Fiat Linea T-Jet to launch at Auto Expo 2010

Fiat Linea is a much loved car in India but not by automobile enthusiasts because of its not so powerful engine. The 1400cc petrol engine is just not enough to give you that driving pleasure that you are eying for. The car definitely offers a lot else, but sheer driving pleasure is not what you get from the Linea. Even the diesel version is not close.

That complaint will be over when Fiat launches the Linea T-Jet at the upcoming Auto Expo 2010 at New Delhi in January. The 1400 cc petrol engine now gets a turbocharger, and that means a stupendous boost in sheer horsepower. What the Linea T-Jet offers you is 118 bhp @ 5000 rpm. That takes to the same level of power output as the all-new Honda City, which is the flavour of the year since it was launched. Max torque is believed to be 206 nm.

The top speed, 0-60 acceleration timing and overall drivablity are all expected to go up with the arrival of the Fiat Linea T-Jet. Of course the price will not remain the same when other things in the car goes up, it certainly will go up too. We guess the Linea T-Jet would be priced at least Rs 1.5 lakh more than the current petrol Linea top-end version. Almost one year after the launch of the Fiat Linea in India, it gets an engine it deserves. This indeed is great news.

There is also much talk online about a rumoured hill-holder function in the Linea T-Jet. Essentially, this makes sure that the car does not roll back when you take your foot off the brake to move it to the accelerator. That is a welcome addition – the less riding the clutch, the better for your car. And less stress on the driver, obviously.

At the Auto Expo pavilion, Fiat will also show off the flagship model the Fiat 500 alongside the new Linea T-Jet. Also rumoured is a 1.9 liter diesel version of the Linea, but this is a rumour that is dying off – so it may not happen at all.

Fiat recently announced that the company is planning a small car for India for a 2011-2012 launch. Fiat currently sells the Punto medium hatchback car and the Linea in India. A new face lifted version of the Fiat Palio is also planned, and even this might make an appearance at the Auto Expo. 2010 is going to be an interesting year!

Rolls Royce previews its Rs 2.5-crore ‘Ghost’ in India

That Rolls Royce is banking big time on the Indian market, more so with the number of billionaires in the country ever on the increase, is evident from the fact that the British carmaker's still-to-be-launched super-luxury sedan, the 'Ghost,' was previewed in India on Friday!

The most economical of the cars from the well-known maker of the most elite, premium, hand-crafted cars, the Rolls Royce's Ghost will cost Rs 2.5 crore in India.

The company, which currently sells 15-18 units in India, expects its sales in the country to undergo a nearly four-fold increase, to over 75 units, after the next-year launch of the Ghost.

Speaking at the preview of the Ghost, Colin Kelly, Rolls Royce Motor Cars' regional director for Asia-Pacific region, said: "India is one of the fastest wealth growing nations in the world; and we expect to see an over 300% jump in salesin India next year after the launch of Ghost in the second quarter of 2010."

Noting that the built-to-order Ghost will be the Rolls Royce's first new model series' vehicle to detach from the Phantom family, Kelly added that the new drivetrain sedan comprise a 6.6 litre twin- turbo charged V12 engine, as well as a new 8-speed automatic gearbox. The peak power output of the vehicle, which can race from 0-100kmph in 4.9 seconds, will be 563bhp at 5250rpm.

Maruti Suzuki to launch van to replace Versa

The country's largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) will launch a new van within this fiscal to replace its MPV Versa, whose production has been stopped.

"We will be launching a new van by the end of this fiscal. This vehicle will replace the Versa, whose production has already been stopped," Maruti Suzuki India Managing Executive Officer (Engineering) I V Rao told reporters on the sidelines of the Fourth Environmentally Friendly Vehicle Conference here.

He, however, did not give the price point of the soon-to-be launched vehicle.

MSI is also looking to produce one million vehicles by the end of this fiscal.

"Hopefully, we will have one million units in production by the end of this financial year by utilising our full capacity," Rao said.

He added the company is working on making all its models Bharat Stage-IV compliant as required under the government norms.

