VW increases prices of Polo & Vento by 2.27%, adds features

Volkswagen India has increased the prices of its Polo hatchback and Vento sedan in India. A recent hike by the market leader Maruti Suzuki made all other announce a price hike.

However VW India says that a few added features have been incorporated to justify the price increase. The earlier RCD 310 music system (on the Highline variants) has now been updated to the RCD 320 system. What this means is the addition of an AUX-in port and a SD Card reader to the otherwise USB and Bluetooth functionality the previous system offered.

However, for Polo another feature added is the Climatronic Control AC which was already available as a standard feature in Highline Vento. Now, 2.27% on the ex-Showroom, Delhi price of the Vento Highline Diesel (which you’re likely to purchase) translates approximately to Rs. 22,000 - 23,000.

Mr Arvind Saxena, Managing Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said: “Our aim has always been to give our customers a good value proposition and once again we are glad to be able to offer a good reason for them to buy these carlines.” 

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Hyundai's new car, codenamed BA to be launched in September 2013 with 1.1L Diesel confirmed

The Korean carmaker, Hyundai Motors India Limited seems to be on fire this time. The carmaker which is already running at its full capacity in India, is slated to start the domestic production of its Diesel engine in India. The carmaker which currently imports the diesel engine and its components from Korea - which finds space into large selling i20, Verna and Elantra, will start the local production of Diesel engines from July 2012.

As per sources, the plant 3 at its Chennai facility is almost ready and the carmaker will also kick off the 1.1L Diesel engine production in India by August / September 2013. The carmaker, as per our confirmed sources is planning to launch a new car which would ultimately replace exisiting i10 but as of now, when launched in September 2013 will be marketed along with exisiting i10 - No confirmation for the names as of now, but the carmaker has confirmed that the new car which would be more fluidic in design will be launched in September / October 2012 and will compete with Ford Figo, Chevrolet Beat etc.

Hyundai has already seen the response of its much selling hot hatchback i20 in India and is grabbing more than 7,500+ units every month - almost 50% than the market leader, Swift. However, the carmaker now wants to grab more of the market share and thereby plans to launch Hyundai i10 / similar in Diesel variant too, much before than Maruti Suzuki would launch in India.

Hyundai by launching more fluidic i10 / similar and with the diesel variant wants to give Maruti Suzuki Swift a bump both from the front as well as back. We will have to wait and watch until end of 2013 to see what scenario would be of Diesel market in India and thereby how customers respond to Diesel cars and thus Hyundai's new small diesel car in India.

We have already seen lots of spy images and testing images of Hyundai i10 across the roads in Chennai, but seems like it is now getting more and more closer to the reality. 

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Tata Vista D90 Xtreme concept unveiled at Buddh International Circuittata

After launching Indica Vista D90 priced at Rs 5.99 Lac, Tata Motors also showcased a performance variant called D90 Xtreme concept, at Buddh International Circuit.

The performance variant would come with Rough road package with additional 25mm raised suspension. Also it would sport a spare wheel on the rear of the car.

As you could see in the Images of car, there is an air vent inbuilt in dashboard of the car which would be available only in Gun metal Yellow color. Inside of the car you would see Black colored sporty leather seats with Yellow stitching. It also features aluminium pedals, aluminum gear knob, and door levers with satin silver finish along with roof rails.

The changes also include in powertrain as it would now sport a 1.3L SDE engine from Fiat with power of 105 PS. Stay tuned for more information.

View more Images here !

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Audi R8 catches fire in Mumbai - Images & Video

An Audi R8 car caught fire on the Bandra-Worli sea link today. The recently introduced model of Audi, which also features in the latest Bollywood movie " Race 2", costs around Rs 1.80 crore and is among the premium products of the German car manufacturer available in India.

According to police and fire brigade, the cause of the fire was not clear and it was extinguished shortly after it started. Though there were no casualties in the incident, the northern land side of the sea link was jammed for nearly two hours before traffic was permitted to cross the bridge.

The fire we believe was caused due to aftermarket modifications. Cars like the Audi R8 are complex high tech machines and any mods carried out need to be done by component and experienced professionals.

The incident happened during the prestigious two-day Fifth Mumbai Parx Supercar Show-2013 in which over a hundred of the most expensive cars used by top Mumbaikars took part.

Gautam Singhania, Founder and Chairman of the Supercar club of India, who too was a part of the Rally, addressed the media stating that the car did not belong to their club. He added that the Audi R8, in the picture here, raced at a very fast speed and overtake their cars who participated in the Rally. In doing so, the Audi R8 caught fire. Being an experienced supercar driver, Gautam was asked, what could be the reason behind the fire that engulfed Audi R8. To this he replied that the manufacturer will be able to give a better answer. He later tweeted. “Today had a unique opportunity to save an unknown hapless driver out of an Audi R8 which caught fire on Sea Link, along with my SCC members.”

View more Images here and more Video below

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Peterhansel and Despres retain Dakar Rally titles

Frenchmen Stephane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres successfully defended their car and motorbike titles in the Dakar Rally on Saturday.

Peterhansel, leading the race since the second stage on Jan. 6, became the most successful driver in the world's toughest rally with his fifth victory in cars to go along with a record six on a motorbike. He dedicated his win to Jean-Claude Olivier, the team manager during his motorbike victories who died in a traffic accident in France last weekend.

