New Mercedes E Class

Finally the next generation E Class has been revealed. Autobild has published the first pictures of the new E-Class without camouflage. The new E Class should be launched in March 2009.

Mercedes-Benz new strategy of making all its cars look like Mini S Class does not quite convince me. The S Class looks like a mini Maybach. The C Class a mini S Class and now the E Class a hybrid of the C and S. Who said only Chris Bangle ruins car design?

Check out more pics of the New E Class here.

Toyota Corolla Altis

Toyota plans to launch the New Corolla by 5th September as per their site here. The New Corolla will be better known as the Corolla Altis. However you wont have to wait till the 5th to get a glimpse of the new Corolla. Toyota will be showing it at selected showrooms on the 23rd and 24th of this month.

The New Corolla will get a host of features such as instrument cluster with multi-info display, vehicle stability control, 8-way electrically adjustable power driver’s seat, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, 16 inch wheels wrapped with 205/55R16 tyres, dual SRS airbags, brake assist, ABS, EBD.


It will be priced from 13.5 Lakhs for the base manual to 15.5 Lakhs for the top end automatic, so it better be good as this is bang in Jetta territory. Bookings for the Altis are open. I think what Toyota plans to do is to keep the current Corolla as the entry level vehicle to fight the City and the new Corolla Altis as a premium offering to combat the Civic. Toyota is emphasizing on quality and i dont see why this car wont be a success. Only if it was more sainly priced, now the Civic looks terrific value.

Hyundai i10 Diesel

Hyundai plans to take on Maruti's A-Star, Splash and the Swift by launching a diesel powered version of the hot selling i10. The i10 diesel engine would really make a dent in Maruti's small car sales.

The worlds 5th largest automaker Hyundai is planning to launch a 1100cc, 80 bhp i10 early next year. Like all new generation CRDi units this will have loads of torque and will be the most fun to drive i10. Indica's Vista and the upcoming Grande Punto need to worry about Hyundai's oil burner.

Suzuki Lanza 150cc

After launching some plane-jane bikes, Suzuki is finally planning to launch a 150cc bike in September. As seen in the picture, it does look good. This bike will be called Lanza (What kind of a name is that anyway) and will sport a 6 speed transmission.

It resembles the Hunk to a great extent, which isint a bad thing. This bike will follow the trend of the 150cc segment and will have front disc brakes,digital instrumentation, LED tail lamps and some muscle. Now my question to Suzuki is - Gixxer where are thou?

TVS Apache RTR 180cc

TVS is all set to launch a higher powered version of the Apache by Diwali. This high powered version will be called as Menace, and will have a 180cc FI engine producing 18bhp. Also on the cards is a 200cc version of the Apache.

It is expected to be priced around 75000 and should be able to hit a top whack of 135kmph. Thats not all, it will be lighter and thus certainly faster. This bike is likely to have projector headlamps, front and rear disc and wider rubber.

Fifth Gear 14 x 01

Fifth Gear is back, you can download the latest episode of fifth gear, 14 x 01 here.

In this episode:

- World snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan asked Fifth Gear to help him choose a new car to spend his winnings on, so Vicki takes him out onto the track in a Mercedes C63 AMG and a BMW M3.

- Tiff and Jason put the Mitsubishi Evo X FQ300 and the Subaru Impreza WRX STi head-to-head on the track

- Tom tests Ford’s new SUV, the Kuga, by driving it on snow, road and mud

- Jonny investigates if cars are worth more as scrap than as a functioning car

- Tiff tries out the world’s first underwater car, the Rinspeed Squba, which was inspired by James Bond’s white Lotus Esprit in “The Spy Who Loved Me”

GM New Small Car

General Motors Corp plans to launch a new small car in India in the second half of 2009, but has no plans to take on Tata Motor's low-cost Nano, its India head said on Thursday.

It will be a global car meant primarily for emerging markets and will have design inputs from India, Karly Slym said on the sidelines of a news conference.

Chrysler M&M Dispute

Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and Chrysler are embroiled in a dispute over the front grill design and shape of the Scorpio. Chrysler alleges that M&M copied the design from its automobile marquee Jeep. There is speculation that Chrysler could initiate legal action against M&M.

The two companies were also locked in an unrelated dispute in South Africa in June this year. The South African arm of Chrysler disputed an M&M ad saying it owns the trademark to the world’s oldest sport utility vehicle, jeep, which is World War II vintage. M&M insisted that it used the word ‘jeep’ with a lower case to denote the generic name for the kind of multi-purpose vehicles it makes. The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa was later reported to be looking into the matter.

