Indian Autos blog

On April 17th, Volkswagen will unveil the 2012 Beetle simultaneously in Berlin, Shanghai and New York. The event will be staged in these three countries by MTV VJs with a lot of music. The idea is clear – to target the attention of young buyers. The new model will feature Bluetooth and a touchscreen interface, which again will appeal to the young, tech-savvy buyers. Branded audio systems and ambient lighting  [ Read More ]

In an effort to promote hybrid cars in the Indian markets, the government will set up two high-level bodies this week. These 2 bodies are: • National Council for Electric Mobility (NCEM) • National Board for Electric Mobility (NBEM) The NCEM will be the apex body that will be headed by Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel and the NBEM will act a junior body at grassroots levels. Cabinet approval for  [ Read More ]

If the current Fortuner was not aggressive enough to look at, Toyota has launched a ‘Sports Package’ for the Fortuner to make it look more mean and aggressive.

This Toyota Fortuner ‘Sport Package’ features:

• Rear Roof Spoiler
• Rear Bumper Spoiler
• Front Bumper Spoiler
• Muffle Cutter
• Floor Mats

And all these accessories will make absolutely no difference to the performance whatsoever. But if you want to make your Fortuner ‘look fast’, be prepared to shell out Rs. 42,650/-

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The onslaught of supercars continues on the Indian Market. This time its Bentley that is bringing in it 2012 Continental GT on the 6th of April. The 2012 Bentley has been designed to look like an aggressive sister of the old Bentley. It has a much sporty design coupled with stunning Mulsanne-like new head lamps with LEDs and a supporting unit. The new Continental GT is powered a 6-litre, 12-cylinder  [ Read More ]

The day has finally dawned upon us. Honda has been dethroned from its last dominant segment. No longer is Honda-Siel a leader in any segment of the Indian car market.

It all started with 3 major products from Honda dominating the 3 respective segments. The Honda City was the king of the C+ Sedan Segment. The Honda Civic ruled the D Segment and the Honda Accord dominated in a segment above.

But slowly and steadily the competition crept up and Honda started losing pole position in all segment. The Toyota Corolla and Chevy Cruze dethroned the Civic. The Superb overtook the Accord. And finally, in the month of March 2011, the VW Vento has managed to outsell the segment leader – the Honda City by a margin of over 1,000 units. And Honda City isn’t even the the 2nd best selling sedan in that segment because the SX4 takes that title for the month of March.

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We are the new champions OH YES!! The feeling hasn’t still sunk in and we have just received another fantastic blow – in a nice way. Our captain, MS Dhoni will receive a……wait for it…..Ferrari 599 GTO India edition. That is unbelievably, insanely, fantastically COOL! (Sorry, I ran short of adjectives) This is a custom built GTO flaunting the Indian Tricolor Flag on the bonnet. Probably will be a one  [ Read More ]

Ford will unveil the Fiesta Classic in Chennai on the 7th of April. After having sold 100,000 Fiestas since its debut, Ford is going to launch the new series which will technically be the same as the currently running model.

Sources have told Indian Autos Blog that the Fiesta Classic will be down-segmented to make room for the new Fiesta sedan. It remains to be seen what has caused the price difference or what customers are going to miss as Ford will not be able to sell the similarly spec-ed car for a cheaper price. The Fiesta range begins at 6.46 lakh rupees.

Team-Bhp member Ushuaia caught the Mahindra Xylo Compact testing on a rainy day in Manali. The Xylo Compact has been spied twice before. The latest shot gives a little more away on the rear. From this angle, the Xylo is reasonably good looking.

Mahindra’s marketing team will pitch the Xylo compact’s unbeatable space-for-money proposition when it hits the market just before Diwali. The mini Xylo is strapped with a 3 pot 1.5-liter diesel engine along with the Xylo’s 5-speed manual transmission.

At the starting price of 5 lakh rupees, it puts it amidst hot sellers like Ford Figo, Suzuki Swift Dzire and Tata Indigo Manza.

Mahindra can offer two rear jump seats as an option for cab operators who ferry IT and BPO employees inside the city. A fuel efficient 7 seater with air-conditioning for under 6 lakh rupees is every cab operator’s dream.