Peterhansel is the first person to win the car category twice since the rally moved from Africa to South America in 2009 for security reasons.

With a commanding overall lead, his Mini finished about four minutes behind teammate Nani Roma, the winner of the fast, rainy 14th stage into Santiago.

"On the other hand, my co-driver Jean-Paul (Cottret) did an amazing job navigating. We never had to ease up. We always maintained a high pace, apart from the last couple of days, when we started dosing our efforts. This is the first time since I started racing in cars that we've finished a race without a single mechanical problem. This is the best car I've ever driven."

Despres' fifth title on a KTM tied him in rally history with the inaugural Dakar winner, countryman Cyril Neveu. They're second only to Peterhansel in bike titles

Despres was favored for the win after his great rival in recent years, three-time champ Marc Coma of Spain, didn't enter because of an injured shoulder. Despres was penalized for changing engines in mid-race but regained the lead last Tuesday and held on.

The Frenchman was eloquent in explaining the grueling challenges of the Dakar.

"I went for it with all the surprises a Dakar can throw at you," Despres said. "In the end, I've got a good reason to be very happy. The day when winning the Dakar becomes easy, it won't be interesting any more

"It's too long, it's too tough, it's too hot, it's too cold, you've got to rise early in the morning, you've got to find your way out of the dune mazes in Peru and Chile, you've got to tackle the stones and cactuses on the courses near Cordoba (Argentina). It's just too tricky for it to be easy to win."

The rally began on Jan. 5 in the Peruvian capital of Lima and wound its way south through the deserts and mountains of Peru, Argentina and Chile

More photos could be seen here.

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Hyundai Netherlands launches i10 and i20 with Black pack editions

Hyundai Netherlands has launched the facelifted models of existing i10 and i20 cars named - Black pack editions. Both cars get piano black roofs and the i10 black pack edition gets a black centre section for the front bumper.

Apart from the black roof, the body colored strip in the hexagonal front grill has been blackened out and that improves the cars look by a notch. Based on the Blue i-Drive Cool variant, the Hyundai i10 Black Pack edition is available with the 1.0 litre petrol engine which puts out 69 bhp.

The variant specific features like the wing mirror mounted indicators, power windows at front and rear, heated ORVMs, and keyless entry are retained. The Hyundai i10 Black Pack is priced at €9,995 (around Rs. 7.14 lakhs).

The India-spec i10 is powered by petrol and LPG-petrol dual fuel engine options. The car is available with a 5 speed manual gearbox and a 4 speed automatic gearbox. Coming to the i20, the car is one of the most equipped hatchbacks in the Indian B+ segment hatchback space with certain features matching those found on cars a couple of segments higher. For instance, rain sensing wipers and automatic headlamps are stuff that only C-Segment cars offer in India.

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Maruti Suzuki launches Omni Limited edition

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), the country's largest passenger car maker, has launched a limited edition variant of its Omni van in the domestic market. The Omni has been one of the company's best selling vehicles in the past, and is presently the oldest Maruti product available in India. Pegged as one of the most versatile Multi Utility Vehicles (MUVs), the Maruti Omni limited edition was long due.

Limited edition Maruti Suzuki Omni is equipped with a left side outside rear view mirror, new seat covers, floor mats, CD player with an aux port and four speakers.

The Omni is powered by Maruti Suzuki’s 796cc three cylinder petrol engine that develops 37PS of power and 62Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a four-speed manual gearbox which sends power to the rear wheels. Stopping power is provided by disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the back. Upfront, the Omni uses McPherson strut suspension while the rear suspension consists of leaf springs.

Prices of the Maruti Suzuki Omni range from Rs. 2.25 lakh to Rs. 2.51 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The van could be bought in any of 6 colors available in market.

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Renault Scala Automatic sedan launched in India at INR 8.99 Lac

We had already briefed you about the launch of Renault Scala  Automatic variant and all the details of the variant a couple of days ago. The only thing to be confirmed from French automaker was the pricing of the model. The carmaker has now officially launched the car at INR 8.99 Lac

There is certainly a surprise that the French carmaker launched the variant even before the launch of Nissan's Sunny Automatic for the market. Seems like Nissan has some other plans for Indian market - may be the Japanese carmaker is heavily working upon the Compact SUV as we heard this could come during the 2013 festive season.

Renault's Scala Automatic is launched with a CVT gearbox, making it the first automatic C-Segment sedan in India to do so. The CVT gearbox differs from the conventional automatic gearbox by the fact that it has infinite number of gear ratios which gives it the jerk free performance similar to those found in automatic scooters like Honda Activa and others.

Meanhile, Nissan is working on X-TRONIC range of CVT. The X-TRONIC range of CVT automatic transmissions are known for their high fuel economy and refined demeanour. Let us get back to Nissan India on this and let's take their view on when would their Automatic product hit the showrooms.

The Scala automatic will be available in two petrol variants – the RXL and the RXZ. The variant RXL will offer features including 15’’ sporty alloys, dual airbags, Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist, electric adjustable mirrors, automatic climate control, multi-information display as well as chrome door handles. The RXZ will additionally offer automatic foldable mirrors, leather upholstery and chrome radiator grille. The upper model RxZ will be available at price of INR 9.89 Lac.

