Cars In India

The Toyota New Fortuner Facelift to be introduced in India

2011-11-23T04:07:00.001-08:00

Toyota, one of thebest leading car manufacturing company in the worldhas been theleader in various car segments. The Toyota Fortuner was seen in NewDelhi which is bound to get a facelift. The all new Toyota Fortunerwas first launched in 2005 and now again the company is planning tolaunch the new upgraded version of Fortuner soon in the end of thisyear or by the mid 2012. The major changes that are made to the newversion is that ther new Fortuner will come with automatictransmission which will attrack many car buyers and thus, led toincrease in sales. From the exterior, there are many changes made tothe new model which includes: now the Fortuner will have biggerchrome grille, larger projector headlamps, new front and the rearbumpers, integrated indicators in the rear view mirrors , new taillamps and newly designed alloy wheels.

There are changes tothe interiors as well: the steering controls as standard, the fauxwood is now replaced with dark grey finish, ne wsteering wheels,leather gear shift knob with wooden finish and last but not the leastwooden door finish with leather door finish. Other new featuresinclude revised body-coloured wing mirrors with embedded signallights and restyled rear combination lamps, with new graphicsproviding a more clear- cut impression. Meanwhile, going the TRDSportivo route with the vehicle bags an aerokit that includes newpolypropylene front and rear bumper spoilers and TRD Sportivo stripesthat are specially designed and approved by Toyota. A new, redesigned, four-spoke steering wheel – on the 2.7V, there areaudio controls on the upper left spoke, with black wood-grain trimfor the upper quadrant of the rim. The shift lever knob on the 2.7Valso gets a black wood-grain finish to match the dashboard, steeringwheel and door trim as well as leather trim for the three rows ofseats. As for the 2.5G, a gear position indicator has now been addedto the meter.

The ToyotoNew Fortuner will have the same 3.0-litre D-4D engine and willnow be mated to both a manual and an automatic transmssion. The pricewill also remain same for the manual and probably a lakh and a halfextra for the automatic option which fall in the range of Rs 17-19lakhs.

Tata Nano in India – The Cheapest Road Car

2011-11-11T09:22:00.001-08:00

TataNano the people's car ia an inexpensive, four-passenger city carbuilt exclusively for the Indian domestic market. The Nano has beennamed so because of its price which is just Rs 1 lakh. It is thecheapest road car in the world today though the price continues torise due to increasing material costs. It is also said that it willhelp the common man shift from two-wheelers to four-wheelers. Thereis a good news all around that theMumbai Police might place a bulk order for the small cars as a patrolvehicle. The Mumbai Police Department is currently testing toevaluate its suitability as a patrol vehicle. Nothing much have beendecided yet, the decision is still going on and it will beimplemented only after taking into consideration the suitability ofthe vehicle for this job.

TataNano has got large headlamps with integrated blinkers and clearlens treatment which look stylish. The base Nano has black bumperswhile the top model LX get standard fogs lamps. The Nano has a shortwheelbase which is 2230mm. The roofline is tall, the doors are bigand the glass area is pretty large.

The attractivefeatures of the cars are that it has a slash cut line starting fromthe front door and a Lamborghini Gallardo style air intake where therear door ends, a functional touch aimed at directing airflow to theengine placed at the back.

The good news is around that the Tata Motors are plannig to launch Nano with a dieselengine soon in August or September. The diesel engine will be in the600-700 cc range like the petrol version and the expect price of thediesel Nano could be priced between Rs 1.8-2.2 lakh.

Not only this the Tata Group has also unveiled aNano car made of gold and silver and studded with precious stoneswhich Rs 22 crore. The bad news is that this luxurious Nano is notfor sale. The valuable and fully functional car is a unique brandingand promotional initiative by Goldplus Jewellery, part of TitanIndustries, a Tata Group company. The Goldplus Nano Car will going topales the average Rs.1.40 lakh Nano, which started with a Rs.1 lakhprice tag at its launch.

VW Existing Jetta price slashed by 75 K !

2011-08-10T04:51:00.000-07:00

Volkswagen hits the news again by slashing down the price of its existing Jetta by a whooping 75 Thousand rupees ! One of the prime reason for this step is also because VW is going to launch its all new improved Jetta on the 17th Aug this year, hence it is giving such heavy discount to clear out the existing lot of Jetta.

