|
|
|
|
| 
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom] |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Thursday, 17 July 2008
 German auto major Volkswagen announces to launch a small car in 2010. The production for this car will start at its upcoming Greenfield plant at Chakan in Pune. Most car consumers have a belief that the proposed small car will compete with the Nano and decrease Tata’s market share. However, the industry news is that the small car from Volkswagen is a premium small car. The only thing common between the Volkswagen small car and the Nano is the tag “small car”. Volkswagen’s small car will be loaded with luxuries and accessories to enhance the comfort level and performance of the car. There are many Indian consumers who are currently in the hunt for a small car because of increasing on-road traffic. However, these consumers are wary of giving up the luxuries that sedans or SUVs offer. In such cases, a small car embodied with luxuries, comfortable accessories, and a fuel efficient engine wins the race to lure a wide range of car consumers. Labels: Nano, small cars, Volkswagen cars
 The Indian car industry is caught in the middle of high inflation and interest rates, soaring fuel prices, and a steep decline in car demand and sales. The steep deviation has caught the industry by surprise. The Bajaj-Renault-Nissan alliance now plans to roll out a portfolio of electric cars with a keen desire to boost the sluggish car demand. The alliance desires to go beyond the ‘ultra low-cost car’ to introduce a range of electric vehicles in India. The company accepts this as a new marketing strategy and has a confirmed belief that car sales will boost as a result of this new marketing strategy. The Bajaj, Nissan, and Renault alliance is not restricted to the production of one single vehicle. The alliance is negotiating to extend their ULC partnership and produce a portfolio of electric vehicles in different segments with varying price tags. The alliance lays its focus on India because it is one of the most cost-effective production centres in the world even after inflation. Labels: Bajaj, Electric Cars, Nissan, small cars
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
 Today, when Nano is at its stage of completion, it is facing various obstacles and challenges. There are three main obstacles that Nano has to overcome. Firstly, the increased cost of production, secondly, the increased material costs, and thirdly, the high interest rates. All these obstacles have challenged the launch of Nano with the announced price tag. Tata Motors have already overrun the cost of production, spending an amount of three billion more than the expected price. An excess of three billion will directly affect the price tag of the Nano during its launch. The company is currently not willing to comment about the launch of the car with the announced price tag.
The increased material costs have hampered the estimated cost price at the final stage and the company is paying a huge amount for raw materials to reach its product target. Even Tata is not sure how much more the company has to pay to complete his dream project. Apart from high input costs, the company is also expected to face the obstacle of high interest rates. People who were eagerly awaiting the Nano launch are now stepping back because the rate of interest has reached almost 17-18%, something that a person with low wages cannot afford. Tata is working hard to push the world’s cheapest car into the Indian market even with all these obstacles. The car was designed with a dream of meeting the needs of low-income families, but now the question is - will this dream be fulfilled? Labels: small cars, Tata cars, tata nano
Friday, 6 June 2008
India has become a hot destination for several foreign car manufacturers. Luxury car manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi already have their presence in the country and manufacturers like General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Hyundai have been around for a long time. A recent entrant into the Indian car market has been Nissan. It’s planning to shift its small car manufacturing facilities to cheaper places like India and Thailand. This will not only improve the price positioning of Nissan’s cars in existing markets but will also provide a foothold in the Indian market. Nissan plans to bring its small car Micra to India and wants to develop two more cars based on the same platform. While these cars are being developed with richer markets such as Europe in mind, India will not lack behind in consumerism. The Micra is expected to cost somewhere in the range of Rs 3-4 Lakh.
Labels: new car launch, Nissan, small cars
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
After Hyundai i10 has been awarded as the Indian Car of the Year 2008, the company is now looking at making the car more attractive to its customers. Hyundai is not satisfied with the report of i10 sale. It is planning to add a 1.2 liter engine to the car, which will puffs 15 bhp more power than the existing model. The existing car is already generating a power of 66.7 bhp. This little change will make the i10 as one of the fastest cars in the small car segment. It will then could be pitched against the performance oriented Palio Stile.
Hyundai, the second largest car manufacturer in India has a very successful portfolio and is aiming to gain the No. 1 position. With a high power vehicle it can make a powerful rival to Maruti. Labels: Hyundai cars, small cars
As fuel prices are increasing at alarming rate, the new cars buyers are postponing their purchases. Indians are blamed for being price sensitive. The Indian car market now wants fuel efficient cars. Maruti Suzuki is experiencing more sales of small cars like Alto, Swift and Dzire as compare to other brands.
