Driveblog

The Countries largest Utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra today said it was in the process of finalising product platforms jointly with South Korea's SsangYong Motor Co which it acquired last year.  "We are investing in product and brand development in SsangYong Motor Co. Both the teams of M&M and SsangYong Motor Co are working together to develop new product platforms over the next 3-4 years," M&M President Automotive Sector Pawan Goenka told reporters here.  M&M had acquired a 70 per cent stake for USD 378 million in the South Korea's third-largest maker of sport utility vehicles, Ssangyong Motor Co in 2010.  "We are not expecting SsangYong Motor to turnaround this year, but we are focusing on volume growth of the company," Goenka said, adding that the company is pleased with Ssangyong's performance and it is on track to achieve target of 1,20,000 units in 2011.  The company has sold 55,000 units in the first six months and hopes...

German auto major Volkswagen would introduce a new variant of its luxury sedan 'Jetta' in the second half of this year, a top company official said today. The Current model was Introduced in 2008, the company sold around 2,500 units of Jetta in 2010.  Asked if they would replace the existing Jetta, Volkswagen Passenger cars Director and Board member Neeraj Garg told reporters here: "We will finish the existing ones (sales) and get in the new one in the second half of this calendar year." He said they would study the market on the new 'Blue Motion Technology before launching the other models based on it.  Volkswagen recently launched their premium luxury sedan 'Passat' equipped with Blue Motion technology. Garg said blue motion technology offers various features like 'Attention Assist' that detects driver fatigue and emits a warning signal, recommending a break from driving.  Garg said they had received bookings for 100 units of Passat from a...

Peugeot is all set to re-enter Indian market. The company is Currently developing  a new car for India and emerging markets. The company is already seeking locations in Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu for their plant, which is expected to take two years to materialise. But Peugeot isn't going to wait that long to enter India. The new 508 saloon and the 3009, in CBU form, are likely to be the cars the French auto major re-enters India with.  The 508 debuted at Geneva and is sized between the Honda Accord and the Suzuki Kizashi but wider than both. It replaces the 407 and uses upmarket design and materials to aim for a more upmarket clientele. The fascia of the 508 illustrates the brand's evolving aesthetic codes with a uniquely sculpted grille. The lines on the bonnet and the swept back bi-xenon directional headlamps add to the dynamism of the car. The interior upgrades offer more space and more equipment and Peugeot also claim the biggest boot capacity in its class. Peugeot m...

Honda car India was once the segment leader in every space which the company entered, Their cars in every segment dominated, even thought the company did not provide Diesel engine option in any segment for a country that loves Diesel.  The Company currently faces a Stiff competition from European players like Volkswagen,Skoda, Fiat who offer Diesel engines to their Models in every segment. The recent one to loose was the Honda City which dominated the space for more than a decade was over taken by VW Vento. The 13 year rule came to an end because the company did not offer Diesel engine in that segment which most of the consumers preferred. Maruti Suzuki's SX4 also now offers Diesel engine in that segment.  So Honda has finally decided to bring their Diesel engine i-DTEC to Indian market. to fight back with its rivals. We think that the Next generation Civic will first get the Diesel engine.  ...

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...

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 ]

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 ] 

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...

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...

BMW, One of the countries largest Luxury car maker has increased its production capacity in its Chennai plant, earlier it was 8,000 units now the company increased to 10,000 units in a single shift. The company currently sells various model right form 3 Series to Z4 roadster, most of the models are assembled except few models like 7 series which are bought to India as CBU(completely built unit). Increase in the production will add two models to the line up. The first one is re-skinned 6 series that will be launched later this month and X3 SAV that will arrive in mid-2011.   [Source:Autocarindia]     

Force motors, known for making commercial vehicles in India will enter into Passenger vehicle segment with a launch of a new Sports utility Vehicle (SUV) . The company plans to sell 4000 units in the first year, Price is expected to be around 10-12 lakhs. The SUV will get a engine licensed for Mercedes-Benz, a 2.2liter Common-rail diesel engine with torquey gearbox. The vehicle was developed with the help of International consultant Lotus engineering for suspension Tuning, the company also worked with Mercedes- Benz Technology. The SUV will roll out this may, and will be produced in its pithampur plant in separate assembly line. The company plans to set up 50 dealership for passenger vehicle by the end of this year. Hope the vehicle becomes a runaway success for the company like what Scorpio did for Mahindra.   [Source:financialexpress]          

General Motors India will soon bring the Muscle car Chevy Camaro to Indian market. The car will be priced around 30 lakhs and it will the most expensive car in its portfolio but will be the cheapest sports car. The car will be Imported as Completely Built Unit (CBU) and will the powered by the 3.6liter V6 engine. The car was first shown in the Delhi Auto Expo 2010 but the company did not have immediate plans at that time. The car is said to be a Brand builder for the Company bringing lot of people to the showrooms. The company is also likely to launch its compact sedan Sonic and the 800cc spark by this year.  

Hyundai has been always a preferable brand for Indian consumers from the time the company started its Operations here. The Santro has been the flagship product for many year because it set the benchmark in that segment for built quality, design and in other aspects. The company was moving to higher segment this time will go in reverse. A car below Santro which will be priced between 2-3 lakhs to take on Tata Nano and Maruti Alto. The car would definitely be a strong contender because the company is known for good engineering and design. The car could get a stripped down version of Hyundai's Epsilon engine which powers the Santro. The car would be available at Hyundai showroom in the second half of 2011. It is worth waiting for if you are purchasing your first car.      

  Chevrolet Beat Diesel   Expected price:4-6 lakhs Ford Fiesta  Expected price:6.5-9 lakhs   Honda Brio Expected Price:4-5.5 lakhs   Audi A8   Hyundai Elantra  Expected Price:11-14 lakhs  Nissan Sunny Expected Price:7-9 lakhs   Suzuki Kizashi Expected Price:18lakhs   Skoda Sk215 Expected Price: 8-10 lakhs   Reva Nxg   Renault Fluence Expected Price:11-13lakhs   Suzuki Swift Expected Price : 4.5-6.5lakhs   Toyota Etios Liva Expected price:4-6lakhs  Volkswagen Jetta  Expected Price 15-18lakhs Volvo s60