HONDA CITY FACELIFT LAUNCH IN OCTOBER

The Honda City seems to have recovered in sales post the price cut by the company. The City was the second highest seller in the segment (selling 4092 units aginst the Verna’s 4724 units). The Fluidic Hyundai Verna is available in both petrol and diesel versions with a wide range of variants, offering a variety of options to the buyers. The Honda City has managed to sell very good numbers in July, considering it is available only with a petrol engine. Now Honda plans to launch a facelifted version of the City in October this year. The Japanese automaker has all of a sudden become very aggressive about its plans for India. For instance, the company will launch the Jazz facelift this month, the Brio next month and the City facelift the month after that.

The Honda City facelift will feature slight changes to both the interiors and exteriors with the addition of new features. The new features will help the City rival the increasing onslaught from other automakers such as Volkswagen and Ford. These features will help Honda mask the lack of diesel option in the City, till a diesel variant comes along in 2013. The company is said to be developing a diesel engine for the City, which is also expected to power the Jazz and the upcoming Brio small car. A price hike is ruled out with the facelifted City, as every car in the segment offers a diesel option, making competition tough for the one time segment leader.

HONDA LATEST SMALL HATCHBACK BRIO COMES TO INDIA

The Honda Brio is scheduled to be launched in India in September and the company has been extensively testing the car. Spotted on the Noida Expressway (quite close to the Honda factory), the Brio will be positioned right below the Jazz and will Honda’s first real volume product for India. The Honda Brio will use the Jazz’s 1.2-liter i-VTEC motor, producing 89 BHP of power at 6200 RPM and 110 Nm of torque at 4800 RPM. The company might detune the motor for fuel efficiency, which is crucial factor for small car buyers.

From the pictures, the Brio looks very similar to the one sold in Thailand. However there are no fog lamps, alloy wheels and rear wiper which indicates two things. Either the car pictured above is the base variant, or Honda plans to price the Brio very aggressively, by launching the Brio sans some features. We expect the Brio range to start at Rs. 4 lakhs with the top model being priced at Rs. 5.5 lakhs (all our estimates are for ex-showroom, Delhi).

CONCEPT MODEL DISPLAY

FORD FIESTA HATCH BACK COMING SOON

Ford India has received good response for its latest offerings, the Figo and the new Fiesta. The company plans to launch eight new models by 2015. These new models will include the Focus, Mondeo and a small car below the Figo. The company also plans to launch a premium hatchback above the Figo. This premium hatchback will be the Ford Fiesta hatchback which will be priced around Rs. 6-8 lakhs and will compete with the new Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai i20 and Fiat Grande Punto. The Fiesta hatchback is sold in Europe as well as America and rivals the Honda Jazz internationally.

The Ford Fiesta hatchback will be powered by the same engines which do duty on the current Fiesta. The 1.5-liter diesel and 1.5-liter petrol motors are good options for the Fiesta hatchback. However the petrol won’t get excise concessions and thus Ford plans to plonk in a re-tuned version of the Figo’s 1.2-liter powerplant. The entry level variants will get the 1.2-liter petrol motor, while the higher variants will get the 1.5-liter petrol motor. Every feature of the Fiesta sedan will make it to the hatchback but the American automaker might remove premium features like voice activated controls and cruise control to reduce costs. Meanwhile checkout the most comprehensive review of the Fiesta hatchback below.

 

 

MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT NEW VERSION TEST DRIVE AND REVIEW

New 2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXi and ZDi

Price In Lakhs OTR Mumbai: Rs. 4.91 (LXi), Rs. 5.54 (VXi), Rs. 6.03 (LDi), Rs. 6.44 (ZXi), Rs. 6.53 (VDi), Rs. 7.42 (ZDi)

The all new Maruti Suzuki Swift is by far the most important car in the country today. The new Swift is not only important for Maruti Suzuki but also for other car manufacturers who produce vehicles in similar price range. The new Swift has been extensively delayed due to strikes and the lack of urgency felt by the company. With more than 42000 bookings (maybe 50000 by now) already received by the country’s largest automaker, the Swift’s brand value is amongst the highest in the car industry today. However is the new Maruti Swift as good as everyone expects it to be? We find out just that by driving both the petrol and diesel versions of the all new Swift.

