The Etios MPV will have the same wheelbase as the sedan and share vital components
If google’s translation service is any good, we have landed up with a scoop on Toyota’s plans with the Etios platform.
It is no secret that Toyota will not stop with a sedan and hatchback with the Etios platform. We were informed during the Auto Expo that the Japanese company is studying the possibility of a MPV, but that’s where the full stop was placed.
Dubbed entry minivan, the Etios platform will see a 7-seater MPV by the end of 2011. Details are sketchy but we understand the MPV will offer golf course like space and rubber band like cabin seating flexibility. Plenty of components will come from the Etios’ parts bin.
In fact all of the interior bits will be from the Etios twins. The wheelbase will remain the same, so the extra row of seats will be placed on the rear overhang. The Taiwanese website hosting this information says the use of hard plastics in the interior will not be so evident thanks to the texture.
No details on the engine have surfaced. Would Toyota bring the 1.4 D-4D from Europe and use it on the Altis and the Etios MPV? Or will the intercooled Innova diesel engine serve as the lone diesel engine option on this new MPV?
Should we rule out the possibility of the Etios MPV being the next generation Toyota Innova? Or could this be the MPV that will sit below the Innova announced during the Tokyo Motor Show last year?
click through to view the Etios twins image slideshow
Powered by a 140PS 2.2-liter DICOR engine used on the Safari and Sumo Grande, the Aria will be the most expensive and technologically advanced Tata ever manufactured.
The top-end Aria will have all-wheel drive and compete against the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Chevrolet Captiva and Ford Endeavour. When it goes to Europe next year, this Indica Vista-nosed stylish crossover will what make us all proud.
The Tata Aria has all the comfort and features like climate control, cruise control, a total of six airbags and ESP. Some of the equipment mentioned here never belong in a conversation describing an existing Tata car.
A regular reader of IAB informs us that Tata was conducting trial runs of the Aria on the ECR (East Coast Road), Chennai last month. The vehicle has solid road presence and in our opinion looks far better than the Xylo, Endeavour and Innova.
The Nissan Leaf EV is not seeing India for another few years.
Nissan Motor India has no immediate plans of introducing electric cars in the Indian market revealed the company CEO and Managing Director Kiminobu Tokuyama.
The Japanese company has drafted plans for the US and UK markets, which have mainly got to do with the Leaf EV. The company says no specific timeframe has been proposed for electric vehicles in India.
Last year, Tokuyama sounded confident about the prospect of the Leaf in India when he requested his HQ in Japan to conduct feasibility studies. It appears those studies have not popped up satisfactory results.
Nissan is also cautious not to burn its fingers with expensive EVs as they attract no special incentives in India.
Mr.Tokuyama says Nissan will bring nine models to India by 2012 and five of them will be produced in India. The remaining four will be directly imported from its factory in Japan. The company would export vehicles from India to over 100 countries like Europe, Middle East and Africa. Exports will begin with the Micra this year.
The 2011 VW Touareg is heading our direction, arrives by Christmas
Reports of the 2011 VW Touareg arriving in India this winter is quickly flooding the internet with news outlets reporting the new model will be introduced in both petrol and diesel avatars.
VW formally announced the outgoing Touareg last December and if the reports are accurate, we could see the debut of the new model exactly a year in India after the emergence of the current model.
IAB feels the new gen Touareg could be assembled in the company Chakan facility. With Audi beginning assembly of the Q5 later this year at Aurangabad and emergence of many new models in its category (BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Land Rover, Volvo to name a few) VW could try gaining the upper hand by offering the new Touareg at a lower cost.
The new model is a whopping 208kg lighter than the outgoing model. It is also 20% more fuel efficient. It looks better and has off-roading capabilities as well thanks to technology like 4Motion all-wheel drive.
Regarding the pricing update and launch date, nothing officially has come from Volkswagen. We’ll wait for an official announcement.
click through to view 2011 VW Touareg Image Slideshow
The next generation Scorpio will use the exact same construction technique
It’s a surprise to hear Mahindra will continue using the old body-on-frame construction technique for the next generation Scorpio that comes out by end of next year. Mahindra have chosen to use monocoque (unitary) construction for their mini SUV and World SUV which too are scheduled for 2011 release.
