Wednesday, February 9, 2011

2011 Upcoming Car Launches In India | 25 Hot Model Cars

You want to buy a car in 2011 and are wondering as to what all your new options will be as 2010 turns into 2011, then you must definitely read the most comprehensive to-be-launched new car list we’ve compiled for you. Even if you’re just hanging around ICB looking for a nice read, you’ll still find this post to pack in enough information and analysis to keep you intrigued about the very exciting world of Indian cars. Happy Reading and with this, Team ICB wishes you a very happy, safe and prosperous New Year 2011. Live Life Full Throttle.

2011 Maruti Suzuki Kizashi Sedan

1.Maruti Suzuki Kizashi Sedan2011 Maruti Suzuki Kizashi

January 28th 2010 it is when India’s best selling car brand, Maruti Suzuki, will unveil it’s D segment contender in the form of the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi. Touted to be a budget challenger to the likes of the Mercedes Benz C Class and the Audi A4, the Kizashi has been designed to be a value for money luxury car offering that offers both power as well as superlative handling. The global model of the Kizashi comes with a 2.4 Liter inline four petrol engine good for about 180 horses.

This, allied to an All Wheel Drive option would just be what the doctor ordered in terms of a car that has enough go to match it’s show. Talking of which, the Kizashi comes loaded to the gills with safety and comfort features that rivals the best amongst the D segmenters.

Now, Maruti could pull off a coup by bringing in a 2 Liter, 150 Bhp petrol engine and assembling the Kizashi through CKD kits.If this does happen, expect the Kizashi to take on the likes of the Civics ad the Corolla Altis’ of the world with a killer price of under  INR 15 Lakhs to boot. The other end of the spectrum, which involves the Kizashi being brought in as a CBU at a price upwards of INR 18 Lakhs is one which is pretty grim though.

2011 Toyota Etios Liva Hatchback

2.Toyota Etios Liva Hatchback

2011 Toyota Etios Liva Hatchback

12,000 bookings in just a few weeks of the Toyota Etios Sedan’s launch is a stark reminder of the immense trust that Indian car buyers have in Brand Toyota. With the commencement of the Etios Sedan’s production, it is time now for Toyota to focus on the next big thing for the Indian market, the Toyota Etios Liva Hatchback. Indians love their small cars and the Indian government does too. How then, can car manufacturers be left behind?

Toyota, though a late entrant to the premium hatchback market, is all set to make major inroads through it’s very first small car for India, the Toyota Etios Liva Hatchback. The light weight Etios Liva Hatchback will offer plenty of space and along with that some frugal performance through the 1.2 Liter, 70 Bhp Petrol engine.

While the quality levels of the Liva hatchback simply cannot match the extremely high standards Toyota traditionally has been delivering in it’s other cars, this is perhaps a sign of just-enough-engineering as opposed to the over engineering Toyota is famous for. While plenty of cost cutting is evident on the Liva Hatchback too, one can’t really complain as all this cost cutting has resulted in a brilliant price of INR 4.3 Lakhs. Meanwhile, a diesel engined variant might join sometime in late 2011 or 2012

2011 Maruti Suzuki SX4 Diesel

3. Maruti Suzuki SX4 Diesel

2011 Maruti Suzuki SX4 Diesel

The Maruti Suzuki SX4 has been in-the-coming for years now and finally production of the SX4 Diesel is set to commence as soon as the Maruti factory resumes production after it’s annual maintenance break. Powering the Maruti Suzuki SX4 Diesel will be the highly acclaimed, refined, powerful and frugal Fiat Multijet Diesel Engine in VGT guise. So, expect about 90 Bhp of power and 200 Nm of Torque to haul the SX4′s bulk around.

While the power and torque figures might not sound earth shattering, the 1248cc Multijet engine will ensure that the going will be rapid enough to keep all but the hard core performance hungry folks grinning. The other biggest bonus of this reliable engine is the brilliant fuel efficiency it delivers. We’re hoping that Maruti Suzuki rings in the new year with the facelift of the SX4, just like the one the Chinese Domestic Model of the SX4 has gotten itself very recently.

