Carazoo Indian Car Blog

2009 Maruti Grand Vitara Launched

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:38:00 +0000

The new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is out! The new version of the premium SUV from Maruti Suzuki comes with an upgraded 163.5 bhp 2.4-litre petrol engine with VVT (Variable Valve Timing) technology that replaces the 119.5 bhp 2.0-litre engine on the previous model. The new Grand Vitara 2.4 is offered in two variants: Manual Transmission (MT) and Automatic Transmission (AT).

The 2009 Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 adds many new exciting features that help it compete better with segment rivals Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Captiva, Hyundai Tucson, and Ford Endeavour. The lavish interior of the car carries a new Multi Information Display (MID) system and 6-CD changer audio system with a centre speaker on the dashboard for better sound effect. The Multi Information System delivers information on the cruising range, average speed, and instantaneous fuel consumption with “low-fuel” warning. There is also a sliding centre-console armrest for added passenger comfort.

On the exterior, a stylish new grille and front bumper give the SUV an urbane look and the 17 inch alloy wheels add dynamism. The Grand Vitara’s all-time, 4-mode, 4-Wheel Drive (4WD) system ensures good handling on tough roads and rear disc brakes deliver additional safety.

The new Grand Vitara 2.4 has around 32 reputed awards across 16 countries under its belt. In more challenging car markets such as U.S.A, Germany, Russia, and Australia, the car has gathered 18 of these awards. Maruti Suzuki has made the SUV available immediately at all its dealerships across India. The manual transmission variant is priced at Rs 16.67 Lakh and the automatic at Rs 17.97 Lakh (Ex-showroom Price Delhi).

Goodwood Speed Festival is on

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:08:00 +0000

The Mother of all speed fests, The Goodwood festival of speed is here. The fest which starts from July 3 to July 5 is also rightly called as one of the greatest events of moving motor show in United Kingdom of Britian. Goodwood is a place located very close to Chichester and Bognor Regis in the south east part of England.

Goodwood festival of Speed is where all the speed enthusiasts gather to worship (literally) the speed machines. Goodwood is the place where people celebrate motoring amidst a festive like atmosphere. There are races for every kind of passenger cars old, new, rugged and pimped up cars. Here is a place when old cars would not hesitate to race against new cars and cartoonish cars parading happily in the sunny weather.

This year as many as 350 cars are expected to participate in the festival. A total of 120 race car drivers including two reigning world champions plus, a current F1 world champion are going to participate in the car racing events.

A lot of legendary race cars like the Porsche 917 and Ferraris and others will be participating in the event. Over 30 new passenger cars, soon to go for production will be seen for the first time during this festival. Also on display will be many old cars including the vintage classic cars like Pre war Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow Racers, comprising of legendary Mercedes-Benz racing cars.

A unique Supercar run is also organised wherein the supercars will be in action on a hill climb event. Many new Supercars will make their debut at the festival including the Bugatti Veyron Gran Sport, Mercedes Benz SLR, Mclaren SLR Stirling Moss, Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M and Pagani Zonda R.

This is so revered that German car manufacturer Audi AG is organising a special event to commerate its centennial year celebrations. Audi is the featured brand for this event and there will on a fantastic display of many historic Audi racing cars including the C and D-type grand Prix cars from 1930’s. On display will be the Audi R10 TDI which is fresh from the win at the prestigious Le-Mans Race in France.

This event holds more enthusiasm for common car buyers than the biggest events in motorsports history. Come lets us all celebrate motoring in the spirit of the festival!!!

Happy Days Will Soon Be Over

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:07:00 +0000

The impending new budget, plans to pull back the 4 per cent waiver on excise duties that was introduced last December.

This comes as a virtual blow to the Indian car buyer who would have to shell extra bucks on his new car. When the waiver was in effect, even luxury cars were offered at Rs 50,000 less than the actual price tag of the car. If this excise duty is restored car prices will spike up and car ownership will become very difficult.

The Indian Government had offered a 4 percent waiver as a part of its stimulus package to the auto industry when economic slowdown was at its peak. The package helped many car companies in India remain buoyant in those hard times. Even the big players like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motors thanked the government for extending such a generous incentive and had requested to continue it. The car manufacturing lobby is working hard to pressurize the government to continue with this incentive for another year.

Infact, the magnificent performance of Auto Inc in June is attributed to the rush to buy their favourite cars at lower prices. People would be saving money if they bought the car now than later.

