Indian Car Blog - Carazoo.com

Car manufacturers take up to a number of marketing strategies. And a tried-and-tested one is sponsoring sports events. Sometime back Volvo gave away its twin-turbo diesel car S80 to the winner of India-South Africa ODI tournament and recently, Toyota decided to sponsor the National Junior Golf Tour.

And here is another one to add to the list. Land Rover Middle East and UAE dealers Al Tayer Motors will be sponsoring Emirati adventurer, Elham Al Qasimi.

Elham Al Qasimi is heading to the North Pole, which makes her the first Arab Woman to do so and she is receiving a little help from the Tata Motors owned British off-road marque, Land Rover.

Elham started her unassisted and unsupported expedition to the Geographic North Pole on the 11 of April. The journey will take three weeks on skis. During her stringent training programme in London, she seemed to involve pulling a Range Rover that weighs about two-and-a-half tonnes.

Land Rover and Al Tayer Motors gave Elham a 2010 Range Rover Sport which assisted her during her training regime to replicate the motion of pulling a dogsled during her unaided trek across the North Pole. Elham also got an opportunity to continue her training on a different terrain when Land Rover UK provided her with a 2010 LR4 model, which she successfully pulled under the supervision of an expert team.

Elham started out by pulling one tyre of a saloon vehicle and then she advanced to pulling two tyres of a 4x4 vehicle. Elham seemed very pleased with the initiative taken by Land Rover and went ahead to laud its spirit and endurance.

“Land Rover's sponsorship of my North Pole expedition is a testament to their strong commitment to support and partner with individuals that embody the same sense of spirit and adventure that shines through in all their cars,” said Elham.

“I am very proud that Land Rover is my partner in this because they have a history of supporting successful adventure expeditions. By allowing their brand and name to be associated with adventurers who are breaking pre-conceived notions and boundaries and stretching the limits of human endurance and strength, Land Rover shows that they passionately believe in the same indomitable attitude and spirit,” added the much determined and spirited young Emirati.

The Range Rover Sport given to Elham is a part of the new 2010 Land Rover line-up which is available throughout the UAE. The SUV offers top-end luxury, high performance, latest technology and fuel efficiency with less carbon emissions. A slew of other high tech features and upgrades add to the appeal of the new 5.0l petrol 2010 Land Rover range

Didn’t we earlier say that women can do everything, right from designing a car to pulling a monster of a Land Rover.

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Recently, we had Volvo playing games. Car makers have started promoting their brands through sports, and now, Toyota too wants to play along. The National Junior Golf Tour has found a long term sponsor in Toyota Kirloskar Motors. The quest to explore India’s talent, to discover potential Olympians to represent our country at the 2016 Olympic Games has already kicked off. The Toyota Etios Tour 2010 at the Golden Greens Golf Resort Gurgaon has begun.

120 junior golfers in the age group of 10 – 18 yrs will be participating in this elite level national ranking championship. National and international junior team selections are entirely based on the performance of the junior golfers during this tour. Toyota indeed has done a great job sponsoring the tour.

The development of junior golf in India gets high support here and the annual golf tour encourages the Indian junior golfers to focus on intensification of their preparation for training programs. There’s nothing more encouraging than the Etios Junior Golf Tour to nurture young talent. The Toyota Etios Junior Golf Tour does what it can to inculcate in today’s young players the focus and the drive required to emerge as winners in prestigious international forums such as the Asian Junior Amateur Championship and ultimately, the 2016 Olympic Games.

“We welcome Toyota as the new title sponsor of the IGU’s National Junior Tour. We are very pleased to have Toyota and Rishi Narain Golf Management associated with this tour which will surely lift the tour to a new level of professionalism. We see huge potential in our juniors and there is no doubt that this is the training ground where we will find the players for the 2016 Olympics and beyond”, said Maj Gen Parmar, Director General, Indian Golf Union.

The Toyota Etios Junior Golf Tour consists of seven 4-day tournaments every year. The seven tournaments have been spread across regions all over India with one of these tournaments in April, three in May, two in November and one in December. Following one practice round on day one, this 4-day event begins on April 27th and is the Indian Golf Union’s official National Junior Tour. The schedule will be exciting. Top ranked IGU merit list players will be competing in 4 age group categories, “16 – 18”, “14 – 16”, “12- 14” and “10 -12”.

The Toyota Etios Junior Golf Tour marks a new epoch in junior golf. The current National Men’s Champion, Chikkarangappa from Bangalore will be leading the charge at age 16. He will play at least four tournaments on the Junior Tour. Ashbir Saini, the recent Nepal Open winner who beat several top professionals in Kathmandu, will also be joining.

Top juniors participating would be Manu Gandas ( #1 ) from DLF GC Gurgaon, #2 Shubhankar Sharma from Army GC, Delhi and Honey Baisoya #3 from Delhi GC from the 14-16 yr age group. In the 12 – 14 yr category, in action will be #! Piyush Snagwan from DLF GC, #2 Virad Madappa from Kokota, #3 Firoz Garewal from Chandgarh and #4 Vidhit Singh from Delhi. In the 10 – 12 Yr category, #1 Karandeep Kochar who won 6 tournaments last year leads the field from Chandigarh, #2 Arjun Puri of Delhi and #3 Arjun Prasad from Hyderabad are the top ranked players.

If the Volvo S80 was presented to the man of the series at the India-South Africa ODI tournament, here we have the entire golf event sponsored by Toyota. Way to go Toyota!

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Ok, we all know that Toyota would be launching its Etios hatchback and sedan in India. So what is new? Toyota may launch the Etios in diesel variants too. Doesn’t that sound like a bit too good to be true!

Toyota Kirloskar Motors, the JV between Toyota and India’s Kirloskar Group, has announced that it may consider launching its upcoming new car, Etios, in diesel variants. All in an effort to gain a better share in the great Indian hatchback segment.

"During the Delhi Auto Expo and at other events, we have received lot of customer queries regarding a diesel engine for the car. Considering the response, we are also looking at bringing out a diesel version of the Etios, but nothing has been finalised so far," Toyota Kirsolkar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director Sandeep Singh said.

He also said the company is looking at the Etios as its primary weapon to penetrate the Indian market. "The Indian small car market is a huge one where we had no presence so far. The launch of the Etios will mark our break into the strategic market," Singh said.

Commercial production of the Toyota Etios would start at TKM's second plant in Bangalore, from the beginning of December this year. The car is likely to be launched in the same month or, in worse case scenario, in during the first quarter of 2011.

Toyota will launch the Etios initially in petrol variants. While the hatchback Etios will feature a 1.2 litre engine, the sedan will have a .5 litre engine. The company is keeping mum on the pricing of the car. Sandeep Singh said: "The final price will be decided later. While the hatchback will compete with Maruti Suzuki's Swift, Hyundai's i20 petrol and Volkswagen's Polo, the sedan version will be positioned along Maruti's DZire and Tata's Manza."

The cars are priced between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6.75 lakh. So Etios is likely to follow a similar line in its pricing policy. And a localisation rate of 70 per cent in the component parts is sure to bring down the cost.

