The BMW 3 series is an accomplished car in its segment in India. However, pretty soon the F30 (the successor model) will replace the E90 (the older generation) in India. But something interesting caught our eye from the international automotive scene.
Here is a spyshot of the long wheelbase (LWB) version of the new F30 prepping up for its China debut. LWB version are essentially longer version of the cars with more back seat legroom. They are especially for people who like to be chauffeur driven around. They are big business in China and most manufacturers have a LWB version of their luxury cars.
The F30 seen over here is a 335Li and as one can see that it has a slightly longer rear door and expanded rear cabin to give that extra leg room over the regular 3 Series sedan. It is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six with 306 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque. It will feature other goodies also such as 8.8-inch control display, an auto start-stop system and a blind-spot awareness system. The LWB 335Li will debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April and will not be available in the United States or Europe.
However, back home, we only have an LWB version of the 7 series. The BMW 3 Series is increasingly being chauffeur-driven in India. In such a scenario, doesn’t the LWB version of the F30 makes absolute sense over here?
We have seen it under a Fiesta Body shell, we have seen it under heavy camouflage, we have seen the locked-up production model and we still want more. Ford India rocked the 2012 Auto Expo by presenting the concept version of the Ford EcoSport. Donning a cool orange metallic paint with some chrome garnish, the concept was nothing less than a show stopper on a ramp.
But our good friends at ChinaCarTimes have managed to snap two images of the production version of the Ford EcoSport. Rejoice my fellow petrolheads because the production version will remain true to the model shown at the Auto Expo. We can see the headlamps, grille and tail lamps being identical to the one we saw in New Delhi. More good news is that according to the pictures, the Ford EcoSport looks ready for production.
The Ecosport will be powered by a 1L petrol engine and a 1.5L diesel. If Ford India get the pricing right, India will witness a Compact SUV revolution on the roads. Ford India has already committed 750 crores of investment just for the EcoSport.
Three lightly camouflaged Suzuki Kizashis were spotted outside a Kansas hotel by a Carscoop reader. This time around, the cars interiors can be viewed in greater detail.
The Speedo and Tachometer are set deep, much like Alfa Romeo instrument panels. The knobs and buttons are quite well organised, but confined to the center stack.
Chevrolet’s new Spark (codenamed M300) a.k.a Chevrolet Mini was caught by an Autocar India reader, while undergoing fuel economy testing in Chennai. The new Spark, which happens to be Chevrolet‘s second car for this year following the Cruze, will be launched in the end of this year (maybe sooner).
Since a greater part of the car will be built at GM’s Talegaon facility near Pune, the new Spark/Mini will sport a more modest price tag ranging from Rs 3.5-4.5 lakhs.
The car measures 3640mm in length and will be powered by a 1.2L petrol engine. There are also talks of retaining the old Spark’s 1.0L petrol engine as well as introducing a new three-cylinder diesel variant.
Automobile Magazine France has issued a couple of close-up high quality shots of the upcoming Fiat Grande Punto test mule. I’m almost certain the changes will be hard to spot for you, a new radiator grille and bumpers are all the exterior differences on the refreshed Grande Punto slated for a year-end release.
Over to the interiors, Automobile Magazine reports the dashboard of the 2010 Grande Punto will utilize better quality materials. Under the hood, the engine will be coupled to a start-stop system which the Fiat 500 was earlier fitted with.
click through for all the images
Auto Express identifies this car as the next generation Lacetti. We believe the next generation Lacetti is the Chevrolet Cruze.
This car you see here is in fact the next generation Aveo. Built on the Gamma 2 platform, it has the same DNA as the 2010 Chevrolet Spark.
Auto Express also mentions this car would be introduced in 2010.
It has been seven long months since the 2011 Mercedes CLS was last caught testing. It was in the form of a test mule then,. Now though, some progress has been made and we are pleased to share a few pictures of the prototype version of the 2011 Mercedes Benz CLS undergoing road-tests.
The car as you can see is quite heavily camouflaged, with some kind of armour like material, so the overall shape is hard to arrive at. However, these are the first images showing the cars interiors. The seat-adjustment buttons are located on the door and are seat shaped (as in Volvo). The navigation system looks quite standard as in all new Mercs.
The new CLS four-door coupe will come out in 2010 as a 2011 model with only one intention, to teach Porsche, Aston Martin and Audi what a four-door coupe really is.
click through to see all Mercedes CLS Spy Images
Tata is now planning to launch all new Indigo, which is basically Indica with a boot, but there is quite a lot of difference this time though. The new Indigo wont merely be an Indica Vista with a boot stuck to its back but a thorough redesign to make it look more cohesive. The wheelbase will be extended and further more, it will get better engines (read Fiat engines). It is confirmed that the car will receive Fiat’s 1.4-liter petrol engine.
