China to get a long-wheelbase Suzuki Wagon R!

Suzuki WagonR E+

All this while we’ve only been hearing of LWB BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Classes. We know of a Mercedes E-Class L, Audi A4L and a Volvo S80L in the land of China.

Now we have a ‘Suzuki Wagon R long wheelbase’ in China according to our friends at China Car Times.

Chang’an Suzuki will introduce a long wheelbase Wagon R in the Chinese market by the end of 2010. The prime motive of this extended wheelbase hatchback is to offer additional rear legroom.

China is yet to receive the latest generation Wagon R which Indians were provided with earlier this year. China has to do with the earlier gen Wagon R which received a facelift recently (Suzuki Wagon R E+).

China Car Times adds that a stretched wheelbase vehicle could transform this hatchback into a load-carrying van which will have good demand in the Chinese rural areas.

Maruti Suzuki – Do you plan to do something like this for India?

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Entry posted on July 29th, 2010 and filed under Suzuki

Shocker! Suzuki showcases K-Series Alto at IIMS 2010

Maruti Alto k10Maruti Alto k10Maruti Alto k10

What would you and I find interesting at the 18th Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS 2010) that was declared open on the 24th of this month?

The new Maruti Suzuki K-Series Alto!

While many of us are still looking at spy shots and brochure scans, Indonesia gets to see the actual thing at the Suzuki stall of the Motor Show which goes on till the 1st of August. Along with the Alto, Suzuki has also displayed the R3 MPV, Kizashi and a Swift GT3 car with a 1.5-liter petrol engine.

The theme of this year’s show is “Eco-Technology Motoring”. Car manufacturers in Indonesia are exhibiting cars and concepts that are eco-friendly in all possible ways.

The new K-Series Alto shown at the Expo comes with CVT. Indians will get the 5-speed manual. The vehicle is expected to be launched next month in India.

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Entry posted on July 29th, 2010 and filed under Maruti Suzuki

Nissan Micra a massive hit in Japan

Nissan Micra Steering Wheel

The Nissan Micra which was recently introduced in India, has met with mammoth success in its home market. More than 10,000 Japanese customers have placed their orders within two weeks of the vehicle’s launch.

Nissan was only expecting 4,000 orders in the initial months, but within two weeks, two and a half times that number has been registered, it says.

Nissan has also released details on what Japanese customers like – The most appealing color is Brilliant Silver (25 percent), and the black interiors is the most preferred.

In Japan, the Nissan Micra comes with the same 1.2-liter 3-cylinder HR12DE engine with Start-Stop technology. The vehicle is equipped with ABS, EBD, SRS airbags and SRS side airbags, load limiter with pretensioners for the seatbelts, linked front wipers, dawn sensors and multi-reflector halogen headlights with manual control.

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Entry posted on July 29th, 2010 and filed under New Nissan Micra/March

Hyundai i10 facelift (1.0 Kappa engine) arrives during Diwali 2010?

Hyundai i10 facelift spiedHyundai i10 facelift spied

There’s been a widespread speculation on the internet regarding the launch of the facelifted Hyundai i10 over the last one year. We reported on this development back in February this year after we came across a report on a Dutch website.

Latest reports coming in say there could be a 1.0-liter Kappa engine fitted to the i10 shortly. There is also the current 1.2-liter petrol engine waiting to receive CVVT (Variable Valve Timing) technology.

The facelifted i10 will have roof rails, different front bumper, modified tail lamp, indicators with turn signals and minor changes to its interiors. The big change will be under the bonnet.

We’ll keep a close watch on the developments, so stay tuned!

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Entry posted on July 29th, 2010 and filed under Hyundai, Spy pictures

Spied – VW Golf in Chakan, Pune

VW Golf IndiaWhen I visited VW’s plant in Chakan, Pune, a couple of weeks ago, I happened to spot a LHD VW Golf doing rounds at the plant. VW has put a few Mk6 Golfs on the streets of Pune too with temporary registration plates, but the one seen here has a European board, possibly German.

As per VW, the Indian market isn’t the best place to sell a premium hatchback as many Indians feel they’d rather drive home a sedan instead of a hatch like Golf. VW could be testing powertrains that may appear on the next generation Jetta coming in 2011 on this Golf mule.

