Indian Autos blog

You would need to have a sharp eye and a good knowledge of Skodas to crack this. The Skoda Fabia facelift is what a bunch of lazy engineers can come up with.

The facelifted model is scheduled for the release next year and its front fascia is similar except for the wider lower grille.

A similar change is anticipated to the rear bumper. Inside, the car is rumored to stay largely the same. In India, this is the car expected to come with fresh engines.

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.

The new Toyota Camry although looks much better than the older generation, is in need of a facelift as there is company in the form of new cars from VW and Skoda. The face-lift is minor- new grille, headlight, fog lamps, bumpers, mirrors and wheels. Expect the new car by the last week of July in India.

Our friend Shaun from South Africa who earlier tipped us about the Chevrolet Cruze in Port Elizabeth, stumbled on another discovery. This is a vital model if I was GM, as the Aveo isn’t performing very well.

The Chevrolet Aveo sedan with visual changes is now available to our neighbors China. It won’t be long before GM drags it into India, but significant change needs to be under the bonnet to transform it into a high-volume sedan.

Changes are minor on the Lova (known in China)- The headlamps are new, the radiator grille is a bit wider and taller, the trademark yellow bow tie has also bloated the line running across is fatter and lends it a different look. The Chevrolet Captiva SUV has a similar face.

The V-shaped front bumper is similar to the Chevrolet Cruze. The fog lamps are placed in an aluminium housing. The alloy wheels are newly designed and the wing mirrors are twin-color.

click through for gallery

These are photographs of a Toyota Camry with exterior changes, testing in China. This car is meant for markets such as China, Australia and the probably India and will debut, judging by the severity of the changes, during the course of this year.

Nissan plans to a give a much needed facelift to its ageing X-Trail SUV which is likely to be launched by Mid-2009. The new X-Trail promises to be more powerful and fresh with new interiors and exteriors compared to the existing version.

There are talks about a facelifted Fiat Palio in India by the end of next year and this is the car which will do the job of reviving Palio sales in the country, if not anything else. It’s a refreshed Palio, with a lot of changes both on the inside and the outside. If Fiat has to capitalize the attention they have grabbed with the Linea or the Grande Punto, they have to introduce this model in India before it is too late.

It is a well-known fact that massive discounts are offered on both the petrol and diesel version (the diesel version isn’t very old, remember) and the 2010 Fiat Palio could change it all as it would be an all-in-all new car. We’re also offering a word of advise for Fiat at the end of this article.

Petrol Heads in India love the Fiat brand. I’m able to see the love Indians have for Fiats. The point is, they can’t do anything about it. Only Fiat can help it’s own self by carrying out changes to the current cars and the introducing the right cars, understanding the average Indian buyer’s psychology.

Toyota has launched a refreshed Innova with new colors, exteriors, climate control, steering mounted audio controls and an in-dash CD changer. The mechanicals remain the same and this is a frantic attempt by the company to woo its customers and take some attention away from the new kid on the MPV block- The Mahindra XYLO.