Monthly Archives: January 2011

Rolls Royce sells 70 cars in India in 2010

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New-Rolls-Royce-Ghost Rolls Royce literally is on cloud number Nine, with a impressive sales figures compared to last year’s sales. India and Rolls Royce though has a very old connection; Rolls Royce in India is in its second innings and the British Luxury car brand is doing very well now.

The Luxury brand has seen a seven-fold increase in its sales for the year 2010. Rolls Royce sold 70 cars in 2010 against 10 cars in 2009.

Mr Brenda Pek, the General Manager, South & East Asia Pacific, Rolls Royce Cars said that the Indian arm of the company witnessed a leap in its growth since 2010. If looking at the sales graph, it exhibits that an accountable growth in the demand for its luxury cars has come especially from the II Tier towns. Pek also mentioned that last year the auto company witnessed a considerable demand from north and south India II Tier cities.

Rolls Royce, has two dealerships in India one in New Delhi and the another one in Mumbai.

Rolls Royce Ghost, the British auto company’s new luxury car model for India, registered an increase in sales for 2010. Perk also said that as many as 80 per cent of the Rolls Royce Ghost buyers are trying the car for the first time. Surprisingly there has been an extended increase in the female buyers. He also stated that the Indian buyers are considering the luxury wagon as a daily car that is a driver’s fantasy.

The Rolls Royce stable currently constitutes of Phantom, Phantom Coupe, Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and Ghost.

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Skoda India lauches the Laura Classic TSi variant

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Now, with the “Corporate Edition” trend kicking in, Skoda India has also pitched in the game with its new price –cut version of the Laura TSi model called as Laura TSi Classic.

The Classic variant of the Laura TSi is slated to be the base variant in petrol and a lot of features has been stripped out from this variant. Some of the prominent features that will give a miss in the Classic variant are front fog lamps, rear parking sensors, lumbar support adjustment for driver and front passenger seats, a front center arm-rest, automatic climate control, rear-A/C vents, leather wrapped steering wheel, gear knob and brake lever, and storage compartment under the front passenger seat.

Even features such as Eyewear compartment, Parktronic sensors and speaker at rear, Cooled Jumbo box under front armrest and Height adjustment for driver and front passenger seats also has been done away with the Classic variant. The Classic variant will feature Steel wheels instead of Alloys and a single-DIN CD player with instead a Central infotainment system.

The Laura TSi Classic is priced at Rs 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) while the car cost Rs 12.25 Lakh in Bangalore (ex-showroom).

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Image Courtesy: Autocar India

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Nissan to Introduce Two More Small Cars in India

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Nissan-Logo The success of Nissan Micra in the Indian market has definitely helped raise the spirits of the Japanese car maker. And now, Nissan is working up to bring on two more small cars in the Indian market. The first model, codenamed K2, will be built on a two-generation old Micra platform, but chances are good that it will get a new ‘top-hat’ or all-new body and interiors.

But the second car, entry-level hatchback (codename I2) that Nissan is developing with Indian partner Ashok Leyland, is the one that is likely to steal the show with its super affordable price tag. According to a major auto magazine, the 12 is being developed by Defiance Testing and Engineering, a US company that Ashok Leyland acquired in 2007.

Nissan is planning to price the car at around Rs 2.5 lakh. This might sound like an old cliché, but Nissan wants to compete with none other but the world’s No. 1 small car, Maruti Suzuki Alto. The Nissan 12 is expected to be launched in India in 2013. But the K2 will come sooner, but not earlier than December 2012. This car would compete with the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R and A-star. The Nissan K2 is expected to be priced around Rs 3.5 lakh.

Engine options for the two cars are likely to be the 1.2 litre three-cylinder petrol motor that we have seen in the Micra, although you can also pin your hopes on a highly fuel-efficient 1-litre engine. The Nissan K2 will come in two wheelbase options; the longer one would be for export markets.

Nissan has already achieved an important milestone with the success of the Micra; and the launch of these two vehicles would further strengthen the presence of the Japanese car maker in the Indian market. Since the launch of Micra in July 2010, the company has sold around 4500 units of the car.

Apart from Micra, Nissan sells X-Trail SUV, Teana luxury Sedan and 370Z sports car in the Indian market. All three models are brought as CBU (completely built units).

