VW Polo Wins business Standard Motoring Car Of The Year Award
Volkswagen’s premium hatchback won 2011 Business Standard Motoring ‘Car Of The Year award’ today. The awards were given away at a glittering function attended by automobile industry leaders in Mumbai. Adding a shot of glamour was actor Chitrangada Singh. Business Standard Motoring is the oldest automotive award in the country honouring the best new car of the year since 1996. Honda CB Twister was declared Bike of the Year. The awards, decided by a Jury comprising the Business Standard Motoring team and an external jury of motoring experts and motorsport drivers, past and present. Competition within the new car segment, among all models launched in 2010, Volkswagen Polo was the most intense with as many as 10 contenders for the top spot.
The Polo won the top honour at the award ceremony due to its excellent ride quality and handling, safety, stability and excellent fuel efficiency while the Vento won the BBC Top Gear team’s vote for its firm absorbent ride quality, its pure looks – a German car perfect for Indian roads. Commenting on receipt of both these awards Mr. Neeraj Garg, Member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said “We are truly delighted with this recognition by the jury members of these prestigious media houses. The Polo and the Vento are our brand pillars in India and we are truly overwhelmed by the response received towards both these cars. The awards are pure testimony of this. Honda’s 110cc entry-level CB Twister pipped to the post the TVS Motor Jive, a motorcycle with an auto clutch mechanism, and the Yamaha SZ-X. Formula-1 driver and motorsport personality Karun Chandhok handed over the award to Naresh K Rattan, general manager — sales & marketing, HMSI.
Honda Fit Shuttle Leaked – Jazz Wagon is The New Airwave!
Some of you might know the Honda Airwave, a wagon version of the Jazz and City brought in by grey importers. That compact station wagon (as it was called by Honda) was launched to the Japanese market in 2005 and was based on the previous generation Honda Jazz, so with the B-segment hatchback being replaced, a “new Airwave” was expected. Well, here it is, with a new name. These leaked brochures show an elongated version of the Jazz, which is called Fit in its home market. The Fit Shuttle won’t be mistaken as a spin off from any other model, as it retains much of the Jazz’s distinctive looks, both front and back. The forward leaning “fin” (the C-pillars) from the Airwave have become full length items, and is the most glaring design cue on the flanks.
The brochures show two variants – a 1500cc i-VTEC powered Type 15X and a Hybrid model. The latter’s drivetrain combines a 1.3L engine with Honda’s battery powered IMA system, which should be identical to that in the Jazz Hybrid and Insight. Those flat wheelcaps look as if they are chosen for aerodynamics, not aesthetics. The dashboard is similar to the Honda Jazz. No mention on whether the boot space with all five seats in place beats the Airwave’s 473 litres.
{Source: Paultan}
Hyundai i30 sales milestone
Before we move to Detroit, where Hyundai will take the wraps off its all-new Veloster Coupe, we should look at another sales milestone Hyundai has achieved recently. The South Korean carmaker announced it has rolled off the line already the 300,000th automobile at its industrialized plant located in Czech Republic, Europe.
According to Hyundai, the 300.000th vehicle was white 2011 Hyundai i30 CW, which is the station wagon version of the European market i30 compact hatch. The plant in Czech Republic, which cost Hyundai $1.49 billion, began working in November 2008. It currently produces Hyundai i30 hatchback and wagon models, as well as Hyundai ix20 and Kia Venga mini-MPVs. Due to high demand for Hyundai and Kia vehicles in Europe, the plant increased production by 70 percent to more than 200.000 units last year. In 2010, the plant produced 130.598 Hyundai i30 and i30 CW models, 48.866 Kia Vengas and 20.651 units of Hyundai ix20 MPV. The viewpoint for the brand is bright. Hyundai recently unveiled the ix20 MPV and it will soon launch its i40 sedan and i40 wagon, which will become Hyundai’s flagship models in Europe. The long-awaited Veloster coupe will also punch the dealerships this year, therefore we are expecting Hyundai’s European sales to soar in 2011.
Ford Figo bags 4 Awards at the Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards
After the Ford Figo (read road test) won the ICOTY (India Car of the Year) Award in December 2010 (read post here), the hatch continued Fords success story by winning four Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards. The Ford Figo was awarded ‘Car of the Year Award 2011′, ‘Value for Money Car 2011′ and ‘Premium Compact Car’. Beside these it also won the ‘Viewers Choice – Car of the Year 2011′.
