This is part 1 of the best stories from last week in the Indian and global auto sector.
1. Honda HR-V
The Honda Vezel is now confirmed for Indonesia. The vehicle will enter Indonesian production early next year with the HR-V branding, and has its local soft launch scheduled at the IIMS 2014 in September. Based on the same platform as the new Jazz and City, the Vezel gets power from a 1.5-litre petrol engine matched to a CVT (in Japan, where it is sold exclusively). Honda will not launch the Vezel in India and is developing a cheaper alternative on the Brio platform.
2. Mercedes CLA 45 AMG, Mercedes CLA Class
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The Mercedes CLA 45 AMG was launched in India at INR 68.5 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). The compact saloon, based on the A-Class, is powered using a 2.0-liter direct-injection turbo petrol engine that presents 355 bhp and 450 Nm of torque to all four wheels. The CLA accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and hits an electronically limited top-speed of 250 km/h. Mercedes India also announced that the CLA sedan would launch in 6 months.
3. VW Fox, VW Up!
Michael Meyer, the director of VW passenger cars in India, has said that the Fox and Up! are either too big or too expensive for the sub-Polo segments. VW India's next new products would be a sub-4m SUV and sub-4m sedan, and the subsidiary is also pushing the headquarters for an engine plant to increase its localization level.
4. Next gen Toyota Innova
The second generation Toyota Innova has finally started testing. The car is expected in dealerships in 2016 and IAB learns that Toyota will explore the possibility of launching a diesel variant with an automatic transmission on the incoming Innova. Expect the successor to be priced on par with the current generation.
5. Audi A3
Production of the Audi A3 started at the company's Aurangabad CKD plant. The car will be launched on the 7th of August with a petrol and a diesel engine option. The diesel motor is the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 143 bhp and 320 Nm of torque, matched to a 6-speed S-Tronic gearbox. The petrol motor is the 1.8-liter four-cylinder TFSI engine developing 180 bhp and 250 Nm of torque matched to a 7-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic gearbox.
The A3 Sedan will also introduce a new variant nomenclature wherein the diesel will be badged ’35 TDI’ and the petrol will be badged ’40 TFSI’.