The company’s second car plant in Bangalore, which swallowed an investment close to Rs 3000 crore, will be dedicated entirely for the production of Etios. . However, the engines will be imported from Japan

"The Bangalore facility will have an initial capacity of 70,000 units annually and we will roll-out the same number of Etios(es) during the first 12 months. While India will be the focus market, we will also look at exporting the car later," Singh said.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor already has a plant in Bangalore, which has an annual production capacity of 75,000 units.

The company is also expanding its dealership network to cater to the demands that the launch of the new cars would create. "By the end of 2011, we will have a total of 150 dealerships across the country, up from 98 currently. The focus of the outlets would be to capitalise on the expected demand for Etios," Singh said.

So much for beating the competitors in the Indian market. Do we see some of them having sleepless nights already!

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The Beijing Auto Show 2010 has already begun and we bring to you the latest info from the auto show. There were around 2,100 companies from 16 nations and regions exhibiting their products.
Today is the day. Yes, today, the event is open to the press. The auto exhibition area's 200,000 square meters are literally adorned with cars, including plenty of concept cars.

A new variant of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class will be launched after this China auto show in Beijing. Car makers have already begun targeting emerging markets like Brazil and India. How can China be left behind? The new vehicle launches have already begun at the Beijing auto show in a race to capture China's fast-growing market among loose sales elsewhere.

Till around 1995, there were hardly any private cars in China. But now, the scenario is different. The explosive sales growth in the emerging markets has become the highest. Watching the new long-wheelbase sedans from leading luxury brands like Audi and BMW at the Auto Show 2010 is sure going to be a treat to the eyes. An all-new high-powered Ferrari 599 GTO and a V6-powered Porsche Panamera are also going to add excitement.

Lamborghini is all set to showcase the special model that it has made exclusively for the Chinese market. Ford is not going to stay behind. It will present its all-new global concept that could be sold in China, Europe or the US. We will wait for this car to make an entry in India. Chinese home brands like BYD, Chery and Geely will also geared up with their new models for an international audience. The show is going to enhance their confidence too.

Chinese auto makers have come up with plenty of hybrid, electric and fuel cell models. While SAIC Motor Corp has come up with the Roewe 550 plug-in hybrid, Roewe 750 hybrid and E1 electric concept car, FAW Group is showcasing its EV electric concept car, the Besturn 70 and Besturn 50 hybrid cars. Changan Automobile Group will be displaying its Benben electric car, S469 hybrid minivan, Zhixiang and the Yuexiang hybrid car. Chery Automobile is all set to flaunt the S18 electric car, the electric version of QQ compact car, the hybrid version of Riich G5 sedan and the M11 hybrid car. BYD Co is geared up to show off the E6 electric car, F3DM and F6DM plug-in hybrids. Brilliance Auto, Geely Automobile Holdings and Lifan Group too will be displaying their innovations.

China's auto market tore down the global economic disaster and sales shot up by a huge difference of 45 per cent last year to 13.6 million vehicles. This goes to say that China is quite ahead of the 10.5 million vehicles sold in the United States last year. This year has been great too. Sale of the units in China has increased rapidly and growth has accelerated to 11.9 per cent in the first quarter. A conference is also going to take place to discuss the growth and other factors.

GM will be unveiling its all new electric Volt MPV5 concept car, a Chinese-made minivan and a compact sedan at the auto show. Whoa! That’s quite a lot from the world's largest automotive manufacturer. Meanwhile, Ford's latest Focus sedan gets an Asian debut and the company is unveiling a new concept car.

Toyota too is on the same page and will be showcasing fifty vehicles including the new stylish gas-electric hybrid concept car. Toyota is trying its best to leave its footprints on the market by providing numerous vehicles. The car recalls will soon be forgotten and the launches will probably last longer in everybody’s mind.

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The automotive major, Toyota Motor Corp is all set to launch the Prius hybrid minivan using lithium ion batteries at a very reasonable price by early 2011. A Japanese business daily, the Nikkei just reported so and we just can’t wait to experience a drive in the special hybrid. Will new car ever come to India and when? Well, as of now, we only know that the hybrid minivan will be launched with the lithium ion batteries.

With the launch of the Prius, Toyota has been very enthusiastic about demonstrating its commitment to provide India with greener automotive technology and now we may have the new Prius minivan. Ever since the Prius became the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle in 1997, it has received worldwide acclaim. Today, the current Prius is already the most successful hybrid in the world with rising sales of around 1.5 million. The car maker has pledged to promote eco-friendly vehicles in India and contribute towards saving the environment.

It’s very surprising to note that Toyota would be keeping the price of the new Prius model at a level similar to those of current models. It is looking at strengthening its lead in the hybrid market. The new Prius minivan will offer roomy interiors and better mileage. It may also have three rows of seats for carrying five to seven people. Don’t you think that’s really great?

Toyota will initially produce the lithium ion batteries at its Teiho factory in Aichi Prefecture. Later the production may shift to Panasonic EV Energy Co, a battery joint venture with Panasonic Corp. A lithium-ion battery can pack more electricity than its nickel-metal hydride counterpart. That only means that the hybrid car will run longer on a single charge.

Prius in Latin means ‘to go before’. Staying true to the meaning of its name, the Prius sports the latest technology. It is equipped with the Toyota Hybrid System II or the Hybrid Synergy Drive. The Prius, with one of the best aerodynamic performances, has an amazing fuel economy. The third-generation Prius that we currently have in India comes with three driving modes - Power Mode, Eco Mode and Electric Vehicle Mode and a host of dynamic features that offer outstanding driving pleasure with superior environmental performance.

The Toyota Prius 2010 has been completely redesigned but still has four doors and can seat 5 persons. It is packed with a 1.8 litre gasoline engine along with two electric motors and a planetary gear set. In case of full acceleration both these power sources work in combination offering the maximum benefit. The Toyota Prius’ fuel efficiency is estimated to be about of 20 kmpl which is way better than most hybrids and regular cars. The lithium batteries are only going to add to the minivan’s performance.

The current Toyota Prius includes beautifully sculpted exteriors and more conventional interiors which hybrid car lovers just love. The digital speedometer, climate control buttons and stereo buttons are positioned in a more traditional way.

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Toyota has announced that it will start a voluntary safety recall of 600,000 first- and second-generation Siennas in the US. We know that the recall issues, involving Toyota in particular, have become so common these days that it may not even interest you in the least, but we have to blog on it anyways.

Toyota, of late, has become notorious for fiddling with safety issues in its vehicles and the count just does not stop. This time around, the recall involves a potential corrosion in the spare tyre carrier cable. This condition is likely to affect the Siennas sold during 1998 and 2010. Continued exposure to cold climate areas, with high road salt use, may cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles. And in the worst situations, the carrier cable may fail, causing the spare tyre to separate from the vehicle. Not a major safety issue for the Siennas, but a potential road hazard for the trailing vehicles.

The Japanese car manufacturer is working on a remedy for the condition. Until this remedy is completely developed, the owners of these vehicles will receive an interim notice for preliminary checks.

