Monthly Archives: June 2011

Toyota Fortuner facelift pics leaked out

2012-Facelifted Toyota-Fortuner
Toyota Fortuner might still be one of the best selling SUVs around in India now. But its time we saw the refreshed, face lifted Fortuner. However, Toyota Kirloskar, though has been dilly-dallying with the idea of giving the Fortuner a face lift, this will soon be a reality in India as we have just obtained a set of images that shows the Fortuner with a face lift.

The face lift includes loads and loads of chrome being used on the exterior design to make the behemoth look more mature and appeal to a wider Indian audience. The earlier styling of all that butchness has given way to rounded, moulded and chiselled front portion. The new grille work is more of a design that is becoming a Toyota USP and calling card. The headlights and tail lamps now get a sculpted look, which earlier looked quite bland. The changes are very visible, as the old bumper has given way to a more contemporary bumper with sharp features. A new set of alloy wheels for the Fortuner definitely looks sportier.

Well, though the facelifted Toyota Fortuner will feature the same 3-liter D-4D Diesel engine pumping out 170 bhp and 343 Nm of torque, we desperately pray that Toyota plonks in an auto box for transmission along side the now available manual tranny as former was something which was being sorely missed out in the Fortuner.

2011-Toyota-Fortuner-SUV-Front-Side-View-1

As far as the interiors of the face-lifted, Fortuner is concerned; we would have to spell out a light Oops, as we do not have the slightest idea of what is in store for us. But yep, we do like surprises in small quantities and we would, like all of us, wait and watch for that. However, we would like to give a shout-out to Toyota Kirloskar and politely ask them to bring out the butch to the big bad world with more features and luxurious interiors so that keeps the competitors scrambling for cover and critics to shut their lid.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, June 30th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Ford Celebrates 100,000 Figo Sales with Pan-India Drive

DSC_0068
What better way to celebrate the sale of 100,000 cars than going on a road show eh? That is just what Ford Motors India thought and did. To celebrate the sale of 100,000 wholesale units of Figo, Ford has embarked on a road show, Ford Figo ‘Bharat Yatra’, to 1,000 cities across India giving customers and fans a first hand look at the popular hatch.

“We are proud to have attracted 100,000 Figo customers in just 15 months. Through our 100-day road show, the Ford Figo ‘Bharat Yatra’, we will introduce the vehicle to even more Indian drivers, enabling them to see, first hand, what the buzz is all about,” said Nigel Wark, executive director, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford India.

The innovative Ford Figo ‘Bharat Yatra’ road show kicked off in Kolkata on June 29, and will continue through the states of West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Beginning next week, another two convoys will depart from Pune and Bangalore. The three Figo convoys will visit 1,000 Indian towns, covering 18 Indian states, over the next 100 days.
The route for the Ford Figo ‘Bharat Yatra’ has been meticulously crafted to ensure that the car not only goes to Tier I and II cities, such as Pune and Asansol, but also to more remote towns such as Gadchiroli, Hinganhat and Korba.

“The Ford Figo ‘Bharat Yatra’ road show will enable customers across India to experience Figo’s impressive features, including Bluetooth® technology and best-in-class air conditioning,” said Wark. “Customers will be invited to feel the car’s plush interiors, explore its generous boot space, and pose for photos with their families inside the Figo.”

Since its March 2010 launch in New Delhi, Figo has clinched 20 Indian auto industry awards, and become India’s ‘Most Awarded Car’. The vehicle’s success has helped propel Ford to one of the top five carmakers in India.

Besides being a fun-to-drive car, Figo is also inexpensive to own. With specially designed ‘child parts’ – which can be replaced at a fraction of the cost of a full panel – Figo customers have benefited from low cost of ownership. In addition, Figo’s fuel-efficient powertrains return 15.5 km/L for petrol and 18.5 km/L for diesel, without compromising performance.

