Volkswagen (Jet)ta set go

Volkswagen has launched the Jetta on 16th July visit the following url to know about the price and pictures.  http://www.vicky.in/blog/volkswagen-launches-jetta/

To read the latest report on Volkswagen Jetta visit http://www.vicky.in/blog/volkswagen-to-launch-jetta-in-india/

Jet Set go ..

India will receive the fifth-generation car currently in production in Germany as well.Based on the A5 Golf platform (also the basis of the Skoda Laura), the Volkswagen Jetta is a Golf hatchback with a boot but with better quality interiors and trim. The name Jetta is inspired by “jet stream” and has been in production for 27 years. Volkswagen which recently rolled out its passat sedan in India, is currently testing the Jetta sedan.  The jetta will start its Indian journey next year here’s a preview on ‘Volkswagen’s jetta’.

Engine and Transmission:

Volkswagen proposes to provide both petrol and diesel engines with the Jetta. Volkswagen Jetta may be powered by a 1.6L engine with FSI(Fuel Stratified Injection). 1.6-L FSI engine has an output of 81 kW (109 hp) at 5800 rpm and a maximum torque of 155 Nm  at 4500 rpm. Engine management is via a Bosch Motronic MED7. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Twin-clutch “DSG” six-speed gearbox, which operates either as an automatic or can be shifted manually via steering-wheel-mounted paddles is offered internationally but it will not be offered in Indian version. Since, Jetta weighs not only more than a like-sized Corolla, but also slightly more than the midsize Toyota Camry. Unless volkswagen tweaks chances are heavy that India will get a underpowered jetta. If this happens performance lovers in india will keep away from the car.

For diesel engines, volkswagen might borrow the 1.9-litre TDI engine from Skoda, as found in its Octavia model in India. The Euro III ready engine will allow Volkswagen to price the car competitively and keep it on a par with the likes of the Hyundai Verna CRDi and Ford Fiesta.

Design and Engineering:

Exteriors:

The most striking design element is the aggressive thrust and slope of the car’s snout. Compared to some other recent nose-forward designs, however, the composite headlamps and various inlets and grilles are well integrated into the Jetta’s raked rearward flow. A striking vee, created by the slant of the headlamps and sloping hood lines, is carried strongly toward the rear by the steeply raked windshield and character lines running along the flanks. The rear window is carried deeply into the well-defined C-pillar, accentuating the designers’ quest for a coupe-like sweep to the rear quarters. Flares at the four wheels blend into well-defined side skirts and, at the rear, into a lower valance panel accentuated by twin chrome-tipped tailpipes.

The car’s tail is a significant departure from previous Jetta styling. The whole structure appears longer, but the larger taillight clusters, now divided between the trunk and rear fender, help widen the proportion of the car’s hindquarters in relation to its height, giving the car a more substantial, less boxy-looking stern. Also helping to integrate the increased bulk of the trunk into the fenders is the coupe-like sweep of the C-pillar and the extensive rear window, which slants deeply into the trunkline.

Exposed windshield wipers were a pet peeve of former VW chairman Ferdinand Piech, and so he ordered that all future VWs would have hidden wipers. To aid in this design, a cowling now sits along the base of the windshield and cuts off some of the view over the nose of the car. It’s not a safety issue, but former VW owners will notice the difference right away. To Piech’s credit, the hidden wipers do indeed lend a more upscale look.

Jetta’s trunk seems larger than it is possible in a compact sedan (16 cubic feet). When you open the trunk lid it will rise to a completely vertical position, out of the way of any loading or unloading. Jetta’s trunk is completely carpeted and also has a storage cubby wall with four tie hooks. A glow-in-the-dark release handle in case anyone gets trapped inside.

Interiors

Front-seat passengers enjoy 38.5 inches of headroom and 41.2 inches of legroom, while rear riders get 37.2 and 35.4, respectively. The exterior and interior dimensions are near-matches for those of the Toyota Corolla, though the Jetta has notably greater trunk space.

Build and Quality:

Solidness is in the DNA of volkswagen family, we all love the skoda’s build quality, the same can be expected in the jetta. Volkswagen invested a large part of the investment in the Jetta towards increasing structural integrity. Jetta’s stronger structure forms not only a more solid grounding for suspension and drivetrain components, it also helps in reducing the unwanted noise from being transmitted into the cabin.