Many car companies are offering freebie with the cars to keep their business floating. It is suspected that car sales may fall by 30 percent in May as compared to the April and March. These two months were considered lucky. Car dealers are saying that the proposed massive fuel hike keeping the buyers away. In this situation small fuel efficient cars are more in demand than fuel guzzlers SUVs. Labels: Fuel efficiencient Car, small cars
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
The new accord is bigger than its predecessor in every direction, obviously it’s a good thing because it has got more space, features & more importantly presence, but the question is how long are the manufacturers going to make their cars bigger. Civic used to be a pint sized hatch years ago, now it’s a full blown sedan. As the days go by, traffic has become big nuisance & bigger cars would certainly not help. Going by this trend the accord of 2025 would be as long as a Maybach 62. Parking is difficult & with more cars added every day, even rich people would go for small cars soon. Surely, cars are safer & better built these days, but they are becoming bigger & bigger which would cause even greater traffic problems. The solution is not to increase the size with every new model, but comply with the latest technologies. Sometimes being bigger is certainly not better, better buy REVA! Submitted By: Somnath chatterjeeLabels: Future of cars, small cars
Monday, 12 May 2008
The newly launched Skoda Fabia small car has been working wonders for the Czech car manufacturer. The Fabia sold out in high numbers since it was introduced to India in January this year. Skoda posted an 81% rise in sales during the month of April.
Here’s news that will surely bring a cheer to all Skoda fans. Skoda does not seem satisfied with its deeds yet and is already working on a new small car. The new car will first be launched in India and later taken to European markets. It’s not expected anytime soon though and is likely to debut in 2010. Labels: Car-Sales, new car launch, Skoda, small cars
Monday, 5 May 2008
With the hike in petrol prices, it is now observed that US car buyers are moving to smaller cars. One in five cars sold in America is a small car. And the worst hits are the US car manufacturers who thrived on larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks. Thanks to increased petrol prices. It is now the turn of Asian tigers to roar in the west. Toyota, Honda and Suzuki which have lots of small cars in their portfolio are doing a roaring business. It is also high time for the Indian car companies like Tata and Reva to enter the US market with their small cars. It is not difficult as an open market easily allows for Indian companies to enter USA provided that Indian car companies adhere to the stringent emission norms. If India answers’ this vital question, the west will be again looking at East for resources. It could be a repeat of the gold and pepper search of the west. Labels: Increase in petrol price, small cars
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Small car are people’s car and they are the best suited for the Indian roads. Their popularity in India is growing in a big way. Here is great and interesting news about them. The Congress UPS government has given tax sops to the Indian auto industry and this means that small car will be cheaper now. Now this is the time to rejoice for the new car buyers. Wait there is more to small cars; they will be still cheaper by Rs. 9,000–14,000 as there will be exemption of customs duty on steel too. The excise duty is also scraped from 12%to 4%. There will be a huge difference in the price now and the sales figure of the small cars are gonnna go very high. There is another segment which has also undergone a reduction in duty from 24% to 14% and that in the hybrid section. Toyota Motors will be benefited with this reduction and later Hyundai motors, as they are planning to roll out their hybrid car in India very soon. Labels: hybrid cars, Hyundai Motors, small cars, Toyota Motors
Thursday, 17 April 2008
With in a span of six months, the entry level car segment has become the most competitive segment. Interestingly, all these cars are under the 4 meter length and quality for a lesser excise duty than regular sedans. First Tata Motors launched Indigo CS, and recently Maruti released the Swift DZire in March. Toyota has also jumped the fray and has announced a small sedan to compete against the two big players. While Suzuki tampered with existing car Swift, Toyota will bring with the Japanese experience of small cars. It has partnership with Daihatsu Motors, a leading manufacturer of small cars in Japan. The company is also appreciated for meeting international standards for car comfort. So when you can get all conveniences and comforts in smaller sedans, why go for larger cars at all? Labels: Sedans, small cars, Toyata
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Hyundai wants to modify its highest selling hatchback Santro Xing and launch it again. The Santro will be fitted with a lighter 1.1 liter diesel engine that produces a whopping 75 bhp. The car will give an impressive mileage of 20 kmpl which is good fuel efficiency rate. Most Indian buyers will be impressed with it. Now who can beat that! Hyundai itself! With the new small displacement engine it is surely going to become a major competitor for a lot small cars. It may be launched in May or June 2008. Santro has already become a huge hit in urban areas. With its new avatar it could become a nightmare to its rivals.
Labels: Car-Engines, Hatchbacks, Hyundai, small cars
Hyundai Motors has contributed a lot in auto industry by offering stylish, powerful and stable cars to millions of people in India at reasonable prices. After achieving a tremendous success in car business, Hyundai is now moving to rapidly growing luxury bus market in India. The Hyundai will manufacture buses in collaboration with London based Caparo group.
When we talk about Hyundai, the pictures of Hyundai’s popular small cars including cute i10, Getz Prime, Santro Xing will emerge in our minds. Hyundai has been in car business for the past many decades, so it easily understands what customers are expecting from it.
As it always worked as per the whims and fancies of its customers to keep them happy by releasing many good cars and enjoyed a great patronage of its customer for maintaining quality in its products, will also capture commercial vehicle market by manufacturing well-equipped buses in future. Labels: Car manufacturing, Hyundai, luxury buses, small cars
Friday, 11 April 2008
One of the cutest and most recently launched models from Hyundai Motors, the i10 has been much appreciated by the Indian public. It has now bagged the ‘Indian Car of the Year – 2008’ (ICOTY) award. The car was judged on the basis of quality, drive and overall performance. Other factors like fuel efficiency, ride, handling, safety, comfort, driver satisfaction and price were also considered before cars were ranked on a 25-point scale where a maximum of 10 points was given to a car.
