Mitsubishi Motors To Cut Production

Mitsubishi Motors Corp will cut production at its factories in Japan by up to 100,000 units in five months from November due to slow sales.

The automaker will cut the production of cars, such as sports utility vehicles, and is expected to revise down its planned global sales from the current 1.39 million units in the business year ending in March 2009.

Vehicles sales have slumped more than expected in all major markets in the past months amid weak consumer confidence and a slowing economy, hitting automakers everywhere.

Even Japan’s Toyota, considered the healthiest automaker as reflected by its AAA debt rating, is expected to post its first quarterly sales decline in seven years because of the downturn in the US market.

2009 Mercedes E-Class

Autobild had published pictures of the 2009 Mercedes E-Class and now German car magazine Auto Zeitung has spotted the E-Class.

This 2009 E Class looks very much like what Autobild had published and we feel this car looks kind of boring. Yes its a Mercedes-Benz but whats wrong with Mercedes who seem to have made a hybrid of the C and S Class. I mean just look at the 2009 E and compare it to the BMW 5 Series and you will know what i am talking about.

Williams Confirm 2009 Lineup

Williams Toyota have confirmed an unchanged driver line-up for the 2009 Formula One season, with Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima retained as the team’s race drivers, while Nico Hulkenberg will take up duties as the team’s official test driver for a second year.

It will be worth mentioning that as long as Toyota is supplying the engines to Williams, Nakajima’s future as a race driver is pretty much secure.

Japanese Drivers have been hugely supported by Japanese engine suppliers and teams such as Honda, who supported Takuma Sato with Super Aguri. Drivers such as Nakajima and Sato have done exceptionally well in Formula 1 when it comes to bringing the excitement into the race by some aggressive rally style driving and frequent calls to the safety car with an occasional incident involving a few cars. Sato is linked to return to F1 in 2009.

Such was the euphoria created by Sato, that even all time greats like Micheal Schumacher have humbly bowed down to him. (See Pic)

Nissan To Launch March

Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Co will make next generation March model at its Orgadam plant built in partnership with French car maker Renault. The joint venture company Renault Nissan Automotive India Ltd (RNAI) is investing around Rs.40 billion ($833 million) in the plant, which has a total capacity of 400,000 units.

“We will roll out the small car from our Chennai plant while the plant in Thailand is the mother unit for that model,” RNAI managing director Shouhei Kimura said. “The foundation for stamping unit and paint shop has been laid. Excavation work for constructing other units are on,” Kimura added.

Nissan Motor India Ltd has tied up with Hover Automotive India Ltd to take care of the car distribution in the country. The company plans to have 55 dealers by 2012. Expected to start commercial production by 2010, Nissan plans to ship out 110,000 cars, primarily to Europe from 2011 through the Ennore port.

Ferrari V4 Superbike

The concept motorbike is the work of Israeli designer Amir Glinik, who centered his design around the theoretical application of the Ferrari Enzo's V12 engine, chopped down to four cylinders and modified to drive just one wheel in a motorcycle frame.

Around the V4 engine, Glinik has designed a fluid shape that may appear more futuristic in its styling than inspired by current roadcar designs, but certainly catches your attention. Glinik has even planned out the theoretical controls, which blend elements from an F-16 fighter jet (more common in his home country than Ferraris, anyway) and the Scuderia's high-tech Formula One steering wheel, supplemented by a weatherproof touch-screen LCD atop the fuel tank.

Jeeps Could Be Made In India

Chrysler’s Jeep the WWII-era General Purpose military vehicle that helped win the war for the Allies could soon be built in India. All current Jeeps are made in the U.S. and Argentum Motors might build some of the Jeeps in India.

Jeeps have been built in many other countries in the past but if Jeeps are made in India that would be a real boon for Argentum Motors.

“Right now the work is going on to augment the assembly lines which were made to manufacture small cars,” said Colonel Bhagwati Prasad Suman from Argentum Motors. “Soon they would be big enough to handle an SUV. Any foreign car company would save at least 15% in the production cost if we manufacture their vehicles. Early birds would have the best deal as we are ready to work on a cost-to-cost basis,” he added.

Maruti Suzuki Commissions KB Series Plant

Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday commissioned its next generation KB Series engine plant as part of its strategy to achieve sales of one million in the domestic market by 2010-11. The KB series Engine with a displacement of 998 cc will power the company’s forthcoming model A-Star, which is expected to be launched next month.