Sources in Mahindra said it had launched a heritage campaign in South Africa focused on the Willys Jeep, a famous utility vehicle which was used in the 1940s. Chrysler contacted M&M and was firm that M&M could not use the word, Jeep. Chrysler pointed out that till 1994, M&M could use the word, Jeep. But after 1994, it belonged only to Chrysler.

M&M and Chrysler are understood to be in discussions to sort out the dispute over the Scorpio design. A source in M&M said “this is nothing of significance and nothing legal. We had one casual conversation with some official in Chrysler. They said the Scorpio grill and the Jeep Wrangler grill look similar. So, can you do something about it?”

With M&M gearing up for the launch of its SUV Scorpio in the US market, any legal action by Chrysler could hold up its plan. M&M wants to cash in on the sale of diesel-powered vehicles in the US as petrol-guzzling SUVs are facing a tough time right now. While Chrysler officials refused to comment on the issue, an M&M spokesperson said they are in dialogue with Chrysler. “While we don't agree with Chrysler’s claims, both companies are looking to address the concerns,” the spokesperson said.

M&M’s ‘Jeep’ connections are decades old. When M&M founders, brothers JC Mahindra and KC Mahindra, started out in 1945 just after the war, they began by assembling completely knocked-down (CKD) Willys Jeeps imported from the US. Back then, the local content was minimal. But by the time M&M approached the government for a licence manufacturing Jeeps, the localisation levels had gone up substantially.

By 1954, the Willys CJ3B, a civilian version of the famed military vehicle, was being made under licence in India. M&M wasn’t the only company to bag the Jeep licence. Mitsubishi also had a similar arrangement though they stopped vehicles based on the CJ3B in 1998. M&M currently makes very small numbers of the CJ340 for customised requirements.

Image Source - Motorbeam

Fastest Nissan GTR

The R35 Amuse Phantom GT-R is the fastest Nissan GTR. It has a R1 Titanium exhaust, rear diffuser, new suspensions, Amuse Hi-Tech Rom with increased boost levels which helps the VR38DETT engine now produce 611PS at 6200 rpm and the torque comes in full effect at 3500 rpm, helping it lap around the Tsukuba track in 59.061 seconds

You can check out more pics of this GTR here.

New Honda City

Honda is planning to launch the new City in September. The new City looks like a toned down version of the current Civic and will be positioned above the current City. The current City will still sell alongside. More pics here.

The new City will have a newly designed and shaped G-CON structure sporting a toned new line up of powertrains. As far as the new features are concerned, Honda is likely to introduce paddle shift gear option, dual airbags, integrated music system with steering mounted controls, anti-lock braking system (ABS), temperature control and electronically adjustable front seats. The new City will use Honda's superb i-Vtec engines. The SX4 has made a dent in the current City's sales to a certain extent, and Honda's plan is to revive the sales by launching this new version. But Maruti wont sit still, they have their weapon ready to be unleashed, its their fantastic multijet engine which will do duty in the SX4. Honda also plans to launch a smaller capacity engined new City later on. Let the battle commence.

Honda Civic Sport Launched

Honda, which entered the Indian car market in 1997, has crossed the three lakh customers milestone in the country and thus launched the Limited Edition Civic Sport at Rs 12.36 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) to mark the occasion.

Honda had entered into a joint venture with Siel Limited, a Siddharth Shriram Group company, in 1995 to form Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (HSCI) and launched its first car in 1997.

The new sports Civic will be powered by the same 1.8 litre petrol engine as in the existing model but would have additional features such as front and rear spoilers, white alloy wheels with sports badging.

Till date HSCI has made an investment of Rs 1,620 crore with a further investment of Rs 1,000 crore being pumped in for setting up its second plant in Rajasthan, from where it will roll-out its compact car. The company has a current production capacity of manufacturing 100,000 cars.

New Tata Indigo

After launching the next generation Indica, Tata Motors is looking at unveiling the next generation variant of Indigo and a cross over vehicle between the Safari and Sumo.

"We will be unveiling a crossover between the Safari and Sumo, which was displayed in Auto Expo two years back," Tata Motors passenger cars division president Rajeev Dubey said. "This will be followed by the next generation Indigo, probably on the same platform as the Indica," he said.

Aston Martin One-77

Aston Martin has released a snapshot of the stunning new One-77, the ultimate creative interpretation of the renowned British marque.

One-77 fuses advanced technology with stunning Aston Martin design to create possibly the world's most desirable automotive art form. Based on a sophisticated carbon fibre chassis with a handcrafted aluminium body, this 7.0 litre V12 super car will deliver exhilarating performance (0-60 times are estimated at 3.5-seconds, with a top speed cresting 200 mph) for a strictly limited number of discerning customers.

That's what Aston Martin thinks, we reserve our comments till we get to know more about the One-77.