The facelift apart, the SX4 will remain a butch, big sedan with plenty of ground clearance that ensures that it can be driven hard on bad roads too. Meanwhile, the Maruti Suzuki SX4 Diesel is expected to come for about INR 7-7.5 Lakhs Ex Showroom and going by Maruti standards, expect some yawn inducing waiting periods given the fact that Maruti Diesel cars have always had very stiff demand.

2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift

4.Maruti Suzuki Swift

2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift

Five years ago, the Maruti Suzuki Swift opened to almost no competition in it’s segment and it being an example of a punchy little car that could go around corners as well as it could go in the straight line, quickly earned itself a loyal fan base. The Fiat Multijet diesel version followed after a year and a half, and since then the Swift has consistently been the best seller in the Great Indian Hatchback Market.

This despite, a plethora of challengers, both home grown and foreign, that challenged the Swift for market supremacy, only to be beaten hollow. Only the Hyundai i10 could come close and while Hyundai had to launch constant refreshes to hold on, the Swift soldiered on gamely to sell half a million units in India alone. After half a decade, Maruti comes up with the Swift’s successor and lo and behold, we have another Swift.

The 2011 Swift that will debut in the second quarter of 2011, will be bigger than the older model and will perhaps have a few more features than the outgoing model. Other than this, the Swift remains like the Swift it has always been, fun to drive and fuel efficient. Add to this, bomb proof reliability and Maruti’s after sales service that is simply the best in the business, you’re simply looking at one more best seller.

2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire

5.Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire

2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire

Call it ugly or even downright fugly, the Swift Dzire simply hammered down the fact that a decently speced car with the Maruti badge will sell, screw the looks. Basically a Swift with a boot, the Dzire has sold like hot cakes ever since it’s launch and enjoys the unenviable, er, enviable position of having a five month waiting period for it’s diesel variant. The entry level sedan from the Maruti stable is primed to face some real heat in the coming days as the Toyota Etios Sedan has just been set loose by the fellow Japs at Toyota.

In the slugfest between the Indo-Jap and the Jap, the biggest gainer is you, the customer. So expect the 2011 Maruti DZire to come with all the improvements that the 2011 Swift gets, both in terms of the interiors as well as on the features front. A 4 Meter DZire to get the benefits of the lesser excise duties is in the pipeline although we shudder to think how a chopped DZire would look.

With mighty Toyota breathing down it’s neck, Maruti wouldn’t be taking any chances and thus, the 2011 Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire can be expected to have everything the Toyota Etios doesn’t have. Now, I might be beaten black and blue for this but if I have to choose between the DZire and the Etios, I would blindly pick the Dzire, for, Toyota has cut a corner too many in the Etios. And the 2011 Dzire could only reaffirm my decision if it gets more features with the price remaining unchanged or slightly higher, which I strongly believe it would be. But a chopped DZire? Now that has me sitting in the fence, for now at least.

2011 Renault Fluence Sedan

6.Renault Fluence Sedan

2011 Renault Fluence Sedan

The Renault Fluence Sedan is French Automaker Renault’s first Indian foray, leaving aside the not-so-happy marriage with the Mahindras spawing the Logan. Primed for a comeback after establishing it’s very own manufacturing facility off Chennai, Renault will launch the Fluence Sedan to take on the likes of the Chevrolet Cruze and the Honda Civic, sometime in the first half of 2011.

The Fluence Sedan, whose good looks would be a talking as well as a selling point, brings some refreshing change to the D segment, which hasn’t seen too many ravishing cars, barring the Chevrolet Cruze, being launched recently. Moving ahead, the Fluence Sedan will come in both petrol and diesel variants with a 2.0-liter petrol making 140 Bhp while the1.5 dCi diesel block will be tuned to deliver 105hp.

