Indian Autos blog

We will undoubtedly miss India’s first hot hatch as Fiat has no BS4 plans for it

We’ve said enough about the Fiat Palio on IAB. We were eagerly anticipating the launch of the refreshed model with slightly more powerful engines. Our anticipation is a far cry from reality as Fiat dropped a bomb shell when talking to DNA India’ correspondent.

Rajeev Kapoor, chief executive officer, Fiat India -

There will be no upgrades for Palio and the current product will continue to sell.

The company spokesperson reaffirmed the decision by saying there was no plan to upgrade the engines to comply to BS4 norms. The Palio is one of the best small cars money can buy in India. However, India fails to agree. Just 50 odd Palios are sold in our country every month, beating some of the luxury cars by a hefty margin.

The Fiat Palio can be bought with a 1.1 or 1.6-liter petrol engine, or a 1.3-liter diesel engine. Fiat is aiming to convert customers looking for Palio in to buying its new bet – the Punto.

While the next generation Palio according to some reports is more than a year away, we wonder if Fiat will ever bring back the Palio name into India’s main cities.

The costly Ford Fusion makes no sense in Ford’s new small car strategy for India

It is official – The Ford Fusion will not be produced in India here onwards.

Ford could bring in the European Fiesta hatchback spied yesterday to fill in the gap between the Ikon and Fiesta in their product portfolio. Apart from dismal sales figures, another probable reason for this move could be linked with the Fusion’s looks – 2D images hint a dangerously close resemblance from certain angles.

Michael Boneham, Managing Director and President, Ford India -

We will discontinue the Fusion. The car was anyway giving us relatively small volumes.

We have to wait for an official announcement on what takes the Fusion’s place. For now, we assume it will be the Fiesta hatchback.

The story of the Nissan Micra/March keeps getting better. The new video released on the Nissan media site clearly conveys how seriously the company has approached their newest creation. This is also their first compact car in India, and if the promises are really delivered, the standards are going to be pretty high.

Based on an all-new V Platform, the Micra for a start will get a 1.2-liter 3 pot gasoline engine. Six months down the line, sources have indicated a 1.5-liter diesel engine will be listed. For India, Nissan could consider putting in something like a 1.3-liter engine, but nothing concrete has emerged from anywhere.

Coming back to the petrol motor, a newly developed CVT (continuously variable transmission) features a “sub-planetary” gear that allows for a very wide gear ratio of 7.3.

The new Micra/March will be unveiled at the Geneva auto show on March 2nd. The car enters the Indian market around the month of July. Production will begin in May at the Oragadam plant in Chennai.

A new batch of spyshots have been posted, thanks to Headlight Magazine’s eagle-eyed readers.

It is not correct to assume that. We have been getting our latest models to India and these are comparabale to the best. The example is the launch of the new E-Class, the S 500L Limousine and the GL 350CDI off-roader

- Dr Wilfried Aulbur, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India when someone said Mercedes sells cars with dated looks in India compared to Audi, BMW.

Here’s one we are closely following – the Ford Fiesta Hatchback.

This is a five door hatch back that will soon be launched in North America (US and Canada). However, it is possible that this car could also find its way to India in 2011. A sedan version is also in the offering for the global market.

Pictures of this car on test are available elsewhere as well, but we may be the first to provide scoops of the front end. With that we can also identify some of the external features of this car.

To start with, the build quality looks absolutely sturdy. Appears to be a very heavy car with a meaty engine to pull it through. In comparison to the current Fiesta in India, this car has a aggressive design with up-swept lines and a broader waist line. The body lines are however smooth and clean. It gives the car a stocky feel. It is miles ahead of the Indian Fiesta. Infact, it makes the current version look like an outdated piece of soviet machinery.

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The Hyundai i10 will get a superior engine and altered front fascia this October

If we can trust Google’s translation services and the very reliable Dutch publication Autotelegraaf, then we have hit upon something very intriguing.

India’s favorite Hyundai – the i10 is scheduled to go under the surgeon’s knife very soon. The new Hyundai i10 is expected with a new bumper, refreshed lamps and slightly modified interiors.

The changes are not reserved only to exteriors. Under the hood, the new Hyundai i10 will come with a more eco-friendly engine that will emit around 110g/km of CO2 emission. It is not clear if the refreshed i10 is for Indian customers when it comes out this October, though it looks very likely.

Although we have not heard anything from Hyundai, IAB feels variable valve timing could be a suitable addition to the Kappa engine. Variable valve timing helps in extracting more performance from the same engine, while consuming and discharging less.

Ecoboost could be slightly costly, but the benefits should level out extra expenditure over time

When quizzed on chances of electric and hybrid powertrains on the Ford Figo during the media drive recently in Goa, Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director of Ford India, told IAB EVs are not on the company’s agenda as traffic jams don’t allow EVs to operate like normal cars and getting stuck in traffic is a big threat for electric vehicles.

He insisted that the internal combustion engine is the main focus for the company and “technology like Ecoboost” is suitable for the demands of the Indian market.

EcoBoost is a family of turbocharged and direct injected six-cylinder and four-cylinder gasoline engines that achieve approximately 20-percent better fuel efficiency and 15-per cent reduced greenhouse emissions than these same engines otherwise.

Ford believes Ecoboost technology is the best alternative to hybrid or electric cars. Ford expects over ninety percent of its North American vehicle range to offer EcoBoost engine technology by 2013. The Ford Figo might not receive Ecoboost technology, but the bigger Fiesta and the Focus arriving here shortly should.

The Maruti R3 MPV could be a stylish vehicle with diesel and electric powertrains

Photoshop man SRK is back to pace delivering drawings of vehicles years away from production lines. The latest creation of his – Maruti R3 MPV concept showcased at last month’s Auto Expo.

The Maruti R3 concept is a work of Indian engineers who have conceptualized it entirely using their imagination. The production model which could travel Indian roads by 2012-13 would also have cent percent Indian content. It would be the smallest MPV on Indian roads according to the management and according to recent reports, it could be sold without the “Suzuki” badges.

We can’t speculate on drivetrains as it is way too early in the game. We can safely expect Maruti to offer an electric powertrain similar to the one on the Maruti EECO. Hybrids and diesels could also be added to the equation at a later date. For a start, diesel engine with CRDI, turbocharger and a 5-speed transmission is our prediction.

SRK feels the doors need to open facing each other as it would be a unique touch. The addition of fog lamps, realistic bumpers, rear view mirrors and a Kizashi-inspired headlamp lend it a production-friendly design. The Suzuki A-Star was a big let down, as much of the concept’s features failed to translate into the production model. With the Maruti R3, one can only hope that most of it is carried over.

click through to view higher resolution rendering and R3 concept image slideshow