Indian Autos blog

Auto blogs in the blogsphere yesterday flashed news of Suzuki killing off the Kizashi project due to the poor economic conditions and that Osuma Suzuki had already hinted it’s ending last year- We too got you the story but we warned you it could all be horse shit bollocks as an official confirmation had not been made by the company then.

The company has made an official announcment, not to confirm that the project is dead, but to say it’s very much alive and kicking!

Eying a big potential for luxury bikes in India, where tastes are changing from mass-market machines to high-end bikes, Honda and Bajaj are looking at launching new sportsbikes in the country in the next couple of months.

There had been a sudden surge in the number of International Sportsbikes brands entering the Indian market, over the past two years. Initially the trend was set by Kinetic with the launch of the 250cc, v-twin-powered Hyosung Comet in India back in 2005. Then it was Yamaha, which launched the Yamaha R1 in India and the MT-01 cruiser in 2007. Soon later followed by the Italian motorcycle giant Ducati, who launched an array of superbikes costing up to almost 50 lakhs, and finally Suzuki joined the troop in late-2008, with its Hayabusa superbike and the Intruder cruiser.

The world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano, is now eying the title of ‘world’s cheapest hybrid’. Tata Motors is considering a micro-hybrid version of the Nano with ‘Start-Stop Technology’ technology that allows the vehicle to reduce fuel consumption by 5% and cut emissions by up to 10%.

AUTOMOBILE Magazine, one of America’s leading automotive publications, recently announced the winners of its 2009 AUTOMOBILE Magazine All-Stars Awards.

Each year, the editors of AUTOMOBILE Magazine convene to test, evaluate, and debate the performance, significance, and pure enthusiast appeal of the cars that make the biggest impact. Award winners will be featured in the February issue of AUTOMOBILE Magazine.

The facelifted Skoda Octavia (Skoda Laura to us Indians) was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last year.

The front end receives a sharp dynamic look that reminds us of the soon to be launched Superb in India. Inside, Skoda has redesigned the steering wheel, the dashboard (white-backlit), all the controls and the decorative strips on the doors and the central console. Furthermore, new upholstery fabrics are available across all equipment levels.

The Fiat Palio has been around for, believe it or not, 12 years and facelifts are bound to happen eventually. Brazil will witness the launch of this facelifted Fiat Palio in a few weeks time.

The changes are minor with a revised grille and bumper, which now looks more like an Audi’s bumper. The headlamps are also different. Nothing is known about the interiors, but we think it should be totally revamped. Reports suggests that India will also embrace a facelifted Palio in a few months, and maybe this car is what they mean by that?

The Suzuki Kizashi, which will be Suzuki’s first car in the D-Segment will remain locked up in Suzuki’s garage till the end of the decade, Reuters reports.

Suzuki CEO Osamu Suzuki, it seems had hinted this way back last year in an interview sighting unfavorable economic conditions. He claims that there is no point in producing a car that will sell under a segment that’s doing horribly worldwide. Suzuki (under the name Maruti Suzuki) has been struggling even in India, where it commands more than 50% of the market share.

BITS Pilani’s Team Inspired Karters is geared up for BAJA 09. The team started its preparation for BAJA 09 in February with the team members of BAJA 07 orienting the new team members with the different aspects of vehicle designing and fabrication.