motorsport will host a one-make Evora Cup race series next spring.

The third car that Lotus plans to use to lure attendees at the show would be the 2011 Elise SC which carries cleverly revised bodywork to the brand’s two-seat coupe, as well as a special edition, the RGB — named in honour of long time Lotus vehicle engineer Roger George Becker, who retired earlier this year.

Mercedes Benz could never have been more elated than now. The flagship sedan of German company, Mercedes Benz C Class, has successfully touched the 1 Million sales mark ever since it went on sale in its current avatar back in 2007. In the last three years or so, more than 840,000 sedan variants & 160,000 wagon variants of the car have been delivered to customers across the globe.

A few months back, Mercedes Benz introduced a stripped down variant of the C-Class for a fleet of customers. We can hope for the company to make this variant available for the general customers too. Now, that would definitely elevate the appeal of the C-Class. Mercedes recently introduced the CGI technology in the C-Class to ensure better fuel economy.

Since the market launch of the current generation Mercedes C-Class, around one million customers have bought it. Mercedes Benz has sold more than eight million vehicles in this segment since the first C-Class was introduced back in 1982.

“The C-Class is our best-selling production series and therefore of great importance for Mercedes-Benz,” said a very happy Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars. “We are therefore especially pleased that the vehicle is so popular with our customers. In June the sedan was the best-selling vehicle in its comparative class worldwide.

Despite last year’s weak market environment, sales of the sedan are currently four percent higher than those of the predecessor model during the same period since its market launch. The estate has also met with an outstanding response, with deliveries increasing by 20 percent in June”, he added.

“The United States is the largest market for the C-Class sedan, accounting for 25 percent of total sales. The next-largest markets are Germany and China. A total of 29,600 C-Class cars were sold in the U.S. during the first half of the year, representing an increase of 15 percent on the same period last year.

Deliveries totaled 14,300 units in Germany, while 12,100 customers bought a C-Class sedan in China during this period. Sales of the C-Class sedan rose by six percent worldwide during the first half of the year, to 120,300 units. The estate has also met with a great customer response, with deliveries substantially higher in nearly all markets in June 2010 compared to June 2009.

The increase amounted to six percent in Germany, which is the largest market for the estate, while sales rose by 19 percent in Western Europe as a whole and by 47 percent in Japan, which is the fourth-largest market,” Daimler informed.

The biggest advantage of C-Class is its outstanding fuel efficiency which is quite a rare quality in the other cars in its segment. And to reiterate its motto of fuel efficiency, Mercedes is planning to install the state-of-the-art ECO start-stop function into the C-Class’ C 180 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY and C 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY models in connection with mechanical six-speed transmissions. This start-stop feature is expected to bring down the our-cylinder engine’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to ten percent.

In the upcoming years, the most popular engine variant of the C-Class, the C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, will also get the ECO start-stop function and six-speed manual transmission. The vehicle, which is already very fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly, will then consume only 4.4 liters of fuel per 100km. And that’s not all, it will also cut CO2 emissions from 127 g/km to 117 g/km.

The Mercedes Benz C-Class is a total hit with the Indian crowd too. Most of the Indian car buyers seem to choose the C-Class over the BMW 3 Series & the Audi A4.

We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the Ssangyong Motor drama and excitement kept jumping from one car maker’s circuit into the others’. It’s been months now since the stage was set up and finally an Indian auto maker wins the show. The ailing Ssangyong Motor has just announced India’s top utility vehicle maker, Mahindra and Mahindra as its preferred buyer in a deal that strengthens the growing influence of emerging market auto makers.

M&M has been trying hard to climb higher and strengthen its stand as a global utility vehicle maker. This could well help the company a lot. The Korean maker of the Rexton and Kyron SUVs and the Chairman luxury sedan also exports to Russia, Europe, China, and the Middle East. Lucky Mahindra! It was worth an investment, but there’s no clue about the bidding amount.

Right now, the offer amount has not been disclosed and SUV maker Ssangyong which is in bankruptcy protection has only said that M&M had been chosen after making the highest bid and securing financing plans. “We have reached the decision after reviewing offered bidding prices, fund-raising capability, management plans after acquisition, job guarantee for current employees and other terms,” said Ssangyong Motor. By the way, last week we had heard that M&M was ready to pay up to $400 million to acquire a majority stake in Ssangyong.

Ssangyong and its lead managers may sign a MoU with M&M by end of this month after M&M pays 5 per cent of the acquisition price it offered in binding bids. The final acquisition price will be decided in October after due diligence and the deal will possibly be closed by November. Analysts say Ssangyong which has been under court-led restructuring since early 2009 may help Mahindra too in developing technology and adding to its vehicle inventory. Ssangyong Motor, the South Korea’s smallest car maker by sales had suffered severe cash shortage due to declining sales of fuel-guzzling SUVs.