The government is adamant on restoring the excise duty at all costs and if it is bought back, the car industry in India will be hit the hardest. It may go back to days of slowdown and even post negative growth. On the other hand people buying cars later in the year will be paying more for the same car compared to their peers who buy it before the budget. This is unfair on new car buyers later in the year.

The government needs to rethink about the practicality about bring back a law that would scare way new car buyers in India.

Hybrids: The Future Of Car Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:12:00 +0000

While motown Detroit is in crisis with the Big Three running for cover, a new breed of carmakers is emerging on the scene. These pedigree carmakers are aiming high and big to manufacture greener modes of transportation in new ways. They’re scrambling for billions in government aid intended to jump-start production of vehicles that burn little fossil fuel – or no fuel at all. (You have our solidarity guys, Go ahead !!!)

But who will produce these vehicles? What will they look like? Will that be acceptable? Lots of questions such as these will soon be answered in this blog.
The CEO of Bright Automotive is looking forward for a vehicle that looks like a delivery van as conceptualized by Pixar Animation. “IDEA” yep, that’s the name. It is chunky, blocky, yet curved with wheel skirts and a little up-swooped at the back that adds attitude. You can almost hear it speaking in a chirpy cartoon voice!!!

Inside IDEA’s silver sheet metal is plug-in hybrid technology that will power it an estimated 100 miles on a gallon of gas. If Mr. Waters has it his way, thousands of these cuddly vans will seen across the globe. Bright Automotive is hardly the only US firm with an idea like IDEA (Bright Ideas, Eh?). At least half-dozen start-up companies are struggling to build the next-generation automobile.

But after recession, the car industry at least looks greener with loads of emphasis being given on hybrids. In the U.S, 13 hybrid models were available in 2007. By 2011, at least 75 models would hit the showrooms. In Europe, where fuel economy requirements are tougher, the transition could be even more dramatic. Roland Berger and J.D. Power estimate that the market for hybrids/electric vehicles could rise to 50 per cent by 2015 – up from 2 per cent in 2007.

Electric-cars are more expensive, at least for now. But in the longer run, the power source of a car may depend on its usage. Runabout cars for shopping and school drop-offs could be straight electric. Commuter vehicles that take longer trips downtown might need the extended-range capability of a hybrid.

So brace yourselves for the future invasion of hybrid cars. Yes Sir, we’re all buckled up for the occasion.

Hyundai i20 Diesel to Tread Indian Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:22:00 +0000

The much awaited diesel variant of Hyundai i20 will be launched in India by the end of next week. This move by Hyundai Motors India to launch the diesel variant of the stylish i20 will win itself more diesel aficionados in India.

Hyundai i20 diesel is already being manufactured and sold in the European markets. It was speculated that Hyundai as a part of its plans for India would be launching its diesel variants of i20 after the launch of Fiat Grande Punto and Honda Jazz to study the mood of the people in India. But now with some clever pricing, (we are hoping Hyundai reads this blog) i20 diesel could be a money spinner for Hyundai in the near future. (No Hyundai, we don’t charge on tips that we give.)

The new diesel car will be powered by a 1.4 liter, 16 valve CRDi engine and is expected to deliver 89 bhp of power at 4000 rpm. The Hyundai i20 will comes with all essential features like rear wiper, ABS, airbags (surprisingly it has 6 of them!).
The best part is that the engine is not noisy unlike other typical diesel engines. Moreover, it will have Variable Geometry Turbo Charger and not a Fixed Geometry Turbo Charger which is found in other diesel cars in the segment.

The i20 diesel unlike the petrol variants will have a button in the place of reverse gear next to the 5th gear. This reverse button has to be pushed and the knob has to be slightly moved near the 1st gear to get into the reverse mode.

Carnation opens First of Its Kind Enterprise

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:13:00 +0000

Carnation Auto, a brainchild of Jagadish Kattar, former CEO of Maruti Udyog limited and a retired bureaucrat, a multi-brand car servicing venture has opened nine outlets simultaneously in nine Indian cities and plans to come up with 20 more outlets.

Carnation Auto is the first of its sort auto venture where cars from multiple brands are sold under one roof. Each outlet will also prove to be an interface between branded spare parts, manufacturers and the consumers. Car servicing in India will reach new levels of competence as car owners will no longer be required to go exclusive centres in their city.

Carnation Auto will be a one stop shop for buying new accessories including those manufactured by private labels and getting car serviced by trained technicians. People owning more than one brand of car can get their car serviced and repaired under one roof rather than shuttling to various car brand showrooms.