“The new engine series is an important step towards attaining the target sales of a million units in the domestic market by 2010-11. The operational capacity of our pant have reached the million mark,” Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director Shinzo Nakanishi said. “This new engine is highly fuel efficient while also offering best in refinement and performance. It will take engine technology to the next level in India,” Nakanishi added.

The new plant spread over an area of 20,300 sq metre has a capacity of producing 2.4 lakh engines per annum. It has been set up as part of the investment of Rs 9,000 crore that the company had announced earlier.

After A-Star, the KB series engine will be progressively introduced to other models over a period of 3-5 years. The new engine will also power the export version of A-Star and the company plans to commence overseas shipment by early next year.

Mahindra Launches Scoprio & Bolero Micro-Hybrid

Mahindra & Mahindra has launched new variants of the Scorpio and Bolero with micro-hybrid technology. The new varaints are priced between Rs 6.5 lakh and Rs 6.97 lakh, around Rs. 3800 more then the standard variant.

“This is the technological innovation which we have developed with the support from Bosch. This will give an average fuel saving of about five per cent from the normal vehicles,” Mahindra & Mahindra President (Auto Motive sector) Pawan Goenka said.

The micro-hybrid technology enables vehicle engine to turn off automatically when idle or in neutral gear. The engine restarts once the clutch is pressed. The company is planning to make this technology available in all of the company’s high-volume products, including Mahindra Pick-up and other engine series such as the M-Hawk.

The company is also considering to use the technology in its yet-to-be launched Ingenio SUVs. M&M has also applied for a patent for a specific sensor, which it has developed as part of this technology. The company is considering to focus on the hybrid vehicle development but “is taking time due to certain issues.
The Mahindra FuelSmart system with Micro Hybrid technology switches off the vehicle’s engine after it has come to a complete halt. For example, if the vehicle comes to a halt at a traffic signal and is in neutral, the engine will shut down automatically after 10 seconds. Just before stopping, the indicator light located in the instrument cluster will blink, indicating that the engine is going to stop shortly. Once the signal turns green and the driver presses the clutch pedal, the engine starts immediately for continuing the journey.

In addition to fuel efficiency, the system also has other advantages. Since the engine is switched off during traffic signals / traffic jams, release of a considerable amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is avoided. This mitigates the adverse effects of global warming, thus helping to provide us with a cleaner environment to live in.

The system also monitors health of the battery, safety requirements and the engine temperature, etc. for a trouble-free performance.

Hero Honda Sales Up

Country’s largest two-wheeler maker Hero Honda today reported a 22.47 per cent jump in sales in September at 3,85,262 units as against 3,14,567 units in the same month last year. Policy planners may be burning mid night oil to tame inflation and overcome surging oil prices, but Hero Honda seeks to capitalise on this by pushing cost effective and fuel efficient vehicles in the market.

“While it is true that double-digit inflation of 11-12 per cent would certainly upset household budgets and postpone certain purchases, the rise in auto fuel prices might actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the two-wheeler industry,” Hero Honda Chairman Brijmohan Lall Munjal said in the company’s Annual Report for 2007-08.

“Since fuel prices are not expected to soften in the near term, fuel-efficient industries such as ours could be beneficiaries. Infact, I will not rule out the possibility of a number of car-owning homes actually buying an additional two-wheeler to reduce the impact of the monthly fuel bill on the household budget,” Munjal said.

The company took control of over 54 per cent of the country’s motorcycle market and led its nearest competitor by over 10 lakh units, Munjal said, adding its share in the premium segment increased to 24 per cent from 15 per cent.

Hummer H3 On Wooden Wagon Wheels

Hummer is known for sporting bling 22 inch wheels but Matthew Harrison thinks he has created a piece of art fitting wooden wagon wheels to the H3. This woody Hummer H3 is on show at the fifth Zoo Art Fair in London.


Harrison said that he combined the Hummer's off-road credentials with 'Wild West' wooden wheels to create 'a sculpture that is a mixture of art, engineering and motoring. But i am no quite sure whether the Hummer can go off road on these shoes.

Mitsubishi Launches The Outlander

Hindustan Motors and Mitsubishi Motors, launched The Mitsubishi Outlander, a technologically sophisticated and distinctive SUV. The Outlander is making a debut in India after receiving phenomenal success in North America, Japan, Australia, Canada and Western Europe, for its all-season, all-road capabilities, courtesy its unique Electronically Controlled All-Wheel Control System.