The i10 was unveiled last year and falls into the small car segment. It comes with a price tag ranging between 3.5-4 Lakh. It has already won many hearts with its performance and style. It’s the first compact car to come with a sunroof option. Labels: Car-Awards, Hyundai, small cars
We have all heard news of BMW considering an entry into the small car segment. The BMW Mini that will be introduced to India shortly will be launched only in two cities - Delhi and Mumbai. The Mini will be small only in terms of size and like all BMWs, it will carry a heavy price tag.
The car will not be assembled at BMW’s Chennai plant. Instead, it will be imported as fully-built units. Now that’s a little sad because if it was assembled locally then price would have reduced by 30 percent. It’s expected to cost around Rs. 15-16 Lakh. Labels: BMW-Cars, new car launch, small cars
Thursday, 10 April 2008
The small cars are grabbing most of the attention in the Indian car market. All car manufacturers are now following the trend and launching small car models. Ford India is planning to launch a small car in India by 2010.
They are planning to increase the installed capacity of its manufacturing facility in Chennai from the present 1 lakh units to 2.5 lakh units by 2010. The expansion includes the small car programme and a new engine plant. Labels: car plant, Ford, new car launch, small cars
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
Friday, 4 April 2008
Renault made its debut by launching Logan in India through a joint venture with Mahindra a few years ago. After it’s entry into India, Logan has somehow managed to give good competition to its rivals in mid-size segment but it failed to impress and attract more customers as expected by Renault. Now, Logan is being revamped and presented with new style.
It’s not so impressive performance and heavy price tags have forced many customers to opt for other cars than Logan. When people are going crazy for small cars in countries like India, it will be really challenging task for car manufacturers to increase the sale of mid-size sedans like Logan. So, Renault has determined to revamp and add some more frills to Logan. It will launch revamped version of Logan in next few months to take on its competitors mainly Maruti Swift Dzire. Let’s hope Renault will achieve success this time. Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, Logan, Mahindra, Maruti Dzire, midsize cars, Renault, small cars
Small car segment is the fastest growing segment in India. Every car manufacturer is willing to test their fate in this segment by launching small cars in India. Global car manufacturers who had only launched mid-size sedans, luxury cars, big SUVs, MPVs and Wagon are now changing their minds and considering to launch small cars in India to capitalize on the surge in demand for small cars in Indian auto market. Volkswagen is no exception to this as it promised to launch two small cars in next four years in India.
Volkswagen made its foray into Indian market after launching luxury sedan Passat and luxury SUV Touareg later on. Realizing the growth of small car segment, it announced to launch two small cars. Volkswagen will launch Polo first in next two years. It will be priced around 5 to 6 lakhs. Many other global car manufacturers are also waiting to launch their small cars. So prices of small cars of foreign car companies may come down in future to attract the customers. Small car buyers will have more reasons to cheer about in days to come. Labels: Luxury sedan, midsize cars, small car segment, small cars, SUV, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Passat
Is General Motors creating its own segment of customers for its cars? It could be the fact, as the company now plans to launch a small car cheaper than its now popular car Spark. The existing small car already comes with a 1.0 liter engine and price tag of Rs 3.23 lakh. If the company plans to go for smaller engine displacement this would certainly land them in between Maruti-800 or with the 624 cc Tata Nano.
It is likely that the car will set off new wave of revolution of small cars as Maruti-800 is aging fast. With the new launch, having a lower price band, there will be tough competition in the 600cc to 800 cc car segment. It will be interesting to see if the consumer will be able to lap it up. Maybe you can own one car for each year and enjoy them all. Labels: competitions, Maruti 800, new car launch, new cars, small cars, Spark
Thursday, 3 April 2008
When younger generation is going crazy for cars across the world, younger Canadians have taken the world by storm discarding cars in their daily routine life. Today, it’s habit among many youngsters to take their small car, luxury car or SUVs for marketing, offices and even to the places which are too nearby. In contrast to this, younger Canadians are going green by avoiding cars for little distance places.
About 60 per cent of youngsters in Canada who own cars will walk, cycling or take public transport to reach their offices, markets or other little distance places. They are joining hands with Canadian government in its endeavor to protect environment from increasing pollution by sacrificing their personal comfort. Even most of the cars owned by them are environmentally- friendly cars. Younger generations who have a passion for cars should emulate Canadian youths in protecting and preserving environment from vehicles pollution. Labels: Environment friendly car, luxury cars, Pollution, pollution awareness, small cars
Indian auto industry has been growing faster than ever before. It’s booming with many global car manufacturers making their foray into Indian auto market. Global car players from US, Germany, Japan and other countries already have their cars ranging from small cars, super luxury car to midsize cars on the Indian roads. Many upcoming cars have also lined up to hit the Indian market. Now, Russian automobile company is eyeing Indian auto industry to launch its new cars.
