Archive for the ‘PAL-Zotye’ Category

Over 2,000 bookings for the Premier Rio

Premier’s mini SUV Rio has garnered a good response from Indian buyers

Launched back in October last year, the Premier Rio’s desirable looks has worked as the company claims it has received 2,000 bookings from its 34 dealers.

Premier’s senior official -

We will begin the vehicle’s delivery shortly. We are starting dealers in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerela, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Goa in a month’s time. We are now also looking at cities in North India as we have been getting very positive response from them through this Auto expo, and Delhi would be the first city to get one.

The Premier Rio is a rebadged Daihatsu Terios from the 90’s and is manufactured by Zoyte in China. It is brought into India as CKD and at the Pune plant, Premier fits it with a diesel engine sourced from Peugeot.

The top-end Premier Rio comes with Airbags, ABS and alloy wheels. Premier offers a three year warranty on the Rio which comes in 5 colors.

On inspection during the launch last year, we found the interiors very boring. The legroom at the rear bench was not exceptional. The external appearance and the price tag makes up for the above shortfalls.

In the future, the Rio could come with the revolutionary Fiat Multi-jet engine which promises to sweeten the package.

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Entry posted on March 8th, 2010 and filed under PAL-Zotye

Now an Electric Premier Rio named 2008 in China

The Zotye 2008 EV is four times more efficient than the petrol model

The Premier Rio, which is sold under the Zotye brand in China is about to be introduced as an Electric Vehicle. The Zotye 2008 EV will be introduced by the end of this month at a price tag of US $16,000.

The Zotye SUV is a essentially a reworked 1st generation Daihatsu Terios. It was offered in China only with a petrol engine. Premier sources the vehicle’s CKDs from China, assembles it at the Pune facility with a 1.5-liter diesel engine and markets it as the Premier Rio.

According to Zotye, the 2008 has silent operation, emits no pollutants and makes use of L-Ion battery pack which can be charged even at a household socket. The motor generates 27KW and on a single charge, the car can travel up to 300km.

The SUV can also reach a respectable top speed of 110kph. Compared to the petrol model, the EV is four to five times more economical.

Zotye is also planning to introduce this vehicle in London as the city offers many benefits for EV operators.

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Entry posted on January 28th, 2010 and filed under PAL-Zotye

Exclusive 53 up-close images of Premier Rio

Premier_Rio_blackInterior plastics are nothing to write home about; the top-end with alloys looks stylish

Here are some of the details discussed during the launch -

- Zotye began their operations in China in the year 2005

- Premier will bring more Zotye products in the future into India as CKDs

- The Rio is expected to return a fuel economy figure of 16-18kmpl

- 500 vehicles will be assembled in the company’s facility every month

- Premier is using a 1,500cc diesel engine, adopted from Peugeot, that delivers 65bhp.

- The company will sell the car in BS3 spec till the regulations come in next year, which is when it will upgrade satisfy demands.

Click through for Interior and Exterior Image slideshow

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Entry posted on October 28th, 2009 and filed under PAL-Zotye

Premier Rio Exclusive – PR + Powepoint presentation image slideshow

Premier_Rio_priceWe’re delighted Premier is bringing in a product in yet another untapped segment

Oct 28 2009

Premier launches compact SUV in India

Premier (formerly known as Premier Automobiles) India’s pioneering car maker has re-entered the Indian passenger vehicle market with a compact SUV named RiO. The Premier RiO aims to cater to the segment between mid-size passenger cart and larger utility vehicles.

The RiO seats 5 people comfortably and is powered by Premiers 1489cc turbo diesel engine based on Peugeot technology delivering close to 65BHP and a fuel efficiency of about 16 kms per litre. The vehicle, based on a Dalhatsu model, will be sourced from China through a component supply agreement with Zotye Group, the Chinese manufacturer that sells close to 100,000 units per annum of this modal from its modern plant near Shanghai, China.

Premier win assemble the RIO at its Pune plant and sell it through its dealer network in a phased roll out starting with West and South India. The Company currently has 30 dealers that it is expanding to 100 in the next 8 months thereby creating an all India network. Premier is beefing up its sales and service support and will be offering a 3 year warranty for the RIO.

click through for more details and Image Slideshow

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Entry posted on October 28th, 2009 and filed under PAL-Zotye

PAL trying to get back into the game with Rio?

daihatsu teriosWill a mini SUV get Mahindra and Tata interested to develop their own?

Premier Auto Limited (PAL) is attempting to get back in the game. Those of you who don’t remember this name, Premier Auto Limited (PAL) is the company which gave us the Premier Padmini a few years ago.

The Company plans to make a come back after 9 years with an interesting idea — to produce the Cheapest SUV in India till date.

This is set to be another ‘cheapest’ after the Tata Nano.

A Chinese four-wheeler company Zotye Auto will join hands with PAL in this new project. It is for the first time a Chinese automobile maker has tied up with an Indian company to produce a passenger car.

Zotye Auto is not a well known name. Zotye Auto will supply vehicle kits from China to Premier to be assembled at the Pune facility which has a peak annual capacity of 20,000 units.

click through to learn more

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Entry posted on October 12th, 2009 and filed under PAL-Zotye
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