Indian Autos blog

TVS has confirmed that it will relaunch the 125cc Flame twin-spark in the Indian market in the coming months. Read about the twin spark Flame here.

Suzuki sends us an invitation for a press conference on the 25th. Is it for the launch of the Slingshot 125? Read about the Suzuki press conference here.

The Hero Honda Super Splendor facelift is coming soon and we have spyshots! Click here to see Hero Honda Super Splendor spyshots.

Is Hyundai actually working on a 1.0-liter engine for i10? We guess so.

After Indian Autos Blog speculated on the 1.0-liter i10 Kappa, it is now Autocar India who have additional details on this variant. It reports Hyundai will launch the revised i10 range during next month’s Paris motor show.

The motor in contention is a 1.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine which is a scaled-down 1.2-litre Kappa unit. Autocar India adds that Hyundai will equip the 1.0-liter engine with variable valve timing.

Hyundai has said that this 1.0-liter Kappa engine “is not a cheap unit, just a very efficient one.”

The 1.2-liter engine is also said to turn more powerful, more efficient and environment-friendly at the Paris Motor Show next month.

The Suzuki Kizashi Bonneville has done it! It has cracked the 200mph record in an attempt yesterday at the Salt Lake Flats in Bonneville, Utah.

The car was driven into the record books by Road & Track’s Sam Mitani. We’ve already discussed some of Kizashi Bonneville’s specifications.

The Bonneville Special Kizashi used a Turbonetics turbocharger at 16 psi and an air-to-water intercooler to up its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine’s output to over 500 horsepower.

The result – A whopping 203.720 mph breaking the record for its class by 1.419 mph. Remember, this is Suzuki’s first record attempt at the Salt lake flats. Not bad at all!

Suzuki plumbed the Kizashi extensively to get it up to speed. New intake manifold, a tuned ‘long tube’ header and forged rods and pistons for high rpm endurance, a new set of coilover shocks, seam welded steel wheels, high-speed Goodyear tires, an air dam for better aerodynamics, a parachute system to slow the car, and a dual fire system to prevent mishaps were some of the additions to the stock Kizashi which now is world famous.

Head over to the Suzuki Facebook page for more details

Until there’s a new Suzuki SX4 from Japan, Maruti has to make changes to the current model to keep it in line with the threatening competition. By looking into the voids in the SX4, Suzuki has found an answer that it hopes will be enough to keep it going till the next SX4 is ready.

Maruti has launched New SX4 Royale in two variants – SX4 Royale VXi, SX4 Royale ZXi.

The fully-loaded VXi variant has Dual SRS airbags, Alloy Wheels, ABS (Anti Lock Braking System), EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), Audio controls on steering wheel, fog lights, body-colored door moulding, Automatic climate control system and Silver finished handles.

The ZXi variant lacks equipment but has leather clad steering wheel, gear knob and seat covers. There are no mechanical changes, everything under the hood remains as it is.

The Maruti SX4 Royale is available in seven shades. Joining the existing colors are two new shades – Oyster Blue & French Eclair.

- Azure Grey
- Pearl Arctic White
- French Eclair – New Shade
- Oyster Blue – New Shade
- Clear Beige
- Silky Silver
- Midnight Black

click through to read more

Though the Mercedes E-Class cabriolet is far from being the perfect car for Indian conditions, it helps in doing two things

a) telling Indians that Mercedes Benz is also into topless acts
b) telling BMW that selling the 6 Series convertible, or any other convertible isn’t going to be same anymore

Priced at 64.5 lakh rupees ex-showroom Delhi, the E-Class convertible gives you the wind-in-the-hair experience. If you don’t belong to that type, it takes 20 seconds for the soft top to launch and protect your hair from wind and spit dust while you’re driving through a congested Kolkata, Mumbai or Chennai.

Powered by a 3.5 litre petrol engine delivering a powerful output of 272 hp and a torque of 355 Nm, this is a fast car, no doubt.

There are only two doors for this car. There’s no diesel, please don’t ask. There’s no mileage figures either, so skip that one too.

click through to read the press release

The design of Honda’s next generation Civic will not be radically different, according to reports. Honda has taken longer than expected to bring out the new Civic, which has recently been overshadowed by the competition.

By the time Honda releases the new Civic (2012, we hear), Hyundai would have designed the Elantra twice. There have been no test mules of the booted Civic spotted anywhere in the world yet. This is a clear indication that the next generation Civic is still sometime away.

If this rendering is even close to the actual car, it looks far from stylish especially when compared to Hyundai’s utterly gorgeous Elantra. The current gen Civic doesn’t have a diesel engine in India and Honda has lost out on volumes due to this reason. Honda’s been regularly giving the Civic new features and recently even conducted a cosmetic surgery to keep it fresh. However, this will not work for very long.

Has Honda lost the plot by making the current generation Civic perfectly, preventing the design team from making it any better?

Click here to see IAB’s exclusive rendering of the next generation Honda Civic.

Tata Motors has come out with a BS4-compliant Indica V2. Christened V2 Turbomax, this Indica gets a turbocharged 1.4-liter diesel engine that produces 71PS. The Indica V2 Turbomax gets 14-inch wheels as well.

Equipped with a 1,405cc turbo-intercooled diesel engine, the Turbomax manages to produce 135Nm@2,500rpm. Despite good power and torque, the car manages to return 19kmpl, according to the brochure.

There are no changes to the car’s interiors. There are no airbags or ABS options either. It is available in two trim levels – DLE and DLS. The former, without power steering, will be the taxi cab operator’s choice. The latter should be the family man’s car who needs an inexpensive hatchback with power steering and air-conditioning that can that can seat five, has decent boot space, and travel long distances without putting a hole in his wallet.

The Indica V2 Turbomax is available in four colors – Furnace red, Magnesium gray, Arctic silver, Mint White. The first two are applicable only to the well-equipped DLS variant aimed at family car buyers.

There’s no word on the pricing and the official website doesn’t carry any information either. We’ll wait for an official word, until then stay tuned to Indian Autos Blog.

Maruti Suzuki, earlier this week launched the A/T version of its A-star. Priced at Rs 4.34 lakhs Ex-showroom Delhi, the A-Star is a good 22,000 rupees cheaper than the i10 automatic.

The A-star automatic is only available on the Vxi trim. It comes fitted with ABS.

Maruti claims the A-star auto’s mileage is 17km/l. The Automatic gearbox is a 4-speed torque converter automatic and it is coupled to a 1.0-liter K-series engine.

Target Customer -

Maruti is targeting the 25-30 year old man, who has a small family, living in a metro earning 5 lakh rupees a year.

The A-Star was the first Maruti Suzuki to come fitted with a K-Series engine. Suzuki sells one A-Star every four minutes around the world. Maruti is looking to sell this model to a family consisting of a father, mother and one child. The A-Star buyer is experimental in nature, according to Maruti, and this A/T version will attract him. The A-Star is young, fun and sporty to drive.

Standard Vxi Features

– Integrated audio system

– All 4 Power windows

– Central Locking

– 4 speed AT

– ABS

– Seat Height Adjust