Scala CVT promises to offer higher fuel efficiency of 17.97 KMPL (ARAI figure), which is comparable to premium sedans with manual transmission.

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Mahindra XUV 5OO sales crosses 50,000 in just 16 months

Within just 16 months, Mahnindra has achieved 50,000 units sales for their Cheetah inspired, XUV500 SUV, which was first launched in India back in Sep 2011, with an introductory price tag of Rs 10.8 lakhs.

The success of XUV500 was proved within the first 10 days, when the company revealed that they have received 8,000 bookings. The demand was such that Mahindra resorted to open booking slots of 10 days for Mahindra XUV500. By the time, the booking window opened again in Jan 2012, Mahindra received over 25,000 booking requests. As they could allot only 7,200 XUV500′s, they selected the names via lucky draw and revealed the names of lucky winners online.

The year 2012 has been one of the best one's so far for Mahindra wherein the carmaker achieved 30% growth where other carmakers struggled for growth. The credit goes to portfolio of all cars from M&M and not to single car. The Scorpio in year 2011-12 also registered 50,000 mark and this time its XUV 5OO.

Click here to view more Cheetah inspired Images of XUV 5OO.

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Hyundai Motors to discontinue Accent for domestic market from March 2013

Hyundai Motors India Limited, which is currently running at its full capacity due to huge demand for its Eon, i10, i20 and Verna cars in India is planning to discontinue Accent sedan in India market. However,as per the sources, the Korean carmaker would continue to produce the car but only for the export markets.

Hyundai Accent which uses 1.5L Gasoline engine and is also available in CNG option still has a descent domestic demand. But, as per the carmaker the company would like to use this for other models which cater even better demand in the domestic market.

Meanwhile, we heard that Hyundai is working on diesel i10 variant which would be launched in September 2013 in the Indian market and have also spied testing same. The carmaker confirms the smaller diesel engine is under progress and the carmaker is yet to start the production of its smaller diesel engine in a few months from now.

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Using Novated Lease Calculators to Understand Savings Benefits

Novated leases can be a daunting agreement if you are unaware of the specifics involved. Although they can seem complicated on the surface, they are actually a fairly simple agreement that can result in large savings over the term of the lease. Using a Novated Lease Calculator, free tools that are often found on lease providers’ websites, are a great way to make sense of novated leases and quickly ascertain how much you can save.

Novated leases explained

Novated leasing is basically an agreement that allows you to lease a vehicle of your choice, and make the payments for the car and related running costs (excluding GST) from your pre-tax salary.

This means that you reduce your taxable income, as your instalments are deducted from your pre-tax salary. Novated leasing therefore means you pay less tax, and possibly increase your take-home pay. In some cases you may also be able to move into a lower tax bracket, which is an appealing prospect for everyone!

Novated leases are a three-way agreement between you (the employee), your employer and the designated financer. In this simple process, the novated lease provider arranges the finance for your chosen vehicle. Your lease repayments and running costs are then invoiced to your employer, who then deducts the amount from your pre-tax salary.

Benefits of using Novated Lease Calculators

There are many benefits of using a novated lease calculator, the main one being it gives you a clear overview of the costs and savings involved in leasing. Whilst all calculators will produce different results, most give you approximate figures for what you can expect to pay weekly or monthly, and how much you can save either annually or per term.

Some calculators are also able to provide more detailed results, such as comparing leasing your vehicle with other financing methods as well as other costs and expenses involved.

Information the calculators require

Another great thing about novated leasing calculators is that you don’t have to provide a lot of detailed information to get an idea of how much you can expect to pay and save. Simply entering:

·         The type of car you plan to lease – small city car, family SUV, luxury sedan, etc.

·         How long you plan to lease the car for – usually somewhere between one and five years

·         An approximate kilometre figure for how much you plan to drive annually

·         Your annual salary –an approximate figure will do

Even better, you don’t even have to know the answer to all these questions in order to use the calculators – if you play around with the different options you can see which combinations result in the greatest savings!

Summary

If you are looking at getting your new car through novated leasing, it would be wise to consider all your purchasing options and what would work best for your circumstances. If free tools such as this are on offer, why not use them? Especially when they can help you clearly work out how much the lease will cost and how much you can save buy leasing your car instead of buying it outright.

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Maruti Suzuki Ertiga gets rebadged as Mazda VX-1 in Indonesia

Another example of Badge engineering is here. The concept is spreading its wings from automakers to models to countries and to the whole world.

We once reported, that Maruti Suzuki and Mazda have entered into "some" sort of collaboration and hence we could see another variant from Mazda which would be launched in India and would be placed above Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and would then compete with other more luxurious compact crossovers prevelant in the market. View here the complete Images and details here of Mazda CX-5 testing in Gurgaon, India.