The Jetta that’s out their in the market has many strong competitors like - Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Laura etc. and with such fierce competition VW might have taken the right step by cutting down the cost, though the old and outdated looks of the car might again be a hindrance in attracting buyers even after the discount. Besides VW has reduced the car prices earlier as well, in-fact recently itself VW cut down the price of its most expensive cars - Phaeton by 25 K !

Speaking of the Volkswagen Jetta, the new version is all set to launch on the 17th of this month and comes equipped with 2.0 liter TDI diesel engine producing a power of 140 hp and the engine is also upgraded with 30 more horse powers.

You think that’s it !? Volkswagen is up with more surprises at the market is alive with the buzz that VW further plans to launch its new small car 'UP' in August itself ! This new car falls in the bracket of 3.5 lakh - 4lakhs and would be placed below Polo !

Skoda plans for auto market - India

2011-07-15T02:57:00.000-07:00

Skoda has ample ideas for the Indian auto industry in the coming decade. The company in planning to develop and spread out in the times to come by launching a series of entirely new extent of cars. This Czech car creator is definite to put a perfect proportionality of emotions and practicality to the new car designs.

The prime release would be Skoda Rapid, giving a strong competition to Volkswagen Vento. Rapid is to be priced lesser then the Vento, without compromising on the built. It would be a moderately equipped car but one with spacious interiors.

Skoda further is looking up to exploring the niche compact SUV cars segnment and plans to come up with diffrent versions of Skoda Yeti. Skoda has further planned to launch a low-budget 110 bhp version of Skoda Yeti by the end of this year and also a automatic version helmeted with a DSG box in 2012. If you think this is all you are mistaken, Skoda is forthcoming out with a Laura RS a more of a sporty version as compared to the present Skoda Laura both having the same engine but the Laura RS would be equipped with stiffer suspension and a body kit, launching August 2011 !

Other activities of Skoda involve the launch of a Rs 4 lakh hatchback model and a sub-four-metre saloon that will be based upon the VW Up platform and will be neatly placed below the Skoda Rapid. The further plans of Skoda is to bring back the Octavia as the existing Laura and launch the global Laura as the all new version in India sometime in 2012.

Summarizing it all the Skoda plans are :

Car - Date:

1. Laura RS - August 2011
2. Skoda Rapid - end of 2011
3. Skoda Yeti - end of 2011
4. Fabia scout - early 2012
5. Next generation Octavia - end of 2012
6. Small hatchback and sub- 4 meter - 2013

Going by this news report, Skoda certainly has a flock of deal to offer in the forthcoming time to the auto business, lets see how that turns out to be !

Tata Nano now expanding to foreign markets

2011-05-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

The tiny tata nano has now started to expand its field and market beyond India, its now moving a step ahead by exporting cars outside starting from April 2011, with somewhere around 498 units to begin with, though a formal announcement regarding the same is still pending but the news is most likely confirmed in the market. Tata had been exporting cars earlier as well, but so far this is the highest unit its planning to the overseas market. The company is yet to release the list of countries its going to trade with.

As per the SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) report Tata exported 498 units of nano last month to the overseas market. Tata motors are still deciding the location for the production plant for nano amongst - Latin America, South East Asia and Africa. going by the news and Tata activities, they are surely going to take Nano a long way ahead. Tata also explored the Nepal market last year for Nano, but there was a considerable cost hike in the cars to as much as 4.5 lakh due to the 300% custom duty. Nano which happens to be the worlds most cheapest car has now shifted its plant to Gujrat from Pantnagar Uttrakhand.

Nissan Micra

2010-08-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Micra is a compact car by the Japanese auto maker Nissan. The car was launched in India in the year 2010. The car is sold in the country in the following 4 versions – Nissan Micra XE Plus, Nissan Micra XE, Nissan Micra XL and Nissan Micra XV. The car is available in the price range of Rs 3,98,000 to Rs 4,69,500.

Micra has overall length of 3780mm, overall width of 1665 mm and overall height of 1530 mm. The car, with the wheel base of 2450 mm, has ground clearance of 154 mm. The 5-door car has kerb weight of 930 kg. The car offers mileage of 14 km/liter on highways, mileage of 10.5 km/liter on city roads and an overall mileage of 11.2mm. The car with seating space of 5 persons has fuel tank capacity of 41 liters.

