Car News india, Bike scoops, Spy pictures, New launches, No 1 Car,Bike Blog In India

BMW eyes comeback

After the Indian government initative, that allowed manufacturers to import bikes above 800cc category, global bike makers planned to make their mark in 7 million indian two wheeler market. Yamaha recently launched its 1000cc R1 and 1600cc MT-01, others like Suzuki and Honda are mulling at their options. Buoyed by the response for its sedans and SUVs, BMW may also through its hat in the ring. Media reports suggest that BMW will bring its high end bikes to india soon. But
BMW’s Indian president Peter Kronschnabl categorically denied the reports and said “We make very large bikes, the smallest one is 600cc. I do not think there is sufficient demand for BMW bikes in India even now. If we bring bikes here, we will have to set up a complete sales and service network and the numbers at present do not justify that. Perhaps the situation would be different some time later,”. Globally, BMW has separate sales and service networks for cars and motorcycles and there are no plans to merge the two networks for India, he added.

Earlier in 1997 BMW introduced its F-650 in alliance with Hero group but sales failed to take off even after price was discounted to Rs 1.8 lakh (priced Rs 4.5 lakh when introduced). Soon after that BMW halted its indian two wheeler journey.

Chevrolet SR-V gets cheaper

Unconfirmed reports says General Motors has dropped the price of Chevrolet SR-V by around Rs70000.General Motors earlier discounted the price of Chevrolet spark by Rs50000 and received more than 10000 bookings during the offer period. More details are expected.

Maruti,Hyundai and GM to raise prices!

Discounts are over! Starting 2008 your dream car may cost more. Three out of five largest car sellers have decided to raise price across all the models. Others will follow soon. Manufacturers have cited high raw material cost and freight cost for the price raise.

Maruti Suzuki:

Maruti Suzuki plans to increase prices of its cars across all models by up to Rs 12,000 from next month to offset the rise in input costs and freight charges.Maruti has written to its dealers across the country that the prices will be increased from January 2008.Maruti has told its dealers that the higher prices would be applicable on dispatches of vehicles from the date of announcement of the price hike and there would not be any price protection for pending orders at the company level.

Hyundai:

Hyundai Motors India Ltd will also raise the price of models up to two per cent by December-end or January next year. As indicated earlier, Hyundai will revise the introductory price of its new hatchback ‘i10’

General Motors:

General Motors has confirmed that prices of this model will head north from janauary. “We will be hiking prices of our products between 1-2 per cent across all models by January,” General Motors India Vice-President Marketing and Sales Ankush Arora told. A hike in price of spark to tavera in the range of Rs 2500 to Rs 13,000 from January is expected.

Ford:

Ford is also considering a price hike and it’s very likely.

However Honda,Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have confirmed that they are not planning any such move for now.

note: usually car manufacturers plays a gimmick(by pretending to raise price) to push volumes during the dull season. Also, these price hike will be nullified(as far as customers are concerned) if an excise duty cut is made in the budget. While the manufacturers make more money.

update: Honda Motor India Limited is planning to increase prices if locally assembled Honda’s by the end of the first month of 2008 to offset rising raw material prices. However, price of imported CR-V will remain unchanged. “We are looking at a price rise in January or February,” said a HMIL spokesperson. “It would be pretty much across the board, excluding the CR-V, which is imported,” the spokesperson added.

Cars and Bikes to be launched in 2008

Compact cars

Skoda Fabia
Chevrolet spark variant
Chevrolet new Aveo U-VA
Maruti Suzuki swift sedan
Maruti Suzuki splash
Another small car from Maruti suzuki
Hyundai i20
Hyundai i10 CRDe
Hyundai i10 automatic
Tata 1 lakh car ‘jeh’
Tata Indica V3
Tata indica hybrid
Tata Indigo compact
Honda new jazz
Renault sandero
Fiat grande punto
Fiat palio diesel
Entry level sedans

Maruti Suzuki SX4 diesel
Fiat linea
Honda new city
Toyota new corolla
Volkswagen Jetta
Mitsubishi – Hindustan new lancer(galant)
Hyundai’s new elantra

