Carazoo Indian Car Blog

Fiat Develops Two-Cylinder Diesel Engine

The Fiat plans to develop a two-cylinder diesel engine for the global car market including India. This two-cylinder engine is mainly designed for small cars and is known as ‘Fiat’s twin wonder’.

The diesel engine is expected to be manufactured at Fiat’s Ranjangaon facility in India. The company also plans to sell the same cylinder to other companies across the global car industry. Fiat has an alliance with the Tata Motors and it was expected to be a confirm consumer for this engine. But Tata Motors is producing its own twin-cylinder for its ultra-cheap car, the Nano.

Maruti does not have any such kind of small diesel to fit in its small cars. But do you think will Maruti approach Fiat for its requirement? Maruti is considered to be Fiat's best stake.

Through the production of this twin-cylinder diesel engine, the company is planning to strengthen its presence in India.

Labels: Car-engine, Car-Manufacturers, Diesel, Fiat, Nano

 

posted by Carazoo.com @ Thursday, July 31, 2008 4 Comments

Diesel Dominates Petrol

With soaring petrol prices, most consumers have decided to switch to diesel engines. Car makers are in search for better fuel options and, in the meantime, have shifted their focus to the production of diesel variants. Petrol has always helped car makers gain better profit margins, but this fiscal year may see a completely different scenario.

Maruti Suzuki launched a diesel variant for almost all its car models. Driven by increasing sales of the Maruti Swift and Maruti Swift Dzire, other car makers like Tata, Mahindra, General Motors, Hyundai, and Ford are also increasing production of the diesel variants of their existing car models.

Both Maruti and Tata have higher gains on their diesel variants. 65% of the sale growth of Maruti cars is attributed to the diesel Swift and Dzire models; whereas Tata is experiencing 75% sale growth attributed to the diesel Indica and Indigo models.

Today, diesel dominates petrol. Will this domination stay for long? Will diesel cars succeed in making their own markets or will diesel be replaced by hybrids and electrics? Only time will tell.

Labels: Diesel, Diesel cars, maruti swift diesel

 

posted by Carazoo.com @ Wednesday, July 16, 2008 3 Comments

Petrol/diesel rise is unfair on taxpayers

How much can we bear? Petrol will now cost Rs 2 more and diesel will cost Rs 1 more. Has the government gone crazy to increase petrol and diesel prices when we are already paying so high? Why are the common tax payers being penalized? Now we will have to pay more for commuting to office and back in jams that last a lifetime!

The lack of infrastructure is already hurting urban space dwellers. The groceries are costly, house rent is costly, and maintaining a decent lifestyle seems no more affordable. Why has the government taken such a step when oil prices have stabilized in the international market and western countries are actually contemplating a roll back? The rise of oil in India will have a cascading effect on various sectors.

Whatever were the government’s intentions, the rise is going to be a big burden on the common person. Honest taxpayers have to bear the brunt of inefficiency by the government in virtually all departments including energy resources. My entire plans of getting a new car and letting go of my used one is now foiled, because I was already on a tight budget. A few more hikes in prices and maintaining a car will become a luxury that only the Maharajas in the past could afford!

Article Submitted by India

Labels: car maintenance, Diesel, Government, Petrol, taxes

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Monday, February 18, 2008 1 Comments

Car sector feels government is not acting

Think of ‘car’ and the immediate reaction is ‘pollution’. The January Auto Expo will help introduce many cars and SUVs which are getting close to being environment-friendly. Some of these are the Toyota Innova D-4-D, new Mahindra Scorpio, new Tata Safari DiCOR, and models from Skoda. For a cleaner drive, Maruti has already adopted Fiat’s 1.3-litre Multijet common rail diesel engine on some of its models.

While car manufacturers have acted, the government is sitting pretty on the quality of fuel supplied to car owners. India is one of the countries in the world which serves fuel with a high sulphur content. This sulphur is a major contributor to dense pollution levels in cities. Lowering the sulphur content in diesel and petrol should be the immediate concern of the government.

The government has failed to take steps to check and maintain the quality of fuel being supplied to consumers. Many experts have suggested that if India does not act fast, the atmosphere will soon be filled with heavy toxic fumes. Interestingly, diesel cars emit seven times more toxic gases into the air than petrol based engines and the popularity of diesel cars is at an all time high.

Maintaining a high quality of dispensed fuel will refresh the air we breathe. It will also help leave a greener tomorrow for the next generation. An inefficient system leaves a lot for the asking. Sadly, car manufacturers have little say in this matter.

Submitted by Ranjit Vohra

Labels: car manufacturers, Diesel, Fuel, Government, Petrol, Pollution

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Tuesday, January 08, 2008 1 Comments