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Ferrari to unveil its 2011 car on Jan 28

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FERRARI F1 It is official. Ferrari is unveiling its 2011 F1 challenger on January 28 just ahead of the first per-season test, scheduled to be held in Valencia on February 1st. Most of the teams have already given the launching dates of their cars while McLaren and Force India revealed earlier this week that they will be running the first test with an interim version of last season’s cars. It must be noted last year, it was Red Bull and Force India that skipped the first test with the intention of hitting the track only when the entire development works on the car was completed.

The Maranello based team, Ferrari also revealed that its new car, which is codenamed ‘288’ will be officially called ‘F11’. While discussing the details of the launch, the team declared that the ceremony will take place at its headquarters at Valencia, Italy. Stefano Domenicali, the team boss announced these details in the Italian Dolomites, during a press conference at the ‘Wrooom’ media event. It was reported that the first chassis has been put together last Friday by the assembly department at the factory, while the second one will be joined later this week.

The 2011 season seems to be an important one for Ferrari as the team has vowed not to repeat last year’s mistakes in the days to come. It must be remembered that Ferrari only leaped into action towards the end of the season, after having spent a lull mid season behind the front -runners, Red Bull and McLaren. It was only after the controversial 1-2 finish of the team at the German Grand Prix, when the team driver, Fernando Alonso stepped into the tug for the title. The two times world champion Alonso struggled to his utmost in the remaining races and very soon made his way to the top, starting from his initial fifth place in the points’ tally. However, a poor race strategy at the last round of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix kept the driver from claiming the third title of his career.

The disappointed team dismissed the chief race strategist Chris Dyer last week, holding him responsible for last season’s failure. The team is now adamant to enter the next season in great pace and form right from the very first race, instead of jumping forward in the mid of the season.

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Lamborghini prefers to call the Aventador as LP700-4

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LP700-4-Colours-Full Lamborghini, the Italian super car maker, has been conspicuous with its absence from this year’s Detroit Motor Show. This is as if breaking the tradition, as Lamborghini has always lived up to its promise and usually bought out a new car to every motor show.

So what if they could not bring out a new car, they did provide some information which is eye-popping material in itself anyways. We bring you some details on the replacement for the Murcielago. Yes, we did write some blogs earlier claiming “Aventador” as the rightful successor of the Murcielago.

But here is a piece of surprise. Good folks in CarsUK.net received a MMS of the colour chart of the new upcoming Lamborghini car called LP700-4 just a couple of days ago. There is no mention of ‘Aventador’ on the chart so we’re assuming that LP700-4 is it. The chart contains a couple of new colours such as Grigio Estoque and Arancio Argos to the already existing colour shades Lamborghini offers.

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Its surprising to see Lamborghini move away from their unique tradtion of naming their cars after famous bulls. It seems like those chaps at Lamborghini have started to believe in numerology of late.

The LP700-4 is supposed to be stiff and light. With the 6.5 litre V12 plonked in, it would have 18% more power but 20% lower emissions than in the outgoing Murcialago, which again translates into 700bhp. It will have a Graziano seven speed, single clutch ‘box with five modes – Auto, Auto Strada,Strada, Sport and Corsa. The suspension will be a pushrod suspension with horizontal dampers – a first for a road car – and the brakes will have 400mm discs up front and an electronic parking brake.

The LP700-4 is said to be a proper Lamborghini equipped with scissor doors, all-wheel drive and have military inspiration. Does the word Reventon ring a bell in your upper chamber while you read this?

Watch out for this space for more on the LP700-4 in days to come.

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Maserati slated to come to India

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2011+maserati+quattroporte Maserati is coming to India. Make way for the Maserati. Yes, you read it right. The Italian luxury and sports-car maker will be here in India anytime within the next upcoming 6 months.

Ferrari S.p.A, the Italian super car maker that is owned by the larger Fiat Group, owns Maserati brand. It is a well-known fact that Ferrari is eying the very lucrative Indian luxury car market and will make its presence felt in India soon.

The speculation of Maserati brand making inroads to India gathers feathers as the brand boasts of a portfolio that includes Quattroporte range, the GranCabrio and GranTurismo series. These are the very cars that Maserati would be launching in India incase it comes here. We expect Maserati to price its products anywhere between 1Cr and 1.5Cr.

