The all new Chevrolet Spark launched

General Motors has launched the updated Spark hatchback in India. The 2012 Chevrolet Spark gets many changes inside out including a face-lift which makes it up-to-date with other Chevy cars.  The new Spark is available in both petrol and LPG options and is costlier by up to Rs 10,000 from the existing comparable versions of the model, which will be discontinued, the company said. 

 

The small car is now available between Rs 3.26 lakh and Rs 3.81 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the petrol variant and Rs 3.81 lakh and Rs 4.10 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the LPG option. 

 

New two-tone finish upholstery, updated wing inspired instrument cluster, 2-DIN audio system with aux and USB functionality have been added to the interiors. 

 

A high roofline in the Chevrolet Spark ensures spacious headroom and legroom not just for front seat passengers, but also for anyone sitting in the rear seat. A high roofline in the Chevrolet Spark ensures spacious headroom and legroom not just for front seat passengers, but also for anyone sitting in the rear seat. 

 

The Spark is still powered by a 1.0-litre 63PS 4-cylinder engine which is available in both petrol and LPG trims. 

Apart from new design such as the twin-port grille, the new Spark has is powered by a 1-litre petrol engine with new-age innovations that ensure smooth, noiseless, efficient, powerful, reliable and low-maintenance operation, the company claimed.

The Spark is also furnished with a variety of clever and practical storage spaces.

 

There are five variants on offer now with a choice of seven colours. 

 

GM India is offering a three-year/100,000-km standard warranty under the Chevrolet Promise Cost of Ownership Programme, which also provides free maintenance for three years or 45,000 km. 

Toyota hopes to fill Tazz void with new Aygo

Toyota has returned to the booming small-car market.

The departure of the popular Tazz has long left the country’s best-selling vehicle brand without a contender in the small-car market, and this just as South African showrooms witnessed a serious shift in buying behaviour, with smaller cars gaining ground rapidly.

In fact, new car sales in the A-segment grew by 81% in 2010 compared with 2009, with the sub-B segment up 94% over the same period, this while the overall passenger car market grew by a ‘mere’ 30,6% in comparison. (The A- and sub-B segments refer to smaller, more affordable cars.)

Importers and other local manufacturers have been benefitting from Toyota’s absence in this market space, but the local arm of the Japanese brand has finally produced an answer to the growing popularity of cars such as the i10 and the Spark, with the launch of the Aygo.

Pricing for the five-door urban run-around starts at R109 900, which includes power steering, air-conditioning, ABS brakes, driver and passenger airbags, and an immobiliser and alarm. For R10 000 more, buyers get front electric windows, side airbags, a radio/CD player, remote central locking and alloy wheels.

A bottom-of-the-range, three-door Aygo, also to be imported from the same Czech plant, is to follow in the third quarter of the year.

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) Aygo product planner Reché van Niekerk says accessories include a bluetooth kit, coloured centre cluster covers, an iPad integration kit, as well as front fog lamps, all aimed at accommodating the youth market, which is the Aygo's target market. (A secondary market is women looking for a zippy shop, drop and collect vehicle.)

The Aygo is priced lower than the Yaris Zen, but don’t expect the Zen to be around forever.

TSAM sales and marketing senior VP Calvyn Hamman says this lower-priced version of the Yaris was only an interim strategy until the launch of the new-look Yaris, as Toyota “had nothing in the smaller car market”.

TSAM now also plans to bring the larger-than-Yaris, but low-priced, made-in-India Toyota Etios to South Africa later this year as it works to strengthen its hand in the affordable car segment.

“We are doing everything to have the right line-up for the South African market,” says Hamman.

NEW, BUT FAMILIAR

Aygo – a play on the words ‘I go’ – may look familiar to some, as the Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 are all based on the same platform.

The Aygo has been around on the global markets for around five years-plus already. Why only bring it to South Africa now?

“When we considered launching it, it was hard. We had other priorities. We were focussed on keeping our local plant running,” explains Hamman.

TSAM produces the Corolla, Hilux and Fortuner models locally.

The profitability of small cars is also not nearly the same as those vehicles higher up the specification level, adds Hamman.

However, now that there has been a serious upswing in the market for small cars, Toyota has decided to bring the Aygo to South Africa, with the promise that the current model still has around three years life in it before it will be rejuvenated.

“People are also now more willing to sacrifice space for a lower price and better fuel economy, so we suddenly have volume potential in this [small car] market,” notes TSA marketing and planning VP Glenn Crompton.

He hopes to sell 300 Aygos a month.

