Just like you, we also like exotic supercars, monstrous SUVs and offbeat concepts. But small cars have a special attachment for us as they have revolutionize the Indian automotive scene. Even globally, the trend of small superminis is catching up with developed markets like US and UK shifting their likings to hatchbacks.
Embracing the trend is Mitsubishi which will showcase its new small car Mirage at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Mirage is the production version of the Global Small Concept that was first shown in Geneva earlier this year. This B segment hatchback measures 3,710mm long, 1,665mm wide and 1490mm high and is specifically developed for the emerging markets.
Hyundai India has recently been on a roll when it comes to launches. Right from the new i10, the fluidic Verna to the mighty EON and everything in between, Hyundai has pretty much been there and done that. The company plans to continue this onslaught for the next five years.
Because of new entrants in the market, Hyundai’s share fallen to 18.3 percent from 21 percent in the past 12-18 months plans. In order to protect its share and gain some more traction, Hyundai India has decided attack is the best form of defense. Hyundai India has planned 15 launches in the next 5 years to woo the customers to the Hyundai brand. A few that we can think of are:
Of course, it will not be all sunshine for Hyundai. All the bigwigs in the industry have similar ambitions and similar plans. India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki has lined up 15-20 cars by 2015. 6-8 new models will come from General Motors, 8 from Ford by mid-decade, and 10 from Renault-Nissan.
Sure, new models will continuously pump numbers in the balance sheet. But what other areas do you think Hyundai India should work on to become the market leader?
Recently we brought you a story about the 2012 CR-V being affected by Thailand floods. Considering the floods in Thailand have pretty much brought life to a complete halt, the 2012 CR-V was bound to suffer from part shortages. Although most of the CR-V parts are sourced from the US itself, there are a few electrical components which are shipped from Thailand.
However, Honda has sent a memo to all its dealers in the US that despite of the floods, the 2012 CR-V will be launched on time.
John Mendel, executive vice president of sales, Honda North America said,
We have made significant progress in finding alternative manufacturing facilities or new suppliers for parts that are currently sourced from Thailand
The production version will debut next week at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, and it it will be available in showrooms this December.
Back home, Honda has not divulged any plans of launching the 2012 CR-V. However, the current CR-V is getting old now and is in dire need of a replacement.
On the 16 of the this month we will have a new C segment sedan batting the likes of the Honda City, Nissan Sunny, Fiat Linea et all. No prizes for guessing, it is indeed the Skoda Rapid. It is a brainchild of Skoda’s Indian subsidiary and the company is banking on the Rapid to get them the volumes the Fabia or now-defunct Citigo project didn’t.
Skoda India has created the microsite of the Rapid available to masses so that they can have a small glimpse of what’s in store.
The Rapid is based on the Vento’s platform and will be offered in the same engine options as the Vento. It will be offered in 3 variants – Active, Ambition and Elegance. Although, the pricing details are not yet known, we expect Skoda India to launch the rapid at 6.5 lakhs going all the way to 9 odd lakhs for the automatic version.
The small glimpse on Skoda India’s website is not good enough for you? Want to see the full monty? Here is a video that will give you all the details.
EVs are big business these days. Almost all manufacturers are developing EVs or have production ready EVs all set to take the market by storm. Some manufacturers such as Nissan have already started selling EVs (Nissan Leaf) despite of the infrastructure crunch in US. Stricter emission norms, rise in pollutions, fear of global warming and many other reasons contribute to the popularity of EVs.Now, India’s most popular hatchback – The [ Read More ]
Entry posted on November 8, 2011 by
Shrawan Raja;
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After not giving it a miss at two consecutive editions, officials at Ford India disclosed to IndianAutosBlog.com today that the company is making a comeback to the exposition next year. Ford is keeping mum about the exhibits of its stall but said it will show “hints” on what to expect from Ford in the coming years.
Ford could show technology like EcoBoost engines which it is evaluating for India. They did not sound interested when we talked about a concept car unveiling. They said they would like to show what is relevant to the product timeline instead of unveiling a car that previews what is many years ahead.
Ford is not willing to give away details on its future products. It has promised to place 8 new products starting with the Fiesta sedan in the market by mid-2012.
For IndianAutosBlog.com readers, it is no secret that Mercedes Benz India is mulling the introduction of the B-Klasse next year. An example is likely to be flown down to the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo following which Mercedes Benz will work out the configuration and prices.
We believe the B-Class is a stop-gap until the crossover on the MFA is ready to lock horns with the BMW X1 and Audi Q3. Considering that the X1 is a soft-roader, customers preferring the B-Class over the X1 will not miss any of the gadgetry as there’s nothing the X1 has that the B-Class doesn’t. Sure the X1 is ahead on road presence and the view of the road ahead is commanding from the elevated driving position, but how many times have we heard of a mini MPV in India?
Jaguar dealership in some parts of India are accepting bookings for the XF facelift. We spoke to the JLR dealer in Chennai who said that deliveries begin at their operations in the first week of December. IndianAutosBlog.com readers were the first to be notified of the new XF’s whereabouts in India.
The reworked XF is available at prices slightly higher than the outgoing model. Here are the variants and prices (on road, Chennai).
3.0-liter diesel – 62 lakhs
5.0-liter naturally aspirated petrol – 78 lakhs
XF-R – 5.0-liter supercharged petrol – 98 lakh
On popular demand, we have added high quality images of the XF facelift shot at the Mumbai dealership during the launch of the Range Rover Evoque.