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Now that luxury brands like Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Bentley, BMW, Audi, Bugatti, Lamborghini etc have already started laughing their way to the banks, Fiat does not want to be left out and the decision of bringing in Ferrari and Maserati is quite sane.

Since its launch last year, Porsche’s 4-door sports crossover sedan, Panamera, which costs over a crore rupees, has been doing great in India. Now, Maserati, the original maker of the 4-door sports crossover sedan, the Quattroporte does not want to be late to the party already being enjoyed by the German Luxury car makers in India. Aston Martin, the English Luxury car-maker also is supposed to gate crash the party with its 4-door sports sedan, the Rapide soon.

Lets hope to see all these beauties plying on Indian roads pretty soon.

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BMW beams with “JOY” as luxury car sales zoom

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BMW_Logo_ BMW, the German luxury carmaker is on a roll here in India. The Indian subsidiary of the German luxury car giant, BMW India has retained its leadership position for the second consecutive year even as Mercedes-Benz and Audi continued to record excellent growth.

Though the year started with Mercedes Benz taking the lead, BMW India closed in on the gaps quickly and outclassing its compatriots vying for the luxury car space in India. BMW India delivered 6,246 cars in 2010, recording 73 per cent growth in sales over 2009 and capturing 40 per cent market share in the luxury car segment, which is estimated at around 15,000 units annually. BMW India rode on stupendous sales of its 3 Series which stood at 2,432 units and 5 Series which raked in 2,403 units respectively. This again translates into 111 per cent growth and 51 per cent growth in its respective segment. The total number of cars sold in the domestic market exceeded the company’s target of 4,200 units in 2010.

“In 2010, we embarked on the second wave of India market offensive with a carefully planned and passionately executed business strategy. In terms of the sales growth rate, India was among the top three markets for BMW after China, which saw over 80 per cent growth. India and Korea followed it at around the same level,” said BMW India President Andreas Schaaf.

BMW sales for 2010

The BMW 3 Series – 2432

The BMW 5 Series – 2403

The BMW 6 Series – 12

The BMW 7 Series – 535

The BMW X1 – 187

The BMW X3 – 28

The BMW X5 – 228

The BMW X6 – 189

The BMW Z4 – 82

The BMW Gran Turismo – 150

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Similarly, Mercedes-Benz sold 5,819 cars in 2010, the highest-ever sales figure registered by the company. Its sales volumes grew by 80 per cent during the year, with key growth drivers being its E-Class model with 2,490 units, C-Class with 2,070 units and the SUV range with 523 units sold. It also registered its best-ever December sales at 710 units, registering growth of 115 per cent. The strategy of Mercedes-Benz for the Indian market has been focused on offering a comprehensive product portfolio, delivering the highest value to the customer as well as ensuring world class sales, after sales and vehicle ownership experience. These initiatives coupled with aggressive product launches and network enhancement to smaller towns and cities have reinforced the strong traction with the Indian market in 2010.

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Another leading German luxury carmaker, Audi, sold 3,003 units in 2010, thus growing at 81 per cent. It had sold 1,658 cars in 2009. Sales for December stood at 212 cars, recording a growth of 96 per cent. It is eyeing 50 per cent growth in 2011. “We have exceeded our projected goals for the third year in succession…we expect to see further growth this year, thanks to our aggressive product offensive beginning with the Audi A8 L and a slew of other exciting launches during the year. The launch of the new A6 later this year will also deliver additional momentum. We will continue to expand and strengthen our existing network across the country and are focused towards enhancing the overall customer experience,” said Audi India Head Michael Perschke.

Bottom Line: The Luxury car segment in India is on the growth mode and there seems to be no saturation point for the segment anywhere in sight. The luxury car segment, which is still an untapped market in India, will lure more and more players in this segment in the longer run.

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Alto beats the rest to lay claims on the world’s No. 1 small car

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maruti-suzuki-alto-1 Just a few days into 2011 and Maruti Suzuki India already has its new year’s gift. Maruti’s workhorse, the Alto, has become the biggest selling small car in the world in 2010, overtaking the likes of Volkswagen Golf in Germany and VW Gol and Fiat Uno in Brazil. This is the first time ever that a car sold in India has become a global bestseller in any segment.

Sales of the Alto surged 25% last year to over 300,000 units, helped largely by a peppier version — the K10 — launched in the middle of 2010. During the same period, the two Volkswagen cars suffered a decline in sales with the Golf slipping down to third spot.

