The Japanese automaker Nissan has announced its plans of launching nine models in India within the next three years. The company is planning to manufacture five of them here in India and it will be launched by 2012. And, the company is aiming to garner five per cent of the local market.
Nissan together with Renault, its French parent company, is investing Rs 4,500 crore in a car plant here. This plant will start its commercial production from May next year and employment in the facility will increase to 3,000 by 2012.
Nissan has plan of launching three new models during 2009. But he did not specify the details. The company has just weeks before launched its facelifted models X-trial and Teana, in India.
Nissan is also expected to expand its dealerships from its current 11 to 55 by 2012. The Joint Venture would help in increasing its employee strength to 3,000 by 2012.
Renault, the French carmaker seems to be having an unpleasant time. The company is having a tough phase in the Indian car market. The most adored model of the car manufacturer, which it is producing with a Mahindra & Mahindra partnership, Logan, does not seem to bring the car company enough booty. And now the company has launched a new Logan Play to boost its sale during the festival season.
The ultra-low cost (ULC) car project, which the company has planned with Bajaj Auto and the Renault-Nissan combine also, does not seem to have any progress. The information still available is that there is a long way to go before the car finally gets launched.
The company has announced its plans to build a compact car, which will share its platform with the Nissan compact car. And this sharing of platform by Renault is to save on the money spend on product development. This would be a great helping hand for Renault and let us hope that this generous act by Nissan will help Renault regain its lost glory in India.
General Motors and the Indian electric car company Reva Electric Car has been in talks for some time now for a technical collaboration and a joint venture. And it was yesterday that they announced that the companies are tying up to produce a battery-powered vehicle for South Asia. And the battery-powered car that they are planning to manufacture is the mini-car, Spark.
As per the conditions, the vehicle platform and manufacturing facilities for the Spark will be given by GM and this will start production in 2010. And the technology for the battery, and power management systems, and electric drive train for the car will be given by.
With the growth in demand for the alternative propelled vehicle, both GM and Reva will benefit from this new tie up. General Motors was able to remain in a stable position in India even during the times of recession. And now for GM this is a golden opportunity. The story is nothing different for Reva. It is a great achievement for Reva, an eight years old company to have a tie up with GM.
The Figo is a small car from the Ford that has been awaited for since a long time has been finally unveiled. The car will not be launched now, but it will be launched only next year.
The Figo will be a four-door hatchback that will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. The petrol variant will be available in a 1.2 litre engine and the diesel variant will be available in a 1.4 litre engine.
In Ford Figo, one could find the important elements of Ford’s kinetic design language that include modern headlamps, grille shapes and sculpted bonnet of its distinctive face to the subtle integrated spoiler and chamfered window shape at the rear. The company has used the kinetic design in globally renowned vehicles such as Ford Mondeo, Ford Focus, and the Ford Fiesta.
The Figo looks very different from the other models from Ford. It has an imposing stance and a spacious and stylish interiors. The car will be a true companion for urban driving.
The Figo comes with a molded body side that has chiseled front fenders, a “comet tail” undercut in the doors and additional light-catching sculpting in the lower body side.
Any specifications about the engine or transmission are not known. The company will start manufacturing the car from early 2010. The petrol variant of the car is expected to be priced at Rs. 3.6 lakh and the diesel variant at Rs. 4.6 lakh.
Land Rover has launched the much-admired Freelander 2 in the India car market by Land Rover.The Freelander 2 is compact premium 4x4 segment that has all the characteristic of a Land Rover namely its vibrant design, bold posture, luxurious and spacious interior, and a abundance of most modern technologies and an exceptional on-road performance and class-leading off-road ability is regarded as the most important of them all.
The Freelander 2 is powered by a 2.2 litre common rail turbodiesel engine. The Freelander 2 is available in 3 trim levels in the namely S, SE, and HSE. The SUV has an engine that has been transversely ascended for better crash protection, more space, front end styling and a shorter bonnet for more cabin space. Land Rover has an exclusive Terrain Response® system on the vehicle.
The Freelander 2 has a strong monocoque. It has received a 5 star rating in the rigorous Euro NCAP tests for Adult Occupant Protection – a first in its class. The Freelander 2 with its dynamic technology systems, airbags, and command driving position provide the customers with an all-terrain, all weather package.
The Freelander 2 prices starts from Rs. 33.79 lakhs, Ex-Showroom Mumbai.
Ultimate Aero is the world’s fastest car and it is expected at Aero will be available in the Indian car market very soon. The Ultimate Aero has half the speed of a jetliner cruising at 30,000 ft. With a price tag of Rs. 6 crore, the Aero will not only be the fastest car but will also be the car which carries the highest price tag in India .
