Hyundai Motor India reduces prices of Sonata Transform

The country's second largest car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter announced that it will pass on the full benefits of the additional duty of excise reduction announced by the finance minister in the recent budget.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd offers its customers a full range of cars starting from the entry level compact Santro to the premium luxury sedan - the Sonata Transform. According to the duty reduction announced in the budget any car equipped with an engine capacity of over 2 litre will have a reduced excise duty. Earlier the additional duty of excise was Rs 20,000 but after the recent budget announcement this has been brought down by Rs 5,000.

The Sonata Transform is powered by a 2.4 litre engine and hence directly benefits from the duty reduction.

Commenting on the new price Arvind Saxena Sr VP, Marketing and Sales said,

"We have always kept our customers in mind and created value for them. We will pass on the full benefits of the excise duty reduction to our valued customers. The Sonata Transform is a premium car with all the options and it had always catered to customers who looked for the ultimate luxury without having to pay exorbitantly for it."

The new Sonata Transform was launched in January, 2009 and is sold in petrol, Diesel and with an Automatic transmission for the diesel variant. The total cost benefit to the customer will be Rs 5,852 and the new price for the Sonata petrol is now an attractive Rs1,384,448 ( ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Honda Jazz launch ontrack, Accord 3.5 V6 slated for next month roll out

Honda Motors India has reaffirmed its commitment to launch its latest small car Jazz in June as per prior schedule, even though it will go slow on its production. The Jazz is powered by a specially developed 1.2-litre engine crafted keeping in interest of the Indian customer. It will share its platform with the Honda City.

Furthermore, it is gearing up to roll out a 3.5-litre V6-engined luxury sedan-Accord, by next month. The i-VTEC-powered 6-cylinder car, which is likely to be retailed at around Rs. 19-21 lakh (ex-showroom India), will be pitted against Toyota Camry. The company has, however, refused to share any details of the product.

Honda Motors India Ltd president and chief executive officer Masahiro Takedagawa revealed to the media that the trial production of the Jazz had already started. Talking about the upcoming Accord he said that the company aims to occupy the top spot in the luxury car segment as confirmed and its entire team is working towards attaining leadership in the premium segment. He concluded by saying that HSCI has already become the number one player in the D-segment, with the tremendous response received by both its D-segment offerings - Accord 2.4L and CR-V - launched last year. He further added that Honda is confident that the Honda Accord V6, which promises to set new standards in the segment by delivering an unmatched driving experience, will only strengthen its lead further.

Fiat India launches luxury sedan Linea at Jalandhar

Fiat India Automobiles (FIA) on Saturday launched its luxury sedan Linea here and announced plans to introduce two hatchbacks Grande Punto ( B segment car) and Bravo in the Indian car market this year.

The petrol versions of Linea are priced between Rs. 5.98 lakh and Rs. 6.98 lakh, while the diesel variants are priced between Rs. 6.88 lakh and Rs. 8.10 lakh, Tarun Khanna, head-Marketing said while launching the car here.

"The launch of the Linea is first in the line of three launches that Fiat will undertake this year, the other two being Bravo and Grande Punto. With this car, we hope to make inroads in the C plus segment", Khanna added.

"The car has met with strong success across the world and although Linea has been designed with a strong Italian style, we have also taken into consideration local Indian taste and requirements and have incorporated this into the Indian Linea," he said adding that both petrol and diesel versions of Linea have three variants each.

Claiming that 'fully integrated robotised engine' (FIRE) would power the petrol version of the Linea, and the diesel version is equipped with the advanced new generation multi-jet engine, Khanna said that the car would be retailed through a select 70 Tata-Fiat dealer outlets.

"We will buy auto parts worth 250 million euro from the country by next year for its European operations. We will start deliveries from this year and by next year we will be sourcing components for car and other divisions," he added.

Toyota to launch hybrid sedan Prius in India

Toyota Motor Corp plans to introduce its hybrid sedan Prius in India as an answer to soaring fuel prices and growing concerns over emissions, a top official at its Indian joint venture said.

"We are preparing to bring Prius into the Indian market though we have not set any timeline yet," Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd vice-chairman Vikram Kirloskar told IANS in an interview.

"In the run-up, we have to develop skills to service it and make spare parts available across the country," he added.

The 2008 version of Prius has been adjudged the most fuel-efficient midsize carUS. Sold in over 40 countries across regions, the hybrid variant has also been rated as the third least carbon dioxide emitting vehicle in Britain. in the

Kirloskar described Prius as a "great car" but admitted it was "expensive upfront".

"In the long-run, it is economical, with higher mileage and lower maintenance cost. We are confident of its acceptability in the Indian market as it runs both on electricity and fuel."

Positioned between Toyota's Corolla and Camry in the luxury segment, Prius uses an all-electric compressor for cooling. Classified as a super ultra low emission vehicle, the eco-friendly car can be propelled by either petrol and electric power.

"We are aware that Honda is launching its hybrid variant in the Indian market soon despite high import tariff. We can also do it with due preparation. As I said earlier, we have to gear up to service such a premium car by training our personnel and stocking enough spare parts with the dealer network," Kirloskar said.

As the first commercially mass-produced gas-electric hybrid, one million Prius vehicles were sold by April worldwide, including 592,000 units in the US and 315,000 units in Japan.

In India, Toyota Kirloskar already markets Corolla and Camry in the premium segment, besides Innova in the multi-utility and Prado in the sports utility segments.

Corolla and Innova are manufactured at its Bidadi plant, about 40km from India's technology hub of Bangalore, while Camry and Prado are shipped from Toyota's production facilities in Japan in completely knocked down form and assembled here.

"Though we entered the Indian market over a decade ago, we chose to be in niche and premium segments. As a marketing strategy, we first introduced Qualis, which was a run-away success in the multi-utility segment," Kirloskar said.

"We launched Innova by discontinuing Qualis and yet maintained market leadership in the segment. In the second-hand or used car market, Toyota brands commands highest price even today because of their value and durability," he said.

Denying that Toyota "missed the bus" or lost market space to global rivals such as Honda, Hyundai, Suzuki, Ford and General Motors by not being present across segments in India, especially in the dominant compact segment, Kirloskar said there was enough room to grow in a developing country where the automobile industry was maturing.

In the passenger car segment, the combined installed capacity of Indian automobile sector is about two million as against Toyota's annual worldwide capacity of 10 million units.

"With the Indian economy poised to grow over eight-nine percent, we see immense potential to grow, thanks to increasing purchasing power, higher aspirations among the generation next, better road connectivity and migrant-driven urbanization," Kirloskar said.

Toyota Kirloskar is setting up a second plant with an upfront investment of Rs.14 billion ($329 million) at Bidadi to manufacture a range of models, including its long-awaited compact car to take on dominant players like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors.

With an installed capacity of 100,000 units per annum, the new modular multi-platform plant is set to commence production in 2010.

The small car will be different from Toyota's existing models in the same segment, as it is being designed exclusively for the Indian market, Kirloskar said.