Carazoo Indian Car Blog

Here Comes the New Corolla Altis

The competition in the Indian car market has made the going tough for every car manufacturer. All auto majors are on the verge of rolling out new cars and this time its time for the famed Toyota.

Finally, the New Toyota Corolla Altis makes its debut in the Indian car market. The car will create a completely new market in the C segment.

The new Corolla Altis is powered by a 1.8L engine churning out around 140bhp. The new car is ardently designed with elegant and styling features. The car's body is slightly lower than the existing Corolla and taller than Honda Civic.

Some of the most enticing features of the new Altis are automatic transmission with sequential shift, 8-way power driver seat with power lumbar support, cruise control; steering wheel mounted audio controls and choice of luxurious leather upholstery.

Priced between Rs 10.83 lakh and Rs 12.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Corolla Altis is available in three grades of petrol version.

So, wake up Toyota fans, its time for you to drive your new Corolla.

Labels: Car-Manufacturer, Indian-car-market, New-Cars, Toyota, Toyota- Corolla-Altis

 

posted by Carazoo.com @ Monday, September 08, 2008 3 Comments

One More Hybrid Car to Hit Indian Roads

The Indian car market does not have any hybrid cars as of now though they have been around for over two decades in the US and Europe. Hybrid cars consume less fuel and have lower emission levels. Despite all these merits, they have not been popular with the masses because of their exorbitant prices. But now hybrids have become hot favourites with the issue of global warming and energy consumption.

After Honda’s announcement of a launch of the Civic Hybrid in India, the world’s No. 1 hybrid car Toyota Prius is set to arrive too. Prius is the most fuel efficient car in the US. The car is likely to be available at a price tag of Rs 18-20 Lakh.

Labels: Honda, hybrid cars, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo.com @ Friday, June 06, 2008 6 Comments

Toyota Splits India Operations

India is becoming big on the global map. It is not about geographical dimensions but the consumer power. The consumerism of cars is getting bigger and more global brands are arriving every day.

The car companies which came first have grown in size. One such company is Toyota which came to India in 1996. They brought with them one of their cheap utility vehicles for a market that was ready to gobble it up quickly. The company now wants to get bigger and better. So, it has planned to split its current Indian operations, jointly carried out with Kirloskar.

The two new companies will have different roles – one will manufacture and the other will market, while being completely independent of each other. This split will herald a new chapter for car companies in India.

Labels: India operation, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Monday, May 12, 2008 0 Comments

Toyota to go ‘small’ by 2010

Toyota will be rolling out its small car in the Indian market by 2010 and they plan to invest in a new plant at Bangalore with a capacity of 100 thousand units. Toyota’s small car will not only be sold in India but will also be exported to overseas markets.

Toyota’s idea of a small car for India came after the sudden boom in the small car segment. Presently, Toyota competes in the Indian premium car sedan segment with the Corolla and Camry models and has an SUV Land Cruiser Prado.

Labels: new car plant, small cars, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Thursday, April 10, 2008 1 Comments

Toyota will launch Lexus cars in India

Indian auto industry is undoubtedly becoming a hottest hub for global players. Launching of new luxury cars, SUVs and sedans have become common these days in India by foreign car manufacturers like BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz in collaboration with Indian car manufacturers. Now, Toyota has joined this bandwagon by announcing the launch of Lexus cars in India.

Lexus brands have already captured the luxury car market globally and became hit all over the world including USA. Lexus is highest selling global marquee and will reach the Indian market through Toyota. Lexus cars are crafted with elegant design, powerful engines and superb interiors to woo people to buy these brands in India.

Toyota does not want to release any of the Lexus brands in hurry but will take at least a year to launch them. It will launch LS 450 sedan first and later on LX 470 SUV. Surely, slow and steady wins the game!

Labels: Auto market competition, Lexus brands, luxury cars, Luxury sedan, new car launch, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Tuesday, March 25, 2008 3 Comments

Luxury cars to get tested in India

With global car manufacturers moving to India, luxury car makers like BMW, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda are now seeking the government’s assistance to test their cars in India. The manufacturers want to test their cars for durability and performance in Asian markets.

