Maruti to launch new Swift, Dzire in 2014

Indian automobile manufacturer Maruti Suzuki may launch the face lifted versions of the Swift hatchback and Dzire compact sedan in the first quarter of 2014. These new variants are likely to be showcased at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo.

 

 

Swift is Maruti’s largest selling premium hatchback in the country and has been a hot favorite of the masses in this segment since 2005, the year when it was introduced in India.

 

The company has a plan to make the diesel engines in Japan for upcoming Maruti models in India. The future growth of diesel vehicles in India will be going to good and thus Japanese parent Suzuki is becoming a helping hand for the making of engines and though Suzuki is making two in house engines.

Maruti Suzuki launched the Swift in 2005 and ever since the car has been a runaway success. In late 2011 the all-new Swift was launched which took the game even further. The Japanese carmaker has never rushed in to give their products a facelift, but stiff competition has ensured that no car company can rest on their laurels.

 

The Swift leads the Premium hatchback or B+ segment and the Swift Dzire also leads the compact sedan segment. The Swift and the Dzire will get updated  and seems like Maruti will showcase the face lifted versions at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, if rumors are to be believed the face lifted versions are expected to hit the showrooms by first quarter next year.

Nissan launches new facelifted Micra at a price of Rs 4.8 lakh to Rs 7.14 lakh

Nissan Motor Company has launched a facelifted version of its premium hatchback Micra at a very aggressive price of Rs 4.8 lakh to Rs 7.14 lakh ex-showroom New Delhi.

Along with the new Micra, the company has also introduced value pack base range called Active at Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.71 lakh with four variants, through this the number of variants are extended to 11.

Micra Active and New Micra were launched at a starting price of Rs. 3.50 lakh and Rs. 4.79 lakh (petrol) respectively.

NEW MICRA

The car maker also said it is planning to come out with a refreshed model of Evalia to stimulate demand for its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) segment.

The Japanese auto major had launched Evalia, its first MPV, in last October and it has sold only 1,567 units so far.

"We are in serious discussions...we are not too far (from a refreshed version)," Nissan India president and CEO Kenichiro Yomura told reporters in Mumbai.

He was responding to a question as to what Nissan is doing to revive the Evalia, which has seen low sales. To another question, Mr Yomura said approaching the fleet owners could also be one of the options to enhance volumes of the Evalia.

On the two Micra variants, he said the company has set sales target of 2,500 units a month for the new models. "Our total sales target for this fiscal is 1 lakh units," he said.

Nissan posted 11 per cent growth in sales at 36,975 units in FY13 with Evalia clocking just 1,396 units. Mr Yomura said the company is eyeing 10 per cent share by 2016 in India's fast-growing auto market and 10 models by then. As of June, the carmaker's market share stood at a negligible 1.5 per cent.

According to the company, Micra Active (petrol) is a spacious hatchback offering quality and functionality at a competitive price. It is based on the popular fourth generation city car with redesigned exteriors, refreshed premium interiors and gives a mileage of 19.49 kmpl.

Nissan launched Mirca in India in July 2010 and has since sold 43,000 units. Globally, the model is known as March and it has clocked sales of over 6.5 million.

"Micra is a significant model for Nissan in this market. We expect the new models to serve wider range of customers," Mr Yomura said.

The 5 most-selling hatchbacks in India.

Car sales data of June suggest a slowdown in almost every segment but there are still some that have maintained sales and the title of being the most popular cars in India.

Sale of petrol cars suffered the most with the price of petrol going through the roof. Diesel cars were also hit after the government raised its price also.

Brand value, good features, good after sales and spares, reasonable prices, value for money and last but not the least good mileage made these cars more popular than the rest. While some of these hatchbacks have been around for years, a few were recent additions.

Maruti Swift

Maruti Swift, an A2 segment car, along with other hatchbacks like Maruti Alto, Maruti Wagon-R, Maruti Zen, Maruti Ritz and Maruti A-Star reached a sales figure of 52,599 in June this year a growth of 2.3 per cent over June 2010.

The reasons why Maruti Swift ropes in good sales figures compared to other cars such as Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo, Tata Indica and Chevrolet Beat are its brand value, track record and value for money besides mileage.

Maruti Swift was launched in January 2009.

Its image got a boost thanks to its 85bhp engine with turbocharger, which gave a mileage of 12.8kmpl in the city and 16.6 kmpl on the highways.

The Maruti Swift price ranges between Rs 409,000 and Rs 556,000 ex showroom in New Delhi.

