Indian Autos blog

Our product offensive will begin with the launch of the much-awaited Audi A8 LWB, towards the end of this year, with the renewal of our limousines beginning with the Audi A8, we are extremely bullish on the year 2011

Michael Perschke, head of Audi India gets excited when someone asked him what’s in store for 2011.

Report by Kaustubh Shinde

If you have been tuned in to IAB, you must have noticed that this month has seen a slew of launches (and more to come). We are constantly running around Mumbai city to make sure that you are updated about each new launch. But none of them have been as dull as the new Skoda Fabia.

Don’t get me wrong. As a product, it is a very good value proposition. Fabias have always been known for that. But there is nothing in it that made me go WOW!

Let us get down to what’s what

The new Skoda Fabia is a result of the new BS IV norms kicking in 13 major metros during April this year. It took them such a long time to come out with the BS4-ready car. The most happening and important segment today for any player is the compact car segment and that’s where Skoda wasn’t fully present all this while.

The new car is not that far from the outgoing one. The one major difference in the new proposition is that (and this one I didn’t expect) they have given an option of 1.6L MPI engine for enthusiastic drivers. This is the same engine that its sister car Polo uses. The rest of the 2 engine are also lifted directly from the Polo. So the 3 engines that are available are:

* I.2L MPI (petrol): 75 bhp @5400 rpm and 110 nm of max torque @ 3750 rpm
* 1.6L MPI (petrol): 105 @ 5250 rpm and 153 of max torque @ 3800 rpm
* 1.2 TDI (diesel): 75 bhp @ 4200 rpm and 180 nm of max torque @ 2000 rpm

Other new features include a new front end, a new steering wheel (lifted from the Laura) and a new stereo (also lifted from the Polo). Yes, someone was very busy in VW’s spare parts section. It is available in 3 variants Classic, Ambiente and Elegance and can be brought in 5 different colors.

The only reason I could find for someone to actually buy this car is the price. The car starts 4.35L (for the entry level) and goes right to 5.99L (for the 1.6L engine) ex showroom Delhi. If you are in Maharashtra, the car starts at 4.19L and goes right to 5.81L.

The hatch market is the fastest growing market in India. All the major auto manufacturers are aggressively hitting this market with very competitive offerings. And this situation is only going to get more aggressive with the entry of Toyota and Honda. In such a competitive scenario, the Fabia can’t put the frighteners on the competition. If anything, it’ll be easily overshadowed by the competition.

click through to read more

Renault is secretly working on an affordable hatchback and sedan on the V-Platform in the next three to four years. While we are not sure if the hatchback based on the V-Platform for India will be the next generation Clio, we’re somewhat convinced that it will be closely based on the Renault ZOE concept shown at the Paris Motor Show last month.

We don’t need a crystal ball to predict engine options. There is going to be no paradigm shift in powertrain technology especially in India, so petroleum fuels will continue to power automobiles even if the hatchback takes three or four years to see the daylight.

The Renault-Nissan combine’s 1.2-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine will power the hatchback, while the 1.5-liter diesel engine will carry out tasks under the hood of the hatch and sedan. We expect the 1.6-liter petrol engine to make an appearance on the V-Platform Renault sedan.

There’s no doubt that the V-Platform hatchback and sedan for Renault will have an entirely different design language. The Renault twins off the V-Platform is expected to be sharp/pointed unlike the Micra which sports a curvy and soft design.

An official from Nissan who wished to remain anonymous disclosed to Indian Autos Blog that the Micra-based sedan (codename – L02B) might not be called Sunny after all.

Bajaj sold a highly popular low-displacement scooter named Sunny during the 90s and Nissan certainly wouldn’t want customers to associate a Honda City competitor to a low displacement scooter that could hardly move with two people on it. That’s what the name Sunny brings to mind first. It isn’t going to be a sure-shot success formula.

The Micra-based sedan will be launched in India during the second half of 2011. Like how the Micra is known as March in countries like China and Thailand, the Sunny name might not be travel to our country.

Volvo India has disclosed the local launch date of the XC60 SUV. The vehicle will be launched on the 24th of next month. The company has withheld information regarding the technical specifications and engine options. If you remember, we spotted the XC60 in India at an unknown location.

Mr. Paul de Voijs, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India -

With the new compact luxury SUV, we will expand our offerings to the Indian customers. XC60’s technological innovations such as Laser and Camera assisted Automatic Braking (City Safety) will raise the bar in compact luxury SUV segment. Imagine a car that uses laser and camera technology automatically to mitigate a collision if the driver does not respond in time.

As this vehicle is a fully imported one, we’re expecting the 2.4-liter diesel engine and the 3.2-liter AWD model to debut here. Volvo could offer the entire line-up in India, but the launches should be in a phased manner.

click through to read the press release

Though Nissan doesn’t claim the name of the Micra platform sedan is Sunny, we know that’s what they’ll call it eventually.

The Nissan V-Platform sedan will be premiered at the 8th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition in December 2010.

The vehicle will go on sale in China first followed by other markets. It comes to India during the second half of 2011 and will be manufactured at the billion-dollar Oragadam facility near Chennai where Micras are made.

The Micra is expected to come with the Logan’s 1.5-liter diesel engine and a 1.6-liter petrol engine good for 100hp. This again isn’t official, but we know there’s going to be no surprises under the hood.

We have our man on ground zero and he informs us that there are three variants that’ll go on sale – the 1.2 petrol making 75bhp, the 1.6 petrol that makes 105bhp and the 1.2 diesel good for 75bhp.

The localization level has gone up from 15% to 40% and that will impact the price tag of the car.

Skoda will classify the models as classic – with grey interiors, ambient and elegant with ivory interiors.

New Skoda Fabia prices – Ex-showroom Delhi

1.2 MPI (petrol) – 4.35, 4.85, 5.65 lakh for Classic, Ambient and Elegant respectively

I.2 TDI (diesel) – 5.4, 5.91 and 6.69 lakh for Classic, Ambient and Elegant respectively

1.6 (petrol) – 5.99 lakh

The car was designed by the same man who did the Veyron! There are a lot of parts the new Fabia has in common with the Polo. Even the music system, for example, has come from the Polo.

The Fabia can be bought in five colors – black, red, beige, white, silver

Stay tuned to learn the prices first!

The Tata Nano has not exactly set the sales chart on fire. The car sold around 9,000 units in July, down to 8k in August and now in September only 5,520 Nano’s left showrooms.

Company officials say that Nano sales are currently low as bookings are open only in the states of UP, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala & Maharashtra. Tata Motors also said that buyers who were selected in the lucky draw and were not a part of the initial deliveries, have postponed their purchase to the festive season.

The company also said that the component suppliers are in the process of setting up bases in the vendor park which is also taking time. Also the Sanand plant reaches its full capacity of 250,000 cars only by the 1st quarter of next fiscal and that’s some time away.

Experts say that the fire incidents, the delay of deliveries and even the shifting of vendors from Pantnagar to Sanad could be the reason for Nano’s low sales.

The company said that the Nano is completely safe and the customers have been assured this. They will soon be starting bookings in other parts of the country. We need to wait for a couple of months to gauge the actual success of this little wonder. Actually, we need to wait till the Nano is available in most parts of the country before drawing comparisons between the Nano and the Alto.