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Friday, 16 April 2010
 It’s now the season for crossovers to make their entry into the Indian car market and Hyundai is getting all geared up with its Santa Fe. This latest crossover from Hyundai has been made ready for an October, 2010 launch in India. Everybody is aware that the Hyundai Terracan and Tucson haven’t really worked wonders for the South Korean auto maker in India. The Santa Fe for the Indian market was first revealed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Terracan and Tucson sure offer great features, great levels of equipment, and amazing performance. In spite of all this, why has the car maker been struggling in the SUV and crossover markets? Oh yes, the Indian car market must be already loaded with other great SUVs and crossovers like the Honda CR-V and the Ford Endeavour. Hyundai is now trying its best to improve its position in the crossover segment. Let’s see if the Santa Fe manages to make it to the top of the charts. This crossover has been the car maker’s American bestseller. The size? It’s going to be huge, considerably larger than the Tucson. The Santa Fe would also come with an extra-powerful engine to tempt the India’s crossover buyers. Hopefully, this time, the automotive giant will successfully be able to tap the crossover segment too. What engine do you think the new Santa Fe is going to carry? Well, speculations say that the crossover may come with a 2.2-litre diesel motor packed with 151 bhp and 335 Nm torque and a 2.7-litre petrol engine delivering 191 bhp and 284 Nm torque. You may be aware that the Tucson in the U.S. actually makes use of the V6 petrol engine. Now, if you’ve been wondering why Hyundai does not use the same engine in its Indian cars, let us tell you that most Indian SUV buyers are not too interested in having such a big petrol motor. Safety issues are becoming a major issue in today’s cars. What new issue will the Santa Fe bring along? Well, the new Hyundai car is believed to come with the best-in-class safety features. The exterior of the car will be decked with slanting headlamps and taillights, a flowing waistline, and sparkling wheel arches. New fog lamps and the 17-inch alloy wheels adorn the car.  The interiors of the car too will be beautified with high quality materials and the finest technologies. A leather-wrapped steering wheel, all-new instrument console, a friendly navigation system, a smart key, and a big LCD screen connected to the parking assist system, all come as part of the new crossover. An optional rear-view camera, start-stop button and active head rests for enhanced safety are sure going to add value to the car. The Santa Fe is believed to carry a tag of around Rs 20 Lakh. Labels: Hyundai-Santa-Fe, Indian-cars, New-Cars, New-Hyundai-Car, Santa-FE
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Maruti Suzuki declared to raise the price of its car models as a result of the increase in input costs, including that of steel. Now Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have joined the same bandwagon to offset input cost.
The Indica cars and the Indigo range from Tata Motors stable will be dearer. In the same way, the Xylo, Scorpio and Bolero from Mahindra & Mahindra have become costlier now.
Tata Motors has hiked the price ranging from Rs 5,000-8,000 on the Indica and Indigo car models. India’s famous SUV maker Mahindra & Mahindra has also raised the price of its most successful Scorpio SUV by something between Rs 6,400 and Rs 9,300. While The Mahindar Xylo has now become costlier by Rs 4,600 and the Bolero now comes with Rs 4,800 more.
The primary reason for the price hike is the rise in price of the inputs required to make cars and car parts.
The price rise on Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra automobiles will be applicable on the new 2010 models.