“We have not completed BS-IV compliance norms on all our models but we are working towards that direction," Rao said.

The company is also working on hybrid and electric vehicles for demo cars, but Rao said it has no plans for a full-fledged launch of vehicles with such alternative fuel technologies.

Carnation Auto first certified pre-owned car outlet launched in Kochi

Carnation Auto formally launched its multi-brand certified pre-owned cars outlet in Kochi, with the exciting promise of providing both sellers and buyers the best possible return on investment. In addition to the unique business proposition, the launch of the first certified pre-owned car program in Kochi is another step towards Carnation’s overall aim of providing its customers a complete one-stop-shop for all their auto needs.

Purchasing a certified pre-owned car from Carnation comes with the added benefit of purchasing a car that has undergone 160 stringent quality checks and comes with up to 1 year warranty and 3 free services honorable in 12 Carnation-hubs across India. Carnation ensures transparency in all its dealings whether purchasing or selling a vehicle and additionally provides customers a value add of complete paperwork in place and also offers convenient finance and insurance options. Sellers to Carnation can always be assured that an honest assessment and fair pricing is a key driver for success in the certified pre-owned car program.

Speaking on the occasion, Jagdish Khattar, chairman and managing director, Carnation Auto said, “Our Auto Solution Hubs have aimed at providing customers everything a car owner would need to maximize his car ownership experience under one roof. At Carnation it is our attempt to ensure transparency, honesty and truth are an integral part of a customers’ experience and we attempt at delivering this experience consistently. Today with the launch of the certified pre-owned car program, we have moved yet another step closer to our vision of creating ‘experience destinations’ for all.”

Pre-owned Cars will now be available in Mumbai and Kochi with Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Bangalore soon to follow. Carnation Auto already has 12 Auto Solutions Hubs operational across India in Amritsar, Chennai (2), Gurgaon, Noida (2), Mumbai (3), Hyderabad (2) and Kochi – and is in the process of opening around 30 by end of the year.

An initiative by Jagdish Khattar, Carnation Auto is setting up a state-of-the-art network of integrated multi-brand auto sales, services and related solutions hubs across the country – an industry consolidator seeking to bring automobile service providers under a standardized business model. These dedicated outlets within the Carnation network will ensure its partners higher revenues through cross-selling across business lines (new cars, servicing, certified pre-owned cars, accessories, financial and insurance products, auto leasing).

Go green, go Tesla

Honda and Toyota aren’t the only ones making green cars… Tesla’s Roadster is a superb sportscar and its fully electric!


Who doesn’t like a powerful sports car? But after the ex-communication of SUVs, the fuel guzzling sports cars have started attracting some dirty looks. In India, of course, seeing a sports car is, in itself, an event that warranties more awe than derision. But elsewhere in US$137-a-barrel land (read USA), you will probably catch people lower their heads when confronted with a sports car and look away, hoping to be caught admiring a more efficient Honda or Toyota sedan.

Thankfully, due to some innovative companies, sports-cars needn’t go the same way as the SUVs and pick-ups. They could turn hybrid, still retain the power and looks and get to be trendsetters. Like the Tesla Roadster.

All in the name

You might have heard of Tesla Motors, based in San Carlos, California. And if you have ever read up on green cars, then you have come across the Roadster as the only in-production completely electric sportscar.

The story goes that more than a century ago when Thomas Edison was fiddling around with direct current he had an argument with a Serbian immigrant, Nikola Tesla over a payment of US$ 50,000. While no one is really sure if Edison finally paid or didn’t pay the amount to Tesla, what is known is that Tesla went on to champion the alternating current. Edison meanwhile unveiled the very first nickel-iron electric car battery but it didn’t work out. Apt then, that a century later, the concept of electric cars panned out and the first real electric sports car is called Tesla.

