Are Electric Cars In?

“Which car to buy?” is the big question that haunts all potential car buyers. With hundreds of models in the market, it’s a confusion which one to select. But if some one is wise enough to think of the environment before the big purchase, he/she will definitely go for an alternative fuel car.

An alternative fuel car does not run on fossil fuel like conventional vehicles. It is operated by energy stored in the form of electricity in cells. That’s why an alternative fuel car can aptly be called as an electric car. The energy can come from fossil fuels, nuclear power, tidal power, the sun and the wind etc. Power derived from these sources can be stored in the form of electricity.

Electric cars have rechargeable batteries, which need to be recharged after a given mileage. The fuel cells or batteries can be recharged either by refilling or by connecting to a plug to an electric power source.

But these cars are in reality are less exciting. Electric cars come with fat price tag compared to customary fuel cars. Moreover, these cars can not provide the comfort and luxury that of fossil fuel cars. These cars just wouldn’t perform like regular gasoline-powered car if the air conditioning is turned on.

Whatsoever it is, an electric car is a green car. Apart from saving fuels, this car does not emit CO2 and contributes to the green house effect by keeping the air clean.

Honda might re-launch Civic Hybrid

Honda might re-launch its Hybrid car, Honda Civic Hybrid, in India. There are speculations that the union government will cut down the import duty on Hybrid cars or similar environment friendly vehicles. Honda was not able to continue its sale of Civic Hybrid because of the very high import duty that has been imposed by the government. Honda had to pay an import duty of 104 per cent to bring the Completely Built Units (CBU) of Civic Hybrid to India. This, combined with the VAT and excise duty, made Civic Hybrid a financially heavy vehicle.

Honda’s Civic Hybrid is the initially launched hybrid car in India. Civic Hybrid has a 3-stage i-Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) engine with the option of three valve timings such as low-speed, high-speed, and valve deactivated mode. The ‘idle-stop’ feature helps in saving fuel and minimizing emissions by turning off the engine temporarily. With very luxurious and cozy interiors and striking exteriors and a wide range of eco-friendly features, the Civic Hybrid is truly a “green” car.

In India, Civic Hybrid was priced at Rs. 21 Lakh initially but Honda had to, in two months, bring down the price to Rs 13 Lakh to clear the stock. The price of Civic Hybrid, that is expected to be re-launched, is not available, but the price of the re-launched version will surely be much less because of the dropped import duty.

Mahindra Xylo is now even safer with ABS

Mahindra Xylo is now available with the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) technology. This addition to Xylo, which is already doing well in market, is expected to bring in more sales for Mahindra. ABS is a safety feature that will prevent the vehicle from skidding, and this will win the fame for Xylo as one among the safest vehicle.

Mahindra, while producing the car has given great care to meet the needs of the car buyers. This keen effort to introduce a refined car helped it to launch a faultless vehicle. Sold in four variants – E2, E4, E6, and E8, Xylo has a 112 bhp 2.5-litre turbocharged mEagle diesel engine. Built on a refined platform, the car has many unique features such as, flat bed front seats, Digital Drive Assist System (DDAS), reverse-park assist, foldable flight trays, and surrounds cool dual ACs. Bold grille, foldable rear, seats illuminated spoiler, foldable rear seats, and easy-to-read instrumentation are the other qualities which Xylo flaunts of.

To begin with, Mahindra will provide the ABS option in its top end E8 version. But has plans to provide this option in other variants also in near future. The new Xylo, which has the ABS option, comes with a price tag of Rs.8.18 Lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi).

Toyota to Launch Fortuner in India

The much awaited Toyota fortune will adorn the Indian roads in September this year. Toyota always wanted to launch Fortuner in the Indian market. Fortuner was to follow Innova and it has been in the to-do list of the company since 2005, but Toyoto waited still long and has found this the most suitable occasion to bring out its new model. Toyota will be launching an upgraded version in India.

Powered by a 3-litre diesel engine this giant SUV is based on the platform of Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle (IMV). This automobile giant is powered by a 3-litre diesel engine and had very spacious and comfortable interiors which will satisfy any travelling needs of the passengers.

Though the price of this new member from the Toyota family is still unknown, there are speculations that it would be priced around 20 Lakh. The SUV car market in India is very strong and stable, with prominent models such as CR-V and Pajero, and Fortune will have to face a sturdy competition from them.

Toyota is expecting to bring new life into its sales, which is expected to be flat, in 2009 with the launch of Fortuner.

Fiat Lauched Grande Punto in India

Fiat Grande Punto, launched on Wednesday, June 17^th, is the new member to the Indian small car segment.  Many of the motor manufacturers realize the vacuum in the small car segment in India and are getting ready to provide their share. Grande Punto is a mini hatchback that would be available in three variants namely the Active, Emotion, and Dynamic.

Styled by Giugiaro, Grande Punto is built on the platform of Fiat/GM SCCS. It is available in three Euro IV compliant engine options such as the 1.4-litre and 1.2-litre Fire Petrol and 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel. The elegantly designed interiors and the latest components including the new chassis and body shell are the highlights of this model. Punto makes use of the most advanced safety features such as the airbags for driver and the passengers and ABS enabled brakes on the high-end models

Punto will be available in six paint options and priced between Rs 3.99 Lakh and Rs 6.11 Lakh. The second hatchback in the country from the Italian manufacturer, Fiat, Grande Punto will have to race with a whole range of car manufacturers and models- Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20 and Chevrolet Aveo. The company’s plant at, Ranjangaon in Maharashtra will manufacture Punto, would be now available through over 100 Tata-Fiat dealers network across the country.