If the petrol price continues to soar as it is currently doing, Crompton may just see this happen, as the 67 kg, one-litre VVT-i engine, which has clinched several engine of the year awards, sips only 4,6 l of petrol every 100 km, while offering a respectable 50 kW of power, and 93 Nm of torque at 3 600 rpm, powering a car which weighs in at a low 830 kg.

Top speed is 157 km/h, and reaching 100 km/h from a stationary position will take 14,2 seconds.

The Aygo’s turning circle is a tight 4,7 m.

The small car is exempt from carbon tax, as it comes in well below government’s tax limit, at 105 g/km carbon dioxide emissions.

The Aygo comes standard with a four-year, 60 000 km service plan.

Van Niekerk expects the A-segment, in which the Aygo competes, to make up 8% of the passenger car market in 2011.

Maruti Suzuki launches new 1000cc Alto, to take on competitors

Maruti Suzuki has launched a new version of Alto, with a more powerful engine compared to its existing model. The new version has a 998cc engine, compared to 800cc earlier. It is suppose to provide the highest fuel efficiency among petrol cars in the A2 segment, 20km per litre.

On the exteriors, it has been refreshed to give a distinctive look. The design of headlamps & tail lights is changed. The front and rear bumpers are new. It is 125mm longer than the earlier one. It is designed to be wider and taller too. All these make the car look bigger.

On the interiors, the gears and brake system are superior, giving a better driving experience. There is more leg-room for the rear seat passengers.

The car will be available in lxi and Vxi variants, in 6 colors: Sunlight Copper, Midnight Black, Fire Brick Red, Superior White, Ecru Beige & Silky Silver.



It prices range between Rs 3.03 – 3.16 lakh, ex-showroom, New Delhi, Rs 3.08 lakh – 3.21 lakh, ex-showroom, Bangalore.

On an average 20,000 units of Alto are sold every month. With the increased features provided by the new Alto, the sales figures are sure to go up. The market leaders Hyundai Santro and Chevrolet Spark are sure to face a stiff competition.

Maruti Suzuki has been a market leader in the small car segment, having around 50% of the market share. However, for the first time this has fallen to 47% and Maruti Suzuki is in top gears to regain its market share. Launch of Alto K10 is a beginning step towards this.

Hyundai to launch 800 cc car both for India and export markets

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HTML) is planning to launch its 800 cc small car by 2011-12. The wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motors Company is taking this step foreseeing the demand for small cars which is likely to touch 2 million units in India by the time this car gets to launch here. The Hyundai 800 cc cars will be both for Indian market and exports markets.


But the company made a clear remark that it had no intentions to give a competition to Nano as it does not have the capacity to manufacture Rs. 1 lakh car.


Hyundai is planning to undertake the production of this new 800 cc variant on the tunes of Maruti 800 and is supposed to hit the market with an affordable range. Hyundai is the largest seller of the small car


segment. Its current best seller is i10 but Hyundai plans to offer a car at a price tag lower than i10 this time.


“We hope to bring our smaller car than Santro, which will be an 800 cc vehicle, by 2011,” said H S Lheem, Managing Director Hyundai Motors India. He, however, did not divulge details like price range of the car. The car is aimed to hit not only the Indian domestic market but the company also plans to cater to the export market as well. The design of the car will be prepared in Korea.


The research and development work has already started at R&D centers at Hyderabad and Namyam (Korea). The company however has not revealed much about the product specification but there are anticipations that this car would be a petrol variant with 800 cc engine. These units have the capacity to manufacture 20,000 units per month and 600,000 units per year. HMIL has also promised a preview of its i20 car in the hatch back segment with a code name PB at the Paris Auto Tariff Show on October 2.


Hyundai is probably impressed by what Maruti 800 did to the Indian small car segment. Maruti Udyog happens to be the only company that boasts of having a monopoly in the small car segment in India. Hyundai’s new 800 cc car is bound to face tough competition from Maruti’s Alto, Maruti 800 and Spark. The company aims to take forward this sensation by launching yet another affordable small car, looking at the growing market of small cars in India.

Ford Could Bring Out its Small Car this Month

The Indian car market is now in a glorious period. There is also a fast emerging luxury car market but the most expanding segment is that of the small car. Many companies, realizing the flowering love for the small cars in the country are coming up with new models or introducing new variants for the existing models, and so there is never a scarcity in this segment.

