Maruti Suzuki India would be launching CNG versions of the Ritz and the Estilo in the coming months, reports Goa on Wheels. Till now the only passenger vehicle with CNG technology Maruti has produced is the Alto.
Maruti intends to boost its share in the CNG vehicle segment which is likely to grow rapidly with the increase in fuel prices recently.
The Maruti Ritz has been selling well and the CNG version would further strengthen its market share. As far as the Estilo is concerned, a CNG version wouldn’t exactly revive the Estilo, but would help delaying its demise.
Maruti could also be introducing CNG versions of its other models depending upon the response to the Ritz and Estilo CNG. The Maruti Eeco could be the next to get a CNG version.
CNG is available on in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat as of now, but more CNG filling stations would be installed in major metros in the coming months, as the number of vehicles plying on CNG is rising everyday.
Chevrolet recently launched a CNG version of the Aveo sedan and more GM models would be getting CNG versions soon.
The Indian media is buzzing with reports on the Novo Uno’s forthcoming innings in India and we also posted on the same this morning.
However Fiat seems to think otherwise. We caught up with Fiat’s corporate communications team to learn their thoughts and this is what they told IAB -
There’s no such plan for Novo Uno. No where have we talked about the Uno. We will launch a small car in 2012, whose technical specifications we’re yet to learn.
The small car in 2012 that he’s referring to here could be the Fiat Palio replacement.
Priced in the range of $15,500 to about $ 17,000 (7.25 lakh to 8 lakh rupees roughly) in Brazil, the novo Uno is based on the same platform as the Fiat Panda. With 1.0 and 1.4-liter petrol/alcohol engines, the vehicle uses a 5-speed manual transmission and comes in 3 and 5-door variants.
Is the company secretly developing the Novo Uno to compete in the mini SUV space that will soon see a lot of action in India? Perhaps they think it is too early for us to know? Or is Fiat genuinely not interested in launching this car in India?
Only time can tell.
The Estilo being sold in India is based on the age-old Suzuki MR Wagon which was discontinued internationally in 2006. It is to be noted that Maruti Suzuki launched this car in India after it was discontinued internationally.
The Maruti Estilo was brought in to replace the cheeky successful Zen, but the Indian consumers didn’t like the ‘tall- boy Zen Estilo’, hence the Estilo turned out to be selling average numbers for Maruti. When Maruti tweaked its looks, declining sales improved steadily.
Maruti is now offering free goodies like seat covers, double-din MP3 player with USB plug-in, rear parcel shelf, reading lamp, mud flaps and mats in the all new path-breaking Estilo ‘Elite’. The VXI version of the Estilo ‘Elite’ gets a Bluetooth enabled music system/hands free device and iCATS security system as standard. The only good thing about the Estilo is the KB-series engine.
This special Maruti Estilo ‘Elite’ would be exclusive for Maharashtra. There is no price hike for the ‘Elite’ version of the Estilo. Though Maruti offers good value with the Estilo ‘Elite’, it doesn’t offer a good deal or a good car.
While Suzuki is firming up plans to introduce the Kizashi in India and the refreshed VW Passat set to be unveiled in Paris, we were curious to learn what Hyundai was up to with the Sonata YF (i40) in India.
We called up the company and this is what they had to say regarding the Hyundai Sonata YF‘s plan for India -
Hyundai’s Corporate Communications Head -
We have no immediate plans to launch the Sonata YF in India.
He declined to divulge any fixed time-line, and we infer the Sonata YF is at least a year or so away from a Hyundai showroom.
We also questioned him about the Santa Fe SUV, which according to the company in a previous statement would be launched this year. He was not forthcoming, and said no tentative launch date was decided.
The Sonata YF was unveiled in September last year and the Indian wing’ Managing Director at that time said the Sonata YF would come “sooner or later.” It seems like sooner isn’t any time soon.
The Volkswagen Group’s platform sharing strategy has always worked wonders for the company. The UP! which is being developed on VW’s brand new MHB platform would soon see the light of the day.
VW is planning to launch the rear engined, rear wheel driven urban car, Up! in the Indian market sometime in the next three years. VW, going by international media reports, would also be sharing this ultra-low cost platform with Seat and Skoda.
While the Seat version of the Volkwagen UP! (which could be called the ‘Ros’) isn’t reaching Indian shores, Skoda’s version of the UP! is highly probable for India. Skoda India had hinted about this small car on numerous occasions and we’ve learnt that this small car could be called the Skoda Joyster.
The Skoda Joyster could come with a choice of two diesels and a petrol engine. A 1-liter TDI, 1.2-liter TDI and a 1.2-liter TSI are the probables. The car could also come with a sub-1 liter petrol engine with fuel economy figure well over 20kpl.
As both the VW UP! and Skoda Joyster are mechanical twins, the small cars would most probably be built at VW’s high capacity Chakan Plant in Pune.
The Skoda Joyster could also compete against the Tata Nano Europa in the Europe as Skoda is perceived as a low-cost brand there.
Click here to see Indian Autos Blog’s exclusive Skoda UP/Joyster rendering
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Have you spotted a test mule, happened to see an interesting, relevant rendering on another blog?
Then why not share it with us by sending it to notjustshrawan(at)gmail.com
We will post it today and give you full credit.
Economic Times is reporting Fiat will introduce the Uno revival in India by the end of 2010. Fiat introduced the original Uno in India in the 90′s for which it received critical acclaim, but soon discontinued the model due to problems at the plant. After the Uno left, the Palio took over. As the years passed by and Fiat changed partners, the Palio sales weakened. It at the moment isn’t sold in BS4 cities.
Fiat’s Novo Uno was launched in South America a couple of months back. It is also scheduled for a European journey next year, so Fiat should be working on fitting the 1.3-Multijet engine on this vehicle which is essential if it is to find many buyers in India.
The Novo Uno is based on Fiat’s “Mini Platform” and is a sub 4-meter hatchback. It has 1.0 and 1.4-liter flex-fuel engines (can run on petrol or alcohol) currently in its arsenal and is manufactured solely in Betim, Brazil. The cars that are going to be sold in Europe will be manufactured in Kragujevac, Serbia next year.
Fiat will also launch another small car, cheaper than the Palio in 2012, which should serve as the Palio’s replacement globally. The small car could use a small engine, but expect it look similar to the Punto.
Could the Novo Uno plug the gap between the proposed small car and the Punto? Perhaps Fiat could offer only a few variants and skip the diesel option initially? In a report filed a few weeks ago on a South American website, it was speculated that the new Palio replacement could use the Novo Uno’s platform. Considering that the new Palio would be built in India in 2012, it makes sense for that platform to be utilized for making another car.
Albeit looking similar to the outgoing model, the third-generation Suzuki Swift is significantly better than its predecessor.
With increase in length (+90mm) and wheelbase (+50mm), taller people shouldn’t grumble at the back seat anymore. The bodyshell has been stiffened using high strength steel, yet it weighs lesser.
The safety ratings are expected to get better on the new Swift which comes with a 1.2-liter petrol engine producing 93bhp and emitting 17% lesser carbon dioxide than the heavier and less powerful 1.3-liter engine its predecessor is fitted with.
I can go on and on about the new Swift, but the press release after the jump will explain better than me. Click through to read it.
