Indian Autos blog

Chennai based IAB lover Raghothama Rao snapped the new Renault Koleos testing in the city. Readers were informed about the Koleos being testing around the Oragadam plant back in the first week of May. Two weeks back we were the first blog in the world to air images of the Koleos facelift from Renault’ press conference in New Delhi and today with Ragho’s images, we’ve completed the formality of showing you the same car on Indian soil.

Renault will launch the Koleos in October for a price of over 20 lakh rupees. Like the Fluence, Renault wants to offer more for less (compared to rivals). Under the new skin, a 2.0-liter diesel engine producing around 150 bhp will be mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission.

A Nissan-developed all-wheel drive will allow it to handle poorly laid and slippery roads, but don’t expect extreme off-roading capability or a short ratio box.

Sources in Renault tell us that Koleos will have plenty of electronic gadgetry and safety is taken with utmost seriousness. The CR-V beater should be loaded with ESP, emergency brake assist, programmed structural deformation, six airbags, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control. The sunroof and split-opening tailgate will enhance comfort and usability.

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Back in February 2011, Maruti Suzuki ambitiously tried to change its ‘Small Car Maker’ image by bringing in the Suzuki Kizashi in the Indian market.

Unfortunately, they weren’t really sure whether such type of product will succeed in the market. So they decided to play it safe by bringing it in CBU form which means the whole car is made in Japan and loaded on a ship which then comes to India and the car is delivered to the customer.

However, the distinct disadvantage of bringing the car in a CBU form is that the taxes jack up the prices. So Kizashi, whose top model in the US market will set you back by USD 25,000 (around 12-13 lakhs) landed in India with a price tag of 17-18 lakh rupees.

The result was that people started comparing it with other cars that cost the same money such as the Honda Accord and Skoda Superb. Maruti Suzuki aggressively tried to shape the image of the Kizashi as a ‘driver oriented’ car.

click through to read the misdirected script

Chinese auto blogs are carrying images of the new Suzuki Swift testing in China. Based on a new platform, the updated Swift could be manufactured by the Changan-Suzuki joint venture next year.

Car News China reports that it will take a while before China gets the new Swift. We’re carrying this news on IndianAutosBlog.com to inform others that we’re not the only nation waiting for the improved Swift.

Even though India’s among the leading markets for the Swift hatch and the only market that sells the sedan, it has been asked to wait for the new Swift since the European debut last year. There have been several reasons for its delay like -

1) Demand for the existing Swift is very strong and therefore they see no reason to change the car
2) RHD conversion takes a while, but that’s a silly excuse in 2011
3) Worker strike at the MSIL plant last month followed immediately by the maintenance shut down results in longer waiting period for the existing car
4) There’s no appreciable difference between the two generations
5) Swift is the best seller and the margins are better on the old model compared to the new one
6) Maruti wants to play the waiting game and spoil everyone’s party by doing something insane with the price

We hear from our sources that the new Swift could be launched in October. Will it come this time?

Update – GM China has launched the Sail facelift with a new grille, bumpers, updated interior and parking sensors.

India is expecting the Chevrolet Sail twins in 2012 in place of the Sonic twins and there’s a major development on this regard. GM China is working on giving the Sail a facelift with new bumpers, grille, updated interiors and rear parking sensors. The Sail is the first car to be developed in China in cooperation with an overseas partner. In the refreshed form, the Sail could land in India by July 2012.

The Chevrolet Sail facelift will be listed in China later this month, according to CarNewsChina.

The Sail twins are manufactured in China by the Shanghai-GM joint venture. It uses a 1.2-litre S-TEC II and a 1.4-litre S-TEC III meeting Euro IV standards. Producing 87hp and 103hp respectively, they are married to a 5-speed manual transmission.

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Since the launch of the Linea back in January 2009, we have seen Fiat India improve the Linea and launch a more powerful, fully loaded T-Jet variant. Despite these efforts and a staggering product, sales have not been all that great. In 2011, Fiat’ best performance was in January where it sold 947 units.

The new Hyundai Verna has created quite a stir in the market within weeks of its launch. Launched at an attractive price point and loaded with all the features one could possible use when driving, the Hyundai Verna has set the sales register ringing for Hyundai India.

While Hyundai delivered 4000+ units in the month of May and June, Fiat Linea had more than half of its sales figures wiped off clean.