The rumor would further get strengthened upon when we see that Maruti Suzuki's Ertiga getting rebadged as Mazda VX-1 in Indonesia and here is the answer to that "some" sort of collaboration between the two Japanese automakers. The two automakers would rebadge their vehicles in various markets depending on their strengths and brand recall in respective country. As per this, in Indonesia, Mazda would rebadge Ertiga as Mazda VX-1 and it could be a possibility that Maruti Suzuki could rebadge Mazda's CX-5 Crossover in India under its own brand name. This could possibly be the reason why the badges were removed from Mazda's crossover (See here closely again)

The sole reason for this could be if Mazda alone would come as a brand and launch vehicles would not guarantee the sales of this crossover due to feasibility and even doubt on whether mass market would recognize this product  - majorly due to low brand recall / image of Mazda in India. However, if the vehicle (which was undoubtedly of superior quality from inside and should be launched in competition to XUV 5OO and Safari Storme) could get rebadged under Maruti Suzuki's brand name and then be launched, there is a high amount of probability that Maruti Suzuki's showrooms would not even get space to stand, leave apart sitting. The simple reason for this is when Renault's Duster and Mahindra's XUV 5OO could create huge crowds at their showrooms, god knows what a scene at Maruti Suzuki's showroom would it be, which is already crowded most of time of year due to huge demand of many of its vehicles.

Now coming back to Maruti Suzuki Ertiga or Mazda's VX-1, the car would be assembled at Mazda's Indonesia plant and the CKD kits for this one would be exported out of Maruti Suzuki Manesar plant.  This should also be noted that this is not the first Mazda badged as a Suzuki. The Mazda Carol kei car in Japan is a rebadged JDM Suzuki Alto.  Seems like Maruti Suzuki has a lot to say, though quietly to all its competitors who have slowly grabbed a pie of their market share over a period of time.

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Official - Ford EcoSport reaches at dealers / showroom - Launch soon. Bookings open

As per our confirmed sources, Ford EcoSport has reached various dealerships / showrooms in India and as per the dealers, the launch is expected to happen sometime soon - might even happen January 2013 only.

As per the dealers, the carmaker is expected to launch this vehicle sometime soon however the deliveries will begin in end March / April 2013. The dealers have also started accepting the bookings of the vehicle by Rs 50,000 in advance which as per the dealers is completely refundable. Kindly excuse us for the quality of the Images since we were not allowed to take Images and we had to take it with some quickness & carefulness.

The car has been spotted testing around the country on numerous occasions. We have already filled our readers with scoops, images, videos and tit bits of information. 

Ford will be launching EcoSport with a Petrol as well as a Diesel variant in India with Petrol motor being a 1.0L Ecoboost petrol engine which is expected to produce 123 bhp and apprx 20 Kmpl of mileage and another 1.5L petrol engine. Ford EcoSport Diesel however will be powered by DV5 engine which is a 1.5L Diesel engine current powering the new Ford Fiesta. The one in display at showrooms is only a 1.0L Ecoboost Manual Transmission.

It has also come to us that, Ford would launch Automatic variant only in 1.5L Petrol engine and all other would be Manual Transmission. According to confirmed sources, the production of EcoSport would start at its Chennai plant in March 2013 only and not before that. The sources close to company also reveals that production of 1.5L DV5 Diesel engine would start only in April 2013 and therefore the deliveries of same would get stretched upto May 2013. Deliveries for Petrol models could start in April 2013.

The only key to its success now is a correct pricing and this is for sure to become a hit and might change fortunes of Ford in India as the Duster did for Renault. 

An automatic variant of this Compact SUV is also expected to be launched in India however the confirmation on this might come on the day of launch. This is true that the carmaker has been testing Automatic variant (see spy shots here) however whether it is only for Brazil or for India too this yet remains a suspense.

Stay tuned for more information on EcoSport while we now get on to more work on collecting the details of vehicle. Click here to compare Renault Duster Vs Ford EcoSport !

View all Images on our Facebook Page.

Our Opinion : The first look of the car would make you feel that the wait was worthwhile for the Compact SUV. The Compact SUV when seen from the sides looks does not looks as big as the Renault Duster however when seen from rear and front gives an SUV feel. The front bonnut, grill and especially the ground clearance make you feel like a big SUV. The variant spotted was an EcoBoost Titanium model however, no parking sensors were spotted at the rear and hence a possibility of launching an optional - top end variant (similar to what Renault did for Duster)

On the rear, if you would look at the right tail light, some would notice the silver colored hook facilitating the opening of door however our eyes went upon the huge panel gap - the same could be seen in picture above. Other thing noticed was panel gap on left side was slightly lesser than right side, but still looked to be on higher side. No major clearances / panel gaps were seen elsewhere. The other vehicle was also looked for same and was similar clearance on right side however lesser clearance on left side.

On the interiors, the upper part of dashboard including center console looked similar to Ford Fiesta with only differences being -

• Butterfly shaped side vents - which were circular in Fiesta. Needless to say, Butterfly ones in EcoSport looked more upmarket and modern. 
• On the downward side of center console, the space between the gearbox and dashboard was spotted with shiny black color plastic (appeared to be plastic from outside) and had a "Sync" logo embossed. The space also included charging and USB spots as seen in Fiesta.
• Needless to say, the boot space is much lesser than Renault's Duster but far higher than other hatchbacks. The expectation of jump seats could also be ruled out looking at boot space.

Stay tuned till the time we get our hands on steering wheel and officially get allowed inside the car and could feel the plastic, seats etc. The car should be placed 30K-40K lesser than Renault's Duster in order to make a dent in the Duster's sale. If priced at par with Duster, would still attract lot of customers, however it appears that Ford should place this vehicle 30-40K below the Duster and would change fortunes of Ford in India.

