Here are the Spy photos of the new hatchback by Nissan – the Micra, that will be launched somewhere around mid-2010 in India.
Suzuki looking to double its 2 wheeler production
Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIPL) plans to double production capacity of its two-wheelers to three lakh units by the end of the current fiscal year. Suzuki Motorcycles currently manufacturers three kinds of bikes and a scooter at its 6.5-acre plot in Gurgaon, Haryana.
Acc to the company’s vice-president (marketing & sales) Atul Gupta
“We are looking at a higher market share in the domestic market. With robust demand in the past few months, we will increase our monthly production capacity to 25,000 two-wheelers by March next year from the current 12,000 units. The fresh production would help cut down the waiting period on our flagship scooter model Access.”
The company’s sales grew 11 per cent in the April-October period. Its growth was driven from the rising demand for its 150 cc bike GS150R and 125cc scooter Access, yet it remains a small player in the seven million units-a-year Indian two-wheeler market.
-> In November last year, Suzuki had launched the Rs 12.5-lakh Hayabusa and Intruder in the domestic market and has sold over 110 units to date, with a the former taking a major share.
The company is also planning to expand the super bike portfolio with the import of few more bikes in the 800 cc category.
Coming Soon : Facelifted Hyundai Verna
Both the Ford Fiesta and the Maruti Suzuki SX4 have recently undergone a facelift. But the brand new entry into the "Facelifted" Catagory is the Hyundai Verna (which, technically is pretty much the Hyundai Accent).
The major changes in the Verna will include the grille, the headlights and the front bumper as well as some tid-bits like the turn indicators housed on the RVMs. The mechanicals will remain the same.
The refreshed Verna was launched earlier this year in Korea and could make its way into India very soon.
Source : Motoroids
Ford Fusion is Motor Trend’s 2010 “Car of the Year”
Ford Motor Co's mid-size sedan - Fusion was named Motor Trend magazine's 2010 "car of the year" on Tuesday at Detroit.
Acc to Motor Trend Editor Angus MacKenzie -
The Fusion was chosen best of 23 new or significantly upgraded vehicles and the full range of Fusion models impressed the judges, from the four-cylinder entry level vehicles to the all-wheel drive sport and hybrid versions.
Ford has proven its resilience in these tough times by delivering to market a car with broad appeal to a broad range of customers.
Motor Trend tested the vehicles on acceleration, braking, handling, noise and responsiveness under various road and traffic conditions. It also considered design, fuel efficiency, safety and value.
The Fusion, which has become one of the top 10 selling vehicles in the United States, was redesigned for 2010. Ford launched the Fusion in 2006 and it set its previous annual sales peak in 2007.
Rendering - New VolksWagen Polo Sedan
Secret New Cars has posted renderings of the upcoming VW Polo sedan. Reports claim it will be displayed at the Delhi Auto Expo in January 2010.
The Polo sedan will be designed to offer comfort to the rear passengers with a softer suspension and extra legroom generated due to the extended wheelbase. Engine options are expected to remain the same as the hatchback. VW might add one or two more powerful engines on the sedan, but that again is speculation.
The Polo sedan could be introduced in India later in 2010. It will also be sold in Europe & America.
Source - IndianAutosBlog
Chevrolet Aveo : Hazardous to Passengers’ Health?
HealthyStuff.Org is an information portal for the Ann Arbor, a Michigan based Ecology Centre. It recently conducted a research in which it used an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device to test the toxicity levels in the interiors of various vehicles.
The team found traces of life-damaging substances like lead, cadmium etc in the passenger compartments of the cars, measured in ppm (parts per million) and then the products were assigned low, medium or high risk level ratings dependent on quantity of such substances present. The findings were then rated on a scale of 0-5 (0-best, 5-worst)
The results were quite astonishing.
On one hand, the Chevrolet Cobalt scored a no threat rating of 0.7 and on the other hand, the Chevrolet Aveo scored an alarming rating of 4.7 (Click on the image above to understand the whole story)
While there are safety and emission norms for vehicles, we’re not aware of norms which prescribe the permissible levels of toxicity in interior of the cars. We generally assume that once we roll up the windows and switch on the air-conditioner, we’re completely insulated from the pollution or harmful substances in the atmosphere around us. Well, think again!
PS - The findings pertain only to the US-built 2009 year spec Chevrolet Aveo. Tests have not yet been performed on vehicles manufactured in India or other countries.
Source - IndianAutosBlog
Royal Enfield Classic Models launched in Hyderabad
Motorcycles major Royal Enfield launched its new models – the Classic 350 & 500 in Hyderabad today.
These models were launched in Pune earlier this month. The price of the models (on-road) in Hyderabad and their mileage is as under -
- Classic 500 – 1.39 lakh, Mileage 30 Km/Litre
- Classic 350 – 1.09 lakh Mileage 45 Km/Litre
Coming Soon - New ULC (Ultra Low Cost) Car from Bajaj-Nissan
Nano’s got competetion! A joint venture between Indian two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto and Nissan-Renault is planning to launch a ULC Car in India whose expected price is 2500$. Bajaj will have 50% stake in the JV and both Renault-Nissan will have 25% each.
The Compact Car will have 70-80% of its parts in common with those used in Bajaj’s scooters, motorcycles and three-wheelers. This will help cutting down the project cost for the new car from Rs 1,500 crore to around Rs 200-300 crore.
The mileage of the car will be well above 20 kmpl but Bajaj will be targetting 30 kmpl. The JV sees people who need an upgrade from a 2 wheeler to 4 wheeler as prospective buyers so the main focus is on lowering the monthly cost of ownership. The car is expected to hit the roads in the year 2012.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)