Fuel prices shoot up and we have the environmentalists hoarding up banners for CO2 emission. “Go Green” seems to be the slogan everywhere. This is the time when the image of an Electric Car flashes in your mind’s eyes.
Electric vehicles (EV) are driven from energy storage in the form of battery packages. This energy could be from any source. It could be from the elements: air, water and the sun. Energy for EVs can be obtained from fossil fuels and nuclear power and can be stored in the batteries or fuel cells. The power in the batteries wears out after a certain mileage. But, the power cells can be replenished once they get exhausted.
Electric cars, also known as Alternative Fuel Cars, have been pricey for a common man to afford. The comfort level of these cars is negligible. Moreover, these cars could not give the performance of a regular petrol or diesel car.
Car manufacturers are giving a thought to the concept of Alternative Fuel Cars. Cars of this type do not have a internal combustion engine. As a result, we have witnessed the rise of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). These hybrid cars are powered by rechargeable cells, which can easily be plugged in to a electric power source. Plug-in hybrids reduce air pollution and converse fossil fuel as their batteries are charged with nuclear or renewable energy.
There are chances that Honda Civic Hybrid could be re-launched in India. This will be made possible only if the union government decides to bring down the import duty on environment-friendly vehicles. Honda was forced to stop its sale of Honda Civic Hybrid in India due to the high import duty, of over 104 per cent, it had to pay while bringing the car to India as Completely Built Units (CBU). The on-road price of the Civic Hybrid was much high due to the VAT and excise duty.
Honda Civic Hybrid is the first hybrid car that has been launched in India. It is powered by a 3-stage i-Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) engine, which has three valve timings namely low-speed, valve deactivated, and high-speed mode. The ‘idle-stop’ feature turns off the engine temporarily, which helps in saving fuel and minimizing emissions. The Civic Hybrid has very vibrant interiors and exteriors. Hybrid is an eco-friendly vehicle, with “green” specific features.
Honda Hybrid was introduced in India at price of Rs. 21 Lakh, but Honda had to soon renew the price and sell it for Rs. 13 Lakh. Honda has still not decided upon the price of its to-be re-launched Civic Hybrid. But if the import duty is slashed then Honda Civic Hybrid will be available at a much-cheaper rate.Mahindra has now equipped Xylo with the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) technology. Xylo is a very successful model of Mahindra and this latest addition to the model is expected to help it improve sales. The ABS technology is a safety system which, while braking, prevents the wheels from locking especially in loose gravel, snow, etc. ABS will make Xylo a safer vehicle to travel.
Mahindra has taken special care in making the car as it was thinking in the customer’s way. It had a very elaborate post-production procedure, as it wanted to bring out a completely new car that would meet the needs of the customers. And this could be cited as a reason for the flawless make of the car. Xylo is powered by a 112 bhp 2.5-litre turbocharged mEagle diesel engine and is available in four variants namely E2, E4, E6, and E8. The car is developed on a new platform and has absolute luxury comforts. The exteriors and interior features include bold grille, illuminated spoiler, foldable rear seats, and easy-to-read instrumentation with a wide range of other unique features including Digital Drive Assist System (DDAS), foldable flight trays, flat bed front seats, and surround cool dual ACs, to name a few.
Initially ABS will be available only in the high-end version of E8. Mahindra has plans to make available this feature in other variants also in future. ABS-enabled Xylo will be available through the dealers by the end of June and will be priced at Rs 8.18 Lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi).
Toyota will launch its new car, Fortuner, in September this year. Fortuner was supposed to get launched in 2005, soon after Innova, but it almost took four years before it will be finally launched in India. With the date of Fortune’s first facelift soon approaching, Toyota made an intelligent decision to wait until then to launch the new model.
The Fortuner is built on Innovative International Multi-purpose Vehicle (IMV) platform which has been already used in Innova. The sturdy SUV comes with a 3-litre diesel engine with an output of 160 bhp. The Fortuner is initially targeted at the urban customers as its luxurious and cozy interiors promises a very comfortable travel.
Fortune will have to face heavy competitions from other SUV’s in the Indian market. The contemporary looks of Chevrolet Captiva or Honda CR-V might give them an upper hand over Fortuner. Price details of Fortuner are yet to be known, there are still assumptions that it will be priced approximately 20 Lakh.
The knocked down parts of the Fortuner will be assembled at the TKM’s plant in Bidadi. This new superior model will boost up the Toyota sales that are expected to be flat in 2009.
Fiat launched Grande Punto, an interesting addition to the small car segment in Indian. The small car industry in India is very feeble and understanding this, many car manufacturers are focusing on bringing out cars from this segment.
Grande Punto is styled by Giugiaro and is based on the platform of Fiat/GM SCCS. It is powered by Euro IV compliant engine and are available in three engine options namely the 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel and the 1.4-litre and 1.2-litre Fire Petrol. The new chassis and body shell and the finest features like anti-lock braking system (ABS) and EBD Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) will make Punto a much-desirable hatchback. Punto makes travel a pleasure with its comfortable and spacious interiors and with its safety features such as the airbags for passengers and driver.
