Maruti Suzuki has kicked off a teaser website. We can’t complete that sentence as we’re still scratching our heads and figuring out what it is about.
The teaser website plays a flash presentation showing a catalogue shots of a crash test dummy’s rear. Users are then encouraged to explore the clues and answer what they are talking about and from what’s making them come alive.
Check out the strange website at http://www.comealive.in/
Could this be a new marketing initiative revolving around crash test dummies? The K-Series engine campaign had humanoids in their campaign. On inspecting the website’s source code, the flash file played on the site is named zen_home.swf
Can you connect zen, production line, crash test dummy and Maruti Suzuki?
The luxurious growth of large-size vehicles like SUVs is really a growth of concern. Use of vehicles like SUVs and BMW in countries like India is criminal
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh wants gas-guzzling SUVs off Indian roads. I would love to hear what our friends at BMW India think about this.
The Mahindra is Xylo is clocking a satisfactory number but certainly hasn’t exceeded expectations. Mahindra will be keen on utilizing the Xylo’s platform to manufacture variants like single-cab and twin-cab pickup trucks, 4WD variant, 5 seat MPV and an upmarket variant with the lighter and more refined mHawk engine.
The Xylo was launched in January 2009 and sources say that soon after its second birthday it’ll undergo a massive facelift with Micro-hybrid technology. The front-end of the vehicle will be reworked. The headlamps, grille and the bumper will be heavily worked upon. To break up the large mass, the B and C-Pillars will be blacked out.
We don’t see much changing inside the spacious and comfortable cabin. Perhaps the lighting and textures can be looked into.
Honda is on the verge of launching a small car in India. The car might be called Honda Brio and will be priced under 5-lakh rupees. The vehicle in its concept form was showcased at the Auto Expo in Delhi this year.
To project this car to people of India, Honda is on the lookout for a creative agency. It is understood that McCann Worldwide, Grey Worldwide, Ogilvy & Mather, Contract, and Dentsu India are the shortlisted companies to whom details regarding the positioning of the car has been divulged.
Currently Ogilvy & Mather’s Meridian Communications is handling the Jazz, while the other Honda cars are being handled by Dentsu India.
Honda’s small car will be shown at the Thailand Motor Show on the 30th of this month.
No, we don’t have plans to open any exclusive showrooms. We already have done 175 dealerships with Tata Motors, I don’t think there is a need to expand at this point.
Fiat India’s CEO Rajeev Kapoor replies to Motoroids’ Amit Chhangani when he asked about exclusive Fiat dealerships in our country.
Just after Fiat unveiled their highly sophisticated two cylinder TwinAir engine on the Fiat 500, Volkswagen announced that they have ruled out the development & use of 2 cylinder engines.
Car companies across the globe are aiming at downsizing engine capacity, making them more efficient using methods like supercharging and turbocharging. They attain characteristics of bigger engines in the process but consume and pollute less. Volkswagen has been a pioneer in developing smaller engines and at the same time maintaining performance levels.
VW Officials said that the new city car ‘Up’ will carry a 3 cylinder engine and not a 2 cylinder one. They said that there is a limit to how much smaller an engine can get and they will be focusing on improving the performance & economy of 3 cylinder engines.
VW also said that 3 cylinder engines prove to be expensive (used on the Polo here in India) and at this stage they are not as refined as there 4 cylinder counterparts. The company wants to focus on pioneering the 3 cylinder technology before moving to 2 cylinder tech.
Korean SUV manufacturer Ssangyong has some ambitious plans lined up for the next few years. After being acquired by Mahindra & Mahindra the company is slowly getting back on its feet.
1) The Korando has a lot going for it and the company is now working on a brand new bigger SUV that will compete with the Hyundai Santa Fe and will hit the streets in 12 months time.
This new car will come in both 2 wheel drive & 4 wheel drive variants and power will come from a Ssangyong engineered 2.2 liter diesel & a Mercedes sourced 2.0 liter petrol.
2) Two years down the line, the company plans a baby SUV that will compete with the likes of the Nissan Juke. It will be designed on a brand new platform and could be possibly built in India.
3) A replacement for the Rexton is also expected. Ssangyong will keep it simple and will built this SUV on the body on frame chassis and maintain its hardcore off road capabilities.
With Mahindra being the new owners, some technology transfer will take place between the two companies. Mahindra is working on electric and even hybrid powertrains which should make their way into Ssangyongs.
The VW Up (Lupo could be the commercial name), the new entry level hatch from the German czar, is all to debut at the Frankfurt motor show. That is 3 years since it was shown as a concept – Guess where? Yes Frankfurt again (Ze Germans like the clockwork).
To start with, the car will be a 3 door hatch and will eventually grow bigger into a sedan and even an MPV. Power will be delivered by a 1.2-liter TSI with 84 hp and a 1.2-liter diesel with 74 hp. To keep the environmentalist happy, an electric-only version will also be available. The entry level hatch is expected to have a price of €10,000. There could be a shed load of variants which includes a 5-door model.
If you are from India, we don’t have a donut for you. We hear VW has shelved the Up! as it can’t price it under the Polo and manage a sensible margin selling it. The Up! might come, it might not come. There is a possibility of it being made in Chakan. Volkswagen could instead re-badge the A-Star and fill the void under the Polo. Whether they’ll get customers for it is another discussion.
