Toyota is looking at its new small car as the driver for growth in India. The compact car, codenamed 800 L, will try to capture the fort that its competition Maruti, Hyundai and Tata Motors are fighting for.
Just like on the global front, the same competitors will try and choke them here. Ford is preparing its small car while Honda has one coming up in 2011.
The 800L has been a boon for Indian engineers who had the opportunity of working with their Japanese counterparts to make this car. Toyota believes lessons learned by Indians would be put to use in the future products that roll out locally.
Honda’s mini-Jazz will be manufactured in India and Thailand, but specifically meant for the Indian market. Just like how the Accord was designed for the Americans and the City was built for the Thai market, the new mini-Jazz will be India’s turn in Honda’s book.
Codenamed 2CV, the mini Honda car will also be built in Thailand as part of the eco-car project.
What are the needs of an average Indian car buyer?
we try to crack the code and help Honda. Click through to read more
ET reports Honda’ new small car for India would be positioned at a price point below the Jazz, in the scope of the Hyundai i20, Tata Indica Vista and Chevrolet Aveo U-VA. If you have been tuning into IAB regularly, you should have read about it a long time back.
Honda was incapable of bringing down the price of the Jazz which it hopes to launch next month, any further and could have reached this decision.
The new Honda small car will have an intense level of localization. Honda engineers will work closely with suppliers in bringing the cost down. A team of 25 headed by a Japanese official will begin work on everything from manufacturing to purchase. Honda might use its Rajasthan facility which is currently work in progress to produce upto 250,000 units per annum when fully functional.
Japanese automobile legend Toyota is getting aggressive ahead of its small car launch in India, scheduled for late next year. According to reports and sources Toyota has planned to bring in two engine choices with a 1.2 liter petrol and a 1.3 liter diesel engine.
Entry posted on February 2, 2009 by
Vibs;
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Hyundai
Korean carmaker Hyundai has made grand plans to rival Japanese car major Toyota’s iQ. The iQ is among the smallest cars you can buy off a showroom, whose concept was introduced back in 2007 at a glitzy Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007.
Sources in Hyundai have revealed the car will look simpler but will be more functional. This gives rise to doubts whether this is the small car which Hyundai will position under the Santro in India in 2011.
“It would be sort of modular and minimalist in a Citroën 2CV kind of way,” he added. That’s a big indication that yes, something simple is coming from Hyundai’s house and after knowing how Indians have received the i10, this may be another blockbuster. Chances are this car will be produced only in India, just like the i10, but that’s just a calculated guess from us here at Indian Autos Blog.
Regardless of the lethargic sales of passenger cars in India and a forecast that’s even more cloudy, Ford has announced it’s small car plans remain undisturbed.
“We have a strong plan for India, and we intend to go forward with it,” said Nigel E Warke, executive director, marketing, sales and service, Ford India.
Ford’s new small car will be based on the Verve Concept, a sub four meter, 3-door hatch shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Earlier, reports claimed this small car would be produced in Ford’s other international plants such as the one in Brazil. The car will be available in both hatchback and sedan variants, meaning a platform would be developed to derive a range of vehicles.
Entry posted on January 24, 2009 by
Dave;
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Fiat
Fiat Linea – A car that had been launched internationally two years back has finally hit the Indian market and Fiat seems to be banking on Linea sales for a complete image transformation. But when are the other Fiat models joining the troop? Does the Grande Punto have to do Linea’s job of enhancing Fiat’s reputation? All your Fiat questions answered. Read on!
As it was already reported, World’s Number 1 car maker GM’s India division has increased prices of its cars by 1-2 percent to compensate for risings costs.
“The price rises were to cover input costs and the impact of the weakening of the rupee last year”, Said Mr.P Balendran, Vice-President of General Motors India.