We’d love some more poke from the diesel engine even though the DCi engine is well known for it’s very  linear power delivery and ultra frugal ways. The engines will be mated to either manual or automatic transmission and other safety and convenience features are expected to be at par with the competition. Expect the elegant looking Fluence Sedan to be priced at INR 13-14 Lakhs.

2011 Renault Koleos Crossover

7.Renault Koleos Crossover

2011 Renault Koleos Crossover

While the Renault Fluence Sedan will be launched in the first half of 2011, the Koleos Crossover will follow in the second half. The Crossover, that has been jointly developed by Nissan and Renault has been doing duty in the Korean market as the Renault Samsung QM5. While this Crossover hasn’t really set sales charts on fire in other global markets, for the Indian market though, Renault hopes to buck the trend with Koleos Crossover.

Targeted at the Honda CR-V and the Skoda Yeti crowd, this soft roader will arrive with a 2 Liter DCi engine(K9R) pumping out about 150 Bhp. Throw in a six speed manual or a CVT and an all wheel drive option into the equation, you have a nice soft roader that can tackle India’s moonscape like roads with aplomb.

We’re hoping that Renault gets the pricing right on this one and guns for the Yeti’s price rather than the CR-V’s. If that indeed happens, we could see plenty of Koleos’ on Indian roads. The deal breaker, at least for me, is the absolutely Fugly looks of the Koleos. But sometimes, Fugly sells in India and if the Koleos if priced at about INR 16 Lakhs, it could be the next big fugly best seller.

2011 Mahindra W201 SUV

8.Mahindra W201 SUV

Mahindra W201 World SUV

Mahindra’s first homegrown offering, the Scorpio has done phenomenally well and has in fact pummeled the Tata Safari at the hustings. Not folks to rest on their laurels, the hard working lot at Mahindra got on to their toes, with the Mahindra W201 World SUV being the next big thing from the Indian jeep maker.

Designed to be Mahindra’s Indian answer to the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and the Chevrolet Captiva, the Mahindra World SUV will sit at a price range that will comfortably undercut both the Fortuner and the Captiva. Powering the W201 could be the 2.7 liter, in line five cylinder, twenty valver CRDI diesel mill producing about 162 Bhp of shove and 342 Nm of twist. That this engine also does duty in the Ssangyong Rexton SUV only adds some more credence to this particular engine option on the W201.

Folks who’ve driven the pre production models of the W201 came back gushing about the ultra spacious and ultra luxurious interiors which they simply termed as truly outstanding. Going by the rave initial impressions, one can only hope that the  2011 Mahindra W201 World SUV turns out to be truly world class, when it sees an Indian launch sometime in 2011 at a price in the whereabouts of INR 16 Lakhs.

2011 Tata Nano V2

9.Tata Nano V2

2011 Tata Nano V2

A power steering, adjustable seats and a five speed gearbox will be the major changes that the 2011 Tata Nano would come with in it’s second iteration, or V2 in Tataspeak. While Nano sales have taken a major hit, especially in November 2010, when the Nano slumped to all time sales low of just 509 units, the Nano V2 is expected to be just what the market feedback demanded of the Tata Nano.

Knowing Tata Motors Limited, expect the Nano V2 to be significantly improved over the first generation Nano and along with that,  here are a few things that we’d like to see on the Tata Nano V2. The relocation or suitable compartmentalization of the exposed battery, which currently resides under the driver seat of the Nano should be at the top of Tata Motors’ Done list.

And along with that, the addition of the power steering shouldn’t make the Nano a hairy little thing to hustle along at speeds close to the ton. If Tata manages to get this niggles sorted out and price it right, the Tata Nano V2 might just turn out to be another Indica V2 or in other words, a resounding sales success. Watch out for this little one from Tata Motors.

2011 Tata Indica Vista EV

10.Tata Indica Vista EV

2011 Tata Indica Vista EV

Acres and acres of space. A family hatchback with plenty of bells and whistles. Add an electric engine that goes a hundred miles per charge of it’s lithium ion battery stack, is rapid enough not to let you doze off behind the wheel with 72 Bhp and 160 Nm and costs, well, less than a cigarette to be up and ready for the next hundred miles.

