The 9th generation Honda Civic has been launched in Thailand and this is the same car we expect to see in India in the months to come. It has been six years since the Civic has been in our market and except for a minor facelift, the Civic has remained largely unchanged. The car that was launched in Thailand is similar to what is sold in the US market and only some minor design changes have been made for the ASEAN countries.
The two layer dashboard gets features like telephone connectivity, in-dash navigation system, push-button starter and there is also a reversing camera. The design of the dashboard is an evolution of the two-tier design on the current Civic. The steering wheel has a completely new design and the dash gets an ECON switch and the Intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID). The top of the line variant is the sportiest with black leather interiors and paddle shifters.
Sales of the Civic have been poor in the recent past and we haven’t seen the manufacturer make any serious changes to the sedan. The lack of a diesel engine which clearly is the choice of engine for buyers in this segment too hasn’t helped matters.
So it is confirmed, India will host its first ever Motor GP race next year at the Buddh International circuit. The 2011 F1 race in New Delhi was a success and the track and the facilities were appreciated not only by the international media but by the F1 teams as well. Mahindra Racing this year will be challenging for the championship in the 250cc class of the Moto GP and Gaurav Gill after winning in New Caledonia is on his way to win his first Asian Pacific Rally Championship crown after narrowly missing out a couple of years ago. There has been unprecedented success around the world coming towards Indian motorsports and we’ve never had it better. But to sustain it and build on it we need to work on the ground root motorsport infrastructure. The Volkswagen Polo Race Car Cup is one such championship which was started in 2010 for budding racing drivers from India. This one make series is the first of its kind by a manufacturer and involves driver training and the winner gets to race in the VW Sirocco cup in Europe. Built for the track, the VW Polo Cup Car is a true blue high performance competition touring car that has taken Indian motorsport to a new level.
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In all probability the Volkswagen Up is expected to be launched in India early in 2013. We had expected the Up, the cheapest car in VW’s line up to be launched in the last quarter of 2012 but that seems increasingly unlikely. Following the launch of the Up, Skoda could well launch the Citigo, which basically is the Up but is rebadged as a Skoda. Similar to what we have already witnessed in the case of the Skoda Rapid which basically is the Volkswagen Vento. The Citigo has already been launched in Europe and the 5 door version which is expected to make its way into India was shown at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. We expect the VW Up to be priced between 3.5lakh to 4.5lakhs and as is VW’s policy to price Skoda cars below VW, the Citigo would then be priced between 3lakh to 4lakh. This Skoda car would be launched six months to a year after the launch of the Up.
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Chevrolet has shown the first image of the Trax, it’s all-new compact global SUV. When launched, the Trax will take on the likes of the Ford EcoSport which will be launched in India later this year. Measuring 4.2 meters long, the Trax is a five seater and is basically a re-badged and re-engineered version of the Opel Mokka SUV.
This entry level crossover SUV will be launched in 2013 and is based on the GM Gamma II platform which is also shared with the Buick Encore. The Trax will be placed below Chevy’s mid-size Equinox SUV and will be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. Powering the SUV will be the 1.4-litre petrol and 1.7-litre diesel engines, both of which are mated to a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.
The manual transmission variants come with a Start/Stop system while other standard features include the Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill Start Assist and the Hill Descent Control systems. Chevy claims that this five seater has class-leading cargo space and the mini SUV will be sold in 140 markets. The Trax will first be launched in Mexico and Canada towards the end of the year and interestingly enough it won’t be sold in the US market.
Retro can be awful if you get it wrong. But trust the Italians to get it right as they have with the Fiat 500 (Cinquecento in Italian). It is a stunning little car with sex appeal unlike any other thing on four wheels. When launched internationally in 2007, the 500 excited not just Europe but the whole world. And this isn’t even a supercar, but a piddly supermini which has been riding piggyback on its 50-year old namesake. The 500 was an important car for Fiat and the run-up to its introduction was high profile and aggressive. The Cinduecento was launched in India in 2008 and the hatchback toured India with two Ferrari Scagliettis that were touring the country. While selling the 500 in India is merely a brand building exercise, the Fiat 500 now joins the Volkswagen Beetle and the Mini Cooper as the luxury supermini’s being sold in the country. Prices for the Fiat 500 start from Rs14,92,867 ex-showroom New Delhi and this supermini is cheaper than both the Mini Cooper and the Volkswagen Beetle.Full story
Not just in India but around the world there aren’t many cars that attract attention quite like the Mini. With its snappy styling, the Mini is an eye catcher. While so far in India Mini has only launched the Cooper,Cooper S and the Countryman, a model that we think the manufacturer could consider bringing to India if its existing line up receives a positive response is the Cooper S Roadster. The Cooper S Roadster is a close relative of the Cooper Coupe and both these cars were developed simultaneously. While the Coupe was launched last year, the Roadster went on sale only earlier this year. This is also the sixth Mini variant to appear since BMW revived the brand in 2001 and the first Roadster in Mini’s history to wear a Mini. The Mini Cooper S is priced at just under 28lakhs ex-showroom New Delhi in India and if Mini does launch the Roadster in India we expect it to be 3 or 4 lakhs more expensive than the Cooper S.
