All New 2010 BMW 5 Series Launched in India
BMW India has launched 2010 New 5 series in India. The new BMW 5 Series Sedan is entering the market with the world's first straight-six petrol engine with Twin Power Turbo, High Precision Injection and Valvetronic (225kW/306hp) in the BMW 535i as well as straight-six petrol engine in the BMW 523i (150kW/204hp). The latest generation of straight-six diesels featuring an all-aluminium crankcase and common-rail direct injection develop 180kW/245hp in BMW 530d and 150kW/204hp in BMW 525d.
BMW 523i and the BMW 525d is outfitted with 8- speed automatic transmission while BMW 535i and the BMW 530d boasts 8-Speed Sports Automatic transmission with shift paddles on the steering wheel. The 523i, 525d and 530d will be produced at the BMW Plant Chennai. The ex-showroom prices of BMW 523i, BMW 525d and BMW 530d across India are Rs 38,90,000,Rs 39,90,000, and Rs 45,90,000 respectively. The 535i will be available as a CBU (completely built-up unit) and will have an ex-showroom price of INR 58,00,000.
Royal Enfield Launches Classic 500 Military
Royal Enfield USA has launched the Royal Enfield Classic 500 Military in military livery which offers a distinctive vintage olive green colored matched paint on the body, frame, and wheels. Other thant the paint job, upgraded tyres and ECU (which now gets an oxygen sensor), the bike is quite similar to the Indian Classic 500UCE. The Military C5 is priced at $6395 and comes with a 2 year, unlimited mileage warranty.
[Via: Motorbeam]
Ford Figo Faces Capacity Constraints
Ford India is facing capacity constraint with Figo commanding a waiting period of close to 5 weeks. The small car is clocking fantastic sales for the US automaker with close to 8000 units being sold in March. The most popular variants are the ZXi and Titanium (top end) and the company has already decided to begin second shift operations at Chennai from June to cope with order backlog of Figo.
[Via: Motorbeam]
Skoda Auto India Quarter One Sales Jump 213%
SkodaAuto India , a fully owned subsidiary of SkodaAuto A.S., Czech Republic and one of the most promising automobile companies in India, today announced a sales growth of 213% for quarter ending March'10 over the same period last year. The year 2010 has commenced with remarkable momentum as SkodaAuto India's total sales for Q1 2010 stood at 5510 units2585 units for the same period last year. This milestone achievement reflects ŠkodaAuto's commitment towards India through our leading technology, superior built-quality and valuable services which enhance the ownership experience for our customers.
The success is also a result of the efforts that ŠkodaAuto has taken to manage customer expectations in the after sales area in service along with improving the cost of ownership for the customers with the introduction of service at 15,000 Kms and 2 years warranty on spares. The introduction of Boutiques customer touch points in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata has generated a huge word of mouth among the target customer segments. ŠkodaAuto India plans to open a total of 15 such facilities by 2010. ŠkodaAuto India also actively engages its customers and prospects via social media platforms online. Earlier this month SkodaAuto India introduced the all new Superb 1.8 TSI Petrol in Manual Transmission. It offers a lethal combination of the powerful TSI engine and an efficient 6-Speed Manual Transmission which not only gives better fuel efficiency (ARAI: 13.14 km/lit) but also improves the driving experience. With the launch of Superb 1.8 TSI MT Skoda is slated to retain its dominance in D segment.
Internationally, SkodaAuto registered a 25% sales growth for the Q1 2010. In March alone the firm posted record monthly sales in its history, selling 72,900 vehicles. The overall sales for Q1 2010 stood at 178901 cars. SkodaAuto is one of the fastest growing automobile companies worldwide. The car maker has a strong presence in Central & Western Europe; it is also extremely successful in emerging markets like China and India.
[Via: Infibeam]
BMW Becomes World’s Most Valuable Auto Brand
BMW is now the world's most valuable auto brand after the company overtook Toyota in an annual ranking of the world's top brands called BrandZ Top 100 which is run by market research company Millward Brown. The survey indicated that BMW has a brand value of US$21.8 billion and sits in 25th spot in the overall ranking. "It is likely that Toyota's brand has suffered further in recent months, but it is a strong brand and is trying hard to overcome the damage through a major communications campaign," said director Peter Walshe. "All of our evidence shows that strong brands are much more likely to recover from a crisis."
According to the survey although BMW is on top its brand value declined by 9% compared to last year. Toyota had it worse with a 27% decline. Third place went to Honda while Mercedes-Benz is in fourth after suffering from an 11% drop. Porsche is in fifth after its brand's value fell by 31%. The brands that made up the top three of the list include, you've guessed it Google followed by IBM and Apple. Google's brand value is worth US$114 billion.
