Indian Car News

Concept CS shows new design direction - Bigger than a Bentley, lower than an Aston DB9 - Production version could get 6.0-litre V12 We were expecting a two-seat sports car, but instead BMW pulled off a major coup by unveiling its new design language in a saloon concept and it could also be a pointer to a forthcoming M7. The Concept CS is a large four-door, four-seat sports saloon in the mould of the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera. But there’s more to it than that. It gives us a look at the beginning of a new design direction for BMW as it starts to move away from the look pioneered by design director Chris Bangle and first featured on the current 7-series. The car’s heavily sculptured look will set the tone for the next generation of BMWs. “We wanted to do a big, sporty car without making it appear heavy,” said BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk. BMW puts a lot of emphasis on the car’s sporting potential, saying it “combines the qualities of a luxury saloon and a hig...

Dacia-based, 7-seat MPV to rival Ertiga. Rs. 7-10 lakh. 2014 launch. Buoyed by the success of the Duster, Renault is now considering the launch of another Dacia sourced product – the Lodgy. This 7-seat, three row MPV would be a direct competitor of the Maruti Ertiga, the compact MPV which has opened up an all-new segment in the Indian market. The Lodgy would relatively be easy to manufacture in India as it borrows a lot of its mechanicals from the Duster. It will be powered by the venerable Renault 1.5 diesel K9K that is now the staple engine for most Renault-Nissan products in India.  However, keeping the practical characteristics of the Lodgy in mind, Renault is likely to offer just the 84bhp version of the K9K motor, which would be less expensive and more fuel efficient than the 110bhp option that comes in the Duster.  The Duster’s 1.6 petrol engine is likely to power the entry level Lodgy. According to sources in Renault, the Lodgy’s interiors would be heavily mo...

The test car came with a sports package that includes low-profile tyres on 18-inch rims and a lowered, sports suspension. The launch car comes with what Merc calls a comfort suspension, which offers higher ground clearance, softer suspension settings and more practical 16-inch wheels on the base petrol variant, while the B 180 Sport gets 17-inch wheels. The sports kit no doubt adds to the ground-hugging looks of the B-class, but look past the eye candy and you’ll see what looks like a shrunken R-class. There’s that low bonnet, steeply raked windshield and high roofline, and despite the unusual shape, it won’t take long for even untrained eyes to tell it’s a Benz. Every current Merc styling cue is present – the oversized grille with the huge three-pointed star in the centre, the clamshell bonnet and the bumper with its integrated LED lamps all point to Stuttgart. Viewed in profile, your eyes are drawn to the sharp upswept kink that runs along the flanks and the unusually long sp...

German luxury car maker Audi launched its compact luxury SUV-Audi Q3 in India, priced between Rs 26.21 lakh and Rs 31.49 lakh (ex-showroom). The car would be sold through company's 19 dealerships across the country, Audi said in a statement. "The launch of the Audi Q3 is in line with our top-down strategy for India. At present, only 500 Audi Q3s will be available for initial booking," Audi India Head Michael Perschke said. "We are confident that Audi Q3 will repeat the success of Audi Q5 and Audi Q7 and further consolidate our leadership position in the luxury SUV segment," he added. Equipped with a 2.0 TDI quattro engine, the Audi Q3 is priced at Rs 26.21 lakh onwards (ex-showroom Maharashtra) for the base grade and Rs 31.49 lakh onwards (Ex-showroom Maharashtra) for the high grade. Audi India grew by 37 per cent during January to May of 2012, delivering 3,281 vehicles as compared to 2,394 vehicles delivered during the same period last year. It recorded sale...

After its successive break up with Tata Motors, Fiat India plans to launch its cars in newer segments to gather more of the Indian market share. It will also focus on its B and C segments where the Grande Punto and Linea are popular. Fiat keeps in mind the demand for bigger cars in India and plans to go into the sports utility vehicles (SUVs) arena. The Fiat 500 L (compact 5- / 7-seater SUV) and Fiat Qubo (5-seater multi-purpose vehicle or MPV) could very well make it into the Indian market. Enrico Atanasio, head-commercial Fiat India, believes that an Indian-specific Fiat product is quite possible as it brings with it more choice to customers in a competitive market. The Italian auto major is also optimistic about boosting market share to 1-1.5 percent within 36 months from the present 0.7 percent.

The F10 BMW 5 Series Sedan is a good seller for the German luxury car brand in the Indian car market, helping it to bag the top position in the Indian car market, edging out Mercedes Benz and Audi. To further cements its position, BMW India, it appears could launch a new entry level variant of the BMW 5 Series in the form of the 520i. The sedan will feature a smaller 2 liter petrol engine in an inline four cylinder layout. This engine is expected to produce a peak power output of 184 Bhp and a peak torque output of 270 Nm. Crucially, the peak torque of the smaller engine remains similar to that of the bigger 3 liter, six cylinder engine, at 270 Nm. So, performance for most part of the rev range(read low end and mid range) chould be identical. Power though, on the bigger engine is higher by about 20 Bhp, as the peak output is rated at 204 Bhp. The new engine is expected to retain the 8 speed automatic gearbox, which is both highly responsive and fuel efficient. The arrival of the new...