Hyundai To Launch An Compact SUV, Now Duster Will Have A New Competetor

Auto maker Hyundai Motors is planning a compact SUV and an MPV for the Indian market in the near future.

The move is likely to bring the automaker in the SUV/crossover market which will soon witness the inclusion of the Ford Ecosport in June orJuly. With the entry into the niche market, Hyundai will go up against the dominant player, the Renault Duster.

The announcement comes at the heels of the Korean automaker’s decision to launch a car which will be placed between the successful i10 and i20 series.

Also, the MPV will be unveiled after the launch of the compact SUV. The MPV will likely face competition from Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Mahindra’s compact SUV, the Quanto.

Some reports also state that Hyundai is investing in a flexible engine plant with a 300,000 capacity, which will allow the car maker to stop importing diesel engines.

Meanwhile, the car that is supposed to be positioned between i20 and i10 is pegged to be the next iteration of the i10.

Honda Brio Amaze Diesel Spotted Again!

 The Honda Brio Amaze is just a few days away from its launch and is making a lot of news. Honda India has very high hopes with its new car and there are good chances that the new sedan will bring the former glory back to the Honda.

The Honda Brio Amaze will become the first Honda car in India to get a diesel engine and will battle it out against the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and the Chevrolet Sail Sedan. The car has been caught testing on many occasions and here is one more image of the Honda Brio Amaze compact sedan at a Honda India dealership.

The i-DTEC diesel engine that will power the Honda Brio Amaze sedan has  been developed alongside the much publicized Honda 1.6 litre EarthDreams engine that powers the UK spec Civic and CRV. The 1.5 Liter diesel engine has an all aluminium construction and is good for segment topping power output of 100 PS with the max torque figure pegged at 200 Nm. The diesel engine has an ARAI certified fuel efficiency of a staggering 25.8 Kmpl and the car seems all poised to dethrone the high selling Swift Dzire from the top of the entry level sedan segment.

The petrol variant of the Honda Brio Amaze will be powered by the same 1.2 litre i-VTEC engine. This engine is good for 90PS and will enable the Amaze to battle it out against the 1.2 litre K series equipped petrol variants of the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire.

BMW 7-Series Soon To Hit Indian Markets

BMW has launched a facelifted version of its flagship 7-Series premium sedan in Malaysia. The facelifted version of the car was unveiled globally in May 2012 and has mostly cosmetic changes both inside and outside. It is expected to arrive in the Indian market within the next few months.

Changes to the facelifted model on the outside includes new LED headlamps with corona rings, a slightly modified grille, revised front bumpers, indicators and chrome inserts in both in the front and back. Inside, there are new leather seats in the front, a Bang & Olufsen audio system as well as an optional rear seat entertainment package. BMW has now also fitted a fully digital instrument cluster.

The Malaysia-spec 7-Series will offered only in the long wheelbase version (just like India) and in three variants; the base model 730Li, 740Li and the ActiveHybrid 7L which features a 55bhp electric motor in addition to the 320bhp six-cylinder petrol mill and is their top-end model.

The India-spec 7-Series is expected to continue with the 3.0-litre diesel mill, 4.0-litre petrol, 4.8-litre petrol and the top-of-the line twin turbo 544bhp 6.0-litre V12 engine.  This new model will also feature the new BMW ECOPRO technology.

The Malaysian spec 7-Series will begin (730Li) at RM 648,800 (Rs 1.14 Crore) and the top-end ActiveHybrid 7L will cost RM 938,800 (Rs 1.6 Crore). We expect price of the Indian models to reduce as president of BMW India, Phillip Von Sahr, had announced during the launch of the facelifted X6 in November that they would begin assembling the 7-Series at their Chennai plant from this year onwards. 

--Nikhil Chandra

Nissan Micra And Sunny Automatic Variants Coming To India Soon

Plans to launch Sunny and Micra with CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) are in place and Nissan will launch them sooner than expected. Recently, Renault launched Scala with CVT in India. A CVT engine provides smooth running and at the same time helps to conserve fuel consumption to a great extent.

To help meet needs of customers in India, Nissan and Renault have jointly set up a manufacturing facility at Oragadam, near Chennai. This facility has an annual capacity of producing 4 lakh vehicles. Nissan is looking to increase number of CVT equipped vehicles sold from a current 12,000 to 20,000 units on a global basis. Nissan fans in India will be in for a treat as the brand hopes to launch an entry level Datsun sedan for Indian markets in 2014. Under the Datsun brand, Nissan will offer two small cars, one in the price range of INR 3 lakhs and the other in the range of INR 5 lakhs.

Nissan India is also improving its dealer network. Their aim is to have 300 dealerships across India by 2016.

Next Gen Honda Jazz Coming In 2014

Honda has announced that it will launch the next generation Jazz/ Fit hatchback in 2014. The Japanese automaker says that the compact cars are the future of motoring even in the SUV loving USA.

Honda has said that its global compact series (Jazz/Fit, City and new compact SUV) will constitute 1.5 million units of the six million units it plans to sell by 2017. It is currently building a new plant in Mexico to manufacture the trio to sell in the North American market as well as in countries like Brazil and Ecuador where Honda vehicles are popular.

If Honda is building a plant in Mexico to manufacture these vehicles for the North American market they obviously it sees potential for the vehicles to sell in what is traditionally considered a big-car market.

This means that we will also get the new set of vehicles as soon as they are released globally, with a set of diesel engines obviously. The City is already a money maker for Honda and the Jazz will become one, once its diesel avatar is launched. The compact SUV was unveiled at 2013 Detroit Auto Show and will be launched around the same time the Mexican factory begins operations. 

[Source: Car Advice]

Nissan Datsun To Come Under Rs 4 Lakh.

Nissan Motors is planning to launch a new entry level car under Datsun brand to tap the first time car buyers.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Chief Operating Officer of Nissan Toshiyuki Shiga said, “The car will be sold at a cost of  Rs 4 lakh and the aim is to attract those who want to buy their first car,” adding the car would appeal to the local market in India and Indonesia. (Also read: Anil Ambani: A look at the man, his career and his life)

Nissan is also planning to launch compact sports utility vehicle besides fuel-efficient continuously variable transmission (CVT) Micra and Sunny. Interestingly, this all comes in the wake of Nissan’s growth in China being hit over China-Japan conflict over ownership of some Islands.

“We are targeting 10% of Indian car market share by 2016 and has plans to increase our dealership from 95 to 300 in India,” he said.

The company is also planning to expand its capacity. Takayuki Ishida, MD and CEO at Nissan Motor India said the company is studying options of setting up the expansion plant in or outside Tamil Nadu.(Coming soon: New Skoda Octavia to hit Indian shores in 2013)

 Currently, the Franco-Japanese automotive JV Renault Nissan Automotive India plant has a total capacity of 400,000 units on three shift basis and caters to the needs of Nissan and Renault.