Upgraded Pulsar 200?

A updated version of the Bajaj Pulsar 200 is being tested around the outskirts of Pune.

The bike was spotted with test plates by bikeindia. If you look closely you wont be able to find any difference compared to the regular Pulsar 200. Maybe Bajaj has tweaked the engine to extract more power to give the competition a run for their money. Or maybe Bajaj is going the FI route with the Pulsar 200. We want more power, well who doesn't?

Skoda Recalls Fabia

Czech automaker Skoda has recalled the petrol version of its Fabia hatchback for rectifying a technical glitch that was affecting fuel efficiency and performance of the car.

According to sources, the company has called back the 1200cc and 1400c variants of the Fabia petrol for a "technical upgradation". When contacted, the company confirmed that it had recalled the car, but blamed "inconsistent fuel quality" behind the step. Due to inconsistent fuel quality in India, Skoda India has done minor change in the software to attain better fuel economy and driving performance, the company said.

Skoda is assembling the Fabia at its Aurangabad factory. Many of the critical components on the car are imported and may not be suitable for local conditions or available fuel quality. According to sources, several customers had experienced problems with the car and some even complained that the brake pedal became hard, while driving at a high speed.

Skoda officials said they would rectify the problem free of cost. "We are not charging anything for this and customers would just need to spend about 20-30 minutes at the dealerships," a company spokesperson said. All manufacturers do constant upgradations of their products so that the customer always enjoys the best quality and service, the company further said.

Fabia, which also has a diesel version, is expected to lead Skoda's charge in India and get volumes for the company. The company had launched the 1200cc version of the car only in May this year to compete with models like Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Getz.

Fuel efficiency is a very important factor in determining the success of cars not only in India, but even in developed markets like the US and Europe, considering high price of crude. Recalls for replacing faulty parts or rectifying technical glitches are not a common phenomenon in India as companies fear negative publicity would impact demand for the model. Globally it is not uncommon to see that companies are making recall announcements.

Last year, Honda India had recalled 2310 units of its luxury sedan Accord sold in 2005 and 2006 for replacement of a faulty relay in the fuel-pump of. This company had done this as part of a global recall. In 2005, Maruti had also recalled about 500 units of its Zen model for coolant leakage. Bajaj Auto had also recalled its scooter Kristal last year for a fuel pump problem.

Skoda has lined up an ambitious strategy for the Indian market. The company not only plans to bring in an all-new small car in the Rs 3-5 lakh range but will also introduce an all-new low-price "successor" to its Octavia sedan that would be priced below Rs 10 lakh. It also plans to bring in 'Greenline' Fabia range, currently sold in major European markets.

Insurance

Nowadays auto insurance is absolutely mandatory. The best auto insurance can protect your vehicle from any inconvenience should a likely accident occur. But you should also be careful of what kind of auto insurance you have. There are a lot of them available out there but not all can give you that coverage that you might be looking for.

Finding a good auto insurance for your vehicle is not easy and can be a hectic task. Sometimes you may not be claiming insurance at all so paying high amounts for auto insurance doesn’t seem the best idea. Under auto insurance there are many types of vehicles like cars, bikes, vans. It might be relatively easier finding insurance for cars and bikes, but the same cant be said for vans. However you can find some insurance companies who provide cheap van insurance. There are useful tips available to help you look for a good van insurance policy that can help you keep your premium payments down to a minimum. In looking for good van insurance, you should also try looking for van insurance available for you online. You might be able to avail discounts for van insurance policies purchased online. Do you know that a van can sometimes be more expensive to insure. You can also try to limit your car’s mileage before you try to get an insurance quote for it. The lower the mileage, the lower the insurance quote. Try not to modify or customize your car as it might affect your car insurance coverage.

I stumbled upon this site for van insurance who provide all types of van insurance from all the possible insurance providers, but what got me the most interested is they don't just search direct van insurers but even brokers. The brokers might charge you a little but if you go to another broker you might pay more for the same insurance policy. You can compare the van insurance your looking for and get the best price. The best thing is you can get the insurance your looking for hassle free with just a few mouse clicks. This is one of the best methods to get quality insurance cover in minutes.

Tata Indica Vista Launched

Leading car maker Tata Motors has just launched the new model of its successful brand Indica, 'Indica Vista'.

Since Indica's launch more than a decade ago, the company has produced 9.1 lakh units. In financial year 2006-07, Indica achieved a sales of 1,44,690 units--highest in a year for the car.

Indica Vista is launched in seven variants and priced at Rs 3.49 lakh ex-showroom Delhi for 1.2 L petrol at the low end up to Rs 4.88 lakh for the top end.

Speaking to reporters, Tata Motors President Rajiv Dube said, "We will take Indica Vista in six months to international market."