The Outlander’s All Wheel Control (AWC) is powered by 2.4 litre, 16 valve MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve Timing and Electronic Control system) PETROL engine. The car gives a maximum power of 170 PS/6000 rpm and has a flat torque of 226 N-m/4100 rpm. Its rigid body leads to superior handling stability with aluminum roof panels that are lighter. This reduces roll and ads to a sedan-like driving stability.

The manufacturers have given much thought on the safety aspect of the Outlander. The RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body of the vehicle results in improved collision safety for all occupants, regardless of impact directions. For adventure lovers, it has INVECS-III (Intelligent and Innovative Vehicle Electronic Control System), CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) with 6-speed Paddle Shifts on steering wheel, like those fitted on legendary Lancer Evolutions’, which are ideal for sporty operations. It also hosts the Electronically Controlled 4WD (Four Wheel Drive). The drive mode selector dial can quickly change the Outlander’s drive mode from 2WD to 4WD or 4WD lock mode to master even the most demanding off-road conditions.

Outlander’s Split Tailgate with Park bench can accommodate two adults and a child’s convenient seating for enjoying the great outdoors. Its interior has been designed for maximum ease of space and convenience, the Remote folding rear seats can be tumbled from the tailgate when loading large items, at the touch of a button. The vehicle can accommodate five occupants with relative ease. Its Smart Key enables locking or unlocking of the doors and tailgate, as well as turning on or off the ignition without inserting a key.

Mitsubishi has also made the product exciting for the music lovers. The SUV comes fitted with customized speakers and 650 Watts Rockford Fosgate Music System. Use of sound blocking and vibration absorbing devices enables high quality sound reproduction in the car.

Other features include dual stage front and co-passenger air bags, automatic climate control a/c, reverse parking sensors, cruise control, multi information display system, security alarm, power and heated seat and engine immobilizer and over a dozen big and small storage spaces. The safety features and ample capacity makes Outlander a complete family car.

Taking forward the ‘One Country – One Price’ policy, HML has priced Mitsubishi Outlander at Rs. 20.20 Lacs (Ex showroom Price) across the country. The Outlander is available in seven vibrant colors – Cascade White, Silver Dew, Sunrise Yellow, River Blue, Pasture Green, Twilight Red and New Moon Black at all thirty eight dealer locations. The vehicle will be assembled at Hindustan Motors Chennai Car Plant, situated at Tiruvallur at the outskirts of Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

Hero Honda Launches New Variants

Hero Honda has launched four new variants of its existing models with a target to sell about 6 lakh units during this period. The company has rolled out self start versions of 100cc bikes Passion, (Passion Pro Power Start) and Splendor NXG , a refreshed new CBZ Xtreme (150 cc bike) and refreshed Pleasure (100cc gearless scooter).

“These launches are part of our strategy to boost sales during the festival season. Last year during the festival period we sold about five lakh units, this year we are looking to better the mark,” Hero Honda Motors Senior Vice-President (Marketing & Sales) Anil Dua said.

The ‘Passion Pro Power Start’ is priced starting at Rs 44,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) and the newlook Pleasure would be priced at Rs 36,950 (ex-showroom Delhi). The company has, however, not disclosed the prices of Splendor NXG self and the new CBZ Xtreme.

The engine of the new CBZ Xtreme comes with ATFT technology similar to the Hunk. It also gets clear lens turn indicators and two tone graphics. The new pleasure has only cosmetic changes with the addition of stickers on the body panel. The new Splendor NXG also gets some graphics and black alloy wheels but the price of the Splendor NXG remains unchanged.

Aston Martin One-77 Front

The Aston Martin One-77 was to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, but Aston has just partially revealed the front quarter. The blackened headlights look good but a one million Aston needs to be really very fast and exquisite.

Mercedes E Class Coupe

CAR's artist's impressions reveal that the mid-sized coupe will borrow heavily from the look of the recent Fascination concept car, the star of Merc's stand at the Paris motor show.


The E-class Coupe will be shown formally at the Geneva motor show in spring 2009, with UK sales starting soon after. The coupe market has fragmented in recent years, but the new E is aimed squarely at the Audi A5 and rumoured future coupe version of the Jaguar XF.

