The Malaysian car manufacturer Proton’s EMAS compact car has been talked on before. The company’s entry into India is about two years away. Until now, we believed Proton would use its in-house engineering facility to cook up a platform.
Autocar India has reported that the Nissan V-Platform could be used on Proton’s EMAS. If Proton wishes to introduce the car by 2012 in India, it should make use of a readily available platform. The V-Platform is a good idea. Manufacturing the car at Nissan’s Oragadam facility is another good option to discuss on as Nissan is partnership-friendly.
The EMAS will no doubt be a sub 4-meter hatch with 5 doors and possibly a 1.2-liter engine making around 75bhp. Proton will look at pricing it at 4-5 lakh rupees price bracket.
Speculation is rife on Volkwagen adopting the Suzuki A-Star (Suzuki Alto to our overseas readers) and positioning it under the Polo as its entry-level model for India. Some say that VW has shelved the Lupo (Up! hatchback) as it is not possible for them to price it under the Polo in India.
Our country hasn’t witnessed badge engineering operations before and neither do we want to. We have welcomed cars sharing engines and platforms with open arms, but we aren’t fools to buy a rebadged car even if the reworked car is priced a shade lower.
Autocar India reported that minimal changes will be made to the A-Star’s skin if Volkswagen are really to use this as their entry level model by 2012. A more powerful petrol engine under the hood will be a chief dissimilarity, Autocar reports. We drove the A-Star AT in August and were thoroughly impressed with the 3-cylinder engine’s performance which is acknowledged by the majority as the benchmark in small hatch segment. We don’t see a point in dropping a larger engine under the A-Star’s hood. Volkswagen should have ruled this option out.
The only way Volkswagen will create inroads with the A-Star is with perhaps a 1.0-liter diesel engine. But where will that engine come from?
Maruti Suzuki manufactures the Nissan Pixo which is a similar case. The A-Star’s front-end and badges have been swapped. The car’s then loaded on to a ship and sent to Europe where it pretends to be a Nissan to customers.
The A-Star is a very able small car, but in India it has failed to create any major upsets. The Hyundai i10 continues to ride to victory in that segment year after year. If Autocar are to be believed, we’re yet to understand why Volkswagen has chosen the A-Star to be part of its pack in India. We’re also not able to understand why Volkswagen wants to badge engineer an A-Star.
Our friends at Motoroids are reporting that Volkswagen India will introduce a less powerful 1.4-liter petrol engine on the Vento next year. The 1.4-liter gasoline engine is tuned to work with low grade fuels and being a small engine, it’s expected to be more fuel economical and tackle the competition better.
The new Aveo, Indigo Manza, Swift Dzire and the upcoming V-Platform sedan could be in its list of victims if the launch goes well. The engine will produce 84hp and 132Nm torque, they add.
A cheaper Vokswagen Vento will give sleepless nights to the competition, but they shouldn’t be too worried as Volkswagen products demand longer waiting periods making the customer shy away. The vehicle will be priced competitively, no doubt. Motoroids has even put a figure on the table – 35k-65k rupees cheaper than the 1.6-liter model.
Will you consider buying the cheaper Volkswagen Vento next year?
Entry posted on November 1, 2010 by
Shrawan Raja;
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NDTV Profit is reporting that Tata Motors is working to refresh the Sumo Victa which has lost out to the Mahindra Bolero. The Victa was marketed for the family man, but lacked the appeal, features or the refinement. It ended up as a luxurious taxi cab that served its operators well.
For a start, Tata could seek ways to make the cabin more inviting. The more refined DICOR engine on the Sumo is also a good idea. The front-end could be reworked to make a Land Rover. The cosmetic upgrade could give the Bolero a run for its money.
Tata is also working on the new Safari. While there are so many reports stating that the new Safari is based on the Aria’s platform, we are told that the new Safari coming out in January 2011 is a refreshed model based on the existing Safari with upgrades to the gearbox, suspension and steering.
In a never ending exchange of punches, AWD systems were put to work to show spectators the capability of the more superior xDrive. BMW built a steep tilting ramp on which the Quattro-equipped Q5 was slipping and sliding before giving up. Counterpart X3 breezed through the challenge of embarking, climbing and disembarking. The result was there for everyone to see.
The task for seemingly easy for the xDrive, but Audi’s Quattro can’t be that bad, can it. There’s no solid evidence or indications to prove this was a rigged test.
Embarrassment abound for Audi then. What will they use to hit back?
Japan and Germany are discussing but no definite plan has come to us. By the end of this year or beginning of next year, there may be some announcement
Maruti Suzuki’s chief representative Shinzo Nakanishi briefs Indian media on the advancement of the VW-Suzuki partnership on Saturday.
Tata Motors describes the price bump “minor” and that’s untrue as the ex-showroom price of Tata Nano started at 1.23 lakh prior to this hike. It also has to be noted that Tata has used the term “one lakh rupee car” to its merit despite none of the variants costing one lakh rupees.
In April this year, BS4 emission norms had been put in place in parts of India and Tata issued a price hike for those cities alone to offset the upgradation investment. This isn’t the first time such a price hike has come about.
Tata Motors’s comment on the price hike -
Tata Motors is taking a minor price increase on the Tata Nano, effective from November 1, to partially neutralise the steep increase in input costs in the last two years. The average increase is about Rs 9,000 (ex-showrooms), with prices varying from city to city and model to model.
The Nano can be bought in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Tata is yet to open bookings in other cities and will bring the diesel model into the market as well.
VW, the pioneer of Automotive Advertising since the 60’s, has always brought up new and creative ideas on telly to sell their cars. And if you are from India, you would probably remember the ‘Talking Newspaper’ campaign. Honestly, I got a SMS from the Mumbai Police saying that it’s ok to open the newspaper.
But the new Volkswagen Jetta campaign is simple and that’s brilliant because I love simplistic advertising; makes the Ad more believable. But at the same time it is very forgettable. The ad starts with the car covered with paper facade…..ahh I don’t think I should spoil it..….why don’t You have a look at it and lets us know your opinions
