At the Frankfurt Motorshow, Honda may not have garnered as many eyeballs as let’s say the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider but they did manage to bring some interesting EV technology to the show. Honda teased the ‘Honda EV’ concept which is essentially an EV concept based on the our very own Jazz.
The basic idea of the Jazz EV is to meet to meet the daily driving needs of a family within the city. As you can see from the picture, the Honda EV is made to look very futuristic with LED headlamps, a new bumper and some EV decals on the side. But the subtle traces of Jazz are still live and kicking.
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Skoda India has quietly launched new variants for the already vast Fabia range taking the number of variants to twelve. Apparently the new variants boast of no new features but are stripped down variants placed at the bottom of the variant chart.
The increase in fuel prices and automotive loan interest rates has prompted many companies to re-look their variants and prices. The Fabia range now starts with the Fabia Active which replaces the Fabia Classic in both petrol and diesel.
The Active does not have driver side airbag which the Classic did. This step has helped in shaving off three thousand rupees bringing it to Rs 4.44 lakh from the earlier 4.47 lakh. The Fabia Active diesel now starts at Rs 5.53 lakh.
The mid variants are the most hit by this move. The Fabia Ambition now does not includes airbags and starts at Rs 6.00 lakh whereas the earlier Fabia Ambient diesel sold for eight thousand rupees more. The Fabia Elegance petrol is priced at 5.84 lakh for the 1.2 L and 6.16 lakh for the 1.6 L versions.
However, the top end Fabia Elegance now gets rear wiper-washer and 15’ alloy wheels for ten thousand rupees extra. Two more variants called the Active Plus and Ambition Plus have also been added which include minor extras over the normal Active and Ambition variants like four power windows.
The Fabia which offered driver side Airbag as standard and ABS on two out of three variants now reserves these features to the top-end Elegance model. Only one out of the five variants come with these two features.
Go ahead and have a look at the new Fabia on its official website
Skoda officially unveiled the performance version of its Laura brand in Delhi yesterday badged vRS. Changes are more cosmetic than mechanical on the new addition. The engine is the same 1.8 TSI unit from the regular Laura.
The vRS version differs from the regular Laura by sporting the following features
- Sporty Alcantara leather seats with vRS signature
- 3-spoke multi function steering (no audio controls on it)
- 6 speed manual transmission
- 16’ alloy wheels
- Aerodynamic rear spoiler
- Chromed dual exhaust
- Xenon curve projector headlights with dynamic leveling and corner function
- Front fog lights and LED daytime running lamps
- 4 shades – Sprint Yellow, Race Blue, Candy White and Magic Black
The car is priced at 15.49 lakh rupees (ex showroom Delhi).
The latter part of the event took place in an open ground where the media was given an opportunity to be driven, yes, ‘driven’ in the car for about two minutes by professional racing drivers. We would have loved to get behind the wheel to experience the car first hand but due to the large number of attendees, the process would have been cumbersome.
- Skoda said that the reason they did not bring the 2.0 L version into India (European spec vRS) is because the 2.0 L runs on 95 Octane petrol which is not easily available in India. The cost of the 2.0 L would have been much higher killing the price competitiveness.
- The company has no plans to bring the vRS diesel in India which again is available in the European markets.
- The red color popular with the Octavia in India has not been brought for the time being as market research shows that consumer preferences have changed with time.
- The company is not looking for big numbers with the car as its more of a collectors item or enthusiast’s toy.
- The car carries a racing heritage and is targeted for the young performance enthusiast who wants an affordable and practical car.
The Laura vRS is not a mass market car. For those who are looking for a spirited drive under 20 lakh rupees, it fits the bill perfectly.
Mahindra is expected to launch the XUV500 either on 28th or 29th of September. Codenamed W201, spyshots show how well the car’s interior is constructed. There is a cocktail of materials and impressive color combinations that make for a neat cabin.
Mahindra went in for an alpha-numeric branding which usually is the norm on luxury brands (BMW 5 Series, Lexus GS570, etc). Talking about luxury brands, the Mercedes-powered Ssangyong Rexton and the Korando will come to India next year.
