A video of the 2011 Hyundai Verna caught testing in Chennai, has appeared on Youtube. The vehicle (codename – Hyundai RB) is being on the highway that leads to Hyundai factory.
Even though the car has been unveiled overseas (in China as the Verna, in Korea as Accent and RB Concept form in Russia), Hyundai is taking no chances in India. It continues to test it with camouflage. Apart from not giving anything away to its competitors, it also helps in maintaining anticipation levels. None of us have seen the car in flesh, and when that’s the case, it’s better to keep the camouflage on.
Hyundai can use its existing petrol engines (1.4 from i20 AT and 1.6 from the Verna) and the Verna’s 1.5-liter diesel engine is a scorcher. We expect the new Verna in India by the middle of 2011. There is no clarity on the prices but there aren’t many people who will pay beyond 11 lakh for a Verna.
click through for the video
IAB’s Kaustbh Shinde attended the Autocar Performance show yesterday and came back with this report. Kaustubh has been a regular to the show and says it has come of age this year with exclusive unveilings and a wide variety of performance products on display.
If there is one day I eagerly wait for, even more than my birthday, then that has to be the Autocar Performance Show. Every year, year after year, Autocar India holds a special exhibition of Performance Cars exclusively for Mumbaites.
Right from exotic rides to performance parts, car care solutions to car loans, you can find it all under one roof. I am a religious follower of this event. In fact I have attended one even during my college exams.
So how was the show you ask…..
It was indeed a joy this year as well. What made it even more special was that this was the first time I think a car was actually launched at APS. Yes, we are talking about the EVO X.
Finally after 8 months of waiting, Mitsubishi has pulled the cover off their flagship rally car. An on road price of Rs 64 lakhs (Mumbai) is a bit optimistic IMHO but it is indeed a true enthusiast car. The price range puts it in the same league as the Nissan 370Z, BMW Z4 (both present at APS) and Porsche Boxter.
If I had the money would I buy one? Errrr……May be No. Given I had a Press Pass, I got to sit in each of the 3 cars. I have to say the 370Z would be my pick of the lot. Why you ask? It makes you feel like you are sitting in a proper sportscar.
click through to read the full report with 95 images
Mysterious photographs of a facelifted Suzuki SX4 have appeared on an infamous Chinese website known for premature brochure and spy shots. The 2011 SX4, according to another blog China Car Times is 2 cm smaller than the outgoing car in length.
There isn’t much available on the new SX4 except for description on its looks. The front-end gets a generous dose of chrome, boomerang headlights are less curvy, and the reworked rear bumper, boot lid and tail lamps bring it in line with the Kizashi sedan.
The new Suzuki SX4 is expected in India next year with the 1.3-liter Multi-jet diesel engine.
click through to view the spyshots
Our friend Rajesh who earlier mailed us pictures of the Euro Fiesta hatchback near the plant is at it once again. This time he has the full monty.
Spotted testing here is the Ford Fiesta sedan at 60kph, expected in India by April 2011 with a pair of 1.6-liter engines. In short, this is Ford’s next product for India.
The petrol 1.6 will be high revving while the diesel 1.6-liter will be fuel economical and torquey. The more powerful 1.6-litre petrol engine produces 118bhp while the diesel is capable of generating 90bhp and 207Nm of torque.
Autocar India on its website claimed the Fiesta sedan will range from 6.8-7.7 lakh rupees. With slightly controversial styling, will people flock Ford dealerships for this new Fiesta? What’s the fate of the current Fiesta once this appears on the market?
The Fiesta hatch could be another great addition, perhaps a 5.5 lakh to 6.5 lakh rupee price range for decently equipped models could make the i20 struggle for air.
It will be interesting to see if Ford will work on intensely localizing this Fiesta like the Figo.
A person, through IAB’s contact form, has sent us what he claims are the actual specifications of the upcoming Toyota Etios sedan. We can’t vouch for his claim, but we’re posting it here anyway. Consider taking in this with a pinch of salt.
ETIOS Sedan technical specifications -
Length: 4265mm
Width: 1695mm
Height: 1510mm
Wheelbase: 2550mm
Ground clearance: 170mm
Weight: 930Kg
Turning radius: 4.9m
Fuel tank capacity: 45 liters
Boot capacity: 595 Liters
Engine: (Petrol)
Capacity : 1.5-liter, 4 cylinder inline, 16 valve DOHC
Max output: 90 PS
Max torque: 132 Nm/3000rpm
Mileage: 17.6kmpl (Automotive Research Association Of India certified)
We’ll keep you posted on the Etios. Stay tuned.
We’ve understood that Mitsubishi has priced the Evo X at 49.95 lakh rupees (ex-showroom Delhi). The vehicle is on display at the Autocar Performance Show in Mumbai.
Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, the EVO X generates 291bhp of power with the 0-100kph mark coming up in 6.6sec. A top speed of over 180kph can be achieved.
stay tuned as we update you more on this development.
Sources tell us the truck we spotted day before yesterday on the outskirts of Chennai city is most likely the truck Ashok Leyland and Nissan and working jointly towards.
The cabin is lifted from a phased-out Nissan mini truck and the company is conducting trials for various payloads. Readers of IAB have spotted this truck with different number of water cans on other occasions. The driver though, everytime, had plugged into his iPod while the installed equipment on-board did all the data logging for him.
Sources suggest to IAB a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine could power this humongous mini truck. The ECU for the engine might come from Delphi while the unit’s calibration could have taken place at AVL in Austria.
There is not much available on the launch date but the pace at which this project is progressing, we think a 2011 debut is feasible.
We’ll keep a close eye on this guy.
Have you seen a similar test mule? Then why not write to me at notjustshrawan (at) gmail.com ?
We still maintain that the new Safari scheduled for a January-February 2011 unveil is an improved Safari 2.2 DICOR. We understand the refreshed Safari will have a heavily designed front-end with improvements to engine refinement, suspension and steering system as represent in the attached drawing.
The vehicle will have the same 2.2-liter DICOR engine that generates 140bhp. The engine will operate with lesser noise and vibration on the new Safari.
We don’t know of a Safari based on the Aria platform. If such a vehicle is in fact in the works, we’ll be surprised to see it before the beginning of 2012.
Tata will work on making the Safari a more appealing and driver-friendly car. I hope they make the clutch a lot lighter. There is nothing unusually different on the new model compared to the outgoing vehicle apart from the slightly feminine front-end.
