Indian Autos blog

Finally!

The Tata 207 DICOR was spied in the outskirts of Chennai city. Tata was probably testing 2.2-liter DICOR or the 3.0-liter DICOR tuned to BS4 emission standards on this mule and evaluating the response.

This indirectly also indicates that Tata will adopt DICOR engines on their commercial vehicles. The Tata Ace could come with the DICOR engine, a move any way Tata would make given Mahindra has launched their CRDI truck Maxximo at a lesser price.

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Autoincar is reporting the Nissan Micra sedan (Nissan L02B Sport Sub-compact Sedan) will come with a 1.2-liter petrol engine apart from the 1.5-liter diesel engine in Thailand.

The 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine will also be used on the Micra hatchback. By August this year, Nissan will introduce the car in India. The same powertrain could be used on the 2012 Renault Clio in the future.

The Nissan Micra sedan competes with the likes of the Honda City, Hyundai Verna in Thailand. It will be introduced in India and go head to head with cars like the Indigo Manza, Swift Dzire and Toyota Etios sedan.

It is premature to speculate on the Nissan Micra sedan’s powertrain options, a 1.2-liter engine with different state of tune could serve in the entry-level model.

Chevrolet and its European tuning associate Irmscher has launched a modified Chevrolet Cruze in Germany with cosmetic and mechanical upgrades at this week’s AMI motorshow in Leipzig, Germany.

Called Cruze Irmscher Edition, the car receives an optional boot lid spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels draped in fatter 225 sport tires and aluminum door sills.

Irmscher’s under-hood modifications include a 25mm suspension drop, exhaust silencers with elliptical twin exits along with a 36HP and 146Nm boost for the 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine taking the total output to 186HP and 466Nm at 2,300 rpm.

Post surgery, the diesel Cruze does zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 8.0 seconds. The Cruze Irmscher Edition can be bought in Chevrolet’s German dealerships.

For the Indian Cruze buyer with a disappointed look, well you see Chevrolet at the moment is focused on selling the default Cruze. Once the company is able to clear the backlogs, it will think about introducing body kits and modifications.

Karl Slym, President and Managing Director of GM India in an interview recently said the Transformers-GM partnership is not going to influence cars in India. This means the Bumble Bee paint scheme would not be imitated on smaller cars like the Cruze and the Beat.

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BMW India has sold 298 3 Series models in the month of March 2010, thanks to the sparkling performance of the entry-level 320d that costs about 25 lakh rupees only.

The BMW 320d Corporate Edition, the base 3 Series model, was previously accessible to fleet operators only, but BMW decided to offer the base version to individual buyers also last month. This move catapulted the 3-Series sales by as much as 157% compared to March 2009.

But BMW India is clear that the Corporate Edition isn’t the only model it wants to sell in India. BMW India’s ultimate goal is to bring in the entire line-up which it offers to customers in Europe. Its next model for India will be the new 5 Series followed by the BMW X1.

We took a minuscule break to rejuvenate ourselves and now we’re back to regular posting. This is a sneak peek into what’s coming up on IAB’s front page over the next few days -

1) A cellular phone controlling a tractor! It’s Indian innovation!
2) Spy shots of the Tata 207 DICOR on test (promise, it’ll be posted tonight)
3) Rendering of the next generation Clio from SRK’s desk
4) Renault Twingo coming from Chennai plant in two years?
5) Mercedes Benz C250 spotted in Chennai traffic
6) Custom car manufacturer Bufori entering India

Hyundai has launched attractive colors and graphics on the i10 hatchback in Taiwan recently. The Korean company for a change, isn’t talking about how fuel efficient and powerful the Kappa engine is and about its ‘nice’ interiors with these new additions.

This of course is a limited run model that debuted at a popular music festival in Taiwan. The sporty i10 gets stripes, two-tone cockpit, unique alloys and iPod connectivity feature. There is no change to the powertrain.

In India however, Hyundai isn’t showing signs of going beyond small car borders. It could introduce new technology in its Kappa engine at a later date, but that could also be in the interest of fuel economy and emissions. A Hyundai i10 facelift, according to reports, is in the works and should be out by the end of this year.

The Honda NSC sizzles at the Bangkok Motor Show

The Honda stall at the 31st Bangkok Motor Show was cornering eyeballs like no other. This is because Honda’s small car concept (codenamed 2CV), the same car displayed at the Auto Expo in New Delhi this year proudly adorned the stall.

Honda enjoys a great fan following in Thailand & is the second largest car maker of the country. Honda Thailand is gearing up for the launch of this new small car. This car will be positioned below the Jazz. Engine options include a 1.2litre i-VTEC engine, similar to the one that is available in India on the Jazz. are also speculations of a smaller 1.0-litre engine which could be for the export market.

The concept sits on a wide platform that Honda says gives it a stable centre of gravity, as well as helping to maximise interior space for the five-seat layout, increasing passenger comfort.

The car goes on sale in 2011 in Thailand. It should come to India before that.

It seems like the Honda small car will come sooner than expected

In the month of March while most of the auto companies showed a positive growth in the sales, Honda’s cumulative sales dropped by about 20%. There are cash discounts being offered on the Jazz thanks to its low sales, the Altis is clearly ahead of the Civic, the once popular Accord has been overtaken by the more value for money option-the Skoda Superb, the CR-V too is selling in minuscule numbers thanks to its steep price tag. It is only the city that is garnering sales for Honda.

This could have prompted Honda to rethink the launch of its small car (codenamed 2CV). If rumors are to be believed, Honda is planning to bring forward the launch of the small car. The company is aware of the fact that this car can fire up its’ sales charts.

The Beat has helped GM cross the 10k mark in cumulative sales, the Figo has helped Ford overtake Honda & Toyota in terms of sales, the Polo has been a huge hit for VW with 5,000 confirmed bookings. Nissan will roll out the Micra in July & Honda’s arch rival, Toyota plans to launch the hatch variant of the Etios in the month of December. Honda sure wants to speed up & does not want to be overshadowed by the bevy of hatches hitting the Indian market.

Even at the Auto Expo in January Honda brought in the small car concept at the last moment because it did not want Toyota to steal all the limelight with the Etios concept. This time around too Honda does not want to leave any stone unturned & is pulling up its’ socks for the launch of the car.

Sources say that Honda might just launch the car at the end of this year or early next year. The car will roll out from Honda’s Greater Noida Facility & will be powered by a 1.2-litre engine which would be a tuned-down version of the Jazz’s 1.2. Honda is targeting a price tag of 5 lakh or maybe even below as the starting price. Knowing fully well Honda’s frugal engineering skills, the car should be best in class in terms of fuel efficiency, refinement, ease of driving & reliability.