The first Russian automobile company to foray into the Indian market is likely to be GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) Group. The success of cars launched by all global players in India is driving force behind Russia to think over entering Indian auto market. The company might explore ways to manufacture its rugged commercial vehicles and cars with an Indian partner. Willingness of foreign car manufacturers to enter India will boost Indian auto industry and make it a hottest hub for global players very soon. Labels: Expansion in Indian auto industry, luxury cars, new cars, New launch, small cars
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Now-a-days, car manufacturers are not only giving thrust to push up sale of their small cars or luxury cars, but also taking much care of their customers even after sale. Realising the fact that maintaining a good rapport with customers is as important as striking a deal with them to push their sales, some car companies have started after sale servicing to keep their customers happy and to help them to get solved any problems in their new cars after buying from them without shelling out an additional amount from their wallets. Maruti, Tata Motors and other companies started free car servicing after sale, now Hyundai has taken up this task and wanted to build a good rapport with its customers by launching after sale servicing campaign. It has launched a unique campaign of free car care clinic. The nationwide two-week long campaign will be held from April 2 to April 14. The company plans to reach 1.5 lakh consumers. Such customer-service oriented campaigns would definitely be praised by the customers. Labels: Auto market competition, car services, Hyundai, luxury cars, Maruti, small cars, Tata Motor
Maruti DZire is already desired by thousands of buyers in India. It was launched on March 26, and the company has reported that it has already sold over 5,000 units in this financial year. Maruti’s impressive sales record seems to be going over the graph. After the lone rider SX4 helped the company top the mid-size cars category, DZire seems to be helping sales phenomenally. The small car segment has also posted an impressive growth. With such a popular line up of cars, it is time that Maruti enhanced it with some global cars. We already know that A-star is coming in October. But a dash of luxury will spice up the Maruti portfolio very much. Labels: Car-Sales, Maruti Dzire, Maruti SX4, midsize cars, new cars, small cars
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
With the new Insurance premiums rate, it’s good news for both mass of people who use cars occasionally and those who use more than one car. The Insurance Company has planed to introduce pay-per use model of coverage for cars which is already in use in Europe. The new concept works with the help of GPRS system which tracks the car and the rates are charged accordingly. The users will have to pay much lesser charges compare to what they pay presently. The charge will depend on the number of usage, thus reduce the burden on users. In India, this will be helpful for cities like Mumbai and Bangalore where people don’t use cars including small cars, SUVs, sedans and luxury cars much due to traffic problem. Hope it would suit a lot of small users and reduce premiums. Labels: auto insurance, cars-India, luxury cars, new concept premium rate, Sedans, small cars, SUVs
Friday, 28 March 2008
Many who are expecting reduction in the price of Maruti-800 after Tata Nano’ appearance at Auto expo, will be disappoint to know the fact Maruti will not reduce any price of maruti-800 in future to compete with one lakh car Tata nano as Maruti does not want to compete with nano and is not even thinking to manufacture any new small car on the lines of ultra cheap car, Tata nano. Before Tata nano’s appearance, Maruti-800 was considered as one of the cheapest small car available in the country for many middle class families. When Tata motors have confirmed its production of one lakh car, many had thought that maruti would cut the price of maruti-800 on par with one lakh car to compete with nano. But now that suspense is over as Maruti openly clarified its intention that it will not reduce or cut down the price of Maruti-800 to compete with nano. Such honesty statement by maruti will really create conducive atmosphere in auto market leaving no place for unhealthy competition. Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, Expansion in business, Maruti 800, Nano, One Lakh Car, small cars
All those small car owners who thought that they could now get a DZire sedan by paying just Rs 75,000 more than Swift hatch back’s cost, take note of this. Maruti Suzuki has decided to increase the introductory price for DZire. Rise in input costs of aluminum and copper are forcing Maruti to increase the price of Dzire. The prices are likely to be revised in the next few weeks. So all those who want the new DZire will have to rush to Maruti outlets soon and book your cars, otherwise you will end up paying more than you thought. What with the cost of interest, rising cost of accessory and rising fuel costs. Anything more will certainly burn your pockets. Labels: Car-Sales, hike in car's price, Maruti, small cars, Swift Dzire
India’s dream of becoming a global small car hub may not become reality. Car manufacturers, who are till recently beaming over the reduction of excise duty on small cars, are now considering limiting their exports to maintain profitability as the government has not given incentive to encourage the exporting of passenger cars. Lack of incentive from the government is expected to affect the growth of export business of many car manufacturers. Sale of small cars, sedan and luxury cars is increasing in domestic market but lack of incentive for export and continues depreciation of the dollar, is bound to affect the sale of many cars in overseas market. Discouraged by the government’s disinterest in encouraging export business, largest exporter of passenger cars from India like Hyundai motor, Maruti Suzuki are seriously considering to downscale their original target of exporting 50 productions from India. Government should join hands with car companies to make India a global hub for small cars by giving some impetus to small cars export business. Labels: car incentive, Exporting cars, Hyundai, incentive for exporting, luxury cars, Maruti Suzuki, small cars
Thursday, 27 March 2008