Figo’s popularity isn’t limited to the domestic market. In 2010-2011, the car was exported to five foreign markets – Bahrain, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal and South Africa. In the coming year, Ford India will export Figo to 48 more markets worldwide.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, June 30th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Tata Nano enters Nepal at an introductory price of Rs 5 lakh

Tata-Nano-Nepal
Nano is going places already. First, it was Srilanka and now it is Nepal. The world’s cheapest car was launched in Nepal on Sunday with an introductory price of NRS 7.98 (almost Rs.5 lakh). Sipradi Trading, Tata’s exclusive dealer in Nepal for almost four decades, is retailing the car in Nepal through 14 outlets in 11 cities. Sipradi Trading is also the second largest company in Nepal with an annual turnover of NRS 1,000 crore last year.

The introduction of Tata Nano in Nepal is yet another chapter in Ratan Tata’s dream of making the car affordable for global audience. This move of Tata’s might be a big blow to the current existing cheapest car in Nepal, the Maruti 800.

A gleaming yellow Nano Standard was unveiled in the capital by Johnny Ommen, Tata Motors‘ chief of international business, passenger vehicles, and Siddhartha S.J.B. Rana, executive chairman of Sipradi Trading. The introductory offer would be open for 10 days with the delivery of the first consignment scheduled in July-end. The prices of the Nano unlike India, where it varies from state to state, would be a single price for a model.

The Tata Nano, besides the fuel efficiency and safety features, will be the first car in Nepal to come with a four-year warranty for 90,000 km. The price escalation of the Nano in Nepal is due to a whopping tax of 240 per cent, which includes 76 percent customs duty, 60 percent excise duty, 13 percent value addition tax, 5 percent road tax as well as an annual NRS 16,500 road tax.

NEPA0001

Though the sum is quite astronomical for a Nano, the car is still the cheapest car in Nepal at the moment and like Indians, the target segment is the Nepalese who want to graduate to a car from their two-wheeler. The feedback for the Nano have been flowing since Tata Nano went on Nepal Yatra this month and there have been over 5000 queries already.

Sipradi Trading has tied up with 10 Nepali banks to offer car loans to buyers. While the Standard model can be booked with a down payment of NRS 10,000, the balance of payment could be made through five years at easy monthly instalments of NRS 11,111. The Nano CX can be booked for NRS 20,000 and the Nano LX for NRS 30,000.

Bhutan, the Bhuddist kingdom, might be next in line to have a Nano being driven on its roads if everything falls in place.

posted by carazooblog @ Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Toyota Etios Liva Launched with a shocking price tag

Etios Liva Launch
Toyota Etios Liva, Toyota Kirsolkar’s launch pad into the Indian small car market has finally hit the road today. The car has been introduced with a jaw dropping sticker price of Rs 3.99 Lakh for the base J variant, while the top end VX variant is priced at Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi).

This offering from Toyota marks Toyota’s entry into the highly popular and competitive premium hatchback segment. Etios Liva is powered by a 1.2 litre, 4 pot DOHC engine which pumps out 80 PS of power at 5600 rpm and 104 Nm of torque at 3100 rpm. The car also boasts of class-best fuel economy of 18.31 kmpl (ARAI tested). The diesel versions of the car is expected to be launched in India later next year.

The Etios Liva will be sold in five variants J, G, G special edition, V, and VX. The prices of different variants are as follows: J: 3.99lakhs, G: 4.59lakhs, G Special edition: 5.05lakhs, V: 5.49lakhs and VX: 5.99 lakhs.

The base model being the stripped down version of the car would feature very few basic features while the top-end variant has exciting features such as Dual SRS Airbags, ABS, EBD, Immobilizer, Keyless Entry, steering-mounted audio controls, dual tone interiors, leather wrapped steering wheel, alloy wheels and chrome inserts on the grill and door handles.

Toyota has sweetened the deal by offering the Liva in seven exciting colours such as Vermillion Red, Celestial Black, Serene Bluish Silver, White, Symphony Silver, Harmony Beige and Ultramarine Blue.