Volkswagen Polo

Launched in May 2010, the Volkswagen Polo is now over a year old and is available in both petrol and diesel variants in the price range of Rs 457,000 to Rs 706,000.

The Volkswagen Polo petrol returns a mileage of 17.0 kmpl just less than Liva and Nissan Micra that delivers a mileage of 18kmpl.

Polo's strengths lie in its awesome looks, interiors and brand value.

Polo clicked a sales figure of 2,679 units in June out of a total of 5,397 Volkswagen cars sold in India in June this year.

Ford Figo

Introduced in February 2010, Ford Figo has touched a year-over-year growth of 53 per cent in June and recently reached 100,000 sales mark.

Good space, powerful engine, large boot and a big car drive feel has considerably pushed Figo sales in India.

The diesel version undoubtedly delivers unmatched performance.

Ford Figo petrol price ranges between Rs 359,000 to Rs 462,000 while the diesel version starts at Rs 493,000 ex showroom.

Figo is in competition with the newly launched Toyota Etios Liva, Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Ritz, Fiat Punto and Tata Indica primarily.

Ford as a brand has the highest backing for Figo in terms of sales.

Besides, its after sale service, and spares network are also considerably good.

Toyota Etios Liva

Liva, the 'Lively and Live Life to the fullest' car brings the 'Q' Class experience from Etios and offers QDR standard - Quality, Durability and Reliability at a price range of Rs 399,000 to Rs 600,000.

Launched on June 27 the 79bhp Liva returns a mileage of 18.31 kmpl as per ARAI.

Liva also comes with a 3-year, 100,000-kilometers conditional warranty.

Toyota is also thinking of bringing in a diesel variant of Liva in the coming months. Toyota's brand value besides spacious interiors and looks of Liva are its plus points.

The diesel variant is highly anticipated to further the sales of Liva.

Tata Indica Vista

Tata cars are next to Maruti or perhaps the first preference in terms of diesel cars.

Known for its sturdy nature and long life just like Maruti cars, Tata Indica Vista is a new avatar of Tata Indica.

New body style, new interiors, larger boot are some of the changes made to Indica to make it Vista.

The Vista Aqua has a new 1.3L Quadrajet Fiat engine that churns out 75 PS and delivers 18 kmpl on the highways.

Some users have in fact reported 22 kmpl mileage.

With the improved engine and new platform, the Vista has gained importance and is as maintenance free as any other car contrary to Tata Indica that needs frequent maintenance checks.

Ford boosts dealers ahead of Figo launch

Ford India, preparing for the launch next month of its new [previous generation European Fiesta based] Figo, has signed up 28 new dealers which opened their doors this week.
The new retailers take Ford’s network to 164 facilities in 97 cities across India, an increase of 30% in the past two years.

The introduction of the Figo will mark a significant shift for India’s role in the global ONE Ford strategy that is transforming how the company brings more small cars to market.

It has invested US$500m to double annual production capacity to 200,000 units at its Chennai manufacturing facility which positions it as a regional centre of excellence for small car engineering and production.

Export Figos will also be produced at the plant and the factory will also produce diesel and petrol engines for local vehicle production and export within the Asia Pacific and Africa region.

The Figo hatchback was designed and engineered to compete in India’s small car segment, which accounts for more than 70% of the new vehicle market. It uses Fiesta small car platform architecture already familiar to Indian customers as it underpins existing sedan models built and sold in India.
Ford India president and managing director Michael Boneham said: “Growing our dealership base, building strong business fundamentals and getting closer to our customers are areas of high priority as we gear up to launch our new Figo and enter this high volume segment in 2010.”

Placing dealerships in close proximity to city centres – where they are conveniently located for customers – has been a core focus area as the automaker continues to broaden its local product range.

Boneham added: “As we expand, we are making sure that our low cost of ownership message is heard by people making buying decisions.”

All the newly-inaugurated showrooms are 'Brand@Retail' dealerships built according to a global standard to improve the ownership experience and ensure a long-term association with the b;ue oval brand.

Boneham said Ford India had been working with dealers to ensure facilities met specific requirements. Staff were trained according to Ford’s global guidelines to meet the demands of increased volume selling. The automaker has tripled dealer sales people from 480 in 2009 to nearly 1,500 this year.
In the past two months, over 1,700 dealer personnel from 97 cities attended in-depth training sessions on the new model.