We won’t probe into how victorious the Scorpio is because everyone knows about it. We’ll have to recollect that Mahindra overhauled the Scorpio suspension completely by using Lotus Engineering’s help a few years ago. Upgrades have been constant since its introduction in the beginning of this decade and we hoped to see a modern, advantageous monocoque frame on the new Scorpio.
What also boggles the mind is why Mahindra will bother introducing the current gen Scorpio and variants in the unforgiving American market when a much better vehicle in the form of the new Scorpio is being worked on for next year. Will they sell the new Scorpio at a premium over the current one or will they delay its release in the US?
We also understand that Mahindra will equip the vehicle with petrol engines and quite possibly the hybrid powertrain might see a production line hiding inside the body of the new model.
The Suzuki Kizashi should be introduced in India by the end of 2010 and reports in the media reveal the Kizashi will be CKD. We don’t know which engines or powertrains are going to make it here, but a four cylinder petrol engine is said to be on the cards. Before we go overboard with our speculation, we’ll show you running footage of this graceful car that certainly wins our vote.
H800 low-cost car project is the most ambitious one Hyundai has undertaken in recent times
Expected to be powered by a new 800cc engine, Hyundai’s small car will be directly pitted against variants of the Tata Nano, Suzuki Alto and the upcoming SAIC micro car. The car, according to Business Standard will come with a petrol engine and research and development of the vehicle is being undertaken in Korea.
Hyundai India official -
We are primarily looking at a petrol variant, with a price tag in the range of Rs 2 lakh.
The Hyundai i10 took over as the Korean company’s best selling model in India. The Santro is doing decent numbers and it could be that the new small car could end up replacing select variants of the Santro. We cannot rule out the possibility of Hyundai selling both side-by-side.
Our sources inform IAB that a prototype of this new small car could enter real world testing in India as early as mid-2010. The car will be built in the Sriperumbdur factory near Chennai where the Santro, i10, i20, Accent and Verna are being manufactured.
In the past, this small car has been referred to as the public car connoting its easy accessibility to the masses. The 2-lakh price tag has not been revealed in the past and reaching such a low cost target will no doubt be a daunting task for Hyundai.
We believe Hyundai will not restrict this car to just India. Emerging countries China, Russia, Brazil and many other parts of Asia and Africa could see its introduction.
The Si grade adds sportiness and style to the already head-turning Honda Jazz
In Britain, Honda has announced the expansion of the Jazz hatchback range by adding the sporty Si grade, which is available on the manual version. The Jazz Si can be bought at the dealership from April 1.
Over the regular Jazz, the Si grade flaunts 16-inch Chronos alloy wheels, a chrome sports front grille and rear spoiler, as well as embroidered carpet mats and Si branding on the boot lid and glove box.
Honda’s press release -
Customer feedback showed that younger Jazz owners were keen to stand out from the large number of other Jazz cars on the road. They preferred bigger wheels and enjoyed the additional stylish touches of the first generation Jazz Sport. The Si grade has been launched in response to this, and combines sporty good looks with the Jazz’s fuel-sipping engine, low running costs, low emissions, value for money specification and C-sector space and practicality.
The Jazz Si grade is priced at a premium of £870 over the 1.2 SE and 1.4 ES models, but offers close to £2,000 worth of equipment. The Jazz Si is therefore priced at £12,835 (8.67 lakh rupees) on-the-road (for the 1.2-liter variant) and £13,510 (9.13 lakh) on-the-road (for the 1.4-liter variant).
After the poor showing of the entry-level Jazz in India, Honda would be skeptical of bringing in expensive variants with additional equipment. It will be interesting to see if the company goes ahead with the launch of an automatic transmission and a higher displacement variant this year.
The Etios MPV will have the same wheelbase as the sedan and share vital components