Jetta features fully independent suspension, with a multi-link rearend and struts at the front.  Volkswagen Jetta has a electro-mechanical power steering system that’s supremely accurate,  Jetta’s steering automatically corrects the car’s direction when external forces such as crosswinds threaten to move it off track. How indian customers is going to welcome this feature is to be seen, since this system is novel it will be disconcerting for drivers atleast intially.

Safety and special features:

Volkswagen might adopt different trim models with top-end versions of petrol and diesel featuring anti-lock braking system and airbags as standard. Jetta’s occupant safety is taken care not only by additonal safety features like anti-lock braking system and airbags but also while building the car too.

Three-point safety belts with emergency locking retractors are provided for all five passengers, and each position has an adjustable headrest. Jetta’s front seat belts also have pre-tensioners with load limiters for a more effective reaction, and the front headrests are active, automatically moving up and forward if the occupant’s torso is pressed back in the seat, as happens in many kinds of collisions. To help reduce leg injuries, the pedals get away from the driver in the event of a front-end collision.

Price and the launch:

Though Volkswagen solid engineering will help the jetta to fly on Indian roads easily. Jetta’s take off won’t be eas, it has tough roads to go, while 50% market holder Maruti Suzuki is moving up in the ladder chain (its SX4 rules this segment). In 2007 alone this entry level sedan segment received two new cars SX4 and logan, next year Honda will come with a new city, Tata will launch the new indigo and Toyota may launch its yaris sedan. Hence jetta’s way won’t be hurdle free also indians view skoda as a luxury car maker to get into the mass segment, volkswagen has to break the wall. Lastly Volkswagen has to get its dealer network ready before the launch of its products. Initially, Volkswagen will use its skoda’s aurangabad plant until its own plant start production in 2009. Jetta will be priced between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 9 lakh.

Vicky.in Automobile blog is now available on your mobile phone

According to a recent report of TRAI, the number of mobile users in India, who are using their cell phones to browse the internet has reached 38 million mark and increased by 7 million in the last quarter itself. As the rates of feature-rich mobile phones are dropping consistently and the mobile phone services are improving day by day, this count is expected to rise in a much higher rate. Saying all this, it is very much clear that if a website is not mobile compatible, then there is huge chance for it to lose out it readers.

We, here in Vicky.in’s Auto blog don’t want to miss this bus !!!. Mobile version of this automobile blog is launched and hence this site can be accessed thro’ all GPRS/Internet enabled mobile phone from now on. To access the mobile site, just key in to http://vicky.in/blog in your mobile phone WAP browser or any internet browser and you will be directed to mobile version site. Home page of the mobile site will have a welcome message followed by the latest posts. Along with the latest posts, links for Archives and Categories is also available. You can also post comments to this site from your phone.

If you encounter any issues in accessing this blog in your mobile, please leave your comment with the details. It will be really helpful for us to identify and fix the issues, if any.

Hot News – October 2007 part 3

on the sidelines of Tokyo Motor show

* Toyota was keen on launching Lexus in India but the Government should re-examine its import norms for completely built units. “India needs to relax its norms for importing vehicles and only then can we look at bringing Lexus to India,” Toyota’s Executive Vice-President Mr Uranishi said.

* Honda Motor Company is planning to launch to two new cars in the Indian market next year, – the Honda Jazz and the Civic Hybrid. Speaking at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show, Mr Masahiro Takedagawa, President and CEO of Honda Siel Cars India, said that the company is in the process of developing and homologating both the cars for meeting the requirements of the Indian market.

* Toyota Motor Corporation has revealed that its bitter experience with its former partner, the DCM Group in India, had made the auto maker to become cautious while drawing up plans for the country. “We have had extremely bitter experience with DCM earlier. Hence, we wanted to be very cautious while drawing up plans for India,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor Company Chairman and a board member of Toyota Motor Corporation, Mr Dato’ Akira Okabe told. He said one of the reasons for entering a niche segment like the multi-utility vehicle segment in India instead of launching cars for the mass market was because it did not want a repeat of the experience it had with DCM. Toyota Motor Corporation, currently, has a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group in India.