The company is not entirely phasing out the old Indica. "Of the 12 old variants, six or seven still exist in the market," Dube said.

Tata Motors has agreed to invest Rs 1,700 crore in expanding capacities in various plants. It has a tie up with Fiat, too.

Dube said the tie up with Fiat is a complementary one. Tata Motors and Fiat would not compete with each other in the same segment. Fiat would launch cars in the premium segment, he said.

Group Chairman Ratan Tata after the launch said in a statement, "The second generation Indica Vista showcases the progress Tata Motors has made over the last several years of its first outing in the passenger car business in design, quality, technology, performance and refinement."

Stay tuned for the test drive report of the new Indica Vista.

Volvo's India Plan

Volvo Car India (VCI) on Sunday said it plans to strengthen its dealer network and sell 400-500 in the country by the end of this fiscal and launch 2-3 new models in future.

Volvo, which has 10 cars in its portfolio at the moment, is also looking at launching 2-3 new models in future after testing and seeing the market response in India, where it has so far sold 100 cars after its launch less than a year back.

Part of Volvo's portfolio at the moment include three sedans, 1 station wagon, two convertibles and three cross-over model range.

VCI, a division of Ford Motor Company, had launched two of its flagship models, Volvo S80, one of whose top end variant costing Rs. 44 lacs was gifted to Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, and Volvo XC90, in September 2007.

New Chevrolet Optra

GM Cruze will be sold in different markets with different names and will be the replacement for the current Nubira, Lacetti, Buick Excelle and Optra. Inspired by Honda's Civic and Toyota's Corolla at the rear and Chevrolet Malibu at the front, this new generation Optra is by no means a looker. The alloys seem to be copy pasted from previous generation Optra's.

It is set to make its global premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October and will be available in Europe from March 2009, followed by North America, Asia and other global markets. The 4600mm long sedan is based on GM’s new Delta 2 platform.

GM hasn’t released any images of the interior but the Cruze features a twin cockpit design. In India the new Optra aka this Cruze will be launched with the same 2.0 liter turbo diesel engine which does duty in the Magnum Diesel. An all-new 6 speed automatic transmission is expected as well.

BMW X6 Coming

BMW, the worlds leading premium car maker, plans to launch X6, its sports cars in the domestic market next year. The companys India President, Mr Peter Kronschnabl, said while inaugurating its studio, We should be launching X6 by middle of the next calendar year.

On its decision to launch MINI here, he said, We have decided that we would not launch the brand in 2009. But will review it for 2010. Mr Kronschnabl said the companys target for this year was to sell 2,800 cars.

This is higher by 40 per cent of what we earlier said of selling 2,000 units during the year, he said. Globally, we are the world’s largest premium car maker. In India, also we want to achieve the same position, he stated.

The company said that it expected to sell high volumes based on various strategies including an aggressive expansion of its dealerships across different non-metros. The company said that it had achieved its first phase of expansion by setting up dealerships in Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Kochi and would now penetrate into other cities such as Ludhiana, Jaipur, Bhuvaneswar and Coimbatore.

BMW on Thursday opened its studio in the heart of the Capital at Janpath. This is the first one in the country and second worldwide after it set up a similar one in Tokyo.

The studio would display only one model of the company and would give customers a feel of luxury with companys merchandise, a lounge area and a display of its other toy car models on display.

Tata Nano Electric

Tata Motors is planning to produce an electric version of the Tata Nano, according to a German press report.

The Electric Nano would be built in cooperation with the Norwegian electric car specialist firm Miljoebil Grenland, the Hamburg-based Auto Bild newspaper said.

The Nano is a no frills basic car with a 33 hp 623 cc engine. It has no air-conditioning, electric windows or power steering that are standard in modern new cars. Nano is likely to be on the roads by October.

GMs Sights On Rural Consumers

General Motors is now training its sights on India’s rural consumers. The US car major is pumping in big money to set up a massive dealer network to push its popular makes—Tavera, Spark and UVA.

GM recently revised prices of Spark (entry level) in a move which mirrors the company’s global plans to push growth in BRIC markets. In fact, sales in Brazil, Russia, India and China grew by 41% in the January-June 2008 period as compared to the same period last year.

GM is launching mobile service/showrooms in C and D-class towns (currently accounting for 48% of sales), and is working with zilla parishads and gram panchayats to launch special packages for the rural buyer. Most of the existing GM dealers are being roped in to open up showrooms in smaller markets.

GM is also restarting its used-car business, apart from launching LPG and CNG variants. The company will commence the business in 10 locations across the country, and ramp it up to 30 by early 2009. In 2007, GM sold 60,000 units and is hoping to grow by at least 35% this year on the back of incentives, finance packages and new variants. There are no immediate plans to launch other brands from the global portfolio like Buick, Saab, Holden, Saturn and Pontiac.