New dealers have opened in New Delhi, Sangrur, Haldwani and Gwalior in the north; Durgapur, Dhanbad and Guwahati in the east; Hyderabad, Chennai, Warangal, Vellore, Salem, Vijayawada and Malappuram in the south; and Bilaspur and Mehsana in the west.

There is also a new showroom in the East Delhi metro rail station – the first time Ford has displayed its products in such a location in the Asia Pacific region.

New showrooms and workshops also are now located in Jaipur, Thane, Ahmednagar, Pune, Vapi, Ahmedabad and Cochin.

VW Polo to be seen in India by 2010

The Volkswagen Polo is expected to be in the Indian car market by the end of next year. Indians have been long expecting the launch of this supermini car. But the wait just a little longer.

It has been reported three years back that the car will be available to the Indian car customers by 2009 and it will be competing against the Maruti Swift, Hyundai Getz and Tata Indica. But when the promised time has just arrived the wait is extended by another one year and the car will have a new set of rivals in the Indian market by the end of 2010.

Let us hope that the wait will finally end this year. The bookings have already begun in Europe for this fifth-generation of Polo. For the European customers, the Polo is a very familiar model and a much loved one also. But for us Indians, we have to wait until Volkswagen plans to deliver this cute hatchback to our shores by sometime in 2010.

For the Indian car customers, there will be modifications in the car so that it will meet their needs the best. But from the master car builder it will be surely some great features, as the Indian customers also have now learned the trick of not getting settled for what has been offered but asking for more.

The exteriors of the car will match its siblings the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat, but mocks at the more serious look of these models with the dual indicators, which gives the car a sportier look. As for the engine options, the base model of the car will be available in a 1.2-litre petrol and there will be a more powerful engine option of 1.2 TSI petrol motor.

The price is expected to be between 4 lakh and 7 lakh which looks quite tempting, but wait and see, what this long wait has in store.

BMW skeptical Over Mini Launch

It looks like the German premium car maker BMW, is skeptical of launching its iconic luxury hatchback, the Mini in India. The launch of this hatchback was supposed to happen by the end of this year. BMW had announced its Mini launch plans during the launch of BMW X6, a sports activity coupe in India.
The Mini is a three-door luxury hatchback that was likely to be imported as a CBU in India. The BMW Mini would carry a price tag of Rs20 Lakh. The delay in the launch of this luxury hatchback owes largely because the luxury hatchback market in India is not developed. Moreover, BWM thought the investment to launch a new brand would be substantial in this condition. Any carmaker needs to look at the potential business opportunity before launching a car, especially when it’s a luxury car. BMW Mini would have faced a tough competition with the Fiat 500 if it had been launched in India at the prescribed date.
The German car giant would reconsider the launch of the Mini by the end of the third quarter of the calendar year. BMW competes with European rivals DaimlerChrysler (DCXGn.DE) and Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) in the premium Indian car market. This German carmaker makes the 3 and 5 series in India and also sells its 7 series from imported kits.
To strengthen the dealership network, BMW will set up dealerships in 10 more cities by the end of 2010. Presently, there are 13 dealerships in the country. The company has invested $30 million in India, including setting up a plant in Chennai.
BMW has lined up a slew of launches in 2009 like the new BMW 7 series, the new BMW 3 series, and a diesel variant of BMW X3.

Skoda to introduce 8 new models in India

Auto brand Skoda India will strengthen its position in India by rolling out eight new models in the country in the next five years. Its list of new cars waiting to be launched includes the new Skoda Superb, Skoda Yeti and Roomster.

SKODA INDIA is thinking big for India. In order to strengthen its position in India the company plans to roll out eight new models to India in the next five years.

Skoda made its entry into the Indian market with its popular model Skoda Octavia in the D-segment. It also bags the credit for introducing Pump-Duse technology with its model Skoda Fabia for the first time in India.

Skoda Fabia, a premium hatchback, the most popular and stylish model in India, has created a rave in the Indian auto industry.

The brand is also planning to roll out another small car for the country, which will be cheaper than Fabia.

Every model of Skoda’s model is a success in the country and now Indian users will experience a new model from Skoda every year. The company’s list of new cars waiting to be launched in India includes the new Skoda Superb, which will make its entry in early 2009 and Skoda Yeti from the SUV segment while the Roomster will also hit Indian roads in a couple of years.

Skoda India will also be expanding its dealership across the country. Currently, it has 56 dealerships and by 2009, it will be increased to 75 countrywide.