As usual, IAB brings you details first!
At a function held in a dealership in Mumbai, Nissan announced the prices of the diesel engined Micra. There are two variants on offer – XV – 5,85,617 rupees and XV Premium – 6,33,849 rupees.
The Micra is fitted with a 1.5-liter diesel engine that makes 64PS power and 160Nm of torque. Despite having a larger engine, the Micra makes less power and torque than the Swift. The Micra diesel’s fuel economy is comparatively high, at 23.08 kpl, there aren’t many cars that surpass the Micra’s figure. Compared to the petrol variants, the XV Premium diesel variant comes with bigger wheels (15 inch alloys) and rear spoiler. There are 6 colors on offer.
Prices are all ex-showroom Mumbai.
Stay tuned for more information.
Most of the time we get you news that is positive and encouraging and is mostly about new cars that will be launched in India. This time, I am afraid, I have rather a bad news.
In March 2010, a rumor hit tabloids about the Japanese company is working with Ashok Leyland on a small car that will be positioned between the Nano and the Swift. When Renault boss Carlos Ghosn arrived in India for the inauguration of the Renault-Nissan JV Oragadam plant, he acknowledged this development and insisted the project was in the preliminary stage.
Sadly, this deal has not gone through. The Hinduja Group of Companies Co-Chairman Gopichand P Hinduja clarified that they have no plans to enter in the small car market as it is saturated with players and products.
In a way, he is right. The market right now has too many players and too many products to choose from. This is not a complaint, it is just a fact. And with Honda and Toyota also entering the fray, this situation is only going to get more complicated.
In such situation, a company with no existing brand recognizance in the small car market will have to struggle far too hard to survive. Ashok Leyland has rather chosen to focus on their core competence which is their commercial vehicle division. It gets a thumbs-up from us!
Image – Nissan Nuvu concept – Has no relation to the story.
The dwindling sales figures for Nano have been a major concern for Tata Motors. After the nose-dived sales figure of just about 500 cars in November, Tata motors officials are ready to do what it takes to increase the sales.
It has been reported that Tata Motors is employing the services of global consultancy major Accenture to review issues pertaining to production, quality standards and supply chain management.
Accenture will help Tata Motors to develop a new grounds-up strategy which will consist of a new marketing strategy and sorting out other product related issues. The aim is to review the overall processes within Tata Motors and compare it with its rivals. Accenture in the past has assisted Tata Motors on analyzing at least one other product.
Tata Motors is offering a 4 year/60000km warranty on the Nano, up from the existing 18 months/24000km warranty. Existing owners will be upgraded automatically to this scheme. The company is also offering an optional maintenance contract for a sum of 99 rupees/month, making it one of the cheapest cars to maintain in India.
We loved the way Narendra Modi came to the rescue of the Tata Nano when the Singur site in West Bengal got involved in controversies. It was almost in minutes and through a SMS that he won the Nano 1500 cr contract and no bureaucracy got in his way. And we like his dream too – To make Gujarat the next Auto hub of India. And boy is he not leaving any stones unturned to achieve his dream.
We all know that Ferrari plans to set up their shop in India by early 2011. But did you know that the representatives of Ferrari met Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of setting up a plant. If this goes through there will be a little Maranello in our very own Gujarat.
Apparently, Ferrari is interested in a space right next to the Sanand’s Nano plant which makes sense because of their continuous relationship with the Tatas. Another good reason to set up the plant there is because Sanand is special investment region that offers tax holidays, single-window clearances and various other benefits.
According to reports, after Tata Motors, it is Ford and Hyundai that all set to move into Gujarat. Ford is almost dead certain to set up shop over there and the formal decision will come out any time. Hyundai is in preliminary talks with the Government but I am quite sure Modi will convert that into reality.
So I guess Gujarat is the New Motown.
Yamaha has launched two interesting motorcycles in Delhi today. The FZ1 has come as expected while the SZ-R is a bit of a surprise.
Click HERE to learn about the SZ-R and FZ1
Click HERE to learn about the SZ-R and FZ1
Click HERE to learn about the SZ-R and FZ1
Click HERE to learn about the SZ-R and FZ1
Toyota’s brand new platform- the one on which its most awaited car the Etios has been developed with a cost of 3200 crores & boy is this a flexible platform.
Toyota says that with the Etios, they can add or remove components to make other body styles of the car. This platform is very crucial if Toyota is looking at developing a small car, below the price point of the Etios Liva & possibly even a small MPV based on this very platform.
Yoshinori Noritake, chief engineer, product planning -
The learning has been immense. The engine compartment for the Etios is spacious and can be modified and utilised for developing vehicles across segments.
In the future Toyota is looking at manufacturing 70, 000 units per annum of the vehicles from the Etios family right here in India.
Meanwhile the company has received a phenomenal response to the Etios & is all set for the launch of the Liva in April next year.
We have been bringing you regular updates on the new Force Motors SUV due for launch early next year. We have shown you the spyshots and also spilled some more beans for you.
This new SUV as you may know by now will be powered by a 2.2 liter Daimler sourced diesel engine pumping out a whopping 220 BHP. We also told you that Lotus has been roped in by Force motors to help with the dynamics of this car.
ACI reports that 11 test mules of the SUV are undergoing rigorous testing across the country to make sure the SUV turns out to be just right.
So basically Force motors is leaving no stone unturned with this car. They have also published information in newspapers that they require Sales Executives & Service Engineers as they will be ‘launching a new SUV in the upper mid-segment’.
The company’s marketing strategy from this advert becomes a little clear with terms like ‘challenging terrain’ and ‘raw power’ being used in the context of the SUV. Surely they have a lot of faith in this car which will compete against the Scorpio, Safari and perhaps even the Endeavour.
Lots of action from Force Motors on this SUV, so stay tuned to IAB for more on this!
Malaysian Auto Major Proton has finally decided to go solo in India. The company has been considering to enter the Indian market for quite sometime now and was scouting for partners. But now the company will foray into India as a standalone subsidiary of Proton Holdings.
Proton will initially assemble its cars at the Surajpur Plant of Argentum Motors (the original plant of Daewoo) under contract manufacturing basis, reports CNBC-TV18. The company is also planning to source a diesel engine for its products in India as it realizes the importance of having a diesel powered car in its portfolio.
CNBC-TV18 reports that Proton has narrowed it down to three cars for India -
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As usual, IAB brings you details first!
