Hyundai has launched a fully fledged onslaught on Maruti Suzuki by introducing the Eon. This segment was thoroughly dominated by the Alto for over a decade. Even the much hyped Tata Nano couldn’t shake the Alto from this segment. But what the Nano couldn’t do, the Eon has started to achieve.
See high quality images of the Hyundai Eon
Hyundai had set a modest target of 7,000 units per month for the Eon. Despite of the fact that the Eon was launched with a petrol engine in a market where buying sentiments are dwindling, the little wonder has managed to mop up 6,315 orders. In the same month, Maruti Suzuki has posted the lowest ever sales of the Alto – just 15,197 units. Sure, a considerable amount of the Maruti Suzuki management’s attention was focused on solving the labor crisis and the production stoppage due to it.
But Hyundai isn’t getting complacent anytime soon when it comes to EON. 6,315 units is not 7,000 and hence the company is trying hard to push the sales figure.
In order to achieve the annual sales targets, Hyundai is increasing its footprint in non-metro areas to cash in on potential demand when the market recovers. The company is also planning to beef up the network of 336 dealer outlets and 150 sales branches to push sales.
Next month will be the true test of the EON as Maruti’s labor woes have come to an end and the production has started in full swing.
Will the EON further encroach on Maruti’s territory?
Launched back in 2009, the Mercedes Benz E-Class will celebrate its third birthday with cosmetic updates if Spyshots.nl is to be believed. The website is carrying photographs of an updated E-Class adorned with new LED lights on the front fascia testing on a public road. The daytime running lights are new and so is the location of the foglight.
Mercedes need not plan a comprehensive facelift for the business saloon as the more advanced, light-weight successor is preparing to head out in 2014.
The mini SUV market is going to redlining in 2012-13 with Ford, Renault, Maruti and Mahindra developing products for a launch in the near term. The Duster is widely spoken about as a perfect upgrade for a hatch owner and a logical second car for the sedan owner.
Then comes the next generation Ford EcoSport posting of which started from time immemorial. There’s wide spread speculation this week that Maruti is doing a concept SUV for an Auto Expo showcase.
Given this sudden model outburst one company that’s not new to the mini SUV game is Hyundai. Over the last few years Hyundai has showcased fascinating concepts like the Nuvis and Curb that point to a rival to the SX4 crossover and the Nissan Juke. They have shown interest in bringing compact crossovers to global markets. They have an assortment of crossovers starting with the ix20, all the way up to the ix55.
As we sit on the brink of another body style’s arrival there’s no better time to imagine what a mini SUV from Hyundai would look like. Based on the recent concepts and the jaw-dropping luxury sedans, SRK has tied in design elements from the various models to prepare this purely speculative rendering.
If Hyundai is indeed mulling such a model, say an ix25, they need to address many key issues – Where will it position this product? What engine will be used and where will it come from? Can they put it between the i20 and the Verna? Or can they move it into the space between the Verna and the Avante? The most important of them all – Is the Indian customer ready to take the mini SUV plunge?
Italian automotive website AlVolante has posted a reader spyshot of a LHD Mahindra XUV500 spotted on a highway that leads to San Marino. For the first time, the LHD version has been photographed testing.
As its name prompts, the Global SUV is heading to SAARC countries and is likely to embark on long-haul flights to countries such as Australia and South America.
According to a recent unverified media report, the XUV is fueling Mahindra’s hopes of a successful foray into Chinese and Russian markets.
Before Mahindra can plot world domination, the ridiculously high demand for the vehicle in India needs full attention. Production lines are maxing out and to regulate the demand, Mahindra’s advertisements ask customers to wait patiently for their turn and treat their fixation by taking a test drive.
At the Pune launch, for export markets, Mahindra spoke about the possibility of utilizing Ssangyong petrol engine and automatic transmission. Company officials said they may leave out the alpha-numeric XUV500 branding in other markets and stick to a more traditional name. The XUV500 was launched in South Africa a day after the Pune launch.
We now wait for Mahindra to come out with an announcement on the export plans for the XUV500.