New Honda City Photo Gallery

Check out the picture gallery of the New Honda City here.

2009 Subaru Forester SUV of the Year

Motor Trend magazine has picked the 2009 Subaru Forester as its sport utility vehicle of the year, citing its fuel efficiency, comfort on the road and competency off the pavement. The award, announced Thursday, came from a field of 13 finalists mostly made up of car-based crossover vehicles, with few traditional body-on-frame truck-based SUVS as in previous years.

The all-wheel-drive Forester with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with an automatic transmission gets an estimated 20 miles per gallon in city driving and 26 on the highway. Other finalists were the BMW X6, Chevrolet Traverse, Dodge Journey, Ford Flex, Honda Pilot, Infiniti EX and FX, Kia Borrego, Lexus LX570, Nissan Murano, Toyota Sequoia and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Volvo XC90 R-DESIGN Launched

Volvo India has launched a new variant of the XC90, the R-DESIGN. The Volvo XC90 R-DESIGN comes with a 4.4L V8 petrol engine producing 315hp of power and 440NM of torque. The R-DESIGN is a 7 seater and comes with 19 inch wheels. Its priced at Rs. 58 lacs ex showroom, Delhi.

VW Planning To Launch Caddy

Volkswagen is considering bringing its popular model Caddy into India as a low cost taxi for urban use. The commercial vehicle making arm of VW has also stated that it will come into India with a JV partner and it is close to incorporating that business in India. VW officials told reporters at the recently concluded Hanover International Automobile Exhibition (IAA) that Caddy would be slotted against Indica or Indigo.

“India deserves a good taxi. We are at a very advanced stage in our talks with a JV partner for this business.” Stefan Schaller, board spokesman for VW’s commercial vehicles business said.

Audi R8 November Launch

Audi will launch their super car R8 in November this year. The R8 will cost over Rs. 1.17 crore. The Audi R8 car will be an addition to the company's line of luxury sedans, including the A4, A6, A8, TT Coupe, and SUV Q7. Check out more pics and specs of the R8 here.

Audi has received orders for 15 units already, which would be delivered this year. Bullish on the fast growing luxury-car market in India, Audi has already posted a 200 per cent growth this year from that of last year.

"The whole segment is growing and we are growing even faster than the segment. We will sell this year about 1,000 cars in India," Vice-President Marketing Audi (India), Martin Birkner said, adding 350 units were sold last year.

Fuel Shortage

According to reports in the media, the three State-owned oil companies IOC, HPCL and BPCL are on the verge of collapse and unless drastic steps are taken to rescue the companies, they may not even be able to operate beyond the end of this year. This would mean their refineries shutting down and fuel pumps across the country running dry.

And it’s not only car/bike owners who have reason to be afraid of – the supply of domestic LPG is also likely to be affected, and long waiting periods for LPG cylinders may become the norm.

The troubles begin with highly subsidized prices of LPG, kerosene, petrol and diesel in India, which means oil companies incur massive losses – which are increasing every day – on the sale of these products. And then there are the losses on the sale of LPG and kerosene, which only add to the oil companies’ woes.

With the combined borrowing limit of IOC, HPCL and BPCL standing at Rs 1.4 lakh crore, and the combined borrowings already getting close to Rs 1.1 lakh crore, the three State-owned oil companies seem to be running out time.

Currently, the companies are incurring losses of Rs 300 per LPG cylinder, Rs 30 per litre of kerosene, Rs 5 per litre of petrol and Rs 12 per litre of diesel. And with violent agitations at the merest hint of a price hike in any of these products, the government must be in a fix. But ultimately, if consumers in India want to continue using any of the above fuels, they will have to be prepared to pay more. For a country that’s gotten used to subsidized fuel, the party is finally over.

Honda V4 Concept

Honda Motor Europe Ltd. exhibited the World Premiere V4 Concept Model at Intermot Cologne. The V4 Concept Model proposes a new, sensual design direction based on Honda's trademark 4-cylinder V- engine.

This year Honda celebrates its 60th anniversary as a company and next year the 50th anniversary of its participation in road racing, as well as the 30th anniversary of racing with an innovative 4-cylinder V-engine with oval pistons. Considering these milestones, Honda chose "The New Beginning" as its exhibition theme leading into 2009 and exhibited the V4 Concept Model which signifies the beginning of a new era.

