Toyota Corp is planning to showcase nearly 45 concept and production models at the upcoming Guangzhou Motor Show in China. There has been a tremendous increase in the demand of SUVs in the country, especially mid-sized models. The Lexus GX mid-size SUV has been on sale since 2003 but Toyota will use China’s 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show for the world debut of its latest and advanced model of Lexus GX model.
Toyota is also planning to sell its latest updated Prius model in China from early 2010. This model will also be showcased at the China show. Toyota is targeting sales of 3,000 new Prius cars a year in the country. Toyota’s other models that will be displayed at the show are Camry Hybrid and its executive car Crown that goes on sale in the country from next month.
There will be various concept models like FT-EV city model, urban plug in model Hi-CT, and FT-HS hybrid sports model. Toyota will be aiming at zero emission and fuel efficient cars that will highlight “the diversification of the energy sources”.
Honda India has launched the all New 2009 model of CR-V in Indian market. The base model with 2.0 litre engine has been priced at Rs. 22,51,000 rupees (EX-Showrrom Mumbai), which is very high in comparison to its rivals - Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour & Chevrolet Captiva. New Honda CR-V is sold as a CBU import and will be available on confirmed order basis. It also comes with a 2+2 year warranty and 24-hour roadside assistance as standard.
New Honda CR-V comes with a refreshed look, sporting a new two-step front grille, a re-sculpted hood and front bumper design and oval shape fog lamps. The new CR-V is 45mm longer than its predecessor and measures 4575 mm in length while maintaining the same width, height, ground clearance and head clearance. A new 10-spoke alloy wheel design replaces the previous 7-spoke alloy wheel design.
- New Two-Step Front Grille & Re-Sculpted Hood - New Front & Rear Bumper Design, New 10-Spoke Alloy Wheels - Oval Shape Front Fog Lamps, Body Colored ORVMs With Side Turn Indicators
The top model of New Honda CR-V comes with three additional features which includes Cruise Control, Electric Sunroof & Option Of 5 Speed Automatic Transmission.
The New Honda CR-V is available in two new colours - Opal Sage Metallic and Premium Mystic Night Pearl along with the existing range of Polished Metal, Alabaster Silver, Crystal Black Pearl and Premium White.
New Honda CR-V is available in 2 engine options - same which were doing duty in the outgoing models - the 2.0 litre & 2.4 litre petrol engines. The 2.0 litre engine is a 1997cc i-VTEC which generates maximum power of 141 bhp at 6000 rpm with maxium torque of 192 Nm at 4200 rpm. The 2.4 litre engine is a 2354cc i-VTEC which generates maximum power of 159 bhp at 5800 rpm with maxium torque of 218 Nm at 4200 rpm.
Price Of New Honda CR-V (Ex-Showroom Mumbai)
- New Honda CR-V 2.0 MT - Rs. 22,51,000.00 - New Honda CR-V 2.4 MT - Rs. 24,00.000.00 - New Honda CR-V 2.4 AT - Rs. 24,78,000.00
Ducati Motor Holding, the world’s leading producer of Racing inspired bikes today announced the opening of its first showroom in the Indian market in partnership with Precision Motor India Private Limited. Due to its great potential to provide opportunities for growth and further establish the Ducati Brand, Mumbai has been chosen as the location for Ducati’s first flagship showroom.
On this occasion, Mr. Cristiano Silei, V.P. Sales, Ducati India said: “We are very excited about the Mumbai opening. We believe India will play an increasingly relevant role in the motorcycle industry and we are pleased to be among the first to recognize it and be and active part of the development in the market”
Mr. Ashish Chordia, Chairman and CEO of Precision Motor India Private Limited said: “The Ducati brand which symbolizes racing success, innovative technology and the highest quality standards are a perfect fit for Precision Motor India as we are committed towards excellence in all the premium brands we represent. We are passionate about promoting and developing Ducati in the Indian market. We are proud to be a part of this great journey that we have jointly undertaken in India and I am sure that Ducati will have a great presence in this country”
By around 2011, Wuling’ N200 and N300 series vans will be sold in India, which marks GM’s entry into the LCV segment in India. The LCV segment is populated with names like Force, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Piaggio etc. But as GM is going to sell minivans initially, they would have to compete with the likes of Maruti’s Omni and Tata’s Ace Magic. GM will equip the vans with fuel efficient diesel engines.
Wuling, which operates under directions of GM, is also said to be secretly developing a small car that will be slotted under the Chevrolet Spark in the future in India. Though there is no official confirmation of such a launch, GM officials overseas have spoken about the strategy adopted for the low-cost product which will use a lot of tried and test components from previous generation models.
Wuling’s vans are already sold in North Africa, South America and the Middle East as Chevrolets. GM could use the same ploy in India as it enjoys a good status among utility vehicle buyers through the Tavera. GM China sells about 80,000 Wuling minivans every month and cornered a market share of 43 per cent in the Chinese minivan segment. It will look to repeat the same with the Indian market as well.