India’s second largest car maker Hyundai is also contemplating a price rise. While Honda and Toyota have hiked their car prices as a result of the appreciation of Yen. Labels: Car-prices, Cars-in-India, Indian-car-market, Indian-Car-Prices, Indian-cars, Mahindra-Mahindra, Maruti-Suzuki, Tata-Motors
Thursday, 6 August 2009
The growing American interest for Indian and Chinese car was a very interesting piece of news. The already proud Indian will be super proud to know about the rocketing Indian car market. And it is also true that this is the right time to venture into the American car market, but it is of course not a now or never situation and we will again get chance to prove ourselves, but it is just a matter of time before we do that. It seemed like a new era of acceptance of the Indian cars. This was the news that was celebrated by the Indian news media. And it seemed that the Indian car market, clearly knowing its strengths and weaknesses, is working towards a very bright tomorrow in the American industry, even accepting that it is not as strong as the Chinese car market, which has more indigenous cars than the Indian car market. “The two”, and we deliberately stress on this the two, Indian car brand names are Tata Motors and Mahindra &Mahindra. It seemed to be a challenging journey, but it certainly seemed like a fruitful one. Until yesterday when browsing through some questions asked by Americans, it suddenly seemed to be a very distant dream, the dream to win over the hearts of the American car buyers. Among the questions asked there were these most troubling ones - What is Tata? Is there a company called Tata? Mmmh! Well, the quick response was to answer all of them with a big yes. And the thoughts followed how it is possible that they don’t even know about the name of the biggest Indian conglomerate with different business interests under its wings. To comfort oneself, there is this answer – There are at least questions asked about Tata these days, there was a time when they did even know the name to ask such a question. Labels: Indian-cars, Mahindra-and-Mahindra, Tata-Motors
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Americans are finally ready to buy Asian cars. And no we are not speaking about the Japanese and Korean cars, but the Indian and Chinese cars. This was revealed during a survey conducted by an American agency with a sample size of 30,000 people. Americans had always considered themselves to be leaders in car market. But the global meltdown had made it impossible to revive the automobile industry for a long time to come. They are now looking at car brands from beyond their shores. While European, Japanese and Korean cars have already established themselves, Chinese and Indian car manufacturers are yet to find their foothold. The new brands might find it difficult to gain market share, due to heavy competition from other Asian car companies. China’s car market is several times bigger than Indian car market. It has several homegrown companies apart from acquisitions and takeovers. On the other hand India has only two homegrown auto majors like the Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. Maruti Suzuki is already available as Suzuki products in that market. Thanks to acquisition of JLR, the world is now aware of the names like Tata Motors from India. Mahindra had forayed into United States market last year as SUV and pick-up manufacturer. These companies are yet to gain any goodwill for their products. Further they are yet to upgrade their car models to suit the stringent United States safety and emergency measures. However, they can cash in on the willingness to buy Indian cars after all. Both countries will have to overcome their own drawbacks to make world class products. It is a divine opportunity! Labels: Indian-car-market, Indian-cars, Tata-Motors
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
The J.D Power Asia conducts various surveys and researches to deliver customer's insight to car manufacturers. This insight plays a two way role by helping car manufacturers improve on their product quality and by aiding customers make a perfect car buying decision. With the advent of modern generation cars, there are many Indian cars that have lost their worth in the car market. But there are car brands that are still shining above all in terms of car design and performance. The recent India Automotive Performance Execution and Layout (APEAL) study revealed that Maruti, Honda, and Toyota rejoice winning presence of their new cars in the market. The study was based on 10 vehicle factors including vehicle exterior, interior, storage and space, audio/entertainment/navigation, seats, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), driving dynamics, engine/transmission, visibility and driving safety, and fuel economy. Excitingly, four of the Maruti car models topped their respective car segments. WagonR stood the first in compact car segment, Swift topped the premium compact car segment, Swift Dzire ranked first under entry mid-size car segment, and the Maruti Suzuki SX4 topped the mid-size car segment. Even Honda and Toyota rejoiced success with their winning car models. Honda Civic ranked highest in the premium mid-size car segment and the CR-V holds the highest position in the SUV segment. Toyota experienced the top position of its highly running Innova ranking first under the MUV segment. The ranking clearly reflects customer's delight with respect to design and performance of these cars. This delight further transforms to favourable word of mouth recommendations, which directly helps in brand promotion. Labels: Honda-Cars, Indian-cars, Maruti-Cars, New-Cars, Toyota-Cars
