General Motors launches Sail sedan at Rs 4.99 Lakh

Chevrolet has launched its Sail sedan in India at a starting price of Rs 4.99 lakh, ex-Delhi. The car looks identical to the Sail U-VA launched a few months back, with the addition of a boot.

 

 

The Sail is built on a new global passenger car platform created especially for emerging markets and is available in 1.2 L petrol and 1.3 L diesel engine variants.

“It competes in one of the largest and fastest-growing segments,” said Lowell Paddock, President and Managing Director, GM India.

He said the new car has been put through more than 6.3 million kilometres of testing on different terrains across India and other countries.

The company said the petrol variant would give 18.2 km to a litre and diesel 22.1 km to a litre as per specific test conditions.

 

The top variants of the car have technology features such as Bluetooth functionality that supports up to five mobile phone pairings and music streaming.

The Sail will compete with other competitors such as Maruti Suzuki India's Swift Dzire, Tata Motors’ Indigo and Toyota Etios.

Prices of the 2013 Chevrolet Sail variants, ex-Delhi:

Base (Petrol)- Rs 4.99 lakhs

LS (Petrol)- Rs 5.49 lakhs

LS ABS (Petrol)- Rs 5.7 lakhs

LT ABS (Petrol)- Rs 6.42 lakhs

Base (Diesel)- Rs 6.29 lakhs

LS (Diesel)- Rs 6.59 lakhs

LS ABS (Diesel)- Rs 6.8 lakhs

LT ABS (Diesel) - Rs 7.52 lakhs

Mahindra & Mahindra begins trial production of mini-Xylo

Small is beautiful, seems to be the new mantra for India's largest utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra. M&M is all set to launch a mini version of its popular car -- Xylo. The trial production has already begun. The car will be launched in the next two months and is likely to be rolled out of company's new plant at Chakan.

A diesel mini-Xylo is expected to be priced around Rs 5 lakh, making it an attractive option for customers buying premium hatchbacks like Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai's i20 or mid-segment sedans like Tata Motors Indigo. Experts also believe that a more fuel efficient diesel sports utility vehicle (SUV) will be much in demand at a time when petrol price hikes are burning a hole in a car owner's pocket. When contacted, M&M declined to comment. M&M's stock on the Bombay Stock Exchange was down 0.10 per cent at Rs 672.45 from previous close.

Speaking on the potential of such a mini-SUV, Automotive Dealers Association of Maharashtra chairman Sandeep Kumar Bafna said, "It's the package which will be of the essence – for example if a company can come out with a mini SUV wherein the price is Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh and it is a diesel product with excellent gearbox, engine and performance. For customers, a mini SUV is something that a person can use as an office going car as well as a weekend car."

Currently most 5-seater SUVs like Suzuki's Vitara are priced above Rs 18 lakhs, which many cannot afford. Even Xylo priced around Rs 8 lakhs is out of reach for many customers. A mini-Xylo could become a volume driver for M&M especially when the Xylo faces stiff competition from the popular Toyota Innova in that segment.

Commenting on the sales outlook for this year, M&M's automotive division CEO Rajesh Jejurikar said, "We have a strong portfolio of brands and we have a lot of products in the pipeline to be launched over the next 12 to 18 months. We are sure we will have a good year."

It also makes strategic sense for M&M to launch a mini-SUV as it wants to leverage its strengths in the utility vehicle market. The company is also expected to launch a global-SUV priced above Xylo later this year. In the second quarter of next year, the company will bring cars like Korando and Rexton to India from Korea's Ssangyong Motor after completing market feasibility studies. M&M completed the acquisition of Ssangyong in March this year and will work closely with Ssangyong for new product development and penetrating international markets.

Price, Features and Specifications of Tata Indigo e-CS sedan

Tata Motors proudly launched the Tata Indigo e-CS as ‘World’s most compact sedan’ which is set at a price starting from Rs. 4,08,000 to Rs. 4,88,000 (ex-showroom price in Delhi). The company aims to make a sedan available to those who want to spend money below Rs.5 lac and yet enjoy this vehicle. It is the most fuel efficient sedan launched by Tata till date.

Tata Indigo has undergone a facelift and Tata has also enhanced some of the features to deliver e-CS to the Indian sedan buyers. The company has launched 4 versions of e- CS: Indigo e-CS eLS, Indigo e-CS eGLS, Indigo e-CS eLX and Indigo e–CS eGLX.

Tata Indigo e-CS will be available in 2 engine options namely 1193cc MPFi Petrol which can develop 65Bhp of maximum power with 100Nm of maximum torque and 1396cc CR4 Diesel engine which can develop 70 Bhp of maximum power with 140 Nm of maximum torque. Both the engines are complaint with BS4 emission norms applicable in 13 cities of India. The all new 1.4 litre CR 4 Common Rail Diesel engine offers a mileage of 23.03 kmpl approved by ARAI. This mileage is the highest for any sedan currently available.

The all new Tata Indigo e-CS comes with revamped features that include new headlamps, new orange turn indicators in headlamps, new white alloy wheels, dual tone beige interiors, electric outside rear view mirrors and integrated turn indicators in outside rear view mirrors. The sedan also includes new music system with Bluetooth and aux port, new satin finish front grille, new instrument cluster with chrome rings and latest brown glaze finish for centre console. The company has also cut the overall length to four meters to avail tax benefits of small cars. Tata Motors has successfully made e-CS a complete package to address space and maneuverability demands in the big and congested cities of India.

Tata Indigo e-CS is available in 4 vibrant colors: Sterling Gold, Starlight Blue, Royal Burgundy and Porcelain White. The ex-showroom price in Delhi for the four models is as follows- e-CS e LS is set at Rs. 4,08,000, e-CS e GLS at Rs. 4,28,000, e- CS e LX at Rs. 4,68,000 and e-CS e GLX 4,88,000.