India is one of the most diverse environments in the world ranging from very hot to very cold, which makes it a suitable base for not only manufacturing cars and other vehicles, but also for vehicle testing, which was earlier confined to the European Alps and American deserts. These changes will not only bring in further employment opportunities, but also help manufacturers customize luxury cars to suit Indian roads and Indian drivers instead of just importing tweaked and often completely revamped cars.

Labels: BMW, luxury cars, Toyota, Vehicle performance testing

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Wednesday, March 05, 2008 1 Comments

Toyota should bring in small cars

Toyota has had a long successful run in India since its arrival. I am surprised that even though small cars constitute to a major percentage of the Indian auto market share, Toyota has not ventured into this segment in India. Toyota has a partnership with Daihatsu Motors, which is a leading mini car manufacturer in Japan and Toyota holds 51 percent stakes in this partnership.

Toyota’s products have usually been universally accepted. Even the SUV Qualis (which I really thought was a Tin Drum) was in high demand when its production stopped at the Indian plant.

Maybe India will get a taste of Japan’s favourite small cars in the near future. After all, Indian narrow roads and crowded streets will make these small cars feel perfectly at home!

Article Submitted by KnowAutos

Labels: New Car, Small car market in India, SUVs, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Friday, February 29, 2008 4 Comments

Toyota has opened a used car outlet in Delhi

Now-a-days, there’s a great demand for used cars in India. It’s difficult to figure out the exact reason for this. It’s most probably because cars have now become very affordable to most middle class families. Small cars like Maruti 800, Chevrolet Spark, and Santro Xing are available at very attractive prices. To be able to buy new cars and better cars, people are selling off their old cars without giving much thought to the actual re-sale value of the car. This has led to a rise in the used car business. It has turned out to be very lucrative business.

Many car manufacturers are cashing in on this trend. Maruti came out with their TrueValue service some time back. Hyundai called their business “Hyundai Exchange”. Now, Toyota has started its own used car outlet in New Delhi. They are calling it “U Trust”. They are looking forwarding to helping people pick-up good used cars at minimal prices and are also providing financing options as a value-added service.

Labels: Hyundai, Maruti, new cars, old cars, second hand cars, Toyota, Used cars

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Thursday, February 21, 2008 3 Comments

Quality should be Priority!

I was happy to read that Indian goods are more agreeable to the western market consumers than Chinese stuff. I hope this extends to cars made in India as well. I went to Malaysia for a trip and my gang of friends had this Toyota Qualis pick us up. I didn’t get a look at the name of the SUV when I was getting in, but the ride was so comfortable and spacious that I looked at the name tag at the back and it said Qualis! This model was NOT like the tin cup we get in India. This made me realize that India is still treated to low-quality products.

Indian car manufacturers have received little support from big players before, but the fast growing economy has made foreigners look at Indian companies seriously. Today, it is Mahindra and Tata Motors that are slowly penetrating these foreign markets. I wish that these guys start manufacturing international standard products like Maruti is trying to do and then sell these quality products within India as well. Prices be damned – I want quality for a change!

Article submitted by Swami

Labels: Car market competition, Mahindra, Maruti, Quality of car products in India, Tata, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Wednesday, February 13, 2008 2 Comments

Toyota Answers My Green Prayers!

I read so many articles about environment pollution due to increasing number of vehicles on Indian roads and like so many others I blamed car manufacturers for not showing any concern towards this grave issue. However, I found myself in the wrong. Very recently, I attended Toyota India’s 10th anniversary celebration attended by high-profile personalities and auto big-wigs.

As the function progressed, Katsuaki Watanabe, President of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in India shared his views. He revealed that Toyota cars have always tried to use eco-friendly engines and that they will have hybrid technology implemented in almost all their cars in the next few years to reduce the pollution levels in India. Toyota wants to harmonize the cycle of Industry with the cycles of nature according to their Global Vision 2020.

Today, I am quite relieved to know that there are some car manufacturers like Toyota who are committed and are seriously making efforts to protect our environment. And in my effort to support them; I will be first in-queue when these Hybrid cars are launched.

