Driveblog

India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has increased the prices of its diesel cars by up to Rs 10,000. While the diesel variants of Swift, Dzire and SX4 cars became costlier by Rs 10,000 from Monday, the price of the Ritz hatchback has been raised by 2,000.  "There has been a critical upswing in the inputs cost and an adverse appreciation in the Japanese currency yen that had made imports costlier and forced this hike," a company spokesperson said.  The carmaker is in the process of normalising production after a 55% decline in October to 50,487 units, following recurrent strikes since June that kept the Manesar plant shut for 59 days. As a result, the waiting time for some of Maruti's diesel model stretches up to nine months.  Industry sources say other carmakers, including Hyundai  and Toyota , are also looking at price revisions. 

Skoda has launched the Rapid saloon in India at a starting price of Rs 6.75 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. The Rapid is available in both petrol and diesel engine options, and offered with manual and automatic variants. Built on the same platform as the Vento (code: VW251), the Skoda iteration (code SK: 251) shares most mechanical bits with the VW saloon which includes engines as well. Hence, the Rapid is powered by the same 1.6 petrol and diesel motors both of which develop 105bhp, but in a slightly different state of tune. In the looks department, the headlights, the grille and the fogs are similar to Skoda’s Fabia. To help the Skoda and VW bits blend, the Rapid gets a new bonnet, new fenders and a mildly altered chin. The bonnet is longer, the new fender has the Vento’s sharp crease built into it and the chin is slightly altered at the corners, where it merges with the Vento’s beautifully executed wheel arches. The rear is different from the VW Vento too. Skoda has inserted its ‘C’ mot...

Tata Motors, today, launched the all new Tata Sumo Gold, the most powerful SUV in its category, which will redefine the market with its sheer power & reliability.  The Tata Sumo Gold has been conceived and designed keeping in mind the needs of the young & progressive customer, who is looking for a stylish, new-age vehicle that is powerful and takes on any terrain with ease.  Launching the Tata Sumo Gold, Mr. R. Ramakrishnan, Vice President, Commercial - PCBU, Tata Motors said ,  "The Tata Sumo Gold is a result of extensive consumer studies and field tests. The product has been designed to fulfil various requirements, long-awaited by the new generation customer."   At the heart of every Tata Sumo Gold, lies a growling engine that thumps out vicious power. The Tata Sumo Gold goes a step ahead in putting the reins of power in the customer's hands, by letting him choose from two powerhouses, that suits his driving experience, delivering the best-in-class acceler...

The all new Range Rover Evoque has reached India and was launched from the Jaguar Land Rover Corporate Showroom in Mumbai. Range Rover Evoque is the most exciting vehicle in a generation and has a blend of bold and sophisticated design with clever technology that is relevant and intuitive to use. The Evoque masters all surfaces and weathers, using legendary Land Rover all-terrain technologies. In India, the Evoque will be available in both 5 door and Coupe body styles. The Coupe is available in a petrol variant and the 5 door version in diesel. The Range Rover Evoque (5 door) is available in three distinct derivatives - Pure, Prestige and Dynamic and the Coupe is available in the Dynamic form. Pure  The purest expression of the LRX Concept, this minimalist masterpiece combines sleek lines with simple forms in its elegant cabin. Once inside, brushed aluminium finishes, full grained leather interiors and a neutral palette will instantly give you the sense that less is definitely ...

Targeting the fast growing billionaire club in Asia's second-fastest growing market, Italian luxury sports car maker Automobili Lamborgini  SpA launched the all-new Aventador LP  700-4 model in India, priced at Rs 3.69 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi) on Thursday.  The latest in the range, Aventador was first introduced at the Geneva Motor  show in March this year and has already received orders from 20 Indian customers. The company claims to have received over 1,500 bookings globally.  "This year we expect to sell around 20 Lamborghini in India and aim to double the tally in 2012," said Satya Bagla, managing director of Lamborghini's sole dealer in India, Exclusive Motors. Sale of sports cars in India has received a tremendous response and post-Airtel Indian Grand Prix, we expect the market to gain momentum for such luxury marquees, Bagla added.  Powered by a 12-cylinder and 6.5-litre engine, the Aventador is among the fastest street-legal cars ...