“The K10 has been very well received and has been responsible for the growth that we witnessed last year. We are confident it will do even better this year,” said IV Rao, managing executive officer (engineering), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

The Alto, launched in September 2000, was a runaway success and has been the country’s largest selling car since 2006. It is expected to do even better this year with sales expected to be close to 400,000 units, ensuring that its global stay at the top like in India will be a long one. Lets hope Alto hits 40,000 units a month sales figures ASAP.

We give you the list of cars Maruti Suzuki Alto has beaten to reach the pinnacle in 2010.

Maruti Suzuki – Alto – 300,950 – India

Volkswagen – Gol – 293,783 – Brazil

Volkswagen – Golf – 251,078 – Germany

Fiat – Uno – 229,323 – Brazil

Suzuki – Wagon R – 195,000 – Japan

Diahatsu – Tanto – 191,000 – Japan

Now that Alto has become the benchmark for entry-level small cars, everybody is in the race to produce the Alto magic by planning to produce their own versions of Alto competitor. Read more on the Maruti Suzuki Alto review in our car review page.

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Worth the drool: The New 2013 Skoda Octavia

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2013-Skoda-Octavia Skoda, which has been here in India for just about a decade now, is now a strong force to reckon in the Indian car market. Always known to build sturdy entry-level luxury cars, Skoda India has already carved a name for itself. But Skoda, the sister concern of the big Volkswagen Group, has been losing out on the design front for it’s bland looks as the brand has always been pushed into sidelines to accommodate more VW cars which also incidentally falls in the same segment.

With the exception of the Skoda Superb and the Yeti, other Skoda cars in its portfolio always looked dull. However, the design issues plaguing Skoda will soon be the thing of the past if you have look into the new 2013 Skoda Octavia’s rendering. The rendering itself looks macho, out of the world, sporty and futuristic.

So what’s new with the 2013 Skoda Octavia you might ask. The new car is expected to be a bit longer by 60mm and wider by 40mm than the outgoing model. This again translates into more legroom in the car that is already spacious. The car will receive a 1.4L TSI and 1.6L TDI engine along with a Start-Stop technology. Tradition will continue with a RS model and a Wagon with 4WD. The car will come equipped with new parking assistant and adaptive cruise control.

Well, when the car makes inroads to India, it certainly will not bear the name of Octavia, but as the next generation Laura as the now defunct Octavia brand name will be very much kept alive and kicking but with another model to fill the void. We hope the 2013 Skoda car in the pic will certainly compete and take the new Civic head on.

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Tata Venture MPV launched in Rajasthan

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2011-Tata-Venture Tata Venture has been finally launched with a price tag of Rs 4.05-5.07 Lakh, Ex-Showroom Jaipur. The MPV, based on the Tata Ace platform, was showcased in the 10th Auto Expo held in New Delhi last year and the MPV had attracted quite a few eyeballs back then. With this Tata seems have launched a winning product as the vehicle can be used both for commercial purposes and family needs.

The Tata Venture has a seating capacity of five but can accommodate 8 people quite conveniently. Equipped with a 1.4 liter diesel engine that churns out 70 bhp, the Venture returns with an ARAI Certified fuel economy of 15.42 kmpl. This certainly is good news for the Indian car consumers looking for a sub Rs 5 Lakh diesel Indian MPV. This is a segment newly created by Tata with its venture and surely but steadily, we will be seeing many players in the segment in the days to come.

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Tata Venture comes equipped with features like power steering, power windows, reverse parking aid, key-less entry with engine immobiliser and rear wipers. Tata Motors has given prime importance to the safety aspect in the Venture, the list of safety features boasts of collapsible steering, and side impact beams. Since the Tata Venture is less than 4 meters in length, maneuverability of the MPV will be an absolute pleasure in city conditions. To sum it all, Tata Venture is a vehicle with the footprint and maneuverability of a hatchback car, but the interior space of a utility vehicle.

Now that we have seen Maruti Omni and Maruti Suzuki Eeco sell in hot numbers, we are pretty sure that the Venture will rake in huge moolah for Tata Motors. Tata Motors while launching the Venture just sweetened the deal by throwing in a 2-year or 75,000 kms warranty. For now, the Tata Venture will only be available in Rajasthan, and in due time will be introduced in other parts of India.

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Tata Venture Rear

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