We had brought you news about Mahindra planning to launch a facelifted Xylo MPV soon. Mahindra & Mahindra has announced that the Xylo would be getting the Micro-hybrid technology and we expect Mahindra to offer the Micro-hybrid on the new facelifted Xyloby the end of 2010.

Micro-hybrid is nothing but Mahindra’s trade name for the Start-Stop system. The system would automatically turn the engine off if it idles for too long say at a traffic signal. The system automatically fires the engine back to life once there is a slight dab on the throttle. This system is a boon inside the city where lots of fuel is wasted idling away at signals and the system reduces the fuel consumption of the vehicle considerably.

Pawan Goenka, President, Mahindra & Mahindra -

We plan to launch the Xylo micro-hybrid before the end of the year. There are about 50,000 micro-hybrid vehicles from the M&M stable plying on the roads now.

The Xylo has been criticized for its ugly looks and poor handling. Mahindra would be looking to freshen up the looks of the Xylo by giving a new radiator grille with its signature ‘walrus tooth’ center and revised headlamps. The interiors also could be freshened up a bit. There could be a few minor technical modifications apart from the micro-hybrid addition.

The micro-hybrid feature could also be extended to the shortened 5-seater Xylo which we are expecting would hit the market by mid-2011.

Source: NDTV

Mahindra and Mahindra is planning to launch a face lifted version of its Xylo MPV, by the end of this year reports the July 1st issue of Auto Bild Magazine. The facelifted Xylo should be in the market somewhere close to December 2010.

Mahindra has mainly concentrated on improving the looks of the Xylo, which has drawn major criticism and flak. The Xylo will be embellished with a new radiator grille, with the trademark centre walrus tooth, a bonnet with smoother lines and headlamps with black surrounds.

The interiors will be given a splash of freshness and will have slightly better quality and feel to it.

The Xylo face lift could also receive updates to the technical aspects of the vehicle such as the improved brakes and the suspension. We certainly hope that Mahindra does something to fix the Xylo’s scary bodyroll, in order to lend the vehicle with a sense of stability.

With the Xylo facelift, Mahindra definitely has a chance to sort out the issues that have been plaguing the Xylo and make it a better engineered product. But my question is, are they willing to make use of this chance or should we wait for the next gen model to see major improvement?

Source – Auto Bild

The Honda CR-V is a huge hit in the United States. Such is this smash hit that Honda is afraid to change anything in the car, and hence made some mild and unnoticeable changes and calls it the “new Honda CR-V.”

You need a trained eye to spot the differences. The honeycomb grille replaces the horizontal slabs, a reshaped bumper and new fog lamp housing are additional changes. Under the hood, the goods are the same. On the inside, you can expect some extra gadgetry but the well laid out dash and furniture would not get the nix this time.

The “new” CR-V will be announced at the 2010 Frankfurt Motor Show that starts next month.

The refreshed Honda CR-V with new bumpers and grille has been set afloat in the Italian market. Dubbed the CR-V Action Sky and CR-V Action Trend, the new variants feature nothing more than new bumpers and the fog lights pushed a little back has these two parallel plastic slabs that look like an afterthought to me.

Level of equipment has gone slightly up and the addition is worthy of mention. A new radar system mounted up front judges if the car is going to collide with an obstruction in front and brakes automatically. This system is similar to Mercedes Benz‘s Distronic Plus system which has saved innumerable lives.

The debate of the automatic braking system subtracting driver involvement is beyond the scope of this blog post.

The face of the Honda CR-V can suitably be described as being similar to a white’s tree frog post this minor cosmetic surgery.

Source – Auto Italy

2010 Honda CR-V Image Gallery

There’s nothing worthy in this car for it to be a Limited Edition. The new Chevrolet Aveo which will reach India in the year has found relief in the form of visual enhancements in France.

The addition do not elevate the Chevrolet‘s performance or handling, it merely does the job of filling up ad space in the local newspapers with the word new as a heading in capital letters.

The Limited Edition Chevrolet Aveo Sport gets

• body kit
• front and rear and the side skirts
• 15 inch rims light alloy and rear spoiler
• Sport badge

Source- Le Blog Auto

the slideshow above will take a moment or two to load. If you want to view it sooner, visit the Honda Civic Facelift Gallery directly

No.. We’re not joking or displaying the wrong set of Images! One has to observe very closely indeed to notice the changes that have gone into the new Honda Civic facelift – launched in Malaysia.

The “recession facelift” as our friend over at paultan.org calls it, happens to be a cost cutting measure to improve the sales of the existing over-engineered Honda Civic. That’s what we call “a facelift for facelift sake”

Honda Civic’s Facelift includes

• New front bumper that is reminiscent of the Civic Type R
• Larger grille
• Smoked Headlamps
• Diamond-shaped design for the tail lamps
• New chrome alloy wheels – 17 inch with a 10-spoke design
• Fabric seats with a new design
• More Colour options - Crystal Black Pearl, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Sparkle Gray Pearl and Bold Beige Metallic

Take a look at the High-res images above. Only then will you come to know what we are talking about.

[Source: paultan.org]

The Suzuki SX4 is sold in China as a crossover and sedan. To keep it looking fresh, Suzuki has carried out minor changes on the SX4, and the overall look and feel has not changed. The engine power and torque ratings have not been revised although the prices will be. The new Suzuki SX4 will be launched over the next few days.

Suzuki SX4 facelift Image Gallery

Suzuki SX4 facelift new features

• New alloy wheels

• Electric sunroof

• modified bumpers

• Wider range of colors

• Improved sound equipment

• new roof rack

Source- Autoblog Spain

These are photographs of a Toyota Camry with exterior changes, testing in China. This car is meant for markets such as China, Australia and probably India and will debut during the course of this year.

Facelifted Toyota Camry changes-

A new front grille that peeps out of the front profile at the center, similar to the one on the new Toyota Innova

A New front Bumper

Fresh Taillamps

New alloy wheels will have split spokes compared to plain ones on the right