Micra is equipped with 1198 cc engine that delivers maximum power of 76PS @6000rpm and maximum torque of 104Nm @4000rpm. The high end version XV is equipped with various features like tachometer, air conditioner, power windows, power door locks, power steering, steering adjustment, central locking, front fog lights and rear wash wiper. The car has safety related features like anti-lock braking system, driver air-bags, passenger air-bags and immobilizer. Nissan Micra is sold in various colors like Pacific Blue, Onyx Black, Blade Silver, Brick Red, Sunlight Orange and Storm White.

Nissan launched Micra, its first small car for India, to take advantage of the fast growing small car market of the country. Compact cars form the biggest chunk of the total car sales in India. Micra is getting manufactured at the Chennai plant of Renault-Nissan joint venture. Nissan has plans to export the car to over 100 nations.

Micra has turned out to be a success for the Japanese auto maker Nissan. The company had already reported pre-order bookings of over 1000 units in just four weeks. The bookings started from the end of May this year.

Nissan is very positive about the Indian car market. The company is planning to add 30 more dealerships by the end of this fiscal. Currently the company has 15 dealerships. The new dealerships were opened in places like Surat, Gurgaon, Calicut and Jalandhar.

Mahindra and Mahindra in India

2010-07-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

Mahindra and Mahindra (MnM) is one of the leading auto makers of India. The company is part of the Mahindra Group. One of the leading corporate houses of India, Mahindra Group has operations in various businesses like farm equipment, financial services, IT, auto, trade and logistics.
M n M was started as Mahindra and Mohammed in Ludhiana in 1945. After the Independence of India, the name was changed to Mahindra and Mahindra in 1948. The company was started with the purpose of manufacturing general-purpose utility vehicles. At one point of time, the company used to manufacture army vehicles. The company soon started to manufacture light commercial vehicles and agricultural tractors. Years later, M and M became hugely successful with its sports utility vehicles. As of now, the company is India's leading utility vehicle maker. Its products like Scorpio and Bolero have been best selling products in their categories. The sports utility cars by M and M sold in the market include Xylo, Scorpio, Scorpio Getaway and the best selling Bolero.

M and M has recently baught controlling stake in the electric car maker REVA. The company has also acquired manufacturing plants in China and the United Kingdom. It has 3 assembly plants in the USA. As of now, the company sells its products in several international markets. It has partnerships with Renault SA of France and International Truck and Engine Corporation of the USA.

M and M is one of the leading tractor makers of the world. It is also India's leading tractor manufacturer. The company is also into manufacturing of farm implements. The company's subsidiary Mahindra Tractors (China) Co. Ltd. produces as well as sells tractors in China and the United States. Another subsidiary Mahindra USA sells products in the US market.

Mahindra and Mahindra started selling a sedan Logan in India after a joint venture with French auto maker Renault in 2007. However, less-than-expected sales of Logan created a rift between the business partners. Now, M and M is going to manufacture and sell Logan under its own brand name. M and M is going to launch heavy trucks in India after a joint venture with International Truck of the United States. The tie up is known as Mahindra Navistar.

Toyota Prius

2010-06-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Prius is a hybrid car manufactured by the world's largest car company Toyota. The car was launched in India at the New Delhi Auto Expo in January 2010. The car is sold in two versions in India - Toyota Prius Z3 and Toyota Prius Z4. Ex-showroom price of Prius Z3 is around Rs. 26.5 lakh, while Prius Z4 is sold at the ex-showroom price of Rs.27.8 lakh.

Prius has overall length of 4460 mm, overall width of 1745 mm and overall height of 1510 mm. The car has wheel base of 2700 mm, with kerb weight of 1395 kg. The 1798 cc engine of the car offers maximum power of 99PS @5200rpm and maximum torque of 142Nm @4000rpm. The car has 4 doors and seating space for 5 persons. The storage capacity in Prius is 45 liters.

Prius is sold with various features. These include air conditioner, power windows, power door locks, power steering, cup holders, folding rear-seat, alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, central locking, steering adjustment, tachometer, front fog lights, leather seats, FM radio and CD player. The hybrid car also has safety features like anti-lock braking system, driver air-bags, passenger air-bags and child safety locks. Toyota Prius is sold in various colors like silver metallic, white pearl crystal shine, beige metallic and abyss grey metallic.

Toyota Prius is the world's most successful hybrid car with total sales of around 1.5 million units. The car was first launched in 1997. It was the first mass-produced hybrid car of the world. It is the most fuel efficient gasoline vehicle sold in the U.S auto market.

