As Mahindra and Mahindra, bought all rights of Logan from Renault in India, they have decided that it needs a big brand image boost. The new car will feature a Mahindra badge and a brand new name – Verito.
Most Mahindra products end with an ‘O’ – Xylo, Bolero, Scorpio, Maxximo, Gio, Genio, Stallio, Mojo, Rodeo, Duro, etc. Verito will be the next name joining the team. Although the company will not majorly facelift the car but a few cosmetic changes are expected very soon.
The company is also working on a sub 4 meter Logan (oops! Verito) will try to compete with the Indigo CS and soon to be launched sub-4 meter long Swift Dzire.
In India, an Auto Rickshaw is the life blood of transportation. It performs so many important tasks such as talking the kids to school and making sure their parents reach their office as well. But it is not the most refined among other means of transport.
Sure, the new CNG Rickshaw give more mileage and pollutes less but at the end of the day, it is still a combustion engine and will emit some toxins in the air.
So a budding designer, Prajwal Ullal decided to solve this pollution crisis by presenting a concept called E-lax – a low cost, highly efficient, eco-friendly product.
E-lax is powered by a 3.5kW wheel motor with a battery pack that can help you travel 75kms on a single charge. The entire pack can be charged by a normal household plug within 4-6 hours. E-lax also boasts of an improved space and comfort over the current rickshaws.
A report on the Mahindra group on Forbes magazine reveals that the W201 SUV, developed entirely at Mahindra’ Research Valley in South India, will be their first stab at Front-wheel drive. The report does not rule out a 4WD variant at some later date. The W201 will have leather interiors and a monocoque body construction. The car will be powered using the Scorpio’ 2.2-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine and could produce 138bhp and 320Nm of torque.
There is no clarity on the launch date. Online media reports claim Mahindra will break the surprise by mid-August this year. The W201 could be positioned between 15-20 lakh rupees.
We all are aware that Nissan India is beefing up its operations for its next important launch – Nissan Sunny – a mid segment sedan to rival the SX4, City, Fiesta, Verna and the likes, based on the Micra platform.
The testing phase has begun for the Sunny and as a result it has been spied numerous times the outskirts of Chennai. But the test mules were all covered in scanty camouflage so you may not have a clear picture of the sedan.
Just for you, here is a small walk around the sedan so that you can have a detailed look. The equipment shown in the car will hopefully make it to the Indian version as well. Fingers-Crossed!
Sure, the car has a ‘Versa’ badge but that is what it is called in the US. Clearly, it will not be called Versa over here because that would create confusion with the old Maruti-Suzuki Versa. Sources tell us that Almera is a name Nissan is toying with for India.
Renault is working on two crossover models resembling the Renault Captur concept car, Autocar UK has reported. The compact crossover concept was showcased in Geneva last month and the company is already at work to ready not one, but two production models.
The first derivative will be a 5-door vehicle, similar in size to the Nissan Juke, with which it will share key components. The second derivative could be another small vehicle sporting 3-doors and styling similar to the Range Rover Evoque.
The 5-door Captur is expected to make an appearance well within 2 years, Autocar UK adds. Under the hood, expect the Renault-Nissan alliance powertrains to feature. Can we expect the 5-door model in India to give the Koleos some much needed company in the 20 lakh rupee range?
As Fiat’s tries hard to make its presence felt in the Indian Market, news comes in that the new small car is expected to make its debut by the middle of 2012. We have shown you a few renderings in the past about this car. But now some official information has trickled in.
The car will sport a 1 litre engine and not the 900cc Twin-Air like we reported earlier. The mini car will have the same configuration as the Maruti Wagon R and the Hyundai i10. The car will be priced below 4 lakh rupees.
Rajeev Kapoor, CEO Fiat India -
If you look at competition, their numbers have gone up only because of the small cars. A car like that is a volume car. One may not get any money out of it, but it gives your brand the much required exposure and visibility in the market
The company also has plans to launch a new Fiat 500 with Bharat Stage IV engine sometime this year. Don’t expect wonders because at 15 lakhs a pop Fiat barely manages to sell one Fiat 500 every month.
Kapoor adds -
We hope the utilization of our plant in Ranjangaon goes up this year because we are working on a lot of different projects. The more we utilize, the better would be the profitability. We are going to do about 60 per cent this year
Our friends at Velociti Magazine have carried the first spyshots of the Skoda Rapid sent in by their reader Pranjal from Aurangabad where Skoda assembles its cars. Since the Rapid is based on the Vento, we expect it to roll out of the Pune facility.
The Vento-size Rapid is not just a badge-engineered product we understand. It will look quite different from every angle compared to the Vento. We get a hunch that most of the body panels have changed.
Codenamed SK251, the engines and transmissions (1.6-liter petrol and diesel coupled to manual and automatic transmissions) will exactly be the same as the Vento. We expect Skoda to position the Rapid a few thousand rupees below the Vento. The SX4 diesel, new Fiesta and new Verna then will have some more company.
After have lost leadership position to BMW, Mercedes Benz is charting out plans to consolidate second place in India. Its other German rival Audi poses serious challenges. It has lined up the new A6 and Q3 – two volume builders – for 2012.
Sources have told Indian Autos Blog that Mercedes is planning the new CLS-Class during Q3 of 2011. The new CLS is offered with 4-, 6-cylinder diesels and 6-, 8-cylinder petrols internationally. The CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency producing 265 bhp and the CLS 350 BlueEfficiency producing 306 bhp could be the best pick for the Indian market for a kick-off.
