BMW India has informed IndianAutosBlog.com that it will launch the new X3 (code – F25) on the 25th of next month. IAB has already brought you information on the engines, a petrol option might not feature on the starting lineup.
The two variants India look forward to are the xDrive20d (with a 2L 184hp/380Nm mill) and xDrive30d (with a 3L 258hp/560Nm mill). BMW has taken up the launch in war footing as it was only scheduled to come sometime in September.
The event will be held in Pune during the afternoon hours in the presence of the BMW India management.
IndianAutosBlog has also learned that BMW will offer features such as start-stop technology, Dynamic Drive Control, Keyless Entry, electronic parking brake and panaromic sunroof even on the xDrive20d. The new X3 is assembled at the Chennai plant unlike the outgoing model that was fully imported.
Prices are expected to fall with the entry-level model starting at around 38 lakh rupees.
Nissan will reveal details about the Sunny’s Indian name and specifications in the next two weeks, Financial Chronicle’s online edition reports. A top official from Nissan has been quoted talking about the revealing.
If you thought there’s going to be superchargers and direct injection under the hood, you are not going to like the rest of this post.
IndianAutosBlog has learnt that a 1.6-liter petrol engine and a 1.5-liter diesel engine will provide motive force. The latter is borrowed from the Micra hatch and tuned to return better performance. The Sunny is the second car to ride of the V-Platform. A MPV is expected to follow, but a launch in India is unlikely. Instead, India will get the NV200 van next year.
The sedan will be manufactured at the Oragadam facility of the Renault-Nissan combine. Meanwhile an IndianAutosBlog.com reader who wished to stay undercover sent us two snaps of the diesel V-Platform sedan (we’re confused what to call it) testing outside Chennai. The car caught on test had black interiors and had basic equipment. The top-end variant will have beige interiors and features like alloy wheels, automatic climate control, auto folding mirrors, etc.
Sunny and Versa have been ruled out for India as the former was a 50cc scooter from Bajaj that exited production, while the latter was a rare flop from the house of Maruti Suzuki.
Will the Nissan sedan be called Almera? Will it be named March? What do you think Nissan India will call this car?
The Indian Automotive Industry is growing at a frenetic pace over the past few years. Sure, there have been slow downs and growth spurts in the course of time. But overall, we are pretty much at a higher pace than most other countries. There are several research reports that are published by various organizations that mention that India will be huge small car hub come 2015.
This frenetic pace has caught the eye of various foreign manufacturers (both luxury and utilitarian) and almost everyone wants to set up a shop in India. But, more importantly, various countries are also interested in partnering with the Indian Automotive Industry to reap the benefits. We have had talks with Korea, Taiwan and even France. Now, the land down under wants to develop strong ties with Indian manufacturers for a brighter future.
Australian government believes that strong ties between Indian and Australian manufacturers will create new export opportunities and also secure the ongoing strength of the multi-billion dollar auto industry over there. Australian Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Kim Carr is on a visit to India and is discussing various possibilities of partnerships with Indian firms.
He had meetings with Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra to build closer links between Australian innovative automotive companies and the Indian market. He also believes that with the help of the new R&D Tax Credit Legislation in Australia, Indian automotive industry can develop more vehicle design, manufacturing processes and low emission technologies in Australia which will benefit both the countries.
At the 2011 Indonesian International Motor Show, Suzuki has displayed a little green car called the Concept-G. Painted in a “Breezy Pasture Green Pearl” color, the idea is to give the mini car a eco-friendly hue.
The Concept G is the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Alto with a 660cc engine with cosmetic changes.
In its production form, the Concept G will feature a K Series petrol engine. The displacement was not disclosed, but the 3cyl 1.0-liter engine is what they mean. The Concept G is under 3.4-metres long and 1.48-metres wide.
When we quizzed Maruti Suzuki officials about the JDM Alto’s suitability in India, they said they were aware of the product but raised doubts on its positioning in India. But times are changing fast and soon the Estilo will need a successor. The Estilo is a cosmetically and mechanically reworked first generation Suzuki MR Wagon.