SUVs

Tata sumo phoenix
Mahindra Ingenio
Renault Logan MCV
Tata TL-Sprint/Xenon

D segment sedans

Honda’s new accord
Honda civic Hybrid
Skoda new laura RS
Skoda new superb

Luxury SUVs

Nissan new X-Trail
Chevrolet Captiva
Hyundai santa fe
Mitsubishi – Hindustan Outlander
Mahindra Scorpio automatic(atleast in america)
Mahindra Scorpio hybrid(atleast in america)
Honda CR-V with new 2.0L engine
Luxury sedans

Audi A4
Mercedes new C class
Alfa Romeo 159

beyond the wallet

BMW M3
BMW M5
BMW M6
BMW X6
Prosche cayenne GTS
Porsche 911 new GT2
LPG/CNG powered

Hyundai Santro LPG
Tata Indica LPG
Toyota Innova
Toyota Corolla

New refreshed/upgraded variants of

Chevrolet Tavera
Toyota Innova

Skoda Octavia

Bikes & scooters

automatic scooters from

Yamaha
Kinetic
Xenitis
Honda

110cc

TVS Star city

125cc from

Sporty shine

150cc bike from

Suzuki
Honda
Xenitis

Royal Enfield

Thunderbird Twinspark

Path-breakers

ABS equipped two wheeler from TVS
CNG two wheeler from TVS
TVS Scooty hybrid

Eye opener for Auto Expo 2008, New delhi – Part 2

Hyundai:

Korean auto maker Hyundai may showcase its Genesis, Qarmac, HCD ‘Hellion’ and HND Veloster concept cars. Hyundai officials have indicated it will showcase some fine concepts at the January Auto Expo. Apart from the concepts, cars which will hits the indian roads in 2008 or 2009 will also be displayed at the expo. Hyundai’s i20 premium hatchback and i30 c-segment hatch back and Santa fe SUV is sure to make jitter.

Fiat:

Fiat is sure to showcase grande punto(hatchback) and linea sedan. Fiat will also use the expo to showcase its luxury marquee Alfa Romeo to prove its design proweness. Alfa Romeo 159 will join the club of BMW 3 series,Mercedes C-class and Audi A4 in india in 2008.

Honda(update):

Honda’s first compact car Jazz for india will be on display in the delhi auto expo. Honda is also likely to bring in its hydrogen concept car FCX Civic Flexible fuel, Fit Sports Extreme,and the FI racing circuit Earth Car. “We are still toying with different concept car models from the Honda stable. Like the next-generation hydrogen fuelled Honda FCX, will certainly be there though it is not targeted for the Indian market (thanks to its $4 million price tag), but would showcase our strength in future technology,” said Honda Siel senior general manager (marketing) Jnaneshwar Sen.
General Motors(update):

GM will showcase its much touted Volt electric car concept along with some big wheels like the Hummer and Cadillac. It still isn’t clear whether the Beat concept, another likely small car contender for India, will also be showcased. General Motors may also bring WTCC Ultra, Beat and Trax may to the show. A hydrogen car called sequel will be showcased to study the market and understand the audience response, yes, General Motors plans to bring electric cars and hybrid cars into India within next 5 years.

Volkswagen:

Volkswagen which makes maiden entry in the 2008 january expo will showcase india bound up! compact car in the 2008 indian auto expo. Plan to buy a SX4 or city in 2008! then carefully look at the Volkswagen Jetta sedan which will be displayed at the show, this sedan may hit Indian roads any time next year. Volkswagen will also show its recently launched passat sedan and Touareg SUV. No word on tiguan SUV(CR-V competetior) from Volkswagen.

BMW:

BMW which bets big on india will showcase its entire arsenal in the delhi auto expo. BMW’s line-up will include X5,X3 and its performance coupe M3

Update (21st December):

Volvo:

Volvo would showcase three of its flagship models which includes a volvo S80 sedan, volvo XC90 D5 SUV and colvo C70 convertible. Two variants of S80 – V8 Executive and S80 D5 will be displayed

Toyota and Ford have decided to stay away from the 2008 delhi auto expo.