Toyota can now boast of a portfolio complete with full range of products, right from the small car, Etios Liva to the range topping Land Cruiser SUV. The Toyota Motor’s management have set a goal of selling over 1,00,000 Etios sedans and hatchbacks in 2012.

toyota-etios-liva-hatch-india-rear

If you can recall, the Etios siblings were first showcased in last year’s Auto Expo held at New Delhi and later travelled to across the country with the ‘Toyota Q-World’ reaching out to more than one lakh prospective customers.

Toyota Liva, as expected will compete against a range of hatchback such as Hyundai i10, Maruti Swift, Maruti Wagon R, Fiat Punto, Ford Figo et all. With a price tag of Rs 3.99 Lakh, Liva will surely have a fan following and could become a segment favorite.

posted by carazooblog @ Monday, June 27th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Mahindra to sell 120,000 SsangYong cars globally this year

New-SsangYong-Korando-SUV-Front-Rear-View
Mahindra and Mahindra, the Indian SUV major has a long list of agenda that it has to stick on to. As the year progresses, Mahindra has more than half a dozen cars and SUVs that it has to launch in India including the world SUV and Xylo Compact SUV amongst them.

The auto major also has to keep its date with the South Korean auto major, which it acquired in February, the Ssangyong Motors. Now that the acquisition is complete, it seems that Mahindra has a long way to go before it rests and therefore it has already kickstarted the process of retailing Ssangyong SUVs and Cars and wants to reach the goal of selling 120,000 Ssangyong cars globally this year.

“We are aiming to sell 120,000 SsangYong cars globally this year. About 55 percent of this will be sold outside (South) Korea and the remaining will be sold in (South) Korea. Last year 82,000 cars were sold,” Mahindra and Mahindra president, automotive and farm equipment sectors, Pawan Goenka told reporters in a recent press conference held in Kolkata.

ssangyong.rexton.1.500

Mr. Goenka also made it public that Mahindra will launch five new cars in India, which includes two cars of Ssangyong, the Rexton and Korando C, one electric car and an SUV. He also gave a hint that the company would be increasing the prices of its cars later this year to minimise pressure on profit margin.

Well, we would like to say, we’re game for anything… Just Show us the cars… What say folks?

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, June 24th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Chevrolet Beat Electric Showcased

Chevrolet-Beat-Electric Vehicle
General Motors India on Thursday showcased the Chevrolet Beat Electric Vehicle (BEV) in a demo program in New Delhi. This particular Electric Beat is apart of the ongoing celebrations of World Environment Day and is brought to India to study the feasibility of electric vehicles in major metros.

The Chevrolet Beat Electric Vehicle is powered by a 300 cell lithium-ion battery with a total energy capacity of approximately 20 kWh. The 270 kg battery can power the Beat for at least 130 km under normal driving conditions. The liquid cooled battery can operate in temperatures ranging from approximately -20?to 45?, with charge times of less than 8 hours using a 240V outlet. Power from the battery is transferred to the drive wheels through a single speed drive unit and an electric motor producing approximately 45kW of power. The battery pack is adopted from the Chevrolet Volt which in its concept form was shown at the Auto Expo in New Delhi last year.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Karl Slym, President & Managing Director, General Motors India said, “General Motors is committed to providing customers around the world with electrification technologies that will reduce their fuel consumption, helping them save money. GM India will lead in this ‘tailored for India’ demo program for battery electric technology, with Chevrolet Beat chosen as the best way to evaluate the technology. We are delighted that Chevrolet selected India as an important market to test battery electric technology, while recognizing the capabilities of our engineering team to help identify ways to make this technology more affordable.”

This demonstration project is the latest example of GM’s commitment to be a leader in the development of vehicle electrification technologies. GM has already announced demonstration programs in Korea, China and Germany. The company is committed to delivering customers around the world with electrification solutions that best fit their lives, including the industry’s first extended-range electric vehicles: Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera.

Learnings from this demonstration fleet, and others around the world, will strengthen GM’s core vehicle electrification competencies including batteries, electric motors and power electronic and controls, and charging. GM India is already offering a range of alternate fuel vehicles including Chevrolet Beat LPG, Chevrolet Spark LPG and Chevrolet Aveo CNG to its valued customers.