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Have you seen this Video - The new Mercedes CLA in action

Mercedes revales its CLA class in action in the video named - " CLA Class in Action". In this 2.24 minute clip, the model, "Karlie Kloss" drives down the new white Mercedes CLA Class to watch a lonely white horse along the highway - thereby, the CLAS Class front headlamps depicts as eyes of horse.

The CLA Class then drives on its own Kloss tries to chase the offended car - gives another attempt and finally car allows her to be in board. The video is a joint collaboration between photographer Ryan McGinley and director Jefferson Hack.

Head on to the short clip below.

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General Motors starts teasing Chevrolet Sail sedan - Launch on 01st Feb ?

Chevrolet India starts its teaser videos of Sail sedan on its official Facebook page. The American car maker has been teasing the videos and giving us tits and bits of information and hints to speculate more about the sedan.

The Sail sedan has been spotted several times testing across the country - in Gujarat, Pune, Delhi etc. and the car is said to have covered whole of India before the official launch of the car in the market.  The car has also find its space on the webspace and recently it had hit the official website of GM India thereby giving hint that the launch is sometime soon - it is also said that the launch would happen on 01st Feb 2013 - stay tuned.

The car would be similar to its sibling Sail U-VA , which has already launched in India, as far as interiors is concerned. However it would be a three box when compared to its hatchback cousin Sail U-VA. Similar to the Sail UVA hatchback, the sedan will get a long list of features that include options like an engine start stop switch and Bluetooth enabled entertainment system. Powering the Sail sedan would be a 1.3 litre Multijet engine and the 1.2 litre petrol motor that the car would share with the hatchback sibling. Spacious interiors, modern styling and diesel engine should see Sail sedan giving some tough time to high selling Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire.

The 1.2 litre petrol motor that will power the Sail sedan churns out 86 PS@6000RPM and 113 Nm@ 5000 RPM. The engine boasts of an ARAI certified FE figure of 18.2 km/l. The 1.3 litre motor, on the other hand, produces 78 PS@ 4000 RPM and 205Nm@1750 RPM. The diesel engine has an ARAI certified fuel efficiency of 22.1 km/l

The car maker has started revealing the official details via Facebook and the videos could be viewed here.

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Top Gear season 19 teaser video & episode 1 details revealed

Top Gear has now revealed the teaser video of their season 19 episode which is now just a week ahead.

In the first episode, Jeremy will revisit his Peel P50 and will try to rebuilt an even smaller car and then taking it to the streets of London and testing it out and gauge its feedback in front of the Dragons from the TV show Dragon’s Den.

Meanwhile James takes the new Bentley Continental GT Speed out on a British rally stage, whilst we see Richard playing with the brand new Pagani Huayra and takes it on track at Dunsfold. We will have to wait and watch that is Huayra as quick as Zonda and will it be loved as much as previous Pagani.

We will have to stick to television sets to watch the first episode of season 19 of Top Gear on 27th January. But till then, donot forget to have a look at teaser below and keep the adrenaline rush going. Here you go !

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Hyundai India to hike prices across models by upto Rs 20,000 from February 2013

Hyundai has announced a price hike of up to Rs 20,000 across its model range from February 2013 in the face of rising input costs and inflation.

"On account of rise in input cost and fluctuation in currency, we will increase the prices up to Rs 20,000 by February 1, 2013 across all the models starting from Eon to Santa Fe SUV," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) Vice President, Sales and Marketing Rakesh Srivastava said.

The hike was imminent as always, as Maruti Suzuki too announced a price hike across its models by upto Rs 20,000. 

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Fiat India to export Punto and Linea to RHD export markets

Fiat India now plans to rethink on what could be done to utilize the facility in Pune apart from thinking on plans to how to gain momentum in the slow growing market for Fiat in India.

The car maker which has a capacity to manufacture 150,000 vehicles at Pune is not even 50% utilized, that too is utilized since the carmaker assembles Tata Motor's Vista and Manza at its facility apart from making Punto and Linea.

The car maker has now decided to export the India made Punto and Linea to RHD export markets including UK, Japan, Africa and Australia. This would keep their costs low as they had already incured huge costs on setup of the facility which would only give returns only if they utilize the facility.

Apart from this, Fiat has also started inaugurating its exclusive Fiat showrooms, as a part to open 100 exclusive showrooms till end of 2013. Thereby, Fiat will launch other products in the Indian markets. View detailed year wise plans of Fiat for their new launched and facelifts in India.

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Diesel price hike on cards today - Government frees diesel prices

The government gave fuel retailers some leeway on Thursday to raise prices of heavily subsidized diesel, distancing itself from an unpopular policy ahead of elections while trying to revive an economy growing at its slowest pace in a decade.

The government emphasized that any price rises would be small, raising questions over how much freedom the state-run oil firms will really have. Petrol largely remained under government control after a similar policy was introduced in 2010.

Oil minister Veerappa Moily said the new system gave oil companies some liberty to set prices, but cautioned that diesel subsidies could not be suddenly ended.

"We cannot abruptly put an end to the subsidy or the under-recovery. Looking into all the economic aspects, we have taken the decision to give oil companies the liberty to make small corrections," he said.

Share prices rose sharply in India's main oil marketing companies, which suffer losses selling fuel below cost. The rupee hit a one-month high, while yields on Indian bonds dropped in a sign the market expects the new policy will result in lower subsidies in the medium-term.

