If you have been following IAB quite closely (and we recommend you do), you must have seen the full monty of the new Safari that we exposed to the world. However, those images only reveal the frontal portion of the new Safari Merlin. Now, thanks to Goa on Wheels, we get to see the newly designed rear of the Safari Merlin.
One can easily notice that the spare wheel on the tail gate has disappeared. Probably, it has found a new place under the body. A new chrome strip runs on the tail gate connecting the newly designed tail lamps.
See fully revealing snaps of the Tata Safari Merlin
Like the Aria, the Safari Merlin flaunts twin exhausts and a curvy profile. A small rear spoiler completes the rear profile.
Just like the front, the rear hasn’t been changed much by Tata’s designers. You can still see the hints of the old design in the new Safari. However, the underpinnings are completely different. The vehicle continues using the same 2.2-liter DICOR engine paired to an improved manual transmission. The new Safari Merlin is based on Aria’s X2 platform thus ditching the older one. There are speculations that the new Safari will use a suffix ‘Storm’. We will have to wait till the Auto Expo for confirmation on that speculation.
Do you think the Safari Merlin will fend off its arch rival Mahindra Scorpio and interest waiting list customers of the XUV500?
We were fresh off the Toyota Etios recall, and we have more recall news – Tata Motors has officially announced that it will recall all Nanos on the streets (except for the 2012 models) to replace the starter motors with the updated version fitted to the 2012 model. There were many instances of the starter motor failures in the previous Nanos and thus the company has taken this decision.
Read an in-depth review of the 2012 Tata Nano
The starter motor, as the name suggests, is responsible for kick starting the engine’s operation from dormancy. This is the second major recall for the Nano, the previous one being done to install safety protection after the ‘catching-fire’ fiasco.
The recall applies to all previous generation Nanos irrespective of date of production. The whole process of replacing the starter motor will be done free of cost. The company’s spokesperson stressed on the fact that ‘it is not a safety concern’. The operation could cost Tata Motors around 1.1 billion rupees.
So if you got a Nano, contact your dealer soon!
Maruti Suzuki has always brought something new and exciting to the Indian Auto Expo. Sure the company is clogged with orders of the new Swift due to the labour troubles which halted the production of a considerable stretch of time but its product planning team has not yielded to the pressures on the manufacturing division or the company to deliver enough cars.
But staying true to traditions, Maruti Suzuki will present the much awaited production version of the Ertiga (Are Tea Ga) MPV.
The Ertiga was showcased in concept form at the 2010 Delhi Expo. Yes, the saucy blue color and futuristic headlamps may have been replaced by humdrum, production ones, but that was pretty much expected given how the A-Star transformed from concept to a daily car.
The Ertiga promises to be a cheaper alternative for the folks considering the Innova and Xylo but have limited usage of the third row.
The Ertiga is based on an extended Ritz platform. Interestingly, it is not as big as the Innova and is targeted towards typical Indian families who have kids and grandparents living with them. It isn’t as powerful as the Innova either. The Ertiga is expected to be powered by the familiar 1.3 liter Fiat Multijet diesel engine with VGT and a 1.4L K series petrol engine. Maruti Suzuki could adopt a light weight construction thus boosting the power:tonne ratio.
The Maruti Ertiga may seem like a very innovative mini MPV but it does not have the market to its own. It will take on the Mahindra Xylo and GM’s Huang Guang MPV which will also be launched in 2012.
What are your expectation from Maruti Ertiga in terms of pricing, positioning and features? We want to know all!
Hyundai’s Brazil-specific HB (codename) hatchback nears the end of development as seen in this spyshot and an accurate rendering by our friends over at Auto Esporte. While the HA was somewhat an India-specific model, the HB is for Brazil and select South American markets.
The HB is similar in positioning to the aging Accent – acts as a bridge between the i10 and i20. The HB is aimed squarely at a person impressed by the i20′s space but does not want to settle for i10 due to budget problems.
Two other popular, but more expensive hatchbacks are i30 and Verna 5-door. Hyundai may have ruled them out because of the inability to produce these cars at the price Brazilian market expects.