It seems that B and C cities are emerging as profitable markets for car companies in the last year. The rising income and easy accessibility to loans have been largely responsible for driving car sales upwards in these cities. As metros have been are soon going to become a stagnant market, it makes sense that car manufacturers look for cities other than metros. Most of these car buyers in these cities are first time car owners and obviously go for entry level cars. It is believed that Hyundai accounts 40 per cent of its sales including small cars and luxury cars are in cities other than the metros and six big cities in India. And the most popular models have been Santro and i10. Labels: Car-competition, Car-Sales, Expansion in business, Hyundai, luxury cars, New i10 model, small cars
Maruti Suzuki India has always been on the forefront to beat competition by providing quality products. Launching its entry level sedan Swift DZire, maruti wanted to rock sedan segment in India. Maruti is very quick to study the minds of its customers and work accordingly as it has suddenly discontinued Maruti Esteem when people felt it was not up to their taste. Now, Maurti has launched DZire that replaced Esteem. Maruti already has achieved a grand success in small car segment by releasing popular brands like Maruti 800 and Maruti Swift. The success of cute, stylish and powerful Dzire which has generated a lot of excitement and curiosity among the car lovers, will be very crucial for Maruti to cement its position in sedan segment. Labels: Car-competition, Maruti 800, Maruti Swift, New Car, Sedans, small cars, Swift Dzire
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Small cars are evolving even as luxury cars are imbibing the culture of the west. A centre instrument cluster is not seen only in car like Mercedes. The owner of Chevrolet Spark will feel he/she is seated in a luxury car as well. Spark has its speedometer and other gauges housed on the centre of the dash rather than behind the steering wheels as is seen in all other small cars in India. It is surprising that General Motors has sought to bring in this feature for small cars. They have sought to deviate from the regular looking dashboards in small cars and given it a feel of a luxury car.Spark has really brought in some new aspects to designing small cars. Labels: Chevrolet Spark, India, luxury cars, small cars
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
The recent success of the Chevrolet Spark seems to have rekindled the spirit of General Motors in India. The company is coming up with a new small car exclusively for India. But not immediately. It’s going to take some time – 2 years. They already have a decent line up of small cars like the Aveo U-VA, the SRV, and the one we just mentioned - the Spark. The car they are planning will be a refreshing new addition to this already crowded small car portfolio. Labels: Chevrolet, General Motors, launch, new car launch, small cars
The Nawabi Lucknow-ees had a taste of auto fair over the weekend. It was organised by a major newspaper company. The enthusiastic lot of people thronged Balrampur gardens over the two days. Many small car and midsize car manufactures like Mitsubishi, Honda, Maruti, Skoda, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Toyota, and Mahindra presented their products to the eager crowd. Many first time drivers got to test drive their favourite cars and the seasoned ones tried almost all of them just for fun. The auto fair in Kolkata at Salt Lake Stadium just got over on March 16 and that turned out to be a popular event as well. This year has been packed with quite a lot of auto fairs and other related shows and exhibitions. Labels: auto fair, Auto-Exhibition, Auto-Shows, midsize cars, small cars
Friday, 14 March 2008
The month of March has so far been the most exciting for car buyers. Buying a car this month has been like going to a restaurant and finding out that someone else has ordered something better. There’s so much on the menu to choose from. The number of car models on sale is unbelievable. The price cut on small cars after the new union budget has unleashed a car shopping spree. Ever since Maruti, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tata and Fiat cars have become cheaper, there has been a mad rush at car showrooms.
Now, Ford too has entered the race. Ford’s new March Masti programme is really interesting. Read this - you can get a loan at an interest rate of just 7.5 % and a whole lot of interesting accessories worth Rs 22,000 completely free with a new Ford car! Labels: car buying, Car-Discounts-India, Car-Sales, Ford, small cars
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
The cute i10 is already making waves in the small car segment and recently walked away with a lot of awards and appreciation. Now, Hyundai is waiting to launch the new i20 hatchback and is expecting a repeat of the i10's success story. i20 is next in the i-series from Hyundai of which the i10 has already arrived. With the i10 being so impressive, many wonder what the i20 will be like and expectations are really high for this upcoming car. Hyundai is undeniably setting new standards and raising the expectations of car buyers. The i20 is coming to India some time later this year. Labels: Hatchbacks, Hyundai, Hyundai Santro, i20, New Car, New i10 model, small cars
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
The hydrogen revolution has come to India. Tata, Honda, and Toyota are already conducting research on hydrogen-run buses, trucks, and cars. The First hydrogen fuelling station for these vehicles is said to open in the last quarter of 2008. The Indian Oil Corporation is likely to base this fuel station in Delhi as part of a government policy to convert 20 % of vehicles to natural gases. These 20% vehicles could be either public transport like buses or private transport like cars (mainly luxury cars). The fuelling station will supply hythane and hydrogen to all vehicles powered by natural gases. This is a positive move from the Indian government to save the environment before it is too late. In the near future, if small cars also join the hydrogen vehicle line-up, then pollution could soon be a topic of the past! Labels: Environment friendly cars, Honda, Hydrogen fueled vehicles, small cars, Tata
Thursday, 28 February 2008
I give the Hyundai i10 a ‘perfect 10’ score when it comes to mileage. It gives 16 kmpl even with the AC on. It’s impressive because other small cars like Maruti WagonR and Hyundai Santro Xing manage to give just 15-16 kmpl without even having the AC on. Looks like Hyundai has planned ahead for the hot summer in India with this new car. I think this could be a good selling point for the car in the coming few months. I also find that the car has just the right comfort that one would expect for its segment. It also comes in some magnificent colours that only Hyundai offers. It’s a car that one can take on enjoyable long drives without worrying too much about re-fuelling.