In fact, Carnation appears to be aimed at the urban centres where a lot of people own more than one brand of vehicle. On the other hand there have been many instances when buyers have bought news cars from certain showrooms because it was nearer to their residences.
Though India is ranked among the 10 fastest growing car markets of the world, auto solution have been far and few. The brightest idea in car industry after car manufacturers was opening certified used car outlets which helped manage the business of old car. Now a bulk of revenues for car manufacturers come from these certified outlets.

However, there was no focused approach to provide servicing to all car owners at the same time. Carnation has come in to answer that prayer.

Interest Rates Ease to Revive Car Business

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:08:00 +0000

Times sure are changing in the Indian automotive industry. First there were a slew of new car launches which put cars back in minds of consumers, and then came the low interest rates on car loans. Recently State Bank of India (SBI) slashed interest rates to a mere 8 percent. At the same time other banks continue to peddle car loans at around 10.5 percent to 12 percent.

As soon as SBI announced the rates, other banks too felt the heat. Since nobody wants to be left behind in the race for a good business, more banks are planning to bring down interest rates on their own. This means that the Indian car industry will be back in good business after the slowdown.

Indian car manufacturers have been whining about high interest rates on car loans for the last couple of years. They were particularly affected during the economic slowdown, when interest rates continued to remain high and cars sales remained low. Car buyers in India preferred to stay away from the showroom for most part of 2008 and early 2009. Moreover the deficit in Tata Nano bookings was also attributed to this factor.

But come July, things seem to be changing for the better. There is new enthusiasm in the car industry. Car loans are falling and car sales are expected to go up. Probably some of them would include Honda Motors owing to Jazz, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and General Motors.

It is well known that at least 75 percent of the car buyers in India depend on car financing. If interest rates on car loans are going to be low, the consumer base will certainly increase and thereby deliver good benefits to car companies and the banks alike.

All New Exciting Civic by 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Honda Siel is relaxing a bit after the launch of its first small car Jazz in India. But now it looks like that the relaxing period is over and they are back to work with new plans and strategies. The car brand had upgraded its sedan Honda City making it more charming and now it is time for the sporty model Civic is said to get a facelift.

Off late Civic has not been tinkered for the last few years after it had been launched. But this time Honda plans to do a lavish maker over for this ‘hot’ sedan. The Honda Civic is already a striking car with trendy design, commendable performance, and luxurious features.

Some of the minor changes that the car is speculated to carry are tweaked nose, impressive five sided geometric edge grille which replaces the existing smiley grille. An upgraded front bumper with sporty dynamism is a revelation to the Civic. The stunning sedan will have re-designed tail lamps with squared-out-edges while retaining the “after-burner” look.

The price tag will be a little premium that this car will be carrying. In a typical Honda mid-life tweak, the new face-lifted Honda Civic would go on sale before an all-new model from Honda is expected in 2011.

Car Colours: The Inside Fact

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:42:00 +0000

Car colours are not just a style statement anymore. The colour of a car is as important as the other features of the car. It is the colour of the car which reflects the personality of the car owner.

To emphasise this point, we had to throw in a few examples here to this blog. It would be ideal for us to settle down for examples of idols that the Indian revere. Sharukh “King”Khan drives a bright red Pajero, while the lovely Juhi Chawla loves her grey-coloured Range Rover. Sanjay Dutt’s favourite colour is black and that shows in the fleet of cars he owns. Big B roams in a white Range Rover while his bahu, silver Mercedes Benz. Hrithik Roshan flaunts his golden beige Merc.

Cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh jaunts in a blue BMW while Dhoni owns a metallic grey Hummer.

A prominent colour like red connotes danger. So, people who drive a red car are considered to be hyperactive and fast in everything, be it driving, speaking or thinking – dangerous, in other words. Moreover, those who ride black and dark blue cars are considered to be aggressive and black cars are presumed to be more accident-prone.

It is said that car insurance companies ask for greater premium from car owners who own shocking red, shining black and dark blue cars. They believe that cars of these colours are more susceptible to accidents during night and hence have a higher claim rate. Some insurance companies have even started charging more for metallic colours.

Compare yourself with the paint on your car. Green car owners are mean and tend to be hysteric. Those who own blue vehicle bears calm and composed mind but the ones with flashy blue have a fearless mind. Silver symbolises style and endurance, while white a peaceful mind. A golden car reveals its owner’s sophistication and confidence. A red colour car owner is full of zest and energy. That’s why the Gen X goes for a reckless red!