Monday, 1 December 2008
The car manufacturers are working on different strategies to strengthen their position in India. Now they are trying to win Indian hearts by manufacturing ‘Made in India' cars as buyers are inclined to Indian made products driven by their love for the nation. Some of the car majors like General Motors, Maruti Suzuki (MSIL), and Volkswagen have already laid stone for this new 'Truly Indian’ project. These cars would be developed almost completely in the country, utilizing the technical expertise and skills of creative Indian engineers. The cars will be exclusively built keeping in mind the Indian road conditions and the buyers taste. General Motors is expected to introduce ‘Indian car’ by next year. The Indian car leader Maruti Suzuki is working on full swing for the production of India-built car and also plans to hire more engineers further to facilitate the manufacturing process. Though Maruti Suzuki A-star is the fruit of Indian technical expertise and designs, we cannot call it completely India made, as a lot of Japanese technologies are used to develop the vehicle. Hyundai i10, which has bagged many awards and critics’ appreciation both in India as well as abroad, is also completely manufactured in India. Also, in the lineup is the Volkswagen’s 'Indian Car', which is currently under the development stage. ‘Made in India’ cars would probably be the next latest trend in the Indian car industry. This will further strengthen the position of Indian car industry globally. But hope the design, quality, and the price are also taken care. Labels: Car-Manufacturers, Indian-cars, Maruti-Suzuki
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Any guesses what do we mean by wheels of India. Is this a long list of Indian cars or something different? Can you believe that it’s only a name given to a marketing campaign? Yes, Maruti Suzuki has come up with a marketing campaign known as ‘Wheels of India’ and is planning to catch a major part of the windfall. This campaign is aimed at wooing millions of government employees who have tasted the delicious fruits of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations. It will further move on to public and state sector employees, following a long-term promotional strategy. Will it be true to say that government employees can’t afford cars? No, they can afford but the worst part for the car industry is that many of them don’t feel the need of having one. So, a team of officials from Maruti Suzuki desires to market their cars to such employees with a deeper, strong strategy and a personal touch. Labels: Car-Campaigning, Indian-cars, Maruti-Suzuki
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Great news for car owners! Jagdish Khattar, a former Managing Director of Maruti, has come up with his own entrepreneurial venture, known as Carnation Auto. Yes, this great director is back on wheels. You would be glad to know that his new venture is supported by the chairman of Wipro by committing an investment of Rs 80 crore. The best part of the venture is that it is not restricted to any particular needs or car models. It gives a golden opportunity to all car owners to have one stop solution for all vehicular needs. It will give servicing, mechanical repair and all sort of body shop needs to all consumers across all brands. Though, this new venture will be proficient for Jagdish, car owners will also have a good advantage to ease their car needs. Just knock one door – Your car will be perfect! Labels: Car-Safety, Indian-cars, Maruti-Cars
Gone are the days of old car engines that were filled with clean petrol fuel. Here comes the era of biofuel with the new biofuel policy announced in the country. Some of you must be aware that since a long time the Indian Government is planning to make the entire range of Indian cars compliant to strict emissions norms. The time has finally come when the new policy has compelled car manufacturers to shift gears to comply with the new policy that states compulsory blending of 10% biofuels with petrol by the end of 2012. With such a standard, it would really be difficult to have all the present generation cars on roads after 2012. Cars that are E10 and E20 compatible have the power and strength to run on such fuel but what about the remaining Indian cars? You would be even more surprised to know that even Maruti Suzuki doesn’t have any such cars that can follow the guidelines of the new policy. Though the company is making efforts to roll out a car that can run on blended fuel but nothing is yet confirmed. For General Motors, there is nothing to worry. Infact, why should they worry if they have E10 compatible cars in India? They are now trying to bring their E 20 engine technology to India. Other car manufacturers are silently responding to the wait and watch policy…waiting for the final nod to watch the alterations in the engines of their respective car models. Don’t you think that this year is really tough for the Indian car market? Labels: Bio-Fuel, General-Motors, Indian-cars, Maruti-Suzuki, old-cars
