Indian Autos blog

Small cars and Maruti Suzuki have almost become to synonymous to each other. The majority of this kingpin’s business revenues come from the small car business. It all started with the Maruti 800 and now the company has a total of 8 small cars in its portfolio. Now that Maruti Suzuki has captured the Indian scenario, it is turning it eyes on Indonesia which is another booming auto market. The  [ Read More ]

Suzuki A-Star – fuel system forces recall

Joining the recall wagon is our own Maruti Suzuki and the problem is with the A-Star manufactured in India. IAB earlier carried a post in December 09 of the same problem in Netherlands (Suzuki A-Star facing lethal fuel systems).

The company has recalled about 100,000 cars manufactured between November 2008 and August 2009. It has identified a fault in the fuel pump gasket and O lining. These faults potentially cause a fuel leakage in case the fuel tank is filled to the brim beyond the auto cut off position. Yes, the sure shot way to avoid this problem is to never fill up your fuel tank to the brim, but now with the recall issued, we suggest you get the fault corrected should you get a notice from Maruti Suzuki.

The company has already sent out letters to customers who might face this problem and about 50,000 cars have been corrected since November 2009. This includes cars from India and overseas markets. That’s being very proactive and customer oriented. Kudos to Maruti Suzuki and team.

The SYM Cevalo 125cc bike could be Mahindra’s surprise exhibit at Auto Expo 2010

Stories on many blogs indicate Mahindra 2 wheelers will display the 125cc SYM Cevalo at the upcoming Auto Expo. The Cevalo will join the Rodeo, Duro and Flyte next year. With a 125cc 4 valve air-cooled engine, the Cevalo’s 15bhp power comes thanks to fuel injection technology.

Toyota will show not one, two, three or..err..ok, they’re going to bring 13 cars to the Auto Expo next year. 13! I hope they launch at least 2 of those in India next one year. Wait, they have already said the small car (EFC) and its sedan avatar will ply Indian roads by 2011. So our desire has already been fulfilled, then.

Which car does Suzuki sell in 69 countries? Which car recently touched the 100,000 mark in cumulative sales exports? Which car despite having “Star” in its name, needs discounts and offers to sell in India? Shame that countries other than India find the A-Star a fuel sipper and nippy city hatch.

The Tata Nano adds another trophy to its cabinet by booking a berth in the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York next year from February 18 to April 25. The Nano will be showcased for its innovative design and advanced technology.

Due to fluctuations in exchange rate, Honda will increase prices of its models by about one percent in January next year. Honda sells the City, Civic, CR-V, Accord, Jazz and Civic hybrid in India.

The Toyota SAI is based on the Lexus HS250h. It is meant only for Japan.

167bhp engine for Fiat Punto

For a minute you must have related the 167bhp to the higher spec Punto which Fiat is developing for India. Sadly, I’m not talking about the Indian Punto or customer. This totally pertains to the Abarth version of the Punto Evo which was shown at the Frankfurt show last month. The Abarth version of the Punto Evo will receive a 167bhp version of the Multiair engine, which is only applicable to the petrol unit. Abarth is the tuning arm of Fiat, for those in the dark.

Toyota Sai

Toyota has unveiled a new hybrid sedan christened “Sai” for the Japanese market. Toyota intends to sell 3,000 Sais monthly. It uses a 2.4-liter petrol engine producing just below 150 horsepower and 187 Nm of torque. Mated to an electric motor, powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery, an additional 140 hp and up to 270 Nm of torque is available to the wheels.

AuSTARlia – A-Star going to Africa, i20 to Australia

With the curtains coming down on the scrappage scheme in European countries, production levels in Indian manufacturing plants are not where they were before. To keep the plants operating in full swing, Suzuki is looking at exporting the A-Star to Africa, while Hyundai is looking to push the i20 down under. The companies hope both these markets will create enough demand and the production levels will be maintained higher.

A house full Geneva Motor Show 2010

Authorities charges with managing next year’s Geneva Motor Show have issued a statement that all auto manufacturers will take part in the 2010 edition of the show. This year’s shows saw a lot of absentees, and even the Japanese Motor Show that’s happening as you read this, has only two foreign brands participating. Let’s not forget Geneva is where Nissan will show the all-important next generation Micra.

Skoda’s 178bhp Fabia vRS is coming early next year

In early 2010, Skoda could introduce a 178bhp Skoda Fabia in UK. Wearing the vRS badge, this Skoda will boast of a maximum speed of 140mph. It will go from a standstill to 60mph in less than 7 seconds! Powered by a 1.4-liter ‘Twincharger’ unit, this Skoda will take its position as one of the insane variants, second only to the rally-bred Fabia S2000.

Who said the Suzuki A-Star was just for the urban commute? Two Suzuki A-Stars finished a 2,112 mile journey through New Zealand, just to prove that statement wrong. While providing a comfortable drive, the Altos scored high marks in the fuel economy department.

The first A-Star was a 5-speed manual transmission and it returned a mileage of 63.8mpg (27.12 kpl). The other car was a 4-speed automatic variant which sipped fuel and returned an average of 56.5mpg (24 kpl)

Both the cars came strapped with the 1.0-liter KB Series engine manufactured here in India.

click through to read the press release

Maruti is extremely delighted. 100,000 KB-Series engines have rolled out of its Gurgaon plant into cars in India and abroad since operations began ten months ago.

The KB Series engine powers the Ritz and the A-Star (sold in Europe as the Suzuki Alto and Nissan Pixo)

The next model to be powered by a KB-Series engine could be the Estilo, followed by the Wagon R. The company will take this as an opportunity to face lift these cars and prepare them to combat challenges posted by the Euro IV emission norms next year.

The engine is lighter, powerful and more fuel efficient than the exisiting line-up. company produces Bharat Stage-III, Bharat Stage-IV and Euro-V emission norms compliant KB-series engines.

We got the feeling the Dutch were terrible at their math, but the figure published on Auto Telegraaf has been confirmed. 10 million Suzuki Altos have found homes across the globe since the beginning in 1979. 10 million!

This is a feat by no means gentle or ordinary. How many cars have reached this stage of the game? The Suzuki Alto lives to see three decades, and the sales figures continue to grind away setting new records.

More number of Suzuki Altos are present on Indian roads than any other car. Maruti sells three generations of Altos in India under the names 800, Alto and A-Star.

click through to read the rest

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, India’s largest car maker, unveiled an all-new BS-IV compliant K12M engine at its Gurgaon plant. The 1.2L all-aluminium engine is second in the K-series and is said to have technological superiority and higher fuel efficiency over the K10B engine that powers Maruti Suzuki’s A-Star.

The K12M engine has been specifically designed for Indian applications. Maruti Suzuki’s engineers worked as part of Suzuki’s Engine Design team for the design, calibration and testing of the engine in Japan and in India. It will be put to use in the new Ritz hatchback (a.k.a Splash) which is slated for launch in May ’09.