Ever dreamt of buying a BMW? Of course, you did. Don’t have enough dough to buy the BMW X1 (cheapest BMW in India)? Worry, no more. BMW India has notified IndianAutosBlog.com that it will launch its pre-owned car business in India on the 24th of November.
This will complete the German trio in the pre owned luxury car market as Mercedes and Audi have been doing the same since a long time.
Called as the BMW Premium Selection, this program will enable you to buy BMW cars that are not more than five years old with a mileage of under 120,000 km.
Cars exceeding this criteria will not be sold through this program. There are several benefits of buying a pre-owned car straight from BMW such as:
- Warranty on a Used car
- BMW service packages
- Documented history (extremely important in luxury car business)
- 72 point check of the car to make sure it is up to the mark.
- Exchange and trade in offers
- Road side assistance
- Financing ease
The pre-owned car business is a very lucrative one for not only luxury manufacturers but also the more down to earth ones such as Maruti-Suzuki, Mahindra et al. It contributes a significant proportions of their annual revenues. Plus, there is always a peace of mind for customers as the manufacturer provides comprehensive warranty as well as checks the car thoroughly before selling.
Of course, we will get you live updates from ground zero on 24th November. In the meantime, start saving for your 3 Series!
In these turbulent times, Hyundai India may have backed out of establishing a diesel engine plant. But that doesn’t stop Renault-Nissan from increasing its foothold in India. According to Business Line, the partners will soon start their efforts to establish a diesel unit in the Oragadam plant.
The investment is expected to near to a few hundred crores with the annual capacity of 2 lakhs engines supplying to both Nissan and Renault. The capacity can be further expanded to 4 lakh engines if required.
The diesel unit couldn’t have come at a better time as the Indian auto market is experiencing a major shift in buying behavior. Majority of the population is opting in for a diesel car due to the huge difference in the petrol and diesel pricing. This diesel engine unit signifies Renault-Nissan’s commitment to the Indian market.
Nissan is looking forward to double its sales figures in 2012 and diesel cars will drive that growth. The company is looking forward to 70 dealer network in the current financial year and plans to double it by the next one.
According to the report, the company plans to showcase a diesel version of their popular sedan – the Sunny at the 2012 Auto Expo. Initially, Nissan will import the diesel engine for the Sunny from Europe and in the future the diesel plant will meet the requirement.
An epic saga has finally reached its climax. Suzuki has finally decided to part ways with Volkswagen. Yesterday, Suzuki has officially announced that it has terminated its two-year-old alliance with Volkswagen because the German czar did not honor its commitments.
Osamu Suzuki, chairman and CEO, Suzuki Motor Company said -
Today, Suzuki terminated the partnership with VW. Suzuki will be seeking the return of its shares from VW in arbitration. I am disappointed that we have to take this action but VW’s actions have left us no choice.
As the partnership is now over, Osamu wanted to buy back the 19.9% stake that the German Czar holds in Suzuki and go back to the original state as independent parties who do not restrict each other’s business. However, VW is not ready to let to let go Suzuki and has rejected efforts by Suzuki Motor Corp. to force an end to a two-year-old partnership.
The partnership was formed because VW wanted to Suzuki to help them establish a foothold in the Indian market. In return, VW promised Suzuki that it will share its technology. As the situation now stands, each company has accused the other of breaching their cooperation agreement.
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The Wuling Hong Guang, spotted testing in India earlier this year and rumored sell under a new brand next year as part of GM India’s foray into the commercial vehicles segment was caught in Europe. Besides raising questions on its price and positioning, it has confused the local and global media with clever disguise.
See spyshots of GM-Wuling Hong Guang in Bangalore
If you compare the high-position stoplight, alloy wheel design, simple shoulder line, windows and the profile of the two vehicles, doubts hovering over the identity of what others think is a ‘mystery’ MPV is laid to rest.
GM could be testing a reworked front-end sporting the Chevy bowtie. The Hong Guang’s younger sister Wuling HongTu is sold with the bowtie in Columbia as the Chevrolet N200, a model that was also seen testing in Vadodra.
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