Ford rolls out global Fiesta at 8.23 lakh

Ford drove in the international Fiesta sedan in India on Thursday with an entry price of Rs 8.23 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), significantly higher than rivals like Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento. The US car major has seen a revival of sorts in India after the launch the Figo last year. It is counting on the new car to up its stake in the lucrative but highly competitive premium sedan segment, which has seen a flurry of new launches in recent times.

Ford Fiesta is the first of the eight new global models that Ford has promised to roll out by 2015. It sports a 1500cc engine in both petrol and diesel variants. The entry-level diesel variant will cost Rs 9.27 lakh (Delhi ex-showroom). Michael Boneham, MD of Ford India, told TOI that he was not worried about the price gap against rivals. "It is not about price, but about the product. The Ford Fiesta offers features like anti-lock braking system (ABS), airbags and steering wheel audio controls as standard across variants," Boneham said.

However, rival brands like Honda also offer the features as standard while in others they are available at a lower price. The premium sedan segment has seen competition hotting up of late and changes in the dynamics. The Honda City, once the leader of the pack, has been under tremendous pressure following the entry of models like Vento and the new Verna, forcing the company to go in for a Rs 66,000 price cut last month.

The competition will make things difficult for Ford. The US major is already witnessing a pressure in the demand for the Figo as slowdown hits the market and competitors like Maruti, Hyundai and Toyota catch up. The Figo, the volume-driver for the company, saw volumes dip 6% in the first quarter of this fiscal at 17,319 units against 18,495 units in the corresponding quarter in 2010-11, according to figures released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Boneham said he was not too worried about the slowdown in demand in the market and for Figo. "While factors like high interest rates and scarcity of cash have put pressure on the demand in the car market, we are still forecast to grow by 12-14%, which is absolutely not bad. On Figo, we have some production constraints on the diesel engines. In any case, the model is also being exported and we are doing well internationally." Refusing to forecast the company's sales targets, Boneham said Ford was bullish on India and was on course to bring in new models in the market.

New Chevrolet Beat Diesel

Chevrolet Beat Diesel

A small, economical, four-door hatchback is what an average middle-class Indian family of today is looking for. Out of all this, economy is of utmost priority when it comes to choosing a family hatchback from the varied choice that the customer is presented with. Now with price of petrol nudging 70 rupees a litre, diesel powered cars are set to gain popularity among the middle class population in India. Automakers in India are now anticipating an increased demand for diesel vehicles and have already started addressing the issue.

General Motors will launch the Beat hatchback with a diesel engine which will be aimed at fulfilling the demand for affordable diesel cars. IndianCarsBikes takes a look at a car that will grab your attention by virtue of its funky looks and now with a diesel engine under the bonnet would be light on your pocket as well. Well, fuel economy was definitely on GM’s mind when it comes to the Chevrolet Beat Diesel. At the heart of the machine is the smallest common-rail diesel engine on a passenger car in India and the first GM hatchback to sport a diesel powerplant anywhere in the world.

This is how important the Indian market is to automakers that GM went on to develop the 3-cylinder diesel engine specifically for India. The engine is based on the 1.3 litre Fiat Multijet which GM got from Fiat. The engineers at GM then reduced the size of the engine to 937 cc by getting rid of one of the cylinders turning it into a 3-pot. In this configuration, the 937 cc common-rail diesel engine puts out a healthy 57.8 horsepower and 15.2 kgm of torque. The 4-valves per cylinders and double overhead cams ensure better fuel economy and driveability.

Chevrolet Beat Diesel

To further improve fuel efficiency, GM has dumped the good-old hydraulic steering with a modern electric one. The new electric setup will in fact make the car more maneuverable but could lack the feedback of the classic hydraulic. Still, in the city the Beat diesel with its electric steering will be a joy to hustle around. At speeds though, things could get rather twitchy. The Chevrolet Beat Diesel will do a top whack close to 140 kph but it will require quite a long stretch of empty highway if you wish to get any close to the limit.

Coming to the most important bit, fuel economy. With a small diesel engine upfront, the Chevrolet Beat Diesel does 24 km in a litre of diesel, this according to tests conducted by ARAI. This makes the Chevrolet Beat diesel one of the most frugal hatchbacks available in India today. Now, the Chevrolet Beat is not the most spacious of the hatchbacks and lacks rear space. The boot too is not as spacious as that of its competitors. That said, the rear seat can seat just two adults in comfort.