BMW to add more to 7-series

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:33:00 +0000

BMW 7-series is the ultimate statement in luxury. The BMW new diesel version 740d is set come to India in September. The new BMW 740d is set to be the most technologically advanced 7-series luxury car ever. The new BMW luxury car will be powered by a 3.0Litre twin turbocharged engine that produces a healthy 306 bhp and 600 Nm of torque.

Using this powerful engine, the 740d will be able to go from 0-100 km/h in 6.3 seconds. This luxury car will be electronically limited to a top speed of 248 km/h. For all those people who would like to own a BMW 7-series, the 740d is certainly a proposition to look out for. It not only comes with a clean diesel technology but also has an impressive fuel economy of 17.38 km/l on the highway. This fuel economy is also seen in the best of the small cars in India.

Apart from its existing merits, BMW wants to offer the 740d consumers more features for the car. It can be customized to suit individual tastes to reflect the owners’ style. A host of options ranging form 19 inch alloy wheel to interior gadgets are available to choosy customers. The BMW 7-series is a super luxury car with opulence dripping from its exterior to the indulgent interiors. It is a car few can afford in India, but more people like it for its driving wizardry.

BMW has already launched four new models this year including the seductive Z4 roadster. The new 7-series model will only add to its charm and definitely a drool worthy car.

Ford Shelby Mustang to get 725 bhp

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:16:00 +0000

This blog here is for all you fast car lovers. The legendary Ford Shelby Mustang to be launched in 2010 would have a mammoth sinister 725 bhp, 5.4 litre engines under its hood. Yeah yeah!!! You did read that right.

Ford Motors is coming up with new 725 bhp and 630 bhp (this one for the weak hearted) engines aptly called as the GT500 Super Snake package for its even more evil Ford Shelby GT500s supercars.

Shelby Automobiles, the company owned by the even more legendary Carrol Shelby has been tuning the famous Ford Mustangs since 1965, but stopped work in 1970s. It was revived again in 2007. The super snake package was introduced in 2007 and since than has been a favourite of the serious speed enthusiasts across the world.

The super snake package transforms the Ford Mustang Shelby cars to wear adjustable shocks with a set of lowering springs and sport tuned stabiliser bars. The car also gets exclusively designed 20 inch alloy wheels. It also features unique fibreglass hood with the classic Shelby design and the signature Super Snake stripes. Thanks Shelby, for showing the world you care for the “Pony”. The super snake will offer further enhancements to Shelby GT500s in handling, styling and driving dynamics. Drooling already?

With this package the grand touring and muscle car Shelby Mustang cars will enter the super car club. The Supercar club that has very elite members such as McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron, Maserati and Koenigsegg CCXR, Lamborghini Superlegga, top models from the Ferrari stable, Saleen and more. To protect the exclusivity of Ford Shelby GT500’s, Ford will be manufacturing them only a limited numbers. Guys, Guys Now please hold back your tears. However it is not known how few the numbers are. Whatever said and done, for those who have always craved for a hard edge car, the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 is the answer for next league in motor sporting.

Ford Motors plans to promote the engine rather than the car and has already announced the prices of the power trains (This certainly comes as great news for those who cannot afford to buy the car). The price of the 630bhp would be around Rs 15 lakh (U.S. $29495) and the 725 horsepower packages would cost more than Rs 16 lakh (U.S. $33,495). Holy Cow!!!

Our sincerest apologies to drag you back to the ground reality Guys. These cars may never make it to India, but the fast car enthusiasts and admirers will continue to follow all developments as vigorously as their western counterparts.

Honda Jazz to Turn More Powerful in 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:11:00 +0000

India’s “biggest small car” Honda Jazz has received a fairly good response after it was launched in India last month. Jazz with a body styling resembling a MUV and a hefty price tag attached to it is still drawing crowds to the showroom.

Honda Motors now has plans to add more power to Jazz. It is speculated that Jazz would be seen with a 1.5-litre engine next year. Jazz which is developed on the Honda City platform will share the same engine of the City under its hood. With more power, the Honda Jazz would cost a little extra with an estimated price of Rs. 70,000 more. Besides 1.5-litre engine, the car would be seen with an optional automatic transmission which will add an extra burden of Rs one Lakh on the pocket of the buyers.

Currently Honda jazz is powered by an i.2 litre i-VTEC petrol engine which produces 89 bhp and is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. With more power Honda Jazz will definitely be a star among its rivals. And with Honda’s reliability and popularity there are people who do not mind paying even bigger price for a small car. Honda Jazz is still young in its segment India.

