2010 Nissan Cube
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 
Air Car by Guy Negre on CNN
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
Tata and a US based company is developing a green engine that would require only air to run. According the Environmental News Network (ENN), Zero Pollution Motors is developing a vehicle that can motor around all day on nothing but air and a splash of salad oil, alcohol or possibly a pint of gasoline. The car is expecetd to be christened Air Car/ CATS .
The science behind building the Compressed Air Vehicle, or CAV, is not new as off-the-shelf technology already uses compressed air to drive old-fashioned car engine pistons instead of combusting gas or diesel fuel to create a burst of air.
Mahindra launches Maxx Maxi Truck Special Edition
Saturday, November 8th, 2008 Mahindra India has launched a ’special edition’ Maxx Maxi Truck, which is priced at Rs 3.30 lakh, ex-showroom Chennai. Only 1,000 units of this vehicle will be made and will be fitted with an MP3 player/radio, revamped instrument panel and dashboard, uprated seat cover fabric and twin external rear view mirrors.
The Mahindra Maxx Maxi Truck will be available in a new colour - Champagne - and the bodywork will sport new, distinctive graphics. With its 63bhp, 18Kgm MDI engine, the vehicle has a top speed of around 100km/h, has a load carrying area of 37sq.ft., and can haul up to 900 kilos.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
Mahindra Xylo to be launched by year end
Saturday, November 1st, 2008The much-awaited Mahindra MUV - Xylo is expected to be launched by december this year. Developed in-house under what the company calls Project Ingenio, the Mahindra Xylo will build on the Scorpio ’s success and take the company’s SUVs to the next level towards becoming world class products.
‘We are all set to create a new milestone with the launch of the Mahindra Xylo, which will continue Mahindra’s legacy of customer-centric innovation. I am confident that the Xylo will follow in the Scorpio’s footsteps and evolve into an iconic brand,’ says Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group.
‘The Xylo has been developed by a project team consisting of 160 experts who have created new benchmarks in terms of styling, technology and performance. The Mahindra Xylo, extensively tested and validated for real world usage in India and many other countries, is sure to delight the customer,’ adds Dr Pawan Goenka, President - Automotive Sector, M&M.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
Mahindra Ingenio will be called Xylo
Friday, October 31st, 2008Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), India’s leader in utility vehicles, today announced that it would unveil the all new Mahindra XYLO (Zy-lo) in the current quarter. The Mahindra XYLO is the brand name for Project Ingenio developed in-house by Mahindra post the success of the Scorpio.
The much awaited Mahindra XYLO has been co-created with customers for developing a vehicle around the lifestyle and luxury aspirations of its end customer. This is further testimony to Mahindra’s customer centric vision of co-creating products and services based on the feedback and latent needs of its consumers.
Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, said “We are all set to create a new milestone with the launch of the Mahindra XYLO which will continue Mahindra’s legacy of customer-centric innovation. I am confident that the XYLO will follow in the Scorpio’s footsteps and evolve into an iconic brand.”
Dr. Pawan Goenka - President Automotive Sector M&M said, “XYLO has been developed by a Project team consisting of 160 experts who have created new benchmarks in terms of styling, technology and performance. The team deployed the ReFinE methodology aimed at creating emotional surplus. Mahindra XYLO, extensively tested and validated for Real World usage in India and many other countries, is sure to delight the Customer’s ‘Senses’.
Mr. Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief of Operations, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., added, “The brand name XYLO is trendy and contemporary, implies luxury, high fashion, technology and creates a futuristic connect.”
[via: press]
Tata Nano launch deferred to Jan-March 2009
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008With the Singur debacle, it was almost inevitable that the launch date for the Tata Nano would have to be pushed back by a couple of months. And indeed, it now seems certain that the Nano will miss its earlier launch deadline of November-December this year.
While Tata Motors is struggling to start production of the Nano at its Pantnagar plant (the aim being to produce around 48,000 units per annum from this plant in Uttarakhand), the launch is now likely to happen only in the January-March 2009 quarter.
Tata Motors has, reportedly, asked its vendors to be prepared for supplying components for only 3,500 - 4,000 Nanos on a monthly basis for now. The company, which wants to ensure continuous supply once the car is actually launched, is taking no chances on quality control and will prefer to defer the launch by 2 - 3 months rather than launch the car in a big hurry and then face problems later.
Via: indiaautomotive]
Maruti Suzuki tops J.D. Power’s 2008
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008For the ninth consecutive year, Maruti Suzuki ranks highest in customer satisfaction with authorized dealer service in India, according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2008 India Customer Service Index (CSI) Study released today.
The study, now in its 12th year, measures satisfaction among vehicle owners who visited their authorized dealership service center for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 18 months of ownership, which typically represents the warranty period.
Overall satisfaction is determined by examining seven measures (listed in order of importance): problems experienced; service quality; user-friendly service; service advisor; service initiation; service delivery; and in-service experience.
Maruti Suzuki achieves an overall CSI score of 820 on a 1,000-point scale. Overall customer satisfaction with dealer service for the industry improves slightly in 2008-up by 3 points since 2007, with six of the 11 ranked brands demonstrating gains.
While ranking below the industry average, Tata and Mahindra emerge as the most improved brands respectively, particularly in the areas of service initiation, quality of service advisors and in-service experience.
‘Maruti Suzuki has effectively implemented simple procedures that improve satisfaction with the value of work performed and perceptions of the fairness and honesty of the dealer, such as greeting service customers quickly upon arrival and fully explaining charges and repairs,’ says Mohit Arora, senior director at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore.
[Via: indiaautomotive]
