BMW is betting big of green cars to drive the growth in the future. Recently, they partnered with Toyota to get access to their hybrid technology. Dust hasn’t settled yet and BMW is already in talks with General Motors to get access to their fuel cell technologies.
German weekly business magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported that the two companies plan to join forces over the development of fuel cell technology.
The talks between the two companies are in highly advanced stage according to the media report and the plan would give BMW future access to GM’s fuel cell technology and in exchange, BMW would contribute to the research costs.
Previously, BMW has developed fuel-cell version of both the 1-Series and 7-Series. However, with a dedicated ‘i’ brand in place just for green vehicles, the company is on a rampage to test new fuel saving technologies that could power the future.
With spiraling research and development cost, most companies are forced to have a joint venture that could help them ease the burden. And at the end of the day, the customer gets a value proposition that he/she could afford and enjoy.
Inset – BMW X6M from Auto Expo 2010 has no relation to the story.
The Tata Nano, once upon a time the cheapest car in the world, may not have been as successful as Tata Motors hoped for. Controversy was once its byword, politicians, environmentalists and rival car companies had complaints even before it landed in showrooms.
As the Nano waded through controversies, it was met with intense criticism as a handful of Nanos went up in flames. Despite the company reassuring customers of its robustness and offering free checkups and safety tool fitments, the Nano was not a safe car to the eyes of the general public.
Tata has managed to put that ghost to rest, but the aftermath of the disaster is giving the little wonder and its parents sleepless nights.
By Gaurav Malik and Shakti Budhiraja
The Honda City facelift was launched in New Delhi today. The facelifted version receives a handful of tweaks and each and every one of them are based on results of customer study. Bookings of the new City have begun but deliveries start only in mid-January.
After the natural calamities in Japan earlier this year production at the Noida facility slipped to 50% only to be upset again by the Thai floods. Honda then had to stop production of Jazz and Brio due to supply constraints. Honda says production of these two models will resume in February next year.
The City is not affected by the situation and components have been sourced from China and Japan to meet demand. Besides, Honda has reached a better localization level to continue production.
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Lovers of the king of the C-Segment, the Honda City, have reason to cheer as Honda SIEL today afternoon unveiled a revised version in New Delhi. Make no mistake, there are no changes under the skin and the operation is purely cosmetic.
Honda City facelift exterior additions
- New chrome grille
- Restyled front & rear bumper
- New tail lights
- 10 spoke alloys
- Improved ground clearance, now stands at 165 mm
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After reading the exterior review, I am sure you are eager to find out what’s in store inside the Rapid. Skoda India did not do enough justice to the interiors of the new Fabia. Have they done the same mistake with the Rapid? Is the interior also heavily influenced by sibling Vento?
Let’s find out:
Open the three stage doors of the Rapid and it is quite evident that Skoda India went parts-hunting in VW’s garage. A truck load of components are lifted from the Vento and the Fabia and they are quite evident at first glance.
Japanese automaker Mitsubishi has unleashed a refreshed Pajero (Montero to India) in Malaysia with mild cosmetic revisions. The front bumper and grille have been reworked to look continuous, the roof rails are redesigned, new skid plates are installed and the new 18 inch wheels, like those you see on the Tata Aria add visual oomph to the Pajero/Montero.
Interiors receive a fair share of goodies with red illumination for the dashboard, rear view camera, a display integrated into the auto-dimming mirror, electrically powered leather seats, auto leveling HID headlamps, 12-speaker 860 watt Rockford Acoustic surround sound system, auto climate control and rear AC with independent controls.
On the updated model, Mitsubishi has added brake override system that cuts power to the engine when the brake and accelerator is applied simultaneously.
The new Pajero is available in four colors – Quartz Brown Metallic, Black Mica, Cool Silver Metallic and Warm White Mica.
Ford has just notified IAB of a New Delhi press conference to be held on the 4th of January, 2012 to announce a development it isn’t willing to dwell on as yet. We all know about the 2012 EcoSport powered by the new EcoBoost engine. We even caught the product page under construction on Ford India’s website last week.
Is Ford going to display the EcoSport on the eve of the 2012 Auto Expo to prepare customers for the mini SUV segment? Its last two launches – Figo and global Fiesta – have been shown months ahead of the price announcement. The Figo was unveiled by Ford CEO Alan Mullaly in New Delhi in September 2009 and the Fiesta was previewed and displayed at the Fiesta Cafe in Delhi in April almost three months prior to the market launch.
We could witness a similar launch program for the EcoSport and many other vehicles Ford’s lined up till the mid-decade. The showcasing of a product helps Ford pickup on customer feedback and thoughts to make last minute adjustments to the product. It is able to generate a giant database of potential customers who are then sent notifications and promotional material. This prompts buyers to postpone their purchase and drives up the anticipation.
The Swift Dzire may enrage the true petrolheads with its odd ball looks and wayward handling but it certainly knows how to set the sales charts on fire. Based on the old Swift platform, the Swift Dzire was the best selling sedan for months before Maruti got entangled in the labor crisis.
But the old Swift is now history and has been replaced by an even better one. So why should the Dzire carry the old platform forward?
It comes as no surprise that Maruti is busy developing a new Swift Dzire based on the Swift but with a twist.
Maruti plans to take advantage of the sub 4 meter tax breaks to make the new Dzire more price competitive. The new Swift Dzire CS could be showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo and launched in Q1 2012 sporting a 1.2L K series Petrol Motor and 1.3L Multijet Diesel.
But don’t think that the ‘Swift 3.99′ as it is known tentatively, will have the game to itself. Two other compact sedans – Tata Manza CS and Mahindra Verito CS are also in the process of development and could see an early next year launch. Besides the Indigo CS is already present in the market.
Is this an emergence of a whole new segment and could the Swift 3.99 dominate the segment of compact sedans? What are your opinions?
BMW is betting big of green cars to drive the growth in the future. Recently, they partnered with Toyota to get access to their hybrid technology. Dust hasn’t settled yet and BMW is already in talks with General Motors to get access to their fuel cell technologies.
