Diesel and auto Nano next up for Tata

Tata working on diesel and automatic variants of small car. Diesel expected to be released end 2009 in time for full scale production at Sanand. Automatic to follow soon afterwards.

Tata Motors is expected to make a diesel and automatic variant of the Nano available for sale. While Tata's primary focus at the moment is on making sure the much talked about small car is made available to the public, it is also working on further diversifying the car's model range that currently consists of three variants (Nano, Nano CX and Nano LX).

The first diesel variants are likely to roll out once the company's Sanand plant is ready for full scale production. It would not be hard to imagine a diesel powered Nano setting new benchmarks in terms of operating costs with mileage that could very well be in excess of 25kpl.

The automatic variant will follow soon afterwards. Manufacturing the Nano's 'variomatic' CVT gearbox will be the Kinetic Group. The Pune based company is currently making the car's 4-speed manual gearbox. Kinetic is to share the load of supplying the CVT for the automatic variant with Avtec Ltd as well as Canadian firm CVTech-IBC.

First Drive: Tata Nano

The Nano has been the most anticipated car in our short automotive history and could arguably be the most important too. After its rock-star reception at the Delhi Auto Expo over a year ago, the Nano has had a tough gestation period. It lost its home in Singur and until the new factory is built in Sanand, it will be produced in limited numbers in a makeshift facility within Tata Motors’ Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand. The ensuing delay has only created more anticipation and excitement and questions have been flying thick and fast. Does Tata’s little Nano drive and feel like a real car? Can it provide the comfort, performance and security expected of it?After a full day of driving through Pune city, on the highway and on rural back roads, we have the answers.

The Nano is quite a looker. Not only because of the hype it has generated, but because the car looks really good. It looks far more expensive than it is and that itself is half the battle won. This cute looking hatchback is sure to go down well with everyone. The Nano’s mantra somewhat goes with the Indica’s philosophy of giving more for less. For its diminutive size, the Nano is very big on space for its passengers. Clever use of space has meant that headroom and legroom is not only adequate but more than some bigger hatchbacks as well.

The Nano is powered by a 624cc two cylinder petrol engine. It puts out a modest 35bhp (similar to 800) and 4.9kgm of torque. It isn’t quick, but quite adequate for city use and even peppy in the city. It will hit a top speed of 106kph and takes 29.7 seconds to hit 100kph and isn’t very different from driving an 800. Refinement levels are acceptable and vibrations are damped well enough too. Although we haven’t been able to put it through our fuel tests, but we expect it to give about 18kpl in the city which further backs up its economy tag.

Riding on small 12inch wheels and tubeless tyres, the Nano rides surprisingly well. Most bumps are rounded nicely, but as the speeds climb the ride can get a little choppy. The steering has a little vagueness around the centre position, dial in more lock; it feels direct and provides good feedback as well. Grip levels are decent but are limited by the narrow tyres. Straightline stability is also commendable.

So is it a proper car? Yes, it definitely is. It offers better space than even a Santro at the front, while backseat space is quite decent. Comfort levels are good and it will come with an efficient engine as well. It isn’t perfect; owners will want more power and a 5-speed gearbox. But Tata has achieved what it had set out to do – Affordable motoring for the masses.

You can book one for as low as Rs 2,999. In Mumbai you can only get the BSIII versions and the base version of the Tata Nano for Rs 1,34,249; the CX version in solid colours is for Rs 1,60,322, while the metallic colour Nano CX is for Rs 1,63,457; the fully loaded LX version is for Rs 1,85,375 (all prices ex-showroom Mumbai). The BSII variants, where available, are roughly Rs 6,000 cheaper than the BSIII versions. Finance is available for even 7 year periods at interest rates of 11.7-12% which makes it affordable for almost anyone. Deliveries will begin in July and booking forms are available for Rs 300.

Features
The Nano is available in three variants – Nano, Nano CX and Nano LX. The base Nano is a bare bones model and doesn’t get any creature comforts. Even the passenger seat backrest is fixed. The CX gets interior mouldings, air-conditioner and tinted glass. The top-end LX gets front power windows, sunvisors, body coloured bumpers, central locking and fog lamps.

Performance
0-60 - 9.1seconds 0-100 - 29.7seconds Top speed - 106kph 20-80 (3rd gear) - 20.45seconds 40-100 (4th gear) - 46.38seconds
Braking (80-0) - 33.66m 3.07seconds

New Mitsubishi dealership opens in Mumbai

Mitsubishi has opened its third dealership in Mumbai, Autodrome, at Worli.

