Indian Autos blog

CNBC TV-18 is reporting that Maruti Suzuki is set to launch its Kizashi luxury saloon into the Indian car market on the 28th of next month. The Kizashi is Suzuki’s first luxury saloon and will be Maruti Suzuki’s first ever offering in the entry level luxury saloon space.

The Kizashi will be launched with both manual and automatic transmission options, But there’s a twist. Contrary to earlier reports, Deccan Herald claims the Kizashi will not feature the 2.4-liter, inline-four, petrol powerplant pumping out 185 bhp of power and 230 Nm of torque.

It instead will be powered using a 2.0-liter petrol engine with slightly less power and torque.

Due to reasons of cost, the Indian Kizashi is most likely to be offered only in Front Wheel Drive (FWD) guise, unlike international markets where an All Wheel Drive (AWD) version is also offered. Maruti Suzuki could launch the AWD version of the Kizashi at a later date, to take on the mighty Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 AWD.

Considering the rivals (Skoda Superb, Honda Accord) awaiting the Kizashi once its launched, Maruti is considering pricing the Kizashi a bit aggressively in the 18-20 lakh price bracket, which will place the Kizashi smack bang in Skoda Superb territory. Such pricing could also give the Kizashi a leg up on its other rival, the Honda Accord.

But, will the weight of the Maruti brand rein in the Kizashi from setting sales charts on fire or will it propel it to the top of the leader board? Only time will tell.

Autocar India Editor, Hormazd Sorabjee has revealed in a tweet on his twitter page that Maruti Suzuki is set to launch the Kizashi luxury saloon in January 2011, in the Indian car market.

The Kizashi is Suzuki’s flagship model internationally and is also the most expensive Suzuki product worldwide. The Kizashi will carry the distinction of being the most expensive Suzuki product in India as well.

The Kizashi will be powered by a 2.4 litre petrol engine pumping out 185 bhp and 230 Nm, of power and torque respectively. The car is available internationally in both manual and automatic options, but we will have to wait and watch as to which transmission option is launched in India and at this point, the automatic transmission is the anticipated one. The Kizashi is also available in an All Wheel Drive (AWD) variant internationally, but it is highly unlikely that this version will be launched in India.

The Kizashi will be brought in through the Completely Built Unit (CBU) route initially, but Maruti could consider local assembly from Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits, if the sales volumes are good. The Kizashi could be priced between 17-24 lakh rupees.

It will also be interesting to see whether the Kizashi is badged as a Maruti Suzuki or simply Suzuki like Maruti Suzuki’s lone CBU offering, the Grand Vitara. The car may carry only the Suzuki badge as the Maruti badge is too closely associated with all the small car offerings from the Maruti Suzuki stable.

Autocar India Editor, Hormazd Sorabjee has posted the launch date and the ex-showroom Mumbai prices of the new Audi A8 on his twitter account. He has stated that, the car will be launched in India on the 10th of January 2011.

The first variant of the new A8 to hit Audi showrooms across the country will be the 4.2 litre FSI V8 petrol producing 367 bhp of power and 445 Nm of torque. The V8 petrol will be followed up by the 3.0 litre TDI V6 diesel producing 247 bhp of power and 550 Nm of torque.

The flagship variant of the A8 range, the 6.3 litre W12 pumping out 493 bhp of power and 625 Nm of torque will be launched in the latter part of next year.

The Ex-Showroom Mumbai prices for the new Audi A8 are:

4.2 FSI V8 Petrol – 91 lakh

3.0 TDI v6 Diesel – 76.5 lakh

The new Audi A8 will be launched in India only in the long wheelbase specification.

Overdrive has obtained the brochure cover of the soon-to-be launched K-Series Engined Maruti Alto. The car is expected to hit showrooms across the country next month.

The leaked brochure cover shows the redesigned front end of the car which has been embellished with a new horizontally slatted radiator grille with a horizontal chrome strip, redesigned headlamps and front fog lamps with a new housing for the lamps.

The K-Series Alto will be based on the current Alto’s platform and will have a larger engine bay to accommodate the bigger, more powerful 1-litre K-Series motor. The car will also feature upgraded brakes and suspension to deal with the greater power and heavier weight of the new car. The new Alto will also have 50 mm more legroom over the current car and hence will be slightly longer in length.

The K-Series Alto will also have completely refurbished interiors with a new steering wheel and gear knob. The car could borrow a lot of interior components from its bigger stablemates such as the Zen Estilo, WagonR, Swift and the Ritz.

The new Alto when launched will fill the gap currently existing in Maruti’s lineup between the 800 cc Alto Lxi and the Lx variants of the Zen Estilo and the WagonR . The new Alto will be a typically Maruti value-for-money hatchback with good fuel efficiency and low running costs and should round off Maruti’s small car portfolio for the Indian market, till the all-new next-generation Swift arrives during the first quarter of 2011.

