Indian Autos blog

The Maruti Suzuki A-Star had a very good start in the Indian market. The car’s styling evoked a good response from the public and it has been selling well since then. But with a slew of new entrants splashing into the small car segment, segment favorites like the A-Star, Swift and Hyundai i10 all lost their charm and sales aren’t very brisk.

Hyundai has already set to work and is busy preparing the facelifted Hyundai i10. Maruti has to add some pizazz to its range. The next generation 2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift would be coming only next year and only other cars that deserves attention are the Zen Estilo and the A-Star.

The Zen Estilo is receiving few cosmetic changes now and then but it isn’t enough, is it? The only option Maruti Suzuki India has is to add spice to the A-Star so that it can attract buyers who are turned off by the Estilo.

Rumours suggest that Maruti could offer an automatic transmission on the A-Star to attract new customers, especially the fairer sex. The A-Star which sells as the Alto globally has a very efficient 4-speed auto transmission that manages 15 kmpl in the city and 24 kmpl on the highway.

The efficiency of the Maruti Suzuki A-Star Automatic could attract buyers who want hassle free driving in the city and could be a cheaper alternative to the Hyundai i10 Automatic.

The Indian market is growing rapidly and with this growth, there is bright chance for small cars with auto boxes to do well. The Nissan Micra could be offered with an automatic transmission by next year and the next generation Maruti Swift could come with an automatic transmission option.

Hyundai Motors has finally launched the refreshed Verna with an Automatic Gearbox. This is the first diesel car in its segment equipped with an auto transmission. Other changes on new Verna are purely cosmetic. The refreshed Verna is available in total of four new variants, Two Petrol – 1.6 VTVT & 1.6 SX VTVT and two diesel 1.5 CRDi VGT & 1.5 SX CRDi VGT, The VGT SX variant comes with an Auto gearbox.

Hyundai’s next launch of 2009 is said to be the Automatic transmission version of Verna. Apart from the Honda City Zxi, this will be the second car in its segment and the only diesel engined car that will be available with an Automatic Transmission.

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class has not yet made it to the Indian market, but when it does come, the prospective E-Class buyer will have the choice of buying a new E-Class, upgraded with the AMG sports pack. This new, optional package includes sporty and dynamic features, some of which are not available individually. The AMG sports package can be combined with all engine variants and all E-Class design and equipment lines.

The German car brand Porsche which is well known for its sports cars has now started production of the diesel version of its in demand SUV – The Cayenne at its Leipzig plant.

The Cayenne diesel will come with a powerful 3-litre V6 turbo diesel engine with 240 HP (176 kW) and a peak torque of 550 Newton meters (Nm). The engine is provided by group company Audi. The Cayenne diesel uses 9.3 liters per 100 kilometers and its CO2 emissions are 244 grams per kilometre.