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Tuesday, 22 December 2009
 Tata Nano is one permanent fixture in Carazoo.com for a long time now. This little wonder car has been around in the portal for many reasons and continues to be doing what it does best. Earning rave reviews. The world’s cheapest car has won one of the most significant awards of the country – Indian Car of the Year aka ICOTY. ICOTY and IMOTY (Indian Motorcycle of the Year) awards are the awards that are unbiased and exhaustive evaluation of all the new cars and motorcycles launched in the calendar year of 2009 in India. Although Tata Nano was a contender for this award amongst other heavy weights like were the Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Jazz, Fiat Linea, Fiat Grande Punto, Maruti Suzuki Ritz, Mahindra Xylo, Skoda Superb, Tata Indigo Manza, and Toyota Fortuner, Tata Nano emerged victorious in the end garnering 63 points. The Managing Director of Tata Motors, Mr. P.M. Telang, received the award from the Vice Chairman & Managing Director of JK Tyre Industries Ltd., Dr. R. P. Singhania, at a ceremony in New Delhi. Kawasaki Ninja 250R won the IMOTY award with 53 points. A 11-member expert jury members of the 2010 ICOTY included Yogendra Pratap and Vikrant Singh of Auto Bild India, Gautam Sen and Bob Rupani of Auto India, Bijoy Kumar Y and Srinivas Krishnan of Business Standard Motoring, Aspi Bhathena of Car India, Sirish Chandran and Bertand D’souza of Overdrive and Vardhan Kondvikar and Girish Karkera of Top Gear India. All these jury members evaluate and test cars as part of their journalistic work and are known for their analytic skills and professional competence. Once a year they come together to vote for the ICOTY. To qualify for the 2009 awards, only all-new cars and motorcycles, whatever the country of their origin, that went on sale in showrooms across the country before December 1, 2009 were considered. Existing cars and motorcycles that have had mere cosmetic facelifts or small mechanical tweaks do not qualify for consideration. The jury members judged the cars and motorcycles on various parameters such as price, fuel efficiency, design, comfort, safety, maneuverability, performance, functionality, environmental responsibility and driver/rider satisfaction among others. In addition, technical innovation and value for money were particularly important factors while deciding on the winner. The selection of the winner is carried out by a simple voting system with each jury member having twenty-five points to allot to at least four cars/bikes. They can give a maximum of 10 points to any one of them. A very fair and transparent system makes the ICOTY and IMOTY amongst the most credible and coveted car and motorcycle awards in India. Labels: Chevrolet-Cruze, Fiat-Grande-Punto, Fiat-Linea, Honda-Jazz, ICOTY, IMOTY, Mahindra-Xylo, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, Skoda-Superb, Tata-Indigo-Manza, Tata-Motors, Tata-Nano, Toyota-Fortuner
Thursday, 24 September 2009
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. Labels: Compact-Car, Honda-City, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, Nissan, Renault, Small-Car
Monday, 13 July 2009
 Here’s an interesting piece of information about Maruti Suzuki’s latest small car for the Indian car market called the ‘Ritz’. Before 15th May 2009 (its date of launch), the hatchback was eagerly awaited and was extensively referred to as ‘Splash’ by the media. Somewhere in between, Maruti Suzuki was forced to rename and launch the car as ‘Ritz’ even though the same car is known as the Suzuki Splash in the international market. The reason for this sudden move came after Maruti Suzuki’s sudden realization that the name ‘Splash’ was already registered as a brand by Ford Motors which had already applied for this name in 2002 with the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks Registry in India. Ford India is planning to introduce a small car in the country next year which it wants to market as ‘Splash’. When Maruti Suzuki approached the trademarks authorities for introducing its new hatchback, its petition was withdrawn and the car manufacturer was forced to rename it as ‘Ritz’. And that is how the Maruti Suzuki Ritz came to be known as the Ritz. Looks like car manufacturers are clashing over more than just the sales of their small cars in India. Labels: Ford-Splash, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, Suzuki-Splash
 Maruti Suzuki’s latest pin up car, “tall boy” Maruti Suzuki Ritz has been hitting the roads in decent numbers since its launch in May. It has been reported that buyers prefer Maruti Suzuki Ritz petrol variant to the diesel one. In fact, about 70 percent of current Ritz sales are for the 1.2-litre petrol engine version, with the remaining opting for the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel version. This marks a significant shift in preference among buyers of B-segment small cars in India as these customers have preferred diesel versions for their lower running costs over the ages. One of the reasons for this preference for the Ritz petrol is that it is significantly cheaper than the diesel version. Another reason for the popularity of the Ritz petrol is that it is powered by Suzuki’s new generation KB series engine which offers improved refinement and relatively better fuel economy. This helps it to narrow the gap in terms of efficiency and running costs between the petrol and diesel versions. The increased popularity of petrol engines among hatchback buyers is an important new trend in the Indian car industry. It is also an indication of the increasing maturity and sophistication of car buyers in India, who are carefully weighing the pros and cons of petrol and diesel versions and not buying diesel merely out of habit. Labels: Hatchbacks-in-India, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Premium compact cars are climbing the value chain in the Indian car industry. Both the car manufacturers and the car buyers are eyeing at lucrative opportunities offered by the premium compact car segment. Manufacturers are witnessing the rising demand of such cars and buyers are rejoicing the symphony of practicality, versatility, and affordability offered by premium compact cars. The market leader Maruti Suzuki has recently launched two new premium compact cars, A-star and Ritz. Other car manufacturers are gearing up to challenge Maruti with their stylish and powerful hatchbacks. The segment will definitely be abuzz with new car launches expected by almost all the car manufacturers. Honda is to follow the bandwagon with its most awaited Honda Jazz whereas Hyundai will enter the segment with the diesel version of i20. Moreover, the Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Yaris, and Fiat Grande Punto are also in line to explore the premium compact car segment. A number of small but expensive cars are continually sold in huge numbers in the international markets. And now the same trend is being witnessed in India with more and more buyers shifting from small cars and mid-sized sedans to the premium compact segment. Car manufacturers are now confident of attracting respectable numbers of premium compact car buyers in India despite of the expensive price tag. Labels: Compact-Car-Segment, Honda-Jazz, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, New-Car, Premium-Compact-Car, Volkswagen-Polo