A US-based company, Shelby Super Car (SSC) is the manufacturer of Aero. The company will launch the car in Mumbai and then in New Delhi. Aero was previously launched in the United States and Russia, and India will be the third market where this fastest car will be sold. The car has a recorded speed of 413 kilometres per hour (257 mph).
In US, where Aero is manufactured, the car costs $654,400 (more than Rs 3 crore). But in India because of the high import duty, it will be priced double the amount. Currently, the Mercedes-Benz Maybach is the costliest car in India, which is priced at Rs 5 crore, but now Aero is top in the list.
It is expected that Toyota is planning on launching the CNG edition of its successful model, Corolla Altis, in the Indian market very soon and it is supposed to be available in the country by early next month. With more and more opting for it, in India, CNG has become a very famous alternate fuel. The main reason for why there is a great demand for this fuel is that the CNG can save a lot of money and this is a factor that will attract more customers.
And it is always great to have a CNG kit fitted to the by the company itself. And such company cars are relied most by the customers than the once that come out without a manufacturer guarantee.
There is another problem that will haunt the company authorities and the customers alike and that is the availability of the fuel in the country; there aren’t many fuel stations in the country from where one can fuel their CNG cars. But it is expected that with more CNG cars available in the car market there will be more CNG fuel stations too in the country.
Both Hyundai and Ford will soon have new small cars in the Indian car market. When Hyundai is concentrating more on the pricing of the car Ford is trying to emphasize more on the factor that theirs is a small car.
Hyundai had already announced its idea of a small car from the company that is priced less will be a good choice for the common man, something like Tata Nano. This new low-priced car is expected to be launched. It is expected to be an 800cc new model car and will be rolled out from the Hyundai plant in Chennai. It will be priced at Rs. 1.77 lakh, not as low priced as Nano though, will be competing against Maruti 800 and Tata Nano. Thought the launch date is not announced, it will is expected to be launched soon.
The Ford small car, codenamed B517 is expected to be unveiled this month and will be available in the car market by March 2010. Available in a 1.4-litre Duratorq engine, similar to that found in Ford Fiesta and Ikon, it will have both petrol and diesel variants. The B517 will be also exported to other Asian–Pacific and Asian countries.
Nissan launched its new Teana and X-trial. Both the models after the facelift look exuberant. The new Teana has bigger front grilles that give a 3-D image, the integrated fog lamps on the bumpers, and the exterior mirror contours. The Teana stands tall on 17-inch alloy wheels. The new Nissan Teana sports has retractable glass sunroof with UV protection. The stylish interior has wood finish with supple leather seats, sofa-like armrests, wood grain trim and cosseting leg-rest to support the lower legs.
The 2.5-litre V6 DOHC engine is that can churn out a power of 180bhp. Teana will be available in two variants in India. The 2.5XL variant has a price tag of Rs. 21,03,000 and the 2.5XV is priced at Rs. 25,40,000 (Ex showroom, New Delhi)
The new Nissan X-trail, an SUV, has a high ground clearance and has a roof-rail with lamp that highlights the design of the SUV’s body. The high-quality beige interior, soft touch dashboard, cubby holes and cup holders, large boot space with a removable drawer for extra convenience
The new X-Trail has the latest M9R Diesel Engine. The 2L 4-cylinder in-line, turbocharged engine guarantees a very comfortable drive. Designed for road use the the X-Trail off-road competency too.
LT, SLX and SLX are the three editions X-trial will be available in. The LT and SLX has a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox and the SLX AT comes with a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
The new X-Trail is available at a price of Rs 20.81 Lakh for the LT, Rs 23.18 Lakh for the SLX variant, and Rs 25.08 Lakh for the SLX AT (Ex-showroom, New Delhi).
The FIA on Tuesday honored Lotus the 13th spot on the grid for the 2010 season. And this will mark Lotus’s return to Formula One racing. It has been fifteen years since the Lotus has been out of F1. The team, which is originally based in Norfolk, England near the Lotus car factory, is sponsored by a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian businessmen.
The headquarters of the team is projected to be relocated to a purpose-built facility at Sepang International Circuit, which is now the home of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
A request from BMW Sauber has been rejected FIA, but the team might get a chance in 2010 in case of any vacancy. FIA is also talk to the teams about expansion to 14 teams and 28 cars for 2010.
Tony Fernandes, owner of the Air Asia airline, will be the team principle Lotus. Mike Gascoyne, who had already been the Technical Director of Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan, is having the same role in the Lotus team also. Lotus has reached an engine supply deal with Cosworth.