At launch 2WD and 4WD variants will be announced. Under the hood we’re expecting the 2.2-liter mHawk engine to be coupled to a 5-speed 6-speed manual transmission outputting 138bhp/320Nm.
The XUV500 will be sandwiched between the Scorpio and the Korando. It is Mahindra’s first shot at a monocoque construction and transverse layout (east-west engine arrangement).
We don’t have to wait much longer before we lay our hands on the official spec.
The launch of the Nissan Sunny is rolling as we collate information for this blog post from our Mumbai representative. The prices have been announced. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi.
Nissan Sunny XE – 5.78 lakh rupees
Nissan Sunny XL – 6.88 lakh rupees
Nissan Sunny XV – 7.68 lakh rupees
- Nissan has sold no less that 16 million units of all Sunny generations around the world
- Nissan wants to garner 8 percent of the global auto market by 2016
- It hope that 51 new models (from Nissan and luxury brand Infinity) launched by 2016 will help it get there
- About 90 new technologies will be seen on its cars by 2016
- Indian market size will be multiplied by 4, China by 2, but Nissan predicts US growth at 40 percent by 2016
- Five new models will be built in Chennai in the next few years
- By the end of 2012, there will be 100 dealers around India
- Nissan announces 24×7 roadside assistance in 1,500 cities and towns for the Sunny
- Sunny is 90% localized
- Nissan has set a target of selling 40,000 units before the end of this financial year
You can read our exhaustive coverage of the Sunny by visiting the Nissan Sunny category page which has presentation slides revealing technical information from the press briefing, brochure, video review and the drive report.
click through for brochure containing entire list of variants and features
IndianAutosBlog.com reader Sivakorn S from Thailand sent in these brochure scans of the Honda City facelift. We saw the City facelift coming in early 2011 and with the prices slashed recently, sales of the City picked up to regain first position from the VW Vento. But with another hike in petrol price, the cosmetic refreshment for the City will be welcomed with open arms.
The front-end is inspired by the Accord with horizontal slabs of chrome that will put wide smiles on Indian faces. The bumper is new as well with revised air intake and fog lamp housing. The tail lamp is redesigned with inspiration from the City concept shown at an Australian Motor Show in 2008. The rear bumper now has reflectors on the corners. The wheels have additional spokes and the communication color has changed.
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As we approach the festive season, the intensity of the buzz surrounding the 800cc Eon reaches its peak. Priced between 2.5-3 lakh rupees, the Eon will have funky styling, beige interiors and class-leading features. The 800cc war will be waged by Hyundai to see the Alto ceed the top spot to the Eon.
Hyundai, with its wide sales and service network, good reputation for building low-priced products and well-established brand strength is in the best position to challenge Maruti. But the latter, with almost three decades of experience in the Indian market, knows the Indian customer like the back of its hand.
Maruti began working on the “Made in India” small car 3-4 years back. They have prototypes testing in secret locations and soon many more will roll into public roads. One IndianAutosBlog.com reader wrote in saying he saw a blue color Maruti test mule wearing gray car cover-like camouflage in North India.
As petrol prices continue escalating to new and unimaginable heights, it will be interesting to watch if Hyundai and Maruti offer diesel engines on these toddlers. Hyundai is investing on a diesel engine plant that could be functional in 2013 while Maruti Suzuki has to rely on a 1-liter Fiat’s Multi-jet engine till they develop their own motor.
Financial Express reports that Fiat India has postponed its plans to introduce a small car to 2013-14. This comes on the heels of Fiat’s announcement to retail cars out of stand-alone dealerships operated by Tata Motors dealers who currently sell Fiat and Tata’s passenger vehicles under the same roof.
Fiat is working out a new brand strategy and will refresh the Punto and Linea next year. Earlier this year Fiat said its product portfolio will remain same in 2011. It said talks are on with the Italian headquarters to bring down a CBU model.
Fiat displayed a new Punto at the Frankfurt Motor Show but India could get the outgoing “Evo” model shown above. Similarly the Linea facelift is expected to follow as soon as one is available internationally.
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