Driveblog

The Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg launched its Agera at a staggering price of 12.5 crore, is the second most expensive car in the local market after the 16.2-crore Bugatti that made its debut in November last year.  Agera, with 5-litre bi-turbo V8 engine, which boasts of a pulsating 1115 horsepower, gains 100 km/hr speed in just 2.9 second and it can  zip beyond 400 km/hour The company had produced the CCR model that broke the nine-year-old Guinness World Record of the McLaren - Bugatti in 2005. Keeping the same lineage alive, Koenigsegg churns our limited set of around 16-18 cars every year out of its single manufacturing facility in Sweden. It tunes every car specifically for any particular country, after carefully studying the quality of fuel on offer in local conditions. For example, to meet the needs of its customers in Brazil, the company has developed a bio-fuel run Agera R model specific to that market.  The Swedish company has tied up with Rahul Bhatia-promo...

Car maker Ford India today said it has rolled out its 1,00,000th engine this month from its manufacturing plant at Chennai.  "This significant milestone was achieved just 14 months after the engine plant opened for operations in January 2010," the company said in a statement.  The engine plant has been set up as part of Ford's $500-million investment at the Maraimalai Nagar site with a capacity to produce 2,50,000 engines per year. It has been designed to meet the growing needs of the Indian vehicle market and export opportunities, Ford India said.  "The plant achieved the 100,000 milestone amongst multiple variant launches for domestic and international markets," it added.  Commenting on the achievement, Ford India President and Managing Director Michael Boneham, said: "This world-class manufacturing facility reinforces our intent and commitment to compete with great products and powertrains in all segments."  Ford India Vice-President, Powertrain Op...

Volkswagen India today unveiled the all new generation Passat in India. The New Passat gets the Bluemotion technology which focuses on lower emission and Fuel economy. The Car will be available to customers in the diesel variant in both automatic and manual transmissions, starting at 20.80 lakh ex showroom Delhi. Sales of the all new Passat will start with the Highline and Comfortline which will later be followed by the Trendline. BlueMotion Technologies  BlueMotion Technologies is a range of innovations and refinements that represent the cleanest, most energy efficient cars in the Volkswagen range. These are technologies that work together to achieve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions without taking the fun out of driving. The all-new Passat comes to India with a range of BlueMotion Technologies: •    TDI Engine: A 2.0L CR TDI engine with an output of 170PS and torque of 350 NM @ 1750-2500 rpm offers abundant torque, outstanding power output while ass...

The Hinduja Group flagship, Ashok Leyland and Nissan Motor Company today unveiled their first Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) – the Ashok Leyland DOST. The product will be launched to the market, as indicated earlier, in the second quarter of FY 2011-2012. The ‘Ashok Leyland DOST’ will be produced in Ashok Leyland’s Hosur manufacturing plant. Powered by a specially-developed, 55 hp high-torque, 3-cylinder, turbo-charged Common Rail Diesel engine, the vehicle has a payload capacity of 1.25 Tonnes. Reflecting the growing expectations of the Indian LCV customer, the Ashok Leyland DOST will be available in 3 versions: a base version with manual steering, a mid version with power steering and a higher version which will have dual tone interiors, power steering and AC. The vehicle will be available in both BSIII and BSIV versions. Mirroring the evolution of the entire Indian car and light truck market, the Small Commercial Vehicle segment (vehicles less than 3.5 Tonnes) has been witnessing...

