Indian Car Blog – Carazoo.com

Chevrolet Beat LPG to be launched next week, Diesel Beat to follow in June-July

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Last week, General Motors launched the designed-and-made-in-India 1.2 Liter SMARTECH petrol engine for the Chevrolet Beat, and as upbeat as Karl Slym was, he announced quite a few things about the plans and upcoming launches of the company.

Next week, GM India will be launching the LPG variant of the very popular Chevrolet Beat. The car will be prices slightly higher than the petrol Beat. And since the petrol prices seem to be in a hurry to reach Rs 100/litre mark, the LPG petrol, with its excellent fuel mileage, might just become the best bet in the market.

The LPG Beat will be a dual fuel car, much similar to the Maruti WagonR Duo, which will make it possible for the buyers to switch between petrol and LPG. General Motors is also planning to launch the diesel engines Chevrolet Beat sometime between June and July 2011. GM is not saying anything about the engine specifications of the Beat diesel, but we expect it to be a sub one liter three cylinder CRDI unit. The Beat diesel will cost an additional INR 50,000 premium over the petrol version.

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Apart from these two major launches, General Motors is also expected to unveil an electric vehicle for India come April 2011 and a smaller SUV sitting under the Chevrolet Captiva SUV. The smaller SUV would be competing with the recently launched Tata Aria and the upcoming Mahindra W210 World SUV.

All these while, we have been talking about the impending launch of the Volt and the Chevrolet Camaro. Although the Chevrolet Volt has been shelved for the Indian market, hope lives for the muscle car Camaro.

General Motors India is planning to launch at least six new car models with 14 fuel variants in the next two years and this would in all probability include the Sonic Sedan and Hatchback duo to replace the Chevrolet Aveo and U-VA respectively. So in the coming years, we can expect a lot of action from the American car maker.

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posted by carazooblog @ Monday, January 31st, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 28, 2011

Fiat Freemont to Debut at the Geneva Motor Show

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We are all excited about the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, and one of the leading attractions of the show will be the Fiat Freemont that makes its debut. The car will go on sale in 2011. The Fiat Freemont is built on the base of the Dodge Journey, and is the first vehicle from the company’s partnership with the Chrysler Group. The Fiat Freemont will be manufactured in the Mexican plant of Toluca, where the Fiat 500 is produced for the US market.

The Fiat Freemont boasts of a very muscular exterior styling and a strong front end. The suspension and steering system are now more accurate and the car will also have LED lights. It is the perfect choice for people who love speed. The Fiat Freemont brings a choice of 140 horse power and 170 horse power, with manual transmission capabilities. Later, the vehicle will also come in 4×4 versions with 170 HP 2.0 MultiJet and 276 BHP 3.6 petrol V6 engines, both with automatic transmissions.

Interior of the car is equally attractive and spacious. The soft touch plastic relaxes you as you carry on your long drive. The SUV has seven seat capacity with flexible options. The seats can easily be folded according to your needs and preferences.

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Other attractive features of the Fiat Freemont are attractive fog lights, a keyless entry system, touch screen radio, Bluetooth, DVD reader and most important and unique feature is parking sensors. The SUV also comes with triple-zone climate control system, roof rails and automatic headlamps and tire pressure monitoring system.

The price of the Fiat wonder is expected to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show. Other cars competing with it are Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan Murano. As of now, it is difficult to say whether Fiat will bring this vehicle in the Indian market or not. But considering the company does not have an SUV in its portfolio, it makes sense to bring it in India.

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, January 28th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 28, 2011

Maruti Suzuki sells one lakh cars per month

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Its tumbling records out of Maruti’s closet. First, it was theMaruti Suzuki Alto, which outsold any other car in the world in 2010. Now, Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car maker, has kept the flag flying high as it recorded one million mark in the first ten months of the financial year. This is a record that Maruti wants to repeat every year in succession, while other carmakers can just hope to reach that peak.

Maruti Suzuki sold 927655 cars during April-December 2010. This figure comprises of both the domestic and exported units. While the numbers stood at 73,874 units as on January 25th this year, that too without export units. This magical number accounts for the one million in the single financial year, said a Maruti official.