Taxi Version of Santro is out in Mumbai

 Santro from the Hyundai will be now seen in the black & yellow attire on the streets of Mumbai. At the ceremony organized in Mumbai, Hyundai handed over the first batch of Santro to the Taxi Union

Mumbai city which currently holds 50,000 taxis will be seen with only 30 Santro taxis initially as per the decision taken by the Taxi and Auto rickshaw Welfare Sangh. The state government has also decided to phase out 25 years old taxi models.  By 2009 the state government is planning to replace 7,000 old taxis.

The car manufacturer will sell around 1,250 Santro taxis, out of which 500 will be equipped with come with AC.

The company will also sell the tax version of Santro at a special price of Rs 2,42,300 for the taxi purpose in Mumbai. This is for the first time the car manufacturer entering the taxi segment.

Santro was launched in 1998 in India received a very good response from people leading to a good sales figure.

Santro from the Hyundai will be now seen in the black & yellow attire on the streets of Mumbai. At the ceremony organized in Mumbai, Hyundai handed over the first batch of Santro to the Taxi Union
Mumbai city which currently holds 50,000 taxis will be seen with only 30 Santro taxis initially as per the decision taken by the Taxi and Auto rickshaw Welfare Sangh. The state government has also decided to phase out 25 years old taxi models. By 2009 the state government is planning to replace 7,000 old taxis.
The car manufacturer will sell around 1,250 Santro taxis, out of which 500 will be equipped with come with AC.
The company will also sell the tax version of Santro at a special price of Rs 2,42,300 for the taxi purpose in Mumbai. This is for the first time the car manufacturer entering the taxi segment.
Santro was launched in 1998 in India received a very good response from people leading to a good sales figure.

Audi to strengthen its Position in India

Audi received a very good response from the Indian market and to further strengthen its position in India, the company is thinking of expanding the dealership network in the country. The luxury car manufacturer currently holds 20 percent of market share in the luxury car segment which would be increased to 30 percent by 2011.

Audi India with 11dealership across the country is experiencing good response. The car manufacturer will also add more dealers to Lucknow, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Nagpur. The car manufacturer is also tied up with Jubilant Motors for appointing dealers in Southern market.  Currently Jubilant Motors have set up an exclusive showroom in Bangalore and their second dealership in Chennai which will start is operations by 2010.

Audi cars are great and people have started accepting the brand widely. Along with the old players like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Audi too is in full swing to foray the luxury car segment in India.

BMW Beats Mercedes-Benz in India

It is surprising to know that despite the global melt down the Indian car industry is doing pretty well. According to the study by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Indian car market experienced a growth of 2.48 percent in the passenger car market.

Even the luxury car segment is doing well off and the best example revealing the growth is BMW who still retains its position above its closest rival Merc. The three pointer star had topped as number one in the Indian market but now this position is taken over by BMW, another leader in the luxury car segment.

BMW’s new launches like 7-series, X6- world’s first Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), the new company strategies exchange and loyalty programs and zero percent schemes has helped the car manufacturer to attract the buyers.

Mercedes-Benz too rolled out the latest version of E-series to the Indian market but it was not strong enough to take back the company’s lost position. It is time for Mercedes-Benz to bring out some rocking models that will give a tough challenge to BMW.

The favorite: Maruti’s journey in India

The position of Maruti Suzuki in India does not have a substitute. Maruti has succeeded in positioning itself in a very safe position. Having a very strong base in the country and a huge number of satisfied customers, the brand enjoys great amount of acceptance and appreciation and the ever-increasing sales of the Maruti brands give a clear picture of this.

The joint effort of Maruti and the renowned Japanese auto maker Suzuki was successful in launching Maruti 800 in 1983. Maruti 800 broke the monotony of Premier Padmini and Hindustan Ambassador, and it was a great relief for both the Indian buyers and the Indian automobile industry. Now Maruti has a huge range of models to its credit. Till recent years, Maruti 800 remained as the largest selling compact. Alto, Zen, SX4, and Swift also bought good business for Maruti. The new recent models of Maruti, A-star and Ritz, has already started bringing in good business.

Maruti tops the car sales in Indian and factors such as economic recession or the heavy competition from other car brands does not seem to have affected the sales of Maruti.

Maruti has never disappointed the Indian car buyers and has always been customer oriented. Trendy design, high performance, reliable service, and affordable price are the few features that keep the business live and profitable for Maruti.

Honda Jazz Arrives

Honda launches its much-awaited hatchback, Honda Jazz.  Honda, like many other brands, views India as a very good market to invest. The Jazz will join Honda’s very famous models in the country.

The success of Jazz is very important for Honda as it is still in the entry level of the Indian small car market. For Honda, it has been an extremely smooth sail. The sedans and SUVs of Honda is a big hit in the Indian car market. And for Honda, Jazz is a new start.

Mode, Basic, and Active are the three variants of Jazz.  The three variants have the same safety features. The Jazz Basic is available at Rs 6.98 Lakh. The Jazz Mode is the the family edition from Jazz that is priced at Rs 7.28 Lakh. The sporty variant of Jazz, Jazz Active, is equipped with fog lamps, body coloured front grille, sport pedals, and a smart spoiler at the top of the tailgate and the costliest variant. The Jazz is very spacious, cozy and trendy. It is apt for any road conditions and offers great fuel efficiency. The high quality and great efficiency will be an added advantage.

It spite of it extremely sophisticated features, it will not be easy for the Jazz to compete with Maruti Suzuki Ritz, Hyundai i20, and Skoda Fabia.