And once the remedy is complete, the owners will be notified to take advantage of the available remedy.

Steve St. Angelo, Toyota Chief Quality Officer for North America, said, “Toyota is listening to its customers attentively, and we want to make sure their voices are heard. As part of that commitment, we are providing free inspections of the spare tyre carrier cable even in states that are not included in this recall. We are also working diligently to develop a remedy as soon as possible.”

In the past, Toyota recalled 4.3 million units of its best-selling car, Camry. The glitch was with the unsecured floor mat that could trap the gas pedal and cause unintended acceleration. This recall caused some major trouble for Toyota and Camry, which enjoyed the best selling car in US for the past eight year, lost its coveted position.

Wonder if Toyota’s affair with safety recalls would ever come to a halt!

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Toyota has taken a hint from its compatriot Nissan Motors and is now contemplating to ink an MoU, through its Indian subsidiary Toyota Kirloskar Motors, with Ennore Port Limited to export its ‘Etios’ to global markets through Ennore port in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming years.

Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) is a joint venture between Toyota of Japan, holding 89 per cent of the total equity, and India’s Kirloskar Group. TKM is planning to ship its cars from its upcoming small car manufacturing plant at Bidadi, near Bangalore in Karnataka, which is likely to start production by the end of this year. As per the company’s earlier announcement, the small car is meant primarily for the Indian market, but its planning to export it to the other parts of the world too. TKM is also looking at sharing the infrastructure with Japanese competitor Nissan.

TKM is quite reluctant to divulge the export plans, but it said that discussions are on with the Ennore Port on identifying land. You will find it quite interesting to know that Etios was developed jointly by Indian and Japanese engineers. Yoshinori Noritake is the chief engineer of the Toyota Etios project.

"With the concept of ‘World first–India first’, we will sell Etios first in India (in the first year) and then we look at for export markets. We hope to start exports of Etios from 2012 onwards to neighbouring countries, ASEAN and African regions. The new plant will have a production capacity of 70,000 vehicles in the first phase and this can be increased to 200,000 in the next phase," said Toyota Kirloskar Managing Director Hiroshi Nakagawa was quoted as saying to reporters recently. He added, “The production of Etios sedan and hatchback cars will start from this year-end mainly for the domestic market,” he said.

“Etios will be pitched against Swift and Swift Dzire. While the car's exact price will be made known only at the time of launch, we expect it to be in the range of Swift and Dzire cars. Despite lot of features and high quality, Etios will have a localisation level of around 75 per cent initially and then will be increased to 100 per cent in the near future. "The car features a new platform engine and is 10% more fuel efficient than its nearest competitor. Given the advantage, we will price the car at a most competitive price point,” he said.

The new plant will accommodate six vendors including component giants like Jai Bharat Maruti (JBM), Stanzen Toyotetsu India Pvt Ltd, Wheels India Ltd of TVS Group, Asahi Glass, Bundy India, Tata Johnson Controls Automotive Ltd and Supreme Greaves.

Toyota will invest about Rs. 3,200 crore in this project. Toyota is aiming to expand its sales and service network to about 150 dealers by 2010. Five more dealership would be added in Tamil Nadu alone.

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Last month was ruled by the recall trend and Toyota was one amongst the many other car makers that buckled under the pressure. Toyota cars owners across the world complained about brake pedals, accelerator pedals and the floor mat entrapment issues which occurred across various models. And Toyota announced the recall of a huge number of its cars.

During the recall, Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda, had admitted that they were not immune to fallibility and that the company would double its effort to remind everyone that its lifeline is “quality.” And that is exactly what the company is busy doing these days.

You must be wondering as to why we are talking about a subject that is so stale. Let me tell you that the latest on the issue is that Toyota has, so far, completed the repair work on about 90,000 cars, almost half of the total number of vehicles that required the repairs.

Toyota has said that the models, which needed the remedial work on the accelerator pedal and ABS software upgrade in the Prius hybrid models, take around half an hour to complete the process. Toyota workers, at more than 200 centres, are putting in extra efforts to bridge the quality gap and make the recall programme successful.

Toyota has also claimed that about 96 per cent of the owners have said that they are quite satisfied with the recall process and the work.

All things considered, the question still arises: Will the low quality standard affect Toyota sales? The answer is yes. The production of Toyota Prius has already been reduced by 10 per cent. No prizes for guessing that it has been done in the wake of the slow demands which can be blamed on the quality issues that has affected the age-old reputation of Prius. Toyota has seen a fall in the demand of Prius hybrid in the US by up to 40 per cent.

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In 2008, the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs. Sheila Dikshit launched the TSEP in Delhi. Wondering what TSEP is? Yes, most of aren’t even bothered about traffic safety. Accidents always happen to others and not to us. TSEP is the Toyota Safety Education Programme. It is an interactive learning programme on road safety and is designed for the primary and higher primary school children.

The TSEP pilot project was launched in Bangalore in 2007 following its launch in other metros in 2008. The Joint Commissioner of Police-Traffic, Delhi, Mr. S.N Shrivastava and Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa were also present during the launch of the programme in Delhi.

You won’t believe this. In addition to the 117 schools in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore, the programme has been successfully conducted in 28 schools in Delhi. It is a way of brand promotion. But goodwill too is involved a lot. Over 2,30,000 students have got the traffic education over the past three years.

Very recently, on the 11th of March, Toyota Kirloskar Motor conducted the TSEP at the Delhi Police Public School in New Delhi. Do you know what exactly TSEP does? Well, Toyota creates awareness about traffic safety amongst school children. The school teachers too are trained through a one-day training programme. They also help students participate in government initiatives to create awareness about traffic safety.

Over the years, Toyota has been trying hard to educate children and youth on traffic safety. These youngsters are the ones prone to the highest number of road accidents. Their aim is to make the future generations in India better motorists. This year Toyota plans to cover 1,00,000 students educating 150 schools on road safety. 250 teachers have already been trained. How about having a society with better road sense? Keep up the good work, Toyota!

The car maker has involved the Traffic Police Department too in the metro cities. It has tried promoting road safety through drawing and painting contests held at the Toyota dealerships. Interactive classroom sessions comprising two modules have also effectively communicated the road safety message through the trained instructor. Traffic rules and regulations, basic guidelines for drivers and interactive quiz programmes have been part of the initiative.

An animation film using the popular mascot, Traffy educates children in a fun way. The two main characters Aki and Maya try creating safe roads with Traffy’s guidance. The traffic safety puzzles, board, card and computer games too promote education with a pinch of entertainment. Toyota has also set up stalls in schools. These stalls or safety booths display safety messages and visuals on traffic safety.

Toyota is trying its best to promote road and traffic safety. So many schools have joined in. We only hope that the safety virus spreads as soon as possible making India and especially the metros accident-free zones.

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Does your name have anything to do with numbers? We Indians have many beliefs when it comes to choosing names. But as far as we here in Carazoo.com know, the selection of names does not depend on the number of strokes the pen takes to write the name. Does it? Here’s an example of well-known Japanese car company which exactly did the same.

