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Next-gen Honda Civic Coupe rendered

May 27th, 2010

We had reported earlier that the next-gen Honda Civic has been delayed by a year. These are a set of renderings that show how the next-gen Civic coupe might look and expect similar styling to be carried forward to the sedan model as well. Honda needs to rush its Civic program especially since it has been constantly losing market share to rivals.The rendering takes forward the present model’s sharp design into a modern avatar with the rear resembling the Honda CR-Z Hybrid somewhat. We are not sure whether this is anywhere close to the real deal but if you wish to know what is going on at Honda, hit the jump.

» Read more: Next-gen Honda Civic Coupe rendered

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Nissan Micra production underway; Bookings open today & top model at Rs 5.25 lakhs

May 25th, 2010

Mr. Kiminobu Tokuyama - MD & CEO, Nissan Motor India, Mr. Hiroshi Nagaoka - Senior VP & Director (Nissan Operations), Mr. Kou Kimura - Senior VP, Renault Nissan Automotive India, Mr. Akira Sakurai - MD, Renault Nissan Automotive India and Mr. Toshiyuki Shiga - Global Chief Operating Officer, Nissan Motor Company

 

Production of Nissan’s much awaited Micra is underway at the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s plant at Oragadam. The cars have already been sent to showrooms across India and bookings open today. That said, there is a huge confusion among buyers as to the price and trim. We have the same doubts as well but we called up Sherif Nissan and here are the details we collected.

The Micra will be priced between 3.9-5.25 lakhs in Chennai. We think that there are five variants including a sports variant. The base model will still have a tachometer, body coloured bumpers, black interiors, distance to empty and quite some more. It is the same as the competition except for the tachometer, which is standard across the range. The base model will retail for around Rs 3.9 lakhs, Ex-Chennai. What will be the talk of the town however is the top end XV variant that will have all gizmos never heard of in a car of this segment. Feature list as expected is long and Nissan throws in a lot of kit for the price you pay. Rs 5.25 lakhs fetches you power mirrors, Automatic Climate Control, Integrated FM Radio and Stereo, Start-Stop button, Intelligent-key (if you have the key in your pocket, you can open it and drive away), dual tone interiors, twin glove boxes, ABS, airbags, rear spoiler, rear washer wiper, on-board computer readout and quite a lot more. Nissan has clearly taken the lead when it comes to features and an on-road price of Rs 5.75 lakhs for this model makes it equally mouthwatering to ignore.

Ii you are interested, you can walk into any Nissan showroom and book your Micra for Rs 50,000. Pay the rest when taking delivery. From June, you can see extensive marketing on the Micra from Newspapers to Radio to TV ads. Watch out for them. If you thought that the dealer network was too small, you better think again as Nissan will expand to over 80 dealers by 2012, a herculean task as they currently have only 10. That shows their commitment. More details will follow once the car is officially launched in a couple of month’s time. We will keep you posted. Hit the jump for our extensive coverage on the Nissan Micra and Press Release.

 Nissan Micra Spied at Factory

Nissan Micra launch at the Geneva Motor Show

Nissan Micra Sedan Rendering

Nissan Micra Coupe Cabriolet Rendering

Nissan India’s Oragadam Plant Unveiled + Pics of Micra from Plant

Autocar’s Testdrive of Micra in Thailand + Exclusive images from Geneva Motor Show 2010

Nissan Micra Website now Live

Nissan Micra receives the Most Environmentally friendly car of the year in Thailand

Nissan Micra easily does 180km/h

Nissan Micra to sport unbeatable price abroad. What about India?

Nissan Micra Bolero variant brochure

  » Read more: Nissan Micra production underway; Bookings open today & top model at Rs 5.25 lakhs

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Toyota Corolla Altis D-4D diesel coming soon to a showroom near you

May 6th, 2010

Corolla Altis will get the 1.4L D-4D from Yaris hatchback

Well, there are manufacturers who have responded quicker to customer queries than Toyota. After being on sale for over five years and shifting a total of over 40,000 units so far, the Corolla is still available with only a 1.8L petrol engine. After all these years, Toyota somehow is considering a diesel Corolla for India. Well that was a long time coming. Toyota finally seems to have understood that there is a market for luxury diesel cars after all and the Corolla diesel is expected to hit Indian shores very soon.

