Indian Autos blog

Force Motors has launched the One SUV at 10.65 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The Force One is powered by a Mercedes-sourced 2.2-liter diesel engine that outputs 141PS and 320Nm of torque. The electronics have been validated by Mercedes Benz and the suspension has been tuned by UK-based Lotus Engineering.

Here are some live images of the vehicle from the launch. Remember to keep coming back to check this page for additional images.

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Force Motors has finally launched the much awaited One SUV in Mumbai and it is priced 10.65 lakhs (ex-showroom Mumbai). There is only one variant that will be on sale. Vehicles will reach dealer showrooms on September 1st. Force has set a sales target of 4,000 vehicles in the first year.

Force Motors is positioning the One in the premium segment. The company is not interested in developing small cars or sedans. Only people carriers will continue rolling out of Force’s factories. The tagline for the SUV is “Be the Force.”

There are 22 dealers for the SUV now. An additional 22 will be added by next year.

Force Motors One fast facts, features.

• 141 PS/320 Nm with BS4 and BS5 compatibility
• Can run on deserts and high altitudes with the same zest
• Can start in -21 degrees centigrade
• Has a Dual mass flywheel
• Has a low friction gearbox high torque density
• Chassis gets CED coating, first in its class (finding out more)
• Handling also tested on British speedways; Lotus Engineering helped tune the suspension for India
• Rack and pinion steering
• 30 stage welding process for body
• Three row seating
• Armrest with cup holders in the second row
• Third row folds to generate more boot space
• Electronics validated by Mercedes Benz
• On board computer monitors 15 process
• The spare wheel is fitted under the body
• A leather wrapped steering is present
• Audio controls are placed on the steering wheel
• Each rows has dual Aircon vent
• 4×4 version hits the market by March 2012
• ABS variant will come after the 4X4

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IAB is coming to you live from the Force Motors One launch in Mumbai. We have uploaded many batches of spyshots and could win the award for the best pre-launch coverage for this SUV. The vehicle’s branding and some important specifications were shown to the media at an earlier press conference a few weeks ago.

Stalwarts in the automotive industry such as Lotus and Daimler have played important roles in Force’s first foray into the personal car segment.

Stay tuned as we get you all the information on the Force One with images and video.

Honda launched the facelift version of the Jazz today morning in Delhi here at a famous hotel. The Jazz which is a globally successful premium hatch has been selling in India since mid-2009 but could never penetrate its segment due to extremely high prices.

The car won a lot of admirers but apart from the Honda badge and the confidence that comes with it, there was nothing the competition didn’t offer.

Recently Honda, in a stock clearance sale, slashed prices of the Jazz by more than 1.5 lac so that the old car could make way for the new one. The operation was successful as it did take more than a week for the stagnating cars to vanish from showroom yards.

At the press conference today Honda representatives mentioned that they are in a state of recovery from the Japanese quakes that took lives and wiped out installations in early March. It could take them a few months for reaching normal production levels. Honda said it’s ‘better than before but not normal’.

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Honda launched the Jazz facelift today morning in New Delhi and we managed to bring you prices, features and the press release first. Following that, here are some images captured at the event.

Priced starting at 5.5 lakh rupees, the Jazz will pull petrol customers from Toyota, Maruti and Hyundai. Since a diesel engine is still out of reach, the extent of the demolition Honda Jazz will manage will be limited.

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One of TheAutomotiveIndia.com’s members have managed to sneak into a Tata Motors dealership to bring images of the Indica Vista facelift. The Vista facelift will be launched on the 22nd of this month. Tata Motors might not conduct a press conference as the new Vista is a cosmetic makeover based on its elder sister Manza.

If you look at the photographs, the changes are very evident. An adaptation of the Manza’s front end is present. The rear gets an Etios-esque band that runs along the width of the tailgate. The Tata badge in upper case sits right below logo. The naming convention has changes too with LS, VX and ZX being the new names.

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After the launch of the intense RS5, Audi India is not going easy on the brand-shapers. It wants to add a bit more of practicality into some of its track-honed products.

In 2011, the approach has been top-down for Audi India. It started the year with an expensive R8 variant, followed it up with the A7 and RS5, then the A8 and recently unleashed the A6 sedan.

The next few launches will then be a mix of low priced vehicles and bottom-end variants. The all-new Q3 and the A4 facelift are two ready examples.

What could join these two is the 2-door A5 coupe model seen testing in India. From the outside there’s not much to differentiate the A5 and the red-hot RS5. The rear diffuser, flashy alloy wheels and the rear spoiler are noticeably absent on the test mule spotted by supercar chaser Suraj Arumugam. The RS5 also features larger exhaust tips.

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In early August, Tata Motors introduced a bang for the buck 4×2 variant of the Aria Crossover which its hopes raise its game in the UV playground. Tata’s poor showing with the 4×4 model were blamed on many reasons like confused identity and high price.

The introductory media campaign showed two differently shaped vehicles colliding to form the Aria. Tata then aired videos showing its feature rich nature. The ads were very functional and did not have a sense of humor or excitement Tata ads usually contain in the hopes of going viral.

The new Ad campaign released this month is along the lines of the Tom Cruise flick Knight and Day. The rejuvenated campaign (thanks to Motoroids for the term), sticks to the old adage – Winners don’t’ do different things, they do things differently.” Showing some of its important features like the auto sensing wipers, ESP, 4X4 and ABS brakes with a knife on the driver’s throat means the viewer will watch it more carefully anticipating a thrilling finish.

That said, aren’t the baddies in pursuit driving a black Volkswagen Transporter? Will Volkswagen India show an unmarked Tata Aria driving off a cliff in their new Jetta commercial?