The Telegraph has reported that Renault’s forthcoming hatchback for the B and B+ segment in India is codenamed B58. We have gone through details of the B+ hatchback on previous occasions. Here’s a round up of what we know about this elusive city car -
1) Renault’s B+ hatch sits on the V-Platform which underpins the Nissan Micra and upcoming Nissan Almera/Sunny/Global sedan
2) It will be powered by the same 1.2 3yl petrol/1.5 K9K diesel engine used on the Micra/Verito.
3) It could feature a tall boy design with the demeanor of a Suzuki WagonR (sells 12k-13k units month). Can Renault provide the Maruti buyer a stylish and more frugal alternative?
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Our reader Bairesh Raj who sent us snaps of the Hyundai Verna and Renault Fluence testing near Chennai is at it again, this time snapping the Ashok Leyland-Nissan Dost LCV testing with a container mounted on to its loading area. Bairesh left us this note to post with the spy pics -
On Saturday when I was traveling from Hosur to Chennai, I spotted this LCV on test. Though my research on the internet back home showed it was an application of the the Ashok Leyland-Nissan Dost model, people will doubt whether this is a result of a JV as not a single Nissan badge can be spotted anywhere. Nissan or AshLey, he was doing in excess of 130 kmph!
The 1.25-tonne Dost LCV will be manufactured at the Hosur facility and bear no Nissan logos. Powered by a 3-cylinder turbocharged CRDI engine, it produces 55hp. There are three variants in the offing – a base model with manual steering, a mid model with power steering and high end model richly appointed with air conditioning, power steering and dual tone interiors
The Dost platform could spawn a passenger application variant in the future.
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After the kickass discount of Rs 45,000 – Rs 55,000 offered on the City, Honda India has managed to breathe some life into City’s sales figures. Honda India said that the reason for the price cut was heavy localization due to which they were able to reduce the cost of manufacturing. Well, it seems other manufacturers are also taking a leaf out of Honda India’s book and focusing on localization.
Mercedes India is facing intense heat from BMW and Audi in the luxury market. With Audi catching fast on Mercedes, their second spot is also in an endangered situation now. Now it has been reported that the Mercedes Benz is increasingly looking at widening its portfolio of products manufactured in India to cut costs and shore up volumes.
Peter Honegg, managing director and chief executive officer of Mercedes Benz India Ltd (MBIL) said the company will assemble the well accepted M-Class in India shortly. We’re dead sure that he’s talking about the next generation model, photographs of which was released online last month. The local assembly will be part of the model changeover strategy.
In order to increase localization, Mercedes India will focus on its existing supplier base from which they source major parts for the C and E class. Currently, from the Mercedes portfolio, the C and the E class are heavily localized with Indian components making up to 40-50% of the total product.
In order to increase localization levels, the company has also invested Rs 250 crore to set up a paint shop, which would be operational by the second half of the next year.
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After gaining immense popularity in the Indian Market, Toyota has plans to introduce the Etios Liva in Brazil. This should come as no surprise to us because the Etios Liva was specifically designed for the developing countries. But Toyota doesn’t intend to export the Liva from India, instead it plans to manufacture the Liva in Brazil.
In a filing to the US Securities Exchange Commission, it is stated that Toyota will construct a vehicle plant in Sorocaba, Brazil. This plant is expected to produce the Etios small vehicle introduced in India with an annual production capacity of 70,000 units. The plant is expected to commence production in late 2012.
This will be the third plant in the world that is capable of manufacturing the Etios, the first 2 being in India itself. The demand for the vehicle is so high that Toyota India had to expand its capacity from 70,000 units to 120,000 units.
The Liva would be a perfect car for the Brazilian Auto market because it shares the same characteristics as Indian counterpart. Hopefully, Toyota will launch the Etios and Liva in other BRIC nations as well.
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Wasn’t a particularly good day to launch a hotly anticipated sedan in the market with a series of 3 blasts rocking the city the night before and then the morning filled with torrential downpour, but a work at hand is a work at hand. Ford India decided that the show must go on!
A very low key launch of a very important product of 2011 took place in the Mumbai on 14th of July – the global Fiesta was finally launched in India. We got you minute by minute updates from the launch as promised.
