Indian Autos blog

The invitations for the launch of a new Fiat Punto variant “90hp Multijet” have been issued. The vehicle will be launched on the 16th of this month in Delhi.

Fiat terms this model “The most powerful diesel hatchback (in India)”

The reason for the rise in power is due to the addition of a VGT to the 1.3-liter common-rail diesel engine. Additions to the new model come in the form of chrome door handles, red stitching seat borders and a white Punto logo.

Audi India has began assembling its compact SUV Q5 in India. Audi has been assembling the Audi A4 and A6 luxury saloons in India and the Q5 is the third model that Audi is assembling in India.

The Audi Q5 main selling point is its classy styling and sporty stance. The Q5 is a perfect alternative to the executive luxury saloons like the Mercedes Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series and even stablemate Audi A6.

Frank Dreves, Board Member (Production), Audi India -

The production of the Q5 is part of our long-term growth strategy in India. The Indian market for automobiles will grow very rapidly, and the Q5 is the right automobile at the right time.

The Audi Q5 is doing extremely well in the luxury car market with relatively no competition. The BMW X3 is completely outdated, the Volvo XC90 is very pale and lacks prestige, Land Rover Discovery and Freelander are relatively unknown and Mercedes Benz doesn’t even have a Q5 rival.

Audi sensed the opportunity and has began local production of the Q5 at a very crucial time. With this Audi would be able to cater to the needs of luxury car buyers faster and the costs of the car could come down and hence boosting sales ultimately. The Volvo XC60 which we spied recently at an Indian dealership could pose a minor threat to the Q5 when launched.

The Audi Q5 is also pulling customers from the Mercedes Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series. Customers would buy the Audi Q5 over the new E90 BMW 5-Series which has a waiting period of nearly 3 months.

The Audi Q5 comes with 2 engine options, a 2.0 TFSI petrol and a 3.0 TDI diesel. All Q5s come with Quattro all wheel drive. Audi is also planning to offer more powerful and efficient engines for the Q5 in future.

The company is planning to bring the latest Audi A8 super luxury saloon to India by the end of this year. The Audi A8 would rival the Mercedes Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series.

Audi is currently offering 7 models in India, the A4, A6, old A8, Q5, Q7, TT Coupe and the R8 supercar.

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Maruti Suzuki is reportedly readying a new variant of the country’s best selling car, Alto. Maruti could soon be plonking in the 1.0 liter K-series engine into the Alto next month. The Alto which has the FC 800 cc engine currently develops only 46 hp and 62 Nm of torque. The 1.0 liter K-Series engine which was first introduced in the A-Star has been one of the best engines found on small cars in India. The new engine produces 66 hp and 90 Nm of torque.

The new engine is very responsive and is extremely smooth and is said to return about 20 kmpl. The 1.0 liter K-Series engine is currently used in the A-Star, Wagon R and the Zen Estilo.

The new engine could add spice to the Alto’s range and the new engine option would draw buyers from the Chevrolet Spark to the 1.0 liter Alto.

Maruti recently gave an update to the Alto by upgrading its engine to BS4 standards and giving new slightly freshened interiors, front seats with integrated head rests and new rear view mirrors.

click through to view BS4 Alto Image Gallery

Bajaj Auto has scrapped plans for a Joint Venture (JV) with Renault-Nissan for the Ultra Low Cost (ULC) car project. The company will now only have a simple arrangement for acting as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the car with the Renault-Nissan combine.

The original plan between the three companies was to form a Joint Venture (JV) wherein Bajaj Auto would have a 50 % stake and the Renault-Nissan partnership would share the remaining 50 % equally.

Bajaj Auto -

We can meet the objective of the partnership without the need to necessarily create a new corporate entity in the form of a joint venture (JV).

As per the terms of the ULC car project, Bajaj Auto will be handling the aspects related to the R&D and manufacturing of the car, while Renault-Nissan will be taking care of aspects such as marketing, distribution and sales.

However, the biggest question that remains unanswered as of now is that of the timeframe of launch of the car, since Bajaj and Nissan have already stated that they are yet to finalise production plans for the car. When will this car see the light of day?

Nissan has secretively begun groundwork for its small car which could be jointly developed with Ashok Leyland in Chennai. Nissan is planning to develop a new small car that would be positioned between the Micra hatchback and the Tata Nano rivaling ULC car that would be developed by Bajaj for Renault-Nissan.

Nissan is reportedly getting feedback from Maruti Alto owners. The company is studying what draws buyers to the Alto which has been India’s largest selling car for many years now.

An Alto customer who participated in this exercise -

The Nissan team has been collecting feedback on owners’ experience with the Alto, while checking out what additional features they would like in a similar product.

This is a clear sign that Nissan is planning for an assault on the Maruti Alto. GM India was keen on developing an Tata Nano rival but GM withdrew from that and now GM India would be developing an Alto rival along with its Chinese partner SAIC. Hyundai is also developing the H800 to rival the Alto and we even spotted the car being tested in Chennai.

Maruti has been enjoying monopoly in the segment for many years now and with competition from new players like Nissan, GM India and Hyundai, would Maruti be able to hold its fort for long?

The question is would who among Nissan, Hyundai and GM India would be able to pull it off and dethrone the Alto as India’s largest selling car.

We would like to thank our reader Devprakash for these wonderful images!

Volkswagen India unveiled its Vento sedan on July 6th in New Delhi. The Volkswagen Vento which would be pitted against the Honda City, Fiat Linea, Ford Fiesta and the Hyundai Verna Transform, could be priced between 7.25 to 9 lakh Rupees. The Vento’s pricing is likely to be announced by the 1st week of August while the car could reach showrooms by October-December.

The Volkswagen Vento is the sedan version of the Polo hatchback (very obvious!) and the Polo’s wheelbase has been stretched by 96mm for the sedan. The Vento has been developed for developing markets like India and Russia.

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The country’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is planning to launch a Limited Edition variant of its mid-range sedan, the SX4 this month.

Maruti Suzuki launched the SX4 in 2007, which replaced the Baleno, as a rival to the Chevrolet Aveo, Honda City, Hyundai Verna

Within a short while after its launch, the SX4 went on to become the segment leader and proved that Maruti can not only make good hatchbacks but sedans as well. But, competition for the SX4 intensified greatly when Honda rolled out their all-new third generation City and Ford facelifted its Fiesta.

Maruti countered these measures with the Bharat Stage IV compliant SX4 equipped with Variable Valve Timing and the option of a four-speed automatic transmission. But, these measures don’t seem to have paid off as the car has failed to attract the number of buyers Maruti hoped it would.

So, Maruti will be banking on this Limited Edition variant to attract more customers and boost the sales figures of the car. The car will be loaded with features such as Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVM) mounted indicators, Chrome Decals, A Bootlid Spoiler and Reverse Parking Sensors on its exteriors. The interiors will be finished with leather seat covers and an additional reading ramp.

The price which one would have to chalk out extra over the current fully loaded SX4 ZXi could be in the region of around 25-40,000 rupees. The exact date as to when the car will hit showrooms has not yet been revealed.

There was of a backlog of 10,000 Polo cars and 4,500 cars had been delivered since its April launch.

Neeraj Garg, Director (passenger cars), VW India, reflects on the Polo’s response in India at the VW Vento unveil in Delhi on Tuesday.