Toyota is the world's largest auto maker. It sells many successful products in India. These include sports utility vehicle Innova, luxury sedan Corolla Altis, Camry, Land Cruiser and the recently launched Fortuner. The latest product Fortuner has been highly successful due to its sporty looks performance.

Toyota has launched Prius in India with the purpose of popularizing eco-friendly cars in the country. The car launched in India is the third generation of Prius. It is equipped with 1.8 litre petrol engine. The car is sold in three driving modes Power mode , Eco mode and Electric mode.

Hyundai Verna in India

2010-06-11T03:06:00.000-07:00

Verna is a mid size sedan from the stable of Hyundai. The car is popular due to its styling, comfort, and performance. The fuel efficiency of the car is also appreciated.

Verna is sold in both petrol and diesel options in India. The various versions of the car include Hyundai Verna VTVT (Petrol), Hyundai Verna SX VTVT (Petrol), Hyundai Verna CRDi VGT (Diesel), Hyundai Verna SX CRDi VGT (Diesel) and Hyundai Verna SX CRDi VGT AT (Diesel). The starting price of the car is around Rs. 6.5 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Hyundai Verna has overall length of 4310 mm, overall width of 1695 mm and overall height of 1490 mm. The car has large wheel base of 2500 mm, besides ground clearance of 170 mm. The 4 door car can easily sit 5 persons. The powerful 1493 cc engine of Verna delivers power of 110PS @4000rpm and maximum torque of 236Nm @1900rpm. The sedan has got fuel storage capacity of 45 liters. It has got mileage of 18.1 km/liter on highways, 12 km/liter on city roads and overall it offers mileage of 13.8 km/liter. The car can run at the maximum speed of 186 km/hour. The car is offered in both manual and automatic transmission.

The high end version Hyundai Verna SX CRDi VGT AT has various features like air conditioner, power windows, power door locks, central locking, steering adjustment, power steering, cup holders, folding rear-seat, alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, tachometer, front fog lights and rear defroster. The car is loaded with safety and entertainment related features like anti-lock braking system, child safety locks, FM radio and CD player.

Hyundai Verna is available in a range of colors. These colors include passion red, noble white, husky blue, real earth, kyara, dynasty red, deep blue pearl, ebony black, bright silver, deep green, blushing red, stone black, champagne gold, sleek silver, deep ocean blue and crystal white.

Hyundai has been a successful car manufacturer in India. Currently it is the second largest passenger car manufacturer and the largest car exporter of the country. The company sells many other successful models in India like i10, i20, Santro, Getz Prime and Accent.

Luxury Car Skoda Superb

2010-05-12T03:47:00.000-07:00

Superb is a luxury sedan and the largest model manufactured by Skoda Auto, a car maker based in the Czech Republic. Versions of Superb manufactured from 2001 to 2008 were based on Volkswagen Passat platform, though they shared mechanicals and powertrain with another Volkswagen model Passat.

The versions of Superb available in the Indian market include Skoda Superb 1.8 TSi M/T, Skoda Superb 1.8 TSi Elegance A/T, Skoda Superb 2.0TDI PD and Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 FSI 4X4.

Superb has got the right combination of luxury, design, safety and performance. It has got sleek design. Skoda Superb is a spacious car. It has overall length of 4838 mm, overall width of 1817 mm and overall height of 1462 mm. The car, with wheel base of 2761 mm, has enough ground clearance of 139 mm. The car has 4 doors. The spacious interiors can easily sit 5 persons. Superb is equipped with a powerful engine. The 3597 cc engine of the car delivers maximum power of 191(260)/6000 and torque of 350/2500–5000. Besides offering power, the engine of the car also offers good mileage. Superb offers mileage of 9 km/liter on highways, 6 km/liter on city roads and overall it offers mileage of 6.6 km/liter.

Skoda Superb is a luxury car equipped with latest features. The high-end version Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 FSI 4X4 comes with features like air conditioner, power windows, power door locks, power steering, traction control, cup holders, alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, steering adjustment, tachometer, front fog lights, leather seats and power seats. The car has various safety features like anti-lock braking system, driver air-bags, passenger air-bags, immobilizer and child safety locks. Skoda Superb has entertainment features like FM radio and CD player. The car is sold various colors like candy white, black magic, diamond silver and sahara beige.