Mitsubishi has opened its third dealership in Mumbai, Autodrome, at Worli. This dealership is located in the swank Atria Mall, which is one of the city's premiere properties.

Mitsubishi claims the choice of location was specifically to attract a certain demographic of customers, as the mall retails only high-end brands. Keeping Mitsubishi company is Rolls Royce, so Autodrome should see huge number of footfalls.

Also debuting at the new showroom is a refreshed version of the Montero, Mitsubishi's flagship. The biggest visual change is a lot more chrome on the front grille and the option of black leather for the interiors.

The Montero is available in both manual and automatic transmission options, with both being priced identically at Rs 41.94 lakh, ex-showroom, all-India.

Mercedes Benz to expand R&D headcount in India

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India plans to revamp research and development (R&D) facility in India by increasing headcount to
1,000 engineers from 200 in its Bangalore facility, a senior company executive said.

Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Wilfried Aulbur told mediapersons on Monday, “Eventually, it will be one of the largest R&D facility of Mercedes outside Germany and will cater to the technical needs of our company.”

Mercedes has slipped to the second slot in the luxury car market. BMW raced past Mercedes in the past two months selling 541 cars.

Mercedes ruled this segment for 12 years sold 346 cars in the January-February period. Mercedes
also plans to invest Rs 150 crore together with its partners and dealers to expand the distribution network in the country.

“We will launch new cars in the market. We have bought land at various locations across the country for setting up showrooms,” Mr Aulbur said.The company has also launched its new SUV M-Class at Rs 50-55 lakh in Delhi, which will be available in both petrol and diesel variants.

Audi to sell 1,500 units in India this year

Luxury car
maker Audi on Tuesday said that it expects to increase its sales volume in the country by 33 per cent, selling about 1,500
units this year on the back of rapid growth in the segment.

"We have already seen a 95 per cent growth rate in the first two months of this year. This is on the lines of our target... We are looking at selling 1,500 units in India this year," Audi India Managing Director Benoit Tiers told PTI.

The German car major sold 113 cars in February this year as against 58 units in the same month last year, an increase of 95 per cent.

Asked if the company expected a fall in demand in the coming days, Tiers said, "Like all car makers globally, we are cautious. But we have seen tremendous growth in the luxury car segment in India and expect this to continue."

"We are now expanding our dealership network to 15 from 12 this year. The dealership in Cochin will come up in April followed by Kolkata and Chennai, which shows our commitment to the market here," he added.

Hyundai hikes i10 and Santro prices

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has announced the immediate price hike on all variants of its Santro, i10 and Accent models. The company cites rising input costs as the primary reason for the price hike. The price hikes for the Santro range from Rs 3,601 for the base non-AC model and Rs 5,162 on its GL variant. For the i10 the increases range from Rs 3,974 on the 1.1 Era to Rs 7,637 on the 1.2 Asta WS AT. The Accent Executive is costlier by Rs 14,636.The prices for other Hyundai models remain unchanged as the company says it is to persist with introductory pricing on the i20 and Sonata . The company had also revised the prices for the Verna recently.

Car Sales Article

Carmakers are reassessing their export strategies in the wake of global recessionary trends, especially in Europe and North America. While Maruti Suzuki says it is 'cautiously optimistic', Hyundai India, the largest exporter of passenger Car,said orders have been scaled down or kept on hold in recent months from Europe and North American markets.

Grappling with a slump in the domestic markets, automakers are banking on demand for fuel efficient Small Car in export markets. The country’s two large carmakers had recently announced India as a global sourcing hub for small cars.

Korean carmaker Hyundai India, which exports to almost 100 countries and major markets being Europe, South America and South Africa, is seeing a slowdown in all markets. Till last year, the proportion of exports to domestic sales was 50:50.

With exports slowing, the proportion of exports has reduced to 44% in January 2009. "While some markets have put export orders on hold or scaled down orders, others have also given us advance orders," said Hyundai Motor India senior VP Arvind Saxena. Hyundai, which primarily exports i10, i20, Santro and Accent, has been expanding capacities at its Chennai plant to fulfil huge export demands.

Maruti Suzuki currently exports Alto, M800, Omni, Wagon R and Zen Estilo to non-European markets such as Chile, the UAE, Algeria and East Africa. This year, the Japanese carmaker started exporting to European markets like Britain and London.

