Here are some exclusive spy photos of Mahindra’s World SUV (codenamed W201), thanks to our reader, Venkatesh Shreyas. From the looks of it we can say that this car is going to be a looker, running on massive JK Tyre Elanzo 235/55R17 tires. Mahindra’s designers have gone for a very refined design, shedding the company’s rugged (read crude) looks.
From what we can make out, the car looks more like Jeep than a Mahindra with the even more edgy seven slat vertical grille up front. The amount of detailing in the twin-barrel headlamp cluster is good and the day time LED running light strips are a nice touch. They remind us of the Audi Q7.
The million dollar question is: What engines would Mahindra be ploughing into its world SUV? The 4-cylinder 2.2 CRDe unit is a natural choice but when Mahindra is eyeing America and Europe, will this four pot do the trick on such a massive SUV? We’re also receiving unconfirmed reports of Mahindra working on a V6 petrol engine, which can also squeeze into the Scorpio’s engine bay. A four cylinder diesel and V6 petrol as options on an international SUV? Doesn’t sound right.
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Entry posted on May 25, 2010 by
Naveen;
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Skoda India is gearing up for the launch of SUV Yeti in June-July, this year. The Yeti would compete head on with the European and Japanese mid-size sedans. Yesterday, Skoda India organized the ‘Yetival’ at the nation’s capital, an informal tweet up session for car enthusiasts, online bloggers, social networkers and other automobile aficionados. Enthusiasts got their first hand feel of the car and had an opportunity to discuss with each other about the Yeti and its features.
Megha Verma, Head of News Meadia, Skoda India-
I am thrilled by the overwhelming response to the first Yetival; it reflects the nation’s growing excitement for our upcoming SUV Skoda Yeti. It gives me immense pleasure to bring our online friends together at this offline meet for a sneak preview of the Yeti.
The Skoda Yeti is a great car with an excellent combination of elegant looks, robust stance and classy interiors. And people in India simply love the Skoda diesels. The Skoda Yeti is all set to tour the width and breadth of India to create some pre-launch awareness.
Chevrolet has joined Levi Strauss for celebrating the latter’s 15th year anniversary in India. The duo have made an exclusive Chevrolet Beat with a blue denim paint job and matching denim interiors for Levi Strauss’ ‘Wear Your Beat’ contest.
Contestants are expected to wear any Levi Strauss apparel and pose next to the Denim Beat displayed at the any of flagship Levi’s stores in India and file the photograph under any the three categories, viz. tough, sexy and smart on the Wear Your Beat website. Winners are chosen and by online voting and the lucky person gets to drive off in the exclusive Chevrolet ‘Denim’ Beat.
The Chevrolet Beat is a funky looking car aimed squarely at the young generation and through out of the box campaigns like this Chevrolet surely knows the way to attract the attention of the masses. Chevrolet has to come up with more innovative advertising initiatives as its main rival Ford Figo has already accomplished much more than what everyone anticipated it to.
The Mahindra Maxximo’s TV advert was over the top while the Tata Ace’ advert transmitted the message clearly, but lacked flair. Understanding the shortfalls on both these films, Force Motors has attempted to deliver a balanced commercial for its mini truck. The flair quotient is boosted with the addition of Bollywood superhero Salman Khan in the ‘Company’ getup.
We think this will work well with the fleet operator and independent drivers who are planning for an Ace. The Ad is in Hindi, but you don’t have to know the language to get the storyline.
How many cars that sell in India are also sold in the US? I can count them all using my ten fingers.
A new vehicle has joined that esteemed list of vehicles, and its none other than the Premier Rio (Zotye SUV) as a fully electric SUV. Known as the Zotye 2008 EV in China, this SUV will be sold in the US via an US-based company Green Auto.
The Zotye SUV (rebadged Daihatsu Terios) is equipped decently with A/C & Heat, Power windows/Power locks, DVD Audio System, Integrated electric system monitoring screen (Monitor battery status, vehicle speed, charging status, Regular On Board Charging and fast charging port and Automatic transmission (8:1 ratio).