That is the Tata Indica Vista EV for you. Right now, the Brits are making merry as the Indica Vista EV is currently being subsidized by the British government in a bid to encourage zero emission cars. Bah! I don’t really believe that electric cars don’t pollute. Come on, producing enough electricity to juice up an electric car’s battery stack doesn’t exactly come from the wind or the sun, but then again, that much electricity might cost lesser to produce than a liter of the golden stuff.

Therefore, EVs make that much more sense in places like India where a majority of folks don’t drive their cars a hundred miles each day and to go interstate, they hop onto the innumerable buses and trains. Meanwhile, with rapid industrialization the Indian air isn’t exactly fume free and breathing fumes won’t too much good to the two air sacs inside you. Suddenly, the 2011 Tata Indica Vista makes so much sense. Now, if only Tata Motors Limited add an commoner earthling price tag of the proposed INR 6 Lakh  to it.

2011 Tata Safari Merlin

11.Tata Safari Merlin

2011 Tata Safari Merlin

For ten long years, India’s first homegrown SUV has soldiered on with innumerable refreshes to keep the flame alive. The 2011 Tata Safari Merlin is one last refresh that will reclaim the life of the Tata Safari before which the platform will be dumped for a much more contemporary one to keep up with the changing times.

During the last decade in which the Safari has been ambling along, the various refreshes have been more of minor facelifts with the Safari always being true to it’s original form. This time however, the boffins at Tata Motors have decided to get a little inspired by the Land Rovers of the world and have thus decided to give the Tata Safari Merlin an all new front end, replete with projector headlamps.

While the engine will remain the same 2.2 Liter Diesel DICOR item, the interiors are expected to borrow a lot of stuff from the Tata Aria. Now, that is a nice move there. So, if you’re a dyed in the wool Safari fan, this one is more of an ode to the big truck the Tata Safari has been to us Indians. You should be able to bring home one for a lakh more than the existing Safaris. I still think that the Safari Merlin will sorely miss a slush box that the Scorpio(read competition) offers.

2011 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan

12.Chevrolet Aveo Sedan

2011 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan

The Chevrolet Aveo Sedan in India is currently selling in minuscule numbers but do not let the numbers fool you into believing that the Aveo Sedan is a bad car by any means. No sir, the Aveo Sedan in fact is  very capable sedan that simply hasn’t done well as it isn’t a Maruti or a Honda and the other thing of course being the fact that is itn’t sharp enough to get a second glance. Add to this General Motors India’s reputation of being a manufacturer of high maintenance car, and there, you have a sales failure even before the car has had a fair shot at the hustings.

Heck even the Taxiwallahs gave the Chevy Aveo cold turkey. This, even as the CNG version was launched by GM India, in a last bid attempt to get the Aveo going. The 2011 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan might just be the car that the current Aveo should have been, in the first place. Powering the 2011 Aveo would be a range of petrol and diesel engines.

A 1.4-liter Petrol with 100HP and 1.6-liter Petrol with 115HP for the petrolheads and for those who like the sticky stuff, how about a 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine with either 75HP or 90HP with start-stop technology? Sounds like decent spec to me. Now, GM India has a sharp looking car with go to match the show. On it’s part, an aggressive marketing strategy along with a three year zero maintenance offer would just be the shot in the arm the 2011 Aveo needs for a fair shot at the hustings. Are you game, GM India?

2011 Chevrolet Beat Diesel

13.Chevrolet Beat Diesel

2011 Chevrolet Beat Diesel

Here’s one more typical GM India car that simply didn’t sell well because it has the Indian bow tie on the bonnet. Er, no, there were other things too. Like an American two door runabout transforming, pun very intended, into a Indian four door family hatchback. It is from here that the Chevrolet Beat lost the plot. It did many things reasonably well but didn’t do anything spectacularly, except perhaps it’s love-me-hate-me muscular looks.

