Yes it is true. Production and supply woes are going to be sorted to make way for the Toyota Etios Liva during the last week of June.
Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) -
We are now all set to launch the Etios Liva. The launch will be as per schedule in the last week of June.
The Liva was delayed to June from April because of the unimaginable number of booking for Etios. Production issues caused by the earthquake tragedy in Japan meant they had to literally slash their production to 70% of its capacity because of parts shortage. Overcoming these two problems has caused delays in the introduction of the Liva.
But the production issues have finally been resolved and it will be resumed in full swing shortly.
Shekar Viswanathan, Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) -
The parts that we were not getting will start arriving in coming days. That is why we are confident of resuming normal operations earlier than expected. Plans are afoot to recover the loss of production and reduce the waiting period. The plant will function on all weekdays and some of the non-working Saturdays
So is India ready for the Etios Liva?
Skoda India is showing some strong dedication towards the Indian Market. After we spied two of their products in the testing phase – Rapid & Fabia Scout, the company has gone ahead and made another official announcement.
Skoda has confirmed that it is in the process of developing a small car below its Fabia specially for the Indian market.
Sales and marketing chief Thomas Kuehl -
We are planning to launch an entry level small car in the price range of INR300,000 to INR500,000 by 2013 in India
The company also confirmed that the new small car will be available with both petrol and diesel engine. Most of the parts required to build this small car will be sourced from India. The company is targeting 70% localization and manufacturing will be at Volkswagen’ Chakan plant where the Fabia, Polo and Vento are made.
Will this car be the Lupo-based Youngster? Or will it be on an entirely new platform that it will share with Volkswagen’ sub-Polo hatchback?
The price segment that Skoda India has mention is utterly dominated by top two Indian giants: Maruti Suzuki (Wagon R) and Hyundai (i10). Is Skoda India ready to take on the biggies?
Bloomberg reports that the three-row R3 MPV from Maruti Suzuki will be set afloat this year. Quoting a senior financial officer, the R3 targets customers of Innova and Xylo. IAB readers will know extra details on the Maruti R3 as we’ve posted on the vehicle during its early stages of development.
Here are some facts on the Maruti R3 IAB has reported previously -
1) The production model will be called something else.
2) It will based on an extended SX4 platform
3) Safety standards will not comply to that of developed markets. It is a vehicle for the emerging markets which could later be tweaked to be eligible for overseas markets with strict safety and emission norms in place.
4) Marginally smaller than the Innova, R3 will seat 6-7 people.
5) Expect it to come with the Swift’s 1.2 liter K-Series engine or the SX4’s 1.6 liter VVT engine. 1.2- or 1.6-liter VW diesel engines cannot be ruled out, but diesel engines from Fiat is a very realistic expectation.
6) The R3 is a FWD vehicle unlike the Innova or Xylo.
7) Futuristic tailgate and rear hinged doors will not appear on the production model. Concept to production transition should happen in a cost-conscious environment.
Seating options will be flexible. Maruti will offer captain seats on the top-end model with beige interiors.
9) Knowing Maruti well, one can expect LPG and CNG variants 12-18 months into the launch.
If the R3 isn’t out on the market by Diwali, we should see it at the Auto Expo next year.
Today afternoon, Tata Motors flagged off the Nano Superdrive 2 from Concorde Motors India Ltd situated in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. The success of the Superdrive 1 in changing consumer perceptions on its reliability is one of the reasons behind the second edition. The 28 day voyage will witness 12 Nanos circumambulating India.
Tata will set out to prove the same points in the second round – It wants the Superdrive program to serve as a testimony to the robustness and reliability of the Tata Nano. The second edition is a grand affair – the cars will travel across 62 cities and into remote interiors of some locations. Customers will be invited to engage with these cars on select routes.
Starting from Mumbai the Nanos will touch other cities like Kolhapur, Solapur, Nagpur, Amravati, Aurangabad, Surat, Vadodara, and will culminate in Rajkot.