"We have recently started exports of the A Star Compact Car to European market and the response has been good. Our distributors have given us advance orders too for the next few months," said Mayank Pareek, marketing head of Maruti Suzuki. Industry observers say that the Japanese carmaker will focus more on non-European markets.

Till date, Hyundai and Maruti have managed to keep up the momentum in exports. For April-January, Hyundai India managed to export 2.14 lakh cars, up by 91%, while Maruti Suzuki exported 48,689 cars, up by 17%. Tata Motors, saw exports fall by 43% to 5,880 units for the same period.

"In Europe and South American markets, there is a huge demand for fuel efficient small cars. But customers are postponing purchases," said an auto analyst from a Mumbai-based brokerage. Car makers say that although overall Car Salesfell by 21% in the UK and 18% in Italy, the drop in small car sales was lower at 8% and 4%, respectively.

BMW eyes top spot in luxury segment, to bring more new cars

A difficult market condition notwithstanding, German carmaker BMW is revving up its efforts to snatch the number one spot from compatriot Mercedes Benz in the Indian luxury car segment with plans to introduce new products.

BMW, which today introduced its all-new 7 Series sedan priced at Rs 93.3 lakh (ex-showroom), plans to introduce the new 3 Series sedan, SUVs X6 and X3 diesel during this year.

" Despite a difficult market, particularly in the last quarter, we were able to achieve all our target last year. We are hopeful that we can become the segment leader sometime this year,"BMW India President Peter Kronschnabl told reporters here.

In 2008, the company sold a total of 2,908 units and in the April-December period, it has clocked a total of 2,046 units, closing in on rivals Mercedes Benz, which sold 2,395 units during the period.

He said two more variants of the new 7 Series will be introduced in the coming months.

Asked about the impact of the economic downturn, he said,"The financial slowdown had its full impact in the fourth quarter of last year, otherwise we could have sold more than what we did."

He said the company was assessing market situation at present and would come out with its sales guidelines for the year in a month or two.

Hyundai i20 launched

The stylish new i20 is here, and will go head to head with the Skoda Fabia 1.2 HTP on price.

Hyundai has launched the all-new i20 today. The car, which comes with the 1.2-litre kappa petrol engine, will be available in three variants - Magna, Asta and Asta (O) - and will be priced at Rs 4.80 lakh, Rs 5.59 lakh and Rs 5.80 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi, respectively. At these prices, the i20 compares favourably with Skoda's Fabia, but promises to offer much more, in keeping with Hyundai's value proposition.

The i20 will be available with a built-in 2 DIN MP3 player, front and rear power windows and a multi-information display. The top-of-the-line Asta (O) will have ABS with EBD, electric folding mirrors, stereo mounted audio controls, and six airbags, definitely a first for a car in this segment.
The i20 Magna however, does not have alloy wheels or ABS, climate control or even a rear wiper, which the Asta does.

We've already driven the i20, and to get a sneak preview of the car, visit our forum to know just what the car feels like from behind the driver's seat.

Revealed! Linea specs and pricing

We've got the specs and pricing of the different variants of the exciting new Fiat Linea.

We've already brought you the juice on the excellent new Fiat Linea, on how we love its style, ride and handling and the interiors. Well, it gets even better. The icing on the cake of this mid-size Fiat, is its pricing.

The Linea will be available in five trim options - Active, Dynamic, Dynamic Pack, Emotion and Emotion Pack. While the Active diesel will retail for Rs 7.12 lakh, ex-showroom, Mumbai, the top-of-the-line Emotion Pack diesel will cost Rs 8.36 lakh.

The car will be available in a total of six colours, three of which will be available immediately at launch. These include Flamengo Red, Perla Champagne and Hip Hop Black, while a little later buyers will have the option of Fox Trot Azure, Medium Gray (pictured) and Vocal White.

The Linea boasts an impressive specification of standard equipment, but airbagsare available only on the top-line Emotion pack, while the base Active doesn't even get ABS. All five versions however will be available with 15" wheels, wearing 195/60 boots, but only the Emotion Pack will have alloy wheels.

Given the breadth of the Linea's talents, plus the excellent choice of variants and the killer pricing, this should be a car which will redefine the C-segment. With Fiat pushing to provide good service, which will be key to the company's success, it really looks to be a very happy new year for Indian car buyers indeed.