The Tesla Roadster looks like any other sportscar trying to make its mark. It’s sleek with curving lines and some surprising touches. Like the ‘gills’ in the front or the angular wing mirrors or the indented rear bonnet. And it looks very familiar. If you are wondering why, it’s because the Roadster has been developed with the help of Lotus Cars, which extended the chassis of the Lotus Elise to fit in the 1,000-pound Roadster battery. To counteract the added weight, engineers decided for a full carbon fibre body, making it lighter and affordable. The Roadster is less than 10 per cent of the Elise, except for the windshied, airbags, tyres and some dashboard parts. The rest is all genuine Tesla.

The car itself has undergone numerous prototypes from 2004 and 2007. While the batteries have proven excellent, Tesla has had to do more work on the transmission. Already, the second version is being used in production models and a third and fourth versions are under development. The blogosphere is abuzz with how Tesla might counteract a weak transmission and what options they have. But for all that the car still hits from 0-100 in a little more than 4 seconds, good enough for a sportscar, you think?

The genius under the hood

Clearly, the most amazing part of the car is the 3-phase, 4-pole electric motor that develops a maximum power of 248 bhp and a maximum torque of 270 Nm, as good as any other sportscar! What’s more, if you were to compare the efficiency of the motor to a regular petrol one, the Tesla Roadster delivers a whopping 24 kmpl! That is almost 1.5 times higher than the Toyota Prius, the current icon for green cars. On full charge, the 6831-cell, lithium ion battery will give a run of 350 km. Tesla even claims that the Roadster’s efficiency is six times that of rival sports cars (though they don’t really take names) and that its CO2 emissions are ten times less. If green is not enough, Tesla even has thought out the laptop-battery-blowing-up scenario. The cells are all liquid cooled by the same time-tested refrigerant used in ACs and the cells are even immersed in 27 square metres of surface area to squelch any hot spots that might otherwise be left out.

Kick off

The Tesla Roadster created a huge buzz with all serious motorists when it finally went into production in March this year. Self-confessed motoholic Jay Leno said, “If you like sports cars and you want to be green, this is the only way to go. The Tesla is a car that you can live with, drive and enjoy as a sports car. I had a brief drive in the car and it was quite impressive. This is an electric car that is fun to drive.”

A more serious Motortrend aptly capped it all when it wrote that the car was not only undeniably efficient but would be ‘profoundly humbling to just about any rumbling Ferrari or Porsche that makes the mistake of pulling up next to a silent, 105-mpg Tesla Roadster at a stoplight.’ For our part, we can’t wait for the Roadster to make it to India.

Volkswagen Beetle In First Week of December

VW Beetle is scheduled for a launch in the Indian auto market on December 04 in Mumbai. The company has planned a complete advertising campaign including internet, print, electronic and digital media to generate a furor about its upcoming high cost model. Volkswagen AG has embarked on Rs 40 crore ad campaign to build its brand in the run-up to its December launch of small car Beetle and sports utility vehicle Touareg and the January launch of another small car, the Polo. The main aim of launching Beetle in India is to build a brand image in the country.

The car will be imported as a completely built unit in India which will make it pricier due to high import duty. It is expect to be priced around Rs. 20 lakh and above. The company will launch another premium car, Polo, at Rs 4.5 lakh in January. Polo will be the cheapest form the Volkswagen stable in India. The vehicle will compete with Maruti Swift and Ritz, Skoda Fabia, Hyundai i10 and Aveo U-VA.

“We will soon be introducing new car models like Beetle or Polo in India to enhance our presence in the market, besides providing technologically advanced cars for Indian customers. Our factory in Pune is ready for the start of production of Polo, which will be launched during the upcoming Auto Expo 2010,” Joerg Mueller, president and managing director, Volkswagen India, said.

New Audi A5 Sportback at Dubai Motor Show

Audi is presenting a new vehicle concept at this year's 10th Dubai International Motor Show - the Audi A5 Sportback. The five-door model with the long, flowing rear end unites the best of various vehicle genres: the emotion and elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon. Visitors can view the latest Audi model and many others at the show from December 16 to 20.