Read our report on Toyota’s reaction to complaints on Fortuner’s brakes here.

Read about the facelifted Corolla Altis here.

» Read more: Toyota Corolla Altis D-4D diesel coming soon to a showroom near you

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Next-gen (V-Platform based) Clio to sport iconic styling

May 4th, 2010

 

2011 Renault Clio will borrow design elements from Zoe EV

Renault is resting all its hopes on the next-gen Clio that will be based on the V-Platform, on which the Micra is also based. Apparently, the car should look stunning for two reasons – number one is Renault’s models flaunt more than a bit of French flair and number two, it is a Clio, which has always been a good looking car. Well, we do know that the new Clio will be made in India but did we ever think what the Micra could do alongside a good looking car?

“The next Renault Clio will bring sensational, daring design back to the French firm’s model ranks.”

The words above came straight out of Steve Norman, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Renault, who gave inside information on the forthcoming supermini recently, describing it as “a car with the makings of an icon”. “Clio IV has the potential to do two things for us: to make us the leading player in Europe’s biggest market sector, and to show a new generation of buyers how fantastic our cars can look,” said Norman.

» Read more: Next-gen (V-Platform based) Clio to sport iconic styling

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Porsche Panamera recall update for Indian owners

April 29th, 2010

Indian owners of the Porsche Panamera can breathe free now. Official importer of Porsche, precision Motors Pvt Ltd has sent out a statement to Porsche owners stating “Porsche requests all Panamera drivers to contact or visit their local Porsche Service Centres. An additional safety element on the seat belt fastening point has to be fitted on 11,324 of the Porsche Panamera 2010 model year. This is a preventative measure carried out at no cost to the customer. There are no reports on any incidents. All Porsche Centres in India have contacted their respective customers and a flawless process is in place. The repair is minor and will take a very short time. The respective spare parts are available in all Porsche Service Centres in sufficient quantities. “

We guided Panamera owners to remain calm until the dealer contacts them and within two days, the official statement is out. Read our report on the recall here or hit the jump.

» Read more: Porsche Panamera recall update for Indian owners

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Porsche recalls all Panameras sold worldwide

April 27th, 2010

 

What happened?

Porsche announced on Tuesday (April 27, 2010) that they would recall 11,324 models (That’s every model sold worldwide till date) of its four-door four-seat Panamera luxury car because of a safety issue related to seatbelt anchorage. All the cars sold worldwide would be fixed of their faulty seatbelt tensioners. Porsche’s private tests detected defects in the seatbelt tensioners and didnt comply with Porsche’s stringent quality standards.

What was Porsche’s response?

The company’s official press release read “the seatbelts’ locking mechanism could detach from the anchoring system when the front seats are set at their maximum forward position. Of course this could lead to serious injuries and even death in the event of a crash. “

Porsche’s spokesperson said that this was purely a precautionary measure and an additional element would be added to existing cars as well as cars produced from this point onwards. Crucially, no injuries and casualties have been reported.

So how will Porsche repair the problem?

Porsche will add additional bolstering to the anchoring system by installing an additional locking element. This will help the seatbelt retain its strength during crashes even when the seat is adjusted to its full forward position. Porsche would repair all Panameras free of charge and it would take just 15 minutes to fix each car.

Are Indian cars affected?

All the Panameras ever sold from launch till date (including Indian versions) are included in the recall. If you are lucky enough to own one, then we request you to stay calm while Porsche dealer contacts you regarding this issue.