Maruti, GM, Hero Honda & Bajaj sales crash, Yamaha revs up in Dec

The price cuts and discounts
helped revive car and bike sales in December though the numbers still did not match up to last year’s
figures. Car market leader Maruti clocked 56,293 units, down 10% compared to last December’s tally of 62,515 units. It’s domestic sales were worse off — down 11% at 52,029 units.

But compared to November, the tally was up 9%. Maruti sold 47,704 cars in the domestic market in November 2008. Even in year-on-year terms, the stats were better in December despite a longish maintenance shutdown at its Gurgaon and Manesar plants. Maruti’s domestic sales were down 27% in November as compared to the year-ago month.

Ditto for General Motors. The company sold 4,041 units in December, including 509 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 867 units of the Chevy Aveo, 248 Chevrolet Optras, 2,382 Chevrolet Sparks and 35 units of the Chevrolet Captiva. Like Maruti, GM too took a maintenance shutdown in December. Yet, it’s December tally isn’t that much lower than its November 2008 sales of 4,307 units.

GM India ended calendar 08 with a 9.5% growth in sales at 65,702 units as compared to 60,032 units in 2007. In two-wheelers, however, the trend was different because the credit crunch there is an older phenomenon and the discounts and price cuts weren’t as widespread as in cars.

Bike market leader Hero Honda sold 215,931 units of two-wheelers in December, down 10% from the 240,532 units sold in the year-ago period. That’s significantly lower than its November tally of 289,426 units. The company ended the calendar year with a 9% growth. It sold 36,08,220 two-wheelers in January–December 2008 as compared to 33,09,051 units in calendar 2007.

Arch rival Bajaj Auto sold 119,215 two-wheelers in December, down 33% as compared to 177,249 units sold last year. It’s bike tally is also down 33% at 118,510 units. In November, Bajaj reported a 37% drop in its motorcycle sales at 131,681 units. Bajaj’s total two-wheeler sales also witnessed a 37% drop, at 132,421 units, as compared to 211,600 units in the year-ago period.

However, Yamaha has seen a three-fold jump in its domestic sales during December at 16,000, compared with 5,524 units in the same month in 2007. Even Skoda India saw a rise in sales in 2008 at 16,188 units, registering a growth of 28.5% over 2007.

Hyundai, Honda buck the trend

Mumbai, Jan. 2 In spite of the overall downtrend, at least two automobile manufacturers managed to do well in December. The second largest carmaker Hyundai Motor India and premium carmaker Honda Siel Cars India showed an increase in sales while Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and TVS Motors showed a decline.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), the country’s second largest car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter, registered an overall 56 per cent growth in December at 38,402 units. Domestic sales grew 19 per cent while exports surged 97 per cent over the same month last year.

The company’s exports at 22,800 units in December exceeded domestic sales at 15,602 units. It posted a near 50 per cent growth for the calendar year at 4.89 lakh units. Honda Siel Cars India clocked nine per cent growth in December selling 3,667 units as against 3,363 units sold in the corresponding month last year.

Sources said sales were boosted by the generous dealer discounts offered to customers in an attempt to clear stocks.

Tata Motors’ sales of cars fell 31 per cent to 9,838 units. The Indica range sales at 6,749 units dropped 29 per cent, while the midsize Indigo range grew 21 per cent to 1,673 units. Sumo and Safari sales fell 59 per cent to 1,416 units. Tata Motors’ total vehicle sales in December dropped 47 per cent to 25,219 units against 47,678 units during the year-ago period.

Similarly, utility-vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra’s total vehicle sales slipped 30 per cent to 10,665 units in December. Utility vehicle sales of Mahindra decreased to 7,726 from 9,909 while the sales of Mahindra Renault’s midsize sedan Logan plummeted to 272 from 1,504 during the same month in the previous year.

TVS Motor clocked 89,285 two-wheeler sales in December against 97,576 units in the corresponding period last year, a fall of 8.5 per cent.

V8 Vantage

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a supreme example of modern automotive design, a hand-crafted sports car that offers exceptional performance, outstanding agility and everyday usability.

At the heart of every great sports car is a great engine, and the V8 Vantage Coupe and Roadster are powered by Aston Martin’s 313 kW (420 bhp) 4.7-litre V8, developed for both flexibility and outright performance. The V8 also sounds spectacular and is capable of propelling the car to a maximum speed of 290 km/h (180 mph)