Indian Car News

Fiat is planning to give its image a much needed boost in India by launching the 500 and Bravo hatchbacks in early 2008. These models won’t be assembled in India, but will be imported directly from Italy, so they will be ridiculously pricey. However, Fiat is not looking at large numbers and is using both these hatchbacks to make a statement about the company. The idea is to inject some zing into the Fiat brand — which has languished in India for the past several years — in the run-up to the launch of the Linea and Grande Punto. Style Statement The cute little 500, or Cinquecento, is a national icon in Italy and this latest model launched exactly 50 years after the original Cinquecento, fondly called the ‘Mighty Mouse’, has gone on to become a smash hit. Fiat can’t ever hope to replicate the Cinquecento’s success in India but this cheeky little car has the potential to become the style icon of 2008. Fiat is targeting Bollywood stars and celebrities as potential customers who would think...

The world's first solar taxi is on a trip around the world and has made a stop in India. It’s a car that is spreading awareness about global warming, the fun way. It’s a taxi with a difference. There is more to this sleek three-wheeler than what meets the eye. The compact electric car runs purely on solar energy. And how do you get a solar powered car? It’s simple. Just attach a solar cell panel to the car. This ingenuous idea took birth in the mind of taxi driver Louis Palmer a long time ago and he decided to stretch it to the limits by travelling around the world. He drives his electric car which runs purely on solar energy around the world to spread awareness about global warming and its causes. He says, "This idea came to me when I was 14. I wanted to travel the world and not pollute it so I designed this taxi.” The car's gearless electric motor runs on twin 380 volt batteries that are cha...

Cars are becoming mobile cinema halls. Indian car users are increasingly redesigning the interiors of their vehicles with television sets, going up to screen sizes of 17 inches, with sub-woofers, amplifiers, Dolby Digital surround sound and bluetooth technologies - everything that allows them to see their favourite movies and get their adrenalin pumping. "Some spend close to Rs 5 lakh to put in place the best in-car entertainment systems, a few spend more than the price of their car on such technologies," says Michael Khare, CEO of Sebastian and Sons India, nation-wide dealers in car audio and video systems. On an average, a person is seen to spend about 4% of the cost of a car to install an in-car audio and video system. Today, the basic audio system is a CD/MP3 player, unlike the ordinary cassette/radio player that was the norm five years ago. The systems help to get people's minds off the maddening city traffic. And...

European looks Variable Steering system V6 gets cylinder de-activation Honda has revealed its new eighth-generation Accord in the US, that will go on sale there in the middle of this month. As we in India share the same Accord with the Americans, ours can’t be too far away either. Yes, at first it looks like a Sonata. The high nose, long rectangular headlights and the strong shoulder line remind you of the Hyundai but that’s only at first glance. Unlike the current car, the new Accord is far less sporty in its outlook, and Honda has consciously gone for a more upscale and grown-up look. Bits like the strong ridgeline running the entire length of the car and the sculpted lower body lend the design a certain heft lacking in many Japanese cars. There’s almost a European heaviness to the design here, and that’s a good thing. Being five inches longer and an inch wider than the Camry,...

It may not be the biggest segment, but it's a very competitive one. Since May, the first month of sales for Mahindra Renault's Logan and Maruti Suzuki's SX4, there's been a tussle for the top spot. In May, SX4 overtook Honda City at the top with sales of almost 3,000 units, and Logan got 3rd spot with 2,584 units. In June, City wrested back the top position with 2,656 units, while Logan moved to number two with 2,380 units. The addition of 15 cities to its retail network helped Logan, but M&M says there were no discounts. Says president, Auto Sector, M&M, Pawan Goenka, “No, we haven't done any aggressive pricing. It is the same launch price. With interest rate movement, in some markets we may have had to do some subvention of interest rate. Other than that we have not done anything.” Except, that is, to work hard to get to the top of the segment without playing the discount game. However, the coming months will not be easy as Honda is set to add a loaded var...

High localisation levels will result in ultra-competitive pricing Fiat plans to price its new Grande Punto and Linea models very aggressively when they are launched in India in mid-2008. While the Grande Punto should be priced at par with cars like the Getz 1.3 at Rs 5 lakh, the Linea would give the Maruti SX4 a run for its money at a Rs 6.5 lakh sticker price. The Fiats should have an edge over their rivals since they will be the largest in their class, offering solid build quality, spacious interiors, as well as the option of a diesel engine, all at a very competitive price. Key to this aggressive pricing is their very high localisation, with the engines themselves being 85 per cent indigenised at the time of launch. Currently, Fiat is building its huge new Ranjangaon plant near Pune, which will be the production base for the two cars. Production of the Palio Stile is already underway on a new assembly line here. Among the engines Fiat will make in India is the 1.3-litre Multijet die...

Expressing optimism over the Indian automart, Swedish car major Volvo said it planned to introduce two new models every year, while it sets eyes on gradually expanding its dealer network in the country. "By the end of the year we will be introducing our sedan S80 and SUV XC90. These vehicles have been undergoing homologation in India and almost all the tests are coming to an end," Volvo Car India Managing Director Paul de Voijs told PTI. Kicking off the India plan, the company today announced appointment of three dealers in Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh. "The idea is to have about 7-9 dealerships by next year. We will be beginning discussions with potential partners for the purpose early next year and depending on how it goes our dealership will be expanded accordingly," he added. Voijs said the company planned to launch two additional models every year in order to expand its offering in the Indian market. While the S80 will be pitched against BMW's 5-series (pri...