The cumulative export volume for the same period of ten months stood at 10,01,529 units. Maruti’s contribution to the global volume is more than 50 per cent and the net sale volume for 2009-10 is 10,18,365 units.

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The current fiscal too is promising with more volumes especially during October and November with the monthly volume of domestic sale crossing one lakh units. Maruti is erecting its third plant at its Manesar facility to deliver the demand.

The Manesar facility has the capacity of 2.5 lakh annual units and the investment has been Rs 1925 crore. The second plant was installed at an investment of Rs 1700 crore with the annual capacity of 2.5 lakh units. This second facility will be operational from the next year while the third facility slated for late 2012 or 2013. Maruti shares 54.2 per cent in Suzuki with the Gurgaon facility yielding 85000 units and Manesar facility 350000 annual units making the net tally to 12,00,000 annual units.

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, January 28th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 28, 2011

Iconic Jaguar E-Type to Celebrate its 50th Anniversary in Style

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We have written about the Jaguar E-Type a number of times in our different articles, but this time around, it is something very very special. This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous and desirable cars in the automotive history – the Jaguar E-Type. The straight-six engine featured in the Jaguar E-Type brought five Le Mans victories in the 1950s.

The British car brand, which is owned by Indian car manufacturing giant Tata Motors, would celebrate this special anniversary year at high-profile motoring events throughout 2011. Jaguar will mark the anniversary at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and go on to celebrate at Goodwood’s Revival and Festival of Speed, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Nurburgring Old Timer Grand Prix and a host of Jaguar customer, dealer and lifestyle events worldwide.

The Jaguar E-Type, when launched in 1961, stood apart from the crowd owning to the inherent rightness of its proportions, stance and purity of line. Not surprisingly it is a permanent exhibit in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The car’s influence is still apparent in Jaguar’s modern range.

“Half a century of progress has not diminished the significance of the E-Type. It was a sensation when it was launched, and remains Jaguar’s most enduring and iconic symbol. The E-Type is simply one of the most exciting cars ever created and a legacy to the genius of Jaguar’s founder, Sir William Lyons,” said Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director Jaguar Cars and Chairman Jaguar Heritage.

The Jaguar E-Type has adorned the garages of such famous people as George Best, Brigitte Bardot, Tony Curtis and Steve McQueen. It was such a handsome car that even Enzo Ferrari admitted it was “the most beautiful car in the world.”
“It is impossible to overstate the impact the E-Type had when it was unveiled in 1961,” said Ian Callum, Jaguar Design Director. “Here was a car that encapsulated the spirit of the revolutionary era it came to symbolise. The E-Type is a design that even today continues to inform the work we do in styling the Jaguars of the future.”

When the Jaguar E-Type was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961, it caused a sensation. Capable of achieving 150mph, but costing much lesser than the price of rivals with similar performance, it was the affordable supercar and became an instant hit with the masses – remaining on sale for 14 years.

The E-type remained in production for 14 years, selling more than 70,000 units, making it Europe’s first mass-produced sports car.

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, January 28th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 27, 2011

GM India Introduces indigenous 1.2-liter SMARTECH engine

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General Motors India launched its new locally developed, state-of-the-art SMARTECH engine today at New Delhi. This 1.2 liter SMARTECH petrol engine was designed and developed in Bangalore keeping the Indian road conditions, environment and traffic conditions in mind. The engine will be mass produced at GM’s new Talegaon plant and will end up doing duty in a range of new models offered by GM in India.

General Motors International Operations President, Tim Lee, who presided the ceremony said, “India is a key market for General Motors. We are focused on leveraging our unmatched global resources as well as our growing local capability to develop segment-leading vehicles and power trains in India for India.”

“Our new engine is the result of an enormous R&D effort and thousands of hours of design, validation and testing. It incorporates engineering changes which optimize engine performance for Indian conditions through innovative design techniques,” said Karl Slym, President and Managing Director of General Motors India. “The engine demonstrates the true potential of GM’s engineering and manufacturing capability across India.”

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The SMARTECH engine features aluminum cylinder heads, deep skirt cylinder block and lightweight pistons with low tension rings, which decreases weight and maximizes fuel economy. The engine also features a DOHC valve-train with direct acting valve actuation to further improve the efficiency, a long runner plastic intake manifold for good low-end torque and lightweight counterbalanced crank shaft for great NVH.

