And we thought that 2011 has almost come to an end for auto buffs. Boy! were we wrong. After establishing concrete plans to assemble Freelander 2 in India, Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR) is all set to storm the Indian markets. According to EconomicTimes, JLR is gearing up for end of the year onslaught by launching 2 new models.
The very first one will be the Evoque, a baby Range Rover, the second one is speculated to be the facelifted XF which was showcased at the New York Motor show.
The Evoque launch is a no brainer because recently Land Rover India updated its website with all the details of the Evoque including the brochure. Carwale predicts that the launch could happen as soon as 4th of November. The Evoque will head to India in both 3 door and 5 door versions. There are speculations that all the Evoque units that were allocated for India have been sold out till the 2012. The Evoque is all set to storm the market at a stunning price of 50 lakhs.
Mr Narendra Modi has probably taken a vow to make Gujarat the Motown of India. It started with GM setting up plant in Halol. Then happened the Tata Singur debacle in which Mr Modi saw an opportunity and grabbed it by its horns.
Tata decided to set up the Nano plant in Sanand, Gujarat. Ford and Peugeot-Citroen followed the herd and booked their land in Gujarat. Now, India’s largest auto maker, Maruti Suzuki is all set to drive in Mehsana, Gujarat.
Maruti Suzuki plans to invest a whopping 18,000 Cr in the Mehsana plant which includes 6,000 Cr for ancillary unit development. After the recent labour trouble in Manesar, Maruti Suzuki was hunting for a place with friendly government policies and labour laws. Gujarat came across as the right destination and the decision was finalized.
The company will invest in the plant is a phased manner. The first investment will be of Rs6,000 to set up a plant having capacity to produce 10 lakh cars per year. Another Rs 6000 crores would be invested to double the capacity to 20 lakh cars per year.
Additionally, Rs 6,000 crore would be invested in the third phase for the vendor park. Most of the cars produced over here will be exported to international markets through the various ports of Gujarat.
Image – Suzuki SX4 Hybrid at the Auto Expo 2010 used for illustrative purpose with no connection to the story.
Honda unveiled the new 2012 Civic earlier this year and boy were they whipped for the new design. The Civic always conjures up images of a modern, class leading sedan that is radical and an eye candy to look.
Unfortunately, the new Civic’s design was not at all impressive. Most international press gave the design a thumbs down.
Then came reports from the ‘Consumer Reports’, an organization in the US that reviews new products for the consumers, which stated that the new Civic is below par with its competitors. The organization questioned the ride, handling and performance of the new Civic. But more importantly Consumer Reports questioned the build quality (Honda’s USP) which was not at all acceptable.
After listening to the criticism and looking at the dwindling sales figures, Honda has decided to facelift the Civic a year earlier than planned. Honda was supposed to facelift the Civic in 2014, but due to excessive criticism Honda will now facelift it in 2013. It will have to address issues like the ride, build quality and design in the new facelifted model for it to succeed.
The Skoda Citigo, Skoda’s own version of the VW UP!, has been in the news lately because it is all set to go into production in Czech Republic. VW showcased the UP! at the Frankfurt motor show this year. In that press conference, VW made it pretty clear that all the sister companies will come out with their own version of the UP! for their respective markets.
A few months later, Skoda showcased the Citigo to the international automotive press. Essentially, Skoda has heavily changed the front fascia of the UP! to welcome it into the Skoda family. The rear is not that majorly changed from the UP! It uses the same engines as the UP! (1L pot churning close to 59 PS) and is of the same dimensions.
Now, Skoda has released a promotional video of the Citigo which focuses on the utility aspect of the Citigo. Sure, the car shown in the advert is a 3 door version which will not be appreciated in the Indian market. But Skoda has promised a four door version which will hit the overseas markets in 2012.
No plans of bringing the Citigo in the Indian market have been revealed by Skoda India so far.