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As the rising fuel cost spiral the cost of ownership of petrol cars, many more manufacturers are diverting their resources towards diesel engines. Ford India officially confirmed that they will be focusing on diesel products in the future. VW also hinted that they will also be focusing on diesel cars when they chose to launch the Passat in diesel for an example to cite.
Now GM India is also betting big on the Diesel engines. With the launch of the Beat Diesel and the all new Smartech engine, General Motors India is looking to enhance its range of diesel-driven cars
GM has an annual capacity of 1.6 lakh engine units at its engine plant in Talegaon. The best part about this plant is that it can produce Diesel and Petrol engines on the same assembly line. So clearly, if required, GM India can produce 1.6 lakhs diesel engine and capacity will never be a constraint for them.
When asked about the shift of consumer behavior from Petrol the Diesel, Karl Slym, President and Managing Director, GM India said one cannot control the government’s decisions on fuel prices and they are geared up to meet any kind of demand.
The official Chevrolet Beat diesel webpage is live and published there are the features of the Beat Smartech diesel engine. You can visit our Chevrolet Beat features post to learn other aspects about the new hatchback.
Chevrolet Beat diesel features
• Advanced engine design, engineering & packaging.
• Combination of features and engine components package that provides improved performance.
• Significant improvement in NVH characteristics of the engine leading to more comfortable driving experience.
• Smart engine design and technology that provides optimum fuel efficiency in varied driving conditions.
• Higher low end torque delivery for improved driving experience in stop and go traffic conditions.
• Rigorously tested & proven in extreme Indian road and climatic conditions.
Will this ability to easily shift production from Petrol to Diesel and back be the key success factor for auto manufacturers in India in the Future?
Doing a Yatra seems to be the ‘IN’ thing these with major auto manufacturers sending their cars on a nation wide road trip. Tata Motors did it for the Nano to prove its robustness after the ‘spontaneous fire catching’ debacle, Toyota, in partnership with a media company did it for the Etios, Ford also recently sent a couple of Figos on a pan India journey.
Now another manufacturer is trying some below-the-line marketing activities to increase its brand awareness.
Hindustan Motors has sent an Ambassador and an LCV called Winner for road shows that shall cover West Bengal, Assam, Orissa and Bihar, signaling the imminent launch of new vehicles. The whole idea is to increase customer awareness about Hindustan Motors’ existing and forthcoming products.
The road show anchors and Hindustan Motors managers will make use of quizzes, lucky dips and interesting games to interact with the customers and tell them about HM’s prospective products.
Similar road shows will be launched soon in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, central and north India. Hindustan Motors is on the verge of launching two products – a pickup on the Amby platform and a sub-4 meter Amby.
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We’re racking our brains to understand what Fiat is planning to bring to India. It was reported that Fiat India’s planning to launch a CBU and a small car in India in 2012. While we know that the small car will have a 1-liter engine and will be priced under Palio, we’re not sure what the CBU is.
So we called up Fiat India and heard this from their Mumbai representative -
It’s not the Freemont . We’re looking at a (complete) Fiat product… the Fiat 500 with the Twin Air engine which won the engine of the year award is not in our business plan for 2011.
The Freemont is a rebadged Dodge Journey, a SUV produced in Mexico. Fiat India is still discussing with its HQ to bring down a product through the CBU channel perhaps next year. Now this product has to be RHD and if it is a CBU, it can’t be a family hatchback as that will most likely submarine. Fiat does not have cars like Jetta or Passat, forget a C-Class or a BMW 3 Series slayer. The portfolio is limited to compact vehicles.
The Fiat 500 comes through the CBU route but a change in powertrain will not make it a new car. Though Fiat never mentioned that their CBU product is going to be all new, we’re certain that’s what they meant. We’re going to look beyond the 500 to see what else is interesting.
One vehicle that caught our eye which we think is suitable to India even as a CBU is the Doblo. Here’s why -
1) The Doblo looks like no other vehicle on the road today. Though being an MPV, it will not be compared to Innova and that’s a start.
2) Doblo is available in the RHD form. It is being sold in the UK market.
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The Telegraph has reported that Renault’s forthcoming hatchback for the B and B+ segment in India is codenamed B58. We have gone through details of the B+ hatchback on previous occasions. Here’s a round up of what we know about this elusive city car -