“The biggest attraction for Mahindra would be Ssangyong will give them quick and easy access to global markets,” said Ahn Soo-woong, an analyst at LIG Securities. Car makers from emerging markets like India, South Korea and China have started playing it big. Even the recent economic downturn failed to shake them off. While the so-called powerful U.S. auto makers struggled for survival during the recession period, Korean market leader Hyundai Motor stole the show.

Just the other day, we also told you how China’s Geely successfully purchased Volvofrom Ford Motor. Indian auto makers Mahindra and Tata Motors had battled in 2008 to buy luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover. India’s Ruia group, which also bid for Ssangyong and was named a reserve bidder, had purchased tyre makers Dunlop and Falcon Tyres. Long live the car makers from emerging markets! Even in the present Ssangyong case, it was India’s M&M and Ruia Group and South Korea’s Young An that submitted proposals to purchase the cash-strapped car company.

While M&M may start working right away, is everybody else convinced? Shares in Ssangyong have dropped 8 percent in the middle of uncertainties over the deal as it struggles with about 740 billion won ($626 million) in debt and is waiting with open arms for fresh capital to increase investment. Renault-Nissan washed its hands off the bidding raising concerns that it may fail to find a buyer while on the other side, on Wednesday, the stock dipped by the daily limit of 15 per cent.

The Daewoo group and SAIC Motor Corp which took over the company in 1998 and 2004 respectively, had failed to lead Ssangyong to the top. “There is uncertainty whether a deal could be reached. Mahindra wouldn’t want to overpay but Ssangyong may need more than what Mahindra proposes to survive,” said Jung Mee-kyung, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities.

When the Volkswagen Vento was unveiled about a month ago, the German car manufacturer had us guessing about the price of the new sedan. But now Volkswagen has announced the prices of Vento, and trust us, you are up for a happy surprise.

With prices starting at Rs 6.99 lakh for the 1.6-litre petrol Trendline manual version, ex-showroom Delhi, Vento is much cheaper than Honda City. As far as competitors like Fiat Linea, Hyundai Verna Transform and Maruti Suzuki SX4 are concerned; Vento is relatively on the expensive side.

Well, if you like the prices, you can certainly book one for yourself without further delays, for the company has opened the bookings for Vento. But it would not be before September 6, 2010, that the company will start delivering the sedans. Vento, after the Passat, Jetta, Touareg, Beetle, Phaeton and Polo, is the seventh offering of the company in the Indian market.

Volkswagen has launched the much awaited Vento in both petrol and diesel variants. The petrol variant Vento is equipped with 1.6 litre engine that generates an output of 105bhp @ 5250 rpm and a torque of 153NM @ 3800 rpm. It is coupled with a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Now, the fuel efficiency of the Vento which reaches up to 15.83 Km/l would certainly be a cause of worry to the competitors.

The diesel variant of the Vento is equipped with a 1.6 litre engine that is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, with an output of 105PS @ 4400 rpm and a Torque of 250 NM @ 1500-2500 rpm and has a fuel efficiency of 20.54 Km/l. The New Vento (petrol and diesel) will be available in two variants including Trendline, Highline. While the Trendline is available in two colours, Candy White, Flash Red, the Highline will be available in Reflex Silver Metallic, Shadow Blue Metallic, Terra Beige Metallic and Deep Black Pearl.

The interior of the new Vento is quite contemporary and classy. Equipped with a storage compartment in front doors for 1 litre Bottles, sunglass storage inside glove box, foldable roof handles with coat hooks, front and rear centre armrest, cupholders and “Livon” fabric upholstery, the Vento looks classic.

Keeping in mind the driving comforts, the Vento is equipped with multi function information display including door opening warning, height adjustable driving seats and a steering wheel adjustable for reach and rake.

Coming to the exteriors, Vento Trendline comes with 14″ wheels with wheel caps and the Highline comes with 15″ alloys. Both the variants of the Vento feature body colored bumpers, chrome inlays in front grille, body coloured exterior door handles & mirrors (Highline), rough road package with increased ground clearance and partially zinc coated body with 6 years anti-rust warranty.

When it comes to the safety features, Vento is a sure-shot winner. The new car features ABS, front airbags for driver and co-driver, Anti Theft system with interior surveillance and back up alarm and fog lights.

Speaking about Volkswagen’s market introduction of the Vento, Mr. Neeraj Garg, Member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd said, “The New Vento, which stands for best in class features and German engineering is poised to set a benchmark in its segment. Designed for the Indian market it will be a strong addition to our product portfolio”.

He further added, “The New Vento is an extension of our commitment towards the Indian consumers of providing the best quality products at competitive prices.”