Apache goes patrol

Caution: don’t try to outsmart traffic constable with your 150cc bike(atleast in Tamilnadu). Yes, TVS Motor Company has handed over 101 patrol motorcycles fitted with warning lamps, a siren, a wireless microphone and a high power search lamp–as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility project to Tamilnadu government. As part of the donation cops in Tamilnadu will now ply on apache and TVS has made few additional features in apache to suit the cops need – the warning lamps in the front are red and blue halogen lamps and it has a rotary halogen lamp hoisted at the rear of the vehicle.The height of this lamp can be adjusted. The siren has three tones and can be adjusted for warning, overtaking or pursuit. All the electrical components are powered by two batteries on either side at the rear of the bike. In 2006 Chennai police was awarded 100 accent’s with mounted digicams, revolving lights, loudspeakers, fire extinguishers, hooters and handcuffs by Hyundai Motor India. Exclusivity of apache, who cares? its
Newyork style policing!

Hot Photos – December 2007

1) Whatever you call new dio or new activa, Honda plans to launch the new generation ‘lead’ in india. The current dio is based on last generation lead. Honda recently unveiled the new ‘lead’ for international market. Honda’s lead is by a 4 stroke ,108cc, liquid cooled, Fuel Injection engine. In addition a larger airbox, silent cam drive and new exhaust mean the Honda’s new scooter is very quiet. Honda’s new dio is slimmer and longer, and a larger fuel tank is now contained under the footboards. It has a bigger 12” aluminium front wheel, and a disc brake for the first time, which is operated by a combined system which also activates the rear drum. Will Honda launch first FI scooter in India?. yet another question for SMS poll

2) BMW would launch its M3 coupe in India in Janauary 2008. The BMW M3 is a high performance version of the popular compact 3-Series. M3 is powered by a V8 engine which generates 420 bhp @8,300 rpm and 398Nm of torque at just 3,000 rpm. BMW M3 will also be sold as a CBU and will be sold only in limited number. In India, M3 will take on Porsche 911

3) Renault will launched its no frills logan sedan will make its the booming indian luxury car martket through Nissan’s Infiniti brand. If they want to be global, no luxury car brand can miss the Indian luxury market. Indian luxury car market is growing at a pace of 15% and it will 10000 units in 2010 (5000 units a year from now). Nissan’s infinits which earlier find hard to match Audi’s and BMW’s created some great luxury cars combining sports-car handling and performance with station wagon-like versatility. Now Infiniti is calles as “Japanese BMW”

4) Infiniti’s indian option could be to bring M series and G-35. Infiniti’s G35 will take on BMW 3 series, Merceded C-class and Audi A4 in India. Other car which will roll out from Infinit could be the one from M series.

5) Toyota will cash in with the entry of luxury brand Lexus into the Indian luxury market. In United States, Lexus is the highest-selling make of luxury cars. The worldwide motto of Lexus in multiple countries is “The Pursuit of Perfection.” Lexus has used this signature phrase since its inception. Perfection may ride into India in 2009.

6) 2008 is big year for Fiat India. It plans a comeback with Grande Punto hatchback and Linea sedan in india. To boost the image further Fiat will bring its Alfa Romeo to show its design proweness to Indian customers. 159 is typically italian, the front has traditional Alfa cloverleaf V-shaped grill and bonnet. The front is also underlined with light clusters with cylindrical shape. A high waistline broadens until it reaches the rear pillar. Fiat – Microsoft ‘s Blue &Me infotaintment makes the machine compatible to Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

7) Alfa 159 combines sportiness, technology and elegance in a unique design. Alfa 159 will be powered by a range of engines that includes a 2.2L JTS which produces 185bhp and an Alfa’s new-generation diesels (either a 150bhp 1.9L or a 200bhp 2.4L). JTS – Jet Thrust Stoichiometric(Alfa’s term for gasoline direct Injection engine).