Carwale has posted spy pics of what looks to be the new Maruti Alto fitted with the 1-litre K-Series engine which currently powers the A-Star, Zen Estilo and the new WagonR. The new Alto is expected to be launched sometime next month.

The car in the spy pics has a redesigned tail lamp, a new horizontal strip of black plastic above the now hatch- mounted numberplate and wider tyres. The car in the image also appears to be taller than the current Alto, and this could be due to the new tyres.

The car will be powered by Maruti’s K10B, 1.0-litre K-Series engine pumping out 66 bhp and 90 Nm of torque. The car will be priced in the 3-3.5 lakh price bracket and could deliver an ARAI certified fuel efficiency figure of 20 kmpl.

Ford India hopes to clear the supply backlog of its ultra-successful Figo hatchback by this month end. The company has started a second shift at its Maraimalai Nagar plant from the beginning of this month in order to clear the supply backlog and to increase its production capacity.

Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director, Ford India -

Presently, we have a backlog of about 6,000-7,000 units of Figo. We hope to deliver these by end-July.

The Figo has set Ford India’s sales chart on fire, with the company having received around 25,000 bookings since having launched the car way back in March. The commencement of the second shift at its manufacturing facility should help it clear off the backlog and put a smile on the faces of anxious owners waiting for the keys of their cars.

Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director, Ford India -

The Figo’s success has exceeded expectation in terms of sales and target markets. Our debut compact car offering is being very well received by a wide-range of customers in India. The Figo will help us to increase our marketshare in the coming days.

The second shift has also enabled Ford to expand its manufacturing capacity from 1 lakh units per annum to 1.4 lakh units per annum.

Mr. Boneham Added -

We have increased our Chennai facility’s production capacity from one lakh units to 1.40 lakh units per annum with the addition of the second shift. We are confident of catering to the demand for the Figo. The Chennai facility can manufacture up to two lakh units in three shifts per annum.

The company is now grappling with the problem of rising input costs for producing its cars and is under increasing pressure to raise the prices of its cars. However, the company will continue to maintain the current prices for its cars, until it feels that it is unable to absorb the rising costs and that some of it has to be passed on to the customer.

Fiat India is planning to re-launch its premium compact hatchback, the Fiat 500 (Cinquecento in Italian) over the coming months. The company plans to position the car more aggressively vis-a-vis its main rival the Volkswagen Beetle.

Mr. Rajeev Kapoor, CEO, Fiat India -

Retro cars with distinctive looks are a big hit and that’s what we would capture in our new campaign to be rolled out in a few months

The move of the company to re-launch the car comes on the back of the Volkswagen Beetle having done exceedingly well in the market, leaving the Fiat 500 biting the dust. Volkswagen has sold 300 units of the Beetle since its launch last November while on the other hand Fiat has only managed to sell a meager 68 units of its 500 ever since the car was launched way back in July 2008.

The company is now looking to claw its way back into the premium segment of the hatchback market by re-launching the car at a more attractive price point along with an extensive list of customization options.

Mr. Kapoor Added -

We have a clear price advantage and will play it to our customers with various options for the product

The Fiat 500 when launched in July 2008 was the first of a couple of imports which Fiat had planned to launch in the Indian car market to resurrect the Fiat brand in the country. But, the car did not meet sales expectations, mainly due to its astronomical price tag and that forced Fiat to go on the backfoot and cancel the launch of its other import, the Bravo hatchback.

Fiat will now now be looking to revive the Fiat 500 brand in the country and take the fight to the Volkswagen Beetle with its new price and marketing strategy for the car.

General Motors has begun development of an all-new compact electric car for worldwide markets. The car will be launched Internationally sometime next year and could hit Indian shores in 2012-2013. The car could be based on the Electric Networked Vehicle (EN-V) concept electric car which GM showcased in China earlier this year.

General Motors was set to launch the electric version of the Spark showcased at the Auto Expo, in collaboration with the Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) during the festive season this year, but after Mahindra announced an acquisition of 55.2 % of RECC, GM announced that it was pulling the plug on the electric Spark project and that it will go solo on its electric car plans for the Indian market.

Karl Slym, President and Managing Director, GM India to Autocar India -

The mini electric car will suit the congested traffic conditions of Indian cities, and the introduction could be within a couple of years.

Regarding the possibility of the Chevrolet Volt being launched in India, Mr. Slym said that the company was unsure whether the market for such a car existed in India and the number of customers who want to own such a car. The Volt is to be launched abroad in November this year.

GM India has lined up new variants of its existing car lineup for launch over the coming months and will start off with the launch of the LPG version of the Beat during the festive season, followed by the diesel version of the Beat in early 2011. In between these launches, the company will also introduce the upgraded Bharat Stage IV compliant Tavera. The company will also launch the Cruze Petrol and the facelifted Captiva over the next one year.