Here’s a new twist to the V-Platform sedan’s tale. Hours before the vehicle’s unveiling in Mumbai, sources have told IndianAutosBlog.com that Nissan could use the Sunny name in India too.
While one Nissan official back in October last year told us that Nissan will not use the Sunny name the situation could have changed allowing them to run with this branding. Sunny was a registered trademark of Bajaj (remember the 50cc scooter?) while Versa belonged to Maruti Suzuki. The current status of these names are not known but how often do we see companies picking up on names that have been used by competitors in the same market?
One can argue that when one Jaguar is uber-luxury sedan another can be a bath fitting (having similar spelling and pronunciation) living in peace with each other. Given that Sunny was used on another automobile, the relationship becomes a little more complicated. Does Sunny evoke a special feeling for Nissan to miss something?
If Sunny isn’t the name, Nissan will disclose details on the actual branding and the powertrains in tomorrow’s event. IndianAutosBlog.com will be at the event to provide you with every details. Stay tuned!
Our friends over at OnCars.in have carried pictures of the Audi Q3 testing in Mumbai. Their reader Devang Panchamatiya took these images in city traffic. The powertrain of top priority is the 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel mill producing 140bhp mated to a DSG.
This is the same engine producing 170bhp on the new Passat and is expected to feature on the new Jetta later this month. Audi will position the Q3 to take on the likes of the BMW X1, Honda CR-V and Renault Koleos. Audi has confirmed the Q3 will come in early 2012. Expect it to be present during the Auto Expo.
Will you buy the Audi Q3 over a BMW X1?
Tata Motors was the first company to bring out a product measuring under 4 meters long with engine capacity below 1.5/1.2 liters (diesel/petrol). The Indigo CS is a well accepted car and the company is reportedly considering a Vista CS (sub- 4 meter Manza sedan) for a 2012 launch.
Many other models like the Indica, Nano and Indica Vista benefit from the, well, benefits for small cars.
So will Tata Motors consider tinkering the Aria for a mini MPV? When there can be a compact Xylo, why not an Aria CS?
IndianAutosBlog.com raised this issue with a senior official from the Utility Vehicles division of Tata Motors in a recent media event and this is what he said -
See why the proposition is attractive is because it is all under four meters in length and you need to have a powertrain too which is under 1.5 (liters) to avail of the excise benefits the government offers. It is primarily driven by that consideration. So not all vehicles may be adaptable completely to meet the criteria or powertrain and length. It (Aria) may possibly involve radical redesigning, not the question of platform, and practically a new product if I may call it that. It is too difficult to tell if we will exercise this option in the near term.
Tata Motors is a platform expert and is always willing to stretch, whether its imagination or the wheelbase, to bring out fantastic VFM products. The Aria being “a new breed” might not be bound to this rule!
Tata Motors is working on a petrol engine for the Aria’s export edition. At a recent media gathering, a Tata Motors official from the Utility Vehicles project replied when he was quizzed about a petrol variant -
I can’t tell you what it is. There is something going on.
Tata Motors has ruled out the possibility of fitting the 3.0-liter DICOR engine to the Aria to deduce a taxi cab variant. An official from the UV division said the three-liter variant is “currently not under consideration” for the Aria project. While the Aria will not receive fresh powertrains anytime soon, IndianAutosBlog.com has learned that the Sumo could get this or a similar DICOR engine.
It is understood that Tata Motors could also have started production and exports of the LHD model. Details are not clear of this development, but Aria could have followed the Safari into countries where it is sold.
Tata launched the Aria 4X2 this morning and IAB’s review of the vehicle is coming up shortly.
The thoroughly redesigned 2012 Toyota Camry will be officially unveiled on the 23rd of August. In four simultaneous reveals conducted in different parts of America, Toyota will mimic the new Beetle’s debut which saw multiple events around the world at the same time. The Camry is manufactured at the Georgetown plant situated in Kentucky. More than 15 million Camrys have been sold to customers worldwide in its 28-year lifetime.
The unveiling will take place at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Michigan. Toyota will show the hybrid model on the same venue. The new Camry sports fresh interiors and a smartphone infotainment interface.
The new Camry has been spied without camouflage hinting at a more squared design vocabulary. Toyota will not assemble the Camry in India will import it from Japan for a mid 2012 launch.
Has this kind of pre-launch activity surrounded any car in India?
The new Maruti Swift is leaving no record unbroken as bookings marches towards the 40k mark. This sort of an activity before a launch has never been witnessed in recent times. Tata missed the chance to do something unimaginable after the Nano made international head lines and was the talk of the town for more than a year since its Auto Expo debut.
But a change in production plant meant they had to cut back on bookings.
It has been repeatedly reported by the media that Maruti Suzuki will take Swift’s production level to 18k units a month. If this happens, the Swift will outsell the new Wagon R as well taking the No.2 spot in the internal rankings for best selling Marutis.
Make sure to see our Maruti Suzuki ZXI spyshot post. Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more on the new Swift.
By Arjun Singh Rajput
Tata Motors launched its 4X2 version of the Aria here in Delhi today morning. We all know that the Aria 4X4 did not stand up to the reputation of being the premium crossover. Sales figures were very sluggish due to the thought clash of the Indian consumer when they compared it to the likes of the Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova, mainly due to Tata’s similar brand equity and the vehicle’s overall shape.
Tata pitched this product to someone in need of decent off-road capabilities as well as luxury and technology. This was the reason why it provided features like 4X4, plush leather and brushed metal inserts on the interiors, sat-nav, auto wipers and headlamps and practically never ending list of safety and comfort features. The Aria 4X4 is a fully loaded crossover but somehow things did not go as per plan.
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Skoda will launch the much awaited Laura RS (Rally Sport) on 31st August 2011 in India. The launch is expected to unfold in Mumbai. The Laura RS is not a brand new car for India as we’ve already seen a yellow display model at the Auto Expo in New Delhi last year branded as the Octavia RS.
The RS model is available in both fuel variants but the diesel model is unlikely to make it here.
Its taken Skoda ages to bring the Laura RS to India and many of our readers ask whether this car makes any sense in today’s scenario where petrol prices have slip past 70 rupees/liter. Initially there will be a good level of demand as there are some customers who are after raw power, but past this stage what is its fate? Considering Skoda is already offering heavy discounts on the regular Laura petrol, the RS model seems to have come at least a year late.
What are your thoughts on the Laura RS?