Green Auto Chairman/CEO Steven Fly -
This vehicle represents a huge shift in the Auto Industry and a spark in new auto sales by Green Auto. We are delighted to introduce this exciting vehicle and be first to market.
The Vehicle comes with an 185,000 mile warranty. The five Door 4 seats Electric SUV operating on Lithium Ion Battery has a max speed of about 75 mph, with a range of up to 250 miles.
Will Premier take a decision on selling such a vehicle in India? Maruti Suzuki, General Motors, Tata Motors and Mahindra are prepared for the electric revolution with products like the Indica Vista EV, Eeco EV and Spark EV. When this revolution will begin and how quickly it will gain pace is anyone’s guess.
South America is one of the hottest regions for cars like the Palio and Uno which sell like pop corn. Argentina is Fiat loving, and keeping the product portfolio lively is an important exercise.
To safeguard the Fiat Palio from getting lost in all the buzz generated by the new Uno, Fiat unveiled a new model in the form of the Palio Groove.
Armed with a 1.4-liter petrol engine, the 82hp car has plenty of equipment.
Exterior
* Special headlamps
* Side Skirts
* Alloys 14 “special treatment (black)
* Radiator grille treated in black
* Spoiler in black
* B-Pillar in black
* Black colored outside rearview mirrors with electric adjustment
* Fog lamps
Inside
* Power steering
* Air Conditioning
* Central locking
* Radio AM / FM with CD player, MP3 player, Bluetooth and USB
* New upholstery
* Leather steering wheel
* Security system
The Palio Groove costs more than the existing model, but why wouldn’t the customer pay if they offer such good looking cars brimmed with features? Fiat enjoys good brand image in Argentina so selling even a 1,000 of these wouldn’t be a problem.
Tata Motors has intimated us through a press release that it has embarked on a comprehensive investigation in connection to the cause of fire in two Tata Nanos. Based on the findings of the investigation, administered by a 20-member internal team and an autonomous forensic expert, Tata Motors assures all customers that the Tata Nano is a safe car, with a robust design and state-of-the-art components.
The investigation reveals that the occurrences of the two fires are not interconnected. Both the fires took place while the car was either taken to or away from a dealer showroom.
In Satish Sawant’s case, a foreign object was discovered in the exhaust pipe of the vehicle which could have led to the fire. The second incident which took place while the car was being driven to a dealer showroom happened due to a ruptured fuel line.
The investigators conclude that the Tata Nano is safe and robust vehicle. The company, starting May 24, will contact customers individually and offer them appointments with the local service station over the next few weeks for a comprehensive inspection. These will be carried out free of cost.
These are merely inspections and do not constitute a recall. A recall, unlike the United States, is not compulsory in India. Tata’s final part of the press release states more than 300 prototypes have clocked over 2 million kilometeres without hiccups.
Hyundai is the official car supplier of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa that begins in shortly. To celebrate the occasion, it made two very distinct i10s in Britain, which win our vote as the wackiest creation by an automaker in 2010.
The two i10s are covered in artificial turf. The centre circle on the roof has a 1.5 meter tall football and the car’s front-end serves as the shorter side of the field with goal posts.
Both the cars look alike, but once you step in, you’ll see they differ by miles. One i10 has grass interiors to go with the exterior look, while the other is decorated using football related items. The headrest on this car is a football! Not sure if that’ll help retain the occupant protection ratings.
The i10 football cars will be used in promotional parades and events across Britain. Some of this will happen in Hyundai showrooms.
The cars you’re looking at where used during the filming of Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘Duel’ where he and the Stig managed to damage it quite a bit. Car artist Andy Saunders was handed the abused Hyundais and given Saunder’s history with Hyundai cars (Andy made an ice-cream van out of an i10 earlier. He also placed a hinge in the middle of the i30 for the London Motor Show), he didn’t disappoint.