Porsche Cayenne Hybrid to Come Next Year

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:07:00 +0000

Ok everybody, green is in. Now we didn’t vouch on that. It is being endorsed by the big guys. You see! And when it is Porsche who is endorsing green, we better sit back and believe it.

Porsche, The celebrated sports car maker has bit the newest green car fad. It seems like being fuel guzzlers is not a matter of pride anymore. Ferrari has already announced that it will be bringing a hybrid sports car. A similar announcement has been made by Lamborghini too. So how could Porsche, another European sports car manufacturer be left behind in the race for green technology?

Porsche has announced that it is working on launching a hybrid variant for its best selling SUV Cayenne. Did you hear that? A green Cayenne on its way to put a sock in the rattling mouths of the eco workers. The launch is expected to happen next year. At the same time, the newly launched four seater sedan Panamera too will be getting a hybrid sibling in the near future. As per the industry grapevine, Porsche is planning to develop a new engine that will deliver a fuel economy of 11 km/l on the Cayenne. This is an advancement of 25 percent of the current fuel efficiency of 6 km/l in city and 8.9 km/l on the highway.

Since it has a reputation to maintain, Porsche engineers are working on a hybrid system that is better than what the world has seen so far. So far the biggest market for hybrid cars has been contained to United States, Europe and Japan. Other countries have a lot of catching up to do in terms of developing green technologies which will pave way for co-existence of environment and modern engineering.

Porsche Cayenne is already available in India as an imported model. It is available in five variants in India including sporty GTS and Turbo versions. It is available with a price tag of Rs 56 lakh upwards in the country. If India is to get the hybrid model it has wait for some more time. (Tell us something new eh!)

As the country has always been received technologies long time after the world has tested it. There are a few exceptions to it. Hybrids have never been received with open arms by the Indian consumers as they have other options to like the CNG and LPG variants. It will take some aggressive marketing to push the Porsche hybrid Cayenne in the Indian car market.

Spruced up Corolla Altis in Sports Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Toyota Motors sporting up their cars can be quite a strange thing at times. But the Japanese car giant has just done that with their Corolla Altis.

Toyota Corolla Altis, the executive sedan is all set to pump up more blood in everybody’s heart with the sports version of the car. The sports version of Altis is a limited edition with only 300 of it being manufactured in India. The sportier version of Corolla Altis is aimed at the youth.

Corolla Altis Sports is created with all new sporty and exhilarating features that are worth experiencing. Some of the exciting features that transform Altis sports are aerodynamic front and rear bumper spoiler, a refined headlamp garnish, sleek side skirts and elite rear LED spoilers. The interior is seen with a two-tone seat fabric and wood finish rear cup holders add extra charm to the premium car.

Toyota Corolla Altis was launched in 2008 as a replacement to the ageing old Toyota Corolla which received impressive response. This inspired the company to bring in the sports version which is expected to add extra mileage to the sales figure.

Available in two attractive colours of metallic grey and metallic silver, Corolla Altis Sports comes with the price tag of Rs Rs 11.35 lakhs, ex-showroom, Delhi, which is higher than the existing Corolla Altis.

Swift Getting Glamourous with GLAM

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:47:00 +0000

After the Suzuki A-Star and the Ritz, Maruti has launched a new car. Well, it will be wrong to call it a new car as this car is a limited edition variant of the Swift. This “newly launched” car is christened as Glam.

The new hatchback from Maruti Suzuki is all decked up to match its contenders. Swift Glam will have an appealing dual tone dashboard, exquisite beige upholsteries, sizzling new wheel covers and handy rear parcel tray. This sporty car will now sport body-coloured Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVMs) and door handles.

The Swift VXI Glam will come with an integrated audio system and Keyless remote entry. Moreover, Maruti has introduced two new paint schemes for the Glam Limited Edition. The new colour shades are named Goldsmith Black and noble Arctic White. Only Maruti knows what’s black about goldsmiths and noble about the Arctic!!!

But, why a limited edition? Competition is the answer. The new Fiat Grande Punto is positioned squarely against the Suzuki Swift, and the Hyundai i20 and the Honda Jazz are definitely more of premium hatchbacks than the top-end Swift. Moreover, there is a speculation that the Glam edition is Suzuki’s ploy to clear stocks before they introduce the K12M engine in the Swift.

The Maruti Suzuki Swift Glam Limited Edition is only available in the petrol variant.

3 Million Cars on Indian Roads by 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:53:00 +0000

The Indian car market contrary to the global meltdown is growing in a faster pace than ever. Indian car market currently has about 1.7 million units on the road and is expected to grow by 3 million by the year 2015.