Once again, the car industry has proved its connection with a sports event! BMW and Mercedes have plans to roll out a number of luxurious limousines on Delhi roads by 2010. Delhities, don’t jump with joy, these top-notch limousines are not for you, for tourists. Almost 150 cars are to be rolled out in the form of taxis. The launch is aimed at providing world class travel experience to tourists from across the world during the Common wealth Games. With these high-end cars, the government of India desires to greet visitors with a brand new fleet of cars. Can you guess how much the government is investing to roll out these cars? Nearly about Rs 200 crore! Recently, Honda also showed its interest in Indian sports by gifting Honda Accord to the winner of the game. What do you think? Is this a branding move by car manufacturers? Or an initiative made by the government? Whatever it is, this move has proved the deep association of car industry and sports industry in the country. Labels: BMW-Cars, Indian-cars, Mercedes-Benz
Friday, 26 September 2008
In the present scenario, older car models are proving their real worth during the worst ever slowdown in the car market. Among a long list of popular Indian cars, Santro, Indica and Accent are believed to be real time winners. Despite of the fact that the new generation siblings are introduced in the market, these old models are contributing a good percentage of car sales in the market. Hyundai Santro, a car ranked top by J.D Power Asia, has been a great time success even though the next generation hatchback Hyundai i10 is already in the market. It is one of the hot time favourite in compact car segment. Along with Santro, the old Toyota Corolla and Honda City have also been successful in overcoming the sluggish car market. All these cars not only have successfully held their position but have also generated incremental numbers in Motown. To bank on more numbers in the Indian car industry, car manufacturers are fighting hard to design and manufacture advanced and high-end cars. Some of the launches are siblings of the old car models and some are completely new for the market. Inspite of the fact that many new cars are rolling out on Indian roads older car models have coup the nightmare. Labels: Accent, Car-Manufacturers, Honda-City, Hyundai-Santro, Indian-cars, Indica
Thursday, 25 September 2008
super luxury car car manufacturer, Lamborghini, eyes India for its super car models. The luxury brand identifies India as one of the most promising car market. With this identification, the company plans to launch its super models in the country where people are becoming more open to buying ultra-luxury and high-end cars like Rolls Royce Phantom and Bentley. The company looks at the future to increase the numbers as well as sales volume. These plans are aimed at creating brand awareness and brand promotion in the country. The high profile brand name attracts a number of car buyers. This has eventually strengthened the promises and vision of Lamborghini in India. Will Lamborghini be successful in creating brand awareness? Will Indian populace accept these super luxury car models? Labels: Car Models, Indian-cars, Lamborghini, Super-Luxury Cars
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
 Fabia one of the most sizzling hot hatchbacks from Skoda is in news again. There was a report stating that the company is calling back its most ‘cool looking car’. But the missing link is that to increase the fuel efficiency and performance of the car, the petrol version of Fabia was upgraded. Due to incompatible fuel quality in India, Skoda India has made minor alteration in the software to achieve better fuel economy and driving performance. The company also assured that for the existing customers, the company would rectify the problem free of cost and all they have to contribute is about 20-30 minutes at the dealerships. Labels: Hatchbacks, Indian-cars, Skoda-Fabia
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
The second facility by General Motors,which is located at the Talegaon in western Maharashtra, will be operational next month. Initially, the plant will have the capacity of producing 140,000 units of small car annually. This plant was opened to satisfy the growing demand of the Chevrolet cars. Currently, General Motor's plant is located in Gujarat which manufactures the Chevrolet Aveo and Chevrolet Spark hatchback, as well as the Chevrolet Tavera multi-utility and other models. The company is also working on rolling out another small car to India, which will cost lesser than Spark. The model Chevrolet Spark is doing well in the market and has also pushed the company's sales graph still higher. Labels: Chevrolet-India, General-Motors, Indian-cars
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It’s now the season for crossovers to make their entry into the Indian car market and Hyundai is getting all geared up with its Santa Fe. This latest crossover from Hyundai has been made ready for an October, 2010 launch in India. Everybody is aware that the Hyundai Terracan and Tucson haven’t really worked wonders for the South Korean auto maker in India. The Santa Fe for the Indian market was first revealed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