Akio Toyoda does believe in numerology. This famous personality is the president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation and grandson of the company’s founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. In 1937, Kiichiro Toyoda chose a nick name for himself. In this name, d, the last consonant of his real name was replaced with a ‘t’. Why the switch in name? One reason could be the softening of the last syllable. Is that all? No!

In katakana, a Japanese syllabary, the name ‘Toyoda’ takes ten brushstrokes while ‘Toyota’ takes exactly eight. The Japanese and Chinese believe that eight is a very lucky number. Eight, which is written as two strokes side by side, looks more like an open mountain top. Toyoda believed luck would arise from this symbol. For the Japanese, the wide mountain base stands for growth and abundance in future. While choosing the nick name, this is what Toyoda hoped. For his company too, he gave the name Toyota instead of Toyoda. Toyoda wanted both his company and country to grow and prosper.

By the year 2000, Toyota Motor Corporation was not just Japan's largest car company but the world's third largest too. Toyota was producing around five million units every year in the late 1990s. Its profits declined substantially during the global economic downturn of the early 1990s. However, Toyota responded by cutting costs and moving production to overseas markets including India. The company has represented one of the true success stories in the history of car manufacturing.

The name Toyoda in Japanese had the literal meaning of fertile rice fields. Changing it to Toyota would give Japan’s agricultural past a complete twist. The company would instead focus on growing fertile in the car industry. Why did all these thoughts hit my mind? Oh yes! Akio Toyoda was in the news on Wednesday. Lawmakers were questioning him about the safety issues of Toyota cars and the recent recalls.

Did the change in spelling not help the company this time? Well, life cannot be a bed of roses all the time. At times, there can be few thorns here and there. What matters most is the performance over a long period of time. In the long run Toyota has been doing very well. But once again, was it the number game? Did the numbers help, or, was it the company’s intelligence, innovation and car manufacturing skill that worked wonders for the company? That certainly depends on what one believes.

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McLaren unveiled its new car the MP4-25 at a ceremony in Newbury at the headquarters of its main sponsor Vodafone on Friday.

With a clear goal to win, this McLaren F1 car is the most highly developed car that they have ever unveiled. McLaren Team principal Martin Whitmarsh seemed very much elated with this launch and said “You never know of course if we have missed something. There are a number of things on this car that I have never seen on an F1 car and I find that heartening. But you never know – there might be some things that are like the double diffuser was for us last year that we have never seen before. So you can never be absolutely confident. We are working hard. This car represents the standard of car that will start to test. It doesn’t represent the standard of car that we will race.”

Like most teams McLaren has an aggressive development programme planned ahead of the first race in Bahrain. The car which starts the season will be quite different in appearance to this one.

There was noticeably more focus on the car and the drivers than last season’s launch, when the talk was of the championship recently won with Hamilton and Ron Dennis’ retirement. McLaren seemed very focused on getting it right in the season ahead, by building a very sophisticated car and by getting the driver to work together to develop it into a consistent winner. There was a confidence about the team, which comes from knowing that they turned a poor car into a winner last season and they have faith in their engineering staff.

The car is radical looking, it has a huge shark fin linking the air box to the rear wing. The nose is reminiscent of last season’s Red Bull, but less so than the Ferrari and the Williams. The 2010 cars look bigger and longer than last season, a result of having to accommodate a fuel tank which is twice as large.

The MP4/25 has been designed around the double diffuser, whereas the device was an add on to last year’s car after the protests against Brawn, Williams and Toyota’s devices failed. Engineering director Paddy Lowe said that McLaren’s interpretation of the diffuser was ‘extreme’ but suggested that some teams will have even more extreme interpretations,

Lewis Hamilton said that he had done a lot of work personally in developing this car. “I’m sure it’s going to handle completely different to last year’s car” said Hamilton and Jenson Button just hoped that was true.

Ron Dennis was at the launch, along with fellow shareholder Mansour Ojjeh. There was quite a bit of talk about Mercedes, Whitmarsh spoke of Mercedes as still a valued partner of the team, the team is still branded Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, it’s just that the manufacturer back up isn’t there any more and there was no sign of Mercedes hierarchy at the launch. Norbert Haug, the motor sport boss cried off at the last minute with a cold.

You can tell that McLaren are very motivated to go out there and beat Ross Brawn’s works Mercedes team this season, to prove to Mercedes’ board that they made a mistake in leaving them.

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Guess what? In a classic case of role reversal when the Americans are shunning their big, large SUVs in favour of smaller fuel-efficient cars after the global recession, Indians are vouching for these gas-guzzlers.

Owning an SUV in India always was a status-symbol and now with the just concluded Auto Expo 2010 at New Delhi, it has become evident that both the car makers and Indians are paving way for the SUV genre to take hold of India.

The fact that leading car makers of the world are launching their SUV’s in India just boosts the claim. Global biggies like BMW, Audi, Land Rover, Toyota, Skoda, Volvo and Volkswagen are launching over half-a-dozen SUV’s in the next six months. How does that sound. Raid of the SUVs? India’s potential as a growing car market is unrivalled and these auto makers are just cashing in the trend with their pricey SUVs.

Take a look at these stats. Indian automobile industry for the month of Dec 2009 has posted a whopping 68 per cent growth in sales at 10.05 lakh units, while the passenger car sales grew 40.27 per cent at 115,268 units.

Posting a straight ninth month growth trend in a row, the northwards movement has seen similar activity in the Sports Utility Vehicles or the SUVs market both at the manufacturer as well as the consumer level. SUV market, the once niche segment contributing just 15 per cent of total vehicle sales in India is threatening to blow over the top and become a major contributor to the passenger car market.

In a way to enter this niche segment in India, car makers are planning to manufacture most of the new products locally to reduce cost, rather than relying on imports as they have done in the past.

German car maker, BMW has launched its flagship SUV model X6M with a price tag of Rs 1.3 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) and has drawn big plans to capture market share in the segment. BMW has brought its entire SUV portfolio at the Auto Show speculating that SUVs soon will become the next big thing in the Indian car market. With BMW’s compact SUV X1 hitting the Indian market soon, BMW hopes that its vehicle sales in India will double from the now 15 per cent later this year. The company will start assembling the X1, priced more competitively at around Rs 25 lakh making it the cheapest SUV from BMW, at its Chennai plant in the next few months.

Compatriot Audi India also has the same story to tell. Audi has reported 58 per cent rise in SUV sales in 2009 and would commence local production of its compact SUV Q5 soon. It will also bring its most powerful SUV, the V8 4.2 Litre Q7, in limited numbers.

SkodaAuto India which unveiled its Skoda Yeti SUV at the Auto Expo 2010 held in New Delhi is also upbeat on Yeti’s sales in India. SkodaAuto will locally produce the Yeti with all top-end luxury features to sell the Yeti at a highly competitive price. Skoda Yeti might roll out from the Aurangabad plant.

Volkswagen also has been weaving a similar story. VW has brought its flagship Toureg SUV into India at the price of Rs 60 lakh and has planned to bring in its smaller Tiguan SUV also.