The engine has a maintenance-free inverted tooth timing chain drive system. The chain links engage at a lower impact speed, which decreases the noise generated for quiet operation. The 1.2 litre SMARTECH engine delivers uncompromised power and durability in a small package size. Durability is ensured through the application of an epoxy coating on the cylinder block and anti corrosion coating on cam cover baffles, and the use of stainless steel core plugs and bay to bay ventilation. Extensive testing and validation were carried out in India to guarantee top-of-the-line performance in all vehicle models that will adopt the engine.

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posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, January 27th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 27, 2011

Mahindra Genio 1.2 Ton Pick Up Truck Launched in M’rastra

Mahindra-Genio
The Mahindra Xylo Pick Up, which we had writing blogs on in Carazoo.com for long now has made its official debut today. Remember, those camouflaged Mahindra Pick Up that our readers had snooped and shot and sent those pictures? Yes, the very same Pick Up was launched today.

For starters, this Pick Up that the good flocks at Mahindra launched today has been named as Mahindra Genio Pick Up Truck. So the very obvious Xylo moniker has been parted with. (Some consolation for people who didn’t want their Xylo to share the name with a basic goods mover.)

Now, Mahindra Genio Pick Up that is based on the Ingenio platform is available in a singe cab design and is a 1.2 Tonne pick up truck that comes with a CRDe engine pumping out 75 bhp and 220 Nm of torque with a top speed 120 km/hr. The designers at Mahindra seemed to have turned new leaf this year and that shows up with the design of the Mahindra Genio. The Genio is just likeable and seems very next gen as the guys at Mahindra want to put it. The price tag of the Mahindra Genio is equally eye-popping as the next generation commercial vehicle is competitively priced at Rs. 4.99 lakh (BS3 variant, ex-showroom Navi Mumbai). The BS4 compliant version is also available for BS4 markets.

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Speaking at the launch, Dr. Pawan Goenka President, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said, “In keeping with our endeavour of offering first of its kind world class products, we have launched the Genio today. It is also a result of extensive consumer insight which captured the latent and expressed needs of the customer. The Genio is an ideal vehicle for businessmen, traders and SMEs. I am confident that it would be nothing less than a Game Changer for the pickup segment in times to come.”
Dr Goenka further added. “The Genio’s vehicle architecture is based on the Ingenio platform which we have used earlier. This platform gives superior cab design, chassis and proven aggregates of Engine and Transmission and delivers car like comfort and space”.

Speaking at the launch, Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief Executive, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “The pickup industry in India is more than 6500 vehicles per month and growing. With the majority market share that we command, the onus is on us to offer superior products thereby driving the industry growth. Genio has been launched keeping this in mind, as we aim to fulfil the desires of the customers as well as offer a world-class product to them”.

What is that Mahindra Genio can flaunt with élan, you ask? Well, The Genio is far ahead of its contemporaries in terms of technology and safety features. Because of mDI CRDe technology, the oil change interval of the vehicle is 20,000 km. It has LSPV brakes which adjusts the braking pressure depending on the load of the vehicle. For the first time in India, Mahindra and Mahindra is offering SLR seat belts for the safety of the driver and co-driver. It also has cross members on the doors which save the passengers in case of any eventuality of accidents affecting the sides of the vehicle. The Genio comes fitted with Radial tubeless tyres, which is also an industry first in commercial pick up vehicles. This ensures that the tyres do not burst in case of a puncture, especially on the highway.

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The Mahindra Genio comes with an adjustable Power Steering, 80.5 cubic feet cabin space, semi bucket seats with front back adjustment and recliner and independent front suspension to absorb all shocks on Indian roads. With a car like gear shift, ride quality of a UV, wider and bigger windscreen and doors and also split back glass for better ventilation, the Genio’s drive experience is unique.

The Genio offers several utility features, a first in the commercial Pick Up segment. It boasts of a floor console with a mobile charging point, a bottle holder, coin holder, etc. The dash board has a wallet case and a mobile case apart from a big glove box. It has the shortest turning radius among pickups of 6.15 meters which helps it negotiate the narrowest of lanes. Measuring the distance and mileage is easy as it has an in built trip meter in the instrument cluster.