The Sportback joins the Coupé and Cabriolet as the third member of the A5 model family, featuring an emotion-packed design, high everyday practicality, a sporty character and engines that are as efficient as they are powerful. Audi is setting new trends in design with the A5 Sportback. The five-door coupe is defined by elegant lines. It is 36 millimeters lower than the A4 Sedan; with its short front overhang, long wheelbase, wide track and the four frameless doors with their slender window lines, it is the very picture of sporty elegance.

The interior is spacious, offering uncompromising comfort in all four seats. The large luggage compartment hatch is harmoniously integrated into the long, tapered tail end with the flat C pillars; the spoiler lip underscores the tension-filled character. The luggage compartment volume of 480 liters nearly matches that of the A4 Avant and increases to 980 liters with the rear seats folded down.

The A5 Sportback follows the consistent path of innovative technologies at Audi when it comes to the drivetrain. The launch engine for the Middle East will be a 211 bhp 2.0 TFSI, which delivers its power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. Like all other models it is equipped with a recuperation system that recovers energy during braking and deceleration and stores it temporarily in the battery.

The perfect complement is the optional Audi drive select vehicle dynamics system, which enables the driver to freely vary the throttle response characteristic, the shifting points of the seven-speed S tronic, and the boost provided by the servotronic steering system, both of which come as a standard.

World's cheapest car is starting to enrich India's Tata Motors

The automaker is producing only about 100 of its $2,200 Nano cars a day but hopes to ramp up to 1,000 a day next year. Analysts expect it to put millions of new Indian drivers on the road.

The tiny Nano cars made by India's Tata Motors are starting to hit the road in that country after a land dispute forced the relocation of the car's manufacturing plant and delayed its launch.

Analysts say the Nano could rock the international auto industry and put millions of new Indian drivers on the road.

Although Tata is producing only about 100 units a day, Tata director Jamshed J. Irani said it hoped to ramp up to about 1,000 vehicles a day next year. Tata has also started building low-cost homes, which the media have labeled Nano homes.

Mahindra Scorpio – The Masculine Car Of India

After a lot of R & D, Mahindra and Mahindra has been able to produce and launch the Mahindra Scorpio. This vehicle is equipped with many features previously not available, auto cars, in cars in India. Moreover, the vehicle is a perfect example of the ability of the designers of automobiles in India. With its robust male body and the internal combustion engine, stands out in the crowd,, auto cars, drawing admiring glances all around.The Mahindra Scorpio SUV is the first company means not, auto cars, only the local market in India, but also for the world, auto cars, market, where it was well received.

The machine fills the gap between style and adventure, luxury and ruggedness, and performance and economy. Scorpio is looking good not only with a sophisticated interior design, but also has a strong, auto cars, engine.The motor vehicle is equipped with more than 2600 SZ diesel giving 109 hp with a torque of 26 kgm. The speed of 0-60 was achieved in less than 9 seconds. The petrol version of the, auto cars, vehicle has 116 hp engine reaches 0-60 in just under 8 secondsThe Scorpio is one of the few other cars in India which have been designed and built according to international standards and quality control.

The Coming of the Volvo S60

Volvo Cars, the Swedish auto maker, has released the first official pictures of the production-ready S60. The S60 is sportier and more vibrant than any previous Volvo model. The S60 will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010. And it will be produced at Volvo’s plant in Ghent, in Belgium.


The Volvo S60 is expected to be equipped with Pedestrian Detection. And it is groundbreaking safety feature that can sense pedestrians in front of the car and brake mechanically even without any reaction from the driver.

Volvo Cars India (VCI) is looking at the possibility of launching its compact executive sedan S60 in the country by next year. And this will be after its reintroduction in the European car market. In case if its annual number touches 2,000 units, the company is also looking forward to set up a car assembling unit in India.

The company has established its charisma in seven cities in India namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, and Pune. And now the company is planning to further develop its strategies and stretching its dealership base to Goa, Coimbatore, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.

S80 a luxury sedan and luxury seven-seater SUV XC90 are the options the company is currently offering its customers. Volvo will also launch a diesel variant of the S80 next month. Other than the S60, Volvo is also intending to bring in compact crossover SUV XC60, which is currently undergoing road testing it at the International Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT). Even though the C70-coupe is also on the company’s list of to be launched cars, it will be available to the customers on an individual basis depending on the demand.