Tata Indica Vista

The New Indica Vista, after loads of testing is finally being launched soon. You can check the details of the car by checking out the pictures in this post.

I really don't understand why Tata has used the word Vista for this model. Windows Vista has been a step backward for Microsoft. Also Tata has got a penchant for copying names from American computer companies. First the Nano from Apple and now this. I really don't like this car for several reasons. Design seems to be copied from a Peugeot, not that's a bad thing, but why didn't they copy the interiors too. The mid mounted instrument cluster looks a thing of the past, and the quality is typical Tata. Look at that steering wheel, looks bad. The tail lamps look the same as all Tata cars, from the Indigo to the Nano with a minor colour change.Tata you just acquired Jaguar, didn't you?

Tata has named the top end model Aura, which again is not impressive. Hopefully mechanically this car should be good. Tata should have improved on the gearbox and handling. But wait, they are copy pasting Fiats fantastic 1.3 Litre multijet engine with a change of name, Quadra Jet. Also on the line up will be 1.2 Litre Petrol and a re-worked version of 1.4 Litre Turbocharged IDI engine, for the Taxi segment, me thinks. It does get a host of features not seen in the segment like lumbar support (front seats), height adjustable driver seat, tilt adjustable steering wheel, a dual din audio system with USB and AUX input and a remote control, front and rear fog lamps as standard in the Aura. There will be slight price hike over the current Indica.

Hyundai i10 U.S

Hyundai Motor Co is considering introducing its hot selling i10, the small hatchback produced in India, to the US market to meet rising demand for small cars amid higher oil prices.

“We are considering launching the i10 (in the United States) as more customers are looking for smaller cars. But we have not made a final decision yet as we are still studying logistics costs and various technical issues,” said a Hyundai official.

Hyundai plans to export the i30, a larger hatchback made in South Korea, to the world’s biggest auto market next year, he added. Higher oil prices and a slowdown in the US economy have prompted customers to search for smaller vehicles. Selling the i10 in the US market wont be easy and will require Hyundai to fine tune the car for better performance.

Maruti Driving School

India’s leading carmaker Maruti Suzuki has announced their plans of establishising 8-10 new Institutes of Driving Training and Research and around 110 Maruti Driving Schools by 2010.

Maruti Suzuki General Manager R K Parimoo spoke about this new initiative: “There is an urgent need for creating awareness about road safety. As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility activities, we have planned to set up 8-10 IDTRs and 110 MDSs by 2010 across the country.”

They would be charging fees for training as per the financial background of the people being trained at these institutes and plan to train five lakh people within the next three years.

Skoda Roomster

Skoda India is planning to launch the Roomster in India in 2009. The Roomster may not be the best looking car around but it is known for its roomy interiors and the space it offers.

The car will be priced around Rs. 9 lacs, which seems a tad high for a car as big as the Ford Fusion. Engines expected are the 1.4 Diesel and 1.4 Petrol found in the current Fabia.


Source

Hyundai Genesis

Hyundai has been growing. The way their cars have put the sales chart on fire has really got Toyota the World No. 1 worried. Hyundai Genesis was launched in a segment which had cars like the Mercedes Benz E Class and BMW 5 Series. Hyundai sold 800 units of the Genesis in the U.S. and guess who were two of the buyers?

General Motors and Toyota. Yes that's right, two of the vehicles sold were each registered to General Motors Corp and Toyota Motor Corp.

“Among the first buyers were General Motors (Corp) and Toyota (Motor Corp),” says Michael Deitz, manager product development for Hyundai. Both paid sticker price, but there are a few other reasons Deitz is excited. “I’m flattered the competition bought us so early, but we only had the V-6 version available initially, so they are going to have to come back and buy another car,” he says during a preview of the new Genesis for the Midwest Automotive Media Association.

According to Michael Deitz, Hyundai's manager of product development, both automakers purchased V6-equipped models since the V8 isn't available yet, and that one of the buyers identified himself as part of GM's "Competitive Intelligence Department."

Lexus Most Dependable Vehicle

Lexus once again stands alone atop a closely watched list of vehicle dependability after Buick slipped from the No. 1 spot it shared with the Japanese luxury brand last year, J D Power and Associates said Thursday.

It's the 14th straight year Toyota Motor Corp's high-end brand has held the highest ranking in the annual study, which measures problems experienced by the original owners of vehicles after three years. Lexus had 120 problems per 100 vehicles, down from 145 last year.