To commemorate the launch of the adventure reality show ‘X-treme Trail’, Nissan unveiled a limited edition X-trail.  It will come with a host of new features such as a touch-screen navigation system, rear spoiler, ‘X-treme Trail’ decal and door visor set, to name a few. The limited edition X-trail is priced at Rs 22.79 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) for the LE-Grade version and will be on sale from this month at all of Nissan’s 45 dealerships across India. Mr Dinesh Jain, CEO Hover Automotive India said, “We would like to mark this programme by launching an X-treme Trail Limited Edition of Nissan X-trail, which will enhance the driving experience for anyone who enjoys the SUV experience.”   The show will be telecast from November 5 on National Geographic, Fox Traveller, Star World and Channel V. 

Two months after sigining an agreement with Gujarat government, French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen  on Thursday initiated its India operations at Sanand by conducting a stone laying ceremony for its Rs 4,000 crore facility at the project site situated about 40 kilometers from Ahmedabad.  The company is slated to roll out its first car from the Sanand plant in mid-2014. The 600 acre plot will produce 1.7 lakh cars in the first phase and will raise it to 3.4 lakh in 2016. The upcoming facility will also be used to manufacture gasoline engines and gear boxes.  Last month, American auto company Ford Motors  began work on its second facility at Sanand which will roll-out the first car in 2014.  Infrastructure at the plant will be at par with Europe, company officials told ET. Hiring for the India operations have already begun and many officials are being given training at company's facility in France.  Later on Peugeot will also bring its hybrid (diesel and e...

Ferrari has launched its FF supercar in India. The FF is Italian car-maker’s first-ever production four-wheel-drive model, a front-engined V12 four-seater GT that not only replaces the 612 two-plus-two coupe globally but also aims to attract a new kind of “all-roads, all-weathers” Ferrari customer. This new car, dubbed FF for its four seats and four-wheel-drive, is designed by Pininfarina under the direction of Ferrari’s own chief designer, Flavio Manzoni. The first Ferrari of modern times to accommodate four full-sized adults and their luggage which is better suited for India. The revolutionary Ferrari has an all-new, longer wheelbase chassis with a new-design, all-independent suspension that incorporates the latest-generation magnetically adjustable dampers and standard Brembo carbon ceramic disc brakes. The four-wheel-drive system, claimed to be around 50 per cent lighter than comparable applications, preserves the desirable rear weight bias of recent V12 Ferraris. Called 4R...

British sports car manufacturer Ariel has announced it will be introducing its Atom models to the Indian market. This news comes hot on the heels of Caterham, also a British light-weight sports car manufacturer, recently announcing its entry. InterGlobe Established Private Limited is looking to capitalise on the racing enthusiasm that F1 has created by collaborating with the Ariel Motor Company to bring the Ariel Atom 3, the latest model, to our shores. Mr Nigel Harwood, President and CEO of InterGlobe said, “The Atom is a perfect fit for any sports car enthusiast who is looking for serious fun and unbeatable performance, be it on the road or track.” The Atom has no doors, no roof and no body panels; in fact it is just an open chassis with two seats and a powertrain bolted to it. But, as a result, it offers a pure and unhinged driving experience, much like an open-wheel race car. Power comes from a 2.0-litre Honda engine in either 245bhp or supercharged 300bhp guise, both of which w...

With improvements to the infrastructure already in the pipeline for next year after a wide range of teething problems were experienced over the weekend, Ecclestone sees only a positive future for the event. "I am very, very happy with it and I think everyone else is as well, there is nothing to complain about," he said. "They only need to work on bits and pieces. But this is a prototype, as soon as they get down and have a good look they will find things to improve and I am sure they will improve them." Ecclestone confessed to feeling anxious in the build-up to the event about the track not being ready in time, but says that organisers put in a huge effort to get things in place. "I was only nervous, a little bit, before because I thought it wasn't going to get completed," he said. "I kept seeing photographs every day and they kept improving everything. "Normally you get people complaining if there is something to complain about, but I hav...

The ongoing floods in Thailand since late July have caused a wave of woe for some carmakers, bringing factories to a standstill and affecting supplies of vital components to assembly facilities in India and other countries. As a result, manufacturers like Toyota, Honda and Ford may face delays in the delivery of their cars. Production of the Toyota Innova, Fortuner and Corolla Altis models which have a high level of Thai-sourced content could be hit. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has stock for the next couple of weeks, but after that supply is uncertain. The Etios and Etios Liva models are more localised in India and hence are less affected. Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co. Ltd (HATC), whose headquarters are in the Rojana Industrial Park Ayutthaya, has suspended production since October 4, due to parts supply disruptions. As of today, HATC does not have a clear idea as to when production will resume as there has been flooding at its own facilities since October 8. Honda’s Suzuka and S...