Submitted by Jaggesh Labels: Car market competition, Fuel economy, Hyundai, small cars
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
I have good news for all car lovers. You can now take home used cars like Maruti 800 or Hyundai Santro at very competitive prices. The prices have been dropping since the one lakh car Tata Nano was unveiled in January. Now that the news of the launch of this small car in October is official, i can guarantee you that the prices of second hand cars will come down even further.
When I went to purchase a used car in November last year, I was told that a 2002 Maruti 800 was available for Rs. 1.1 lakh. I was surprised to find out that the same car was selling for Rs. 85,000 in January. This is when I noticed the effect that Nano was having. I have been following this trend closely since then and want to let all of you know of this as well. Article submitted by Sanjeev K. (Bangalore) Labels: One Lakh Car, small cars, Used car market in India
In JD Power’s list of car manufacturers based on customer satisfaction for the year 2007, Honda, Hyundai and Tata Motors have hit bottom. It’s totally unbelievable that they have dropped to the end of the list on the sales satisfaction index. Shockingly, Hyundai has lost the most points and dropped to the eighth position from last year’s third position.
I find that Hyundai has good after-sales service and I’m sure they have very happy customers. Their small cars are also very decent. I don’t think the customer satisfaction list is accurate. Article submitted by Gaja Labels: Auto market competition, Car-Sales, Honda, small cars
I recently came across news that Tata Motors will be able to manufacture 4000 to 5000 Nano cars every month. I find the number really pitiable compared to the hype it has generated. It seems that it will be able to reach a bigger production capacity of 18,000 to 20,000 cars per month only 4-5 months after start of production. With this minimal number, I think the Nano will be gone within a few seconds of appearing in the market. Being a Nano aspirant myself, I haven’t seen such a mad rush for a vehicle since the launch of Bajaj scooters in India in the 80s. Article submitted by Ravi Labels: Car manufacturing, Car-Sales, small cars, Tata Motors
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Every day, competition between car manufacturers to get a hold on the small car segment seems to be increasing. Small cars are obviously the most popular type of cars in India these days. They are easy to maneuver in traffic, easy to park and also easy to maintain. So, every car manufacturer is concentrating more on the small car business.
Hyundai Motors just opened their new car plant at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu where they already have a plant. Their small cars Getz Prime, Santro Xing and i10 have been a success in the country. Without such success, no company would dare to start a second plant at the same place. Labels: Car manufacturing, car plant, Hyundai, small cars
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Maruti achieved another important milestone this week and added a new feather to its cap. The “Let’s Go” car Alto crossed the 1 million production mark this week. The small car has come a long way since its launch 8 years ago. It was first introduced as a better-looking alternative to the famous Maruti 800. The Alto was a huge success and saw better sales compared to the 800.
The car has always been famous with the people because of its easy handling in heavy traffic and parking has never been a worry due to its compact size. The Alto is a great car and all those who have bought it will vouch for the same. Some buyers have formed a permanent connection with this car and still retain their old Alto.
Article Submitted by Sand Dust Labels: Car-Sales, Maruti, small cars
Thursday, 14 February 2008
I came across this site recently and decided to contribute to it. I am from Europe and am here on an exchange study tour. I have driven around in some of my friend’s small cars in India and find it queer that the bonnet is placed such that the person driving cannot see what’s right in front of the car. I do not know if I should look at the right of the car or the left, which is quiet impossible to see. I wonder how people drive around on “assumptions”, as my friend puts it. It is amazing that most people in India have mastered this technique. Also flustering is the masses of three-wheel cars and two-wheelers who seem to constantly surround and escort you from the time you start till you reach your destination – absolute chaos! I have decided to stop brooding over these matters and sit blissfully ignorant beside my smart Indian friend who drives like his hair is on fire! Article Submitted by BethLabels: Driving, indian roads, small cars
Thursday, 7 February 2008
I am looking at the newspapers every day and going through all these websites and one thing that keeps popping up at unexpected moments is CARS! Cheap cars and foreign cars and small cars and just more cars! Now, I am a designer by profession, trying to make it big in the fashion world, but I may just steer a different course. I came across this car survey by an audit company that said that the average annual wage of an Indian car designer is now merely close to Rs 3 Lakh per year, but this profession could be the next IT salary wave! US firms pay an average of Rs 28 Lakh per year for an entry-level car designer and UK firms shell out Rs 25 Lakh per year for the same. Calculating with these numbers, it is easy to see that these guys can easily employ 5 to 8 people in India for the salary of ONE person in US or UK. Needless to say these big guys would want to slowly move to India for designing and developing their future cars. The French company, Renault, has already set up base in India and Maruti Suzuki is using Indian engineers to develop their global cars, and GM has recently set up its research lab her as well. Many other companies are set to follow. How cool will a job designing cars be? Labels: Car-Designs, Cheap-Cars, Renault, small cars
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
It definitely rings a bell when the world’s largest luxury car maker, BMW AG found India a more stable market than China. BMWs retail sales in India accounts to a fraction of its sales in the Chinese market, but India is a definite as far as long term sales go, whereas China might soon be an oversaturated market without too much growth potential.