The Chevrolet Beat Diesel will be launched in India on the 25th of July and as always, pricing will be crucial. So, bottom line, the new Chevrolet Beat is a frugal and affordable (depends on how GM price it) hatchback for a small family or four adults at the max. GM is expected to price the Chevrolet Beat diesel around Rs 4-4.2 lakh. Thus, it will rival the Tata Indica V2 (53.5 bhp @ 5500 rpm). In terms of power, the Beat diesel surely has a slight upper hand and same with the looks. But, as far as practicality is concerned, the Beat does lack interior space. Keep watching this space for more updates on the launch day.
Source: indiancarsbikes.in/cars/chevrolet-beat-diesel-45269/

Maruti Suzuki hopes to see car sales pickup by festive season

2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift

The past few months haven’t been so good for the Indian auto industry. Sales have slumped during the past months due to various reasons. Maruti Suzuki sales slumped by 8.8 percent in the month of June. India’s #1 auto maker recorded 80,298 units in the month of June this year which almost 8000 units down on the last years tally during the same month. The slowdown has been associated with the rising fuel prices. The increase in interest rates haven’t been helping either.

CNBC-TV18 recently had a chat with RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki. Bhargava believes that the recent slowdown in the auto sales should not only be associated with the rising petrol prices and the interest rates that have also been on the rise. The auto industry has been on a roller coaster ride since the past couple of years. The growth of the industry has been fluctuating for the past few years. Maruti Suzuki grew by 30 percent last year and according to Bhargava a low growth rate in the following year was inevitable.

Suzuki Swift Hatchback

Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki is gearing up for the upcoming festive season and Bhargava believes the sales would pick up before Diwali. Now, the company is also getting ready to launch the new Maruti Suzuki Swift. We come to know that the new Swift will be launched in the month of August. Maruti has already halted the production of the old Swift for the upcoming model. The company has also planned an MPV to take on Toyota’s Innova.

Recently, Maruti Suzuki had to deal with labour issues at their Manesar unit, which also lead to huge production losses. The waiting period for Maruti cars thus increased and with new launches impending, the automaker will have get its act together. The festive season will bring in more demand but automakers should also be able to meet those in time if they wish to cash in on the opportunity.

Via Moneycontrol

Audi's Half-yearly Sales Up 100 Percent

German luxury car manufacturer Audi reported a 100 percent increase in its sales for the first half of the calendar year.

It has sold 2,802 cars from January to June 2011 as compared to 1,400 units sold in the corresponding period last year.

"Given our outstanding performance in the first six months of the year, we will soon surpass our 2010 annual sale of 3,003 cars," said Michael Perschke, head, Audi India.

The luxury carmaker's sales during the last month grew by 75 percent with sales of 408 cars as against 233 cars in June 2010.

According to the company, the brand is in the process of repeating in the Indian market some proven growth strategies used in the Chinese market, such as aggressively marketing the product, qualitative network growth and strong brand-building process.

"Audi India has adopted an aggressive product strategy this year with the launch of a slew of class-defining models," the company said in a statement.

The statement further said that China has overtaken Germany as the single biggest market for Audi, while the Indian and US markets were the fastest growing regions for the company.

Currently, the company offers a range of cars including A4, A6, A8, A7 Sportback, Q5, Q7, RS5, R8 and R8 Spyder.

Renault Fluence to be launched

The much awaited premium sedan Renault Fluence is all set to mark its debut in the Indian market today. The Fluence model will mark the re-entry of the French car maker in the Indian market as the company currently doesnt' have any car in the country. However, the company is yet to reveal any specification details of the car.

The Fluence model is speculated to be rolled-out in the price range of Rs 11 to 14 lakh where it will be competing with the likes of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis, Chevrolet Cruze and Skoda Laura. The Fluence sedan will be imported to the Indian market as a completely knocked-down unit (CKD).

Initially, the Fluence model will be available at only 12 dealerships of the company in the Indian market. The company plans to enhance the reach of the Fluence model as per rise in the demand for the car. According to a recent statement given by Mr. Sudhir Rao, Deputy MD, Renault India, “Currently, we have appointed about six dealerships. By the end of May we should be having 12. The plan is to have 100 dealership networks by 2012.”

Source:cartradeindia.com