GM will sell the SAIC vans such as the CN100 under a new brand in India. The vans will be manufactured in Talegaon and it is rumored that GM is in talks with Piaggio (source – Autocar India) for sourcing low-cost diesel engines for these vans.
We think the CN100 will the entry-level van from GM and it could be priced at around 3.5 lakh rupees with a frugal diesel engine. That would give it an edge over the Maruti Eeco. An announcement from GM India is expected in the following months.
The 2012 BMW 3 Series will be longer, albeit weighing the same
The next generation BMW 3 Series is at least two years away and BMW is planning to make it look aggressive to maintain uniqueness.
The images released bare a close resemblance to the CS concept unveiled a couple of years ago. Sure, the CS concept will donate many of its styling elements to the forthcoming BMWs, but the next 3, we believe, will be even more radical and revolutionary.
The next generation 3 Series will benefit from the usage of lighter materials like aluminium. Being longer than the current model, this is how it will manage to maintain exactly the same weight. The new generation 3 Series will have plenty of bodystyles like sedan, estate, coupe, convertible and even GT!
Facts on the next generation 3 Series
* Cd figure of 0.24
* use of three-cylinder engines
* climate control system — will be completely re-engineered
* data from thousands of existing BMW cars through black boxes that were fitted recently, will shape the next generation car.
* to come in both hybrid and fully electric forms.
* headlights and other electrical items to become more energy efficient
The 2012 3 Series will also borrow technologies from the bigger 5 Series. The Efficient Dynamics version will get aerodynamically designed wheels, Active Aerodynamics, solar roof panel, regenerative braking, stop-start and many others. A new range of 3 cylinder engines, 4 cylinder engines and inline 6s are expected on the new 3 Series whose pricing should remain close to the current cars.
The Micra sedan should compete with Ford Fiesta and Honda City
We know Nissan will build a sedan on the Nissan Micra’s platform in the Chennai plant along with a MPV. Here’s a rendering showing how the sedan will look like. It is said to compete with the likes of the Honda City, Ford Fiesta etc when it hits showroom floors in the first quarter of 2011.
The sedan will get a 1.5-liter engine (petrol or diesel yet to be confirmed) and the dimensions are 4200-4390*1690*1490 MM (L*W*H)
India, China, Thailand and other 1 undisclosed country will see production happening locally. The sedan will be very affordable and sporty. The car could debut by the end of this year in any of the international auto shows.
Force Motors is planning to launch an SUV in India. Force Motors operates in India with vehicles like the Tempo traveller and Trax which are passenger carriers. Force also uses its platforms for manufacturing goods carriers.
Vicky.in is reporting Force Motors is taking the SUV market seriously by developing a new SUV. We don’t know if this SUV will be a modern urban SUV with 4X4 capabilities. Would this one be like the Sumo or Sumo Grande?
An older generation Mercedes Benz diesel engine is used on the Force Traveller and it is rumored that the new SUV will use a derivative, perhaps smaller, of this engine.
Vicky blog claims Force Motors is testing the SUV and it may be priced a little over 10lakh rupees.
Renault Logan deserved better; A new lease of life heading its way?
DNA seems to have the solid proof of a shortened Renault Logan in the pipeline for the Indian market. To improve sales M&M has long been asking to reduction of Logan’s length and increased localization.
But Renault till recently did not nod for unknown reasons. Maybe they planned to produce the Logan on their own in the Chennai facility?
It seems Renault has indicated to its suppliers that a tinkered Logan is indeed on the cards and a shortened Logan is ready for internal evaluation. This enables the Logan to be classified under “small cars” and thus qualified for a 10% excise benefit.
Carlos Ghosn, CEO Renault Nissan, expressed his disappointment over the poor showing of this globally successful model in India. He said he was not happy with the product’s evolution in India. Could it be possible that Logan’s production would be moved to Chennai after all?
Our friends at Motoroids can’t cease publishing spy shots and videos of hot upcoming automobiles. In their latest update they’ve captured a video of the Penguin pickup truck formed on the Magic Iris passenger carrier. They’ve also managed pictures of the Magic Iris spied somewhere in Pune.
An interesting bit of news is Penguin could be powered by the same 624cc petrol engine used on the Nano. This contradicts Overdrive’s theory of a single cylinder 350cc diesel engine (essentially a single cylinder version of the Ace’s engine).
We don’t know which one to believe. We’ll wait for more concrete information before speculating further.
The small car from Skoda could use electric powertrains and high level of localization
We have no concrete details from Skoda India on its small car (dubbed Joyster) for the Indian market. During the Auto Expo, IAB spoke to Ashutosh Dixit, Sr. General Manager, Sales & Network Development, SkodaAuto India on the small car. He did not reveal anything about this car except that there are internal discussions and soon a decision would result.
While such measly information is OK for the others, we went a step ahead and assumed such a small car had to use the mechanicals of the VW Up! which could be manufactured at the Pune plant of VW a couple of years from now. We think VW will use a small petrol engine (say a 1.0-liter?) and diesels could result at a much later date.
VW will also experiment with electric powertrains on this micro car. It could be considerably smaller than the Polo/Fabia and serve as an alternative to the Tata Nano Europa.
Entry posted on March 17, 2010 by
Shrawan Raja;
Read More on BMW
The refreshed 5 Series will be launched globally later this month and we intend to launch it in India within 2010. The price is yet to be decided for the India market. BMW wants to set a new trend in the luxury car segment with this series in India. The new car will be aimed at driving volumes in the Indian market. The main intention is to maintain momentum in the Indian market against our rival from Stuttgart (Mercedes) and Ingolstadt (Audi).
- BMW Global Director (Marketing and Planning) Markus Schram on the new 5 Series and India to PTI
The Wuling CN100 van could be sold in India by 2012 by General Motors
