Porsche India Plans To Sell 50 Panamera In 2009
Porsche plans to sell 50 units of the Panamera in India this year. The Porsche Panamera will be launched by 3rd October. The Panamera's price will range from Rs 1.4 crore to Rs. 2 crore. Porsche has already secured 13 bookings of the 4 door sports sedan. Porsche has sold around 650 cars since its entry into India three years ago. However, 65% of the sales came from the Porsche Cayenne.
Porsche had set up a new plant in Germany exclusively to manufacture about 20,000 units of the Panamera. Total production at its German plant has declined from 98,000 units (in 2008) to 80,000 units this year due to the recession. Indian operations contribute only a meagre percentage of global sales while the US, Europe, China and the Middle East are the big markets.
[Via: globalmotors]
New Maruti Estilo Launched
Maruti India has come up with a refreshed New Estilo which looks much better than the outgoing model with new headlamps, grille and bumpers. Interiors have also been spruced up to give it a upmarket look with all beige theme.
New Estilo comes with all the changes as expected in a mid life facelift - new bumpers, new headlights, new front grille and new fog lights. The front of the car certainly looks more grown up with the large teardrop shaped headlamps flanking a more mature looking grille.
Maruti Suzuki has announced the price of New Estilo - it has been priced at Rs. 3.24 lakhs for the base model and Rs. 4.14 lakhs for top of the line VXi variant with ABS & Driver Side Airbag. The prices are more or less in the same price range of the outgoing model. As far as variants are concerned, it is available in three variants - Lx, Lxi, Vxi & top of the line Vxi ABS. Here are ex-showroom prices of New Estilo:
- New Estilo Lx -------- 324000.00
- New Estilo Lxi ------- 353000.00
- New Estilo Vxi ------- 383000.00
- New Estilo Vxi ABS - 414000.00
New Estilo is available in folowing eight shades:
- Superior White
- Midnight Black
- Silky Silver
- Dusky Brown
- Ecru Beige
- Quantum Orange
- Bright Red
- Emerald Blue
Additional Features/Changes In New Maruti Estilo:
- New Design Front & Rear Bumpers
- New Tear Drop Shape Headlamps
- New Wheel Covers
- New Mature Looking Front Grille
- New Round Fog Lights
- New 998cc K-series engine from A-Star
- New Intrument Cluster
- New Gearbox
- New Interior Theme for seats and dashboard
Toyota Fortuner Launched
Toyota India has launched the much awaited Fortuner today in Indian market. Fortuner looks much better than Honda CR-V & Chevolret Captiva and also comes with host of comfort and safety features.
Fortuner boasts a stylish, modern exterior design together with a stable, comfortable ride and dependable performance both on- and off-road.The cab is placed well forward to create a masculine yet easy-on-the-eye look, while rearward sloping pillars and a wraparound rear windscreen provide the illusion of a vehicle that is wider than it actually is.
Fortuner is powered by a 2692cc, 4-Cylinder In-Line diesel engine which develops maximum power of 161 Bhp @ 3400 rpm with maximum torque of 343 Nm @ 1400 rpm.
Main Features Of Toyota Fortuner:
- Rear spoiler
- Optitron meter
- Dual SRS airbags
- 17 inch alloy wheels
- Automatic climate control
- Roof rail
- Multi-information display (MID)
- Audio and MID controls on steering wheel
- ABS
- Full time 4WD
- Back sonar
- Leather upholstery
Fortuner has been priced at Rs. 18.45 lakhs Ex-showroom New Delhi. It is available in five shades - Super white, Silver mica metallic, Grey mica metallic, Black mica and Light blue metallic.
Audi A5 Sportback
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TPowmhKagw
Audi A5 Sport Back Honest Johns Road Test
Special Edition C-Class Launched
Mercedes-Benz India, the German luxury carmaker, has launched its special edition C-Class model in the country. "The C-Class has been the star of young achievers and dynamic individuals whose lifestyles are a celebration of aspiration, ambition and drive," said Wilfried Aulbur, company's Managing Director and CEO.
Mercedes-Benz will produce only 60 limited edition C-Class models in order to maintain its exclusivity. The company will be launching both the petrol as well as the diesel version of the model and the special edition C-Class model will be priced between Rs 28.46 lakh and Rs 31.30 lakh.
Mercedes-Benz was once the largest luxury car manufacturer of the country now it has been pushed behind by BMW. The company has tough competition from many other luxury car manufacturers in the country too, but it is able to sustain its position among the top three luxury car manufacturers of the country and is trying to reach out to the top position it had once adorned. The company its business in the country and had announced plans to invest Rs 150 crore in network expansion in the country earlier this week.
[Via: carazoo]
VW Aims To Sell 1 Lakh Units
Volkswagen announced that it is aiming to sell 1,00,000 cars annually in India by 2014.The German luxury car maker said that the launch of its Volkswagen Polo in both hatchback and sedan variants in India will help the company boost up its sales in India.
With the introduction of Polo, Volkswagen will move into the mass-volume car market in India. The Volkswagen Polo will be manufactured in the company's Chakan plant near Pune. The Rs 3,800 Crore Chakan plant has an annual capacity of 1.10 Lakh units. The Volkswagen Jetta and the Volkswagen Passat, which are currently sold in India, are assembled at this facility unit.
Moreover, the German company also sells the high-end Volkswagen Phaeton and the Touareg in India but, these cars are imported from the company's mother plant in Germany. Volkswagen also will be introducing the iconic Volkswagen Beetle in India by November 2009 and the Beetle, a company spokesperson said, would be shipped into India from Germany in the form of Completely Built Unit (CBU).
The company which has a firm footing in India also is planning to strengthen its dealership network to 40 dealerships across the country by the end of 2009. The company sold 1,566 vehicles last year and has targeted to sell more than 3,000 vehicles in India in 2009 and with the launch of Polo next year; Volkswagen is hoping to sell 25,000 units of Polo in 2010.
[Via: carazoo]
Hyundai Equus launched in China
Hyundai has launched its top-of-the-line luxury sedan - Equus - in China, where it's priced between 677,000-910,000 Yuan (Rs 48.13-64.70 lakh). A Hyundai that costs the equivalent of Rs 65 lakh?! Yes indeed, the Equus is Hyundai's intended competitor to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series, so the price shouldn't come as a surprise…
The Equus, which is also due to be launched in the US by mid-2010, comes with a choice of 4.6-litre V8 and 3.8-litre V6 engines. The Hyundai luxo-barge was launched in South Korea in March this year and has been well received in its domestic market. The Korean company is hoping its luxury car will do equally well elsewhere in Asia and in the US. In India, however, Hyundai's bigger cars simply haven't worked and the Equus isn't likely to be launched here in the foreseeable future.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
GM to compete with Tata Nano
Tata has shaken up the auto world with its world's cheapest car, Nano, offering and now auto makers are also waking up to the cheap car market. Iconic automaker GM is seriously contemplating coming out with a competitor for the Nano in India, but its model will be priced at $4,000.
Nick Reilly, GM's new executive vice president for international operations, said that the new ultra cheap car has a market in certain countries (like Latin America and Asia) and GM would be interested in exploiting that space. If made, the car may be manufactured by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automotive Co which incorporates the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.
[Via: globalmotors]