Toyota, the Japanese player in the Indian market with its Indian subsidiary Toyota Kirloskar Motor also sensing the demand for SUV’s in India launched its Fortuner which has a six-month waiting period due to an unanticipated rush for bookings and the new Land Cruiser Prado diesel to appeal the diesel-crazed Indian luxury SUV customers.

The Korean car maker Hyundai Motor India on the other hand is also getting ready to bring in the Santa FE by mid-2010. The Santa FE is a crossover SUV based on the Sonata platform and is expected to take on the Chevrolet Captiva, Honda CR-V and the Nissan X-Trail.

If you think only global biggies are eying this niche SUV segment, don’t be fooled. Even Indian car makers like Mahindra and Mahindra and Tata Motors also have been doing their homework. The SUV market from Indian companies like M&M and Tata Motors, grew 21 per cent to 1.04 lakh units in April-December 2009 over the year-ago period. These home-grown giants are trying hard to cater to the growing SUV market by bringing in their SUV models.

Tata Motors which recently unveiled its Tata Aria is slated for release in Feb 2010 while Mahindra and Mahindra is also gearing to roll out its premium SUV which will be positioned above Scorpio and will be built on a all-new platform with a different design, architecture and specifications. Another Indian company ICML also is planning to bring in their SUV which will debut in first part of 2010.

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The seven-day 10th Auto Expo this week could attract around 20 lakh visitors. This sum certainly is higher than those at similar events held last year in Shanghai and New York as per the Expo organizers.

This Auto Expo 2010 is going to be the mammoth automobile vent as about 2,100 participants from 30 countries will participate in the event, which will boast of over 1.25 lakh square metres of exhibition space. Last year Shanghai attracted a crowd of six lakh visitors while New York drew 12 lakh visitors for its Auto show.

The Delhi Auto Expo was first introduced in 1986 and since its inception lots of things have changed. Despite a clash of dates with the Detroit show, traditionally the biggest auto industry gathering, the Auto Expo event in Delhi has grown in prominence aided by the shifts in the global automobile landscape.

According to Pawan Goenka, president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) speaking in the curtain raiser for the event said, ‘We will have 40 percent more visitors this time and will have over 10 global launches and 50 other launches with all well-known auto makers taking part.’ He also added that the organizers were expecting around two-million visitors.

The event which began today will be formally inaugurated on Jan 7 by Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.

The event is being organised by SIAM, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Pragati Maidan here.

The expo will witness the largest-ever overseas participation with companies from Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Taiwan and Britain participating. Luxembourg will be the new entrant at the expo in 2010.

This time commercial vehicles, two-wheelers and other variety of automobile accessories will also be on display.
This year will mark a major change in the routine. Honda and Toyota are displaying small car concepts which will be unveiled globally at the Expo.

That’s a first for both and although some of their alternative concepts were shown elsewhere, the Delhi show comes a close second. In terms of scale too, the event has come a long way. The next show happened in 1993 when the first wave of cars from Daewoo, Hyundai, Ford and GM were about to roll out on Indian roads.

Japan’s Toyota unveiled the Etios concept small car that has been especially designed for the Indian market and will be seen on roads by 20l1. Likewise, German carmaker Volkswagen also is on cloud number nine to showcase its much-awaited super-mini Polo.

Others like the US-based car maker General Motors will add a radically different looking car named Beat which incidentally was launched in India yesterday to its existing line up of compacts here. Honda, too, will reveal a new model.

Other displays at the event will include a wide range of new and locally designed and developed auto components. Many of these component designs have been patented in the country as well as overseas. The auto sector is betting big on the event as makers of luxury cars are increasingly looking at making India a sourcing hub for components, besides using more local components in cars for the domestic market.

‘The Auto Expo will act as a platform for both Indian and foreign business visitors where they will have ample opportunity to see products on display as well interact with officials of component companies at the venue,’ ACMA president Jayant Davar said.

The Indian automotive industry has a turnover of more than $18 billion (Rs.90,000 crore) and expects to gain significantly through new tie-ups, partnerships and marketing initiatives duringthe event. India’s 15-18 per cent annual growth and its nearly 2 million units estimated sales this fiscal make this the fastest growing market after China. The focus of autodom has moved to Asia, and the event is a beneficiary the organisers added.

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It is official; Toyota’s small car will be called as Etios.

This car will be launched as a concept at the New Delhi Auto Expo of 2010. Tata Motors can breathe easy at the moment as this small car will certainly not be a Nano rival as it will be expected to cost around $10,000. But Toyota has Maruti Suzuki’s Swift in their radar as this car will challenge the uninterrupted run of one of India's popular hatchbacks.

The Etios name means 'the origin of'. This concept car will be a 90 per cent production reality. So expect no major changes in the concept car and that of the production model.

As per Auto Car India, Toyota will showcase both the hatch and notchback body models in the Auto Expo. The hatchback version of the small car will go on sale to begin with and the sedan version is set to follow soon in about three months after the hatchback version hits the Indian market.

The Etios is expected to come in two engine options, a 1.4 liter diesel which does its duty in the Yaris and a 1.2 or 1.3 Liter petrol engine. Toyota has in its stock the 1.3 K3 engine but might downsize the engine to 1.2 l engine due to the stringent regulations put forth by the Government of India to meet the small car regulations.

Toyota will not compromise on the quality of the car and hence will go for a gradual ramp-up in production of the car so that it will sell the car in larger volumes later. Toyota in an aim to keep the costs as low as possible will probably resort to limited sound-proofing, a hard but durable interior, basic seats and one windscreen wiper.

This small car of Toyota being a global car, might be sold in markets like Russia and South America apart from India by the end of 2010.

Toyota will display the car alongside 13 other concept and production vehicles at the New Delhi show, which begins on January 5.

Source: AutoCar India: http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/Toyota/246166/

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Remember we had come up with a blog on Lexus LF-A some time back? Well, we are back again, but of course in a different beat and tune.

Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota had come out with a super car strangely named Lexus LF-A and intended to produce only 500 units of these beasts costing Rs 3 crore and above a piece.

The super car which is endowed with conventional rear-wheel drive and transaxle six-speed automated sequential gearbox for smooth shifting of gears carries under its hood a 4.8-litre, 552 bhp, V10 powerful engine. Moreover, the engine revs rise and fall so quickly and with such a sharp timbre that it feels like a pure race engine. The LF-A can sprint 0-100 km/h in 3.7seconds and can run at a top speed of 323km/h.

Now let’s come to the main part of this blog. You can only imagine the raw sound and thump it would create right?

Toyota’s stint with F1 probably has served its purpose as the Lexus LF-A will now come with a distinctive Formula-1 inspired sound from its silencer pipe. That’s a song for a car that is fitted with an equally explicit car engine eh? The acoustics have been tuned to create a rumbling note at idle, which rises to a spine-tingling wail at higher revs.

‘The acoustic team studied the noise made by a Formula 1 car at maximum revs, then applied detailed design features to create an exhaust note for the LFA that is unlike any other car on the road, enhancing the sensation of speed and acceleration,’ says a press release from Lexus.

