Indian Autos blog

HMSI talks about sub-Twister economy motorcycle for Indian market. Is this their rural market workhorse that’s short on style and tall on fuel economy? – Read about the 100cc Honda bike.

KTM’s 125cc streetfighter concept is finally named! Someone comes up with “Avatar” which everyone seems to like. The 125cc bike gets an identity and one lucky Russian gets a motorcycle to ride home! – Read about the 125cc KTM bike.

The Tata Nano isn’t along after all. Now a Yamaha R15 makes red hot headlines after it encounters unexpected fire while negotiating a climb – Read about the Yamaha R15 fire

The recently launched Verna Transform along with the tried and trusted Accent helped us consolidate our position in the mid (sedan) segment.

HMIL Director – Marketing and Sales Arvind Saxena remarks on his company’s performance in July 2010.

Thanks to Indiancarsbikes, we’re able to show you the TV Commercial of the newest Maruti – the Alto K10, which will be launched day after tomorrow. The new Alto features styling updates and gets a new engine in the form of the 1.0-liter K-Series engine which you’ll otherwise find in cars like the A-Star and Estilo.

Mercedes Benz India has issued a press release stating that July 2010 was its best ever month since the time it entered India 15 years ago. The German car manufacturer sold no less than 521 vehicles in India last month, beating arch rival BMW by some margin.

The January-July 2010 numbers were equally good with Mercedes registering a growth of about 80% compared to the same period last year.

The best selling Mercedes cars is the E-Class with 212 units. Mercedes was also able to sell 62 SUVs (GL and M-Class) last month which is a giant leap over what they managed to do last year (sold 140 units the whole of 2009)

click through to read the press release

Not quite sure if this is official footage, but the video you see here does the job of showing you what the Hyundai Avante (Elantra) is all about. Internationally (and in India), Hyundai will the Avante against the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

We’re not sure about the exact launch date of this vehicle in India, but sources say it will come here in the first six months of 2011. The Avante was launched in Korea yesterday for a won equivalent of 5.2 lakh rupees.

1) LPG powered vehicles are extremely economical for those who drive long distances.

2) If we keep the level of technology as the same, the emissions from a LPG engine are far less than what you’d get with a diesel or a petrol engine. This is because LPG mixes well with air which makes for good combustion characteristics.

3) Manufacturers have to ensure that special safety precautions are taken since LPG is stored in a pressurized state inside the vehicle, often in close proximity to the rear passengers.

4) Pressurized gas cylinders occupy a lot of space, as many a time, the capacity used up to store the gas is about 80 % the cylinder volume. The remaining area is where the gas expands. The cylinder takes up space and eats into crucial boot space.

picture – LPG tank in a Chevrolet Spark LPG

Autocar India’s website claims Hyundai will launch the Avante (Elantra) in India in the first half of 2011. The story contents don’t make a mention of the launch date, but the excerpt text on the car news page does.

The all-new Hyundai Avante was launched in Korea yesterday in a resort in Gangwon Province in Korea, a week before it hits showrooms. Hyundai will take the Avante to other parts of the world in the following months.

Steve S. Yang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor -

Since the first-generation model was launched in 1990, the Avante reached cumulative sales of 6 million units worldwide and received high recognition from a number of world renowned car-rating agencies. This car is truly a powerful brand that represents not only Hyundai Motor but the Republic of Korea

The Hyundai Avante is powered by an all-new Gamma 4-cylinder 1.6-liter Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) that makes 138 bhp power and 175 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission which will help the car return 17kpl. The car’s also available with an automatic transmission, which is understandably less fuel efficient.

The Avante range starts at $11,300 (5.22 lakh rupees) in Korea. Expect it to touch 11 lakh rupees when it comes to India next year.

Smart Parking Assist System, High Intensity Discharge head lamps, LED tail-lamps and heated rear seats, colour TFT LCD information display, Vehicle Stability Management, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Emergency Stop Signal are some of the features available on the new Avante.

Korea Herald reports that Hyundai has not made any decisions on larger or alternate fuel engines.

Autocar India states that Hyundai will plonk the 1.6-litre GDI and a more capable 2.0-litre unit married to 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions when it arrives in India next year. A diesel engine will also be on offer, according to them.

Honda new advertisement campaign in Australia aims to bring out the big hatch credentials in the Honda Jazz. Four hilarious TV commercials have been made with four different groups of people to help understand the roominess of the Jazz.

The ads talk about people from different walks of life explaining how the Jazz’s high degree of functionality can help store their everyday things. The Jazz appears like the most practical hatchback for almost anyone in Australia.

The marketing campaign also encourages Australians to vote what they can stuff inside the Jazz’s cabin and the most popular nomination wins a Jazz!

If Honda were to create a similar campaign in India, it would be about “how to sell the Jazz.” The leading answer should be “offer a massive discount.”

Did we just help Honda India save a few lakh rupees on advertising?

Just kidding!

If you want to see the other three videos, head over to Popsop.