Vehicle Approval Period to Reduce
Before any new model hits the Indian car market, it has pass the various tests from the engine building to crash tests as the standards set by National Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (Natrip). The Natrip has two main testing centres, one is the ARAI in Pune and iCAT in Manesar.
It will be simply illogical to undergo these tests if the design and stats don't seem good on paper. Initially, the manufacturers had to submit a hard copy of their various designs. The copies normally have about 4-digit number of pages, due to which the Natrip takes about 3 months to complete the paper work. Now, the manufacturers can submit a soft copy, this isn't just simpler but it also reduces the time to approve to a less than a couple of months.
[Via: CW]
Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 Launched!!
Maruti Suzuki India Limited, the country's largest passenger car manufacturer, today introduced a brand new version of its popular high end SUV - Grand Vitara.
The new Grand Vitara 2.4 comes reloaded with a 2.4 litre VVT (Variable Valve Timing) engine that delivers a maximum power of 163.5 bhp @ 6000 rpm and a torque of 225 NM @ 4000 rpm. The VVT engine on the new Grand Vitara 2.4 delivers a balanced mix of power and efficiency.
The Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV range has always been loved by the customers for its style and handling as well as its off-road capabilities. The new Grand Vitara 2.4 answers the customer's need for more power.
An All-time, 4-mode, 4-Wheel Drive (4WD) continues to ensure effective control across terrains. Disc brakes in the rear wheels, that ensure superior braking, provide additional safety dimension to the Grand Vitara 2.4.
The new Grand Vitara 2.4 is packed with many new features that add style and a bold look. The interior display in the car has been enhanced with a new Multi Information Display (MID) providing easy to read and accurate vehicle information like Cruising range, Average speed and instantaneous fuel consumption, besides "low-fuel" warning. All these add up to enhanced user convenience and driving comfort.
The stylish new front grille and front bumper gives the Grand Vitara a sleeker look while the 17 inch alloy wheels add dynamism. A centre speaker coupled with a 6-CD changer brings in a surround-sound effect. Improved acoustics and a redesigned power train helps in lower noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels. A sliding centre-console armrest adds to passenger comfort.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mayank Pareek, Executive Officer (M&S) Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, "The new version of Grand Vitara takes the three decades of Suzuki SUV heritage to the next level. Highly popular the world over, the Grand Vitara is one of the global strategic models in Suzuki Range. For all those customers, who are increasingly looking at SUVs, the Grand Vitara 2.4 offers more power and the best in class 4X4 drive at a highly competitive price."
The Grand Vitara brand of Suzuki has sold over 2.5 million units worldwide winning over 32 reputed awards across 16 countries. Leading accolades for Grand Vitara include 6 awards in USA, 4 in Germany, 5 in Russia and 3 in Australia.
The new Grand Vitara 2.4 comes in two variants: 5-speed Manual Transmission (5 front + 1 reverse) and 4-speed Automatic Transmission (4 front + 1 reverse). The Grand Vitara 2.4 is available across the country immediately.
The Grand Vitara 2.4 is competitively priced as under:at Rs.16.67 lakh & Rs.17.97 lakh for manual and automatic versions respectively.
Maruti To Launch Grand Vitara 2.4L In July
Maruti will launch the Grand Vitara with a more powerful engine in the first week of July this year. The more powerful Grand Vitara will get a 2.4L VTT petrol powerplant with 160bhp on tap and will help the SUV comply with Bharat IV norms.
Maruti has updated the Grand Vitara site, which says "New Grand Vitara 2.4 litre Coming Soon In First week of July".
[Via: motorbeam]
Fiat produces its 10 millionth vehicle in Brazil
Fiat has just produced its 10 millionth car in Brazil and is now the no.1 car manufacturer in that country, ahead of Volkswagen and General Motors. Fiat, which has been building cars and LCVs in Brazil since 1976, today produces 15 different models (and dozens of variants thereof) in that country.