[Source: Youtube ]

German car maker Volkswagen today said it plans to make an initial investment of Rs 120 crore to launch its non-banking financial arm in India. The firm said its group company Volkswagen Finance Private Ltd (VWFPL) has received licence from the Reserve Bank of India to start its Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC). "VWFPL has been granted an NBFC licence by the Reserve Bank of India, enabling it to make its first offering to the Indian market with three product lines -- VW Finance, Skoda Finance, Audi Finance," the company said in a statement. Customers can avail of financing options at any of the 164 dealer outlets of group brands -- Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen, it added. Headquartered in Mumbai, VWFPL is making an initial investment of over USD 24 million (around Rs 120 crore) in India, the statement added. [Source: PTI ]

Audi ,  the German luxury car manufacturer has announced the launch of the Audi Q5 2.0 TDI quattro, the most recent addition to the highly successful luxury SUV in India. The new Audi Q5 2.0 TDI q is priced at Rs39,05,000 (ex-showroom Maharashtra). Deliveries to customers will begin in April 2011. The Audi Q5 2.0 TDI q with 125kW / 170 hp reaches a maximum torque of 350 Nm 1,750 rpm and develops its power evenly, leading to a fascinating driving experience. It is equipped with the dynamic 7–speed automatic S tronic transmission, which is impressive for its short, sporty shift times and smooth gearshift across the entire spread between the shortest and the longest ratios. 2/3 The Audi Q5 range is also powered by a petrol engine – the 2.0 TFSI q and a diesel engine – the 3.0 TDI q. The new 2.0 TDI q engine would be available as CKD.  Audi India is also focused at strengthening its dealer network across India. This year, the brand with the four rings has already opened showr...

Ludhiana-based cycle maker Hi-Bird Safari Group today announced its foray into the Rs 600-crore electronic two-wheelers market and plans to sell 10,000 e-bikes in one year. "New electric scooters in line with the go-green goal have been launched to complement efforts to reduce air polluting vehicle emission and we plan to sell 10,000 units in one year," Hi-Bird Safari Group Managing Director R D Sharma said. The incentives offered by the Centre on e-bikes encouraged the company to enter the e-bike market, Sharma said. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy offers discount of Rs 4,000-5,000 on two wheelers, with its Rs 95-crore incentive scheme, he said. Moreover in Union Budget 2011-12, the Centre granted full exemption from custom duty and concessional central excise duty extended to batteries imported by electronic vehicles market. [Source: PTI ]

BMW has launched its latest 6 Series convertible in India priced at Rs. 95 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). The car was launched in Udaipur and will be available in Completely Built Units (CBU) in India. The 6 Series convertible is powered by a 4.4 liter V8 engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology.

German luxury car-maker Audi today launched its two-seater sports car R8 Spyder, which is priced at around Rs 1.47 crore (ex-showroom Maharashtra).  Powered by a 5.2 litre, V10 engine delivering 525 HP, the car zooms from zero to 100 kmph in 4.1 seconds. Spyder will be available for customers from next month onwards. It weighs just 1.7 tonnes and has a top speed of 313 kmph.  The car, the second in the R8 series to be launched in India, has "immense power, eager response, powerful acceleration and free-revving," Audi India Head Michael Perschke said.  "It will add to the spurring demand for excellence in auto performance and will allow us to build upon our leadership position in the super sports car segment," he said.  At present, Audi sells its sedans A4, A6 and A8, sport utility vehicles Q5 and Q7, besides the original R8, in India, one of the largest auto markets in the world. [Source:economictimes.com]

Leading automobile company  Tata Motors  today became the first Indian company producing one lakh commercial vehicles in a financial year.  "It is really a proud moment for the company as Tata Motors has become the country's first automobile company to produce one lakh commercial vehicles in a financial year," Ravi Pisharody, president of commercial vehicle business unit (CVBU) of Tata Motors, said here.  Pisharody expressed hope that the growth rate of commercial vehicle sector would depend on the interest rate though it has not affected the sector as yet.  The interest rate has to be maintained to achieve the growth rate, which was registered at 20 to 22 per cent this fiscal, he said adding that the growth rate in the next fiscal is likely to be 10 to 15 per cent.  On the performance of the Tata Motors World Truck, the company official said the sale has been increasing significantly in the last few months.  The response for the world truck, which ha...

