Hyundai Motors Australia has launched an ad campaign for their new sedan the i45 (a.k.a Hyundai Sonata YF). This ‘Driven by obsession campaign’ is a rather interesting one, featuring water droplet technology that creates shapes from cascading water.
If you remember, the Hero Honda stall at this year’s Auto Expo had a similar arrangement for the Karizma ZMR.
It shows water droplets forming shapes as they hit the car & also a massive sword being thrust into the car. The Hyundai i45 is expected to debut in India this year.
Fiat, in spring 2013 is all set to unveil the all new next generation Fiat Punto hatchback. The Punto is a very significant and important model for Fiat as it is the car that single handedly rescued Fiat from a mountain of losses and brought it back in green.
Come 2013, and the current generation Fiat Punto would have been in the market for seven years, surely the right time then for Fiat to be bringing in the next generation all new Punto. The next generation Punto like the current Punto, will continue to be offered in 3 and 5 door versions, but with an all new, fully renovated platform and chassis.
The next generation Punto will not just be a restyling of the current car, but will be a completely new car developed from the ground up. The project designers of the next generation Punto, should have working on the car at the Fiat style centre in Italy.
The engines for the next generation Punto will consist of some engines borrowed from the current Punto’s range of engines while the new range of Multijet engines could also power the car.
Regular follower of Indian Autos Blog Hrishikesh Kankokar is a test mule lover. Living around the Pune area, he gets to spot loads of test vehicles and angry test vehicle drivers, who can’t stand a picture being taken.
But Hrishikesh isn’t letting a frustrated driver stop him from taking snaps. Not yet. His latest catch is the current generation VW Golf in the streets of Pune.
The Golf is close to VW’s heart, but the price is in all possibility, the only factor preventing them from bringing it to India. We have heard in the past that by 2013, VW will launch e-Golf in India. What Hrishikesh has caught here uses a petrol/diesel engine and thanks to the congested roads, the nature of the engine was impossible to ascertain.
VW could launch the current generation Golf in India, but don’t expect it to be under 9 lakh rupees. We don’t see a possibility of it starting at a lower price point even if the localization levels are extremely high. A diesel Golf could be around 11 lakh, and the top-end model could set you back by 13 lakh rupees.
Correct us if we’re wrong.
Could the VW Golf hatch hit showrooms by beginning of 2012? We learn from sources that the next generation Golf debuts internationally by the end of 2012, so our question is why would VW launch a phased out car?
We’ve heard from our sources that VW is studying all possible options to manufacture in India and localize to the maximum possible extent, the Tiguan, which might be introduced in the next couple of years.
An image of the brochure of the facelifted VW Tiguan has found its way onto the internet. Though the image is a little blurry, it appears as if both the North American as well as the European versions of the Tiguan will inherit the slightly altered styling as that of the Chinese Tiguan.
There are not many changes in the facelifted versions of the Tiguan. The changes include a new front bumper, fog lights, radiator grille and wheels. There are also LED daytime running lights on offer, which are integrated into the headlamp assembly.
Only a single change has been made to the interiors of the facelifted Tiguan, and that is the new and much more simplified climate control system.
There are no changes under the hood of the facelifted Tiguan, which results in the same engine and transmission options being carried over. But, minor modifications to the drivetrains in order to improve the fuel efficiency and lower emissions can be expected.
The facelifted version of the Volkswagen Tiguan is expected to be unveiled to the public at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is planning to launch the RIII MPV in the Indian market sometime in 2012. The RIII which was first showcased as a concept at the 2010 Auto Expo in January in Delhi, is a seven seater MPV, which will be based on a stretched SX4 platform.
Maruti Suzuki has not yet revealed any of the engines that will be used to power the RIII, since Maruti currently does not have an engine which is powerful enough to pull the seven seater MPV in its inventory. But Maruti may source engines from Volkswagen, given that the German manufacturer now owns a majority stake in Suzuki and that the German manufacturer has a wide range of powerful diesel engines for Maruti to choose from.
Mayank Pareek, Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki -
We don’t show a concept car unless we plan to produce it at some time. The A-star quite resembles its concept shown last time. Typically, the RIII concept should take around two-and-a-half years to come into production, depending upon the interest we see in the model
According to sources, Maruti has already sent a request to its vendors for the RIII MPV, and since Maruti is also considering export of the RIII to international markets, Maruti has quoted high volumes to its vendors. The Latin American and East European markets are among the primary export targets for this car form Maruti.
As can be seen from these spy pictures, Mahindra is developing a five-seater MPV based on the Xylo platform. The smaller or shortened version of the Mahindra Xylo was spied in Rajasthan, where it was undergoing hot weather testing. Mahindra is expected to position the mini Xylo as a small car in order to avail of a 12 percent saving on excise duty.
In order for the mini Xylo to qualify as a small car, it will have to be equipped with a diesel engine of not more than 1500cc of displacement and a length which is not greater than four metres.
The mini Xylo will be based on the current Xylo’s platform and will use a shortened version of the current Xylo’s chassis. The engine also in all probability will be based on the current Xylo’s 2.5 litre m-Eagle unit (m-Vulture?), but will be suitably modified in order to bring the displacement down to under 1.5 litres (Probably by eliminating one of the cylinders and altering the bore and stroke of the m-Eagle engine).
Since the mini Xylo will be a five-seater MPV, it will have only two rows of seats. The mini Xylo is expected to be competitively priced around the Rs. 5 lakh mark. The mini Xylo has the potential to crack open a completely new segment in the Indian market when it is launched sometime in 2011.
The only current rival for the Mahindra mini Xylo MPV would be the Premier Rio, the only SUV in the sub-4 metre category in the Indian market.
CNBC-TV18 is reporting that Maruti Suzuki will soon launch a small hatchback between the price range of 2.75-3.25 lakh rupees. The new model will borrow styling cues from the Japanese Suzuki Cervo, which employs a 658cc engine producing 55hp.
Haven’t you heard of the name ‘Cervo’ before? Let me give you a clue – Have you heard of the Maruti Zen? Yeah? That is the 4th generation Suzuki Cervo. What Maruti is bringing to India is based on the currently running 5th generation Cervo that looks like a Junior Maruti Ritz.
What CNBC-TV18 adds is the new model will be launched by July or early August. The Suzuki Cervo has been caught testing in India, and many have been fooled into thinking that it will be Maruti’s one-lakh rupee car. The Suzuki Cervo, though looks compact, is an expensive hatchback and cannot be sold at such low prices.
If the Cervo comes to India, expect it with the 1-litre K10B engine which powers the A-Star, Wagon-R and the Zen Estilo