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Nissan-Ashok Leyland LCV launch in 2011

April 22nd, 2010

Hinduja group that now controls Ashok Leyland has revealed that the JV between Nissan and AL will roll out a Light Commercial Vehicle in 2011. The LCV in question is the award winning NV 200 van. Nissan-Al have signed JV on three areas from the LCV to manufacturing powertrains and developing technology. We predict that a fourth one in the form of the $5000 car is pretty much on track as well. “Things (JV with Nissan) are on schedule and everything is moving along. The first light commercial vehicle will be rolled out in 2011,” Hinduja Automotive Executive Vice- Chairman V Sumantran told reporters here.

He said the partners are “along the way in designing the vehicle”, but declined to share further details. Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles Pvt Ltd, in which the Indian partner has a 51 per cent stake and the remaining equity is held by Nissan, was set up in 2007 to manufacture LCVs as part of three JVs between the two partners. The JV is expected to roll out the LCV in two forms – A load carrying version and a civilian version which will go head on against the Innova.

» Read more: Nissan-Ashok Leyland LCV launch in 2011

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Ford adds second shift; Increases Figo production to meet increasing demand

April 22nd, 2010

Deputy Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Dr. M K Stalin launching the Ford Figo

To meet the increasing demand for its Figo hatch, Ford is having to take several measures right from ramping up production by as much as 30-40% and adding a second shift at its Chennai plant. Reports say that Ford will recruit 700 more workers for the shop floor in addition to the current 3,000 workers employed. Ford sold as many as 7,210 units of the Figo in March which is way above rivals like Beat, i20 and Ritz.

“We are looking to enhance our Figo’s output, and so do our suppliers. We may also kick off a second shift in June which would increase Figo’s output by 30-40 per cent,” managing director Ford India Michael Boneham was quoted as saying to reporters recently. The Figo also received very good response and as many as 10,000 bookings were registered in just a month after its launch. The Figo’s success also helped stable mates Ikon, Fiesta and Endeavour record good sales numbers, resulting in 194% increase in monthly sales for Ford.

» Read more: Ford adds second shift; Increases Figo production to meet increasing demand

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GM rolls out 100,000th Spark

April 21st, 2010
e-Spark Image

Electric Spark coming in end-2010; Rs 7 lakh expected price

General Motors India rolled out its 1,00,000th Spark hatchback from its Halol plant on Wednesday. The hatchback is produced at both the Halol and Talegon plants with a total capacity of 2,25,000 units per year. Spark’s sales have been increasing steadily and GM shifted 3,249 units in March while it shifted 4,499 units of Beat in the same month. The Spark also received a mild facelift which included a new instrument cluster, rear lights and other smaller details.

“Chevrolet Spark has performed exceedingly well in the Indian market. The car continues to record impressive growth in sales month after month,” General Motors said in a statement. GM is also working on the e-Spark which it revealed at the Auto Expo 2010. The e-Spark, developed in collaboration with Reva Electric car company will be the first four door electric car in India and is expected to be launnched before end-2010. “The e-Spark will be India’s first 4-door Passenger Electric Vehicle and will be launched by the end of this year,” the statement added. The e-Spark is expected to cost around Rs 7 lakhs and will be the first mass market EV in India.

Press Release after the break.

» Read more: GM rolls out 100,000th Spark

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Suzuki-Nissan partnership to come to an end soon

April 21st, 2010

Volkswagen’s 20% stake in Suzuki was a big announcement and that put the Nissan-Suzuki deal in doubt. Nissan currently purchases the badge engineered Suzuki Alto/A-Star and sells it in Europe as the Pixo. The good news is that the current project will come to an end only at the end of the current vehicle’s lifecycle which is atleast two years away. In the meantime, Nissan is committed to replacing the Pixo, either through another tie-in or by developing its own model. “The Pixo has done too well for us to walk away from that segment,” said a source.

Nissan is also getting into new segments and is readying to produce a VW Golf rival. With the Daimler-Renault-Nissan three way tie-up signed, Nissan has an option to develop its own supermini based on the upcoming Twingo-Smart platform. Nissan is also developing a $5000 car in partnership with Ashok leyland and this model, although India specific could suit the Europeans if it is planned for Europe as well.

» Read more: Suzuki-Nissan partnership to come to an end soon

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