For Intermot, Honda collected and exhibited successive V4 race machines as well as mass-market motorcycle products which were developed by feeding back the technologies cultivated through participation in challenging race competition, enabling visitors to review the lineage of 30 years of V4 engine technologies and see how Honda will take motorcycling somewhere it has not been before. The exhibition also offers an easy-to-understand introduction to various challenges Honda has undertaken in order to create joy for its customers, by utilizing its technologies that have been continuously advanced through Honda's 60-year history and by its participation in motorsports.

Honda understands the global trend today that motorcycle users see increasing value in more emotional and sensual performance during the real world riding experience rather than absolute performance measured in numeric specifications. On another front, user friendly features that meet with human sensibilities are also becoming important along with safety and environmental features, especially in mature markets.

Honda believes that the challenge to create attractive products with an increased focus on sensual performance will be the key for the future. At the same time, safety and environmental technologies as well as future energy technologies will continue to become an important theme for the development of motorcycle products. Moreover, in order to offer a comfortable life with motorcycles for a larger number of customers, Honda will put increased focus on the human-fitting match of rider and machine. Conceived around the trademark 4-cylinder V-engine, the V4 Concept Model expresses functional beauty as well as a more sensual image to appeal more to the emotions of people. Embodying Honda's passion for motorcycle development, the V4 Concept Model expresses the unique characteristics of Honda for a new era.

The V4 Concept Model mobilizes the driving forces of Honda - dreams, challenges, and creating new value. Honda positions this model as "the new beginning" of Honda's motorcycles.

Photo Gallery - Hyundai i20

Hyundai showcased the i20 at the Paris Motor Show. The i20 is expected to be launched in India in November. Checkout the photo gallery of the Hyundai i20 here.


As again, we wont be getting all the features from this car in India due to the competitive pricing criteria, however we think this car is gonna rock.

Maruti A-Star Launch Mid November

Maruti Suzuki plans to launch the A-Star in mid November this year. It will use Suzuki's next generation K-series petrol engine and the engine production will begin in October this year.

Official news is that the A-Star will also be exported under the Nissan badge to Europe and the Middle East and will be called Pixo. Nissan can also sell the same car in India as well under a different brand. The new car is also perhaps the only model in the world which will have 750 variants as it will be sold across 151 countries including Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Maruti Suzuki is also increasing the number of engineers working in its R&D centre from the current level of 570 engineers to about 1,000 by 2010. Another R&D centre is also expected to set up shortly.

Maruti will manufacture about 1 lakh car units of the A-Star a year for the export market and 50,000 for the domestic market. The same model will be made for Nissan under a contract manufacturing arrangement. The A-Star will be the fifth world strategic model from Suzuki which means the same car can be manufactured simultaneously in other countries. Suzuki will sell the same car in Europe but under the Alto as well as under the Celerio names.

The A-Star has been positioned as an A2 premium segment car. The A2 segment has a 71 per cent share of the Indian passenger car market which is about 1.3 million units. The A-Star will be the eighth car launched by the company in four years. and the A-Star model is part of the Rs 9,000-crore investment plan spread across five years (ending 2010).

According to the plan, Rs 2,500 crore is being invested in setting up a diesel facility which will have the capacity to produce 3 lakh engines by 2010. Another Rs 2,500 crore is being invested in the Manesar plant for expansion and upgradation and the rest for setting up the K-series engine plant and for upgradation and expansion of the Gurgaon plant.

Maruti Suzuki is also increasing the number of dealership outlets across the country to 1,000 by 2010 from the current level of 600. During 2007-08, Maruti Suzuki sold 7.11 lakh cars in the domestic market and exported about 53,000 units of Maruti 800 and Alto cars. By 2010, Maruti Suzuki expects to export about 2 lakh cars mostly driven by the A-Star model.

Royal Enfield Bullet Classic

Royal Enfield, makers of legendary British Classic bikes, are back in Cologne, Germany to unveil their all new “BULLET 500″ at the Intermot. Checkout more pics of the Royal Enfield Bullet Classic here.

In 1932, the Royal Enfield “Bullet” was originally created in Britain. Now, 76 years later, Royal Enfield’s newest model celebrates these early “Bullets”. The new “Bullet 500 Classic” harks back to the ‘G2′ Bullet of the early 1950s, retaining the quintessential classic British style that is inextricably linked to the Royal Enfield name.