The government also loosened a cap introduced in September on the number of subsidized cooking gas cylinders permitted to each household after widespread criticism the quota was unfair on the poor.

The cap will now be nine cylinders per year, up from six. That is expected to add 93 billion rupees ($1.70 billion) to the annual subsidy bill, an oil ministry source said.

Citing an impact on the market, this could raise concerns for all diesel vehicle owners as a small yet continuous hike of diesel prices starting within next couple of days.

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Have you seen the new VW Vento TV advertisement ?

Volkswagen has recently launched an upgraded version of its highest selling sedans - Vento in a bid to boost its sales among the highly competitive sedan segment. The carmaker in a bid to let people know more about it has previewed an online marketing campaign. Below is the video which is a part of that and lets you experience its new GPS feature. Head on to the video to experience it.

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Toyota launches Fortuner with 5 speed Automatic transmission at Rs 22.33 Lac and limited edition TRD variant at Rs 21. 97 Lac

Toyota has now made another effort to its already highest segment selling SUV in India - Fortuner. Much anticipated an Automatic variant of Fortuner has been launched in India, since SsangYong last year launched Rexton with Automatic variant priced lower than Toyota's Fortuner.

The new Fortuner 4×2 5-Speed AT is priced at Rs. 22,33,000/-, 4×2 5-Speed AT TRD Sportivo is priced at Rs. 22,93,000/- and the 4×2 MT TRD Sportivo is priced at Rs. 21,96,668/- (all prices ex showroom, Delhi). The bookings for the new variants will commence from 18th January 2013.

"Further adding to Fortuner's strength of unmatched road presence and luxury, we have now introduced the five-speed automatic transmission... The five-speed AT will further add to the drive quality and comfort," Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director and COO (Marketing and Commercial) Sandeep Singh said in a statement.

"Looking at the overwhelming response and its popularity, we have now regularised this grade for all those looking for a unique sporty image. The bookings will open starting January 18, 2013," Singh said.

The TRD Sportivo variant is priced at Rs 21.97 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

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DSK Hyosung launches GV650 Aquila Pro at Rs 4.99 Lac and new GT650R at Rs 4.79 Lac in India

Cruiser bikes are not much seen and talked about in India however since the time they arrived in India, they are catching up momentum and Hyosung being an important player in this segment.  The 2013 Hyosung GV650 is the least priced twin cylinder cruiser that you could buy in India, with a price tag of INR 4.99 lakhs while the facelifted version of the 2013 GT650R is priced at INR 4.79 lakhs.

Powering the new GV650 is a 647 cc DOHC, water-cooled 90 degree V-twin. It dishes out a meaty 75 PS at 9,000 rpm and 62.1 Nm @ 7,500 rpm. Transferring all that power to the rear wheels via a belt is a 5-speed constant mesh gearbox. Backed by all of its V-twin muscle the cruiser hits the 100 km/h barrier in 6 seconds flat Hyosung claims the bike is easily capable of 195 km/h.

The Aquila Pro (650cc) power cruiser will be available in three colour variants - Red, Silver & Black. While the 2013 edition of GT650R will be available in 3 color variants - Titanium White, Titanium Red and Titanium Black.

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2013 Renault Captur Crossover revealed

The production version of the 2013 Renault Captur has been fully revealed and is scheduled to make its official debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March . The car would be called as Captur and would be sized beteween Clio and Megane.

Based on the fourth-generation Clio, the new Captur compact crossover will be powered by several engine options with CO2 emissions of just 96 g/km. Renault's further two toned color scheme of exteriors rather looks bold with roof having white color and is different from the overall color of the body of car.

Renault says the 1300kg two-seater is a crossover between a coupe, a convertible, an urban vehicle and an off-roader. It has a removable hard convertible top that exposes the Captur’s carbonfibre framework when removed.

It sports large 22-inch alloys with a look similar to those on the DeZir, while other exterior styling features include LED lights, matt-finish wings, and distinctive orange paintwork. The concept’s exterior designer Julio Lozano said a sprinter in a styling block with their muscles tensed inspires its exterior looks.

The orange theme continues in the interior. It also features florescent highlights and a translucent finish for the centre console, dashboard and door casings. The carbon bucket seats and steering wheel are trimmed in grey leather.

Renault could well launch the car in Asian markets especially in India, at a time when the crossovers are being given a lot of importance. Renault could launch this size of car in India with little modifications. We could very well sense that if launched in Indian market with a size less than 4 metres, Renault could place this car below Duster and let it compete with Ford EcoSport.

Renault could thus even hike the prices of Duster by an inch, thereby ensuring that it does not canabalize its own market and at same time also earns a descent profit on both the cars.

Click here to view more Images on our Facebook page.

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All new Honda CR-V to be launched in February 2013

Honda Cars India Limited will launch their first car in year 2013 - CR-V in February 2013. The all-new Honda CR-V was revealed way back in its concept avatar at the 2011 Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, California. Later, we saw the production avatar at the 2011 LA Auto Show.

The car was revealed in Images and Video and here is the preview of same. However, CR-V will be launched with only Petrol models and no diesel engines in India. Expect a 2.0-litre i-VTEC petrol engine with 155PS of power and 200Nm of torque to send power to its front wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The CR-V will be a five seater with its price expected to be pegged at over INR 20 lakhs. Without a diesel engine under the hood, the Indian spec 2013 Honda CR-V is expected to be a slow seller.

