Volkswagen has disclosed that it will showcase the third generation Beetle hatchback at the Auto Expo next year. The slightly larger Beetle, based on the new Jetta platform, was launched this year overseas.
Volkswagen has not discussed specifications or product strategy on the press release that adds the second phase of the “Think Blue” campaign that debuted with the launch of the Passat BlueMotion highlighting fuel saving and environmental-friendly initiatives is an attraction at the VW stall during the Auto Expo.
Mahindra has announced that at Auto Expo in Delhi next month, it will display Ssangyong products Rexton and Korando, an electric Verito, and the electric two-door Reva NXR. It has not used the word “launch” in the press release so we assume that this will be a preview of these future products.
The company has not attached photographs of any of the vehicles. But IAB readers have already seen Ssangyong vehicles in the form of spyshots while they were being tested and acclimatize to Indian conditions.
See spyshots of the Ssangyong Rexton
We’ll have to hold on till the unveiling ceremony for a glimpse of the new models. Mahindra had sanctioned an electric Maxximo to haul exhibition items at last year’s show. A top official recently informed IndianAutosBlog.com that integration of REVA’s electric technology into Mahindra products is underway. We recently spied a production-ready REVA-powered Gio Compact Cab EV as well.
In a press release issued this afternoon, Ford said it will preview an “all-new global product” at the Delhi Auto Expo next month. The glimpse is for a next generation product for India and other global markets. It is the second of the eight products Ford India’s promised by mid-decade. Ford has attached a tightly cropped image of the vehicle to the email.
This can be nothing but what we’ve come to know as the EcoSport. IndianAutosBlog.com readers have been writing in daily for the last three months requesting details on this hot launch. Ford India shows this car at the Auto Expo and launches it in mid-2012, according to one IAB source.
The 1.5-liter diesel engine from the global Fiesta along with an all-new, technology-packed 1-liter EcoBoost petrol engine (featuring turbocharging, variable valve timing and direct injection) are the chosen candidates to power the junior SUV, the source notes.
With Maruti Suzuki all excited about the launch of their new MPV – Ertiga at the 2012 Auto Expo and Toyota India prepping up the new Innova, Uncle Sam is cooking something that would spoil the party. After a long time, BS Motoring has snapped the GM-Wulling Hong Guang MPV undergoing tests donning the Chevrolet bowtie on its front.
Earlier this year, this same test mule was spotted in Vadodra and Bangalore which revealed most of what is in store. The Hong Guang (let’s hope it’s not called that in India) MPV can seat 7-8 people in reasonable comfort (2nd and 3rd row have flat-folding seats).
Little known fact is that the ride and handling of this MPV was done by Lotus Engineering (by-word for handling). Under the hood, GM might plonk a 1.3L SMARTECH XSDE engine which debuted in the Chevrolet Beat (in a lower capacity).
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Sure the petrol prices are sky rocketing, but that hasn’t deterred VW India from launching the petrol VW Jetta. Our mates at BSMotoring have caught the petrol version of the Jetta being tested before its launch.
The TSI label means that the Jetta will be powered by four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which delivers 160 bhp and 25.4 kgm of torque. This is the same motor that is available on the Laura Petrol which launches the Laura from 0-100 in under 9 seconds. The Jetta Petrol will compete against its sibling Laura, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and the recently upgraded Renault Fluence.
Entry level prices are expected to be below 14 lakhs. The much wanted ‘Bluemotion’ technology makes perfect sense on the Jetta petrol. We will have to wait for the Auto Expo for an official announcement.
Greek automobile blog specializing on Renault products, renaultnewsgr.blogspot.com, carries renderings of future Dacia cars such as the Duster facelift, Lodgy MPV and the all-new Logan. The Duster facelift, according to the website, arrives in 2014 with a new front. Artist drawings of a Duster-based pickup truck, low-cost Citadine and the Logan MCV facelift are also presented in the same blog post.
If there are any mechanical or electronic supplements to the facelift, it is an educated guess that it will spread to the Renault version.
Renault brings the Duster to our market in mid-2012 with the 1.5-liter CRDI engine producing 85bhp power. The RHD model manufactured at the Renault-Nissan alliance plant in Chennai also features on the list of export models.
Nissan has introduced a pair of special models of Micra in the UK market. Called Kuro and Shiro, which translate to black and white respectively, the company is trying to lend UK’s favorite hatchback a unique touch. The Kuro is finished in a new black shade while the Shiro is launched in two shades of white – Alabaster or Pearl. Both models get special edition badges on the tailgate to denoting their uniqueness.
Changes are evident the moment you see interior shots. An ivory-effect dashboard and lighter seat trim is suitable for the Indian market as well. The equipment list is bolstered with additions as heated front seats, climate control, parking space measurement and reverse parking sensor. As an optional extra, Nissan offers Nissan Connect, the company’s integrated sat-nav system for 400 quid.
The Kuro and Shiro special editions are available on the 1.2-liter naturally aspirated engine, DIG-S supercharged engine paired with manual or the CVT automatic transmissions.
Luxury car firm Rolls Royce, bowled over by the reception to its renewed range in India, is planning to add two dealers, taking the total to five, its Business Development head told reporters recently in Hyderabad. The official had flown down to inaugurate Kun Motoren, the British super-luxury brand’s new dealership in Hyderabad that is fully operational by mid-2012.
It plans to appoint one dealer in north India and the second either in central or south India. Over 200 Rolls Royce cars have been sold to customers since 2005 and the company is struggling to meet demand of the recently launched Ghost model.