Just enough leg room in the rear but claustrophobic enough to make it seem more cramped, an engine that is silky smooth at idle but gets noisy once the motorcycle derived rev counter shows 3000 crank shaft revolutions per minute and styling that ensures that half the men above forty look elsewhere immediately. Now, look at the Ford Figo TDCI Diesel.

It isn’t the fastest nor the most frugal or the most spacious, but it handles like it is on rails and is spacious enough to be next only to the Indica Vista, and oh by the way it has been selling like hot cakes with that peppy and ultra drivable TDCI engine that it loaned out from elder brother Fiesta. This is what GM India needed to do with the Beat, make it perform terrific in at least one department. The diesel engine that GM India plans to outfit the Beat with, in 2011, could just be that one factor good enough to lift Beat sales up.  Say hello to the Chevrolet Beat Diesel, that wll arrive sometime in 2011 at a price about INR 50,000 more than it’s petrol variant.

2011 Chevrolet Spark 800

14.Chevrolet Spark 800

2011 Chevrolet Spark 800

The Tata Nano gets costlier and costlier with new features set to be added in the V2 model. The Maruti Alto gets cheaper and cheaper on account of depreciation of the plant that churns out Altos and the fact that Maruti, being Maruti can strangle it’s vendors into delivering cheaper parts. Yes, the Maruti Alto is a full decade old now. The Chevrolet Spark had to replace the Daewoo Matiz but Daewoo went under and the General rushed in the pick up the left overs, one of which was the Spark or the next generation Matiz.

An Indian launch followed and women were absolutely floored by the cutesy looks the Spark came with. And it isn’t the looks alone. This 999cc, four pot, petrol engined car drives as well as it looks and is a frugal customer too. General Motors India kept chopping the initial price and sweetened the deal further by doling out 3 year cash free maintenance schemes. Sales soared but never really tasted the kind of success the plain jane Alto has enjoyed and still enjoys for the better part of a decade now. Solution: Go easy on the engine I say.

The General has chopped on cylinder off the Spark to end up with a three pot 800cc petrol mill that promises to be cheaper to run and maintain while still remaining peppy enough for first time car buyers. All these measures long with some bare bones interiors will give GM India enough saving to price the 2011 Chevrolet Spark 800 at a price neck to neck with the Alto at around INR 2.7 Lakhs. This, we expect will result in folks buying the Nano thinking twice and as for the Alto buyers, they will continue to buy the Alto as the Alto has something no car at it’s price has, the Maruti badge on the bonnet.

Chevrolet SAIC Wuling N200(Hongtu) MUV

15.Chevrolet SAIC Wuling N200(Hongtu) MUV

2011 GM SAIC Wuling N200 MUV

SAIC’s acquisition of some real estate belonging to the General has given the Chinese a ready platform to make inroads into the Indian car market, which hitherto was inaccessible. So much for WTO, duh. SAIC, an acronym for Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, is emulate a certain Toyota(remember the Qualis?), by launching the Wuling MUV as it’s first Indian offering.

Coming to the Wuling N200 MUV, it looks marginally better than the Maruti Eeco, which still means, “stay away if you can afford something better”. The MUV, which has been spotted testing across many Indian cities will initially come with a 1.2 Liter 85 Bhp petrol engine after which a three cylinder 936cc diesel engine from the Chevrolet Beat Diesel might join in.

That would perhaps force Maruti into bringing in a diesel engine into the Eeco’s engine bay, though it would be quite a challenge to mount the Fiat MJD diesel engine under the Eeco’s seats. Coming back to the Wuling N200, it could either be prices under INR 4 Lakh to give some real competition to the Eeco. Anything more than this figure could mean that the Tavera will be replaced by the Wuling N200.