"That's a pretty good track record," said Dave Sargent, J D Power's vice president of automotive research. ``They benefited to some degree ... where a couple of their very important models in their second year on the market the ES and the RX, which together account for over two-thirds of Lexus sales both improved significantly.''

Ford Motor Co's Mercury brand ranked second, followed by General Motors Corp's Cadillac. Toyota was fourth, and Honda Motor Co's Acura luxury brand was fifth. Land Rover, which Ford sold this year to India's Tata Motors Ltd, was the worst-performing brand, with 344 problems.

The industry average improved to 206 problems per 100 vehicles, from 216 a year ago.

Buick, owned by GM, fell to sixth place in this year's study with 163 problems, although its now-discontinued Buick Century was the top-ranked vehicle in the midsize car segment.

"The lower score is largely due to vehicles that are no longer in the marketplace," Sargent said. "The vehicles are still out there, so the study is still relevant. But obviously they had some problems."

GM's Saab brand was the most improved in this year's study, improving to 254 problems from 319. More than 60 percent of the 38 brands in the study improved from last year.

The No. 1 problem cited in the study, based on responses from more than 52,000 original owners of 2005 model-year vehicles, was wind noise, followed by noisy brakes, pulling to the left or right, dashboard issues and window fogging. The study weights all problems equally.

Vehicle dependability has been steadily improving across the industry overall, Sargent said. Since the 2005 study, the industry average has improved from 237 problems per 100 vehicles to 206 this year. That equates to slightly more than two problems per vehicle.

Furthermore, the types of problems reported have trended toward "soft" problems, like funny noises or aesthetic wear, in place of "hard" problems such as major technical defects, Sargent said.

New Mercedes E Class

Finally the next generation E Class has been revealed. Autobild has published the first pictures of the new E-Class without camouflage. The new E Class should be launched in March 2009.

Mercedes-Benz new strategy of making all its cars look like Mini S Class does not quite convince me. The S Class looks like a mini Maybach. The C Class a mini S Class and now the E Class a hybrid of the C and S. Who said only Chris Bangle ruins car design?

Check out more pics of the New E Class here.

Toyota Corolla Altis

Toyota plans to launch the New Corolla by 5th September as per their site here. The New Corolla will be better known as the Corolla Altis. However you wont have to wait till the 5th to get a glimpse of the new Corolla. Toyota will be showing it at selected showrooms on the 23rd and 24th of this month.

The New Corolla will get a host of features such as instrument cluster with multi-info display, vehicle stability control, 8-way electrically adjustable power driver’s seat, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, 16 inch wheels wrapped with 205/55R16 tyres, dual SRS airbags, brake assist, ABS, EBD.


It will be priced from 13.5 Lakhs for the base manual to 15.5 Lakhs for the top end automatic, so it better be good as this is bang in Jetta territory. Bookings for the Altis are open. I think what Toyota plans to do is to keep the current Corolla as the entry level vehicle to fight the City and the new Corolla Altis as a premium offering to combat the Civic. Toyota is emphasizing on quality and i dont see why this car wont be a success. Only if it was more sainly priced, now the Civic looks terrific value.

Porsche 911 Gold

If you have enough money or you love Gold too much you wouldn't mind making your car ugly. You just need to buy some gold and plate it on your car. Just as how a Russian has done on his Porsche 911 (996) Cabriolet.

This Porsche was covered in 18 kg of gold and i feel that this car could be owned by a Sheikh. However if it was me, i would rather buy a Porsche Carrera GT.

Suzuki Lanza 150cc

After launching some plane-jane bikes, Suzuki is finally planning to launch a 150cc bike in September. As seen in the picture, it does look good. This bike will be called Lanza (What kind of a name is that anyway) and will sport a 6 speed transmission.

It resembles the Hunk to a great extent, which isint a bad thing. This bike will follow the trend of the 150cc segment and will have front disc brakes,digital instrumentation, LED tail lamps and some muscle. Now my question to Suzuki is - Gixxer where are thou?

TVS Apache RTR 180cc

TVS is all set to launch a higher powered version of the Apache by Diwali. This high powered version will be called as Menace, and will have a 180cc FI engine producing 18bhp. Also on the cards is a 200cc version of the Apache.

It is expected to be priced around 75000 and should be able to hit a top whack of 135kmph. Thats not all, it will be lighter and thus certainly faster. This bike is likely to have projector headlamps, front and rear disc and wider rubber.

Fifth Gear 14 x 01

Fifth Gear is back, you can download the latest episode of fifth gear, 14 x 01 here.

In this episode:

- World snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan asked Fifth Gear to help him choose a new car to spend his winnings on, so Vicki takes him out onto the track in a Mercedes C63 AMG and a BMW M3.