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It was a landmark day for Mercedes Benz when the W204-series C-class was launched in 2007. The previous generation C-class ruined Mercedes’s hard earned reputation for quality and mechanical integrity. With the new C-class then Mercedes wanted to get back on track and make up on lost ground to the BMW 3-series and the Audi A4 which both in India and internationally had taken a big leap ahead. Mercedes left no stone unturned in the development of the new C-class and created what was then the world’s most advanced digital simulation to iron out most problems before the real-world testing began. In the years since then the C-class has lived up to Mercedes’ hopes and the sedan underwent a serious facelift and re-engineering in 2011. The manufacturer launched their first direct injection 1.8-litre petrol engine which we have reviewed earlier and the C-class is also available with two diesel engines. Prices for the C220 CDI Blue EFFICIENCY start from Rs28,56,300 and for the C250 CDI Blue EFFICIENCY start from Rs33,40,500 to Rs34,54,300 ex-showroom New Delhi. While the C250 CDI is aimed at those looking for stronger performance, the C220CDI Executive Edition is the entry level variant which competes with the BMW 3-series Corporate Edition
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Who is to say how far it is acceptable to push the envelope. Developing and manufacturing a car is both a complex and expensive proposition. Manufacturers are finding it increasingly hard to maximise their profits because of the competition and as a result big car manufacturing conglomerates that own multiple brands find it easier to design one car, and then sell it under two or more brand. This is completely different to platform sharing which now occurs across brands where only powertrain and engineering components are shared among models. The Skoda Superb and the Volkswagen Passat being a case in point. Renault and Nissan though went a step further when Renault rebadged the Nissan Micra as the Pulse and started selling that in India. The Nissan Sunny will soon be badged as the Scala and would be sold in India. Launched in India in 2011, the Pulse was initially only sold with a diesel engine which considering the fact that the vast majority of cars sales are in the diesel segment, isn’t particularly a surprise. The manufacturer has now launched the petrol version of the Pulse which uses the same 1.2-litre engine from the Micra. Prices for the Renault Pulse start from Rs5.77 lakh to Rs6.25 lakh ex-showroom New Delhi which is only marginally more than the Micra.
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The Maruti Suzuki Dzire sells more than 16,000 units a month. It is the only sedan to feature amongst the top ten highest selling cars in India for a month. Maruti launched the second generation Dzire earlier this year but the surprise was that the manufacturer has designed the Dzire to fit the under 4 meter length requirement to take benefit from the additional excise cut. The success of the Dzire has demonstrated that Indians are ready to spend a premium just to get the comfort of a sedan even though for a lesser price they are getting the same space in a hatch.
Tata Motors now wants to cash in on this growing segment and for the last year we have known that Tata is planning to launch a sub 4 meter version of the Manza. We now hear that the Manza eCS would be launched in the middle of 2013 and would be priced around 70,000 to 80,000 lower than the regular Manza. The compact version of the Manza is expected to fill the gap between the Tata Indigo eCS and the Tata Manza.
Sporting dynamics and quality, that’s what you want from your convertible. Convertibles are special cars, even in India where the weather isn’t right. There’s no denying the charm of driving with the roof down and the wind in your hair. And for the days when it is simply too hot or dusty, just fold up the metal roof of the SL350. It takes all of 16 seconds for the roof to fold and the SL is one of the most user-friendly sportscar you could buy. SLs do not come along very often and since the model line’s inception in 1954, there have been only five generations. The latest SL is a facelift of the fifth generation, which has been in production since 2001. The Mercedes-Benz SL typically arrives with some of the best in equipment, innovation and luxury that Mercedes has to offer. The SL in India comes with either a 3.5-litre, V6 petrol which is priced at Rs 99,23,954 ex-showroom New Delhi and on offer are also the AMG variants.
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