It doesn’t really matter what kind of a product the Golf is as long as there are cars like the City, Verna, Fiesta and SX4. We predict top-end variants of the Golf could end up in the Cruze-Civic-Corolla segment.

VW India’s next project after the Vento, is the sub-Polo hatchback which could be branded Lupo.

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under Spy pictures, Volkswagen

Spied – 2011 Mahindra World SUV

We have received a couple of spyshots as well as a video of the Mahindra World SUV testing on the outskirts of Chennai city. The World SUV (CODE – W201) is expected to have a gamut of technology and futuristic styling. It goes without saying that this product is what Aria is to Tata Motors.

The World SUV is built on a completely new platform. Its frame is monocoque type. The test mule which we spotted earlier had certain in-dash components from the Xylo. As it was a test mule, there isn’t much we can understand on the level of finish or quality that is expected.

The Mahindra W201 should retail for anything between Rs 12 to 14 lakhs. As the new SUV is being developed with the for overseas markets, we can expect the new Mahindra to come fully loaded and a number of safety features as standard.

Mahindra World SUVMahindra World SUV

The World SUV could have features like cruise control, climate control, reverse parking sensors, flexible seating, electrically-powered seats, high level of refinement and comfort. We could even see Mahindra plonking a brand new V6 petrol engine under this vehicle’s bonnet. We expect them to use the 2.2-liter mHawk diesel engine on the base model for the economy-conscious SUV buyer. There could also be 4×4 option and automatic transmission variants completing the line-up.

Mahindra hopes to take this vehicle across seas and in America, such a vehicle, priced aggressively could result in Mahindra sitting pretty. Mahindra will launch this model in India during the first quarter of FY 2012.

Thanks Rajesh, Gokul and Tarun Kumar Tripathy

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under Uncategorized

Statistic of the Week – 2,771

Maruti Suzuki Eeco headlamp

Two thousand seven hundred and seventy one -

The number of authorized service outlets dealing with Maruti Suzuki cars in India. Maruti Suzuki boasts of having the widest service network in the country. It is spread across 1,342 cities in India.

They don’t lie when they say you’re never far away from a Maruti service station in India.

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under Maruti Suzuki, statistics

More than 270,000 Chevrolet Cruzes have reached customers worldwide

Chevrolet Cruze tail lamp

The Chevrolet Cruze is making headlines and how!

Showcased at the Paris Motor Show back in 2008, and introduced in Europe last year followed by other markets, the Chevrolet Cruze has set the records tumbling by surpassing the 270,000 sales mark in little time. Even here in India, customers have shown great interest in this car which is expected with a petrol engine during the first quarter of 2011.

Chevrolet strengthened the Cruze range by adding an automatic transmission variant earlier this year. It has priced the vehicle very competitively and given it all the credentials of a driver-oriented diesel sedan.

The Chevrolet Cruze is now available in more than 60 nations. It is re-badged as a Daewoo in South Korea and as a Holden in Australia. If you take into account the re-badged vehicles’ sales figures, your count will easily surpass 340,000!

India is among the top 5 countries which having most demand for the Cruze – China, Russia, Mexico, India and Spain are its top 5 markets, in order.

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under chevrolet cruze

Rendering – 2012 Renault Logan

2012 Dacia Logan

With the current generation Logan sold off to Mahindra in India, Renault could look to bring the next generation car in the coming years. Their product plan is different after the Mahindra-Renault partnership took off in a weird direction. Renault, earlier this year, decided to bring products into India through their own dealer network, and as per reports, only the Koleos, Fluence and Duster is on their agenda at this point. The next-gen Clio could be their first small car for India in 2013, and along with it, Renault might be tempted to slip in the next gen Logan under a different name.

The Logan has tasted massive success. It had a humble beginning. It was called as the “McDonald’s of cars.” It was an inexpensive form of transport designed for the Romanian traders and farmers. It was designed to carry pigs and potatoes as revealed by its designer in an interview few years ago.

The Logan has reached other parts of the world and with the value for money it offers, not many could stay away from it despite its refrigerator looks. In India, the Logan won many hearts after its introduction. It offered more rear seat comfort and boot space than the competition. It was very fuel efficient and was a perfect low-cost sedan for our roads.