The new “Bullet 500 Classic” is powered by the new 500cc ‘Unit Construction Engine’ (UCE) and is homologated for Euro III norms. The 500cc engine produces 27.2BHP of power at 5250rpm and 41.3NM of torque at 4000rpm. This new model is expected to be in the Europe Distributors showrooms by January 2009 and should be launched in India by end 2009.

Hyundai Launches Santro LPG

Hyundai, India has launched the much awaited LPG version of the Santro. The LPG variant will be priced Rs 21,500 more than the existing petrol model. The new LPG version of Santro, christened Santro eco (eco is synonymous with environmentally friendly and economy) comes with a factory fitted LPG kit and boasts of features that meet global standards of performance and safety.

Powered by the 1.1 litre, eRLX engine, Santro eco offers its customers a unique combination of reliable performance and unmatched fuel economy. With separate Petrol (35 Litre) and LPG (27.2 litre) tanks, the customers have an option to choose from both LPG and petrol mode. The LPG tank in the Santro eco has a special ‘Toroidal’ design that allows intelligent use of space and makes larger luggage room available to the customer.

Announcing the launch, HMIL, Managing Director, H S Lheem, said, “We have taken a conscious decision at Hyundai to make environment friendly car and we are furthering our initiative of launching alternate fuel vehicle which take this theme forward. We had earlier introduced the CNG Santro and today we are launching the LPG version of our flagship brand Santro. LPG is widely available and we feel that the LPG Santro will appeal to all our customers who are looking for economy, are environmentally conscious and the original fitment of the LPG kit will put to rest safety concerns which retro fitted LPG vehicles have.”

The LPG kit in Santro eco is impact resistant and the entire fitment is approved by DOE (Department of Explosives) and certified and tested by ARAI (Automotive research Association of India), the country’s premier automobile testing and certifying authority. The factory-fitted LPG system in Santro eco enjoys full 2 year manufacturer warranty benefits thus ensuring enhanced safety and peace of mind for the customers. Santro eco also boasts of the lowest greenhouse gas emission as it emits lower CO2, as compared to the petrol or the diesel version, hence making it extremely environmentally friendly.

Audi Q7 V12 TDi

Hats off to Audi for keeping it real. It’s clearly conscious of the growing unpopularity of big, fuel-devouring 4×4s, so has added a new, fuel-efficient diesel engine to the Q7 line up. That engine just happens to be a 6.0-litre V12.

Ok, so pitching a 493bhp V12 diesel that’s capable of hurling two-plus tonnes of Q7 to 100kmph in just 5.5sec as ‘fuel efficient’ might just be over playing the planet-friendly card slightly. It’s perhaps better to convince yourself that the Q7 flagship is a sensible seven-seat family car that’s capable of 25mpg.


Potency and relative fuel-efficiency aside, the biggest problem with the V12 is that it’s nowhere near as refined as a big-capacity petrol engine. Console yourself with the V12 is as superbly built as any Q7, and is full of all the creature comforts you could ever dream of. How you convince your bank manger that it’s worth almost double the price of the excellent 3.0-litre diesel version is quite another story.

Honda Lauches Unicorn GP Edition

Honda launched a limited edition of the Unicorn. The Unicorn Grand Prix Edition has nothing other then a new paint scheme and some stickers.

“The limited edition Unicorn Grand Prix Edition is derived from Honda’s racing DNA. The sporty graphics reflect true racing attitude.” says Honda but if sporty graphics and new paint scheme would give more horses then this Lamborghini would become the fastest car, faster then the Veyron.

Honda Jazz Coming Soon

Honda has preponed the launch of its compact car Jazz by six months to increase its market share in the Indian market.

Jazz, the smallest car from Honda’s bandwagon, will hit the Indian market in June-July next year and sport a specially designed 1.2 litre petrol engine for the Indian market. The car will roll out from its Greater Noida factory while the critical components and sheet metal body panels will be manufactured at its Rs 600 crore new factory at Tapukara in Rajasthan, which was inaugurated on Friday.

This new facility will also emerge as Honda’s main manufacturing base and produce its future cars, including the second small car slated to hit India in the next four years. HSCI president and CEO M Takedagawa said: “To have a significant presence in the Indian small-car market, we would launch two small cars within the next four years. First the Jazz which will be followed by another small car, currently under planning stage. We are looking at garnering a major market share in premium compact cars and the new factory will provide the much-needed technological support to our long-term plans.”