The Figo has been in the limelight this year and this is clearly visible in the kind of sales figures the company has seen. Ford India has already sold 60,000 units of the Figo since its launch in March 2010. In addition to recognizing the Figo’s virtues, Ford India has been named “Manufacturer of the Year 2011″ for its innovative practices in manufacturing and engineering excellence. Ford also came out with the 4×2 Endeavour this year (read first drive) which gives us an idea of the companies stratergy to woo the customers looking for an SUV. Ford had already announced that it will be introducing 8 new cars in India in the next five years and with them bagging these awards, the expectations of the Indian customer have increased ten folds. All eyes will be on the bait that Ford India throws out to its customers.
Smaller cities in India key to Brio success, Honda Siel Cars
The failure of the Jazz has lead Honda Siel Cars to rethink their strategy for India and this time Honda is choosing to tread carefully. Honda wants their small hatchback, Brio to be a success across the length and breadth of the country and the company thinks small cities hold the key to the success of the Honda Brio.
“We are not exactly focusing on the major metros with Brio,” Honda Siel Cars vice-president Jnaneshwar Sen. “It will cater to urban nucleus families, but will meet specific needs of larger family units in small towns.”
Honda, in India was basically concentrating all their effort and resources at selling their cars in the major metros of the country. Now with the Brio, Honda desires to target customers in smaller towns. Not that smaller cities don’t have the potential. In fact rising cities like Aurangabad and Kolhapur in Maharashtra have seen a tremendous spike in demand for luxury cars including BMW and Mercedes Benz. Other factors that have led Honda to re-think their strategy for the Brio has been the achievement story of the Ford Figo and Hyundai i20.
Ford Figo especially, took the market by storm as it attracted customers away from the latest offerings of Hyundai and Maruti. Honda will like to take on the Ford Figo in 2011 with the Brio which is expected to debut in September at around INR 5 Lakh. The Brio can also be a success given, Honda cost it well if it plans to de-throne the Figo. Nissan Micra is a excellent example of how bad pricing can lead to a total debacle. Honda Siel Cars has also initiated talks with government as well as regional banks to offer structure finance for its cars.
“As we moved to small cities and settlements, we have enrolled these financial institutions including cooperative banks, who have the ability to cater to profiles of potential customers for Brio,” Sen said.
Nissan is planning a massive assault
Nissan is planning a massive assault on the huge compact car market in India with two all-new models that will sit below the Micra in the Japanese company’s model range. The first model (code: K2) will be built on a two-generation old Micra platform (code: K11) but will find a new ‘top-hat’ or all new corpse and interiors. The K2 which is due for launch in December 2012 is aimed at the Wagon R and A-star and will be priced competitively at around Rs 3.5 lakh. Engine options are likely to be the same 1.2 litre three-cylinder petrol motor that powers the Micra although a highly fuel-efficient 1-litre engine is also being considered. The K2 will come with two wheelbases; the longer version will be for export markets.
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Nissan is also considering an MPV version of the K2 to cater to the Indonesian market where this body design is extremely popular. According to sources in Nissan, using the defunct K11 platform has resulted in savings of around Rs. 50,000 and critical to meeting the stiff target price. Even more ambitious is the cheaper entry level hatchback (code: I2) that Nissan is rising to compete head on with the Alto. The I2 is being developed by Defiance Testing and Engineering, a US company acquired in 2007 by Ashok Leyland, Nissan’s joint-venture partner in India.
Ashok Leyland will take the lead in developing the I2 and to keep costs down a significant amount of engineering work will be carried out in India. Nissan hopes to sell the I2 for around Rs 2.5 lakh and tap into the massive volumes the Alto is presently enjoying. The I2 is likely to be launched in 2013. Nissan also has the alternative to use Bajaj’s ultra-low cost car (ULC) though it’s not clear if the ULC will form a part of Nissan’s India range. However, with the Micra, K2 and I2, Nissan will have completely covered the budget end of the Indian car market and could pose a formidable challenge to Maruti’s stranglehold.
Tata Motors Fails to Deliver One Lakh Nanos in 2010
Tata Motors has missed the delivery target of its small car Nano to the 1st one lakh customers, who booked the car through a lottery system in 2009. Tata had selected 1.55 lakh consumers in 2009 for the delivery of the car in 2 phases. The delivery of 1st one lakh car was supposed to be achieved by the end of 2010. Since the beginning of deliveries in July 2009, Tata Motors has delivered only 77,000 cars till the end of December 2010, which also includes buyers from the 2nd phase and the open sales.
“There could be several customers waiting for deliveries, but at their own choice. We had informed everyone that the car was ready,” a Tata Motors spokesperson said. When queried about cancellations, he said, “There may be some cancellations as well, but some have postponed taking deliveries”.
