Hyundai i20 Diesel by End of 2009

The Hyundai i20 was one of the eagerly awaited subcompact cars of recent times. The car was launched in India just a few weeks ago and has caught on well. Usually, most auto companies, when they introduce cars in India, launch the petrol version as well as the diesel version.

So what about Hyundai i20? Now the PTI is reporting that Hyundai Motor Company is preparing to get the diesel version of the i20 in India by the end of this year as they plan to launch at least two new products in the country over the next two years annually. The car maker from Korea wants to improve its share in the market here by coming up with new products.

Young-Kil Chun is the senior VP of the Asia & Pacific division at Hyundai Motors. Chun explains, “We currently have a 20.4 per cent market share. For the year ending 2009 we will look at growing our market share further by three per cent. We should by then have a market share of over 25 per cent, exporting to well over 110 countries. So we will grow along with the Indian market and keep pace.”

No information regarding the prices of the Hyundai i20 diesel variant was revealed. Presently, the petrol version of the hatchback is available in the country in the price band of Rs 4.7 lakhs and Rs 5.8 lakh (prices are ex-showroom).

Maruti Ritz launch confirmed on May 15th 2009

Last time we reported on speculations of the Maruti Ritz car arriving to the Indian soil by May 2009, looks like the popular carmaker is keeping up with the promise. Maruti Suzuki India recently announced the launch dates for their much-awaited Maruti Ritz vehicle.

As the title explains, the Maruti Ritz is all set to be launched officially in the Indian sector on May 15th 2009. The company positions the car for the premium A2 market segment and offers a contemporary European design. The car boasts of being the first passenger car in India to be compliant with the BS-IV emission norms.

The news columns seem to be awash with the news coming from the Maruti Suzuki room. Recently we reported on Maruti’s plans on concentrating at the small car markets and then the Maruti A-Star stepped into the limelight by achieving a top mileage of 26.9 kms to a litre in a fuel efficiency rally held in Delhi.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited takes pride in launching their eighth new model within 48 months. Earlier the company has launched cars like the Swift, Zen Estilo, SX4, Swift Diesel, Grand Vitara, Swift Dzire and A-star.

The Ritz will arrive with two different engine options: the latest K-series 1.2 litre, four-cylinder, 85PS Petrol engine and the booming 1.3 litre, 16-valve DDiS, 75PS Diesel engine. The pricing details of the car are yet under the wraps and these details will be clear only after the launch of the car.

Maruti Suzuki India Focusing on Small Car Market

Earlier we had reported about Maruti Suzuki making claims that A-star achieved a top mileage of nearly 27 kms to a litre. The Indian automaker has been known to roll out cars that are small and offer a good value for money, something that the population here looks out for.

Small cars are their strength, many analysts have apparently said that, and ET is reporting that MSI will now be focusing on the small car market here. The car maker will expand their production capacity in the coming to financial years to an extra two lakh cars. An executive from the company informs that this is being done to cater the small car market, which is buoyant.

Shinzo Nakanishi is the managing director at Maruti Suzuki India. Nakanishi commented, “As demand has increased and will only grow further, we would require additional capacity beyond the current nine lakh cars a year to cater to the small car market. We will increase volumes to meet rising domestic demand and higher export orders.”

The company, apparently, is planning to invest Rs 1,800 crore to expand their capacity. Currently, the Indian carmaker has the capacity to make six lakh cars in Gurgaon. They have sold some 7.9 lakh cars in the last fiscal, domestically as well as abroad. Maruti Suzuki also has a plant at Manesar, where the newer, globally strategic models such as SX4, Swift and A-Star are produced.

Skoda keeps getting better

SKODA really is coming up trumps with its latest range, which now look and feel better than parent company VW's own cars.

I've just come back from ten days holiday in Ireland and the Octavia Scout I used for the trip was superb, with good comfort and marvellous handling and road holding.

It was powered by the latest 1.8 TSi petrol engine, with loads of urge on tap and a six-speed gearbox for best economy.

But it also has completely automatic four wheel drive, where the rear wheels only come into action when the front ones start to slip.

This is a fantastic system which works brilliantly, not only for fairly tough off-road work but on road in slippery conditions.

They launched the original Scout up above the arctic circle in winter and the snow and ice of Lapland showed just how good this system is.


Interior

The Octavia is spacious and refined, with the only a slightly unsettled ride caused by big alloys and very low profile tyres.

If you buy one, go for the smaller wheels and higher profile tyres, which give greatly improved comfort in any car, with little loss of grip or handling.

FAST FACTS

Skoda Octavia Scout

Price: £18,750

Mechanical: 158bhp, 1,798cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving four wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 131mph

0-62mph: 8.4 seconds

Combined mpg: 34

Insurance group: 12

CO2 emissions: 182g/km

BIK rating: 24%

Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles

Marks: 9/10

Main rival: Audi A4 Avant

Tata Nano debuts with 1 millon requests; watch out Toyota Corolla

If Tata Motors had the ability to swiftly build the 1 million reservations the Indian automaker has for the Nano, it would easily be the world's largest-selling car in 2009. And it would also quickly advance on the all-time, best-selling cars list.

As the following lists detail, the best-selling vehicle in history is the Toyota Corolla, with more than 32 million units sold. The 50th best-selling car in history is the Peugeot 405 with 3.5 million units sold. The best-selling vehicle in 2008 was the Ford F-Series truck with 515,513 units sold. It's also the second best-selling vehicle of all-time.

If the Tata Nano continues at its current initial popularity, how high could it advance on the all-time list?

The Top-10 Best-Selling Cars In History

1. Toyota Corolla - 32,000,000+units
Introduced in 1966, the Corolla is produced in five continents by Japanese automaker.

2.Ford F-Series - 30,000,000+units
Introduced 1948, it's the top-selling truck of all-time, remarkable since it's sold only in the United States.

3. Volkswagen Golf - 25,000,000+units
Launched by the German automaker in 1974, it's now in its sixth generation.

4. Volkswagen Beetle - 22,300,000+units
The first model was produced by German automaker in 1938 at the request of the Nazi government.

5. Ford Escort - 20,000,000+units
The iconic brand, produced 1968-2000 was particularly popular in Europe.

6. Honda Civic - 17,730,000+units
The value-priced Civic has been produced since 1972 and is now in its eighth generation.

7. Ford Model T - 16,500,000+units
Named the most influential car of the 20th century, it was made from 1909-1927.

8.Volkswagen Passat - 14,100,000+units
Made since 1973, the Passat is in its sixth generation and has been sold under seven names.

9. Chevrolet Impala - 14,000,000+units
Offered since 1958, it's considered the first luxury car for the middle class.

10. Ford Fiesta - 12,500,000+units
Sold worldwide since 1976, it's manufactured by Ford Europe, a Ford Motor Company subsidiary.

The Top 10 Best-Selling Cars of 2008

1. Ford F-Series: 515,513; 2. Chevy Silverado: 465,065; 3. Toyota Camry: 436,617; 4. Honda Accord: 372,789; 5. Toyota Corolla: 351,007; 6. Honda Civic: 339,289; 7. Nissan Altima: 269,668; 8. Chevy Impala: 265,840; 9. Dodge Ram: 245,840; 10. Honda CR-V: 197,279.