- Tiff and Jason put the Mitsubishi Evo X FQ300 and the Subaru Impreza WRX STi head-to-head on the track

- Tom tests Ford’s new SUV, the Kuga, by driving it on snow, road and mud

- Jonny investigates if cars are worth more as scrap than as a functioning car

- Tiff tries out the world’s first underwater car, the Rinspeed Squba, which was inspired by James Bond’s white Lotus Esprit in “The Spy Who Loved Me”

Chrysler M&M Dispute

Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and Chrysler are embroiled in a dispute over the front grill design and shape of the Scorpio. Chrysler alleges that M&M copied the design from its automobile marquee Jeep. There is speculation that Chrysler could initiate legal action against M&M.

The two companies were also locked in an unrelated dispute in South Africa in June this year. The South African arm of Chrysler disputed an M&M ad saying it owns the trademark to the world’s oldest sport utility vehicle, jeep, which is World War II vintage. M&M insisted that it used the word ‘jeep’ with a lower case to denote the generic name for the kind of multi-purpose vehicles it makes. The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa was later reported to be looking into the matter.

Sources in Mahindra said it had launched a heritage campaign in South Africa focused on the Willys Jeep, a famous utility vehicle which was used in the 1940s. Chrysler contacted M&M and was firm that M&M could not use the word, Jeep. Chrysler pointed out that till 1994, M&M could use the word, Jeep. But after 1994, it belonged only to Chrysler.

M&M and Chrysler are understood to be in discussions to sort out the dispute over the Scorpio design. A source in M&M said “this is nothing of significance and nothing legal. We had one casual conversation with some official in Chrysler. They said the Scorpio grill and the Jeep Wrangler grill look similar. So, can you do something about it?”

With M&M gearing up for the launch of its SUV Scorpio in the US market, any legal action by Chrysler could hold up its plan. M&M wants to cash in on the sale of diesel-powered vehicles in the US as petrol-guzzling SUVs are facing a tough time right now. While Chrysler officials refused to comment on the issue, an M&M spokesperson said they are in dialogue with Chrysler. “While we don't agree with Chrysler’s claims, both companies are looking to address the concerns,” the spokesperson said.

M&M’s ‘Jeep’ connections are decades old. When M&M founders, brothers JC Mahindra and KC Mahindra, started out in 1945 just after the war, they began by assembling completely knocked-down (CKD) Willys Jeeps imported from the US. Back then, the local content was minimal. But by the time M&M approached the government for a licence manufacturing Jeeps, the localisation levels had gone up substantially.

By 1954, the Willys CJ3B, a civilian version of the famed military vehicle, was being made under licence in India. M&M wasn’t the only company to bag the Jeep licence. Mitsubishi also had a similar arrangement though they stopped vehicles based on the CJ3B in 1998. M&M currently makes very small numbers of the CJ340 for customised requirements.

Image Source - Motorbeam

Fastest Nissan GTR

The R35 Amuse Phantom GT-R is the fastest Nissan GTR. It has a R1 Titanium exhaust, rear diffuser, new suspensions, Amuse Hi-Tech Rom with increased boost levels which helps the VR38DETT engine now produce 611PS at 6200 rpm and the torque comes in full effect at 3500 rpm, helping it lap around the Tsukuba track in 59.061 seconds

You can check out more pics of this GTR here.

Toyota Prius Coming To India

Global auto major 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 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 car in the US. Sold in over 40 countries across regions, the hybrid variant has also been rated as the third least carbon dioxide emitting vehicle in Britain.

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.

"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 mn as against Toyota's annual worldwide capacity of 10 mn units.

I really dont understand why would anyone want to buy such a expensive car with less power when it really isint that efficient, check this video below.



Source

Honda Civic Sport Launched

Honda, which entered the Indian car market in 1997, has crossed the three lakh customers milestone in the country and thus launched the Limited Edition Civic Sport at Rs 12.36 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) to mark the occasion.

Honda had entered into a joint venture with Siel Limited, a Siddharth Shriram Group company, in 1995 to form Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (HSCI) and launched its first car in 1997.

The new sports Civic will be powered by the same 1.8 litre petrol engine as in the existing model but would have additional features such as front and rear spoilers, white alloy wheels with sports badging.

Till date HSCI has made an investment of Rs 1,620 crore with a further investment of Rs 1,000 crore being pumped in for setting up its second plant in Rajasthan, from where it will roll-out its compact car. The company has a current production capacity of manufacturing 100,000 cars.

Aston Martin One-77

Aston Martin has released a snapshot of the stunning new One-77, the ultimate creative interpretation of the renowned British marque.

