State welcome for Nano

Every one must have read about the trouble being faced by Nano. The violent protest at Singur plant has given a tough time to Nano and there are chances of delay in Tata Nano’s commercial launch which is scheduled for this Diwali.

Even though Nano production will be pulled out of Singur, Tata Nano will receive a full support from many states. Many Indian states have come forward with an invitation to set up the Nano production plant in their states. Rajasthan chief minister Ms Vasundhara Raje assured a red carpet welcome for the Nano plant in Rajasthan. Honda motors too have their plant in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan.

The state of Orissa Haryana, Punjab, and Karnataka has also opened their doors to Nano. But the sad part, if the Nano plant is moved from the Singur is that the workers of the plant will loose their job bringing them misery to their life.

All new Optra from Chevrolet to India

Here is the great news for the Chevrolet fans as they will get to see the all new Chevrolet Optra in India by mid 2009. This new Optra will be baptized with the name Cruze and will carry the price of Rs. 12-13 lakh which is expensive than the Chevrolet Optra.

The car is larger than the VW Passat or Hyundai Sonata and is expected to fall in the class of Civic and Jetta in terms of finish and performance levels.

Chevrolet Cruze will be available in both petrol as well as diesel version. The petrol version will be propelled by 1.8 litre engine, where as the diesel engine will carry a 2 L engine. The diesel variant is expected to be the best performing version in its segment offering mind blowing drive. Cruze is the first car model to be roll out of GM’s new plant at Chakan near Pune.

Abhinav Bindra presented with Volvo car

The 2008 Beijing Olympics ended bringing cheers and smiles to India. For the time in the Indian history, our country bagged individual gold medal. Indian pride Abhinav Bindra won gold medal for shooting thus winning many hearts.

As a warm gesture, Volvo-India managing director Paul de Voijs bestowed a Volvo S-80 upon Abhinav, a car worth Rs 39 lakh. It was in the 2007, Volvo made its first appearance in Indian in passenger car segment and B S Bindra (father of Abhinav Bindra) was the first buyer of the Volvo car in India. The demand for luxury cars in India is growing in a good pace and now with many luxury car players active contribution to the Indian auto market has given a list of options to the Indian car buyers to choose.

Honda’s Next Generation City by September

Honda City has been one of the most admired and largest selling mid-size sedan is coming out with its next generation. This exclusive car has made thriving place in the Indian car market. The new City-2008 is coming with a scoop of flashy features and is set to be launched by mid-September.

The New Honda City with a new version will be pricier than the current version and will be available in 3 to 4 variants at different price tags carrying different configurations.

The car will have brand features like Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), paddle shift gear option (where you don’t need to use the clutch pedal) on steering, multi-airbags, integrated music system with steering mounted controls, temperature control and electronically adjustable front seats.

However, the New City will be competing against the yet to be launched Hyundai Elantra, Fiat Linea and Toyota’s new Corolla.

Tata Indica Vista launched

Indian auto giant Tata Motors is in news again with the launch of the new generation Tata Indica in India, adopting the name Indica Vista.

The new Indica Vista which is fitted with the Fiat engine is powered by Saffire- 1.2-liter petrol engine, Quadrajet – 1.3-liter common-rail diesel and also Tata’s own 1.4-liter turbo diesel engine.

This new Vista is the result of Tata-Fiat venture and will be manufactured at Tata-Fiat’s Ranjangaon facility which holds the annual production capacity of 200,000 cars and 300,000 engines. Tata also has few more launches in its list like the ultra-cheap Tata Nano, Indica V3 and also new Indigo.

Honda to roll out new City

Here is the good news for the Honda lovers; Honda SIEL will be soon rolling all new Honda City to Indian car market by 2008 end. Built on the Honda Civic platform, the new and attractive design with a tint of European flavor will challenge the most dominating sedan Maruti Suzuki SX4.

Enhanced with sporty and striking body panels, the rear gives a touch of BMW 3 series the new Honda City is expected to carry 1.5 liters churning out 118 bhp. The car will be known for its sharper handling and better performance. The price of the car is not yet known but with extra features, it will definitely cost more than the existing Honda City.

So all the would be buyers of Honda City, just wait for some more time to be the proud owners of new Honda City.

New Tata Indigo by 2009

Tata Motors, the Indian car makers are offering more and more to the people by rolling out new variants and models. They have already attracted the customers with their upcoming Tata Nano and now will be introducing all new Indigo in India by 2009 end. The car is undergoing tests and details are yet to be revealed by the company.

But the vague information says that Tata Indigo will have the similarities of new India V3 (which was unveiled in 2008 Delhi Auto Expo and will be on Indian roads very soon). It is also said that the new indigo will carry the Fiat’s 1.3 litre Multijet diesel engine. It will fall into the cheapest sedan class and will be competing Mahindra-Renault Logan.

Toyota Corolla Altis in India

Every car maker is rolling out new models to India and the competition among the car makers is so high that to be on the top position, the car makers bring new and attractive features with the . Japanese auto maker Toyota Motors will be rolling out new Corolla called Altis by September end.

Powered by 1.8L engine delivering around 140bhp, the engine is a carryover from the existing Corolla, offering extra performance. The body of the car will be 10mm longer, 60mm wider and 20mm lower than the current model that will add up an extra interior space and Altis will be 50mm taller than the Honda Civic.

Corolla Altis will be available only in petrol version initially and is expected to carry the price tag of Rs13 lakh. The booking has already started in Chennai with the initial amount of Rs2 lakh.

Honda Civic Hybrid Thriving Excellent Sales in India

Hybrid cars are becoming popular in India. The recent launch of the Civic Hybrid by Honda Siel India has made outstanding sales and has also exceeded company’s expectations. The company has sold about 50 hybrid cars and mostly to the Honda car dealers and a small percentage to high net worth individuals.

The Civic Hybrid, which is Rs 10 lakh more over the petrol version of Civic, has made a remarkable place in the Indian car market. Currently the company is planning to sell around 200 units of its hybrid in the country.

Basically the car is imported from Japan as a Completely Built Unit (CBU). The car proves to be 47 % more fuel efficient when compared to the petrol version of Civic. The hybrid car bears a price tag of Rs 21.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

After the successive launch of the Civic Hybrid, now many of the car manufacturers are boosted up to launch their hybrid cars in India.

General Motors Ready to Set Up Used-Car Outlets

Due to the rising interest rates, the car buyers are postponing purchase of new cars. This year has been a tough time for many of the car manufacturers and this has mainly turned down the car sales.

However, General Motors has taken a good step by planning to launch pre-owned car business. The company senses that it can make some profits by selling the old cars.

The company is geared up to expand rapidly its used car business countrywide. It is not only going to sell its own cars but also other cars also. However, General Motors is the second company after Mahindra and Mahindra to sell other cars in the pre-owned car business.

With a sluggish market, General Motors India has taken a good decision by planning to make its entry in the pre-owned car market.