Small cars are already a big hit in India with foreign car makers making India their global production hub, but for a premium car maker to see great business ahead in the Indian market sounds promising - not just for the Indian economy, but also for our future lifestyle. Labels: BMW-Cars, small cars
Friday, 25 January 2008
After the recent auto expo, I have noticed that there has been slightly less emphasis on the Mercedes and BMW makers in the media. Many of the car enthusiasts would have liked to know more about these luxury cars, as they have something new to offer every time. However, the media space was completely taken by the small cars. The news channels and information portals covered very little about these luxury brands.
I, for once, would have enjoyed seeing a proper assessment of these cars by Indian anchors. I wonder if Indian car analysts just take these makers quality for granted as good and so don’t say much, or that they do not have the daring to question the quality of such highly-acknowledged brands?
Article submitted by Rashmi
Labels: luxury cars, small cars
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
The much hyped 1-lakh car “Nano” made its appearance at the recent Auto expo in New Delhi. It has come as a blessing in disguise to many banks and financial institutions that over the years have helped millions of Indian middle class families to own two- and four-wheelers. Now, many banks are considering special loan schemes for the Nano on the lines of two-wheeler loans. It shouldn’t be a matter of surprise that in the near future, banks and financial institutions will call up prospective customer offering them a loan for the Nano. The loan is expected to cover both the cost of the car as well as its running cost. Public as well as private banks would definitely take this opportunity to expand their business. The only worrying factor among people could be the rate of interest on such a loan because the current interest rates on car loans are very discouraging. According to a survey, it’s confirmed that the rate of interest on Tata’s new small car could be a bit higher than other car loans. For a loan amount as low as 1 lakh for a car, a slight push in interest rates shouldn’t really make a big difference to people eyeing the car. Labels: Car-Loans, One-Lakh-Rupee-Car, small cars, Tata Motor
Monday, 31 December 2007
Suzuki Swift held its manufactures heads up in pride with best performance in the Indian market. The car debuted into the motor world in 2005 with its first edition. Maruti Udyog Ltd., India’s leading auto makers and subsidiary of Suzuki Motors takes up the production of this car. It is amazing to know that in the last one year 61,200 units were sold. Now that’s a very impressive figure, isn’t it? Swift not only vroom’s in India but also to other countries like Japan, Hungary and China. This whooping success of Swift clearly indicates that India is the perfect market for the small cars. This posh, classy and affordable baby is for Indian middle class family, so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and select your color. Labels: Manufacturers, Maruti Udyog, small cars, Suzuki
Monday, 1 October 2007
After the successful launch of Passat, Volkswagen has scheduled its popular vehicle Polo (no it’s not the mint!) to launch in 2009 in India. Volkswagen, the people’s car (it’s actually pronounced as “Folks wagon”), is likely to set the production plant of Polo by the end of 2009 and the full scale production is expected to start by 2010. After Polo Volkswagen launches, the small car buyers in India will have fun. Polo is one of Volkswagens ever successful car and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The Polo in India would be a completely new version, but I hope that all the cool stuff about it is not compromised for good mileage. I mean mileage is good, but the Polo is one of Volkswagen's most popular small cars globally as it is. Volkswagen can definitely do well in the Indian market even though brands like Audi and Skoda are around, coz it is easier to get your hands on – money factor. I mean you can see a few Lamborghinis flying around in India. Volkswagen has inked a deal with the Maharashtra government for producing its cars from Pune. Posted By Art.Labels: Audi, competition, Indian car market, launch in India, Skoda, small cars, Volkswagen
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
The great sales target achieved by Hyundai motors in India has made a strong impact on the company. In order to show their interest in the Indian car market, the company has decided to launch its compact car “PA” first here in India. Indian roads will witness Hyundai’s “PA” first, a couple of months before it hits other countries. The growth of the Indian market for compact cars and Hyundai’s massive growth in India for the past nine years has definitely made the manufacturer consider India as a first priority. India is also said to be one of the healthy markets for premium cars to compete, which is also a reason for the firm to choose India as the first place to see its code-named car. Hyundai PA, after its launch, is expected to replace the Hyundai Santro and pose a sturdy competition to other compacts such as the Chevrolet Aveo and the Maruti Alto that are currently ruling the roost. Labels: Car-manufacturers-in-India, Chevrolet, competition, Hyundai, Imported cars, Indian car market, Maruti, small cars
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Most auto majors are getting ready for a close fight in the small car segment in India. Toyota is also planning to target the Indian small car market for its imported small car. Toyota’s largest small-car market competitor in India will be Maruti Suzuki, which markets cars like the Zen Estilo, WagonR, and Alto. Toyota is the last to announce its entry into the small car market in India. The years 2008 and 2009 will reveal more of Toyota’s plans. For the time being, it is apparent that since Toyota is currently the last entrant, it may use the latest technologies and a plethora of features to lure car lovers across India. Labels: Car-manufacturers-in-India, Indian car market, small cars, Toyota