Article Submitted by TK Nair

Labels: Hybrid eco-friendly cars, Hybrid technology, Hybrids in India, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Friday, February 08, 2008 2 Comments

Hurrah for Green Cars - Ethanol can get cheaper!

I just read that the oil ministry has decided to give Ethanol a declared goods status, which means that its cost could go down compared to its current cost of Rs 28 per litre. I have been following up the news about the launch of the Hybrid green cars that Honda and Toyota are suppose to launch this year. Naturally, I am an eco-friendly guy and I like the idea of my kids growing up in greener city than what I get to see now!

Ethanol is the favoured fuel for these hybrid green cars and if this policy goes through, then ethanol will become the cheapest fuel for cars. So, like nowadays, Diesel cars cost more than Petrol cars because diesel is cheaper than petrol, similarly these Hybrid cars may be the most expensive of the lot, but the fuel and daily expenditure on the car will be comparatively the least.

These green cars keep sounding better and better!

Labels: Environment friendly cars, Honda, hybrid cars, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Friday, February 01, 2008 4 Comments

Hydrogen-driven vehicles to be tested

The government should stress on research for Hydrogen vehicles. Hydrogen is abundantly available in the world. Harnessing this energy for vehicle consumption will free the world not only from pollution but also the green house gases.

The Scandinavian country, Norway, will be testing Hydrogen-powered vehicles sometime this summer under the project named ‘Hynor’. The test will be conducted over a 580 km route from the national capital Oslo and Stavanger.

The cars will be supplied by the Japanese car manufacturer, Mazda Motor Corporation. Other car makers who are already researching in this field are Honda Motors and Toyota; both of these manufacturers have already churned out successful Hybrid cars.

If the project becomes a success, then such tests can be conducted worldwide and replicated. This will ensure a greener tomorrow for the future generation and Indian car manufacturers should start thinking about developing these factions in their upcoming R&D facilities.

Article submitted by Rajiv Shukla

Labels: Honda, hybrid cars, Submitted Article, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Thursday, January 31, 2008 3 Comments

Innova to get a facelift for 2008

Toyota Innova, India's most preferred Multi Purpose Vehicle, is all set to get a facelift soon. The sporty looking Innova is on the roads everywhere in the country. It’s been the most preferred choice for cabs and is very popular with large families. Its competitive pricing has done it wonders.

Toyota wants to give the Indian public an even better looking Innova. The slightly re-designed Innova could be on the market by 2008.

The second generation Innova will undergo several minor changes. The focus will be on bumpers, headlights and taillights. On the inside, the model could add a new climate control system and parking sensors. With the new Innova speculated to be larger than its predecessor, parking sensors could be just what the people would want for a long car such as this.

Toyota’s idea of a facelift for the Innova could be to get a better hold over the MPV segment. With news of the Mercedes-Benz Viano hitting the market soon, we aren’t too surprised. Price is definitely not something Toyota would worry about with the Viano.

Labels: Facelift, Innova, Mercedes-Benz, MPV, Toyota, Viano

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Tuesday, December 25, 2007 1 Comments

Birthday Blast for Prius

World’s first mass produced hybrid car Toyota Prius celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. It indeed is a time for celebration!

Prius’ immense popularity since its introduction in 1997 encouraged Toyota to develop hybrid variants of other models as well. It even went one step further by adding hybrid technology to its luxury brand ‘Lexus’.

The reason for worldwide acceptance of hybrid technology has been its eco-friendly nature and low running costs. At this anniversary of the Prius, Toyota boasts of having made the world cleaner by selling nearly a million such cars.

Truly, the Prius has brought joy to many. A 2007 J.D. Power and Associates UK Customer Satisfaction Survey rated Prius a “top-ranked individual mode”. After a decade of its existence, Prius still remains a leader in the hybrid car segment.

Kudos to the much-celebrated car on its birthday! We hope to see hybrid cars on our roads very soon. We are eagerly awaiting a Civic Hybrid model from Honda in the coming year. It has already made an announcement regarding the model.