Hyundai’s ‘Always Around’ campaign enters third consecutive year

With the novel idea of ‘Always There, Because We Care’ , Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the country’s largest passenger car exporter and the second largest car manufacturer, is back with its nationwide service initiative - ‘Always Around’ campaign in a mega avatar for the third consecutive year.

Starting from November 8th the ‘Always Around’ campaign will provide free check-ups for its customers at convenient locations. Last year around 80,000 Hyundai vehicles across 6,000 locations attended the camp.

This year, the ‘Always Around’ campaign has grown much wider in terms of locations and reach and will continue till December, 2009 covering 6,500 locations wherein Hyundai will be reaching out to around 90,000 customers in an effort to make them smile by ensuring that their car is in the best of condition. Around 4,000 vehicles across 270 locations nationwide are expected to attend the camp on the launch day itself.

The mega ‘Always Around’ campaign will be conducted at various locations which customers in their normal course of life frequent on an everyday basis like Joggers Park, Shopping Malls, Apartments, Multiplexes, etc. The ‘Always Around’ campaign is truly innovative one as it reaches out to the customers at a time and a place where it is most convenient for them and at no extra cost. For example, while the customer might be busy shopping in a mall, his car is serviced and cleaned which saves both his time and money as it is a free service, and the advice that he gets from trained technicians helps him maintain his car even better.

Along with the camp various value added services and schemes are offered e.g customer Referral Scheme, Hyundai Advantage, Health Check-Up Camps, customer education towards improving the vehicle mileage/performance, information related to Hyundai products, etc are also part of this campaign.

Commenting on the campaign, Arvind Saxena, Sr. V P, Marketing & Sales, HMIL said, “At Hyundai it is our belief that owning a car is a special experience; and the experience should be one of delight. With Always Around campaigns, we offer our customers the most convenient after sales service. The positive feedback received from the campaign till now has encouraged us to value add by adding more locations and offering more attractive schemes and offers.”

The ‘Always Around’ campaign will offer a comprehensive 17 point check-up and a thorough examination of the vehicle and services such as tyre and vehicle polishing, coolant and oil top-up. The Hyundai team will also collect suggestions and feedback on the performance of the vehicle & after sales service. The customers will also have a chance to see and test drive the latest Hyundai cars which would be there on display at the venue.

This year Shell India has partnered with Hyundai as the recommended lubricant supplier for ‘Always Around’ activity throughout the year. There will be active participation from Shell India at various locations to support the event to enable them to take valuable feedback directly from the customers.

Hyundai Motor India Limited

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea and is the second largest car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter from India. HMIL presently markets 54 variants of passenger cars across segments. The Santro in the B segment, the Getz Prime, i10 and the Premium hatchback i20 in the B+ segment, the Accent and the Verna in the C segment, the Sonata in the E segment and the Tucson in the SUV segment.

Hyundai Motor India, continuing its tradition of being the fastest growing passenger car manufacturer, registering total sales of 489,328 vehicles in the calendar year (CY) 2008, an increase of 49.6 percent over CY 2007. In the domestic market it clocked a growth of 22.4 percent as compared to 2007 with 245,397 units, while overseas sales grew by 92.5 percent, with exports of 243,931 units.

HMIL's fully integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Chennai boasts of the most advanced production, quality and testing capabilities in the country. In continuation of its commitment to provide the Indian customer with global technology, HMIL commissioned its second plant in February 2008 which produces an additional 300,000 units per annum, raising HMIL's total production capacity to 600,000 units per annum.

HMIL has invested to expand capacity in line with its positioning as HMC`s global export hub for compact cars. Apart from the expansion of production capacity, HMIL currently has 271 strong dealer network across India, which will be further bolstered in 2009.