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
MRF tyres has announced lockout at its Arkonam plant in Tamil Nadu due to labour unrest. The ongoing labour strike at the factory has compelled MRF to shut off the facility. MRF is India’s top tyre manufacturing company that is involved in manufacturing a wide range of best quality tyres. It has six production facilities across the country and exports its products to over 75 countries globally. MRF is a supplier to the country’s leading car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki. As the strike is likely to stretch up to a week or more, Maruti will not be able to roll out cars from its facilities until tyres are supplied. Many popular Maruti Suzuki cars are already having a long waiting period after booking. Car models like the Swift and the Swift D’Zire have a minimum waiting period of two months while the models like Alto also have good demand in the market. Recently, the company has also launched its global car ‘Ritz’ in the Indian market. The deadlock between the tyre manufacturer and the labours is going to impact Maruti Suzuki severely. This will further increase the waiting period of the Maruti’s flagship models and will also affect the supply of the newly launched Maruti Suzuki Ritz. Though Maruti is looking for an alternative to ensure supplies, it is really difficult for the company to manage the present crisis. Hopefully, the strike gets over soon making things easy for both MRF and Maruti Suzuki. Labels: Maruti-Suzuki-Cars, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, MRF-Tyres
Monday, 18 May 2009
The much awaited launch of the Ritz, a premium hatchback by Maruti Suzuki, has led to a lot of discussions. Some have termed even the Ritz as a rebadged version of the Splash. However, the Ritz is not just a rebadged version, there’s more to it. The Ritz has been specifically developed for India. The engineers from Maruti Suzuki worked closely with their Japanese counterparts in the development of the Ritz. First of all, the Ritz was conceived as a different car, not just as a rebadged version of the famed Splash. Its exterior modifications like a redesigned rear bumper that accommodates reflectors and RR fog lamps were made keeping the Indian tastes in focus. The K12M engine which powers the Ritz has been comprehensively tested, calibrated and tuned specifically for Indian conditions. Not only this, a reworked gearbox utilizes gear ratios different from that of the Splash to match its driveability with Indian traffic conditions. Special emphasis has been laid on the shoulder space and rear seat comfort. Ritz’s redesigned central console provides smooth ingress and egress for rear seat passengers. Most notably, the ground clearance of the Ritz is a good 30mm higher than that on the Splash to take on potholes, sometimes massive ones, in India. The suspension has been adjusted for comfort according to the Indian roads. A bigger and wider tyre has also been accommodated with suitable body redesigns. In this way, the Ritz is much different from the Splash and is an indigenously built car. Labels: Hatchback, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, New-Car-Launch
Friday, 15 May 2009
Live the moment with Maruti Suzuki’s Ritz that offers a superb combination of sporty styling and avant-garde technology. The lively new car is built on the Swift hatchback platform with many changes that give it a modern and elegant looks. The exterior as well as the interiors shows the meticulous engineering and craftsmanship involved in building the car. The exterior boasts of aerodynamic structure that displays a sleek and dynamic appeal. The stand out tail gate design and boomerang taillight give the car a distinctive look. The interior carries comfortable upright seating, colour coded graphics, ultra modern and sporty dash board, and plush seat fabric that imparts a vibrant and cheerful ambience. The achingly chic waterfall console, classy AC and ergonomically placed gear shift take the driving experience to a new level. Adding to this is the technological marvel K12 engine featuring DOHC (Double Overhead Cramshaft), Drive-by-Wire technology plastic intake manifold, and chain drive that ensure a silky smooth drive. The car also provides impressive mileage of 17.7 km/l with petrol engine and 21.1 km/l with diesel engine. Equipped with features required to entice the buyers, the Ritz seems to be a winner in every aspect. With its good ride quality, decent build and value-for-money price tag (Rs 3.88 Lakh to Rs 4.99 Lakh), the new car is surely going to embrace a huge market share for the company. Labels: Maruti Suzuki-Cars, Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, New-Car-Launch
The Maruti Suzuki Ritz finally made its formal appearance in front of scores of expectant eyes and inquisitive minds that revelled in its compacted beauty and blushful persona. The wait for this small car has been long and ostensibly eternal but its warming beauty during the car launch made it seem well worth the patience. Flowing new body curves, boomerang taillights, and piercing headlights stole the show today. 
The Ritz blitzes on to the small car stage with a unique accolade – one of being the first BS4 emission compliant small car in the country. It is also very Indian in nature due to its attractive price tag of 3.9 Lakhs (going upto 5 Lakhs for higher variants) and also due to the fact that 85% of its components are locally manufactured. 
The Ritz is available in both Petrol (84 bhp 1.2-litre new K12M engine) and Diesel (74 bhp 1.3-litre DDiS engine) options. The new K12M petrol engine offers great pickup and a fantastic fuel economy of 17.7 km/l (figure from Maruti). As specified by the manufacturer, it requires no oil change till 10,000 kms and spark plug replacement can wait 40,000 kms. The advance DDiS diesel engine is the same proven and tested technology as that on the Swift hatchback and delivers 21 km/l as per Maruti’s claim. Labels: Maruti-Suzuki-Ritz, New-Car-Launch, Small-Cars
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