The prices of the Vento and its variants are as under (All prices ex-showroom, New Delhi) • 1.6 Trendline Petrol (manual): Rs 6.99 lakh • 1.6 Highline Petrol (manual): Rs 8.23 lakh • 1.6 Highline Petrol (automatic): Rs 9.21 lakh • 1.6 Trendline TDI Diesel (manual): Rs 7.99 lakh • 1.6 Highline TDI Diesel (manual): Rs 9.23 lakh

Volkswagen Vento Specifications

Vento 1.6 liter petrol Power : 104 Hp @ 5250 rpm Torque : 153 Nm @ 3800 rpm Transmission: 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic Vento 1.6 liter TDI diesel Power : 104 Hp @ 4400 rpm Torque : 250 Nm @ 1500-2500 rpm Transmission: 5-speed manual

Exterior - Wheels : 14″ wheels with wheel caps (Trendline); 15″ alloys(Highline) Mirrors/Door handles : Black (Trendline); Body coloured (Highline) Fog Lamps : No (Trendline); Standard(Highline)

Interior - Colour: Black and Beige (Trendline); Black and Beige (Highline) Steering, gear knob : No leather finish (Trendline); Leather finish (Highline) Seat fabric : Livon fabric (Trendline); Livon superior fabric (Highline) Rear Armrest : No (Trendline); Yes (Highline)

Safety - ABS : No (Trendline); Yes (Highline) Airbags : No (Trendline); 2, Driver & passenger (Highline) Fog lamps : No (Trendline); Front & Rear (Highline) Engine Immobilizer : Yes (Trendline); Yes (Highline)

Equipment - AC : Yes (Trendline); Climate control (Highline) Remote locking : No (Trendline); Yes (Highline) Rear AC vents : Yes (Trendline); Yes (Highline) ORVM adjust : Internal (Trendline); Internal, electric (Highline) Boot release : Internal (Trendline); Remote (Highline) Defogger : Yes (Trendline); Yes (Highline) Music system : No (Trendline); CD/MP3 4-speakers (Highline)

Colours - Trendline : Candy White, Flash Red

Highline : Reflex Silver Metallic, Shadow Blue Metallic, Terra Beige Metallic, Deep Black Pearl

Volkswagen Vento detailed specifications -

Vento Features: (Trendline)

Exterior

14″ steel wheels with full wheel caps •Chrome inlays in front grille to the left and right of the Volkswagen logo•Body coloured bumpers• Black exterior door handles & mirrors• Halogen headlights• Partially zinc coated body with 6 years anti-rust warranty • Rough road package with increased ground clearance

Interior

Front doors with storage compartments including holder for 1 litre bottle • Rear doors with storage compartments• Storage compartment for sunglasses inside the glove box• Fully lined trunk and trunk floor • Trunk illumination• Foldable roof handles with coat hooks(3x) • Warning triangle holder • Center console including 2 cupholders • Front centre armrest including cupholder for rear seat• Front center console including 12V outlet• Rear seat backrest, Fixed Gear lever surround, inner door handles & AC vents with chrome•2 tone anti-glare dashboard, Black & Beige• Sun visors with ticket holder on driver’s side • Sun visors with vanity mirror on passenger’s side • Livon” fabric upholstery

Safety & security Height adjustable 3 points front seat belt•3-point safety belts for rear outboard occupants, lap belt for rear middle occupant• Front headrests and rear headrests, height-adjustable • High mount stop lamp• Day night rear view mirror• Front disc brakes • Electronic immobilizer• Comfort & Convenience Power steering, rake & reach adjustable • AC with rear AC vents• Central locking• Push-push’ type fuel lid opener, centrally lockable• Outer rear view mirrors manually adjustable from inside• All four power windows, with driver side one touch down• Electric trunk opening • Rear defogger• White instrument back-lights• Parking lights • Radio preparation with speaker & antenna pre-wiring • Front intermittent wipers• Dust and pollen filter•14″ steel spare wheel

Colours Available Candy White • Flash Red

Vento Features: Highline (Additional over Trendline)

Exterior

• Body colored outside mirrors and door handles • 15” Alloy wheels • Chrome strip on trunk• Paint, metallic and pearl effect• Chrome finish on front air dam and fog light surrounds • Green wedge at top section of windshield

Interior Co-driver seat adjustable from rear seat for additional leg room• Interior Chrome package •Genuine leather wrapped steering wheel, gear shift knob, hand brake lever and gear shift boot• Rear centre arm rest • “Livon” superior Upholstery

Safety ABS• Front Airbags for driver and co-driver• Anti Theft system with interior surveillance and back up alarm• Fog light, front & rear

Comfort & Convenience Electrically adjustable outside mirrors • Climatronic automatic air conditioning •Comfort power windows •Height adjustable driver seat• Remote control for central locking, incl 2 keys • Multi function info display including door opening warning • Radio with CD player MP3 and four speaker including roof Atenna•14” steel spare wheel

Colours Available Reflex Silver Metallic •Shadow Blue Metallic • Terra Beige Metallic •Deep Black Pearl