Unlike other supercars, the LFA’s engine induction and exhaust sounds are actually channelled into the car’s cabin, so people on board can enjoy the experience as much as those on the outside. Do we hear you say Mother of God, give us more? Wishes granted, here you go…
The main sound channel that pipes in the engine’s induction notes runs from the surge tank into the cabin below the main dashboard panel, while two further sound channels run to an opening in the upper cowl on top of the dashboard structure and a reflector panel low down at the front of the cabin. Together with the primary sound channel, these put the driver at the centre of what the Lexus LFA team calls the 3D Surround Sound Concept.

Well, we can already see the mechs and sound engineers in Ferrari, Lamborghini and Nissan scurrying for cover or are they off for the Iron Maiden Rock concert to learn more of acoustics?

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Volkswagen has overtaken Toyota to become the world's largest car manufacturer, thanks largely to a merger with Porsche AG.
The German car maker has produced 4.4 million automobiles so far this year, outstripping its Japanese rival which has seen four million cars roll off production lines since January.

But, Volkswagen reached this milestone by taking over Porsche and Porsche became the tenth brand in the Volkswagen familys. Hence, the combined entity VW-Porsche built 4.4 million cars to date this year and stripped Toyota of its first place as the largest auto maker.

The change may not be permanent as the Japanese behemoth has the capacity to make 10 million vehicles a year and due to a slowing global economy it has decided to half its production this year.

General Motors was once the world's largest car maker for 80 years until it filed for bankruptcy and Toyota emerged as the number one car maker in 2009. Moreover, this is not for the first time that Volkswagen has achieved a major milestone; last year it overtook Ford Motors to conquer the third position in global sales.

While Toyota went on to benefit from US government's cash-for-clunkers programme, the German auto major benefited even more from similar programmes in operation in Europe. In China, Volkswagen shot past Toyota as the Chinese government attempted to boost demand by cutting back taxes on car sales.

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It seems like Hyundai is on a roll. One year after promising to become the leading manufacturer in fuel economy, Hyundai delivered by topping the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy report. Hyundai passed all major manufacturers in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) including traditional leaders like Honda and Toyota.

The report demonstrates the effectiveness of Hyundai's value-driven fuel-efficiency strategy, which focuses on the intelligent application of cost-effective technologies. The report also substantiates Hyundai's leadership in the race to achieve the US government-mandated 2016 CAFE standard of 35.5 miles per gallon.

"Our thoughtful application of cost-effective, fuel-efficient technologies has helped us achieve our goal of leading the industry in fuel economy ahead of schedule," said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. He also added that Hyundai hoped to extend that leadership with the launch of our new direct injection, turbocharging and lithium-polymer hybrid technologies, all of which will be a part of the 2011 Sonata lineup launching early next year.

Hyundai is aligning global R&D resources at its engineering centers in California, Michigan, Korea, India and Germany to develop the Blue Drive technologies needed to achieve fuel efficiency goals. Under the Hyundai Blue Drive strategy, technologies such as direct injection, turbo-charging, hybrid drive systems and a number of others will all play larger roles in powering future models to offer consumers lower emissions, enhanced performance and more miles per gallon.

Carazoo.com here gives the list of car makers who have scored high in producing fuel-efficient vehicles according to Environmental Protection Agency Fuel Economy Reports :

Group Fuel Economy (mpg)
----------------------------------
Manufacturer Overall (Cars/Trucks)
-------------- ---------------------
Hyundai 30.1
------- ----
Honda 29.7
----- ----
Volkswagen 29.6
---------- ----
Toyota 29.4
------ ----
Kia 28.0
--- ----
Nissan 27.2
------ ----
BMW 26.9
--- ----
Ford 25.7
---- ----
General Motors 24.5
-------------- ----
Chrysler 23.2
-------- ----

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Hyundai though is flying its flag high in the automotive world after the recession; it had to take a bow when it came to the ever competitive Japanese auto market. There is a surging demand for Hyundai vehicles elsewhere in the world, but the red-faced Hyundai Motors had to pull out from the Japanese scene citing poor brand recognition and high import duties on its cars that made it very expensive in the highly competitive Japanese auto Market.

Hyundai which has in total 46 dealers in Japan has finally decided to say sayonara to the Japanese market. Hyundai just sold 800 units in 2009 and overall just 15,095 units since its entry to the Japanese market in 2001. Japan, a country where patriotism runs very high, people have given thumbs down for any foreign operators operating in the country and have welcomed the local brands with open hands where there is a huge fan following for these brands.

A visibly frustrated spokesman of Hyundai, Oles Gadacz, is of the opinion that there is no scope for them in the brand conscious Japan unless they were Gucci or BMW.

Hyundai, which is South Korea’s Numero Uno automaker and arguably the only company in the world to have shown an increase in sales from 2008 levels, has finally called it quits and intends to focus on its commercial vehicle sales in Japan and other emerging markets like India and China.

Japan is one of the toughest markets in the world where brand value matters and not to mention intense competition from local manufacturers from the likes of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki, Daihatsu etc and not to mention the imports. That is one heavy competition out there.

However, Hyundai’s sales have taken a massive leap in India though.

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Lexus has unveiled its first supercar. The LF-A took six years to get to come to shape and hence there is lot of expectation from this fast car.

The super car will carry a 4.8-litre V10 powerful powerplant under its bonnet. The engine will blow out a robust power of 552bhp and it is coupled with a transaxle six-speed automated sequential gearbox for smooth shifting of gears. The car is endowed with conventional rear-wheel drive.

The chassis and the body panels make use of excess carbon fibre reinforced plastic to give the car a lightweight for better aerodynamics. The appearance of the car commands attention; the supercar is splendidly designed, whether it’s on facade or inside the car. Hence, the typical Lexus virtues of quality and refinement are very much intact in this model.

The incredible LF-A comes in a blend of leather, carbon, aluminium and a super high tech TFT screen rev-counter. The steering wheel is light and electrically assisted unlike other supercars. The pedals are exquisitely designed with forged aluminium.

Just like other super car, the engine of the Lexus FL-A fares a little as it catches, but soon settles down to give a smooth and restful ride like all cars from Lexus stable. Moreover, the engine revs rise and fall so quickly and with such a sharp timbre that it feels like a pure race engine. The LF-A can sprint 0-100 km/h in 3.7seconds and can run at a top speed of 323km/h.

In true supercar fashion, Lexus is asking for a whooping amount of money for the LF-A and secondly because it will produce only 500 units. The LF-A supercar carries a super cost of Rs 3 Crore in the UK.

Let us hope Toyota decides to bring in a few of these to India!

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It is a trend that is seen not only among the car makers, but it is now seen in almost all of the economic and business sectors. If you are a car savvy, then there is little chance that you do not know about the eco-friendly innovations in the motor world. And to know about the current likings of the customers, you would need to just glance through the ongoing motor show, the Tokyo Motor Show.

But it also appears to be that the electric cars are winning over the hybrid cars. And the reason is very clear. The electric cars manifest the eco-friendly movement much better than the hybrid cars and so the car world is now more inclined towards them. And it is very much evident in the Tokyo Motor Show that began yesterday.