The Tatas are all set to bring a smaller and a fuel efficient Land Rover - the Range Rover Evoque - to India by early next year, after its global debut in the middle of this year. About the India entry of the upcoming Evoque, Carl Peter Forster, managing director and CEO, Tata Motors said   The tentative timeframe for the India entry put out by the company puts to rest on speculations that its India launch will be simultaneous with its global launch in mid-2011. Tata-owned British luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has been working on smaller and fuel-efficient models to meet the toughening emission norm challenges and to increase volume. Range Rover Evoque, a luxury-SUV which aims an ambitious fuel economy of 21 km per litre and 120 g/km CO2 emissions, will be launched in major markets such as UK and US this year. For JLR globally, a smaller sedan will follow a smaller SUV launch. The details of a smaller Jaguar, competing against Mercedes C Class and BMW 3 series will be...

The Farm Equipment of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd has announced that it will soon open a new tractor plant in Zaheerabad, Andhra Pradesh.  The company will be investing over Rs3bn in the plant which will be spread across 100 acres. The installed capacity of the plant will be 1,00,000 tractors which can be scaled to meet additional demand. [Source:indiainfoline]

Italian luxury sports car brand Maserati will make its debut in India next month, challenging the Lamborghinis, Bugattis, Ferraris and Porsche.  The company will bring all three marquees of its DNA to India. Its two-seater GranCabrio range will cost around 5 crore, Quattroporte sedan will start from 3 crore while the top-end sporty GranTurismo coupe will be around 4.75 crore.  Maserati already has a strong genre of top-end owners including Amitabh Bachchan, Vijay Mallya, Anil Ambani and Ajay Devgn in India.  [Source: economictimes ]

 Hyundai Motor India Ltd, India's second largest car manufacturer on Wednesday announced the launch of the Accent 2011 edition. The Accent 2011 edition will be available at a price of Rs 501,900 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).  The exteriors of the Accent gets a new look with chrome finish front grille. The body coloured waistline molding now comes with chrome inserts. The car also has a chrome garnish over license plate.   The Accent launched in 1999 is also available with alternate fuel options such as CNG and LPG. The Korean car maker has sold over 3 lakh units in the overseas market. The cars has been in  India  for more than a decade and has pioneered in the sedan space along with its rival Ford Ikon which is going to be phased out by company, But Hyundai  instead of Phasing out decided to give another chance to Accent  because  the company is able to sell over 1000 units every Month.    [Source economictimes ]      

The Finance Minister has announced cut in import duty for completely knocked down (CKD) automobile kits to 30% from the proposed 60%, according to a report. The report stated that in the budget, the CKD duty which was earlier only 10% was pegged at 60%. Good news for a group of companies because p reviously this made the Foreign Automakers especially companies like BMW,  Mercedes , Audi worry because these companies assemble most of  their  cars in India, and the Prices of the Vehicles after the new duty was suppose to climb as much as Rs 8 lakhs, But now its a  relief for both manufactures and consumers. The prices may go up maximum of Rs 3-4 lakhs. Audi even  threatened  by saying that it would pullout its operation from  India because of this, and experts also worried that it would affect the growth of  luxury  cars,which has grown dramatically over the last decade.      [Source: indiainfoline ]   ...

Mahindra & Mahindra’s acquisition of Korean SUV maker SsangYong will strengthen its electric and hybrid vehicle projects. Both Mahindra and SsangYong have been planning joint product development in the area of alternative fuel technology. SsangYong announced an electric version of its crossover Korando and a hybrid compact SUV at the Geneva Motor Show. SsangYong has its own hybrid and electric projects, Mahindra too has made some progress in this field. Mahindra Reva is coming out with a four-seater electric car NXR. It is also developing a hybrid Scorpio. SsangYong has claimed that its pure electric drive system, run on a high voltage lithium battery pack, will offer a speed up to 150 km per hour and a drive range of 180 km. The company said this would be first seen on the crossover Korando. SsangYong’s hybrid technology will have a short distance drive up to 60 kms under battery power and a back-up of internal combustion engine for the longer drive. A five-seater vehicle, s...

