After Polo Vivo and variants of the new Polo (CrossPolo, Polo GTI and Polo BlueMotion), Volkswagen South Africa has brought out the Polo sedan. To put in a nutshell, the Polo sedan is a LHD Vento with an additional engine. Marketed with the credo ‘La Semplicita – the simplicity’ advertisements highlight the design of the Polo sedan as the distinguishing factor from other players its community.
In 2010, Volkwagen told IAB the Vento is exclusive to India and Russia (where it is sold as Polo) but that doesn’t hold good in 2011 as in the last six months we have seen the Vento testing in China and Malaysia, two markets expecting the Vento in following months.
Volkswagen offers the Polo Sedan with two types of headlight, the “Trendline” has single headlights and “Comfortline” has twin headlights (on each corner, that is).
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A Volkswagen Passat with the signatures of all IPL cricket teams has been auctioned for over Rs 30.13 lakh on eBay India.
The 10 day auction started on 3rd of May 2011 and ended on 10th May 2011. With over 17,000 visitors and 26 bids placed, the auction was won by a cricket enthusiast, Mr. Saidas Malladi from Bangalore.
The Passat with signatures of all the teams, will also be accompanied with a similarly autographed bat as well.
All the proceeds received from the auction will be passed on to WWF India. WWF India is a organization engaged in wildlife and nature conservation.
The Volkswagen Passat auction has surpassed the previous milestones of the Rakesh Jhunjhunwala charity auction, Coaching Camp with Sachin Tendulkar and Lunch with Amitabh Bachchan. It is also said to be the most expensive transaction on eBay India till date.
Earlier in 2011 VW had signed up with IPL to bring out a special Vento sporting IPL badges.
We’ve not witnessed drastic operations carried out on the SX4 except for the addition of the diesel heart that certainly makes it an interesting sedan for under ten lakh rupees. The SX4 is a good value for money vehicle but lately it has been facing stiff competition and has lost its grip in the market.
The diesel variant will drive up sales but with a dozen new cars entering this segment in the next one year, we can’t see the SX4 holding its position for very long.
For it to not slip down to the bottom of the chart, the SX4 demands serious changes to its exterior. The updated Swift made its debut about a year back and it is about time Suzuki does something about the SX4 as well. Like the Kizashi, R3 and A-Star, a concept car could be the best start in understanding what people want. Auto Expo 2012 is the best time and place for a concept vehicle.
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IAB readers have spotted VW Golfs testing in and around Pune for almost two years now. We visited the VW Chakan facility in July last year to find out there was a LHD Golf inside the plant with European number plates. The Golf and Jetta share the same platform and VW India has said that at the price point of the Golf, people in India will look for a sedan. That’s why VW launched the Vento instead of the Golf.
The next generation Jetta will be launched in India in the next few months and that vehicle is based on a new platform which will underpin the next generation Golf (Golf 7). VW could be testing powertrains on these Golfs and also don’t rule out the possibility of global testing for seeing how one of Europe’ best selling hatchbacks copes with heat, dust and road conditions of rural India.
Image Credit – Sumeet Jaroliya of Car and Bike Show Facebook Page
Sources have given IAB the variants, specification and starting price of the Etios Liva that debuts during the end of June. The Liva is another important car for Toyota as it tries to carve out a place for itself in the crowded compact car market.
The Liva was snapped by Vinay Sunil and posted on the Facebook page of the Car and Bike Show
Just to be on the safe side, we’re going to publish this information with a speculative tone. As the days go by, we’ll get more information on the vehicle.
Toyota Etios Liva Variants
J – Base
G- Middle
V- Upper Middle (Alloys + ABS + EBD)
VX- Top of the Line
The variants and features are exactly the same as Etios.
Toyota Etios Liva Powertrain
1.2-liter DOHC 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 80 bhp power and 104 Nm torque.
Toyota Etios Liva base price
3.96 lakh rupees (ex-showroom Delhi, might vary by a few thousand and this is only a ball park figure)
Jaguar Land Rover today opened the first assembly plant in India at Pune. Assembling vehicles imported from UK, the first vehicle to come off the assembly line is the Land Rover Freelander 2 shipped from the Halewood facility in Liverpool. The facility can assemble other cars, details of which are not clear. Both Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles are expected to be assembled at this plant.
JLR is planning an onslaught of models of the next four years to reach the top be on top in the luxury car market. Currently it sells Jaguar XJ, XF,and XK, the Land Rover Freelander 2, Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover in India.
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The Mahindra Scorpio changed the face of Mahindra from a farm equipment manufacturer to a full blown SUV maker. Now, Mahindra wants the young buyers who are bit strapped on cash to be a part of this success story as well. M&M launched Scorpio EX, an entry-level offering so that Scorpio as a product will be accessible to more and more people.
On the occasion, Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd -
With its easy drivability, great mileage and refined performance, I am sure that the Scorpio Ex will be an instant hit with young customers looking for an affordable entry point into the Scorpio franchise.
Why does it have a low price you ask?
Well, they have managed to reduce the power from the engine and reduce the equipment level. Earlier, the Scorpio was powered by 2.6 litre engine, mHawk engine which delivers a 115 bhp. The Scorpio EX, on the other hand, is powered by 2.5 litre m2DiCR which churns out 75 bhp and 220 Nm of torque. But the good news is that they have kept the micro hybrid technology (essentially a start-stop system) in the EX as well. The company promises the Scorpio EX will deliver 14 kmpl.
Weirdly, the official website has not yet been updated with the new variant.
Earlier we reported that our very own Maruti 800 will be brought back to life by Jiangnan Auto in China. Now, Jiangnan Auto has finally confirmed the development and has officially launched the mk2 Suzuki Alto at a price point of RMB 17,800 (roughly Rs 1,24,600) making it the cheapest car in China today.
The Maruti 800 (known as the Alto over there) over the last few years was produced by 4 different companies in China – Chang’an Auto, Jiang Nan, Xi’an Tai and Sichuan Auto. Eventually, each of them either shut shop or discontinued the model altogether. Finally, Jiangnan Auto decided to revive it and re-tuned the engine to meet current Chinese pollution norms.
For RMB 17,800, as you would imagine, you don’t get much. You get a bare bone car with as 800 cc engine that produced 36 bhp as that’s about it.