EXTERIOR

The exteriors of the new Maruti Suzuki Swift can be taken as a weak point in India. We say so, because most of the people whom we showed the pictures of the new model could not recognize if its new. Most would pass the new Swift as a slightly updated version of the old model. Suzuki has tried to create a cult with the styling of the Swift. They want to do what Volkswagen did with the Beetle, BMW did with the Mini and Fiat did with the 500, but have they succeeded?

INTERIOR

The interiors of the Maruti Swift have drastically changed. One can confidently believe that they have bought an all new model when they step inside. Everything is new, from the steering wheel to the center console and the AC vents. The only old part in the interior which we spotted was the gear stick, which seems to have been carried from the old model. The 3-spoke steering wheel feels nice to hold and has audio controls on it.

ENGINE

Maruti Suzuki has retained the 1.2-liter K series and the 1.3 Multijet engines to power the Swift.

MILEGE

ARAI figures state 18.6 kms to a liter of petrol.the ARAI certified mileage has mproved 6 percent to 22.9 kmpl.

New Maruti Swift Specifications : -

* Engine: 1248 cc, 16V, DDiS, DOHC (D), 1197 cc, VTT, K-Series, MPFI (P)
* Power: 75 PS @ 4000 RPM (D), 87 PS @ 6000 RPM (P)
* Torque: 190 Nm @ 2000 RPM (D), 114 Nm @ 4000 RPM (P)
* Transmission: 5-speed manual
* Top Speed: 160 kmph (D), 170 kmph (P)
* 0-100kmph: 14.80 seconds (D), 12.6 seconds (P)
* Fuel Consumption: 22.9 (D), 18.6 kmpl (P)
* Fuel Type: Diesel and Petrol
* Suspension: Mcpherson Struts (Front), Torsion Beam (Rear)
* Tires: 185/65/15 Tubeless Radials
* Brakes: Ventilated Disc (Front), Drums (Rear), ABS, EBD
* Safety: ABS, EBD, EDC, Dual SRS Front Airbags, iCats

New Maruti Swift Dimensions : -

* Overall length x width x height: 3850 mm X 1695 mm X 1530 mm
* Wheelbase: 2430 mm
* Ground clearance: 173 mm (Petrol), 171 mm (Diesel)
* Turning Radius – 4.8 m
* Boot Volume: 206 liters
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 42 liters
* Kerb Weight: 1080 kgs (D), 990 kgs (P)

TOYOTA INNOVA NEW VERSION & OLD VERSION COMPARISON

Toyota has launched the Innova facelift in Indonesia and we will get the new Innova in India by March, 2012. But does it warrant you to wait for the new model? Well not quite. The updates to the 2012 Toyota Innova are very minor. The front sees a slight design change while the rear now has three section tail lamp instead of the two on the current model. The side features smaller rear view mirrors and new alloy wheels while the interior now features dual glove box, revised center console and smaller steering wheel. With a slight price hike certain, waiting to buy the new Innova doesn’t maker much sense.

 

 

RENAULT TO LAUNCH KOLEOS IN SEPTEMBER

The Renault Koleos was scheduled for an October launch, however Renault has preponed the launch to September. The French automaker will be offering us the latest generation of the Koleos, which will rival the Honda CR-V and upcoming Chevrolet Captiva. The Koleos is nothing but the Nissan X-Trail underneath (uses the same platform) and will be powered by a 2.0-liter CRDi motor producing 150 BHP of power at 4000 RPM and 320 Nm at 2000 RPM. Renault doesn’t plan to shake the segment with the Koleos and is using a top down strategy in India. The Koleos will be priced at around Rs. 20 lakhs, making it good value for those who want a diesel softroader.

The Renault Koleos has terrific ride quality, something which will go very well on our potholed filled roads. The handling is just about average though but most users won’t complain about it. The Koleos will seat 5 in utmost comfort, while at the same have plenty of space for luggage, making it the perfect getaway car. With improvements to its dealership network and aggressive marketing, Renault will be able to make a decent customer base for the Koleos SUV.