Punto will be available in three variants – Emotion, Dynamic, and Active and falls in the price range of Rs 3.99 Lakh to Rs 6.11 Lakh. Already a hit in the European car market, Punto, will face tough competition from other premium hatchbacks in India such as Hyundai i20, Maruti Swift, and Chevrolet Aveo. Punto will be produced from the company’s plant at Ranjangaon, Maharashtra, and it will be available across the country through over 100 Tata-Fiat dealers.
Hyundai’s most popular flagship model Santro will be seen in Taxi version in Mumbai. The car manufacturer handed over the first lot to the Taxi Union at the ceremony held in Mumbai.
Currently this bollywood city has 50,000 black & yellow services running. Initially the only will 30 Santro taxis be seen on the roads according to the decision taken by the Taxi and Auto rickshaw Welfare Sangh. The state government has also decided to discontinue the taxi models which are 25 years old. By 2009 the government plans to replace 7,000 old taxis. Hyundai is planning to sell around 1,250 Santro taxis, out of which 500 will come with AC.
As part of special offer, the car manufacturer is selling the Santro with a special price tag 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 introduced in 1998 in the Indian car market is a great car from the small car segment. It is one of the most popular cars from the Hyundai’s stable. The black & yellow Santro will be a great taxi to hop in.
The four ringed car brand is enjoying its success in the Indian car industry. Audi received a very good response and now the company is planning to increase the dealership network in the country. The luxury car manufacturer which currently cleaves to 20 percent of market share in the luxury car segment is aimed to reach 30 percent by 2011.
Presently Audi has 11dealership across the country which will be expanded to Lucknow, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Nagpur. The car manufacturer has also ventured into a deal 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.
The competition among the luxury car manufacturers is growing in India. Recently BMW overtook the number one position from Mercedes-Benz in India and now Audi is too on the same lane.Though the global recession has taken a toll in the car industry and initially the Indian car market too experienced a dip but now the market is settling down. According to the figures revealed by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the India car market recorded a growth of 2.48 percent in the passenger car segment.
The luxury car segment also saw a good growth despite the recession. BMW accounted good sales in India by selling more models than its competitor Mercedes-Benz. The car brand is now in the number one position where once stood Mercedes-Benz. BMW’s new launches, innovative strategies exchange and loyalty programs and zero percent schemes etc have boosted up their sales. It is sad to know that Mercedes-Benz despite introducing the all new E-series, the sales did not do that good.
Now to retain its position back Mercedes-Benz come up with more powerful models and also new strategies. Eh car manufacturer have to really work hard to set back its lost position.
There has never been a substitute for Maruti Suzuki in India. Maruti has always succeeded in exhibiting its caliber and there was never a situation where the company had to look back or rely on external factors. The Indian car dreams have always been sketched perfectly by Maruti and this is very evident from the day to day improving sales of its models.
The joint venture between the Japanese automobile manufacturer Suzuki and Maruti, an Indian automaker, has always proved beneficial to both the company as well as the public of India. It was not a flourished environment in India when Maruti Suzuki, then Maruti Udyog, entered the Indian car market. The car business was in a lull with only two major models ruling the roads, Ambassador and Premier Padmini, and in 1983, Maruti launched Maruti 800, a model that was build based on the Suzuki Alto kei car. Maruti 800 was a major hit and remained as the largest selling compact car of India till recent years. Having launched a number of good cars in the market, Alto, Zen (currently not in production), Swift, and SX4 are the all-time favorites. The recent model A-Star and the brand new model Ritz have made a good start in the market.
Maruti still tops the Indian car industry and it is impressive that Maruti is able to maintain its top position in spite of the worsening economic conditions and the tough completion it faces from all the major car makers in India.
It has been two decades since Maruti entered the Indian markets and the success of the company lies in its skill to understand and impress the Indian car buyers, offer cars at an affordable price, and equip its models with new technologies and sophisticated and contemporary features.
The long wait for Honda Jazz
finally comes to an end, Honda Jazz was launched today bidding farewell to all
assumptions and speculations. India has
become a favorite platform for many major automobile manufacturers, and most of
the major companies are trying their luck in India in 2009 by launching a new
car every fortnight. Honda Jazz is Honda’s new addition to its already existing
successful range of cars.
The Jazz is Honda’s first attempt at entering the small
car market in India and so the success of the new model is very important to
the car manufacturer. So far, Honda has been extremely successful with its sedans
and SUVs but has completely missed out on the lucrative small car market. The
Jazz is a start for Honda.
The Jazz comes in three variants – Mode, Basic, and Active. All the three variants have standard safety features. Price differs for the three variants. The Jazz Basic is priced at Rs 6.98 Lakh. The Jazz Mode is priced at Rs 7.28 Lakh and is build especially for family purposes. The Jazz Active is the sporty variant with sport pedals, fog lamps, body coloured front grille, and a smart spoiler at the top of the tailgate and carries a price tag of Rs 7.33 Lakh. The car has great looks and is all equipped to impress any buyer. The Jazz offers good fuel efficiency and will be best suited for the Indian road conditions. To back it up, Honda has a brand name that has always made high-performance, quality cars.
Though the Jazz comes in as the most spacious hatchback, it will not be easy competing with established models such as Hyundai i20, Skoda Fabia, and Maruti Suzuki Ritz.