There is a great love for the super-skinny electric car from Nissan and the Toyota electric concept car FT-EV II. The electric car Leaf from Nissan will be displayed for the first time at this show, the car will be launched in 2010.

The high significance for electric cars is because of that the hybrid cars are heavier, much complicated than an electric car and runs on petrol. And it is no wonder that the zero emission electric cars with rechargeable batteries will in no time march towards the number one position pushing the hybrid cars behind.

It doesn’t mean that the hybrid cars are not inviting any attention. The Honda CR-Z concept car debuts at the show and the crowd seems to have got completely enchanted at this sportier second version of CR-Z. It is truly a delightful sight to see how the car world is evolving.

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Toyota has many plans for India. The Japanese car honcho is all set to launch the Prius in India early next year.

World’s numero uno car maker Toyota also plans to expand in the Indian car industry. It is planning to foray into the small car segment by 2011. Toyota has secured its ground in India with sedans and SUVs and its sales chart topper Innova MUV. And now, for the first time, the car giant is going to make inroads in the small car segment in India. For this, Toyota is bringing in its small car brand Daihatsu in India and India is going to be Toyota’s base for all of its future global small cars.

The upcoming Toyota small car will stand against the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the Hyundai i20. It will be positioned at the premium end of the small car market. The car will comply with needs and tastes of the Indian buyer.

It has been revealed that the Toyota small car will be within four metres in length and come with a 1.2-litre petrol engine. The company is planning to launch both the hatchback and sedan versions of the car. The sedan will come with a 1.5L engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine may follow the petrol version. The base model of the car will also have options to select various high-end safety features like Anti Braking System (ABS).

Toyota is keen to give the proposed car a contemporary international look while keeping the price as low as possible without any compromise on quality. The company is looking at sharing components from other models with the proposed compact car to reduce the production cost.

The small car will also be at least 10 per cent more fuel-efficient than a similar-size competing car in the present Indian market. Moreover, Toyota will introduce the car with a four-cylinder engine that will be Bharat Stage IV emission norm compliant.

Toyota has a minimal market share of 3 per cent in India. It is evaluating to increase its market share by 2015. Toyota also expects that sales from India will contribute up to 4 per cent to its total global sales by 2015 on the back of its proposed small car launch.

With the launch of the Prius and the above mentioned upcoming small car, Toyota is looking to add another product to its portfolio. The company is looking to position this car between its proposed small car and the Innova. This car will be priced somewhere between Rs 6-8 Lakh.

This car model is likely to go on sale in the next two years. The all-new car will accommodate five-six persons comfortably and feature a sub 2.0-litre diesel engine. As Toyota Kirloskar Motors Limited wants to play safe with the new car and not affect Innova sales, the proposed new car is classified as “a ‘people mover’, not an SUV.”

The parent company has been evaluating certain models for India, including the Toyota Avensis Verso MPV and the Toyota Avanza for benchmarking purposes.

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Yes, you read the headline right. A car without a steering wheel. Sounds pretty interesting!

World’s largest car maker Toyota Motor Corporation has come up with a concept car, FT-EV II. The FT-EV II is going to take all car enthusiasts by surprise as it does not have a steering wheel like regular cars do.

You must be wondering, how anyone could drive a car without foot pedals and steering wheels. Well, it turns out that is how this car functions.

The Toyota FT-EV II concept car relies on the core technology of the Toyota Hybrid System. The concept car runs on a lithium ion battery and this battery can provide fuel for upto ninety kilometres. Moreover, the FT-EV II can reach a maximum speed of 100 km/h. Cool, eh?

But what will happen if this car goes into production?
Traffic rules will change, that’s for sure, particularly for this car. New traffic rules will then allow drivers of this car to talk on cell phone without the hands free devices while driving as the driver’s hands will be free.
There is no information about the price or availability as the Toyota FT-EV II is still in the conceptual stage.

But, is the world ready for such a futuristic concept?

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The 41st Tokyo Motor Show is fast approaching. And you can surely expect goodies from the auto major Toyota. Yes, Even before we come out dazed looking at the astounding ideas and designs of cars showcased in the Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 we already have the Tokyo Motor Show all set to take us to another level in the world of motoring.
The car makers will be rejoiced to introduce their labour in show. And it will surely be a treat for the car lovers.

Toyota has already publicized its plans on unveiling its lightweight sports car concept at the Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota will showcase FT-86 that has a rear-wheel-drive and can seat up to five adults. The FT-86 is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘Boxer’ engine. And the engine, the company has sourced it from Subaru. It is expected that the company will start the sales of the production-spec FT-86 in 2011.

Toyota also does not forget to introduce an electric car, which is the buzz of the period. And you cannot predict anything less from the Toyota’s stable than a user friendly electric car that is capable of pleasing and satisfying customers with its high-quality performance. And it will be the best choice for the future, where electric cars will be most commonly used.
The FT-EV II will be a four-seater that is powered by lithium-ion batteries. The car id designed basically for short distance travels and has a top speed of more than 100 kilometres per hour and a range of more than 80km.

The FT-EV II is smaller than the Toyota iQ. The car has a drive-by-wire technology that permits all vehicle functions such as the accelerator, brakes and steering to be controlled through a joystick.

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Japan’s third largest car maker has denied its plans to bring in its luxury brand Infiniti to India.

Nissan Motor Company revealed that high import duties on Completely Built Units (CBUs), less demand for such cars, prohibitively expensive spare parts and infrastructure bottlenecks are the reason for opting out to launch the Infiniti brand. Moreover, India is a very critical market for the car major in the long run and all its investment plans and product launches are still on track.

The Infiniti car division Nissan officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989 in North America and its global operations have since grown to include the Middle East, South Korea, Russia, Switzerland, China and Ukraine. Infiniti began sales in additional European markets in late 2008.

But the Japanese car manufacturer is willing to introduce nine new models to the Indian car bazaar by 2012. Besides, Nissan also plans to earmark India one of its key manufacturing locations for its compact cars, which include products such as Micra.

The chief reasons cited by the company were low-cost advantage, vast pool of talented workforce, engineering expertise, etc. The low-cost, but trained manpower, thousands of component makers and easy access to growing markets make India an attractive destination for small cars.

India will be an export hub for compact cars for many countries, especially for Europe from the second half of 2010. Nissan which is scheduled to unveil its revamped Micra in March 2010 at the Geneva Motor show plans to launch the same in India after a couple of months.

It may be recalled that in the past Toyota has refuted to launch its luxury brand ‘Lexus’ in India and Honda has said no to ‘Acura’.

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We are still not the first, but we are certainly among the best small car market in the world. The Indian car market is now the second largest small car manufacturer. This is of course an achievement we can boast about. But this should not be a surprise for those who know the booming demand for small cars in India.

The demand for small cars in India is not a new trend. The passion for small cars has a long history in the Indian car market. Most of the favourite cars of India are small cars. The Maruti 800, Maruti Alto, Hyundai Santro have all been successful for their compact nature and affordable pricing. And the auto makers were also happy to boost the small car sales bringing out more small cars. And this has now resulted in India becoming the second largest small car market in the world, where Brazil adorns the first place.

