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Friday, 10 July 2009
It looks like the German premium car maker BMW, is skeptical of launching its iconic luxury hatchback, the Mini in India. The launch of this hatchback was supposed to happen by the end of this year. BMW had announced its Mini launch plans during the launch of BMW X6, a sports activity coupe in India. The Mini is a three-door luxury hatchback that was likely to be imported as a CBU in India. The BMW Mini would carry a price tag of Rs20 Lakh. The delay in the launch of this luxury hatchback owes largely because the luxury hatchback market in India is not developed. Moreover, BWM thought the investment to launch a new brand would be substantial in this condition. Any carmaker needs to look at the potential business opportunity before launching a car, especially when it’s a luxury car. BMW Mini would have faced a tough competition with the Fiat 500 if it had been launched in India at the prescribed date. The German car giant would reconsider the launch of the Mini by the end of the third quarter of the calendar year. BMW competes with European rivals DaimlerChrysler (DCXGn.DE) and Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) in the premium Indian car market. This German carmaker makes the 3 and 5 series in India and also sells its 7 series from imported kits. To strengthen the dealership network, BMW will set up dealerships in 10 more cities by the end of 2010. Presently, there are 13 dealerships in the country. The company has invested $30 million in India, including setting up a plant in Chennai. BMW has lined up a slew of launches in 2009 like the new BMW 7 series, the new BMW 3 series, and a diesel variant of BMW X3. Labels: BMW-7-Series, BMW-Motors, Luxury -Cars
Friday, 19 June 2009
Swedish auto gaint, Volvo has come up with its newest baby, the XC60. It's sleek, it's admirable and its fun. So what's new you ask? XC60, a crossover, sheds its boxy image and has regained all the perfect curves at the right places unlike its big brother XC90. XC60 offers a different feel and drive compared to its staid brethren. With the newest segment of crossovers invading the market, Volvo XC60 is here to stay, thanks to its youth approach. XC60 is designed to attract the next generation buyers. XC60 has sweeping headlights on the corners of its upright nose and has slightly flared arches which give it a look of underlying dominance. It has come out of the usual Volvo mould with its captivating interiors. The optional two tone leather upholstered seats, futuristic Centre console embedded with climate control buttons which Volvo likes to term is at as floating console, storage space behind the console for small items and LCD read outs portaying various messages on vehicle functions and a larger display of navigation is so out and out into the future. Like any luxury crossover SUV, XC60 has plenty of ground clearance to make it adapt to Indian conditions. Just as in other Volvos, the XC60 comes with new safety technologies like the brake assist, hill descent control and even am alter system which send out warnings when it senses if the driver is getting drowsy. India is gearing itself until September for the launch of this butch vehicle. XC60 might as well decorated with its famed 3.2litre straight-six cylinder petrol engine, which is already installed in XC90 and S80. Indians who have a flair for diesel engines can rejoice as it is in the offing too. But with the absence of all wheel drive option and just a front wheel drive in the XC60, BMW X3 and Audi Q5 have a edge on this great value for moolah SUV. Labels: Luxury -Cars, Upcoming-Cars, Volvo XC60
Friday, 8 August 2008
The luxurious E-class from the legendry car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is the most popular and successful model in India. This is now under the threat from another big player BMW’s 5-series. The imperial E-class has ruled the Indian road for a long time, but now the BMW 5-Series is slowly taking the legacy. And the credit for this goes to the BMW’s all new 530d model, which made recent news of its launch. It is creating a new standard of luxury and performance in its class. The luxury car demand in India is growing that is pushing the car manufacturer to introduce more models with unique features as the competition is very high. Another fat player who is trying to butt in this battle is Audi A6 with its luxury charm. It’s just a start with the new 530d model. The coming time will only tell who will dominate the luxury segment. Labels: Luxury -Cars, Mercedes-Benz, New-Car
Monday, 4 August 2008
British auto manufacturers, Jaguar and Land Rover, are now Indian. Recently the leading Indian auto major, Tata Motors, have taken over these two brands and the great Ratan Tata is now the chairman of these companies. Both Jaguar and Land Rover now drives to India with Tata. The powerful Tata is now putting in assiduous efforts to expand the reach of these brands in the growing markets across the globe. India is their first target and a team from the company is driving to India to study the high potential Indian market along with the possibilities, opportunities and challenges in offered by the country. Even though Jaguar and Land Rover are British companies, these are well known in the Indian market. Tata will not face much problem in selling these brands. Ratan Tata has promised to increase the brand value of these companies in the growing Indian market. The only challenge that Tata will face in selling these brands in India is the high import duty. High duties will make these cars costlier and beyond the reach of Indian customers. Tata is expecting the luxury car segment to grow in India at a very fast pace. This expansion will definitely ease out the problem of high price tag. Is Tata right in saying that the luxury car segment is growing? Will Tata be successful in taking Jag and Landie to a specified height? All are just answered questions! Labels: Jaguar, Land-Rover, Luxury -Cars
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
 Skoda increases price tags of all its car models! This is nothing new in the car industry. Recently many car manufacturers including Tata Motors, Hyundai Motors, Maruti Suzuki, and Honda Seil India have increased the cost price of all their cars. With so many car manufacturers raising the car prices due to high input costs, Skoda India, Czech auto manufacturer, also announces an increase in prices of all its car models in India. The company announces a hike in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 and this hike will be effective from August 2008. Apart from high input costs, the company is also swayed by the surge in freight costs and high cost of raw materials. Inspite of the high input costs, the company is putting in hard efforts to absorb maximum costs so that the price hike has minimized impact on prospective car buyers. Will the efforts of Skoda be successful? Labels: Car-prices, Luxury -Cars, Skoda
Monday, 28 July 2008
It’s really a difficult decision to judge the best premium executive cars with excellent Mercedes C class, delectable BMW 3 series and heart rendering Audi A4 leading the premium car segment. After the launch of these three cars in the Indian market, there is a tough competition between them. No one is able to decide which car is the best. All have their own specific features, appealing design and exclusive performance. Mercedes C class provides a comfortable and superlative ride along with better road stability and communicative steering. BMW offers high end models with wonderful interiors, innovative features and attractive design. The 3 series has rear wheel drive with better driving experience. The latest contender, Audi A4, is creating a revolution in the segment. The car is exclusively designed with a classic shape, super cool touches, dynamic design, and superb ride comfort. The car is perfect for Indian roads with all wheel drive to improve traction and enhance road stability. Among these three excellent and delectable contenders of premium car segment, it’s really difficult to choose one. Which one will you choose? Labels: Audi, Best Cars, BMW-Cars, Luxury -Cars
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Luxury car fans will now keep themselves away from using them. The government has recently imposed an additional excise duty on cars with larger engines – those with a capacity of above 1500 cc. This move is taken to encourage the use of small cars in the face of rising fuel costs. All car segments other than the small cars were already affected by the excise duty imposed previously after the announcement of the 2008 Union budget. Luxury car models are definitely affected by this. However, in the under 20-lakh range of models, the most affected segments are the SUVs and MUVs. The cost of these car models could go up by Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. This step will particularly makes a difference in sales of these cars in the remote markets where they are more popular. Car manufacturers such as Hyundai and Maruti will not be perturbed about this new change because they mostly deal in small cars. But manufacturers like Skoda, Honda, Toyota, Mahindra, and Chevrolet could find sales go down because of this. Small cars are anyways more favourite among price conscious Indian buyers. Labels: Excise-Duty, Luxury -Cars
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