The facelifted Tavera could come from Argentum’s production line
Contract manufacturing firm Argentum Motors is back in the news. DNA reports Argentum could manufacture the Chevrolet Tavera and supply components in certain GM models from the ex-Daewoo manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh.
GM is looking to source skin panels and gear box of Chevrolet Spark from Argentum. The company is also considering the possibility of allowing Argentum to manufacture the Tavera, which isn’t seeing major volumes. This will give GM the flexibility of altering production as per demand.
General Motors India source -
Last year, in March, we had done a detailed costing and given quotations to GM for components manufacturing, but due to recession the deal did not materialise. Now, with the sector coming out of downturn, we have revived discussions with them. Looking at the dismal performance of Tavera” the car company wants to contract manufacture it rather than build it at its own plant.
An official announcement is expected from the company only after February 2010.
Audi A7 (above: Sportback concept) is for the stylish man looking for a Mercedes CLS
Audi has confirmed that the A7, scheduled for release in late 2010, will be launched in India immediately after the international debut. As Autocar India rightly puts it, the A7 is more of style and statement than practicality, features or comfort.
Introduced in concept form at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, the A7 is expected with a 3.0-liter V6 engine coupled to a 9-speed tiptronic transmission. Many rumors circulating on the internet, the strongest of them all is that they are gunning for a Geneva 2010 premiere, which takes place in the first week of March.
The Audi A7 is meant for the rich bloke who prefers to drive. His mates own cars like the Mercedes CLS, Volkswagen CC and dress stylishly.
Hyundai i10 EV has a 100km range and 130kph top speed
Korean auto company Hyundai announced today that it will showcase the i10 EV (Electric Vehicle) at the Auto Expo next month.
The 5-door i10 EV hatchback is run by 49kW / 65HP electric motor and a 16kWh lithium-ion polymer battery that has been co-developed with Korea’s LG.
Driving range is expected to be in the range of 100 miles or 160 kilometers and a top speed of over 80 mph or 130 km/h makes it a nippy city hatch.
Apart from the i10 EV, we expect the company to showcase the concept version of its small car. Media reports recently adds i30, i40, Tucson and Santa Fe to the speculative list.
Hyundai will also display the existing range and concept vehicles with futuristic technology at the event next month.
Could the R3 be a stylish Versa ready for powerful diesel engines?
Maruti Suzuki India is all set to unveil ‘Concept R3? a compact multi-purpose vehicle at the forthcoming Auto Expo 2010.
The 6-seater MPV concept has totally been the work of Indian engineers who have slogged nine months to see the project through.
The vehicle generated out of this concept could be the right candidate for the diesel engines. Suzuki could use the R3 to curb the rising popularity of vehicles like Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo, and the Tata Indicruz which also makes its debut at the show.
The Suzuki Eeco could replace the aging Omni which will give more clearance for the R3′s price band. Suzuki’s product line-up in India is cluttered and we should avoid making any guesses beyond this level. The Auto Expo holds answers to these type of question so we expect clarity once the Eeco is on air.
We expect the 800cc Spark to come with no power steering or power windows
We touched upon the 800cc Spark earlier and more media reports on the same indicate the launch is not far away. GM told us the Spark EV will be on display during the Auto Expo but was not willing to share anything on the 800cc Spark. They denied any plans of the low cost Spark.
A 800cc Spark is not new to India. Daewoo’s Matiz used a three cylinder 796cc engine through its lifetime in our country. The vehicle back then was the best alternative to the Santro with good cabin space and cheeky looks.
The second time in 2010, the smaller Spark’s direct rival would be the Suzuki Alto which has sold 20,000+ units on an average every month this year.
We don’t have more information on this model except that it will be stripped of expensive equipment and accessories.
The Fiat Palio facelift and will be among the exhibits at the Auto Expo next week. Since the model has been on the Indian market for more than ten years, Fiat might be contemplating on replacing it with a newer model or position the next generation model between the Palio and Punto.
This rendering of the next gen Palio is more of scaled down Punto than a modernized Palio. Fiat could use the familiarity of the Punto design to its advantage while designing the next Palio. Skoda, Honda, Toyota are few of them who carried this out neatly.
You could expect Multiair engines and Multijet diesels on the future Palio. Electric and hybrid versions can also not be ruled out.
Last week, Toyota launched the diesel variant of the Land Cruiser Prado in Bangalore. I was present at the function in Bangalore which was followed by a press conference where the TKM management spoke about their future plans and revealed information unknown to the press.
I’ll lay down the details in another post.
The Prado diesel, which come with the 3.0L Diesel engine and Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) is priced at Rs 52.74 lakhs (ex-showroom Bangalore). The vehicle is very muscular and compared to the outgoing Prado, this one is better in every department. This vehicle is for the person who wants to shell out for a Toyota SUV, and cannot wait for the Fortuner.
The press release and images will give you enough information on the Prado to munch on.
Information and images of the LC Prado will be posted today. Toyota’s management spoke out on several topics which has been bothering us, and we will discuss it in detail today in another post.