The company has also set up an R&D centre at the Rajasthan plant, which will provide critical support for the development of new cars and components keeping in view the Indian market. With the second plant coming into stream, operations of HSCI—a joint venture between Honda Motor Company and Shriram Group of Companies—will integrate into Honda’s pan-Asian supply chain network.

Honda Motor Co president and CEO Takeo Fukui said: “This plant will be used to export certain Indian-made components to our Asian subsidiaries. We will effectively utilise the Indo-ASEAN FTA starting next year to increase the supply of components among our various subsidiaries. We will be exporting powertrain parts from India to our Asian plants.”

2009 Mercedes E-Class

Autobild had published pictures of the 2009 Mercedes E-Class and now German car magazine Auto Zeitung has spotted the E-Class.

This 2009 E Class looks very much like what Autobild had published and we feel this car looks kind of boring. Yes its a Mercedes-Benz but whats wrong with Mercedes who seem to have made a hybrid of the C and S Class. I mean just look at the 2009 E and compare it to the BMW 5 Series and you will know what i am talking about.

Williams Confirm 2009 Lineup

Williams Toyota have confirmed an unchanged driver line-up for the 2009 Formula One season, with Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima retained as the team’s race drivers, while Nico Hulkenberg will take up duties as the team’s official test driver for a second year.

It will be worth mentioning that as long as Toyota is supplying the engines to Williams, Nakajima’s future as a race driver is pretty much secure.

Japanese Drivers have been hugely supported by Japanese engine suppliers and teams such as Honda, who supported Takuma Sato with Super Aguri. Drivers such as Nakajima and Sato have done exceptionally well in Formula 1 when it comes to bringing the excitement into the race by some aggressive rally style driving and frequent calls to the safety car with an occasional incident involving a few cars. Sato is linked to return to F1 in 2009.

Such was the euphoria created by Sato, that even all time greats like Micheal Schumacher have humbly bowed down to him. (See Pic)

Tata Introduces High End Indigo CS

The Indigo CS is the smallest sedan on Indian roads and with an obviously short boot, it benefits hugely by attracting less duties, which means that you pay much less for it. This has led to a big boost in the sales.

Due to this increased demand, Tata has now introduced 3 new variants which are all positioned at the top end of the Indigo CS range. The Indigo CS LX TDi and LX DiCOR will be using diesel, while the Indigo CS GLX will be fueled by petrol.

That means all the three Indigo CS models get front and rear power windows, central locking, rear windscreen defogger, body coloured rub rails with chrome inserts, and body-colored outside rear view mirrors.

The interiors of the diesel versions are charcoal-black with beige being not even an option for the diesels.The petrol Indigo CS GLX gets the beige interior. But both the diesel duo and the petrol cars get an all-new center console. Add to that, you have better seat fabric and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Body coloured bumpers, air conditioning and heating, plus power steering comes standard on all three new Indigo variants.

The price of the Indigo CS LX TDi version is Rs. 4.63 lakhs, while the DiCOR version is priced at Rs. 5.10 lakhs ex showroom. The approximate on-road price would be different in different cities, but should not be more than Rs 50,000 above the ex-showroom prices.

The single petrol Indigo CS version - the GLX - is priced at Rs 4.08 lakh ex-showroom Delhi.

Hyundai i20 Interiors

Autobild checked out the i20 and has posted some pics of the upcoming supermini from Hyundai. The interiors of the i20 are really very good. They don't seem to be of a hatchback. Check out more pics of the i20 here.


The interior seems to be quite spacious for a hatch and the steering wheel seems to be from the Elantra. There is a integrated audio system which seems to be the order of the day for most cars.

2009 Toyota Corolla XRS

The Corolla sold in our country is aimed more at luxury then anything else. However in the U.S market there is a hot version of the Corolla known as the XRS which has a 2.4L engine (from the Camry, perhaps) and is tuned for performance and handling. Check out the video of the Corolla XRS by WebRidesTV after the jump.

New Mitsubishi Cedia

As the festive season approaches, car manufactures try their best to lure buyers by either launching a new model, giving discounts or by facelifting their existing car. Mitsubishi decided to facelift the Cedia with addition of some more features. The front grille now sports a horizontal chrome girlle which well looks bad to be honest. Check out the pictorial review of the facelifted Mitsubishi Cedia here.