2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan

16.Ford Fiesta Sedan

2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan

The current Ford Fiesta is an absolute hoot to drive, especially with the razor sharp 100 Bhp Duratec petrol engine and the stiffer suspension that the sports package comes with. The Ford Fiesta Diesel would delight penny pinchers and the cabbie crowd with it’s very frugal ways. But the Fiesta looks oh-so-yesterday and for this very reason, Ford India needs a brand new Fiesta to combat the Honda City, the 2011 Hyundai Verna the Fiat Linea and the recently launched Volkswagen Vento.

With the segment all set to hotten up with the top end variants of the Toyota Etios breaching segments to end up eating into sales of the upper C segment cars, the 2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan will just be the stitch in time that continues to build upon the momentum Ford India attained with the brisk selling Figo.

And the 2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan, like all Indian Fords will embody the Ford Driver DNA, in other words, will be an absolute pleasure to hustle around. A 1.6 liter, 118 BHP Zetec Petrol motor will be joined by a 1.6 liter, 90 BHP & 20.7 Kgm Duratorq Diesel. Keep those engines on the boil and you’ll be grinning from ear to ear. The 2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan should be here in under six months, at a price not much higher than the current Fiesta variants.

2011 Ford Figo 1.6

17.Ford Figo 1

2011 Ford Figo 1.6

Make no mistake. From the lowly status of an also ran, if Ford India is being seen as a serious competitor in the Indian car market, there is only one reason for that. The Ford Figo. This car, alright the previous generation European Fiesta Hatchback, has been making waves in the great Indian hatchback market. Why?

A brilliant diesel engine, a taut chassis, a loaded to the gills feature list, a killer price tag and the brilliant Ford DNA Driver’s car set up. Ford India, for it’s part has gone high on the localization bit to make the Ford Figo’s spare parts cheaper than the Maruti Swift, thus pricking the bubble of Ford’s being expensive cars to own and maintain. No surprise then, if your local Ford dealer seems busier than he has ever been.

68 Bhp and 70 Bhp are the respective outputs of the  1.4 TDCI Diesel and the 1.2 Duratec Petrol. While enough to keep you grinning wide on corners with the brilliant handling of the Figo, straight lines seem a dull affair. The Figo’s chassis can handle a lot more shove and twist and thus, time to borrow the 1.6 Liter 100 Bhp Duratec from the Fiesta. With the new Fiesta coming in, Ford India will be left with enough 1.6 Liter engines to be fitted onto the Figos and once that happens, the Ford Figo 1.6 will most certainly be the hottest hatch in town. Watch out for this brilliant pocket rocket in 2011.

2011 Nissan Sunny Sedan

18.Nissan Sunny Sedan

2011 Nissan Sunny Sedan

Nissan has been in India for quite a while now. In what began very tepidly with the X-Trial and then the Teana, has slowly been on the upsurge with the Nissan Micra doing decent numbers. Terrible pricing however has ruined the Nissan Micra Diesel’s chances at the hustings and so has the small number of Nissan Dealers across the country, who at this time and day don’t number more than 20.

Nissan India has been talking about increasing it’s dealer strength to near about 100 now and we think it’s now time to convert some of that talk into some much needed action on the ground. As the number of dealers increase steadily, Nissan plans to take on the likes of the Honda City and the Hyundai Verna with a car that is basically an ugly looking specimen of a sedan. True, it has a decent spec sheet and might even cost just as much as the Etios and perhaps, will even be very frugal in diesel guise, but somehow, the Nissan Sunny Sedan, which has officially been launched in the Chinese market a few weeks ago, doesn’t seem to really cut the ice for us.

Any which ways, who on earth is interested in another DZire and trust me, the rear of the Nissan Sunny Sedan bears a striking resemblance to that of the DZire and there goes all our enthusiasm. For folks who can grin and bear dowdy looks, you get to choose between a 1.5 liter  HR15 85 Bhp petrol and a 1.5 Liter, 80 Bhp DCi Diesel engine at a price that will be somewhere in between the Maruti DZire and all new Honda City Territory.