* Small car major Daihatsu has said Suzuki Motor’s huge market share in India has kept it away from launching its own models in the country. Daihatsu will, however, be willing to partner with Toyota Motor Corporation to launch a small car in India, the Daihatsu President, Mr Teruyuki Minoura, told reporters at the 40th edition of the Tokyo Motor Show. “Even though India is a very big market, Suzuki is very strong there. It has captured nearly half of the market there. We don’t want to compete with them,” Mr Minoura said. He, however, said that it was willing to consider partnering with Toyota Motor Corporation for launching a car in the Indian market. “It can be a possibility but Daihatsu will not come into India on its own,” he said.

* Toyota has asked the Government to consider relaxing norms for import of hybrid cars such as Prius. Toyota says it has been negotiating with the Indian Government to consider relaxing norms for import of completely built units (CBUs) of environment-friendly cars like Prius. Toyota’s Senior Managing Director, Akira Okabe has indicated that the Prius could be one of the new cars that the Japanese giant brings into India.

Nissan -Renault – Bajaj JV:

* Nissan Motor may eventually export low-cost Indian-built cars to the US if the Japanese carmaker can modify them for the world’s biggest auto market. The vehicles could cost less than 5,000 dollar in the U S even after modifications to meet local safety and emission standards, Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn told reporters at the Tokyo Motor Show. The models will likely cost about 3,000 dollar in India, he added.

* Bajaj Auto will lead the three-way exclusive global alliance with Renault-Nissan for the $3,000 small car project. It seems that Bajaj will lead the project while the Renault-Nissan will support it. Bajaj will be involved not just in the development and manufacturing of the car but also in its marketing and distribution, using its existing network of two-wheeler dealers. Currently, a feasibility study on the $3000 car is on and a formal decision will be taken in the next two months. However, the alliance with Bajaj will only focus on light vehicles, both passenger and cargo. Which means, Nissan may be looking for another Indian partner to market and distribute its high-end range of cars. Renault-Nissan’s alliance with Bajaj also covers light commercial vehicles, an area that Nissan’s Ashok Leyland alliance includes.

others

* General Motors India will set up a new facility to manufacture engine and transmission parts in india soon. Currently, General Motors India is sourcing engine and transmission parts from its global facilities. Mr Karl Slym, the newly appointed President and Managing Director of General Motors Corporation said, “We are evaluating setting up a manufacturing unit for powertrain products. However, the investment and the precise location of the new facility would be announced shortly.” GM’s new plant is likely to come in Maharashtra, where it already has a facility near Talegaon and would be operational by next year.

* Bajaj Auto Ltd on october 28th said it has sold 65,000 units of its 125 cc DTS-Si bike XCD within the first 50 days of its launch. As much as half of XCD 125 volumes are coming from competition, a majority of them being 100cc users. XCD 125 is a compelling package that 100cc customers are finding very difficult to resist,” Bajaj Auto’s General Manager (Marketing) Amit Nandi said.Bajaj is also ramping up production of XCD from the present 50,000 units a month to 75,000 units a month by November.

* Government of India is considering to implement mandatory ethanol doping with petrol across the country. By the end of this October, 5 per cent ethanol blending will be mandatory. The percentage of ethanol in motor spirits will be increased to 10 per cent from October 2008. Since some of the existing cars are not E10 compatible this manadatory implementation may make some cars unworthy for indian roads.

* Government of India has decided to set up mandatory fuel efficiency standards for all class and type of vehicles, including cars, scooters, bikes, trucks, buses and three-wheelers. The fuel efficiency standard would be like a certificate promising a certain range of kilometres per litre of petrol or diesel that you could expect from your vehicle. Manufacturers could be penalised if their vehicles fail to meet these government-set norms.  This will help the consumers to save money as well as it will help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  According to government projections, the country could save up to $36 billion if fuel efficiency is improved by 50% by 2030 in all sectors. With as much as 98% of the total petrol stock and 62% of diesel used for transportation, a mandatory fuel efficiency standard will obviously turn into a huge money saver for consumers. Besides, progressive standards will also force the industry to improve car engines and not allow them to sell outdated and inefficient designs being phased out in richer countries. We now have the legal mandate to bring standards and they will be put in place in less than two years. We want to move fast on this and want the industry to participate constructively in the process,” Sanjeev Capoor, executive director of Petroleum Conservation Research Association said.