Labels: hybrid cars, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Friday, December 21, 2007 0 Comments

Goodwill Hunting

All efforts to creation of goodwill through corporate social responsibility activities go a long way in marketing and eventually sale of the products, according to a recent study.

During the survey nearly 80 percent of Indian’s said that they would go for car makers who create employment opportunities in India and have environment friendly policies. Maruti got loads of praises for its high quality vehicles provided at low cost and its effort towards job creation in India.

It was also appreciated for bringing in international brands, in joint venture with Japanese car maker Suzuki, at the same time of their international launch. The automotive sector as a whole was lauded for job creation and employee satisfaction efforts. However the survey revealed that the automobile companies need to do more for environment conservation.

Reading the blogs here, it appears that GM, Honda, Toyota, and many others are planning to do just that.

Article submitted by Rajesh Sawant

Labels: corporate social responsibilty, Environment friendly cars, Expansion in Indian auto industry, GM, Honda, Maruti, Suzuki, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Friday, December 07, 2007 1 Comments

China doesn’t lure auto world anymore, India does!

Buying a car is no more a luxury for Indians, it’s a necessity. For the global automotive industry, China is now a passé, India grabs all their attention. Last year, car sales in India totaled in 1.1 million with compact hatchbacks accounting for nearly three quarter of that.

Time for Maruti, Tata, or Mahindra to pull up their socks, foreign automakers like Nissan, Hyundai, and Renault are aiming big in India. A recent auto survey says that the car market in India is growing at an average of 20 percent a year, outpacing even China.

Nissan already made its entry to the Indian market with Renault SA of France and Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and sold its Logan like hot cakes early this year. Japan’s carmakers are not behind in this race, the biggies like Toyota and Honda have already pronounced their presence here loudly.

Maruti 800, Alto, or Santro says small car is always a big hit in India. Incited by Tata's super-cheap People’s Car next year, Nissan and Renault are projecting a car that may sell for as little as $2,500. And now India’s two-wheeler giant Bajaj and Renault are discussing the possibilities of ultra inexpensive cars.

With this pace, bicycle and two wheelers may look like extinct products of the auto world.

Labels: Bajaj, Car competition, Car manufacturers in India, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra, Mahindra-Renault, Maruti, Nissan, Renault, Tata, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Friday, November 23, 2007 0 Comments

East or West, Maruti is the best

Ok, am sure that we all know Maruti Suzuki is the top leading automaker in India. It’s a pretty exciting fact that no matter where you go in India, you can see a Maruti vehicle. From the last seven years Maruti Suzuki is the top ranked in JD Power’s India Customer Satisfaction Index study. Continuing in the first position this year Maruti scored 838 points out of 1000 and the most interesting thing is that Maruti was the only carmaker to score more than the industry average of 777 points.

According to the JD Power’s India Customer Satisfaction Index study the factors contributing to overall satisfaction are the percentage of problems experienced in a car, service quality, and the user friendly service. Take a look at the maintenance services that Maruti is providing. I would say it is truly instant, easily accessible, and affordable. Also the problems experienced in Maruti cars are less. I personally have the opinion that Maruti Services have a very user friendly attitude.

The brands that follow Maruti in the ranking are Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, and Ford. These automakers scored 765, 745, 740, and 737 points respectively, making themselves fit in the top four positions after Maruti. Compared to last years score these automakers showed vast improvement in their scores. Honda, Skoda, and Hyundai showed the highest improvement.

Labels: Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Indian car market, Maruti, Maruti Suzuki, Ratings on JD Customer Satisfaction Index, Skoda, Toyota

 

posted by Carazoo Blog @ Thursday, November 22, 2007 0 Comments

Is Toyota Vios a Good choice for Indians?

Toyota dreams about the launch of its Yaris style big sedan Vios in India. Probably Vios is the most expected car from Toyota in India. Toyota has exhibited its 3rd generation ‘Vios’ at the recently held Bangkok motor show. I got the impression it’s a more ‘rough’ version of the Toyota Yaris. It is expected to launch at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Vios has an all in one look of different sedans. This 3rd generation Vios has the same dimensions as that of the Honda City. It has a look similar to that of the Corolla. At the same time it h