One-77 fuses advanced technology with stunning Aston Martin design to create possibly the world's most desirable automotive art form. Based on a sophisticated carbon fibre chassis with a handcrafted aluminium body, this 7.0 litre V12 super car will deliver exhilarating performance (0-60 times are estimated at 3.5-seconds, with a top speed cresting 200 mph) for a strictly limited number of discerning customers.

That's what Aston Martin thinks, we reserve our comments till we get to know more about the One-77.

Toyota To Increase Capacity

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has plans to scale up the production at its second plant to double in the near future, a top company official said.

"We intend to expand the capacity of our second plant from 1,00,000 units to 2,00,000 units in the near future," Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Managing Director, Hiroshi Nakagawa told reporters on the sideline of the launch of its Traffic Safety Education Initiative.

TKM started production in its first plant at Bangalore in December 1999.

The foundation stone for the second plant at Bangalore was recently laid by Karnataka Chief Minister, B S Yedurappa.

Nakagawa said that the company was very much keen in India and was focussing on the Indian market.

On Toyota's proposed 'strategic small car', Nakagawa said," If we succeed in India, we will launch it in other markets like Russia and Brazil etc," he said.

The Japanese car maker has plans to launch the small car in the Indian market by 2010.

TKM, which is a joint venture between Japan's Toyota Motor and India's Kirloskar Group, currently produces the Corolla and IMV series of Innova (MUV) with a production of 60,000 vehicles in 2007.

Toyota Motor holds 89 per cent equity stake in TKM and Kirloskar Group the remaining 11 per cent.

India In Top 15 Automakers

With a burgeoning auto industry to boast of, India has made it to the top 15 automakers of the world and occupies the fourth position in the leading developing countries' category of motor vehicle manufacturers, a UNIDO report has said.

According to the UNIDO International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2008, India ranks 12th in the list of world's top 15 automakers, which is led by Japan followed by the US and Germany. Other countries making it to list are Mexico, France, Korea, UK, Canada, Spain, Iran, Sweden, Brazil, Italy and Indonesia.

In the leading developing countries category, India ranks fourth. The list is topped by Mexico, followed by Korea, Iran. Brazil holds the fifth position followed by Indonesia, Turkey, Argentina, Thailand, Singapore, China, China (Taiwan Province), Malaysia, UAE and Columbia.

India also figures among the world's top 15 producers of chemicals and chemical products, electrical machinery and apparatus, basic metals (iron and steel, non-ferrous metals), coke, refined petroleum products, nuclear fuel, non-metallic mineral products (glass and glass products, cement, lime and plaster, ceramic products), machinery and equipment, leather, leather products and footwear and textiles, the report said.

Skoda Recalls Fabia

Czech automaker Skoda has recalled the petrol version of its Fabia hatchback for rectifying a technical glitch that was affecting fuel efficiency and performance of the car.

According to sources, the company has called back the 1200cc and 1400c variants of the Fabia petrol for a "technical upgradation". When contacted, the company confirmed that it had recalled the car, but blamed "inconsistent fuel quality" behind the step. Due to inconsistent fuel quality in India, Skoda India has done minor change in the software to attain better fuel economy and driving performance, the company said.

Skoda is assembling the Fabia at its Aurangabad factory. Many of the critical components on the car are imported and may not be suitable for local conditions or available fuel quality. According to sources, several customers had experienced problems with the car and some even complained that the brake pedal became hard, while driving at a high speed.

Skoda officials said they would rectify the problem free of cost. "We are not charging anything for this and customers would just need to spend about 20-30 minutes at the dealerships," a company spokesperson said. All manufacturers do constant upgradations of their products so that the customer always enjoys the best quality and service, the company further said.

Fabia, which also has a diesel version, is expected to lead Skoda's charge in India and get volumes for the company. The company had launched the 1200cc version of the car only in May this year to compete with models like Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Getz.

Fuel efficiency is a very important factor in determining the success of cars not only in India, but even in developed markets like the US and Europe, considering high price of crude. Recalls for replacing faulty parts or rectifying technical glitches are not a common phenomenon in India as companies fear negative publicity would impact demand for the model. Globally it is not uncommon to see that companies are making recall announcements.

Last year, Honda India had recalled 2310 units of its luxury sedan Accord sold in 2005 and 2006 for replacement of a faulty relay in the fuel-pump of. This company had done this as part of a global recall. In 2005, Maruti had also recalled about 500 units of its Zen model for coolant leakage. Bajaj Auto had also recalled its scooter Kristal last year for a fuel pump problem.

Skoda has lined up an ambitious strategy for the Indian market. The company not only plans to bring in an all-new small car in the Rs 3-5 lakh range but will also introduce an all-new low-price "successor" to its Octavia sedan that would be priced below Rs 10 lakh. It also plans to bring in 'Greenline' Fabia range, currently sold in major European markets.