2011 Volkswagen Passat

19.Volkswagen Passat

2011 Volkswagen Passat

The Passat still looks smart and teutonic enough but the boffins at Volkswagen have decided to make it look a little more boring and slab like. And they call this the next generation Passat which means you need to call your banker for more money to finance one of these. While we don’t expect too many changes under the hood with both the 1.8 Liter  TSI petrol and the 2 Liter CR Diesel engines to continue propelling the Passat ahead.

In the transmission department though, we could see a DSG box making it’s way into the Passat. Come on Volkswagen, even the Skodas have them. The Passat has always been the big comfy car to pamper the man, ok, make that woman, who puts a high priority on comfort and hence, you get spruced up interiors get ambient lighting, better seating, a central control console a-la-Phaeton and a host of feel good bits to give you that premium ambience expected of a thoroughbred teutonic sedan.

But sadly, Volkswagen India has not yet decided to manufacture the 2011 Passat grounds up at their Chakan plant and hence, the 2011 Passat will still continue to be an expensive proposition to buy, just like it’s predecessor .

2011 Volkswagen Jetta

20.Volkswagen Jetta

2011 Volkswagen Jetta

March 2011 is when Volkswagen India will launch the brand new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta and thankfully so. Now, I had always been wondering why anyone in their right minds would buy the existing Volkswagen Jetta. This car was S-L-O-W thanks to a couple of very anaemic engine options. It looked like it was designed by folks who should have retired along with your granpa and add to it, an atrocious price tag that put it one segment higher than it really was.

Thankfully, my fellow Indians saw red and shunned the Volkswagen Jetta for other options, that were frankly way better than the current Volkswagen Jetta. True it was built like a tank and felt like it could be passed on to your grandchildren. But, will the golden stuff last till then anyway? I don’t think so and hence, time to usher in the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. Now, the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta won’t win beauty contests but at least your neighbors will know that you’re in a new car and that is just one of the reason why Volkswagen India have brought in the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta soon after it’s recent international launch.

Any which ways, keeping with the times, the interiors have gotten smarter and classier too. the 2 Liter CR Diesel engine will remain and perhaps Volkswagen India would wake up just in time to add the 1.8 TSI Petrol and a DSG gearbox into the equation. If they don’t, they’re pretty much doomed. Remember, the Jetta comes with a price tag that put it one segment higher than it really is and with the new model, the price can go only one way, up.

2011 Hyundai Verna

21.Hyundai Verna

2011 Hyundai Verna

The Hyundai Verna wasn’t a great looker and then came the ghastly Verna Transform that had us choking on our coffees. While we were bracing ourselves for another head on impact with the 2011 Verna, we are pleasantly surprised to see a way more passable version of a Made in Korea sedan that won’t make little kids cry and mongrels growl.

Looking at the wide smile the 2011 Verna manages to pack in at front kind of makes you think that the sharp, coupeish looking Verna Transform should never have happened in the first place. Nevertheless, it is better late than later that Hyundai India will ring in the 2011 Hyundai Verna in the first half of 2011.

The engine options are set to remain the 1.6 Liter MPFI Petrol and the  stonking 1.5 Liter CRDI Diesel although a 1.4 Liter, 95 Bhp, 125 Nm, petrol engine could find it’s way into the 2011 Verna’s engine bay for  folks for whom fuel efficiency is a top priority. Other bells and tinkles like ABS, disc brakes on all four wheels, EBD and Airbags are set to be offered on the 2011 Verna along with a 2 DIN Stereo system. Now, if only Hyundai could make the 2011 Verna be a taut, corner loving machine machine than the boat that the current Verna is.

2011 Hyundai Elantra/Avante

22.Hyundai Elantra-Avante

2011 Hyundai Elantra

India, until a few years ago used to be the dumping yard for Automakers ranging from Honda to Ford. It took two Korean Automakers, Daewoo and Hyundai to be precise, to come along  and launch cars that are current generation rather than being a couple of generations old. While Daewoo hit the dust son after, Hyundai moved on from strength to strength in the Indian market and continually introducing new and refreshed car models has been integral part of it’s approach towards the Indian car market. However, not all good cars that Hyundai India produced have been lapped up by the market.