GM has already established battery leadership. It has one of the most advanced battery labs in the world at its Technical Center in Warren, Michigan in the United States and will be opening a new battery lab in China soon.

Chevrolet-Beat-Electric-2

The year 2011 marks the completion of 100 years of Chevrolet’s successful operations globally. With a wide array of products and services, Chevrolet has brought unmatched product quality and unparalleled performance to the customers around the world. Inspirational designs, superior technology and innovative programs have made Chevrolet one of the most-loved and sought after brand worldwide. Continuing its journey, Chevrolet plans to launch several new products and services for the global audience, relevant to the respective markets and customer preferences.

It must be recalled that GM had tied up with REVA in 2009 for the development of Spark Electric Vehicle. A demo version of the car was also featured in the 2010 Auto Expo held in new Delhi. But the programme collapsed midway as Mahindra acquired REVA last year and GM severed ties and said it will pursue an internal EV program which the Beat EV is the result of.

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, June 24th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Over 300,000 Porsche Boxters and Caymans built in 15 years

2012-porsche-boxster-spyder-
300,000: A nice round number to celebrate the birthday. Almost exactly 15 years to the month after production began, the Porsche Boxster together with its sister model, the Cayman, exceeded the 300,000 mark for the number of vehicles built. Together with its timeless attractiveness, this two-seater, mid-engine car from the Dr. Ing. h.c. H. Porsche AG, Stuttgart has what it takes to make yet another sports car icon. As an anniversary model, a Boxster Spyder with Platinum Silver metallic finish and Carrera red natural leather interior trim rolled off the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen production line in June, destined for a very lucky German customer.

There are solid reasons for this long-standing success: The Boxster and Cayman are continuously developed based on a rigorous mid-engine concept and are therefore deemed to this day to set the standard for sports cars of their class. In the important export market that is the United States, this is the tenth year already that they have been ranked among the “10 Best” vehicles and occupy second and third places in Germany as the vehicles that hold their value the best, hot on the heels of the 911.

2012-porsche-cayman-s-black-edition

The Boxster’s origins testify to the typical Porsche blend of capability, courage and farsightedness. In economically straitened times the company decided to go onto the offensive and unveiled a concept car for a classic mid-engine roadster at the 1993 Detroit Motor Show. In its design language, the show car was reminiscent of the 356 »No. 1« and the 550 Spyder. The overwhelming public response clinched the decision to proceed to series production of the Boxster, which began in the summer of 1996.

Dynamic lines, outstanding performance and an attractive price quickly catapulted the mid-engine sports car into the bestseller list while attracting new customer circles to Porsche. To put the successful concept on a broader basis, Porsche also developed a Coupé based on the open-topped, two-seater platform, that made its world debut at the 2005 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show as the Cayman. The enormous demand resulted in the Boxster and Cayman being built at Valmet Automotive in Finland in addition to Zuffenhausen.

2012-porsche-Boxster-Black-4

The model range currently comprises the four open-topped variants, the Boxster, Boxster S, Boxster S Black Edition and Boxster Spyder. The Porsche Boxster range are complemented by the Cayman, Cayman S, Cayman S Black Edition and Cayman R Coupés. The engine variants for the two model lines range between 255 bhp and 330 bhp; thanks to Porsche Intelligent Performance fuel consumption is between 9.4 l/100 km and 9.8 l/100 km.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Fiat may bring Sedici to India

2010-Fiat-Sedici-Performance-
Fiat India, despite having some rightly priced gorgeous cars in its portfolio, is sailing through a rough patch, thanks to the dwindling car sales. Fiat India to keep its ship afloat, has devised some plans and programmes that could be implemented very soon in the Indian market.

First things first, Fiat is contemplating to introduce a compact SUV in the Indian market. This particular move by Fiat seems smart now if everything goes right for the Italian major. It must be noted that the unexplored compact SUV market is the next destination for most of the automakers trying to hit gold. Fiat India also wants to become a player in the compact SUV segment and wants to bring in its Sedici compact SUV soon into India.