The Verna is the new kid on the block and is basking in the joy of the honeymoon period. This will not last forever, but with 20k bookings, the Verna’s now the talk of the town and will continue to be so for a while.

Fiat India is quick to take notice of the situation and has launched marketing initiatives to increase footfalls at dealerships. By offering diesel cars for a petrol car’s cost and free fuel for buyers, Linea sales have to pickup this month and Fiat dealers will get busy.

But Fiat India will not go beyond marketing initiatives. This is what we heard today.

Fiat India’s Mumbai based spokesperson to Indian Autos Blog -

There’s no facelift for Linea or Punto this year. The lineup will be the same in 2011.

So it is official that there is no ‘Knight in the Shiny Armor’ that can save the Linea’s sales figures. As a product, it is a very potent competitor in the segment (especially the T-Jet which is my personal favorite) and by inviting customers into dealerships and providing them with an experience of the car, chances are many will fall in love with the Linea.

Is Fiat secretly planning to launch an assault in 2012 with a new Linea? What would you like to see change on the new car?

Like buying clothes small, medium, large SUVs are now available from brands who once used to think twice before making anything small. The appetite for crossovers, especially compact crossovers is catching up all over the world. People love the idea of driving a big car with the attributes such as fuel economy and maintenance similar to a small sedan or hatchback. The crossover provides the driver with an elevated seating position which inspires confidence. Female drivers are big fans of such cars.

The Volvo XC30 is one such vehicle in the new breed of compact crossovers. Measuring under 4.4 meters long (think Tata Indigo Manza) it will touch down in 2013. It will lock horns with the Mercedes GLC, Range Rover Evoque and Audi’s Q3. Automobile Magazine France notes that both 2- and 4-wheel drive will be offered on the junior who is expected to be the safest of his crop.

The XC30 will share its platform with the V30, a compact five-door model halfway between wagon and sedan for 2013. A new generation of four-cylinder, single and dual turbo engines are in development producing between 150 to 310 hp. For China, an lengthened wheelbase version is also in the works.

Volvo India tells IAB that they have no hesitation in selling such a model in India once it is available internationally.

The first on-the-road spy pictures of the Lupo (VW’s sub-Polo hatch) have already been shown to you, but what we have now is possibly the first image of the car’s interiors.

Please note that what you see here is not the Lupo. This is the Lupo’s chassis being tested and mounted with the older Polo’s sawn body shell. The exterior will not be like what you see here.

What is drawing our interest is the undisguised interior. There are some components like the AC vent and center console borrowed from the older Polo (runs in South Africa as the Polo Vivo) but the steering wheel and instrumentation is picked from the currently running Polo. Could we see a combination of the old and new Polo on the production model as well?

These images of the VW Lupo mule turned up on Auto Week Netherlands. A reader had spotted Volkswagen engineers testing the mini car. Measuring about 3.45 meters in length, the Lupo will be Volkswagen’s next act at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The build quality should echo the bigger Volkswagen’s and the easiest way to get there is use a good level of tried and tested components.

We have an idea of the basic shape of the Lupo – it will be similar to the concept car. Up front, the windows will be large hinting at an airy glasshouse. Under the hood, we’re expecting the Polo’s 1.2-liter diesel to take its position along with a small petrol engine.

Does the idea of a 4 lakh rupee Volkswagen excite you?

Let’s go to the crux of the matter. Spied for the 2,000th times, the Mahindra W201 shows a design feature exclusive to this SUV. Look at the supplementary (or faux) rear wheel arch above the actual one. The pronounced curve brushes the glass area and extends into the rear door.

Mahindra is still testing the W201 with a fair bit of camouflage but beneath the clutter is a product that is market ready. The timing for the W201′s unveiling is now at the “any day now” point. We’ve not had the fortune of seeing this car devoid of any camouflage. The combination of spy shots and Shoeb’s renderings however present us with a solid idea of what to expect.

As you can see from the spy shots, the front fascia will have inward tilting stalactites-like grille with a matt finish in some variants. The Global SUV will have projector headlamps and the tail lamps will be like a water heater. The overall profile is not a carryover of the Scorpio. The design is more rounded and the car appears a lot wider and closer to the road.

Are you waiting with bated breath for an extraordinarily new powertrain? Stop reading! The Scorpio’s mHawk engine (2.2L 138bhp/320Nm) will provide motive force to this big-size SUV backed by the same 5-speed manual gearbox.

What still remains a mystery is the price. Will Mahindra price the W201 between 12-14 lakh rupees?