In 2008, HMIL also successfully completed 10 glorious years of operations in India and to commemorate its achievements, initiated a unique trans-continental drive from Delhi to Paris in two of its hugely popular i10 Kappa cars. The drive created automobile history by completing a distance of 10,000km in just 17 days after which the i10s were showcased at the Paris Motor Show in October. In fact it was at the Paris Motor Show that HMIL first unveiled the Hyundai i20 and the car received a phenomenal response from the auto enthusiasts across the world. Hyundai Motor India also accomplished the landmark of producing the fastest 20th lakh cars in India in 2008.

Like 2008, the year 2007 had also been a significant year for Hyundai Motor India. It achieved a significant milestone by rolling out the fastest 400,000th export car. Hyundai exported to over 100 countries globally; even as it plans to continue its thrust in existing export markets, it is gearing up to step up its foray into new markets. 2007 also saw the launch of the i10 and yet another path-breaking record in its young journey by rolling out the fastest 1,500,000th car.

Hyundai`s new model i10 made a clean sweep of all the "Car of the Year 2008" awards from the leading automotive magazines and TV channels like BS Motoring, CNBC-TV18 AutoCar, NDTV Profit Car & Bike India and Overdrive magazine. The i10 was also the choice of the discerning automotive media of the country as they conferred the prestigious "Indian Car of the Year" (ICOTY) award to the i10 as well.

The Santro and the Accent also received the "TNS Voice of the Customer - 2008" award for the Premium Compact Car (Santro) and the Entry Mid size Car (Accent). In March 2008 it achieved yet another milestone by rolling out the fastest 500,000th export car.

In 2007, the Hyundai Verna had also bagged some of the most prestigious awards starting with the Overdrive magazine's "Car of the Year 2007", the "Best Mid-size Car of the Year" award from NDTV Profit Car & Bike India, the "Best Value for Money Car" from CNBC Autocar and "Performance Car of the Year" from Business Standard Motoring.

Hyundai cars have been a favorite at all awards ceremonies and has won many awards. The Sonata Embera won the "Executive Car of The Year 2006" award from Business Standard Motoring magazine and NDTV Profit Car & Bike India had declared the Tucson as the "SUV of The Year 2006".

Not only this, HMIL has also been awarded the benchmark ISO 14001 certification for its sustainable environment management practices.

Volkswagen's Beetle to hit Indian roads in Dec

Europe's largest carmaker Volkswagen will roll out the Beetle – fondly called the people's car after its maker – on Indian roads by beginning of next month.

A senior company official said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit that Volkswagen – which mean People's car – would import the car from its Mexican plant for sale in Indian markets.

He, however, declined to divulge the possible price of the car.

Beetle is one of the most successful models that the German carmaker has ever produced.

The car bucked all trends and has made history, although critics had predicted a complete failure due to its peculiar styling, underpowered motor, rough ride and noisy engine.

Volkswagen, which currently sells luxury sedans Passat and Jetta in Indian market, is planning to launch its small car Polo by early next year.

The group has two facilities in India at Aurangabad and Chakan, which assembles cars of its three brands – Skoda, Audi and Volkswagen.

VW is looking at full-capacity production at this plant by 2012 and in order to strengthen its workforce, it is planning to more than double the India headcount with addition of 1,500 employees at Chakan alone in Maharashtra.

The group had earlier announced a target of 8-10 per cent share of the Indian passenger car market in the next 6 years.

It will also consider integrating after-sales service of its three brands in India for better synergy.

It sold about 19,000 units of Skoda, Audi and Volkswagen brands last year in the over 1.5 million-unit Indian passenger vehicle market.

Nissan Murano Might Be Launched In India Before Mid-2010

Nissan India is likely to launch the new Murano in India before mid 2010.

Nissan Murano is a premium sports utility vehicle (SUV) that will be catered as a CBU unit from Japan.

Nissan Murano might get launched in three variants the S (Base), SL (Mid) & LE (Top-End) that will sport a powerful 3.5-Litre petrol V6 engine and all-wheel drive (AWD) handy.