It has been observed by market researchers that irrespective of the present scenario, the Indian car market is in the right direction. If India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shows an annual growth of 6-7%, the car market is booming at the rate of 10-12 % which in turn showcases the flourishing rate of 5 per cent in the Indian economy annually.

The average Indian vehicle buyer for personal mobility is now shifting from scooter and three-wheeler towards motorcycles and cars. There is a wafer-thin margin between the cost of scooters and second-hand small cars. Furthermore, it has been anticipated that the days of owner-driven commercial vehicles are coming to an end and the fleet owners will dominate the scene including the design of the vehicles and their configuration according to intended use. In this run, the local carmakers need to scale up production and improve technology for the fear of being pushed around by the global contenders.

The car market in India will see a major expansion in the mid size B segment while the growth of the small car segment will decelerate. India is likely to produce 3 million cars and Maruti and Hyundai are expected to dominate the market with a share of 1 million each. Other car giants such as Honda, Volkswagen, Mercedes or BMW will grow in their own niches.

Tata Motors Brings Land Rover and Jaguar to India

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Finally the two iconic brands from Britain, Jaguar and Land Rover (now owned by Tata Motors) did make a grand entry to the Indian road space.

These award winning popular models with international fame includes range of luxury models like Jaguar XF, XFR and XKR and Land Rover Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover.

The launch of these premium brands in India is a momentous occasion not only for Tata motors but for the entire Indian car industry. The price range of the Jaguar models will start from the Rs 63 lakh up to Rs 92 lakh while Land Rover has priced its models between Rs 63 lakhs and Rs 89 lakhs.

Tata Motors has plans to introduce more models from the Jaguar and Land Rover in India. Both these brands were quite popular with the Indians in the past but the popularity had waned out. Now with the advent of these models in India, the whole Indian automotive sector could get an added boost. It’s up to these premium brands to see how they fare in the Indian terrain.

Jaguar to Compete with Merc and BMW

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:45:00 +0000

The leaping cat seems to be aiming for the throats of its enemies. Recently launched Jaguar is coming to get the Mercs and the Beamers for its share in the Indian Car market.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW have been a hit with the people of India and are well placed in India. People have varied opinions on which brand is better and the stand is divided as a two party country with strong loyalty for either of the car brands. They are followed by dissidents like owners of Porsches and Ferraris in India. But they are small in number and can be ignored.

The iconic British luxury car maker Jaguar has finally entered India. It has launched three models which will be strategically placed in the Indian car market with its competitive pricing of all models which are between Rs 63 lakh to Rs 90 lakh. The Jaguars are likely to compete with Mercedes E class and BMW 5- series. In fact several of Mercedes, Audi and BMW cars are priced in the same price range too.

Other costlier models like BMW 7 series and Mercedes S class are priced higher than this price range. Jaguar is expected to cannibalise into the market share of Mercs and Beamers as the years roll by. The pricing is something that the luxury brands will have to fight tooth and nail to regain their hunting territory.

Jaguar is a rare car with its stunning design and exemplary technologies. Jaguar has spent a fortune on development of new technologies and had launched the XF in 2008 as an epitome of its efforts. Its racy looks, advanced interior gadgets and real race car like performance is likely to draw a lot of Indians to its showrooms. Jaguar cars are considered rare pieces of engineering even by sports cars standards.

The luxury car brands in India has a very small niche market with just over 10,000 units of these premium cars sold in the last fiscal which was priced over Rs 40 lakh. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have a lot at stake in the Indian car market. Mercedes alone has a market control of about Rs 400 in India. It if closely followed by BMW. Now with the launch of Jaguar cars in India, only time will tell if the cars have succeeded in making a dent in the premium car segment in India.

Tata Nano to Become the Next India's People's Car

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:20:00 +0000

The world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano will soon be ruling the small car segment in India within a year, provided everything goes according to Tata Motors’s plans. Maruti 800s and Omnis which were the chief people movers in India now would be taken out of the roads of eleven cities by January 2010 as they have failed to meet the required Indian emission norms.

Tata Nano could benefit the absence of Maruti 800 and the Omnis as the possibility of a worthy contender to the Nano at least now has been marginalized. But the important question here would be Cab Tata produce enough units of Nano to meet the demands of the Indian small car buyer looking for an alternative for Maruti 800 and Omnis.

