Volkswagen Touareg Coming Next Month
Volkswagen launched its mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle Touareg in 2002. Touareg was the third SUV from the automaker Volkswagen and shares its platform with the Porsche's Cayenne. Now, Volkswagen India is all set to launch Touareg in India this december in a price range of 45-55 lakhs. The Touareg is Volkswagon's radical new sports utility vehicle which represents an attempt to attract a more upscale group of buyers to the Volkswagen brand - buyers who might otherwise be tempted by Mercedes Benz. Accordingly, the company calls the Touareg "one of the most important new vehicle launches in VW history."
olkswagen India has also started a advertisement which is presently being aired on all leading TV channels in India. In the ad a kid enters Volkswagen showroom and asks: Can we book a car in advance....?? And books a New Beetle for his 18th birthday, a Jetta for his 21st birthday and a Passat when he will become CEO of his dad's company. The ad ends with sneak peek of Touareg SUV with big VW logo & slogan "Das Auto" which means "The Car" in german launguage. In my opinion this is one of the best ads in which they have shown all the models avaialble in India. Great move by Voklkwagen guys to improve the brand image of the company. Waiting for the launch of New Beetle & Touareg in Indian Market.
[Via: Cars India ]
Rolls Royce Ghost Launched In India
Rolls Royce has launched the Ghost has been launched in India and at Rs 2.5 crore and above, it's now one of the most expensive luxury cars available in the country. Rolls-Royce expects to sell a total of around 75 cars in India in 2010, of which the Ghost could comprise 50-60 units. Rolls-Royce, which sold 15 units of the Phantom in India last year, sold a total of only 1,212 cars worldwide in 2008. Now, with the smaller, less expensive Ghost joining its line-up, the British luxury car manufacturer is hoping to double its sales in 2010 and expects future growth to come from countries like China and India.
Powered by a 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 that kicks out 563 horsepower and 780Nm of torque, the R-R Ghost is fitted with an eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission from ZF. The car accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and hits an electronically limited top speed of 248km/h.With dealerships only in Mumbai and Delhi, Rolls-Royce has a very limited presence in India, but has still garnered 25 bookings for the Ghost already.
[Via: cartadeindia]
Volkswagen Beetle To Be Launched On 4th December
Volkswagen India is going to launch the Beetle in Indian on 4th December, 2009. It is going to compete with the likes of Fiat 500 and it will be imported as a completely built unit in India which will make it pricier due to high import duty.
It is expect to be priced around Rs. 20 lakh for the base variant and can go upto 24 lakh for the convertible variant. The company has planned a complete advertising campaign including internet, print, electronic and digital media to generate a furor about its upcoming high cost model. The main aim of launching Beetle in India is to build a brand image in the country.
[Via: cartradeindia]
All New Audi A8 To Debut On 30th November
Audi is all set to publically unveil the all new A8 on the eve of Design Miami on November 30th. The Audi flagship will be presented in a truly innovative way in a temporary museum structure, Audi pavilion which is focal point of "The Art Of Progress" which exhibits cultural and technological progress and echoes the value of the new A8: Vorsprung durch Technik and design expertise that stirs the emotions.
Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, commented on the exhibition concept: "Our claim "Vorsprung durch Technik" also embraces design, which is one of the outstanding elements of the Audi signature. And as top design has now emerged as an acknowledged art form, we see the bridge between art and architecture as a logical step in advancing our brand."
The new Audi A8 promises to be an ultimate combination of performance, looks, luxury and technology. The flagship Audi luxury sedan will come with a slew of new engines which include V6 and V8 petrols and an all new Hybrid. A high performance model on the lines of the BMW 760Li and Mercedes S600 may also be launched.
[Via: CC]
Honda CBF Stunner Gets Leovince SBK exhaust system
Much relief to the riders of motorbikes, the Honda CBF Stunner will be herein after fitted with Leovince SBK exhaust system. The bike, as of now, is deprived of its Shine -drive despite the sharp cowl and less tuned engine. The arrival of this exhaust is a breathing break for the riders of this Stunner. Leovince, from UK, offers this exhaust system for this Stunner, and it provides 10% torque increase,10% power increase, Weight saving, 'Superb' sound. The imminent increase in the power output is 10.8 - 11.7 bhp@ 3500 rpm and 5200 rpm, a gain of torque upto 40%.