Expected to grace showrooms in 2012, the HB is strapped with 1-liter and 1.6-liter petrol engines and could closely resemble the Eon in the styling department.
The HB is not the right product for India. We have to wait and see if a sedan on the next generation i10 platform for, measuring under four meters long, is introduced by Hyundai to gain a foothold in the segment run by the Dzire, Etios and Indigo.
Indian Autos Blog has left no stone unturned in cracking Tata’s next big launch. The Safari Merlin has featured constantly on our front page over the past year. Right from the first clear shots of the interior, close-up pictures of a skin-camouflaged mule, providing the recipe through listing changes in the car, airing multiple sets of spyshots as our readers couldn’t stop spotting the mule, we’ve been there, done that!
Today we have a substantial development in completing the puzzle – revealing images of the next generation Tata Safari, codenamed Merlin, from Pune clicked by our friend Shatrughan Saxena. Considering the new Safari has been spied before by friend blogs and forums, this is not a groundbreaking development.
What is however is the product looks ready for an Auto Expo unveiling. New details unearthed from the spyshots such as boomerang shaped headlamps with ribbed edge, fat chrome block between the radiator grille and hood, pushed-in front fascia, circular fog lights, chromed, indicator-embedded side mirrors and side step similar to the retiring model confirm our first prediction – the makeover is along the lines of Suzuki’s new Swift – from a distance it looks like a facelift though virtually everything is new.
click through for additional spyshot
Days after we uploaded an image of a completely unmasked REVA NXR electric vehicle from Bangalore revealing the front-end, we have a new spy pic courtesy of a Motor Vikatan reader revealing the rear.
This week Mahindra announced that the NXR is coming to the Delhi Auto Expo in January. The NXR is a two-door city hatchback powered by L-Ion batteries that helps it along for 160km on a single charge. Its top speed is similar to the Tata Nano’s.
This model lacks features such as rear wiper and extra pair of stop lights on the bumper. The model shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show had REVA written in block letters on the gray plastic slate beneath the windshield. On the revised model the Mahindra name and the brand logo are included.
Some benefits of owning a REVA NXR -
- Freedom from varying fuel prices – To hell with the petrol pump!
- Environment-conscious motorists earn karma points – Didn’t they tell you life is about feeling good?
- Some corporates provide subsidies for purchasing an electric vehicle and offer electricity (only to charge the car!) at discounted rates/free of cost
- Feeling of owning a unique set of wheels – The attraction it gains at every traffic signal gives you a taste of what Veyron owners go through!
- Lowered service cost – No oils, filters and belts to change
- Instant torque of an electric motor – Imagine an engine that has a sweet spot throughout the RPM band
- Silent, vibration-free operation provides improved passenger comfort; Music lovers will appreciate this more as the audio quality is much better
We’ll keep an eye out on how Mahindra markets this product to the Indian public that perceives electric cars as slow, dull and impractical.
Having touched upon the exteriors and the interiors, we finally place the spotlight on the driving performance of the Corolla Altis petrol AT. On the face of it, the changes to the design and interiors are not groundbreaking. But let me tell you that the mechanicals are not in the same basket.
What powers the new Toyota Corolla Altis?
The biggest change in the new Corolla Altis is the new engine. The older ZZ engine is out and in comes the 1.8L 2ZR engine with VVT-i delivering the firepower. Power has been pushed up by 7 bhp to 138 bhp @ 6,400 rpm and the engine delivers a healthy torque of 173 Nm at 4,000 rpm.
The additional power and torque has not massively altered the Corolla’s performance in a straight line. However the engine feels more responsive and the power delivery is very smooth and linear. Adequate amount of torque at lower rpm makes it very easy to drive in city traffic. The car is quick off the blocks with the 0-100km/hr sprint taking under 10 seconds.
One can easily notice that the spare wheel on the tail gate has disappeared. Probably, it has found a new place under the body. A new chrome strip runs on the tail gate connecting the newly designed tail lamps.
