Driveblog

In the biggest ever bulk deal in the luxury car segment in India, German auto giant Mercedes Benz said on Monday that it would sell a fleet of 90 customised C Class cars to mobility solutions provider Carzonrent, bettering its own deal 3 years ago when it had supplied 70 cars. The deal  makes Carzonrent   the single largest owner of Mercedes cars in India with an overall fleet of over 160 cars. The 90 cars would be used by Carzonrent to service high flying clients of Emirates Airlines in India. “This deal as a follow up to a similar deal in 2008, is an affirmation to the quality and durability standards of a Mercedes car,” said Peter T Honegg, MD and CEO, Mercedes Benz India. “Some of the cars that are used by Carzonrent have been driven for over 180,000 kms and the cars are still doing perfectly fine.” Globally, around 15% of all Mercedes cars that are sold go into fleet operation, though the practice is not as prevalant in India. Other than Carzonrent, Mercedes supplies t...

Maruti Suzuki  has already stopped the production of its Swift, and commenced the production of the new  Swift . So, all those who have booked the old Swift, will automatically get upgraded to the new Swift. The new Swift is bigger in dimensions as compared to the outgoing version. The latest update on the Swift is that it will be available in ZDi variant, unlike the older diesel Swift where the top-of-the-line was the VDi (ABS). The ZXi on the Swift should cost about Rs 6.75lakh and the top-of-the-line ZDi will be a shade above Rs 7.5lakh. The new features on the car will include push start stop, electric mirrors, USB and Aux-in, bluetooth. The engines might be tweaked to generate higher horsepower and the company could introduce an automatic gearbox on the petrol version. So, like the A-Star it might be available in the VXi AT version. The colours available on the Swift will be white, black, grey, silver and a new red.

Austrian sports bike maker KTM today said it will launch its first motorcycle, jointly developed with Bajaj Auto Ltd , in India at the Auto Expo to be held in the capital early next year.  The company, in which Bajaj Auto holds nearly a 40 per cent stake, had already launched its first co-developed bike in Europe in March this year.  "During the Delhi Auto Expo next year, we will be launching the first 200-cc Duke bike in India," Cross Industries AG CEO and also the CEO of KTM Sportmotorcycle AG , Stefan Pierer, told reporters here.  The bike will be produced at the Pune facility of Bajaj Auto, he added.  When asked about the company's sales target in India, Pierer said: "We expect to sell 25,000 to 30,000 units in India in the first year of launch. After one year, we will launch the 350-cc Duke in India."  KTM had launched the 125-cc 'Duke', developed jointly with Bajaj Auto, in Europe in March this year.  "We have already sold nearly 7,000 units...

The multi-billion-dollar CK Birla Group automobile major Hindustan Motors Ltd has launched road shows that shall cover West Bengal, Assam, Orissa and Bihar, signaling the imminent launch of new vehicles. More road shows will be launched soon in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, central and north India. The road shows launched today from the country’s oldest car company’s Uttarpara plant in Hooghly will be showcasing different variants of the iconic Ambassador and HM’s relatively new product HM Winner 1.5 XD PLUS, a light commercial diesel vehicle, in the four eastern and north-eastern states during the next 15 days. The initiative is also aimed at increasing customer awareness about Hindustan Motors’ existing and forthcoming products. The company’s Managing Director, Manoj Jha, stated, “Hindustan Motors has opted for a multi-pronged strategy which will witness consolidation and expansion of existing products like Ambassador and Winner and almost simultaneous introduction of new vehic...

Eicher Motors on Tuesday said its two-wheeler division, Royal Enfield, will set up a new manufacturing facility at Oragadam, near Chennai, with an initial installed capacity of 1.5 lakh units per annum by March, 2013. The proposed 50-acre facility is likely to see a total investment of up  to Rs 350 crore over the next five years. Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday officially allotted land for construction of the plant at the Oragadam SIPCOT Industrial Park, near Chennai. "We have received the letter for the land from the state government. We will start construction immediately after getting the possession. We should be ready with the plant by the first quarter of 2013," Eicher Motors Managing Director and CEO Siddhartha Lal told PTI.  With addition of new capacities, the company will be able to reduce the waiting periods of its bikes. It is currently about 6-8 months.   [Source:hindustantimes.com]

  India's   Bajaj Auto Ltd  said its project to develop four wheelers for Nissan Motor Co   and partner Renault SA was on track after a newspaper said it had been called off, citing a top executive.   Earlier on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported Bajaj had shelved the project to develop a low-cost minicar in India for Renault-Nissan, saying it was commercially unviable, citing Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj.   "We would like to clarify the Bajaj-Renault-Nissan project is very much on," S Ravi Kumar, Bajaj Auto's senior vice-president for business development, said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters.   "The new four-wheeler platform, which will have commercial and passenger applications, will be showcased to Renault-Nissan in January 2012."   The Renault-Nissan alliance signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last year with India's No.2 two-wheeler maker to develop an ultra low-cost car for India and other emerging markets, and had planne...

Ford India launched its global sedan, the All-New Fiesta, in the city today. The premium sedan, since its reveal earlier this year, has grabbed the attention of car buyers in India with its engaging and intuitive passenger communication technology. The globally evolved product brings to its segment a new meaning to passenger safety, delivers class-leading fuel efficiency and comes with first-in-segment smart features such as cruise control, electric power assisted steering (EPAS) and Advanced Bluetooth Voice Control. Ford India today also introduced its first-ever 1.5-litre powertrains – 1.5 L Ti-VCT and 1.5 L Duratorq TDCi engines that will drive the premium sedan. The engines are designed and tuned to deliver an uncompromising razor-sharp performance, addictive drivability and best-in-class fuel efficiency. Both powertrains will be manufactured in Ford India’s state-of-the-art engine plant at Maraimalai Nagar. The All-New Fiesta is available in four premium trims, across eight varian...