Even if the Nano becomes the highest selling car in its segment, it would take some time to fill in Tata’s coffers. Tata Motors posted almost Rs 2,500 crore as loss in the last fiscal largely due to the tribulations of its UK subsidiary of Jaguar and Land Rover.

Technically speaking, Tata Motors has to sell at least 2.5 lakh units of Nano to make up for the loss. The company may be in a position to produce the Nano in these numbers only by the end of 2010 once its plant at Sanand, Gujarat becomes operational.

The basic model of Maruti 800, is priced at Rs 2.15 lakh whereas the Nano is attached to a price tag of Rs 1.35 lakh. This small car with its small budget is alluring prospective car buyers in India. Now with M800 and Omni phased out in eleven cities, Nano will positively rule the roads. These cities account for one out of two cars sold in the country. So we can imagine India teaming with Nano. Good Luck to you, Nano!

Tata Nano: An Environmental Threat? Move over Eco Workers

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:14:00 +0000

Ever since the launch of Tata Nano was announced in 2008, environmentalists have been crying hoarse. They say that Nano will clog the roads. But will Nano alone be responsible for clogging of roads is a questionable factor.

Let us look at facts of Tata Nano first- it is a low cost car easily available to most people n India. But Tata Motors will be able to manufacture only one lakh cars per annum.

On the other hand big car manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai along with the other major car makers have production capacities in excess of 2 lakh units. In the year 2008-09, 15 lakh units of passenger cars including utility vehicles and multipurpose vehicles had made their presence felt in the Indian road space.

Maruti Suzuki has been the chart topper after having sold the most number of cars in India. Alto, the top selling car of Maruti Suzuki has sold more than 10 lakh units in the last nine years and the fast selling Swift has sold nearly five lakh units in just four years. Compare them with Nano’s yearly target, and Nano would certainly stand pale in front of them. It will take half a decade to reach Swift hatchback’s record.

Moreover, most Nano cars will sell in urban areas, while Maruti and Hyundai plan to move to rural markets to gain more sales in numbers.

So, environmentalists get your facts right before pouncing on the Tata Nano.

Volkswagen Signals Suzuki For Partnership

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:03:00 +0000

This is where the East meets West. German car manufacturer Volkswagen is looking for partnership with Suzuki Motors Corporation (SMC). The reason is Volkswagen wants access to Suzuki’s small car technology which is abundantly used in emerging markets like India. Asian cars are in huge demand across the world nowadays. And who better than Japan can deliver small cars. Right?

According to news circulated by Reuters, Volkswagen is considering on securing a deal with Suzuki Motor Corporation and gain access to small car technology used in Suzuki cars. This initiative is in pursuance of Volkswagen’s global plans to beat Toyota and fight to the top Numero Uno position.

Interestingly, Volkswagen already has small cars in its portfolio like Beetle, Rabbit, GTI, Polo and Up. But the German company feels that Suzuki truly knows how to make small cars. They are, inexpensive and less powerful than Volkswagen cars, but are very user friendly. It also has a 660 cc vehicle in Japan. Suzuki is the second largest car manufacturer in Japan, just behind Toyota, the world’s largest car manufacturer. It is also the majority partner in the Maruti Suzuki India. It is the builder of Maruti Suzuki Alto and A-star, which are hugely popular in European markets.

But nobody is sure if the deal will get through this year. In the past too, Volkswagen has sent a similar request to Suzuki, but the deal never materialized. A lot of its future plans are at stake in this latest deal for Volkswagen. Suzuki will need to play its cards carefully before accepting the deal.

The Indian Twist to Phoren Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:43:00 +0000

Indian car market has been in news for strange reasons like marketing some of the world’s smallest cars like Maruti 800 and Tata Nano.

With the advent of Maruti 800, small cars were first introduced in India by Suzuki Motor Corp in a joint venture with Maruti Udyog and there was no looking back for them as they introduced the small car fad which later was taken up by other car makers as well. What continued to amaze the car pundits in the international scene was the demand that small cars commended in India even when big cars and gas guzzlers was the norm in western countries.

When General Motors, the then world’s largest car manufacturer entered India, they had to restructure their plans and bring in a small car which paved the way for Chevy Spark. Even Honda Motors which prided itself of marketing only premium sedans has been humbled to launch its hatchback small car Jazz in India. Toyota Motors, which until now has marketed big cars, now has been forced to bring in their Yaris to join the small car bandwagon fray. Breaking all the rules of game, Tata Nano has opened a whole new car segment in itself with the introduction of Tata Nano. Now another American automobile major Ford Motors has plans to launch a small car too.