The drive would have attracted more attention if the diesel variant did the same route. Apart from the robustness and reliability, the car’s unmatched fuel economy (which some say is to the tune of 40kmpl), displayed on the car using large decals, would have made jaws drop and eyebrows raise at the unparalleled feat.
As Motoroids.com rightly puts it, the Verna is on its way to topple the German and the Japanese as it has attracted 5,000 bookings within five days of its launch.
There is more than one reason behind this enthusiastic outburst by Indians. The teaser campaign aired during the cricket games highlighting the Fluidic Scuplture design philosophy helped up the ante. The gamut of features and powertrain choices (remember IAB brought it first to you) have to be given equal credit. The Verna brand is not as strong as a City or even the Vento, but with this car, that’s set to change.
In recent times, Hyundai’ perceived as a company with almost Honda’ brand power offering vehicles at the price of a Maruti Suzuki. If the Verna goes on to clinch the title of India’ best C-Segment car, this will be made clearer.
In India, a sedan buyer’s statement to the society is “I’ve arrived.” Pricing ten variants, in a span of five lakh rupees also has proved to be a great idea as there is something for everyone. A lot of people in India are looking for an upgrade to their hatchback too.
It is normal to see people go haywire post a launch. We have to see how long it is before the excitement dies down to understand the degree of success. But for now the Verna is a buzz word on Facebook communities, forums and blogs.
click through to read our interesting side to this story
When we caught up with Ford’s corporate communications division two days ago, they said the new Fiesta wouldn’t be launched this month. We are sure Ford is not going to keep it unwrapped till the festive season starts as the Hyundai Verna, with the shock wave its teaser campaign and variants have managed to create, will extend the head start with the help of everyone’ attention.
Ford dealers could be sent demo cars next month to collate public feedback. We’re expecting Ford to play the price card as the sheer number of new cars in this segment will strangle the Fiesta slowly over the next eight months. Ford might be waiting for the dust kicked up by the Verna to settle.
There are some useful features on the new Fiesta like voice-activated controls but even before driving the car, we’re almost certain that this will handle the corners better than the Nissan, Skoda or the Hyundai. But handling corners alone won’t increase footfalls in Ford dealerships.
In this spyshot posted on TheAutomotiveIndia, we see two variants side by side. The car on the left lacks chrome garnish along the windows and parking sensors.
How will Ford respond to the new Verna which is certain to punch above its weight?
In a telephonic conversation with IndianAutosBlog, Mr Prasan Firodia, Managing Director of Force Motors said the new Sports Utility vehicle will be launch shortly.
He refused to put a concrete time frame and said it will take another month for the company to ensure correctness in terms of consistency and product quality. For him, it is crucial Force is convinced about what they are going to bring out. The interaction left us with the feeling that the final niggles in the product were being ironed out before it is ready to sail into the market.
Mr Firodia confirmed that his company’ SUV will be strapped with a Mercedes Benz C250-derived CRDI engine. Perhaps this is the stand-out feature in 10-12 lakh rupee vehicle that will encounter formidable competitors like the Mahindra Scorpio and Tata Safari. The new SUV needs to strike the right chords as the company is interested in voyaging into the passenger vehicles space with a standalone dealer network.
On the occasion, Maruti Suzuki India Chief General Manager (Marketing) Shashank Srivastava said it was a proud moment for the company. The Japanese tall boy has done extremely well in India holding its position in the top three best selling cars consistently over the years. The new Wagon R is a key growth driver for Maruti Suzuki second only to the Alto, which amazingly clocks two times the former’ numbers.
The latest generation model drove in last year with the 1.0-liter K Series engines and more recently CNG and LPG variants joined the ranks. With the introduction of the Chevrolet Beat diesel and the drastic increase in petrol prices, can one expect Maruti Wagon R customers to walk into GM showrooms, if not to buy, at least to get a glimpse or test drive the Beat diesel? Maruti sells roughly 15k WagonRs every month in India.
