I was driven to a relative’s Old Mahabalipuram Road residence here in Chennai this evening when I spotted an apple green Kia Picanto with badges covered using blue duct tape near the Sutherland building in Velachery. As there was absolutely no daylight and traffic was flowing, this was all I could capture. Worse the car was passing me in the opposite lane and a trailing Tata Ace made things very difficult.
How did I know that it was a Picanto when there’s no Kia in India, the environment was dark and I haven’t traveled to Korea? The Picanto’s step-cut front end and unmistakable front grill gave it away. My doubts were shattered as the Picanto passed me and flashing its C-Shape tail lamps.
This mule had red number plates. It was brand new. The polythene seat covers were still in tact. For those in the dark, Picanto is Kia’s i10. It used the same mechanicals but the bodywork is different. Similarly, the interiors are vastly different with the Kia having its own dashboard, steering wheel and seats. Kia uses the Morning nameplate in the Korean market.
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Looks like the Indian Government can’t stand the heat of the petrol price hikes, which is weird, but unlike the public who are unable to find a solution, the Government has found one!
The Indian Government has signed an agreement with Sweden for environment friendly projects. According to the agreement India will seek help from Sweden to run various green projects.
The automotive connect to this is that among the major projects in the pipeline, one is to construct plants that will convert city waste into Biogas which can be used to propel vehicles owned by the government. Until now corporations from 4 cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Mysore have shown interest in setting up such a plant and are waiting for finalization from the Swedish government.
One must note that the investment and payback time cycle in such a project is a long and the sole profit would be reduction in the pollution levels of the Indian metro cities. The Swedish government has refused to pilot any such project in India but has assured to provide full assistance.
It has to be noted that existing vehicles need to undergo modifications to be compatible to Biogas as a fuel.
We’ve been asking Hyundai when they will come out with the i10 LPG ever since the launch of the Indica eV2 LPG. Three hatchbacks have received LPG transplants this year – Beat, Wagon R and the Indica eV2 within months of each other.
Today Hyundai decided to put all speculation to rest by introducing the i10 BlueDrive in two flavors (Era 1.1 – 4.16 lakh, Magna 1.1 – 4.30 lakh ex-showroom prices in Delhi) with a 34 liter LPG tank.
We’re awaiting more details, stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com
Thinking of buying the Honda City? Currently, there are fabulous offers going on for this particular Honda sedan. And I am pretty sure that you would know the reason as well. Yes, Honda is planning a facelift of the new City. Nothing major changes; just a little nip and tuck here and there.
Revised chrome grille, fog lamp housing, wheels and tail lamps are changes that matter most
Now, you might think that “Obviously, the new Honda city will launch at the Auto Expo in January 2012”. Well, if such is the case, you are in for a surprise. Honda Siel India has decided to not wait until next year and are planning to launch the refreshed City in mid December.
TheEconomicTimes reports that the new City will have high levels of localization, so expect the City to get slightly cheaper. What to expect in the new City you ask? The new City will have:
- A chrome finish to the front grill
- Slight tweak to the front bumper
- Redesigned tail lamps
- Reflectors placed at the bottom of the rear bumper
- Inclusion of the ECO meter (à la Brio)
It would be very interesting if Honda manages to retain the current prices of the City while offering these new goodies. I guess we will have to wait till December to find out.
click through for Thai version facelift brochure
Do you know about a little known compact SUV called the Premier Rio? If you don’t, no need to worry as many people are yet to see a sRio on the road. Basically the Rio is a rebadged Zotye Nomad which is imported in form of CKD from China and sold in India as a Premier Rio. The idea of a compact SUV in under 5 lakhs was (and still is) a very interesting one, but Premier failed to capitalize on it and have only sold 2000 units so far.
With an outdated diesel engine, Premier chose not to enter the BS4 cities and played its game in smaller towns and cities. Premier Automobiles have rung their long lost partner Fiat to plonk the most popular diesel engine – Fiat Multijet in the Rio. This is the same engine that powers most diesel cars in India.
Maitreya Doshi, Chairman and Managing Director of Premier told EconomicTimes -
We have been in talks with Fiat for quite some time. There are a couple of vehicles in Italy right now which are being tested; once the technical integration is ready, we will enter into a component supply agreement with Fiat.
Of course, just an engine change will not work for the Rio and Premier knows it. So the company is also focusing on few improvements like better NVH and improved interiors. The company is gunning for a very conservative volume of 8,000 to 9,000 units in a year.
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Zigwheels.com has posted spyshots of the Chevrolet Sail hatchback that could replace the Aveo U-VA next year. Earlier this year IndianAutosBlog.com was the first to bring photographs a Sail sedan test mule in a parking area. This is viewed as the Aveo’s successor and likely to wear the same brand plate. The lack of a diesel engine has reduced the Aveo twins’ combined sales performance to three digits.
Globally Aveos are replaced with the Sonic twins. India may not receive Sonic until the Sail siblings settle down and generate volumes. If the Sonic is brought down, questions arise on the price and positioning. Can GM India sell two B+ segment hatchbacks?
The Sail could be positioned just above the Beat. This puts it in direct competition with the Indica Vista, Maruti Swift and Volkswagen Polo.
The Sail was developed in China for emerging markets and recently received a minor cosmetic update. General Motors has to work on the hatch to suit it to our ecosystem. It needs a diesel engine (likely the Fiat 1.3 MJD), the ground clearance has to be jacked up, suspension reworked and interiors tweaked to give GM a fighting chance in the field packed with established players.
Caught by The Car and Bike Show’s viewer Tanay Agarwal this here is an example of the compact Xylo snagged outside the Kandivali plant. Some test mules caught before did not wear full camouflage. Mahindra however is not interested in giving anything away before the launch, scheduled to take place not later than mid-2012. Compared to the seven seater, significant changes to the body work and a completely different rear are expected.
Learn everything about the mini Xylo
According to sources, the mini Xylo, codenamed U203, will launch with a 1.5-liter diesel engine producing about 70hp/160Nm. Power transfer to the rear wheels is using the same five-speed gearbox. Two rows of MPV comfort is its USP and overall length trimmed to under four meters, the compact Xylo could run shoulders with B+ Segment hatchbacks.
The Indian market is being flooded with pickups, trikes and all kinds of commercial vehicles designed to meet every kind of operator’s need. Such vehicles are utilitarian putting function over form.
Designer Richard Tomaino has tasked design with lending a breathe of fresh air to the budget load carrier. His three-wheeler dubbed Cargo Cycle delivers goods on time and uses space efficiently. For a jam packed Mumbai street, the Cargo Cycle with an exchangeable fiber glass loading tub, the hull gait shaped to hold the goods in place during cornering and hard braking has a top speed of just 70kph.
Tomaino uses low-cost materials such as high strength tubular steel extrusions to build this vehicle. The vehicle’s saffron color connotes the pulsating harvest season of India. The wheel rims reflect the personality of the vehicle.
How did I know that it was a Picanto when there’s no Kia in India, the environment was dark and I haven’t traveled to Korea? The Picanto’s step-cut front end and unmistakable front grill gave it away. My doubts were shattered as the Picanto passed me and flashing its C-Shape tail lamps.
