Indian Autos blog

Addressing the media at the inauguration of a new dealer showroom in Chennai, Managing Director of GM India, Mr.Karl Slym said the company will launch the BS4-compliant Chevrolet Tavera in the Indian market next year.

The BS4 Tavera will get a 2.0-liter CRDI diesel engine from Sonalika that manages to produce 100PS@4,000 RPM.

The same CRDI engine is presently employed by Sonalika on its Rhino SUV. The engine makes 120PS on that vehicle. General Motors would have requested for a de-tuning to help achieve better fuel economy.

With Toyota, Tata Motors, Maruti and several other car makers interested in exploring the inexpensive MPV market, GM has made the right move by making the Tavera available in major cities where people as well as fleet operators want practical, fuel economical, inexpensive and well-furnished products. General Motors is said to bring more MPVs in the future from the Chinese Wuling brand.

Maruti Suzuki will launch the A-Star A/T in India this week. Maruti Suzuki manufactures the A-Star (other names are Suzuki Alto, Celerio and Nissan Pixo) in India for the rest of the world. Production of the A-Star began in 2008 and the A/T variant was simultaneously produced with the manual transmission cars, but only on the export models.

The Maruti A-Star A/T weighs 915 kg (added weight due to the transmission). The transmission will be paired to a 1.0-liter K-Series engine that produces 67 bhp and 90 Nm of torque (unconfirmed).

The vehicle will have a 4-speed automatic transmission with a gated shifter (pictured). Maruti Suzuki might make the auto tranny available only on the ZXi top-end trim level and price it under 4.5 lakh rupees. We’re not 100% sure about the prices or the trims, so we’ll wait for official confirmation.

The new Amby will have a retro design and sport cutting-edge engineering to compete on comfort and value for money. Overseas experts have been roped in for the metamorphosis. The new version will be ready by January-February 2011 for test trials and is expected to undergo validation by May so that commercial production can begin next July. Overseas technology firms are working on each aspect of the car to ensure the vehicle is on a par with contemporary vehicles on Indian roads in terms of built quality and reliability

Hindustan Motors Chairman C K Birla divulges information on the Ambassador revival to Times Of India

Maruti Suzuki has initiated work on designing a LPG kit for the new generation Wagon R. The process is not going to be completed overnight, and until the new one is ready for the market, the old generation Wagon R Duo will soldier on.

Maruti Suzuki, last week said only about 20% of the Wagon R buyers opt in for the LPG-fitted “Duo” model. When the company launched the new generation Wagon R earlier this year, they wanted to focus on the 80% rather than the 20%.

The new generation Wagon R has different seats with seat incline aiding comfort, and the Maruti Suzuki engineers wanted to liberate maximum space for the rear seat occupants. The LPG tank is usually placed in the car’s boot space, just behind the rear seat.

Here are a few images of the Maruti Alto-K10 from the launch that happened last week in Mumbai. These snaps will give you a solid idea of the car’s interiors, space, finish, looks and features.

The Alto-K10 is powered by a 998cc three-cylinder ‘K10B’ engine. Peak power of 68ps@6200rpm and maximum torque of 90Nm@3500 rpm makes this one of the most powerful cars in its segment.

The Alto-K10 is available in 6 shades – Sunlight Copper, Fire Brick Red, Ecru Beige, Midnight Black, Superior White and Silky Silver.

click through for image gallery

Maruti Suzuki today launched the K-series, 998 cc engine Alto K10 with improved suspension, new cable-type transmission, enhanced brake system and more knee-room for rear seat passengers.

The existing Alto clocks over 20,000 units every month and Maruti Suzuki expects the Alto-K10 to boost that number.

All this while we’ve only been seeing spyshots and brochure scans. Now we have a few official images to share.

click on “Read More” to view the images

Maruti Suzuki has launched the Alto K10 and here’s the official press release that reached us a few minutes ago.

Press Release

Maruti Suzuki launches Alto-K10

Package of best in class fuel efficiency, power and performance

NEW DELHI, August 4, 2010: Brand Alto, India’s largest selling car brand, now gets even more strength.

Maruti Suzuki today launched another version of Brand Alto, equipped with a K-series, 998 cc engine. This version, called ‘Alto-K10’, comes with improved suspension, new cable-type transmission, superior brake system and more knee-room for rear seat passengers.

The existing Alto clocks average sales of over 20,000 units every month. Maruti Suzuki expects the Alto-K10 to bring in additional customers.

On the occasion of Alto-K10 launch, Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said “The Alto’s package of performance, fuel efficiency and attractive cost of ownership have together made it India’s most popular car. The Alto-K10 will take this forward. There are a growing number of first time buyers who seek more power, performance and attitude in their car, without having to stretch all the way to buy a higher segment car. The Alto-K10 is meant for them”.

click through to read more

Yamaha has launched three new motorcycles in an event held in Delhi this morning. The bikes were unveiled by Yamaha’s brand ambassador John Abraham. We’re still trying to learn more about this development.

Read more about the new Yamaha bikes here