Bajaj & TVS war turns ugly

Indian manufacturers always had a healthy competition, they even welcomed the foreign players entry into India. Things had been good, there were healthy competiton, there were healthy comments but recently it changed and the change is not on a welcome side. When TVS unveiled its 125cc Flame Bajaj reacted strongly that TVS copied its DTSi technology and it will lodge a strong case against TVS for infringing. TVS said that it would demand revocation of Bajaj patent and it would file a Rs 250-crore defamation suit against Bajaj. Inspite of this crossfirings, Bajaj and Srinivasan shooked hands infront of camera’s in the recent SIAM’s meet. It is believed that both Bajaj and TVS are opting for out of a court settlement and SJM(Swadeshi Jagran Manch convenor) leader S Gurumurthy is mediating between these parties. Contrary to all those beliefs TVS went ahead and filed two cases against Bajaj – One has been filed under Indian Patents Act in Chennai and another for defamation charges of Rs 250 crore in Mumbai High Court. The defamation case was filed by Dua Associates – attorneys of TVS in Mumbai High Court. TVS had applied for its revocation of Bajaj’s DTS-i patent at the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), Chennai. Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) on Saturday asserted it will take all necessary steps to protect its intellectual property in the ongoing patent row with rival TVS Motor. When we are finding it difficult to digest these happenings, the following press release makes it more difficult.

According to a Bajaj Auto release, two people employed with TVS Motors outlets in central and eastern India have been caught red handed distributing leaflets allegedly containing misleading and wrong information on Bajaj products. Bajaj Auto alleges that due to better product initiatives taken by it, the competition have been put under ‘severe pressure’, driving them to completely unethical and undesirable actions. Bajaj Auto dealers nabbed Santosh Kumar Rath and Sunil Kumar Sahu distributing leaflets stating Bajaj Auto is “phasing out the Bajaj Platina 100cc motorcycles and that the ongoing discount on the bike is a part of stock clearance sale”. Rath is an employee of Krishna TVS of Puri, Orissa, a Bajaj press statement said today. Vimal Sumbly, national sales manager, Bajaj Auto, said: “The Platina has met with a tremendous response from consumers. We have no plan of discontinuing this hugely successful product. We are monitoring these types of unethical practices by competitors very closely. We see these activities as desperate measures by them to arrest the overwhelming success of our brands.” “We will not tolerate such unethical behavior on the part of the competition and we are planning to take police action at every location to bring this to a stop”, he further added. A TVS Motors spokesperson, said “TVS is unaware of any such action. The company will not indulge in any such activities and shall investigate the matter”. Bajaj also holds the ‘competition’ responsible for spreading incorrect news on the company’s XCD125 motorcycle last week, that the bikes were being recalled for rectification. An FIR has been filed against Krishna TVS by the Puri dealer of Bajaj Auto. Bajaj claims that it has received information that a similar vilification campaign is being carried out in Surat, Gujarat.

TVS refutes charges:
TVS Motor Company said in a statement on Sunday it has received information that Bajaj Auto has levelled an accusation against it. The information claimed that some TVS dealers resorted to unethical conduct to damage the reputation of Bajaj Auto. TVS Motor Company would like to clarify that it neither believes nor indulges in such unethical practices and will not condone any such action, if taken by anyone in its system,” the statement added.

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Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor – Pictorial Review

1) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor the fourth incarnation of India’s first indigenous safari SUV. The stylish safari now comes with a responsive engine and few luxurious features.

2) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor side view: safari which earlier had lethargic and thirsty 3.0L engine despartely needs a responsive and frugal engine. Tata finds the need in the 2.2L Dicor engine, the VTT engine develops maximum power of 140hp at 4000rpm and healthy torque of 320Nm in the range of 1700 -2700 rpm. Thumbnail shows the new 2.2L Dicor engine

3) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor with doors wide open: Tata’s has designed the 2.2L engine with inputs from AVL of Austria(to whom M&M is also developing the 2.2L eagle engine) while the fuel injection system is jointly developed with Delphi. Tata also has refined the 5 speed gearbox with revised gear ratios.

4) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor rear view: a 2.2L Dicor badge, new spare wheel cover, follow-me-home headlamps, scuff plates on all doors and the chevrolet type split grille are visible changes on the exteriors. Thumbnail photo shows the stylyish spare wheel cover.But without the spare wheel cover it looks more masculine.

5) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor: the new safari is highly equipped its long list of features includes – ABS, dual Airbags and DVD/MP3 system with dual LCD screens as standard fitment. Four-wheel drive with an electrical shift on the fly mechanism is available as an option in some variants. Tubeless tyres is a standard fitment.

6) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor: compared to the old Safari the new one weighs 50 -75kg less(depends on whether it is 2WD or 4WD) and it is 160mm shorter. Supplementing to it is the reversing camera(you can see the images on the right side of the mirror) which makes parking your safari an easy task

7) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor: for the interiors, the new Safari gets a new day and night instrument panel,wood finish center console, leather seats, two tone beige interiors and express-down power windows. Higher variants gets a leather wrapped steering wheel and a leather cladded gear knob

8) Tata Safari 2.2L Dicor is available in nine exciting colours – mountain green, passion red, artic white, pearl white, light gold, cycus grey, quartz black, artic silver and steel blue. Safari Dicor 2.2L comes with a warranty of 2 years / 75,000km and it is available in the price range of Rs7.33 to Rs 11.3 lakhs.

our sincere thanks to Concorde Motors (044-22354014),Guindy,Chennai.

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Hot Photos – November 2007

1) Renault Laguna: The third generation Renault Laguna which is exhibited in the recently concluded Frankfurt Motor show may head India next year. Since it was first launched in January 1994, more than 2.3 million of Laguna have been sold. The 3rd generation laguna marks the Renault’s return to the luxury market and its is manufactured in the Sandouville factory in France with a level of quality never seen before.

2) Renault Laguna: The exteriors design of the 3rd generation laguna is dynamic, streamlined and elegant. On the ineteriors, quality of material and the car’s finish bear witness to the Renault’s workmanship. Next year you can see a new competitior to the Toyota camry, Honda accord, Nissan Teana and Volkswagen passat from the Renault’s badge in India.

For more information about laguna visit http://www.insidenewlaguna.com/

3) Renault – Nissan Sandero: according to Overdrive magazine, the sandero which is developed with the South American market in mind may be the Renault’s first small car in Indian market. Developed on the same B0 platform as Logan, This attractive 5-door hatchback boasts all the basic qualities of vehicles derived from the B0 platform: it is roomy, robust, and has plenty of luggage space.

4) Renault – Nissan Sandero the sandero host all the neccessary things(fuel efficient engine and spaciousness) required to be a indian small car. Logan’s 1.5dCi engine(diesel) may power the sandero in India. Sandero has ample interior and exterior dimensions – it is 4.02 metres in length(renault may cut down the length to make the car eligible for small car tax sop) with a storage capacity of 320 litres. Its front seat shoulder room is 1,400mm and at the rear it has 878mm of headroom Not only does the interior afford plenty of space, so do the doors, which open to an angle of up to 67° for ease of ingress. In addition, the rear bench seat split-folds 60:40 – one more feature that cannot fail to appeal to families.

5) Renault Logan MCV: The Logan Multi Convivial Vehicle (MCV) is a seven-seater peoples carrier that is based on the same platform as the sedan. This vehicle is for one who loves space, yes, you can’t find this much space (155mm longer than Toyota’s Innova ) inside a vehicle. After seven adults (2nd no longer kids section in this vehicle)are loaded inside the Logan MCV, you will get 200 litres of boot space. The cup-board like doors makes the boot access easier.


6) Renault Logan MCV: Mahindra – Renault will roll out this MCV in 2008 and will be priced anywhere between 6-8 lakhs. Since Mahindra – Renault already has three engines 1,5L dCi(diesel),1.4L & 1.6L (petrol) engines in India. Logan MCV will be powered by anyone (or) two of these engines. Logan MCV entry into the indian market will unease its competetiors like Toyota Innova and Chevrolet Tavera.

7) Volkswagen Polo

8) Volkswagen polo

9) New Chevrolet optra 2008: the optra is heading for a makeover, General Motors will launch the new optra some time in next year. General Motors will come with a bang to lure the indian customers who settled with Toyota corolla and Honda civic. Though the optra magnum’s CRDi engine will be retained for the new optra we can expect a new range of petrol engines in the new optra.

