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Dzire, Civic and Innova tops 2008 JD power APEAL study

Four Maruti Suzuki models—the Swift, Swift DZire, SX4 and Wagon R—each receive awards in their respective segments. In the entry midsize segment, the newly launched Swift DZire ranks highest with a score of 802 points on a 1,000-point scale. The Swift and SX4 each rank highest for a second consecutive year in the premium compact and midsize segments, respectively. In particular, satisfaction with fuel economy has improved considerably for the Swift from 2007, largely due to the launch of the new Swift Diesel.

“The newest generation of Maruti Suzuki products has clearly helped improve the brand’s overall image,” said Mohit Arora, senior director at J.D. Power and Associates, Singapore. “These all-new and re-designed models reflect Maruti Suzuki’s efforts to meet customer expectations and excel in delighting owners. This ultimately can result in an increase of favorable word of mouth recommendations, which are a key source of information for new vehicle buyers in India.”

Two Honda models—the Civic and the CR-V—rank highest in their respective segments. The Civic ranks highest in the premium midsize segment with a score of 821, while the CR-V ranks highest for a second consecutive year in the SUV segment and also posts the highest APEAL score in the industry in 2008.

In the MUV/MPV segment, the Toyota Innova ranks highest for a second consecutive year with a score of 814 and performs particularly well in all 10 factors.

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Volkswagen new Polo for India

Vicky.in exclusive

Volkswagen is all set to launch the next generation Polo in 2009. But Volkswagen is buliding polo’s from 1975, then you might wonder why this new Polo is making news in India. Reason, this new 2009 polo will make it to India as well.

Styling of the new polo is inspired from the scintiallting Scirocco a three door coupe. The result is the new polo is more stylish and more upmarket than the current generation one. Built on the popular PQ25 platform (same as the previous generation one) the new polo will come with a wheelbase of 2470mm. Volkswagen will also built a saloon variant based on this new polo. The saloon varaint of 2009 polo will be made only in India and Russia. The list of powertrain for the 2009 new polo includes – a 1.2 with 60bhp and 70bhp outputs, a 1.4 with 85bhp, 1.2 TSI with 105bhp and a 170bhp 1.4 TSI. The diesel line-up for the new 2009 polo includes – Bluemotion II 1.2 and a trio of 1.6s with 75bhp, 90bhp and 105bhp. Of these 1.2L 70bhp petrol unit and 1.2L diesel will power the Indian polo as it would make the polo qualify for small car excise norms. Five speed manual and Volkswagen’s popular seven speed DSG transmission (not meant for India) will complete the powertrain setup of the new polo. Volkswagen will launch this new polo in 2010 in India.

Toyota to launch CNG Innova in January 2009

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has announced its launch of a Compressed natural gas (CNG)- based variant of its multiple utility vehicle , Innova by January end. Innova CNG is now going through its trails. The price is estimated to Rs 75,000-90,000 more, which includes warranty and installation costs.

Toyota has tied up with Minda Industries to provide CNG kits for the Innova CNG. Considering the running cost of CNG to be one third of petrol. So the sales of Innova are expected to boost up.

Toyota’s new express service

Talking about there new service, the launch of there EXPRESS maintenance service which claims to provide service to Toyota’s customer in an hour.

TVS – Classic Motorworks to launch Apache RTR in USA

TVS is all set to make its mark in United States of America. India’s favourite two wheeler – Apache RTR will make it to the US soon. Classic Motorworks importer and distributor of two wheeler in US might sell apache RTR in US. Classic Motorworks already distributes Royal Enfield Motorcycles in US. Kevin Mahoney, owner of Minnesota-based Classic Motorworks, says he intends to begin offering the TVS brand two-wheelers to dealers stateside by next spring. Among the first products: a 160cc commuter called the Apache RTR. The apache RTR is undergoing EPA testing and Mahoney says he’s confident the bike will be approved for sale in the U.S. since it’s produced to meet strict Euro 3 guidelines.

To know more about TVS apache RTR visit http://www.vicky.in/blog/tag/rtr/

Volkswagen cuts prices of Jetta and Passat

Volkswagen India has announced a reduction in the prices of its production models Jetta and Passat by Rs 45,194 to Rs 80,859 across all variants. This follows the announcement by the Union Government for reduction in CENVAT for all cars by 4 per cent on Sunday 7th December 2008. Volkswagen has decided to pass on the full benefit to its customers by reduction in the prices of its production models Jetta by Rs 45,194 to Rs 57,814 and Passat by Rs 74,193 to Rs 80,859. The Price Reduction is also applicable to all the dealer stock of respective models with immediate effect.

“We are happy to pass on the full benefit of the duty reduction to our valued Indian customers. Going forward it will be our endeavor to support government initiatives aimed at arresting the economic downturn”, said Mr. Joerg Mueller, President and Managing Director Volkswagen Group India.

Price Cut		Ex Showroom (Maharashtra)			Ex Showroom (Rest of India)


		Old Price	New Price	Change	Old Price	New Price	Change


Jetta	1,6 TL	12,85,573	12,40,379	45,194	13,08,330	12,62,244	46,086

	1,9 TL	14,09,013	13,60,015	48,998	14,34,364	13,84,397	49,967

	1,9 CL	16,51,178	15,94,490	56,688	16,81,452	1,62,3638	57,814


Passat	DSG	22,35,651	21,61,458	74,193	22,78,394	22,02,720	75,674

	DSG S	24,31,467	23,52,193	79,274	24,78,905	23,98,046	80,859

GM to launch its used car business Chevrolet OK

Chevrolet OK

General Motors India will roll out its used-car retail initiative named “Chevrolet OK” next year. With “Chevrolet OK” GM also joins the used car business race after realising the fact, organised used-car market in India has grown by over 30% this year. Under the name ‘Chevrolet OK’, GM will initially open 10 outlets as part of existing Chevrolet dealers in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

CNG and LPG spark and aveo

The company will also be launching LPG version of its small car Spark and CNG version of its sedan Aveo in April and June 2009, respectively.

