It was time for celebration for Ford India as they rolled out the 1,00,000th Fiesta from their Chennai Plant last week.
The Fiesta has done reasonably well for the company and it was a car that they had specifically designed & developed for the Indian market.
Ford India President and Managing Director Michael Boneham -
After a terrific sales record in March and April, the rolling out of the 1,00,000th Ford Fiesta is a truly special moment for Ford India. The event marks a new milestone for us.
The Fiesta has always been known for being a great drivers’ car with its beautiful chassis & great driving dynamics. The 1.4litre diesel engine has proven to be frugal & economical while the 1.6 litre petrol engine has been appreciated by the enthusiasts.
The Fiesta is managing sales of 1,500 odd units every month & is still a popular choice among buyers. Ford India altogether sold 7,509 units in April this year, as against 2,034 units during the corresponding month last year.
The new Fiesta in hatch & sedan form is expected next year but what we feel is that Ford will not replace the current fiesta & will instead launch the new one with a different name. Watch this space for more on that.
The i10 has been a superhit for Hyundai in India. A diesel variant of the car would have just been an icing on the cake for Hyundai. A 1.1-litre CRDI unit was expected to be launched in the i10.
But now Autocar India reports that Hyundai has shelved plans to launch the diesel i10 as it was turning out to be too expensive as the engine is not locally manufactured. Hyundai would have to price the car in the range of 6 lakh rupees which would not have made any sense as the diesel i20 starts in that range & it is doing pretty well.
Is it likely that the next generation i10 that would come out in 2013 having a diesel engine that will be locally manufactured in India to keep costs down?
The mini SUV segment in India is untouched & an untapped territory but a one having huge potential. A car that has compact dimensions (less than 4 meters), seats 5, has decent amount of luggage space & is easy to drive around town with an efficient engine and good price tag – Doesn’t that sound tempting?
Premier opened this segment with their offering- the Premier Rio. This outdated little SUV has nothing very exciting about it as it is a old Chinese car (sourced from China’s Zotye Auto) rebadged as a Premier. With no proper service backup, lack of a thick dealer network, and absence of any advertising in cities raises doubts on its future.
But Mahindra is all set to bring in a fresh new product in this segment within the next few years. This compact SUV (could be codenamed S103) will be less than 4 meters in length & will come with a 1.5-litre diesel engine. Autocar India reports that this car would have a monocoque construction to give it good driving dynamics & will share parts with the upcoming Mahindra “world” SUV (W201) that also has a monocoque construction.
Autocar also reports that M&M is working on a 3 cylinder version of the M-Hawk engine with a reduced bore & stroke to displace around 1490CC. However M&M has no petrol technology so chances of that engine are thin. Insiders also indicate that M&M are targeting a base price of as low as 4 lakh rupees.
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Tata Motors has launched a BS4 compliant version of the Indigo CS dubbed the Indigo CS e-series.The car gets few upgrades on the interior & exterior & also some added features.
On the outside it gets a new front grille, a redesigned headlamp cluster, new front bumper design, a new set of alloy wheels & turn indicators on ORVM’S. On the inside it now gets two-tone beige interiors, chrome surrounded instrument cluster, sporty alluminium pedals, Bluetooth connectivity with AUX & a gradient climb assist feature.
The engine options remain the same – a 1396 CC DICOR engine with a power out put of 69 BHP & 14.29 kgm of healthy torque & a 1193 CC motor that pumps out 64 BHP of power & 10.2kgm of torque.Both the engines have received a modification to comply with the BS4 norms.
There is a price increase of about Rs.6000-10000 across the Indigo CS-e series variants. The normal Indigo CS TDI will continue to retail in BS3 cities.