The next in the queue is Ford with its small car, codenamed B517. The company has been long working on the project and this seems to be the right time to make it public. The company is expected to showcase its small car in Indian this month. But the car will not hit the roads this year, it will be at least March next year for the car to get launched. After B517 gets launched in India it will also be exported globally including the African and Asia-Pacific countries.

The B517 will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. It was said that the diesel version of the car will have a 1.5-litre engine, but now it is expected to be launched powered by a 1.4-litre Duratorq engine, similar to the one used in Ford Ikon and Ford Fiesta. The other option will be a 1.2-litre petrol engine.

Chiefly designed for the Indian market, the car once launched will pose a good completion to models like the Volkswagen Polo, and new Chevy Spark. The pricing of the B517 is not yet revealed. This small car is expected to enter the Indian car market with really big promises.

Chevrolet’s new Spark is coming to India!

If you ask around and mention the Matiz to anybody, the word cute is mostly blurted out instantly. The same holds true for its spiritual successor, the current Spark - even though General Motors India now runs the proceedings. And when GM decided to build the successor to the current Spark for the global markets, needless to say it will make it to India, but will co-exist with the Spark as we know it now.



This then is the new Spark. And before you ask how they will run Spark Sr and Spark Jr around at the same time, don’t fret. GM might just call it the Beat in India, since the concept at the 2007 New York Motor Show was called thus. And from what the specifications seem to suggest, it will take on cars like the Hyundai i10 Kappa and Maruti Suzuki’s upcoming Splash, nee Ritz, head on.

The Spark is GM’s global small car that will be sold not only in countries in Asia and Europe, but also become GM’s entry ticket into the growing small car space in North America. And the fact that the Beat concept was chosen from among three after 1.9 million people voted over the Internet means that the Spark is a good looking car. Keeping true to the concept, the Spark retains most of the lines, except that it now gains four doors. If you can’t spot the door handles for the rear doors, don’t worry, it had us stumped too. But as we spotted closer, we realised that the Spark has stolen a design cue from the famous Alfa Romeo 156. The door handles are hidden in the plastic cladding around the C-pillar. Neat indeed. Measuring in at 3640 mm, the Beat is some 75 mm longer than the i10. The new car of course can’t be called cute anymore, as it is rather aggressive and muscular.

On the inside, there are a few design elements that trace it back to the current Spark. Such as the encapsulated speakers on the dashboard or the AC louvers and even the manner in which the central console is designed. What is rather interesting is the way the instrument binnacle has moved from the centre console to the more traditional ‘behind the steering wheel’ position. It looks like it came off a space shuttle, sheathed in silver and a cleverly designed LCD interface. The funky blue centre console dials and the riot of colours make this a fairly lively place to be in. We suspect it will be comfortable too for four adults and their luggage.

Internationally, the Spark will be sold with a variant of the current 1.0-litre four-cylinder petrol that also powers the existing Spark and a new 1.2-litre four-cylinder double overhead petrol that probably traces back its roots to the U-VA mill. No power figures are available just yet, so expect a small bump in power for the 1.0-litre engine from the existing 65 bhp, while the 1.2-litre engine should make about 80-85 bhp. We expect the latter to be the engine of choice so that GM can differentiate between it and the Spark and U-VA. Given how the current Spark is a lightweight city scorcher, the new Spark too should be equally good around town with some ability to cruise on highways.

And cruise it will, but only after GM brings in the Cruze, its Honda Civic/Toyota Corolla competitor, sometime in May-June this year. This will be followed by a new small car before the end of the year, which we guess is nothing but the facelifted U-VA. With Europe being the first recipient of the new Spark in early 2010, we suspect India will be on the launch list of the Beat only by late 2010 or early 2011.

GM to introduce new, fuel-efficienct and bi-fuel cars in India

With the success of its two hatchbacks in the Indian market, General Motors India is set to come out with a third one by the end of the year.

Following the Chevrolet and Spark, the "new Chevrolet Mini will not be a competition to Tata Motors' Nano. We are not in the numbers game. It will be positioned above the Chevrolet U-VA. Pricing will be around that range," said Karl Slym, president and managing director of General Motors India.

Speaking at the launch event of the company's sports utility vehicle (SUV) the Chevrolet Captiva's automatic variant, being at Rs20.3 lakh.

Reports quoted company executives as saying that the Chevrolet Mini would be positioned against Hyundai's recently launched i20.

Initially GM had planned to import the car as a completely knocked down kit into India, though now reports said it would manufacture the vehicle at its Talegaon plant in Maharashtra. The car is expected to hit the market in both petrol and diesel options, and is presently reported to be undergoing the fine tuning process of mapping the product to suit Indian road conditions.