With a daily production of 3,000 units per day, Fiat sold 60,628 vehicles in Brazil during May this year, which represents a 25.5% market share in the South American country. Fiat is now said to be working on a very low cost car which it is expected to launch in South America and Asia - including India - sometime in 2011.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
Audi Q5 Launched!
Audi India has launched the Q5 SUV in Indian Market today. The Q5 comes in two engine variants - a petrol and diesel each.
The petrol unit is the 2.0 Litre 4 Cylinder DOHC turbocharged intercooled unit with around 200 bhp of power on tap and a maximum of 350 nm of maximum torque starting from 1500 rpm all the way upto 4200 rpm.
The V6 Turbo diesel displaces 3.0 Litre and generates an impressive 240 bhp and an even more impressive 510 nm of torque. The same diesel even under the hood of the bigger Q7 provides effortless performance and its fair to say that in Q5 which is smaller and lighter, it will more or less electric!
Both the engines will be mated to a 7-Speed S-Tronic transmission with permanent Quattro all wheel drive. Audi claims a 0-100 kmph sprint time of 6.5 seconds for the diesel and 7.2 seconds for the petrol and top speed of 225 kmph and 222 kph respectively.
Bosch Inaugurates ECU Plant In Bangalore
Bosch India has inaugurated its manufacturing plant at Naganathapura, Bangalore for manufacture of ECUs for diesel and gasoline fuel injection systems in India. Bosch has invested over Rs. 60 crore in this facility during 2008 and 2009 and plans an additional investment of Rs. 68 crore by 2010.
Electronic control units from Bosch integrate all required functions of modern engine control in a single unit. Main components of the ECU are microcontroller with software applications and power stages.
Functions are integrated in a compact chip set which controls the fuel injection and ignition for motor vehicles. The software for the ECU was specifically developed for the requirements of emerging markets. The first batch of ECUs produced at Naganathapura will be supplied to the Tata Nano.
Over the past few years, Bosch has been introducing its innovative products to the Indian market as part of its increased commitment to India. The company has already introduced the Common Rail Injection System for Diesel vehicles, which has revolutionized the Indian diesel car and SUV market.
In near future, the Common Rail System will also be available in the commercial vehicle segment in India. Another Bosch innovation, the Start-Stop system, which can save fuel consumption of 8-12%, is already in use in the Mahindra Scorpio and Bolero. The next in the offering is the Anti-lock Braking System, which will be manufactured in India from this year.
[Via: motorbeam]
Hyundai cumulative sales up 8.4% in May 2009
Riding high on the incentives provided by the Government's in different countries of the European Union, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), the country's second largest car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter saw a healthy growth of 27.8% in its exports for the month of May, 2009.
The European Union led by major automotive markets like Germany, France, UK and Italy who had recently introduced incentives like the 'scrappage incentive' to induce sales in a sagging market resulted in a positive sales scenario for HMIL as it benefited mostly from its exports to Europe which continues to grow despite a slowdown in the sector.
HMIL's total sales for May, 2009 stood at 43,628 units against 40,261 units in May, 2008. The domestic sales it accounted for 23,503 units as against 24,510 units last May while it was the overseas sales which grew from 15,751 units in May 2008 to 20,125 units in May 2009.
Commenting on May, 2009 sales Arvind Saxena, Sr. Vice President - Marketing and Sales, HMIL said, "Our cumulative sales growth is driven by the demand for our cars from the overseas market. EU countries had taken the initiative of reviving auto sales by introducing various incentives like the scrappage incentive which clearly demonstrates that incentives do work in revving markets and as the demand for our cars grew in the EU market we were forced to adjust our domestic production to address the needs of this unique market opportunity."
The segment-wise cumulative sales in the month of May, 2009 are as follows: A2 Segment (Santro, i10, Getz & i20) 39,864 units; A3 Segment (Accent & Verna) 3735 units; units, A5 Segment (Sonata Transform) 27 units; and SUV Segment (Tucson) 2 unit.