The Tata recently started pan-India open sales of the Nano and boosted the sales from 509 units in November to 5,784 units in December. In July 2010, Tata Motors sold 9,000 units of the Nano, but the sales started to diminish regularly. After various fire accidents, Tata Motors announced a 4 year or 60,000 km manufacturing warranty on Nano to woo the customer. The company also requested Tata Nano buyers to bring back their cars to add safety features.
{Source: Carazoo}
Tata Nano To Feature In Singapore’s ‘The India Show’
Tata Nano is going places. ‘The India Show’ to be held in Singapore next week will feature a presentation by Tata Technologies on Nano as a role model, Tata said in a statement. The show displays Indian entrepreneurial and innovation expertise in various industries. Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma would also be leading a 80-CEO delegation to ‘The India Show',to be held January 14 to 18 at the Suntec Convention Centre. Tata India Technologies will give presentation on Tata Nano LX car model, the top end car version as its is an all weather small car that will be showcased in the show.
Tata Nano forms part of Tata Technologies ‘Better Innovation’, a road show launched on January 14, 2010, at the Detroit Science Centre during the week of the North American International Automotive Show in Detroit, Michigan. Tata Nano has been in news since its launch, be it the political unrest or the increasing safety issues or the price hike. But this small wonder has been able to capture the world attention with its technology. Even when the US President Barack Obama visited India previous year, he and his wife saw the small car and appreciated its making. Currently, in India it is again stabilizing its sales with various interesting schemes and offers on it and the new added safety features.
{Source: Autoplugged}
Mercedes SLK For Hole In One
Mr. Parthiv Mehta is the luckiest man on earth. In the Mercedes Trophy Invitational Golf Tournament at the Kensville Golf and Country Club course in Gujarat, Mr. Mehta hit a 140 yard shot (hole in one shot) on the 11th hole to win the jackpot prize, which happened to be a Mercedes-Benz SLK. The 39 year old businessman owns a Maruti Swift and Hyundai i10.
{Source: Motorbeam}
Chevrolet launches Sonic hatchback
Chevrolet Sonic hatchback, the next generation Aveo finally landed in North America. Our habitual readers must be remembering our previous article on this topic. But there is a minor difference, as per newest information from Chevrolet officials, Aveo’s rechristening will be applicable to some chosen markets like North America and Mexico only. That official words tell us, if new generation Aveo hits Indian market, it will carry on with Chevrolet Aveo badge. Chevrolet’s this B-Segment offering was debuted in Paris Motor Show as Aveo and later undergone a renaming exercise and finally named as Chevrolet Sonic for some selected markets as we said before. “The Sonic represents a new beginning for Chevrolet in the small car segment and so we felt it was time to give it a new name,” said Chris Perry,
Chevrolet’s vice president of US marketing. “The new car is roomy, stylish and enjoyable to drive, and Sonic is a youthful, energetic name that helps convey what this vehicle is about,” he added. Other details like engine and transmission and price are still awaited. But speculated engines are a pair of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. The engine series will have two 1.2-liter versions – a 70 hp version and an 86 hp variant. Later a 1.4-liter unit with 100 horsepower and a 1.6-liter version with 115 horsepower may join the before said engines . There could also be two other versions featuring 1.3-liter diesel engines – one with 75 horsepower and one with 95 horsepower – featuring Start/Stop technology. Chevrolet Sonic may feature both manual and auto transmissions.
Press Release:
Chevrolet announced today that its all-new, U.S. built small car will be called the Chevrolet Sonic in North America. “The Sonic represents a new beginning for Chevrolet in the small car segment and so we felt it was time to give it a new name,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet U.S. Marketing. “The new car is roomy, stylish and fun to drive, and Sonic is a youthful, energetic name that helps convey what this vehicle is about.” The small car will carry the Sonic name in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Production of the Sonic begins in 2011 at GM’s Orion Assembly Center in Michigan, which received a $545-million investment in upgrades and retooling, and will help restore approximately 1,000 jobs in the metropolitan Detroit area.
The vehicle will continue to be called Aveo in other parts of the world, where it will be sold in more than 50 countries. Back to India, our Aveo U-VA hatchback could be the worst performer in Chevrolet India’s portfolio. Though U-VA is a value for money car it’s dull styling and a slightly under powered engine damages it’s impression among our hatchback buyers. We think Chevrolet India must consider bringing 2011 Aveo/Sonic to India and position it in our premium hatchback segment. If it happens, we are sure new Chevrolet Aveo can easily snatch some market shares of Hyundai i20, Skoda Fabia and VW Polo within no time. Let us see what’s Chevrolet India’s plans for year 2011.