[Via: Paultan]
Yamaha India Sells 85000 Units of FZ in 2009
After a spiraling success of the stupendous 150cc FZ16, Yamaha India launched another variant of the same bike with exactly same features albeit with different color tones and named it FZS. Fortunately for Yamaha, FZS was also a grand success despite the 3k difference just for a more funky color theme. As Yamaha saw their sales dipping for their flagship model and to keep the freshness in the product alive, they have launched two new color variants of the bike, Blue with silver graphics and Black with green graphics.
When Yamaha launched the R15 and the FZ series in India a few years back, everyone was mesmerized by the prospects and the technology both of these bikes boasted off. Within a span of few days, both these bikes became a hot favorite among youngsters especially the FZ as R15 was not affordable for all. Till now, FZ series, which includes FZ16 , FZS and the semi faired Fazer, has been a cherished possession of more than 1 lakh customers. Yamaha sold 85,000 units of FZ16 & FZ-S in the bygone 2009 fiscal year which accounted for 40 percent of the total sales of the company for the complete year.
[Via: Bike Advice]
New Upgraded Maruti Alto Launched
Maruti Suzuki India has launched the new upgraded and refreshed Alto with tweaked 800cc engine and minor facelift. The New Alto has a new and improved Catalytic Converter which makes it less polluting and environment friendly. It gets a new and improved Engine Management System (EMS), with and Improved mileage of 19.7 km/l and faster acceleration: 0-100 in 17.7 seconds.
Features in New Maruti Alto
- Front seats with integrated headrest
- New Tail lamps
- Sticker badging at the rear
- New wheel rims
- 2 tone Dashboard
- New speedometer with Digital fuel gauge
- Electronic Power Steering
- Brake Booster
- Heater, Ventilator Air Conditioner
- Engine Immobilizer
- Tubeless Radial Tyres - 145/80 R 12
[Via: Cars India ]
Maruti To Launch Cervo By June 2010
With the phasing-out of Maruti 800, Maruti Suzuki has not any model to compete with Tata Nano. So Maruti Suzuki is looking to launch a replacement for Maruti 800 in the Indian market. It can be as early as June 2010 when it launches its latest small car model Maruti Cervo . The car has been already introduced in Japan by Suzuki where it is quite successful.
The new Maruti Cervo is a modern day version of Maruti 800 with sleek, sporty and classy looks. It is powered by 660cc petrol engine delivering 60 bhp of power and 64Nm of torque. This car will feature four-speed manual transmission and latest engine of Advanced Variable Timing technology. Cervo will compete at entry level segment with a competitive price tag of Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh.
[Via: Autounplugged]
Mahindra Bolero Is The Bestselling SUV
Mumbai based Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is the country's major Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) manufacturer. M&M has recently announced that their Bolero SUV has won the title of No.1 SUV for the 4th consecutive year. The firm managed to sell a total of 70,554 units of the Bolero SUV in 2009-10 which makes it the first Indian SUV/UV/MPV to cross the 70,000 sales mark in the year.
The Bolero was launched earlier in the year 2000 after which it has evolved quite significantly through the years. However, since the start, till today, the car retains its 'rough and tough' nature. The car has evolved with the inclusion of various facilities which is the result of the changing lifestyle.
Mr. Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice President - Marketing, Auto Division, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. stated, "The Mahindra Bolero continues to create new records and scale greater heights as India's No. 1 SUV. In fact, the Bolero is a top selling brand in the passenger vehicle segment, excluding small cars. A clear pointer to its immense popularity is that the Bolero was the winner of the Total Customer Satisfaction survey in the SUV/MUV category, conducted by TNS Automotive in 2009."
Toyota Confirms Diesel Variants Of Etios
Toyota Kirloskar Motor said it may come out with a diesel version of its upcoming compact car, Etios, to make a mark in the Indian small car segment. Toyota is looking at the Etios as a breakthrough in its India strategy. "During the Delhi Auto Expo and at other events, we have received lot of customer queries regarding a diesel engine for the car. Considering the response, we are also looking at bringing out a diesel version of the Etios , but nothing has been finalised so far," Toyota Kirsolkar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director Sandeep Singh told reporters. "The Indian small car market is a huge one where we had no presence so far. The launch of the Etios will mark our break into the strategic market," Singh said.
Commercial production of the Etios is to begin at TKM's second plant in Bangalore from December this year and the car will be formally launched in the same month or during the first quarter of 2011. The company will bring out the petrol hatchback variant of the car with a 1.2 litre engine and the sedan variant with a 1.5 litre engine. The hatchback will compete with Maruti Suzuki's Swift, Hyundai's i20 petrol and Volkswagen's Polo, the sedan version will be positioned along Maruti's DZire and Tata's Manza."
The cars are priced between Rs. 4 lakh and Rs 6.75 lakh. Etios will have a localisation rate of 70 per cent in its component parts. The car will be made at the Bangalore facility and will have an initial capacity of 70,000 units annually and we will roll-out the same number of Etios during the first 12 months. While India will be the focus market, Toyota will also look at exporting the car later.
[Via: Goaonwheels]