Thereafter, Honda Cars India will launch Brio Amaze in April 2013 and could be a good seller in case it prices it well near to Swift Dzire. Click here for more stories on Honda Brio Amaze.  

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Maruti to increase car prices by up to Rs 20,000 from tomorrow

Country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday said it will increase prices of its vehicles across models by up to Rs 20,000 from tomorrow to offset pressure of adverse currency fluctuation. 

"The price hike across all models will come into effect from tomorrow and will be up to Rs 20,000," Maruti Suzuki India Chief Operating Officer (Marketing & Sales) Mayank Pareek told PTI. 

Last month, the company had announced a price increase of 1-3 per cent. 

Pareek said the price hike has been necessitated due to increasing pressure on margins following the adverse currency fluctuation. 

The company sells a variety of models, starting from M800 to imported Kizashi at a price range starting from Rs 2.09 lakh to Rs 17.52 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). 

In the second quarter of this fiscal, the company had posted a 5.41 per cent fall in net profit at Rs 227.45 crore, hit by an unprecedented violence at its Manesar plant and low sales and currency fluctuation. 

Adverse foreign exchange movement had an overall impact of Rs 350 crore on the company during the July-September period this fiscal, it had said. 

Source - Economictimes

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Eaton appoints Nitin Chalke as Managing Director - India

Diversified industrial and automotive manufacturer group Eaton Corporation announced the appointment of Mr. Nitin Chalke as Managing Director - India region. Mr. Chalke would be repeating to Curt Hutchins, president – Asia Pacific, succeeding Raja Kochar, effective January 18.

“I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Nitin as managing director of Eaton in India,” said Hutchins. “He has a wealth of business experience, including his most recent role leading our India and Southeast Asia Hydraulics business. We look forward to Nitin’s leadership as we continue to expand our India enterprise.”

In his new role, Chalke will be responsible for developing and executing a broad based, proactive strategy to support Eaton’s growth objectives in India. He will continue to lead the India Hydraulics business until a successor is appointed.

Chalke joined Eaton in 2009 and most recently served as managing director, India and South East Asia – Hydraulics. Prior to Eaton, he held various positions at Schindler, Structural India and Ingersoll-Rand. Chalke holds a Bachelor of Engineering and an MBA – both from Mumbai University.

Eaton is a diversified power management company providing energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power. The company is a global technology leader in electrical products, systems and services for power quality, distribution and control, power transmission, lighting and wiring products; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; aerospace fuel, hydraulic and pneumatic systems for commercial and military use; and truck and automotive drive train and power train systems for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton acquired Cooper Industries plc in 2012. Eaton has approximately 100,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries.

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Renault Duster facelift rendering - Launch in 2014

Following various modification ideas of Renault Duster and some concepts showcased earlier this year revealed that the D Cross Concept of Renault Duster could be in place early 2014.

Renault plans to launch the car in India early next year since Ford would be launching their compact SUV in India in this year following which the French carmaker feels a new look ana a facelift would be required to give boost to this car.

However, Renault did a good thing by launching the car much before the Ford EcoSport thereby taking the first mover advantage and hence making things work in its favor. Now when Ford has also launched EcoSport in the Brazilian markets, the two are competing to survive - with Renault leading with few numbers ahead of Ford, mainly due to a lower price tag of Duster than its immediate rival, EcoSport.

However, for India the case might be different. It is believed that Ford EcoSport is bound to qualify the sub-4-meter category and will thus be priced lower than Renault Duster, however we will have to wait for the official launch of Ford EcoSport in end March / early April to count on the pricing rumours.

Stay tuned for more updates on Renault Duster facelift in 2014 in India. Click here to view More Images.

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Maruti Suzuki launches refreshed WagonR at Rs 3.58 Lac, Delhi

As reported to all our viewers, a few days before regarding the very soon launch of  refreshed WagonR, Maruti Suzuki has today launched the new variant with a starting price of Rs 3.58 Lac (ex-showroom) to boost its sales.

Although the new Wagon R will be costlier by about Rs 10,000 across variants from the outgoing version, it will be more fuel efficient by 8 per cent at 20.51 kmpl.

"The Wagon R is not just a bestseller for us but is also among top five models of the industry. The changes introduced on the New Wagon R are in line with the customer feedback received through our regular customer engagement programmes,"

The new Wagon R that comes with new exteriors and interiors will be available at Rs 3.58 Lac for the base variant, Rs 3.88 Lac for the mid-level and Rs 4.13 Lac for top end variant. The CNG version is priced at Rs 4.42 Lac, the company said.

MSI said it has been able to deliver higher fuel economy with the new Wagon R through several factors that bring down friction, enhance engine breathing and improve combustion. In addition, introduction of low viscosity transmission oil helps in smoother gear shift and lowers maintenance costs for the new Wagon R.

The changes on the exteriors of new WagonR includes narrower front grill with one giant strip in between. The bumpers also comes with changes including the wider air dam and updwards backward bent fog lamps.

On the interiors, the dashboard will now come with a dual tone dashboard with the upper part as Beige color and the lower as Black color. Beige color seating option on the top variant with beige colored clothing on door trims. The lower models however gets dual colored seats. Higher variants get a new “Eagle Wings” audio with USB too.