The Mahindra Genio is available in four attractive colour options – Silver Shine (Metallic), Diamond White, Marvel Granite and Skyline Blue. It is available across 70 dealerships by its launch and from mid February it will be available across Mahindra dealerships pan India.

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posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, January 27th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 27, 2011

IndiGo promotors to bring Koenigsegg Agera into India

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Gone are those days when we used drool looking at super cars and lament the non-availability of these cars here in India. However, everything is changing. Ever since Luxury car brands such as Rolls Royce, Bentley, Lamborghini, Maybach , Porsche and recently Bugatti set shop in India, most of the other global luxury brands such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Maserati have already made elaborate plans to get a slice of the big unexploited ultra luxury car market which seems to a virgin territory at the moment.

Now, a new Luxury sports car maker also wants to make it big in India. And it’s none other than the Swedish super sports car maker Koenigsegg Automotive AB. Yes, you just read that right, Now that we have seen Bugatti coming up with their Rs 16 crore super car, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport , Koenigsegg does not want to left around. Koenigsegg has joined hands with Rahul Bhatia-promoted InterGlobe Enterprises to launch a range of high-end, high-performance models in India. Yes, these guys are the promoters of the low-cost carrier IndiGo under the InterGlobe Aviation banner.

Koenigsegg, known for its big engines, unfamiliar designs and styling under its own brand, will launch the Agera, which carries a sticker price of Rs 9.6-10 crore, next month in Hyderabad. How cool is that? The Agera which means “to act” in Swedish, sports a 4.7-litre aluminium V8 engine capable of producing peak power of 850 bhp, is one of the fastest production cars in the world. And now if you might be thinking what that much power transalates into, think of combined power of 18 Maruti Alto cars (800 cc). That’s the rough estimate of the power that the Agera produces.

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Speaking more about the numbers associated with the Koenigsegg Agera, the super car that has a top speed of 390 kmph plus can reach 100 kmph in 3.1 seconds. The car was unveiled for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show last year. The company plans to build just 16-29 units a year adding an exclusive image to the Agera.

As per the industry sources, the ultra luxury car segment is growing by a minimum of 25 per cent a year. Better economic growth, fuelled by substantial investments made by a number of multinational companies over the past few years, has contributed to a considerable rise in the sale of high-end cars in the country. Most luxury carmakers believe that India’s demand for exotic vehicles will be much higher than in traditional rivals such as China in the coming years. According to a senior executive at Rolls Royce, India could become its largest market in Asia if the growth momentum is maintained.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, January 27th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 27, 2011

Maruti ranked seventh on nation’s most trusted 300 brands: Study

According to study conducted and published recently by Trust Research Advisory (TRA), a leading research organization dedicated to understanding and simplifying concepts related to Trust, Marutihas been ranked at seventh position out of the Nation’s most trusted 300 brands.

The automobile sector has made quite an impression on the nation as one of the most trusted sectors, according to a study released by The Trust Research Advisory (TRA). The report has ranked India’s first indigenous car brand Maruti, at seventh place, whilst leading two-wheeler brand Hero Honda came in at 13th place and international luxury brand BMW at 33rd place. Hyundai drove in at 43rd place, whilst TVS at 54th place. Toyota was ranked at 66th place, Ford at 74th place, Mercedes Benz at 81st position, Audi at 104th place and Suzuki at 118th place. Skoda was 126th on the list, whilst Tata was at 159th place. Ferrari was at 162nd position.

Maruti’s Composite Brand Trust scores stay very close to the average line with the third lowest variance across the 10 composite parameters showing a strong consistency. Whilst there are no major shifts seen in these composite scores, the little extra edge is given to Maruti’s Brand Trust by its outward appearance, representative of the brand’s attractive appearance, appropriate expression, conformation to high standards.

Whilst the brand maintains a good balance in composite scores, its zonal pulls and variations are quite high. Maruti’s East and North zone trust indices are substantially higher than the other two zones. The East zone pull leads the lowest brand trust zone, the west by three times and the next lowest zone, south by almost two times. Maruti’s highest score among primary attributes of Brand Trust is in the brand’s consistency over time, something that Indians will relate to closely.