Vroom at 100kmph! it’s legal

You will soon be able to legally check whether the new speed monster you bought does the promised zero to 100 in 9 seconds flat and takes you from Delhi to Jaipur in under three hours. For the first time since 1989, the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry is to notify new speed limits that would allow personal cars to go up to 100 kmph on expressways. All other vehicles (including two wheelers, if allowed on those stretches) will have an upper limit of 80 kmph on expressways. On all other four- or six-lane national and state highways, the speed limit for personal cars would be 80 kmph. For other vehicles on these roads, the limit will be 70 kmph and two-wheelers will be allowed to go up to 60 kmph. Similarly, district roads and urban arteries will have a limit of 50kmph. The new limits may become applicable from this month.

Source:Times Of India

Yamaha launches YZF R1 and MT-01

As we reported earlier, Yamaha launched two sport motorcycles, MT 01 and YZF R1 both 998cc powered YZF R1 and 1680cc powered MT 01 on 4th December. YZF-R1 is the flagship model of the company and is powered by a 998cc engine that develops a power output of 176 bhp @ 12,500 rpm with a torque of 112.7 Nm @ 10,000 rpm. The MT01, which is a cruiser style model, is powered by a 1.6-litre engine and has a power output of 88 bhp @ 4750 rpm and a torque of 150 Nm @ 3750 rpm. Both YZF R1 and MT-01 are brought to India as completely built unit and priced at Rs10.5 lakh each. Yamaha Motors India said it is not looking at volume sales for these two bikes and hopes to sell about 25 units a year. The company which has been struggling to woo Indian customers, is wishing to re-establish itself with the launch of these two bikes. “The launch projects our future in India and how our future business looks like in India. We want to re-establish ourselves as a company which delivers high quality and high performance product,” says Yamaha Motor India CEO and MD, Tomotaka Ishikawa.

Yamaha would initially retail these sport bikes from its five dealers in four cities namely Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad which would be increased to 15 by 2008 and 50 by mid 2010. Yamaha plans to expand its dealership for the sports bikes in a phased manner and would add five new dealers in Mumbai, Chandigarh and Pune within the next six months. As of now people in Mumbai can book the motorcycle only from Yamaha’s Ahmedabad dealer, Planet Yamaha. “Our aim is to first ensure that we get proper service stations put in place before we start selling products in any city,” Yamaha Marketing Head and Sales P Sam said. . Bookings for YZF R1 and MT-01 starts today and bikes will be delivered in two weeks of time from the booking. You have to pay a sum of Rs3lakhs as advance payment.

Now you can book YZF R1 and MT-01 through http://vicky.in. Leave your details below as a comment or thro’ contact us form so that we can get back to you.

Skoda’s new superb – Pictorial Preview

1) What else you can expect from skoda in 2008 apart from the Fabia hatchback and laura RS, a new superb! yes, Skoda builts a new superb whichwill be premiered at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show (Febraury). In india skoda will launch this new superb by the end of 2008 or early 2009. Though the new generation superb has been developed from the very beginning as a completely new vehicle, it will inherit the tradition of skoda with superiors build quality and exceptional interior space.

2) Skoda’s new superb is slightly longer than the outgoing version and will have a notchback layout which means the new superb gets a new hatchback style rear door while maintaining the conventional sedan styling for its profile. The end result is ample cargo space and more legroom for rear passengers.

3)An interesting feature of the 2008 Skoda Superb is the AFS (Adaptive Front light System). The 2008 Skoda Superb’s AFS system has four settings:

INTERCITY — Active at 0-15 km/h or 50-90 km/h, Headlamps are in basic positions and this mode.
CITY — Active at 15-50 km/h. The distribution of the light is wider and shorter. The left headlight is turned slightly to the left and tilted to avoid dazzling drivers in oncoming cars.
HIGHWAY— active from 90 km/h and both headlights are lifted.
RAIN—mode is limited at speeds from 20 to 70 km/h. The light path is wide and shorter than in the Intercity mode. The right headlight is dipped downwards and the left headlight is dipped to the left and downwards.

However the driver can deactivate the system when required and use the standard dipped headlight and high beam function.

4) A 3.0Litre V6 TDi unit may power the new superb and similar to Volkswagen passat, Skoda’s new Superb may be equipped with a DSG(Dual Shift gearbox).

5)
Skoda new superb is likely to be priced above Volkswagen passat range in order to avoid any conflict. In International market the new superb will take on Ford’s new mondeo.