Did you like the exterior review of the 2012 Nano? Well then it’s time to open the door and dig deeper. Tata Motors claim that the Nano is 21% roomier than the Maruti 800. Although, that claim is hard to verify, I am pleasantly surprised at the amount of space that the Nano has to offer.
Open the door and you find the minimalistic interiors that the 2012 Tata Nano has to offer. Considering I got a top model, I had a three spoke steering wheel. The lower variants have just a 2 spoke one. Behind the steering wheel, you find the indicator and wiper stalk where they HAVE to be – right for the Indicators and left for the wiper Period!
The Nissan Leaf was handed out to journalists in a private area yesterday in Noida. The Leaf takes on this journey to eavesdrop on India’s comments at the Auto Expo 2012 and win some fans on the way. It has no plans of extending its stay as the lack of charging terminals and India’s power shortage woes has it worried.
Economies of scale
This one’s making the Micra owner blush – Same start button on Leaf!
We spent a few minutes driving the Leaf and this is what we could get.
We were invited by Nissan to be part of the “Innovation Drive” yesterday featuring the Leaf and the GT-R models beside the carlines sold in India. Nissan displays the new models at Auto Expo (you read that first on Indian Autos Blog last month). They have not made a decision on the launch any of the two vehicles. Hence don’t expect them at a Nissan dealership in the foreseeable future.
We were allowed to drive the fully-electric Leaf in a small track surrounded by traffic cones to understand the vehicle’s maneuverability, instant acceleration, on-board computer and comfort. The most impressive feature in the Leaf for any driver is the pin-drop silence in the cabin. The acceleration is shocking as 100% torque is available from 0 RPM. The Leaf squashes the myth that electric vehicles are slow and boring. More importantly it achieved a maximum 5 star rating at the EuroNCAP crash test, so its as safe as a house.
The Leaf is driven by an electric motor that generates 110 hp and 280 Nm torque. It is a C-Segment hatchback sporting a interior color scheme, similar to the Micra’s.
Mercedes Benz dealers in China are offering obscene discounts on some models, the proven tactic to show better numbers. For example, the C200 sedan retails for 292,800 yuan (24.25 lakh rupees) with the recommended price standing at a much higher 348,000 yuan (28.82 lakh rupees).
A InAutoNews report claims higher discounts on the low-end models is to compensate for the declining sales in Europe by selling more vehicles in China.
The scene is no different in rival camps. BMW is selling the 320i at a 11% discount!
VW commercial always tickle your funny bone whether they are made in India or abroad. The company is known to push the boundaries of creativity (and sometimes beyond) with their advertisements. In this new VW Up! commercial the company is mocking all things that are BIG.
The Up!, though taller than the Polo, is the smallest car in the VW portfolio. Clearly, the advert goes to great length to explain how small is the new big. Have a look.
Just when we finished reviewing the Skoda Laura vRS, we were hit by another good news from the Skoda camp. The Czech auto company has rolled off 1.5 millionth Skoda Octavia II (Laura for us Indians) from company’s main plant in Mladá Boleslav on Wednesday donning a white outfit.
For the past 15 years, the Octavia has been a brand shaper for the company not only in the Indian market but also for the international regions.
The Octavia single handedly established Skoda presence in India which was later enjoyed by siblings Fabia, Superb Yeti and Rapid.
In India, nobody knows whether the Octavia is dead or still kicking. The company’s new all-rounder sedan is called the Rapid. The Octavia II is sold as the Laura in India and is doing very well in its segment. So is it safe to assume that our beloved ‘Octavia’ has been confined to the pages of history or is there something we haven’t seen yet?
While most Japanese manufacturers like Honda and Toyota are already neck deep into different types of hybrid technologies, VW was a bit late to the party. The progress of rival companies has definitely not discouraged their efforts.
Come 2012 Detroit Motor Show, Volkswagen is going to present Jetta Hybrid which will directly compete against Toyota Prius.
The new Jetta Hybrid will reportedly be powered by 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. The car is scheduled to hit the US market in November 2012. VW wishes to take the shin away from the Toyota Prius which has been the darling of tree huggers.
Of course, the Jetta Hybrid makes little sense for India where Prius sells in single digits. However we would love to see VW bring their BlueMotion Jetta to India.
With high growth in the South East Asian markets such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, M&M has reportedly decided to establish an assembly plant in one of those countries. According to reports, the assembly plant is likely to offer products ranging from M&M’s utility vehicles to pick-ups, Ssangyong SUVs, Mahindra tractors, along with products from Chinese tractor joint ventures Jiangling & Yeuda Tractors.
Currently, M&M exports vehicles to that region and is aiming to expand to other markets in ASEAN countries.
SEA markets are important, big markets for M&M’s overseas growth and for expanding our global presence. We are at present in talks with various parties and evaluating the various possibilities for setting up base with appropriate business model.
The market size for utility vehicles and pick-ups in ASEAN markets is more than 700,000 units per annum and for tractors is more than 55,000 units. Mahindra, a specialist in both of them, cannot afford to let this opportunity walk by.
The new plant is likely to come up in next couple of years.
