Indian Autos blog

Wagon R wins due to its well-known proportions and large number of followers

Although the award belongs to the 2009 model Wagon R which is sold in Japan, Indian owners don’t have an entirely different vehicle. While the structurally almost the same, the difference is under the hood. The Japanese version gets a 660cc engine with CVT and all-wheel drive as options.

The Suzuki Wagon R has been awarded 2009 Good Design Long Life Design Award by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization.

The judging panel had this to say about the Wagon R -

The Wagon R established the type of minivehicle packaging in which there’s a tall body and a distinct bonnet. The styling has been changed with successive generations, but the fundamental dimensions have been carried forward and refined very well. The well-known proportions of the Wagon R have created a distinct automotive product category in which there have been many followers. The Wagon R is widely recognized for its user-friendliness and has become an iconic presence in Japanese living environments

Click through to read the press release

The Hyundai Genesis is available only with V6 and V8 engines

Add one more car to that vibrant list – Hyundai Genesis.

The Auto Expo next year is going to see a lot of new cars, cars that are going to get the media and public excited. The Genesis sedan, which won the car of the year award in Canada, North America and China, is heading to the Hyundai stall at next year’s Auto Expo.

According to Hyundai, “Genesis offers the performance of a BMW 5-Series, the interior packaging of a 7-Series.”

Hyundai apparently isn’t planning to launch this car in India. If you remember, Hyundai brought a line-up of cars including the Avante and concept cars during last year’s Expo. They did not make many of them available, but some of them did end up in the hands of customers subsequently.

The Genesis is a costly Hyundai and a costly Hyundais seldom sees light in India. It might sell only a fraction of its leading club members.

The full size Genesis comes with three engine options, none of them less than 6 cylinders in size. I think the upcoming Hyundai Accent/Verna (Code:RB) shares styling elements with the Genesis and Hyundai could use it to play the role of a concept car.

The 16v 1.6-liter engine Logan runs on bio-ethanol

The Dacia Logan range just grew by another variant. Adding to the seven engine options, Dacia has launched another variant of the Logan which runs on bio-ethanol.

The engine which drives this eco-friendly car is a 1.6-liter unit which delivers peak power of 105hp and 148Nm of torque. 0-60mph takes 11.8 seconds and it will go on to reach 174kmph.

Front and side airbags are offered as standard.

Secret New Cars have posted a rendering of the upcoming VW Polo sedan. Reports regarding the car claim it will be displayed at the 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 is also on the car’s radar.

Drawings of the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze hatchback convey one thing for certain – it is going to be a looker!

Details of the hatchback are not in the public domain, but it is safe to expect the same level of equipment and engines. The Cruze hatchback isn’t for the Indian customer who isn’t willing to pay a premium for something without a boot.

The SRV hatchback, which was based on the Optra, was not exactly a hit. The Honda Jazz is a case in point, with its hefty price tag, people moved towards the City sedan.

The timeline of Chevrolet Cruze variants has already begun. The hatchback and station wagon are expected in the next two years.

No, the idea isn’t free or unlimited kisses from the women if you opt in for one.

The new Dacia Logan KissFM comes with Sony CD and MP3 players and USB ports, special upholstery, and three colours: Gris Platine, Noir Nacre and Rouge de Feu. The Logan KissFM is available for prices of between 8,300 and 10,350 euros.

Dacia is the leading automobile brand in Romania and as it is a local brand, the marketing need not be as intense as shown here. Even then the marketing team releases such versions and adverts to get the attention of people.

Here in India, though Renault has tried many special editions, it hasn’t worked for the Logan. Maybe the KissFM could be a possible marketing option? Due to certain cultural restrictions, women in short clothes have not been used much in adverts, leave alone creating a brand of cars with them in action.

The Logan in Romania is offered with seven engine options starting with the 1.2 16V 75HP and 1.4 75GP, up to 1.5 dCi 70HP and the ultimate 1.6 16V 105HP version.

The title sounds a little alarming, we know.

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.

HealthyStuff.org is an information portal for the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Ecology Center. It used X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device to test components in the passenger compartment of vehicles for substances “with known toxicity, persistence, and tendency to build up in people and the environment.”

The team finds traces of life-damaging substances like lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, chlorine/PVC, bromine/BFRs, antimony, tin, and chromium, measuring it in parts per million (ppm).

Products are assigned low, medium, or high risk level ratings which are dependent on number of substances present.

It then rates the findings on a scale of 5 units, zero for best, five for worst.

The results are fascinating and frightening.

On one hand, the Chevrolet Cobalt scores a no-threat reading of 0.7. The Aveo on the other hand, scored an appalling 4.7. You will understand why by clicking on the above image.

While there are safety and emission norms for vehicles, we’re not aware of norms that prescribe the permissible level of toxicity in interior trim. 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.

Think again.

Success of the Scooty brand will pull customers towards the bigger and more powerful scooter

The new 100cc TVS scooter is designed to target market leader Activa, which sells in large numbers (55,000 units a month). The body, unlike other scooters, is built using metals and will pricing is expected close to the 45k rupee mark.

The 100cc TVS scooter, according to sources, will be capable of good acceleration and speed. The handling is also regarded to be close to the Activa’s.

Dealers of TVS motorcycles claim the good brand image the Scooty enjoys in India will help provide the 100cc scooter with a solid start. Even if it does a third of the 55,000 units the Activa does, TVS would be happy with it, convey company sources.