Indian Autos blog

Our good friends at Oncars.in have managed to catch a camouflaged Suzuki test mule which they claim is a successor to the Maruti 800.

As we know that Maruti Suzuki is developing a small entry level hatchback that will replace the Alto F8D and the legendary Maruti 800. The car (Codenamed YE3) is expected in early December so testing should have begun by now.

Our passionate reader from Coimbatore, Mr K Balaji, mailed pictures of the mini Xylo he captured while traveling from Ooty to Coimbatore. Mahindra has used the hills of Ooty to test components and systems for high altitude behavior.

Camouflaged Genios were tested in the same location about two years ago.

The mini Xylo version Balaji has captured is the model with the Xylo facelift’s front-end. The mini Xylo is codenamed U203 (also mentioned on the notice stuck on the car’s windshield).

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It is an annual affair at Tata Motors to bring out a facelift or a special edition model of their mass market products. The Vista has been presented twice with different body paint and alloy wheels and last year went through a more comprehensive facelift program.

The more recent Manza witnessed changes to its variants, the top-end Elan with the Tyrian Wine paint job became Tata’s super sedan.

Remember back in March 2012, we brought you an exclusive scoop that GM India is all set to update the Chevrolet Spark to breathe some life into its sales figures. Well, forum member Adi K from Team-Bhp.com has proved us right!

We first sensed that GM India is going to infuse changes into the Spark when we spoke to GM India’s Vikas Jain at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. Jain said the Spark needs a look change and customers are happy with the performance. He stressed on keeping costs in check and didn’t sound very optimistic about Smartech technology for the Spark’s 1-liter motor.

It is very easy to believe that this is going to be a Audi India’s year. The company has already snatched second position in the luxury car market from Mercedes. The Ingolstadt giant has also launched 2 products in the beginning of the year – Audi TT and the all new Audi A4. The next contender to wear the four rings badge will the Q3 which incidentally will also be the first rival to BMW’s X1 – BMW India’s strongest seller.

But there is an another Audi in the pipeline. Yes, we are talking about the facelifted Audi Q5 which made its official debut at Beijing Motor show. Design wise, the all new Audi Q5 features

• Revised six-point grille
• Refreshed headlights
• Slightly updated front bumper

Mechanically, the new Audi Q5 features an electrical power steering unit instead of an hydraulic one. The chassis has been modified for increased ride comfort.

Audi India currently offers the Q5 in a myriad of petrol and diesel options. While there is no confirmation from Audi’s side, we have a very strong feeling that the new updated version of these engines will debut with the all new Q5.

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Audi is all set to launch the facelifted version of the A4 long wheelbase model in the Chinese market and spy shots of the vehicle have emerged on blogs and news websites of the Middle Kingdom.

The Audi A4L is made by the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. The BMW 3 Series long wheelbase was introduced weeks ago at the Beijing Auto Show using the F30 model and this is like a reflex action from camp Audi.

Our daily visitor Ben who spotted the mini Mahindra Xylo a few weeks back (and many others in recent years) encountered another one this past weekend.

He’s come to us with a picture of the Kia Picanto testing on the highways of Chennai. IndianAutosBlog.com readers know the Picanto’s history in Chennai. It started testing without camouflage late last year and when images of it appeared all over the internet, Hyundai-Kia quietly adorned it with camouflage.

It should come as no surprise that Mahindra has started working on a facelift for the Verito. The facelifted model has been caught on test around Chennai a few times in the last month. The reason for the facelift is simple – the Verito is growing old.

Surprisingly, despite of the outdated looks, the car has not showed decline in sales figures since Nov 2011.

Ever since Mahindra introduced the Verito, it has been able to an increasing number of buyers and were able position it among utility vehicles such as Xylo, Bolero and Scorpio.