By the year 2012, Nissan would run as many as 9 models in India, said the company. Of these five will be local assembled by which the company plans to capitalize 5% share of the market. The company has already made a tie-up with the French car maker Renault by which an investment of Rs. 4500 crore has been made to increase the production from the current 700 to 3000 by 2012. The company is running its show in India with just two models - X-Trail and Teana and is on the verge of making three more models in 2009. Nissan has sensed the market potential of India- a possible 3 million units by 2014.
Nissan’s aim is to grab the same 5% share which it possesses in the global market. For this the dealership too will be increased to 55 by 2012. Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between Renault and Nissan for the production in Chennai unit. The JV is to enhance the employee power to 3000 by 2012, of which the first 1500 will assemble in May 2010, when the production starts. With this expansion the Chennai unit will be able to deliver 4 lakh units per year with the full operation of the unit. The major feature of this production will be 85% of localized components.
Nissan is ready to unveil face lifted models of Teana and X-Trail in Mumbai on September 16. The new X-Trail was showcased at Geneva Auto Show 2007 and X-Trail was unveiled at Beijing Auto Show 2008. Technical details and new pictures of India bound models have not been released so far but it has been informed that both the models will be imported as completely built units in India and will attract 104 percent import duty. So far both the models have received luke warm response from the India market due to their hefty price tags.
Nissan is further set to launch five models in India. “The first production starts with the next generation of the Micra/March hatchback, followed by the sedan type. The rest is still under study,” said Nissan’s company official in an email. The current 2.2 litre X-Trail costs Rs 20-24 lakh and the Teana costs Rs 21.42 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai). New prices of new models will be released upon the launch of these models. Apart from these two new models Nissan is also gearing up to launch a small car Micra and a sports car 370Z, known as the Fairlady Z in Japan, in India.
Honda is here to add to the festival delight of the customers in India. It has launched “Win a Car” contest from September 07, 2009 to attract more customers. The new contest is a part of “Great Honda Fest” where one lucky Honda customer across India will win his favorite Honda car every week. The contest will be valid for those who purchase a Honda car between 7 September and 31st October 2009.
Apart from winning one Honda car every week, customers also stand a chance to win lucky existing accessory package for Honda models like Jazz, City, Civic, Accord or CRV. “HSCI has exciting plans for this festival season. The Great Honda Fest is our first offering this festive season to celebrate and share the festivities with our customers. We are confident that the contest coupled with the new launches during this period will fuel positive growth for the company,” said Mr. Jnaneswar Sen, VP Marketing & Sales, HSCI.
Honda Jazz was the last new model which was added to the Honda product portfolio in India. The model is an exclusively premium hatchack model but falls short in making high sales volume due to its hefty price tag. On the other hand, Honda City continues to be India’s most popular sedan and keeps marking healthy sales figures every month.
Electric car manufacturer Reva is all set to unveil two new models, NXG and NXR, at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor show. The new models feature new technology called the REVive which seeks to address the ‘range anxiety’ among electric car owners.
The REVA NXG is a sporty two seater with a targa roof top, designed by none other than Dilip Chhabria of the DC design. The NXG will go into production in 2011 and will have a respectable top speed of 130 kmph and a range of 200 kms.
The REVA NXR is a two door hatchback family car specially designed for city driving conditions. The new NXR can be booked and ordered from the show onwards, with production scheduled to commence at the beginning of 2010. The car will run on lithium-ion batteries and will have a top speed of 104 kmph and a range of 160 kms. A lead acid battery variant will be made available for India, which apart from being cheaper will have a reduced top of 80 kmph and a range of 80 kms.
The company will also introduce the REVive technology, a feature unique to REVA that addresses ‘range anxiety’ and will act as an invisible reserve fuel tank. If the customer runs out of charge, he/she can telephone or send a SMS message to REVA 24/7 customer support center and remote charge enables the REVA new models to continue driving within a few minutes.
Both REVA NXG and NXR will feature the REVive telematics technology. The company hasnt disclosed the technical specifications or the price which will be announced in the due course.
“The REVA NXR and REVA NXG will redefine the Indian consumer car market,” said Chetan Maini, deputy chairman & chief technology officer, REVA Electric Car Company.
“The unveiling of NXR and NXG at the Frankfurt Show is a tremendous step forward in what is sure to be a fascinating journey for EV users across the globe - Affordable and stylish electric vehicles will finally be available to consumer.” he added.
The new models will be manufactured at REVA’s new green manufacturing plant in Bangalore. The new models will receive their first boost of charge from solar power at the new plant which is built on LEEDS guidelines with water harvesting, solar charging and natural ventilation with an intent to reduce the carbon footprint.
REVA will also launch a new website, www.revaglobal.com which will go live during the unveiling of the cars at Frankfurt. The website will also let customers to register on the priority list for new car online.