In the premium segment, the Chevrolet Cruz would make its début sometime around the middle of 2009, providing some competition to the likes of Honda's Accord and Toyota's Camry. GM said that a one-week planned shut down at its Halol plant in December 2008 was to allow it to outfit the assembly lines to manufacture the Chevrolet Cruz.

Starting this year, General Motors India will also start offering bi-fuel cars that run on CNG or LPG as well as petrol. In the US, the Captiva has a hydrogen fuel variant. Slym attributed the lack of infrastructure as the reason the company has not introduced thye hydrogen-fuel car here in India.

GM would launch an LPG-powered car sometime during the first half of the year, Slym said, while adding that it would be followed by other LPG vehicles.

GM India already has the its current sedan, the Chevrolet Optra, available in the CNG variant, and the company would look at a similar course of action for its entry level sedan, the Chevrolet Aveo.

Slym said that GM's strategy has been to first come out with "high fuel efficiency in all our vehicles". "Then we will be introducing vehicles powered by (alternative) fuels like CNG and LPG, besides having different power-trains and different displacements," reports quoted him as saying.

GM is reported to have sold around 65,000 units last year in the domestic market, growing by 10 per cent despite the two per cent drop in growth witnessed by the passenger vehicle industry in 2008.

Reports said that GM's domestic market share notched up a few points from 2.9 per cent in 2007 to 3.4 per cent in 2008. the company is planning to make India its hub for power trains for Asia Pacific, after the completion of the $200 million power train facility at Talegaon in 2010.

GM invests $200 million in powertrain plant in Maharashtra, seeks to increase market share

General Motors (GM) Corp, which aims to increase its market share to 10 percent by 2010 in India, has announced that it will ramp up its manufacturing facilities by investing more than $200 million in a powertrain plant in Talegaon, Maharashtra.

The facility, expected to be complete by the first quarter of 2010, will have an annual production capacity of 160,000 units that can be expanded to 300,000 units, GM said in a statement.

GM's auto plant in Talegaon is set to be operational this week and around 140,000 vehicles are expected to roll out every year, taking GM's all-India annual capacity to 225,000 vehicles.

The company has a plant in Gujarat from where it makes the Chevrolet-badged Tavera, Optra, Aveo and Spark and a technical center, including a design studio, in Bangalore. It imports the popular sport utility vehicle (SUV) Captiva.

Karl Slym, president and managing director of GM India, said the company is working on the design of its new small car, which it plans to launch in 2009.

The company has plans to roll out the small car from its new plant at Talegaon, Slym said, adding that the small car will be sold in India and exported to other emerging markets.

"The Talegaon engine facility is an important component of GM's global strategy to establish a strong presence in this market. This is just one of a number of investments, totaling more than $1 billion that GM has made over the course of the last few years in emerging markets around the world such as China, Korea, Russia and India," Slym said.

"We cannot remain a global industry leader without a strong presence in the high-growth market of India. The new facility will enable us to continue expanding our product line-up in India," Slym said, adding that the launch of the small car will enable the company "to capture more opportunities in one of the fastest-growing vehicle markets in the world."

The small car will not compete with Tata Motors' Nano, which is being touted as the world's cheapest car with a price tag of $2500.

According to market data, India sold about 1.4 million four-wheelers last year compared to 5 million in China and over 10 million in the US. Annual passenger vehicle sales are forecast to rise to 2 million units by 2010 and Indian car sales are expected to more than quadruple to $145 billion by 2016, with small cars accounting for more than two-thirds of sales.

However, GM is not alone in this emerging small car market. Other automakers have also expressed interest in developing and marketing the small car in India.

With India's middle class population growing in number, several automakers including market leader Maruti Suzuki, South Korean Hyundai Motor Co. and India's Tata Motors have begun focusing on the low-cost small car segment.

In January, Tata Motors launched Nano, which is expected to give stiff competition to Maruti Suzuki's existing line-up of small cars like Maruti 800, Alto, Wagon R and Zen Estilo. Hyundai Motor India Ltd. also came out with its compact car called i10, and plans to launch an upgrade, the i20, later this year.

In May, the Renault-Nissan alliance also announced that it has partnered with Bajaj Motors for launching a low cost car that will rival Nano by 2010-11.

Also entering the small car market is Japan's Toyota and its rival Honda, which have set up their second manufacturing plants in Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively to launch their small cars by 2010 and 2009. US-based Ford Motor Co. and Germany's Volkswagen AG also have shown interest in making small cars in India.