Indian Autos blog

Usually, rain is associated with fun, love, colorful umbrellas, peacock dancing, hot tea (a cigarette if you’re a smoker) with some snacks sitting next to your loved one in the balcony. Kids make paper boats and youngsters take to their bikes to enjoy a splash of water on their face – these thoughts amazes and stirs one’s soul – and give a nice simper on our faces.

But when it does rain all these thoughts actually goes down the drain. What you see indeed is the opposite of what rain fraternizes in India, all the beauty love & feelings turns into traffic chaos, people abusing and fighting with each other, roads flooded and traffic stranded.

Yesterday Delhi registered 6mm rainfall and see for yourself what’s happening with DTC (world’s largest CNG bus service), 17 buses were stranded in a juncture of just 5 km, which resulted in hours of traffic jams.

Few kids lost their lives just because the water entered the school they studied in, which caused stampede.

Very very sad.

This situation is not limited to Delhi only, that’s the same in length & breath across the nation.

Why won’t the authorities lay proper roads and sort out traffic? Why are they in the list of main culprits every time there’s rain. Why can’t they allow us to purely experience the joy of a post-shower cruise along our favorite road?

if you can’t see the slideshow above, view all the images directly at the New Ford Endeavour Image Gallery

The much anticipated facelift of the Ford Endeavour was launched today at The Taj Palace New Delhi. The President and MD of Ford India Mr Michael Boneham and the Executive Director Marketing Sales and Service Mr Nigel Wark presided over the event.

Famous Macho Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty was the celebrity endorser who drove in the new Endevour on to the stage. Mr Shetty himself drives the Endeavour for many years now and is a loyal fan he claimed.

After Mr Shetty left, Mr Boneham took centre stage and started explaining the various changes that this new Endevour incorporates. Starting from the all new front grill to the side profile to the phone type rear tail lamps, a lot of effort has gone in getting the Endeavour looking better than the out going model.

The Endeavour is now available in 2 variants – 2.5L 4×2 Manual priced at 15.99lakhs and the bigger 3.0 L 4×4 Auto gearbox prices at 17.99 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. The New Endeavour is loaded with gadgets like rear mounted camera and screen, touch control for audio and MID which also acts as the GPS, a DVD player with screen for the rear passengers to name a few.

If you cannot see the slideshow above, you can view the images directly at the New Audi Q7 Image Gallery

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) today announced the launch of the Toyota FORTUNER, in India.

The internationally acclaimed FORTUNER, which offers an unmatched combination of power and luxury supported by cutting-edge technology, was unveiled in New Delhi today by Mr. Akira Okabe (Senior Managing Director, TMC), Mr. Vikram Kirloskar (Vice-Chairman, TKM), Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa (MD, TKM), Mr. Kaoru Hosokawa (Chief Engineer, TMC) and Mr. Sandeep Singh (DMD, Marketing, TKM).

Available with 5 speed manual transmission, the FORTUNER not only offers unshakeable sturdiness with high ground clearance, long wheelbase, full-time 4WD and excellent drivability on all terrains, but is also loaded with comfort features like Climate Control AC, Optitron meter, Multi-information display, steering control switches, Space-up type 3rd row seats and leather interiors.

The exquisite bodyline and sporty exteriors of FORTUNER are further accentuated by attractive roof rails, rear spoiler, side steps & bonnet scoop. The spacious and comfortable interiors give FORTUNER an unparalleled edge over other SUVs in its segment.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Akira Okabe (Senior Managing Director, TMC) said, “We are delighted to introduce Toyota FORTUNER in the Indian market. Globally, FORTUNER has already sold over 2,50,000 units in more than 60 countries since its launch in 2005. The launch of FORTUNER today is an expression of Toyota’s commitment to provide best in class quality and technology to our customers in India.”

Added Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa (Managing Director, TKM), “We’re very proud to finally bring FORTUNER to India. The sleek yet rugged FORTUNER delivers superior performance and excellent luxury for Indian customers. We would also like to thank our customers for the extremely encouraging response to the initial announcement of this launch.”

Mr. Kaoru Hosokawa (Chief Engineer, TMC) said, “Toyota’s FORTUNER is fully loaded with advanced features and has been extensively tested to suit Indian conditions. The powerful Common Rail type 3.0 L D-4D Diesel engine with Intercooler Turbocharger delivers superior power and performance.”

Mr. Sandeep Singh (DMD, Marketing, TKM) added “The SUV market in India has witnessed extensive growth due to launches in Mid/Premium SUV segment. We expect that the launch of the FORTUNER will expand the mid-SUV market in India. The FORTUNER will be very competitively priced at Rs 18.45 lakhs ex-showroom New Delhi. We will also implement a focused marketing campaign (including TV, print, magazines, hoardings, direct marketing, internet marketing and SMS) targeted at enhancing the awareness of advanced technology features amongst our Indian customers.”

The FORTUNER will be assembled in India at TKM’s plant in Bidadi.

Update 1 - The Toyota Fortuner with the 3.0-liter D-4D engine that puts out 171 PS, 343 Nm is priced at 18.45 lakh (Delhi ex-showroom price). The Fortuner comes with ABS, disc brakes and Airbags to name a few features. The colors are super white, silver mica metallic, grey mica metallic, black mica and light blue metallic.

The Fortuner comes with full time 4WD.

stay tuned for more updates, images, press release and other information

Today while driving back home, I caught a black Korean beauty on my camera. Usually, if I see a flashy new car, I instantly capture it on my camera which always lies in my glovebox.

After coming back home, I opened the file and to my surprise, it was a Hyundai Azera or Grandeur. The car had a massive road presence on the damp Delhi lanes, I was stunned by its looks. The rolling multi spoke alloys was an absolute eye feast.

Hyundai Azera is a luxury sedan manufactured and marketed globally by Hyundai Motor Company. The Azera shares its platform with Sonata, which is sold in India. Till the introduction of the Genesis sedan, it had been the flagship sedan of Hyundai outside of Korea, China, and the Middle East where the Equus or Centennial as Flagship Car.

As expected it had a Chennai registration plate, where the Hyundai is grounded in the Country. Whether it was being tested for India or not cannot be said as of now. We are not interested in speculating either.

As people here in India haven’t accepted the Sonata Transform very well, the response from our market will not be very stong. If they ever offer this beauty in India, it could be bullying the likes of A (Audi), B (BMW) & M (Mercedes) german machineries.

Car affacciando Shakti has picked out a very eagerly anticipated car in India. Shakti, in Delhi area, captured an orange car that looked very unique. Without racking his brains to identify the car, he shot this image and later during examination, he realized the catch was pretty interesting.

Shakti’s caught a Nissan Micra, which will be manufactured in India next year, probably with three engine options. We’re not sure if this is the exact same car that will come out of India, but it certainly has some differences to the Euro spec model.

For starters there are no dual fog lamps on the grill. The bumper appears to have been toned down and the car’s ground clearance, after some close observation, appears to have been raised a little higher.

More spy shots and information will come our way in the next few months, and we’ll be there to bring it for you.

Did you know? Hyundai sells a diesel version of the Getz in India ? Now, for a limited time, you can buy one for 5,09,000 lakh rupees (ex showroom Delhi). The Getz Prime diesel uses the same engine as the Verna which is good for a 100+ horses. Contact your nearest Hyundai dealer to learn about it.