Bajaj Auto   will show small car prototype to its partner, Renault, during the course of this calendar, according to a report. The report stated that this is keeping in line with the revised arrangement announced by Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, during his visit to India in November 2009. The company was entrusted with the task of designing and manufacturing the ultra low-cost (ULC) car while Renault would market it, says report. Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto has reportedly said that they are not hiding anything from Renault and are going exactly by what was discussed between Ghosn and them. [Source: indiainfoline ] 

T he Most awaited Bike from Honda is Finally here In India,Honda CBR250R. The Honda CBR250R standard version is priced at Rs.1.43 lakhs, whereas the Honda CBR250R ABS is priced at Rs.1.68 lakhs (all prices ex-showroom). Then company said there is  launch ceremony for CBR250R in India, due to Earthquake crisis in Japan. Bike pre-orders are very healthy. T he Honda CBR250R is powered by a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 249 cc, 4-stroke engine that produce 25.8 bhp of maximum power at 8,500 rpm and 22.56 Nm of maximum torque at 7,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox (1-down, 5-up pattern). Expect the CBR250R to reach a top speed of 155 km/hr and a 0-to-100 km/hr in just 6.5 seconds. It will compete directly with Kawasaki Ninja 250R which is there in the Market for a while and yet to be launched Mahindra Mojo . [Source: Honda India Via  Facebook ]

The Re-badged Morris Oxford which has been in India for a very long time is finally said to get a complete make over after Six decades. The most popular automobiles in the India will  undergo a complete change-from structural design to aerodynamics to aesthetics.  The Amby's familiar rounded rear squab and curvaceous sloping hood will give way to an aerodynamic bonnet with straight lines and a new boot with integrated tail lights. The all-new Ambassador will have modern wrap-around headlamps, and a design somewhat similar to India's largest selling hatchback, Maruti's Swift.  The new Amby will also have new engine calibrations, an anti-lock brake system and aluminium alloy wheels. For comfort, there will be new leather seating with wood grain interiors. There will also be an integrated music system and instrument cluster catering to the needs of the new generation. Hindustan Motors says it will not tinker with the Amby's traditional credentials of dependabil...

Two wheeler maker Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) today said it is targeting to dethrone market leader Hero Honda within next one decade, with focus on the rural areas and plans to introduce its first 100-cc bike next year. "Our target in next decade is to be number one in India...For the first time we will introduce a mass segment motorcycle in 100-cc category," HMSI President and CEO Shinji Aoyama told reporters here. Currently, the demand is more from the urban market which is going to reverse in the next 10 years, he added. "At present two-third of sales is coming from urban and one-third from rural and semi-urban areas. In a decade, the situation may be reversed," Aoyama said. The company is expecting to sell 16.5 lakh units in 2010-11, with a jump of 30 per cent over the last fiscal. [Source: PTI ]

Mahindra & Mahindra will launch its yet-to-be named 'global SUV' in the next fiscal, besides two Ssangyong models, Korando C and Rexton. This new SUV, codenamed 'W201' is now being showcased to the vendors of Mahindra. The company will start assembling of Ssangyong models at its Chakan plant,  said Pawan Goenka, president, automotive & farm equipment sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). Goenka has been appointed the chairman of Ssangyong Motor Company (SYMC). Mahindra Finance, the group's vehicle finance arm, will look at setting up a joint venture in South Korea after analysing the regulatory framework there. Goenka said "For Ssangyong, there won't be any necessity to raise debt since 80% of its debt has already been repaid by Mahindra". On Tuesday, Mahindra, said its acquisition of SsangYong was concluded. "We have completed all formalities related to the acquisition of a majority stake in SsangYong Motor Company and that the co...