The revelations were a result of a study, published by Trust Research Advisory (TRA), a leading research organization dedicated to understanding and simplifying concepts related to Trust. The study, compiled into a 116-page report titled “The Brand Trust Report, India Study, 2011” was launched at a press meet, held recently, in New Delhi. The Brand Trust Report, India Study, 2011 is the result of years of detailed research to understand trust which included several hundred hours of discussions with communication experts and behavioural scientists.

N. Chandramouli, CEO, Trust Research Advisory (TRA) said, “The parameters under which this comprehensive study was carried out by TRA, is the first of its kind in the country. I believe that this detailed study on Brand Trust, will benefit the automobile sector in the long run. I wish them all the best in all their future endeavors and hope they make their way higher in the coming years as one of India ‘most trusted brands’.”

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, January 27th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 27, 2011

The Rural Route to Success

Car makers are treading a different route these days. Yes, they are making their journey to the smaller towns and rural areas to explore a big market in the ‘real India’ as metros are becoming more packed and competitive. Leading carmakers like Maruti, Hyundai, General Motors and Mahindra are ramping up their operations in the non-metro markets where the desire to own a four-wheeler is at an all time high.

Maruti Suzuki, the biggest carmaker in India, registered almost 20% of its sales from non-metro markets in 2010, up from 3.5% about three years back. General Motors saw nearly 60% of its sales coming from these emerging markets.

“It has become a substantive and crucial area for us,” said Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer at Maruti Suzuki. Pareek said that Maruti-which is already strong in the smaller markets-has been making further attempts to shore up its presence to ensure that it penetrates even the remotest of the areas. “We are developing a database, mapping territories almost village by village to ensure that brand Maruti is available at almost anywhere in the country.”

Arvind Saxena, sales and marketing director at Hyundai India, also said that these smaller markets were getting increasingly important for car companies. “Aspirations are fast growing in these areas, including the rural belts. Also, the roads are getting better, another factor that aids sales of cars.” For Hyundai, small towns and rural areas (beyond top 40 cities) contributed as much as 30% to overall sales in the last year. This used to be around 18-19% around five years back. “The numbers have been growing and now we are also expanding our network in these areas,” Saxena added.

Less dependence on car loans make the smaller markets a fairly better bet. According to statistics provided by Maruti, about 63.5% of rural buyers purchase cars in cash. While 10% of urban households own cars, the figure is only 2.3% in rural and smaller towns.

GM India has left no stones unturned to be a strong contender in these markets. “While we have extended our partnership with the State Bank of India to reach many smaller markets, GM is also playing an active role in many local functions and events in these areas to increase visibility. For example, we sponsor local events and community programmes where we also display our cars, while offering finance solutions. This makes the brand visible right in the heart of the market,” said P Balendran, vice-president, GM India.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, January 27th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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January 27, 2011

Maruti Suzuki to Launch Diesel SX4 in February

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The year 2011 has started on a rather dull note for the automobile industry in India, but things might get a little too busy once February kicks in. We all know that Volvo is ready to launch its S60 in the next month. The much awaited Maruti Suzuki Kizashi would also make its debut in the Indian market. But there is something else that might bring a smile on a lot of people’s faces.

Rumour has it that Maruti Suzuki is planning to launch the much awaited SX4 diesel in February this year. And it seems pretty necessary too. The second half of 2010 was pretty bad for the sales of the SX4. The Maruti Suzuki sedan that used to sell 1000+ units with a lot of difficulty reached a new low in December 2010 when it managed to sell just about 761 units.

The Maruti Suzuki SX4 rivals such as the Vento and the Fiesta, which are available in diesel variants managed to reach 1000 units milestone with a lot of ease. Heck even Hyundai Verna sold 1,213 units. And now Maruti has realised that it needs to pull up its socks if it wants any kind of respect in the sedan segment. And the result is we gonna get the diesel SX4 soon.

The Maruti Suzuki SX4 diesel will be powered by a 1.3-litre DDiS engine with a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) powered to produce 90 bhp. In case you are not aware, this is the same engine that powers the Fiat Linea.

Car pricing trends tell us that diesel cars cost around a lakh or so more than their petrol counterparts. So it is safe to assume that the new SX4 will be sold with a price tag of around 8.5 lakh. But whether this move would help the C segment King gain back its territory or not, only time will reveal.