Ford Ikon IKool music edition

Ford India has launched a limited music edition model Ikon IKool. Ford Ikon Ikool music edition features include –

* i-Pod compatible Sony MP3 Player with front round speakers and hi-wattage rear oval speakers,

* Nokia Bluetooth hands free kit

* sporty leather vinyl seat covers,

* anti-theft system with remote entry and IKool decal on front fenders.

The IKOOL limited edition is priced at Rs5,08,990, or Rs31,990 higher than the base level price (ex-showroom, New Delhi). The model is available in new colour – copper rust, along with other popular colours such as jeans blue, paprika red, panther black, platinum and diamond white. Scott McCormack, vice president marketing sales and service, Ford India, said, ”With the current economic growth in India and greater job opportunities available, the upwardly mobile young generation of today has higher disposable income and is conscious of the choices they make.”

Tata Indigo compact saloon

Though Tata Motors do not shy away from fierce battles, it always wish to be smart rather than a fighter. Tata Motors enjoys like anything when it comes creating a new segment. India’s first mini truck – the ace and first limousine – the IndigoXL are its examples. Recently it introduced Ace with soft-top and India’s first maxi van winger. Tata Motors the segment maker is now planning a new segment – compact saloon. Won’t you buy a car which comes at a price of a hatchback and offers the space of a sedan? as the small car segment and entry level sedan segment is facing a lot of competition Tata finds a room for a segment in between these two. Tata’s new indigo will look like a hatchback in front and side view but unlike most hatchbacks, the styling at the rear will give a saloon like elegance through the clear separation of glass area and bodywork, while combining the real advantages of a hatchback door. Through this modification your new indigo(compact saloon/notchback) will not only parking friendly but also will become dearer cheaper by Rs 30,000(since the indigo compact saloon will fall in small car tax bracket)

Tata’s new TL Sprint (Xenon)

tata xenon tl-sprint.jpgTata readies new Tatamobile – the Xenon:

Tata Motor’s is giving final touches to its new one-tonne pickup the Sprint, which is showcased in 2006 Bologona motor show and will be launched in India soon. The Sprint is a derivative of the original Tatamobile, and the current Telcoline. Tata’s TL Sprint might be christened as Xenon when launched.

Design and Engineering:

Tata developed the new TL Sprint (Xenon) from conception and designed in just 18 months. Concept Group Consulting, a UK design consultants, designed the new Xenon. The new Xenon(TL sprint) is a body-on-frame pickup and is based on the 207’s chassis. Tata’s new TL-sprint(xenon) has a length of  5.125 meters, width of 1.86 m and height of 1.77 meters (vacuum). Xenon’s cargo space is ample (1.40 x 1.40 x 1.40 meters) can carry a payload capacity 1,000 kilograms. The TL sprint (xenon) is highly equipped and will feature power windows and seats,  air conditioning, four-wheel drive, electronic change on the fly,  alloy wheels, power steering,a CD player. Xenon also hosts a set of safety and security features that includes power locks with remote control, immobilizer, heating exterior mirrors, front and rear fog lamps, ABS and dual airbags. Some of these features will not be available in the indian market.

Xenon gets safari’s 2.2L engine:

Tata’s Xenon will be offered with a new 140hp, 2.2-liter DICOR engine which powers the recently launched Tata’s 2.2L Safari.  The maximum torque is 320 Nm. The Xenon is coupled to a gearbox and five-speed overdrive. With this powerful engine the Xenon can reach 0-100 km / h in less than 15 seconds and capable of reaching a top speed of 160kmph.

Xenon to rival M&M getaway:

The TL Sprint imposes a point robust, more modern and Young, following the trend of the new generation of pick-ups. It reaches the customer who seeks a car practical, original and with good carrying capacity, but more concerned about their moments of leisure than with the work. Hence, the Xenon will fit into the lifestyle segment perfectly. Recently, Mahindra and Mahindra introduced india’s first lifestyle SUV the scorpio getaway in double cab version. To counter the scorpio getaway and to have an edge over the rival Tata may launch the new TL Sprint (Xenon) in two configurations — single cab and double cab with an all-wheel drive(AWD or 4WD).

more LCV’s from Tata’s arsenal

Soon after the launch of the new TL Sprint (Xenon), Tata Motors will launch its next generation 407 and 709 model that is part of its existing light commercial vehicle (LCV) range. Tata’s popular 407 was first introduced in 1986. In 2003 Tata introduced a turbo-variant (Tata SFC 407 EX Turbo). The LPT 709 model was first introduced in 1994. It was upgrade with a turbo intercooler in September 2002.