One such car was the highly underrated but potent Hyundai Elantra. This car in CRDI Diesel Engine guise was both a brilliant performer as well as a very able handler. Throw in frugality and very good after sales service. You actually should have had a bestseller. Sadly though, that didn’t happen and the Hyundai Elantra was over shadowed by the Toyota Corolla Altis, around which the Elantra ran rings. I still remember the Hyundai Elantra CRDI Diesel comprehensively outperforming the Corolla 1.8 Petrol in a head to head confrontation on the track.

The 2011 Elantra, also known as the Avante will come to India and embodies Hyundai’s fluidic design philosophy to end up looking very natty. HID headlamps upfront and LED tail lamps complete the look and the luxurious interiors only add to the overall premium feel that the exterior exudes. Coming to the poke department, a 1.6 Liter GDI petrol engine producing generating a maximum power of 138BHP and a maximum torque of 167Nm is speculated along with a six speed automatic gearbox in addition to the six speed manual. That should give sleepless nights to the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla Altis if Hyundai prices it just right at about INR 13-14 Lakhs.

2011 Honda Brio Hatchback

23.Honda Brio Hatchback

2011 Honda Brio Hatchback

Honda SIEL’s fortunes currently hinge on one car, the All Nw Honda City, which is the Japanese automaker’s breadwinner in the Indian car market even as the ANHC continues to sell well and top the segment’s sales charts month after month. But then again, the real action in India still remains in the small car segment.

And Honda has absolutely no presence in the small car segment save for the outright disastrous Honda Jazz which continues to languish in the Hatchback market with very poor sales. With Toyota plans to increase market share already firmly on track with the Etios Sedan and Etios Liva Hatchback, Honda desperately needs to bring in a car to remain relevant in the Indian market and bring in it has, the 2011 Honda Brio.

The small car which was unveiled at the Bangkok Motor Show is expected to go on sale from the end of 2011 at a price of under INR 5 Lakh and will feature a 1.2 Liter petrol engine that should be, in typical Honda fashion  ultra refined in addition to the 20+ KMPL it will offer. Will this really change Honda’s fortunes in India is something that will be known only after the model sees an Indian launch.

2011 Honda Civic

24.Honda Civic

2012 Honda Civic

The 2012 Honda Civic, in plain speak has been a massive let down. This, especially, as a lot o folks expected something on the lines of the radical R-Type Civic only to be disappointed with the very conservative, progressive design that Honda designers claim to have adopted for the 2012 Civic.

That isn’t too surprising considering the fact that after the 2012 model year, Honda is said to be working on launching an all new Civic platform that is set to bring back the radicality and sportiness that always has been a cornerstone of the Civic’s design philosophy. Till then, the 2012 Civic might just appeal to middle aged folks in India, who until now, might have stayed away from the Civic finding it to be a little too sharp for their middle aged tastes.

Meanwhile, another bummer is the fact that the 2012 Civic isn’t going to usher in any change in the engine department with the sweet 1.8 Liter VTEC petrol mill remaining in the thick of things. We say, buy the Civic for this engine alone but at the price at which the Civic sells currently, there simply are better options.

2011 Force Motors SUV

25.Force Motors SUV

2011 Force Motors SUV

Nobody really knows what exactly Force Motors is up to. While we know that an SUV to target the duo of Scorpio and Safari is being readied up for an Indian launch, as evidenced by the plethora of spy pics and sightings in and around the Force Motors’ manufacturers plant in Pune, undisguised versions of the SUV are yet to be caught on film.

3 comments:

Jonell said...

The 2012 Honda Civic Looks similar with the 2011 in my opinion. Well, all of these cars are of high standards which means all of it are nice rides. Aed batteries

durga said...

Great thoughts you got there, believe I may possibly try just some of it throughout my daily life.




Tata Battery in Chennai

Unknown said...
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