Nissan Murano will directly step into a war against Toyota Prado, BMW X3, Mitsubishi Montero and Mercedes Benz M-Class models between the price ranges from Rs 35 lakhs to Rs 40 lakhs.

The Nissan Murano might get the following features:

    * Aluminum interior accents
    * Leather seats
    * Rain sensing wipers
    * Memory seats
    * Mood lighting
    * 11-speaker Bose unit
    * 9.3GB hard disk storage device

Nissan has various plans for India that will include the Micra small car hatchback that might launch before Q1 2010 and followed by a sedan in 2011 and a compact Multi-Purpose vehicle (MPV).

Nissan Micra is been produced at the Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai and it is also manufactured in five different countries including India, China and Thailand.

The name ‘Murano’ comes from a region of Venice, Italy which is known for the hand blown glass produced there.

Nissan Targeting Nano Customers

While we were writing about the Nissan small car that the company was planning to launch in India, Thailand, and China, little did we know that Nissan was in fact targeting the Nano. Nissan wants to break the vivid market, which the Tata Nano has managed to build.

We would not be surprised, this could be the dream of any car maker, such is the acceptance of Nano not only in India but throughout the world. Nano has been stealing the limelight for long now and Nissan wants to substitute itself with the little wonder, Nano. The new small car from Nissan will be launched in March 2010. But it is expected that, for the car to come to India, it will take another two months since its launch in March.

The new small car from Nissan is named V, where V stands for Versatility. And Nissan is expected to sell one million Vs by 2013.

There are other car makers whom we thought would launch cars so that they can compete with the customers' favorite Nano. But breaking our expectations, Fiat recently denied any plans of the company to launch ultra-cheap cars. Now we will all set out hopes on Nissan.

Thinking deep about what in Nano lures the customers, anyone would say, the price. And so Nissan also focuses on the pricing, which the company believes will win over the customers.

Mercedes-Benz Announces C-Class Executive Special Edition

Mercedes-Benz is a company which puts out stylish, luxurious and stunning vehicles. Earlier we reported that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG gullwing had been revealed. Now the company has announced the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Executive SE, a special edition car which gives the customer added value with an exterior styling pack and interior upgrades.


Mercedes-Benz C-Class Executive SE

The Executive SE is powered by the manual C180 Kompressor BlueEfficiency engine, and is based on the SE model line. It is offered in the Saloon and Estate body style. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Executive SE will come with a Sport Grille with the integrated Mercedes-Benz star, a feature usually exclusive to the Sport model. It will also have 16 inch ‘Pristix’ alloy wheels, and chrome trim finishes on the boot lid and exhaust.

The interiors of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class have the COMAND fitted as standard. The multimedia system comes with hard disc drive navigation, a 6 GB music register, a PCMCIA slot and Linguatronic voice control, and all can be fully controlled via the Executive SE’s multi-function steering wheel.

The 156 hp engine gives 44.8 miles per gallon on the combined cycle and carbon dioxide emissions of just 154 g/km put the Executive SE in the 18 percent tax bracket. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Executive SE comes with Hill Start Assist which eliminates the need to use the parking brake.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Executive SE comes with a host of safety features and a three year unlimited mileage warranty. The Executive SE will be available from November 2009 for 23,190 GBP (approx. Rs. 17,88,790). The Estate model will cost 24,390 GBP (approx. Rs. 18,81,355).

New models from Fiat coming soon

Just as the sales momentum picks up in Motown, international car majors like Volkswagen, Nissan and Fiat are re-energizing their small car plans in India.
After the small car launches from the Volkswagen and Nissan stable in 2010, Fiat will now come out with its own small car in 2011-12.

After tasting success with the Linea and the Punto, Italian auto major Fiat is busy working on a small car.
No, it’s not going to compete against the Nano but it will be positioned between the Nano and Grand Punto with a price tag of around Rs 4 lakh. The company is currently considering various engine options right from 900 cc to 1200 cc for the small car.