TL sprint in Thailand

Thailand is world’s 2nd largest pick-up market after United States of America(USA). After the Indian launch, Tata’s TL sprint pickup(xenon) will head in Thailand. Tata Motors had recently entered into a JV in Thailand with Thonburi Automotive Assembly to assemble and market the new TL sprint (xenon) in that country. In Thailand, the TL sprint (xenon) will be sold under the Tata brand. Tata has developed both the 2.2 litre and 3.0 litre engines for the Thai market. Tata Motors will stick to the utility function of the pickup and promote the Sprint as a workhorse as opposed to the luxury/lifestyle image of many Japanese pickups in Thailand.

Fiat’s Xenon in South America and Europe:

Fiat would assemble the Tata’s new TL Sprint (Xenon) at its plant in Cordoba, Argentina. The TL sprint (Xenon) will be badged Fiat and will be sold in Brazil and Argentina through the Fiat dealer network. Single and double cab versions of TL sprint (Xenon) will be sold with four-wheel or rear-wheel drive options. Fiat is planning to assemble around 20,000 units of TL sprint (xenon) per year. It is likely that this sprint will be a little different from the models to be introduced in India and Thailand. Yes, Fiat will sell its version of the Xenon with a Brazilian-built 134hp 2.3-liter JTD (Fiat’s common-rail diesel unit), which is used in its Ducato large van in Brazil. It will be Fiat’s first body-on-frame pickup.  Fiat’s Strada front-wheel-drive pick-up has a unibody construction. Later, Fiat will introduce the TL sprint (xenon) in select European and central American markets.

TL Sprint in South Africa:

Tata may launch the TL sprint(Xenon) in South Africa too where it already sells many of its products. For the South American market TL sprint pick-up may be powered by the 3.0L , 157bhp diesel DICOR (Direct Injection Common Rail). Russia may also get the new TL sprint.

Skoda’s new Laura Ambiente

Skoda on October 24th launched a new variant of its best selling model Skoda Laura and it is named laura ambiente. Ambiente is Skoda’s third variant in the laura platform apart from the L&K and elegance. Similar to laura L&K and elegance variant, the new Laura Ambiente is powered by a 1.9L diesel engine. Laura Ambiente will be available in four colors Brilliant Silver, Candy White, Satin Grey and Corrida Red. Laura Ambiente is equipped with safety features like two airbags, Traction control system (ABS + ASR), Rear parking sensors with Parktronic display, and Automatic wipers with rain sensors. Skoda expects to sell 1,000 Ambiente in the next 12 months. Skoda’s new Ambiente is priced at Rs 12,89,990, ex-showroom Mumbai. (Laura L&K is available for Rs16.4 lakhs). A new variant of much superior laura variant at low price may cause cannibalisation of the Octavia rangepriced between Rs 11.61 lakh and Rs 14.73 lakh (ex-showroom, Thane). Hence Skoda Auto India may introduce a 1.6-litre variant in the Octavia range that now has the 1.9-litre diesel and 1.8-litre turbo petrol variants.  Mr Karsten Bogun, Managing Director of the company, said: “We are looking at various updates on the Octavia, it ranges from style to powertrain but it would be premature to talk about it; we have not finalised anything on it as yet.”

Skoda is also adding more dealers to its network. Skoda plans to add four more dealers in 2007 and make it 65 in 2008. With the addition of this laura ambiente, Skoda India now offers 15 variants in India. Skoda recently launched Superb comfort – a new variant of its luxury sedan Superb. Skoda plans to bring its 170bhp Skoda Laura RS and next generation skoda superb to India in 2008. Skoda’s much expected fabia hatchback will be unveiled during the 2008 Auto Expo.

photo of Laura Ambiente from rediff.com