GM India president and MD Karl Slym said, “We will provide customers with certified used-cars guaranteed by Chevrolet. The cars will undergo a 110 point check-up and certification.” He added that the Chevrolet OK, which will deal only in GM’s cars, will be rolled out next month as part of a pilot test. “The results should be out by the first half of 2009, after which we will decide expansion plans for Chevrolet OK.” Mr.Slym said.

Optra CNG

GM is also test running six of its different vehicles on bio-diesel. The company already retails a CNG-version of its sedan Optra in select cities. “The tests will be over by the beginning of next year after which we will take a call on it. Fuel economy is the most urgent requirement today and we are looking at launching a range of cars with alternate fuel options.”added Mr Slym.

Hyundai’s next generation Sonata

Hyundai’s next gen sonata/sonata embera due in 2010

The new sonata/sonata embera (codenamed YF) is an all new model developed from the scratch. The new model will get a new petrol and diesel engine. A six-speed automatic transmission which Hyundai is developing on its own will complete the powertrain setup. The all-new Sonata YF will make its debut in May 2009 and will go on sale in October 2009 in western markets.

Pictures of 2010 Hyundai new sonata

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Volvo to launch special XC90 ocean race edition

In regardence with the Volvo Ocean Race, the Volvo Car India has announced it plans to sell 25 special edition SUV’s – XC90 ocean race edition. Volvo will be selling 25 limited editions XC90 ocean race edition to India.
From January to December 2008, Volvo has sold around 100 cars in India. A total of 10,000 special edition (XC90 ocean race edition) cars are expected to be sold worldwide as part of the nine-month long Volvo Ocean Race. At different stopovers, the limited editions would be launched. Volvo is marketing their products through four dealerships which are located at Delhi, Mumbai,Hyderabad and Chandigarh. Volvo plans to have another six more dealerships across the country in 2009 which includes Kochi. There new Volvo XC90 Ocean Race Edition has been launched in two colors, Blue Pearl and Electric Silver metallic color. It sports an exclusive Ocean Race emblem on the side fender and the roof rails. While the five-seater SUV costs Rs 50 lakh, the seven-seater is priced at Rs 51.5 lakh.

Pictures of Volvo XC90 ocean race edition

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Bajaj KTM bikes to hit market in 2010

Bajaj Auto and KTM is developeing two new motorcycle platforms which is scheduled to hit the market in 2010. Bajaj Auto – KTM has invested 35-40 million euros for the developement of these platforms. The jointly developed bikes would be produced at BAL’s Chakan facility for export to Europe under KTM branding and the commuter version of the bike on the same platform could be sold in India under the Bajaj badge. Meanwhile Bajaj auto has raised its stake in KTM to 25%. To know more about stake sale visit http://vicky.in/stocks

Mitsubishi Outlander – Test Drive

Mitsubisihi Outlander Interiors – Pictorial Review

Mitsubishi Outlander: Being an 5 seater crossover, Outlander has acres of space for storage. Two large glove boxes and an instrument box to store essential items. Door pockets are also large to hold large bottles and documents. Cargo space is very large and you can make it even more by holding down a small button hidden in the side of the boot for two seconds and the rear seats electrically flip forward for a flat loadbay. Another notable feature is flip gate that helps you load heavy luggages easily.

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Mitsubishi Outlander: Considering the good handling, the ride quality is also quiet decent. Seats are comfy and suit contours of anyone. But all the luxury is limited to front passengers. The rear seat is straight,rigid and uncomfortable. Surpisingly you cannot control air flow or control audio from back bench.

Mitsubishi Outlander: The interior holds to smart minimalist themes with clean surfaces and large controls that couldnt really be easier to operate. Steering only tilt adjustable, discharge headlamps with automatic
levelling device,automatic climate control Headlamp washer, parking sensor, MID,cruise control and a keyless ignition system to eliminate the need to fuss with keys.

Mitsubishi Outlander: It’s simply rocks, that’s what i can say all about Rockford Fosgate stereo – 6CD changer with 650W 9 speaker sound unit. The massive subwoofer mounted in the cargo area and the neat little tweeters next to the A-pillars emits fine notes of ARR’s Ghajini. You can’t find a better place to drive and listen to sweet music than the Outlander’s driver seat.

Mitsubishi Outlander: Active safety features (to assist the driver with crash avoidance) that come standard across the Outlander line include antilock brakes (ABS), which allow steering during panic stops; electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), which varies front and rear braking force to optimize stopping power in emergency stops; electronic stability control, which automatically minimizes skids during turning maneuvers; traction control, which limits wheel spin in slippery conditions; and tire pressure monitors, which warn drivers of under-inflated tires.

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Mitsubishi Outlander: Though assembled in India unlike the CR-V. The price of the Outlander
is on the higher side. On the road Chennai Outlander is Rs23.5 lakh.

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Verdict: Though the refinement and higher price tag of Outlander is still short of segment leader Honda CR-V. Also, a diesel powerplant would have done wonders for Outlander. But putting aside these things, Outlander offers everything you love to have in a car of this segment. CVT, Paddle shifts and Outlander’s impressive handling chracteristics makes it unique among class of crossovers. Adding to it is Outlander’s off road potential (though limited). All and all Mitsuibishi’s outlander has everything to challenge the segment leader Honda CR-V.