Indian Car Blog - Carazoo.com

People have started liking the Nano. The eco-friendly car from India’s top commercial vehicle maker, Tata Motors, is slowly picking up sales. Now, Tata Motors wants to do something more. It would soon be out with another small car on an absolutely new platform. What? Is it true?

Quiet! Don’t let the secret out. Tata is working hard on an all-new small compact car. If you can let out a little more from your pocket, somewhere around Rs 3 Lakh, this car is for you. The new car, as of now, has been codenamed Dolphin. We also have info that the car maker is looking at positioning this car between the Nano and Indica Vista. So, for now, let’s say that the new car is going to be a bigger Nano.

The new car, developed on the all-new platform, is believed to be powered by an 800 cc to 1 litre engine. It will be positioned below Fiat's new small car. Tata Motors may be bringing it on somewhere in the next 18-24 months. A Tata Motor's spokesperson, however, said that the company does not provide any guidance on its product plans.

The compact segment is one place where Tata Motors had not made its presence felt. Now, with the launch of the new car it will excel in that segment too. The new compact car, therefore, is very critical for the company’s growth in the segment. In India, the compact segment adds up to nearly 50 per cent of the total small car market. Is Tata Motors’ entry a little too late? Will it be able to compete with the already existing compact giants? Well, Tata Motors has its strength of engineering cars at low cost and don’t you think it will be able to make profits this time too?

The rural demand is surely going to drive growth in the segment. The Indian car market has not been penetrated to the maximum. There seems to be a positive chance of growth in the compact sector leading to a strong demand of cars. Rural consumers want cars which are durable, long lasting and have a lower cost of operation. Who do you think can make such cars in India? Only Tata and Maruti have proven themselves so far.

We heard that the all-new small compact car is going to be Tata Motors' farewell gift to Ratan Tata. We know that the Nano had some bad luck recently. So now, the engineers are working real hard to make sure the new car does not face any troubles like the Indica and the Nano. However, in spite of all the care taken, we need to wait and watch if the car becomes a success. By the time it gets launched, the Indian market is going to be flooded by similar cars by global automotive majors. Will the new Tata car have enough space to get into the market?

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The new Fabia after being tested in various parts of the world will be here in India some time soon. Does that mean the current model is going to get phased out? Skoda is also offering a discount of Rs 50,000 on select variants of the Skoda Fabia hatchback. What’s happening? The Fabia, after the rejuvenating facelift will soon come to India. Will the few changes in the exteriors and lots in the interiors of the super hatch make you feel really special?

The bumper, fog lamps and the grille are all new in the new Fabia. The larger 3-dimensional headlamps will not look too different from the current model, but are sure to put the accent on the profile line. The chrome front grille with fins will offer you a warm welcome. A new set of alloys and hubcaps are going to adorn the wheels. Apart from these changes, the Fabia may look quite the same.

Inside, the Skoda Fabia has suffered a major makeover. The upholstery design will be more eye catching. The centre console too will be redesigned. We have also heard that the Fabia will come with an electronic climate control system. They also say that the first-class touch and feel of the interiors make you feel like you are sitting on a comfortable couch. Is that so?

Skoda is offering seven petrol engines and three diesel units of the Fabia. But, in India, we may have the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. The engine will be powerful enough to churn out 70 bhp of power. Coming to the diesel category, we expect a 1.6-litre engine with 90-105 bhp power output. We also heard that the current Fabia’s 1.4-litre diesel engine will be groomed to make it comply with new emission norms.

The roominess in the small car is fantabulous. Its increased height and breadth make sure you have enough space to sit comfortably. Height-adjustable seats only add to the comfort. The telescopic steering lets the driver of any height adjust the steering wheel with ease. The Skoda Fabia has ample boot space too where you can dump your entire luggage. In spite of the roominess, the Fabia will not let you suffer on the Indian road. You can just get past any little space during the traffic jam and squeeze into the little parking space anywhere. This is a wonderful compact car that lets you enjoy the luxury of space. Agree?

Will the new Fabia be a reality in India? Or, is it just a fable? The news is too good to be true. The car is believed to be easy to handle in all situations. The ABS system with dual-rate power brakes and MSR engine brake torque regulator support safe halting and good handling. What more can one want? Space, luxury, safety – we may get it all in the new Fabia.

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After edging out China in terms of car exports, India now has snatched Japan’s title as the largest small car maker in the world. Thanks to the declining sales in the West and robust growth in Asian market!

In fact, India overtook Japan as the world's number one manufacturer of basic cars in 2007.
Global biggies like Ford Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen, General Motors and Renault are pumping in crores of rupees in India hoping to get a bigger slice of the cake called Indian car market. As they do so, they are quietly transforming India into an export hub for small car manufacturing.

More than 892,000 basic cars, the smallest category of passenger vehicle, were sold in India this year till now. This number surpasses the 708,034 forecast for Japan, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

Unlike China, Russia and Brazil, where consumers buy a range of cars, from basic to luxury, Indians overwhelmingly prefer small, affordable cars. Hence, nearly half of all cars sold in India fall into the basic category.

Ford Motor Company has invested $500 million in India and its can make up to 200,000 cars a year. The company is now contemplating to shift production of the Fiesta and Focus from Europe to India.

Nissan plans to shift production of its Micra cars for the European market from the U.K. to Chennai, which it also aims to use as an export hub for Africa and the Middle East. The company plans to roll out its first made-in-India compact in May, part of a seven-year, $920 million India investment it made with partner Renault.

Volkswagen has invested $847 million in India and has started production of its first India compact, the Polo. General Motors opened a second, $300 million factory in India in September 2008, boosting annual capacity to 225,000 vehicles. This month, it teamed up with China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) to launch an India joint venture, with fresh investment of up to $350 million.

The Indian government has encouraged small car production with tax incentives, and, unlike China, it allows foreign companies to fully own their Indian subsidiaries. That control over production and revenues is part of what convinced South Korean car maker Hyundai to shift small car production to India eleven years ago. Now Hyundai is largest car exporter in India and the second largest car maker in the country.

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True partners render and seek help at the hour of need and that is exactly what is happening between the French car maker Renault and Nissan.

This year, Renault had a very sad first half, and now Nissan will be launching its compact car in India, using the compact car platform of Nissan. And this will be of great help for Renault as it will not have to spend on any product development.

Both the cars, Nissan’s Micra and the Renault-Nissan compact car, which shares its platform with the Nissan compact car, as both the cars will be manufactured at the still constructing Chennai plant and will have similar component sourcing facilities and production lines.

Now, this will be an altogether different car and is not the low-cost car that the two companies have planned to manufacture together with the Indian motorcycle manufacturer, Bajaj Auto and is expected to launch in 2011.

Nissan has great compact car plans for India for the next few years. By the mid of next year Nissan is expected to launch a compact car with the seating capacity of five. And by 2012 three new cars will be launched using the same platform. Not only will Nissan be using the same platform for manufacturing other cars but Renault will also be using them for its compact car or sedan, or for both.

This will be the first occurrence in the Indian car market where two manufacturers are using the same platform for manufacturing many cars. But don’t you think that sharing the same platform makes two cars look alike, no it is never so, Maruti Suzuki Ritz and Swift and Honda City and Jazz share the same platform, but don’t they look different?

But one thing is for sure, the Indian car market will, in no time, be flooded with compact and small cars.

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