Thursday, 9 August 2007
The flourishing market for small cars in India has made the manufacturers think about it acutely. Almost all the major manufacturers have jumped into this arena and the rest are seriously thinking of it. Recently, Japanese auto major Honda has announced that it will launch its small car by 2009. Till date, Honda was a popular name among the big executive cars. This small car named as “Fit” is designed to be sporty and roomy. Styling is aimed more at the driver’s convenience. Added to this, the exteriors are designed according to aerodynamic tactics that will definitely boost fuel economy. According to a company release, the car is equipped with continuously variable transmission, which makes the car “jostle in a jiff” around the country. It also satisfies emission and safety norms needed by a small car. With the car promising mileage, comfort, and convenience, no-doubt most of us will be waiting to welcome the small car from a big manufacturer. Ford announcing its plans for small cars can be taken as a challenge by the other small-car makers, who will definitely try to upgrade their cars with all modern accessories, before the said car is launched. Labels: Honda, India, small cars
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Now that many foreign automobile companies are launching their cars in India, it is the local unit of Volkswagen AG, which is planning to release a compact car, especially designed to perform well on Indian roads. The Indian unit of Volkswagen AG is all set to make a smaller version of the Polo car model, which is likely to hit Indian roads by 2009. Blasting sales of this peppy car is predicted. The committee members of Volkswagen surveyed the country roads to learn more about Indian road conditions, before introducing its first car. Compared to big cars, small cars have a much higher demand in India. Towering fuel prices and bad road conditions insist for powerful and fuel-efficient models. Other than Volkswagen, other companies such as Nissan Motors and Honda Motors are planning to design a compact car to survive Indian road and temperature conditions. The modified car will be made accessible in both petrol and diesel engine variants. Volkswagen has requested the presence of over 250 Indian vendors to its first supplier discussion as it is planning to have at least 50% of the locals satisfied when it starts making the models. Volkswagen, which supplies a large percentage of automotive parts worldwide, has called audits of Indian vendors to shortlist them for some of the supplies. In the units distributed around the world, Volkswagen has planned to make a million units a year. Initially, in India the planned target is 110,000 units a year. Companies are planning to source a majority of the parts locally to cut down the price factor. Labels: Compact cars, small cars, Volkswagen GP
Monday, 30 April 2007
Wondering why the Indian automobile market was suddenly being bombarded by small cars with small engines? The reason is simple। The Finance Minister P Chidambaram in India’s last budget plan of 2006-2007 reduced the excise duty on small cars from the then 24% to the now 16%. However, he had decided to retain the excise duty on large cars at 24%. Furthermore, excise duty on raw materials such as aluminum and plastic, which are used in manufacturing cars, also reduced. Small cars were classified as those that are less than 4 metres in length and which consist of an engine under 1400 cc for petrol and 1500 cc for diesel। The immediate beneficiaries of this policy were Hyundai Santro, Tata Indica, Maruti 800, Maruti Alto, Maruti Swift, Maruti Wagon R, and Maruti Zen. Suddenly the market was swarming with competitors scraping to launch a model of a small car with a small engine। The Hyundai Getz with its 1400 cc engine was revamped and released as the Getz Prime that sported a 1.1 litre or a 1.3 litre engine that fell under the small car duty excise helping the manufacturers cut the base variant car cost by 10,000, which was then transferred to the consumers. The Fiat Palio was redesigned and released with a 1.1 litre engine under the classification of Fiat Palio Stile, again so that the manufacturers could benefit from the excise duty. Maruti started slashing 12 to 25 thousand rupees for a range of its small cars. Hyundai and Tata did the same. However, not all car manufacturers were happy with this new budget। Manufacturers of medium sized and luxury cars felt that they had been given a raw deal. Their reasoning was that most people who moved from using small cars to using medium sized cars did so because of their gradual increase in income and also because they could cope with the price difference. However, if small car prices decrease even further while medium sized car prices stay the same, then the margin of price difference is large enough to deter a consumer to shift from small cars to medium cars. Another reason that these manufacturers put forth was that a differential duty structure will lead to an uneven growth. This year, the automobile sector wanted to ask the Indian government to further reduce excise duties for small cars from 16% to 12% and additionally reduce duties on large cars from 24% to 16%. However, their dreams were smashed to the ground in March 2007. The Finance Minister decided not to make any changes to the excise duty of cars and instead increased the prices for aluminum and plastic. This over the year 2007-2008 will force all car manufacturers to raise the prices of all their products regardless of size. Thus, this will reduce the currently booming purchase of small cars to a trickle unless car manufacturers and dealers can provide lucrative discounts or EMI plans to prospective buyers. Labels: Excise duty, Hyundai Santro, Maruti 800, small cars, Small engine cars
|
|
