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Japanese auto major Honda plans to launchdiesel cars in India because of increase in demand for such vehicles against the backdrop of high petrol prices, a top company official said today.  The company is engaged in developing diesel engines back in Japan, Honda Siel Cars India Senior Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), Jnaneswar Sen, said. "The Research and Development team in Japan is developing diesel engines. It is premature to say that the products will be rolled out on diesel (platform)," he told reporters here.  Declining to reveal when diesel variants would be rolled out in India, he said the proposed diesel engine was being developed for a specific market like India as most of the markets worldwide prefer petrol cars.  On the "Brio" that was formally launched today, he said "Honda is targeting first time buyers and those who already own a Honda vehicle".  "So far we are present in top 20 per cent (of the market). N...

Maruti Suzuki will raise production of its best-selling hatchback, Swift, by more than 40%. It will also shift its entire output to the Manesar factory after a month-long industrial unrest, that caused the country's largest carmaker a loss of 660 crore, came to an end.  In the next few weeks, the company will start full-fledged manufacturing operations at its second plant in Manesar.  "This will help us increase the output of Swift to 17,000 units a month from our historical highs of 12,000 units a month," a senior Maruti Suzuki official told ET. The company will also resume normal production of SX4 and A-star models.  Maruti's entire Swift production process will now take place in Manesar, freeing up capacity at the Gurgaon plant which was used as a stopgap arrangement during the strike. This will help Maruti save on logistics incurred on moving panels from Manesar to Gurgaon for car assembly.  With increased supplies, Maruti Suzuki expects to reduce...

Nissan Motors India plans to start exporting Sunny, its locally made mid-level sedan, to West Asia and Africa early next year as it looks to tap into high demand for such cars in these regions, said Kiminobu Tokuyama, managing director.  Nissan launched Sunny in India with much aplomb last week. Sunny is Nissan's second locally made vehicle after Micra, which was launched last October. The base model of Sunny, the XE, is priced at 5.78 lakh while the mid-range one, the XL, at 6.69 lakh and top-end XV 7.68 lakh.  "Though our priority is the local market, we will also aggressively pursue export volumes," Tokuyama told ET.  He added that the Japanese carmaker plans to launch an multipurpose vehicle in the country next year. "It is going to be an MPV like Toyota Innova," he said without disclosing the price range for the product and other details.  While Nissan is pitching Sunny in the local, West Asian and African markets, Micra ...

This festive season, car manufacturers are doling out huge discounts to woo customers reeling under the twin hikes of interest rates and petrol prices. If you plan to buy one, you can take advantage of these deals, the best in the past five years, as car companies pump out great deals to propel sales.  While discounts are available on every model, it's the petrol variants that are grabbing the maximum share as the high price of fuel has made customers leery of buying these. Currently, petrol cars are coming with discounts as high as 25% on the ex-showroom prices, while diesel cars have a long waiting period for delivery. "It's the best time to buy cars. The discounts are at an all-time high and companies are even offering a lower interest rate on loans to decrease the burden on customers," says Rajan Paintal, senior vice-president, auto loans, HDFC Bank.  As companies and dealers struggle to increase footfalls and inquiries at showrooms for the first time in the past...

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The Skoda Citigo is the first small car from the Czech brand. Skoda plans to make it big in this growing segment and the Citigo should help them do just that.  Small passenger car sales are hotting up world over and Skoda has decided to jump right into all the action with their all new Citigo. The new small car is a crucial model for Skoda as they are entering a new sector and must get everything right to secure its position in the small car market.  SKODA Board Chairman Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland, said, "The Citigo is one of the pillars of our growth strategy. The car offers all of Skoda's values in a compact package and fits perfectly with our aims. The Citigo is literally a 'Simply Clever' car. Despite its small size, it offers ample interior space; it is agile while frugal.  Skoda's small car is aimed at being a practical and spacious city car. With a generous wheelbase of 2.42 meters can seat four passengers in comfort and a boot space of 251 litre...

South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor on Friday announced the commencement of bookings of its soon to be launched new compact car Eon. The bookings will open from October 1, 2011.  'Eon' - means eternity. The car will be manufactured in India at Hyundai Motor India's manufacturing facility located at Sriperumbudur near Chennai.  The new car will take on Maruti Alto, India's largest selling car. Pegged at the starting price of Rs 2.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the car carrying an 800 cc engine and options of both manual and automatic transmission will be a major volume driver for Hyundai after sales of its smaller aging cars - Santro and i10 - has started tapering off in the Indian market. The Eon will bear Hyundai's latest design philosophy of 'Fluidic Sculpture'. Eon has design elements and features that have been specifically developed for Indian conditions. The car is targeted at first time buyers who want to buy a spacious and stylish car ...