The Indian small cars are in demand not only in the domestic market but there has also been a huge requirement globally resulting in a very high export percentage. Maruti has contributed a major part in the increasing sales of small cars. It has launched, in the past one year, very famous small cars including A-star, Ritz and facelifted Estilo.

The future of small cars in the Indian market is also bright and gay. There has been a huge list of small cars that is awaiting its entry into the Indian small car market. Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo, and Chevrolet Beat are just a few among them.

Major companies like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Renault will be launching their new small cars in the near future. Meanwhile, companies like Toyota and Honda has already requesting the government to change the criterion that specifies a small car.

It seems that the Indian small car industry will witness a huge change and it will be driven by the never fading demand for small cars.

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The one reason why not many CNG cars are available in the Indian car market is that there aren’t many fuel stations in the country where CNG is available.

Customer-friendly car makers of the country who generally think about the likes and comforts of their customers will abandon the thought of making CNG variants optional to the customers as they don’t want their customers to wander around for filling their fuel or even get stuck without enough fuel.

The car customers of the country favours the launch of cars fitted with CNG, as it is more durable and comes with a guarantee from the company, rather than the ones that is fitted outside, which will not have any guarantee from the car maker.

Toyota is launching a new variant of its successful model Corolla Altis, a CNG variant. The new model is expected to hit the Indian roads at the right time, in the next month, during the festival season. The Altis Corolla CNG will have tank capacity of 14kg and Sequential Injection system, along with its own ECU, which gives the car supreme economy by not sacrificing on performance.

With only a single competent in the segment, Chevrolet Optra CNG, the Toyota Corolla Altis will have a smooth sale in the Indian car market. Corolla Altis is the second model from Toyota, after Innova, which comes in a CNG version.

It feels like Toyota knows the way out from the situation in the country where there is a lack of CNG stations, and it is simply more and more CNG versions of cars, which will force the launch of more CNG station due to the increase in demand.

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General Motors Co. after months of hard times is now ready to win back those days when the company was among the best auto makers of the world, the company is not only thinking for its customers but is also thinking for a better tomorrow. The company is experimenting on the fuel cell cars.

This was just another initiative from the company, but now, it doesn’t seems so and the reason that oblige us to think otherwise is the numbers, the company claims that it has passed the one million miles driven mark. The Chevrolet Equinox vehicles equipped with the fuel cell is really able to bring in some great attention, within the 25 month’s time, from the American crowd that have been very keen on driving this car.

The interest for the fuel cell cars speaks volumes and supports many others views and reports about the growing interest of the American car customers for green cars. Even though it will take some time before eco-friendly cars with the latest features will be available in the American car market, the American car buyers seem to be not bothered about them, but they are all willing to go green as soon as possible, it seems that the economic slowdown is teaching them new lessons for a better and greener tomorrow.

The fuel cells used in the GM cars are powered by electricity, which is created as a result of a reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. And the only thing that comes out of the emission pipe is water. The GM is not alone in the path to an eco-friendly technology for cars, Toyota, which has already produced hydrogen and electricity powered car, and Daimler AG, which is spending millions of dollars to start the production of fuel cell cars by 2011.

The company, in India, is also in advance talks with Maini Reva, an electric car maker, for a joint venture. If successful, the company will manufacture Chevrolet Spark based on the Reva technology, which is again eco friendly.

The current GM is born of the ashes from the once glorious General Motors and the company is double careful even making a single step and that could be the reason why the company has focused on the need of the time and the slogan for a pollution free tomorrow, green.

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There is a good chance that your will become a small car very soon. To make matters more clear removing the cloud of confusion in the first sentence, here is a further explanation to it. The Japanese car makers Toyota and Honda Motors are the two that are looking for a change in the way India will define a small car.

The companies are asking the Indian government to “Change the criteria of classifying a small car”. And there is a good reason for this which will not only benefit the two companies but all the car makers in the country; and the better reason is that in India small cars have lower tax rates.

But will the two be able to change the mind of the Indian government into thinking different about small cars and classify a different set of cars as small cars taking into consideration the new criteria such as the emission norms, fuel efficiency, and passenger safety and not the engine capacity, which has been for a long time, the defining factor.

This request raised by the Toyota and Honda has invited different opinions. Many are of the same opinion that the government should stop defining a car as small just by considering the fuel and engine capacity.

The demand of the small cars in the country is really do the magic and that could be the reason why these companies want the Indian government to think new. It is expected that if the governments nods at changing the defining criterion then there will be a huge shuffle in the Indian car industry.

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A new affordable sports car from Toyota’s mill is in the making.

The word is out that Japanese automaker Subaru will joins hands with Toyota to manufacture this "exciting" and "fun to drive" sports car, which is nicknamed the "Subieyota".

This car will be initially sold in the United States and will be launched in the market by next year. The company is willing to introduce this sports car in the United States as part of an effort to inject more passion into Toyota’s otherwise conservative lineup.

This model is likely to have a rear-wheel drive coupe, which might be equipped with a choice of a 2-liter or a 2.4-liter engine. Moreover, the car is considered to be compact and lightweight.

Toyota is the largest shareholder in Subaru’s parent, Fuji Heavy Industries. Furthermore, Subaru manufactures the Camry sedans for Toyota at its plant in Lafayette, Indiana.

Toyota has sold sporty vehicles like the MR2 and the Celica in the United States so far. But it didn’t have a sports car in the American lineup of its Toyota brand for several years. Since 2004 , it has traded the Scion tC, a sporty coupe meant for the new young generation. The new sports car is expected to many features similar to the tC.

We are hoping that this sporty car will be unleashed in the Indian market soon after it makes its world debut in the United States.

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Toyota is in for a great change in the way it thinks. And the wait-and-see attitude of the company will certainly do good for the company’s expected small car that is that will be launched in 2010. Hope the customers who are yearning for the car will never get disappointed with Toyota as it has a history of satisfying its customers through their cars.

It seems that this perfect picture about a small car will have shades of Tata also in it. It does not sound surprising for sure as Tata has been supplying nearly 90 per cent of its auto-grade steel and has also been helping out Toyota to choose the most accurate steel for Toyota’s largest selling MUV in India, Toyota Innova. And now Tata might also supply skin panel for the proposed small car from Toyota.

This is not a probability, as it can be almost certain that Tata will be supplying steel for the skin panel of the small car. The skin panel shapes the outer part of the car and gives the car a fine look.

But it should also be strong, thin and formable which makes it very necessary the steel should be of very high quality. And Tata being fifth largest steel producer and already supplying steel for the skin panels for itself, Tata Motors, Honda, Maruti, and Hyundai, Toyota might not waste time searching for another steel supplier.

Toyota launched the face lifted Toyota Camry just a week ago and has already given the word that it will launch its SUV Fortuner on August 24th, much before its expected launch in the month of September.

It is also expected that except for the relauch and new variants of the existing cars, Toyota is not thinking about any other car until it delivers its small car. And all of this, for the cause of bringing out its small car by the end of 2010.

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