Over the last one year, the Logan received a facelift in many countries include Russia and Romania. Prosperous sales figures haven’t stopped Dacia/Renault to develop the next generation Logan (code – X52) scheduled for 2012-13.

The 2012 Logan will not be severely low cost like the current model. Features like LED daytime running lights, swept back headlamps, character lines along the doors, a curvy rear-end, engines re-worked for better fuel economy and fewer emissions are being talked about. The rendering shown here is heavily inspired by the Fluence, which is heading to India next year.

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under Renault, Renderings

Yamaha launch SS125 in India; Bajaj to use KTM to sell Pulsar in Europe

Yamaha SS125

Yamaha’s launched a new, sporty 125cc motorcycle in India. Read about Yamaha SS125 here

Bajaj has said that it will utilize KTM’s dealer showrooms in Europe for selling its Pulsar motorcycles. Read about Pulsar in Europe through KTM here.

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under Bajaj, Yamaha

Spied – More images, design details of 2012 Fiat Palio

2012 Fiat Palio Brazil2012 Fiat Palio Brazil2012 Fiat Palio Brazil

Thanks to our friend Marlos Nay Vidal, we’re able to bring you more spy photographs of the Fiat Palio replacement, which we assume is the small car Fiat’s bringing to India in the next two years. Fiat India has confirmed that its small car will have a 1.0-liter petrol engine.

The 2012 Palio has been designed in Italy. Key engineering inputs have arrived from Fiat India’s engineers. The vehicle will be slotted under the Palio, which by then could be phased out of the Indian market.

This will be Fiat’s Palio replacement globally. We are sure Fiat India will avoid using the “Palio” branding. They are trying to distance themselves from the Palio, so we feel they’d give this new model a completely new identity.

The vehicle shown here was spotted near Fiat Brazil’s factory in Betim. Marlos has spotted the heavily camouflaged mules several times in this location where Fiat engineers are testing the different systems on this vehicle.

Marlos, who has seen the car in action, claims the rear seat comfort on the Novo Palio will be good. The roofline doesn’t slope and hence the rear passengers will have ample headroom. Marlos adds Fiat will launch both two and four-door variants.

Interestingly he says the car will not have a conventional radiator grill. The intake will be from the area between the fog lamps.

The headlamps and tail lamps will be miniature versions of the Punto’s. The door handles on the test mules were from the current Palio. The glass area is more, so occupants will have more light and visibility. The tires, as expected, are skinny.

Click here to see IAB’s earlier rendering of the 2012 Palio

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under Fiat, Spy pictures

Rendering – 2011 Nissan Micra-based sedan

Nissan Micra SedanBased on the spyshots that emerged recently from China, we decided to try unmasking Nissan’s next major launch for the Indian market. Nissan’s second offering from the V-Platform, clearly visible from the spyshots, uses several components from the Nissan Micra.

We’re unable to ascertain how the rear of this sedan will look like. The Micra is very rounded and curvy, hence we believe the rear will be more like the Hyundai Verna than say a Ford Fiesta.

The Micra-based sedan will have a 1.5-liter diesel engine. We are not very sure what Nissan is going to offer for petrol lovers, they could very well use the same 1.2-liter engine tuned for more horsepower. We could also see automatic transmission offered on this model.

The front doors, wheels, wing mirrors, instrument cluster, bonnet and windshield come straight from the Micra’s inventory. According to reports on the internet, the dimensions of the Micra-based sedan are 4200-4390*1690*1490 MM (L*W*H), so expect more rear legroom and a good boot volume.

Should Nissan speak more on this model, we’ll bring it at once on to our front page. Stay tuned!

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under New Nissan Micra/March, Renderings

So what’s coming up today on IAB?

If you’re asking yourself that question, here’s your answer -

Today on Indian Autos Blog, apart from the regular updates, you’ll get to see

1) Spyshot of VW Golf testing in India
2) Artist drawing of the Nissan Micra-based sedan
3) Spyshots of the Mahindra’s World SUV
4) Details on Mitsubishi’s Eco car that could come to India very soon
5) Fast 5 facts on an interesting topic
6) An interesting statistic of the week
7) Mind-boggling creations of designers and very interesting car-related creations from our international blog

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Entry posted on July 28th, 2010 and filed under Announcements
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