Don’t you think the JDM Alto is a perfect successor for the Estilo with its tall boy design?
The Mercedes GL Class is the biggest SUV that Mercedes makes and it is as big as an SUV can get. It is bigger than the ML Class and the R Class MPV so you can imagine how enormous this vehicle is. The GL Class is Mercedes’s way of saying size definitely matters.
But now that Mercedes has unwrapped the 2012 ML Class, their engineers are focusing on this big daddy. Here we have some spy pics of the 2012 Mercedes GL Class undergoing testing in Germany. Of course, the size and shape hasn’t change because if you make this thing any bigger, you might require a commercial vehicle driving license to run it.
Due to the heavy camouflage, the fine details of the facelifted front are hidden. But one can see a two bar grill and some LED garnish. The new GL Class will use the underpinnings of the new ML Class and also its design language. The camouflaged front end clearly indicates that it will look like the big brother of the 2012 ML Class.
You may have multiple engine options on the new SUV. You can have 2 engine options including a 240-horsepower V6 diesel and a brand new direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 gasoline unit delivering 302-horsepower. Some where down the line, you may see a hybrid powertrain with plug-in capability.
You can expect the Mercedes to launch this vehicle sometime in 2012. Both ML and GL Class will be assembled in India next year.
The REVA NXR was unveiled way back at the Frankfurt Motorshow in September 2009. Since then REVA has seen its ownership change hands and a rejig in the retail strategy. Mahindra’s acquisition meant the company’s objectives were re-looked including plans to import the NXR to European countries and assemble it in America.
IndianAutosBlog.com reader Bairesh Raj sent us a snap of the sturdy-looking REVA NXR testing on the Bangalore Hosur road. He left us this note -
This black REVA NXR had excellent pickup and its performance is as good as any vehicle that runs on fossil fuel. The acceleration matched me throttling in my 150cc Yamaha FZ-S. During the chase it reached a top speed of around 80kph.
REVA claims that the 2 door EV can reach a top speed of 104kph while providing a range of 160km. Unlike the current model, the next generation model gives information such as time-to-full-change, pre-heat or pre-cool the car, send you an email report on your driving habits.
In case of range anxiety, a remotely activated reserve charge will power the vehicle to the next charging point. The NXR should be launched at the Auto Expo next year.
Here’s an image of few other designs Renault considered putting into production in the Duster project. There were various different ideas as we can see from these images and one that made the cut as the Duster made the world sit up and take notice. On the right side of the screen, images show a BMW X6-like roof line was considered by designers. Traffic lights type stop lights were on their minds and so was a wider nose.
The Duster arrives in India next year sporting a 85bhp, 1.5-liter diesel engine from the Micra. Prices are rumored to start at 8 lakh rupees.
The Duster is based on the Logan platform and Renault’s French officials at a recent press conference said that two Dusters can be bought for the price of one VW Tiguan in Europe.
The slide was from the presentation “Design Development of Renault Duster” by Erde Tungaa who was part of the Duster project. Hopefully Renault can sell both 4×2 and 4×4 versions in India.
The next generation Toyota Camry is a star attraction on IAB. Spyshots, renderings, leaked footage from the dealer unveiling, tease by Mr Akio Toyoda..we’ve shown it all. As we near the official unveiling, Autoblog.com’s spy snappers caught the 2012 Camry undergoing testing wearing a production-ready body.
There are big things are in store for the redesigned Camry and there should be because Hyundai is running rings around Toyota with the new Sonata. The “best Camry so far” is almost ready to show its face to the world and it will take place during September-October 2011. Seen here is the new Camry making its way around the desert in some last minute testing.
As Autoblog points out, the nose look much sharper than recent generations, but the camouflage is doing a good job to hide what lies beneath. We don’t have to wait much longer now before we see the camou-free product. As for India, Toyota will begin selling the Camry in July-August 2012, brought through the CBU route.