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Honda's Jazz based Compact SUV unveiled

Honda's Jazz based Compact SUV will be unveiled tomorrow morning at the Detroit International Auto Show however there are couple of images that has leaked across the net here. The imaged floated across the web today morning so quickly that the exact source of these images could not be revealed.

The future compact crossover will rival cars such as the Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008, Renault Duster, Ford's EcoSport and the Fiat 500X. It will be built on the same platform as the Jazz, and perhaps resurrect the HR-V nameplate.

The front has a nice looking Honda grille with a wide air-dam right below it; giving it a mean appearance. It has sharply designed LED headlamps and even the production version may get these. The headlamps remind you of present day Mercedes SUV’s due to the LED daytime running lamps. The Wheel arches again are similar to the CR-V’s but the blend in much better with the overall design and all the smooth flowing lines.

Other details regarding the Compact SUV would be unveiled tomorrow.

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Labour unrests reported in Hero MotoCorp

Hero MotoCorp has recently given its workers a hike in their salary. However, it has been reported that workers at Hero MotoCorp's Gurgaon plant are protesting, though peacefully at their plant.

The workers are wearing a black colored band on their arm and have boycotted the snacks offered as a part of company's regular meal along with tea every morning. The workers are protesting for the fact that the wage increament offered is too low and the workers demand for a hike similar to that done for Maruti Suzuki Manesar worker's pay.

The workers at Maruti Suzuki were offered a salary increase of nearly 70 percent hike over their current salary. As of now there has been no disruption in production at the Hero MotoCorp's Gurgaon plant. The management has said that wage negotiations are on and talks are progressing.

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Jeep teases 2014 Grand Cherokee ahead of Detroit International Show

Fiat's Jeep brand unveiled its 2014 Grand Cherokee just hours ahead of Detroit International Show. The car maker teased the front headlamps and front grills thereby giving a hint of the front image of the car.

The facelifted Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a new sleeker headlamp clusters similar to those of the new Chrysler 300 and sport Rolls Royce Ghost. The headlamp shape has a kink in the lower part and it appears that its silhouette is illuminated by daytime LED lamps.

The Grand Cherokee will continue to use the same set of engines albeit in improved avatars. The 3.4 litre V6 petrol will be offered in the base version while the higher variants will get the 5.4 litre HEMI V8 and the 6.4 litre HEMI V8 SRT. Diesel option will be offered by a 3.0 litre V6 engine .

Click here to view complete Images of 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

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Next generation Hyundai i10 displayed - Diesel i10 launch in India September 2013

Hyundai Motors India is pretty satisfied with the performace of its Fluidic images across the models like i20, Verna, Elantra and even Eon. Hyundai Motors is now working on the next geneation of i10 and the new i10 as displayed in the images below looks far better than the current version as rendered in German magazine AutoBild.

Features of the new i10 are inspired by models such as the new ix20 and i30. It will reportedly be offered in 3- and 5-door versions (current model is strictly a 5-door), with 1.0L and 1.2L three-cylinder and four-cylinder engines respectively under the bonnet.

It has also been reported that Hyundai would be launching their small diesel engine which would be a 3 cylinder 1.1L diesel engine and the first vehicle to be powered by this engine in India would be Hyundai i10. However, close sources have also revealed that diesel engine would be powered in current generation i10 however the next generation i10 would be launched in upcoming FrankFurt Auto Show in 2014.

Image Source - Auto.blog.rs

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India made Ford EcoSport to be exported to South Africa in 2013

The new Compact SUV from Ford India which is yet to roll down on the Indian roads will make it to South Africa in 2013. Recently, Ford issued a press release in South Africa where in they mentioned their future product portfolio and EcoSport made it to the list.

South African spec EcoSport will be powered by 1.0L Ecoboost engine which has won the International Engine of the Year award.  A host of features such as Anti-lock brake system, Electronic Stability Program and Hill Launch Assist have been confirmed for the South African model, many of which are going to feature on the Indian model too.

South Africa being a RHD market, and remember Ford manufactured RHD vehicles in their Chennai plant and hence the export from India just like for Figo. The Ford EcoSport is a global product that has already debuted in markets Brazil, China and Argentina. Countries like Chile, Mexico, Nepal, America and of course our India are expected to jump on the bandwagon soon.

Expect the Compact SUV to hit the Indian market very soon.

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New Maruti Suzuki WagonR facelift unveiled - to be launched in January 2013

WagonR facelift was talked about for last one month - especially after the carmaker managed to sell just 4,300 + units in December 2012, which is the lowest of all times for this hatchback. This clearly indicated that Maruti Suzuki might have stopped supplies of the old hatchback and is readying itself for the new facelifted car and was speculated that the launch would happen soon.

Now, we are back with the images of the updated car. On the exterior the changes includes narrower front grill with one giant strip in between. The bumpers also comes with changes including the wider air dam and updwards backward bent fog lamps.

On the interiors, the dashboard will now come with a dual tone dashboard with the upper part as Beige color and the lower as Black color. Beige color seating option on the top variant with beige colored clothing on door trims. The lower models however gets dual colored seats. Higher variants get a new “Eagle Wings” audio with USB too.

Stay tuned for more Images, prices, reviews etc while Maruti Suzuki launches the car. The launch is scheduled for a January 2013 launch. 

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