The cost of the kit is Rs. 27,212 and it is the ideal choice for international racers using Honda bikes - Stiggy-Honda, Wilson-Craig-Honda, Hannspree-Althea-Honda, Red Viper. Compared to these tuned bikes the performance in Stunner will be worthy for the money spent. The Leovince is in the news also for its newly crafted top-range 'SBK Factory'silencer -in a oval shape with flat top and bottom sections, lightweight brushed alloy, a short 420mm body and 60mm tailpipe- the link to the engine with AISI 304 stainless pipework with racing type header fittings, a genuine carbon fibre support strap, 3D-style mounted kit - all these talk volumes of the efficiency of Leovince.
[Via: Vicky]
Toyota To Display New Models At China Auto Show
Toyota Corp is planning to showcase nearly 45 concept and production models at the upcoming Guangzhou Motor Show in China. There has been a tremendous increase in the demand of SUVs in the country, especially mid-sized models. The Lexus GX mid-size SUV has been on sale since 2003 but Toyota will use China's 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show for the world debut of its latest and advanced model of Lexus GX model.
Toyota is also planning to sell its latest updated Prius model in China from early 2010. This model will also be showcased at the China show. Toyota is targeting sales of 3,000 new Prius cars a year in the country. Toyota's other models that will be displayed at the show are Camry Hybrid and its executive car Crown that goes on sale in the country from next month.
There will be various concept models like FT-EV city model, urban plug in model Hi-CT, and FT-HS hybrid sports model. Toyota will be aiming at zero emission and fuel efficient cars that will highlight "the diversification of the energy sources".
[Via: Cartradeindia]
Volkswagen voted Europe’s best carmaker
Volkswagen has been voted the best volume car manufacturer in Europe, by visitors to the UK-based Road Test Reports website. In a poll conducted by this website, in which 140,000 people took part, Volkswagen netted 35% of the total votes cast to come out on top as the manufacturer of the best, most reliable cars. Skoda (owned by the VW Group) finished in second place, while Spanish manufacturer SEAT took third place.
'Volkswagen has always had a great reputation; it is an aspirational yet affordable brand and it has worked hard to strike that rare balance,' says Faye Sunderland, a spokesperson for Road Test Reports. It's interesting to note that Volkswagen plans to increase its presence in the Indian market in a very big way, from 2010 onwards. The German company is preparing to launch a host of mass-market as well as niche offerings here, including the iconic Beetle, which will be launched in India in December this year.
[Via: Cartradeindia]
Nissan Motor India sets up new head office in Chennai
Nissan India has set up its new corporate head office in Chennai, from where Nissan's operations in India will be controlled. Nissan will, of course, also continue with its office in Mumbai, which will operate as a regional office with product planning and sales & marketing teams from Hover Automotive India, Nissan's strategic alliance partner in the country.
Nissan's head office in Chennai already has a staff strength of more than 50 people, and this number is expected to double by the end of 2010. 'This marks yet another significant milestone for us at Nissan, as we move to our new corporate office in Chennai. We have come to India to become a major player and Chennai will play an important and strategic role in our Indian operations as we gear up for the start of production of our locally made global compact car in May 2010,' said Kiminobu Tokuyama, Managing Director and CEO, NMIPL.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Michelin announces Rs 4,000 crore investment in India
French tyre manufacturer Michelin will set up a new manufacturing facility at Gummidipoondi (about 40km from Chennai), for which it will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a period of seven years. Michelin intends to produce truck and bus radial tyres at this plant, which is expected to be operational by 2012. These tyres will initially be meant only for the Indian market, though Michelin may also cater to some overseas markets at a later stage.
Michelin's tyre manufacturing facility will be situated on a 290 acre chunk of land situated in the SIPCOT industrial estate at Gummidipoondi. Michelin, which already supplies tyres to companies like Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo in India, currently imports most of its tyres from its plant in Thailand.
This isn't Michelin's first foray into the Indian tyre market. The company first came to India with MRF in the early-1990s (the partnership was dissolved in the mid-1990s) and then set up a joint venture (for truck and bus radial tyres) with Apollo Tyres in 2003, which also ended in 2005.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Mahindra to set up new manufacturing plant near Chennai
Mahindra India will soon be setting up its new automotive project near Chennai, at an investment of around Rs 1,800 crore. The Tamil Nadu Cabinet cleared the proposal recently and the TN government has also allotted 200 acres of land (of the total 450 acres that will ultimately be needed) for the project.
At its new facility in Chennai, M&M will manufacture its utility vehicles, tractors, light commercial vehicles and auto components. The company will also build a test track at the new facility, and an R&D centre and vehicle design studio at Maraimalainagar near Chennai.
[Via: cartradeindia]