Fiat-Sedici--Front-Side-

Fiat Sedici is a product built by Suzuki Motors on the SX4 platform at its facility in Hungary. The Sedici was first showcased by Fiat in the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. The SUV was mainly conceptualized and developed for the European market. Obviously, if the Fiat Sedici makes it way to India, expect it to be tuned to suit the Indian conditions.

Fiat India currently has a hatchback Grande Punto and sedan Linea in its portfolio apart from the iconic Fiat 500. The Italian car major, in its second outing in India has tied up with Tata Motors to retail Fiat cars in India but the idea seems to going flat somewhere. Fiat India has to get its portfolio right and now desperately wants a fuel-efficient SUV in its portfolio to partially complete its line up in India.

Fiat Sedici back

This is where Fiat Sedici comes in, as it is an SUV by nature and quite fuel efficient in that. The other important but decisive factor is the price and the Sedici fits the bill to the T as it could be kept under the Rs 7 lakhs bracket.

Apart from Fiat, Premier, the erstwhile partner of Fiat India has come out with its compact SUV named Rio in collaboration with Zoyte motors of China. Mahindra & Mahindra is already working on a compact Xylo SUV, which is likely to hit the roads next year.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Strike fails to sway demand for other brands

maruti-suzuki-manesar
The recent 13-day labour-management standoff at Maruti Suzuki India’s Manesar plant might have pushed the production of the Maruti cars to a corner, but it did not dent the Maruti Suzuki brand image in any way as the demand for Maruti cars, despite the extended waiting period, is very much present.

However, the two-week long disruption in production resulted in a loss of 12,600 units or nearly Rs 450 crore, customers still vouch for the Maruti Suzuki diesel cars such as Swift, Dzire and SX4 and the waiting period for these cars have just grown out of proportion.

Just when the industry pundits predicted that the car customers would sway to other carmakers that had ready stock of diesel cars, the customers proved the pundits wrong by showing their loyalty to the diesel Maruti cars inspite of the long waiting periods for these cars.

Although a latest version of the Swift is expected in a few weeks in India, this had little or no impact on the demand of the existing Swift. The diesel model of the car continued to have an average waiting period of more than three months in most market across the country.

The Swift remains the top selling premium hatchback from the market leader followed by Ritz in the same segment of Rs 4,30,000 and above. Since the gap between the price of petrol and diesel only widened over the past one year, consumers have increasingly preferred to go for diesel models despite their higher price tags.

posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post

Toyota to launch the Etios Liva on June 27th June

toyota-etios-hatchback-photo
Toyota Kirloskar Motors have revealed that the official launch of the much awaited hatchback from the house of Toyota, The Etios Liva, is on schedule and will be launched on the 27th of June in Delhi.

With the launch of the Liva in the Indian Car Market, it will pave the way for the Japanese small car war in India. It is said that Toyota has already come out attractive sounding prices for the car, which will certainly get the ball rolling for the Toyota small cars in India.

The fierce and intense competition in the hatch back segment in India is getting better and better by the day and when the contenders are Toyota Liva, Honda Brio and Maruti Suzuki new Swift being pitted against each other for the hatch back glory expect fire works in motion.

The Toyota Etios Liva is powered by a 1.2 Litre MPFI petrol engine and is expected to pump out a peak power of 80 bhp, which again is quite powerful for a hatchback. Riding on the strongest feature of being light at only 890 kgs, the Liva is equipped with a 5 speed manual transmission that will not compromise on frugality and performance.

Toyota-Liva-Hatch

Well, for the interiors, the Liva certainly will be borrowing bits and pieces from its sibling Etios sedan and on the space front, the Liva is already a winner. And as far as the price is concerned, the Liva should carry a price tag of Rs 4 lakhs for the base variant which means other cars like Hyundai i10, Maruti Suzuki WagonR, Chevrolet Beat, Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo must be scurrying for cover.

posted by carazooblog @ Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 Comments Off links to this post
    SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend     Add to Technorati Favorites                 Add New Post