Silverio Bonfiglioli, COO of Fiat Group International, said, “One vehicle that you can sell is in the Rs 3-4.5 lakh category, one vehicle that is above the Nano and the 800 and that can compete with existing cars. I think there is a space for our company to have a car that has convenient price and value proposition."
For now, the focus is on launching powerful Linea's and Grande Puntos but the real volumes will kick in in 2011-12, once the small car below the Grande Punto hits the market. That's why the company is eyeing to sell 2,00,000 cars by 2012 with an aim of achieving 7-8 per cent market share.

But FIAT LCVs and premium cars are still sometime away.

" The ideal time for LCV launch is 2012-2014," said Bonfiglioli.

Meanwhile, the company will continue to build its network and manufacturing capabilities to create its own market in India and a strong base for exports of small cars.

Volvo delinks from Ford India

Volvo in India will no longer be a subsidiary of Ford India, but a separate company.

With Ford Motor Company planning to sell Volvo Cars and announcing Chinese carmaker Geely as the preferred bidder, the Indian operations of the Swedish company have severed its ties with Ford India, said Mr Paul de Voijs, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India, while speaking to Business Line.

Volvo Cars India has changed its name to Volvo Auto India Pvt Ltd, with effect from October 1.

“The process which started in May should help in case of a possible sale. It will help avoid complications,” he said.

In 1999, Ford had acquired Volvo Cars from Volvo AB as part of its Premier Automotive Group, which then included Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover. Volvo had begun operations in India in March last year as a subsidiary of Ford India, with all backend operations being handled by Ford.

When asked how the sale of Volvo may affect the company’s plans, especially in terms of component supplies for Volvo products, Mr de Voijs said that there should not be any impact.

“Short-term changes won’t affect our long-term plans for India. We do not believe in setting up a huge network at first, but instead, we believe in the gradual process to build our strength in terms of volumes as India is a huge market,” he said.

He added that the company already has seven dealerships in the country, which it will increase to 12 by end 2010. The new dealerships would be in Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Goa and Coimbatore.

Mr de Voijs said that Volvo had sold about 100 units between March and December last year and sales for the current year is close to doubling. “The luxury segment has grown by 20%, whereas we have grown by 23%,” he said.

Volvo has plans to launch two new cars in India next year. First up will be the smaller brother of the XC90 luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV), the compact crossover SUV XC60, which is slated for launch in the first half of 2010. This will be followed by the launch of the new S60 sedan in the second half of the next year. Volvo sells its top end S80 sedan and XC90 in India.

“The XC60 will be launched after the Auto Expo. We are currently road testing it at the International Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT),” said Mr de Voijs.

He said that Volvo will also launch a diesel variant of the S80 next month, while the C70-coupe may also be made available, but on an individual basis according to demand.

Nissan to roll out Murano

Nissan India will launch its premium sports utility vehicle (SUV) Murano in India by the first half of next year.

“Murano should be here latest by the first half of 2010. The car was initially scheduled for a rollout this year. It will be imported as a completely built unit from Japan,” said sources.

The SUV is likely to be priced between Rs 35 lakh and Rs 40 lakh and will compete with the Toyota Prado, BMW X3, Mitsubishi Montero and Mercedes Benz M-class.

According to company sources, Nissan will first assess its prospects in the competitive SUV segment in India before getting into small cars.

The Murano was first launched in 2002 in the United States as a crossover vehicle to complement the Pathfinder.

The SUV may come in three variants — the base S, the mid-grade SL and the top of the line LE. The all-wheel drive vehicle is expected to be strapped with a 3.5-litre petrol V6 engine.

The Nissan Murano is likely to have aluminium interior accents, leather seats, rain sensing wipers, memory seats and mood lighting.

The SUV will be equipped with an 11-speaker Bose unit along with a 9.3GB hard disk storage device.

Nissan’s compact car project is also on course. The hatchback will be manufactured in five countries, including India, China and Thailand.

In India, the small car will be manufactured at the Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai.

Nissan’s engineers say they are trying to source 80-90 per cent of the parts locally.

After launching the hatchback in 2010, Nissan plans to unveil a sedan in 2011 and a compact multi-purpose vehicle.