OMG! Look at this video, it is a Chinese Lamborghini owner destroying his Gallardo with sledgehammer because he was unsatisfied with the Service. Is this the way to express the feedback? [Source:Youtube]

Tata Motors today said it will hike the prices of its passenger vehicles, excluding the Nano, by up to Rs 36,000 from April 1, to offset rising input costs. "Despite continuous cost control initiatives, the company is being forced to take these increases on account of steep rise in input costs," Tata Motors said in a statement. Under the revised price, the Indica will be costlier by Rs 7,000-Rs 9,000, Vista and Indigo CS by Rs 8,000-Rs 11,000 and Manza by Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000. The Nano will, however, not be revised. In the utility vehicles segment, depending upon the model, Sumo prices will go up by Rs 13,000- Rs 15,000, Grande by Rs 16,000- Rs 19,000, Safari by Rs 18,000- Rs 29,000, Aria by Rs 30,000- Rs 36,000 and Venture by Rs 9,000-Rs 12,000. [Source: PTI ]

Luxury car maker, Mercedes-Benz India today opened its new dealership in Hyderabad, taking the total number to 57 pan-India. With establishment of the facility at Hyderabad, Mercedes-Benz now enjoys a network spread across 28 cities with over 57 touch-points in India, the company said in a statement. The facility has been established with an investment of Rs 10-crore and is spread over an area of 17,500 sq ft at Kavuri Hills in Hyderabad, it said. "With the inauguration of the new facility, we have now moved closer to our esteemed customers to give them a premium vehicle ownership experience. I am sure this facility will go a long way in further enhancing customer delight and provide them the unique attributes that brand Mercedes-Benz brand stand for globally," Mercedes-Benz India's Managing Director & CEO, Peter Honegg, said. [Source: PTI ]

TVS Motors is mulling a low-priced motorcycle to shore up volumes in the Indian market. The product, when introduced, would be the cheapest motorcycle in the country. With this new product, TVS Motors intends to bridge the price gap between the company's range of mopeds and motorcycles. Industry experts note the 100-110cc segment account for 60 per cent of the nine million motorcycles sold every year and is the mainstay of companies like Hero Honda and TVS Motors. To launch inexpensive products in the category is, therefore, critical for two-wheeler companies in the country. [Source: rediff .com]

Hindustan Motors (HM) has quietly launched a BS-IV complaint, petrol variant of the Ambassador Grand at Rs. 7.02 lakh (on-road, Bangalore) and Rs. 6.5 lakh (on-road, Delhi). The 2011 Ambassador Grand comes with a 50,000 km warranty though, strangely, it’s valid only for a year. The face-lifted model is powered by a 1,817 cc petrol engine that puts out 71 bhp of maximum power at 4,800 rpm and 13.7 kgm of maximum torque at 2,250 rpm. The engine (sourced from Isuzu) is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. It has side indicator with escutcheon, headlamp with clear glass, body-coloured bumper; full wheel hub cover, soft touch door handle and diamond cut tail lamp. On the inside, it features power windows, power steering (optional), music system, molded door pad, mobile charger, digital trip meter with multi-trip option and malfunction indicator check light.The car will be available in six shades: Jet Black, Lunar Silver, Fire Brick Red, Oyster Blue, Ecru Beige and Crystal White. [Sour...

Market research firm TNS global recently did a survey on the cars that satisfy Indian consumers and here are the results. The 12 most satisfied cars are:- Entry level Maruti Suzuki Alto   Premium compact Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Maruti Suzuki- A Star   Upper premium compact Volkswagen Polo Maruti Suzuki Swift Entry midsize Maruti Swift DZire Midsize Honda City Ford Fiesta Premium midsize Toyota  Corolla Altis Entry luxury Volkswagen Passat SUV/ MPV Toyota  Innova Mahindra Scorpio Premium SUV Honda CRV [Source: rediff .com]