So why are so many small cars entering the small Indian car market suddenly? Of course it is the Moolah which attracts them all. More than 80 percent of the Indian car market is dominated by the small cars. Maruti Suzuki itself controls nearly 58 percent of that small car market in India. So much so, that the revenues from Maruti surpassed the revenues from Suzuki’s U.S. market. Indian car market has shown a strong preference for small cars. The small car market is so strong, that it refuses to fade away in the next couple of decades.

The big car manufacturers feel that they will be able to reach out to customers more easily through small cars in India. These foreign based car companies want to enter the segment by bringing their highest selling cars in the international car market. If these companies are able to sell even a few lakhs units here in India, they can make a dent in the Indian car market.

Badder And Meaner Evo to Burn The Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:27:00 +0000

The Fast just got faster. Oh no, we are not talking about the movie here. Mitsubishi, the fifth largest Auto giant in Japan has just made its top model Lancer Evo even faster to pamper the speed gurus.

Mitsubishi Lancer series, the flagship model of Mitsubishi Motors was launched in 1973 as a cozy and luxury family car but gradually through the years and after many spectacular upgrades, the car has driven forward from being a bland family car to a sprinting track car.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or the Evo series of the car which was launched about 17 years back has been upgraded by the UK subsidiary of Mitsubishi Motors to produce the fastest and more extreme version of this road going rally car ever, the FQ-400. Mitsubishi lancer Evolution FQ-400 comes with the tweaked up version of the lightweight aluminium 2.0-litre turbocharged MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control) engine with an output of 402 bhp and 525 NM of torque. WOW MAN this is insane eh?

This hell of a machine has been priced at $80,000 USD and has started burning the roads since mid-June. This gen next Evolution X car amazes not just with its bombastic performance, but also its low speed friendliness and ease of use. Accelerating from 0 to 100kmph in just 3.8 seconds, this car will really turn heads on roads. We are all hoping to see this speed demon in WRC. Please lend thy ears to this Mitsubishi.

From Heels to Wheels

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Tata Nano, the little wonder from the Tata Motors stable has reached the masses literally.

In a recent lottery draw held by Tata Motors to allot 1,00,000 Tata Nanos to its lucky owners, there is one owner who is will feel very blessed to have his dream car. Maruti Bhandari, a cobbler from Mumbai suburbs is one amongst the 1,00,000 lucky owners of the Tata Nano.

Maruti was saving up to buy a motorcycle, but the idea of owning the ‘one lakh rupee car’ caught his fancy and he finally zeroed his choice on Tata Nano. He booked for a top-end variant of Tata Nano by paying a cheque of Rs 1.4 lakh in April.

Now that he has been selected as one of the lucky owners of Tata Nano, he is elated and feels honoured. Maruti Bhandari is of the opinion that the Nano was designed for people like him who could afford the car and fulfill their aspiration in the process. Beaming with pride, this cobbler when asked about his Nano by a television channel, he said “Mera family ko ghumane le jaunga (I will take my family around)”. He is expected to get the keys of the Nano within a few weeks time when the delivery of the car begins.

Thank you, Ratan Tata for making Indians re-live their dream of a inexpensive car again.

Kizashi to Invade Indian Soil

noreply@blogger.com (Carazoo.com) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Kizashi is India bound. Kizashi? Who Kizashi? What Kizashi? You might ask. ‘Kizashi’ though sounds much of a tongue twister; it is the name of the car Maruti Suzuki will be manufacturing in India in the near future to compete in the D-segment of Indian car market.

Suzuki Kizashi was first unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show and than at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi in 2008 as a concept car. This concept car of Maruti Suzuki is anticipated to be launched in India by 2010. Maruti Suzuki’s conspicuous absence in the D-segment will be filled with the advent of the Kizashi.

Expected to be priced at Rs10 lakh, Maruti Suzuki Kizashi will compete with Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Skoda Octavia and the Volkswagen Jetta. Kizashi is likely to be powered by a 3.6-liter V-6 engine that produces 300 bhp, and equipped with a six-speed transmission and 21 inch alloys.

This sedan will come with a radical aero-dynamic design with a completely stylish look. The Kizashi will sport chic tapering headlights and elegant front design which is unusual in other small car models of Maruti Suzuki in India.

The Kizashi concept illustrates and infuses a high degree of “style and sensibility’ to car and we all hope that the appealing blend of space, comfort, style and passionate spirit matching Maruti Suzuki’s user-centered functionality and performace engineering excellence is rolled into one in the form of Maruti Suzuki Kizashi.