Skoda has launched Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI MT, a new variant of its car with manual transmission gearbox in April 2010. The new variant has six speed manual transmission gearbox.

The other cars of Skoda sold in the Indian market include Fabia, Octavia, Laura and Octavia Combi. Both Superb and Fabia have been selling well in India.

Fiat Grande Punto Car

2010-04-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

Fiat Grande Punto is a hatchback manufactured by the Italian auto maker Fiat. The car was first showcased at the Frankfurt Motor Show in May 2005.

The first generation of Grande Punto went on sale in later half of 2005. The car was designed by Giugiaro. Fiat launched Grande Punto in India in June 2009. The car was launched in both petrol and diesel versions. Fiat has collaboration with Tata Motors for the Indian market.

The versions of Grande Punto sold in the Indian market are Fiat Grande Punto 1.2 Active, Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 Dynamic, Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Active, Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 Emotion, Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Dynamic, Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Emotion, Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 Emotion Pack and Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Emotion Pack. Grande Punto is available in the market at the starting price of Rs. 4 lakh.

Grande Punto has overall length of 3987 mm, overall width of 1687 mm, overall height of 1495 mm, wheel base of 2510 mm, ground clearance of 171 mm, boot space of 280 liter and kerb weight of 1190 kg. Equipped with 4 doors, the car can accommodate 5 persons inside. Powered with a 1248 cc engine, Grande Punto has power of 76 PS @ 4000 rpm and torque of 197 Nm @ 1750 rpm.

The car has mileage of 16.5 km/liter on highways and mileage of 12.7 km/liter on city roads. The car comes with many standard features. Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Emotion Pack comes with air conditioner, power windows, power door locks, power steering, anti-lock braking system, driver air-bags, passenger air-bags, immobilizer, folding rear-seat, rear wash wiper, alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, central locking, steering adjustment, tachometer, child safety locks, front fog lights, rear defroster, FM radio and CD player.

Grande Punto is available in various colors like electric blue, hip hop black, medium grey, exotica red, minimal grey and bossa nova white.

Fiat had hoped to have more sales volume after the launch of its car Grande Punto. As expected, the car has been selling well in the Indian auto market. Other cars of Fiat sold in the Indian market include Palio, Linea and 500.

Maruti Suzuki India's Leading Car Maker

2009-12-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

Maruti Suzuki India Limited is India's largest car manufacturer. The company is publicly listed. It is a joint venture, in which Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan holds majority share.

Maruti Suzuki was India's first company to manufacture a million cars. Earlier known as Maruti Udyog, the company was renamed Maruti Suzuki India Limited in September 2007. Maruti Udyog Limited was founded in February 1981. It started as a joint venture between the Suzuki Motor and the Indian government. Earlier the Indian government owned 18.28% of the company while 54.2% was owned by Suzuki. Indian financial institutions bought the shares of the Indian government after the initial public offering (IPO) of Maruti Suzuki in May 2007. As of now the Indian government has no ownership in the company.

The first car launched by Maruti Suzuki was Maruti 800. Its competitor Hindustan Motor Ambassador which was an old model. Another model available at that time Premier Padmini was also 25 year old. Maruti 800 became popular with buyers and soon turned out to be India's best selling car. Later Maruti launched other models like WagonR, Zen and Esteem. All cars soon became best sellers in their categories. Over the years Maruti has launched many new models including Alto, Versa, Omni, SX4, A-Star, Ritz, etc. The company had manufactured over 5 million cars by 2004.

Maruti now sells over 730,000 cars annually in the domestic market. The company also manufactures and exports over 50,000 cars including models like Alto and A-Star. Maruti 800 was India's best selling car till 2004, when it lost the position to another Maruti model Alto. The small car Alto continues to be India's best selling car till date. Another Maruti model Swift is the best selling model in A2 segment. In spite of the competition after the India's economic liberalization, and coming of many foreign car companies in India, Maruti has maintained its lead over its competitors.

Maruti Suzuki has its manufacturing plants at Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana. The Gurgaon plant has annual capacity of 350,000, while the Manesar facility has a capacity of 100,000 units per year. The current models of Maruti Suzuki in the Indian market include Maruti 800, Alto, Omni, Versa, Ritz, Gypsy, A Star, Wagon R, Zen Estilo, Swift, Swift Dzire, SX4, and Grand Vitara.

Why you need to buy cars in India

2009-11-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

India is a developing country with fast-growing economy. However, the country is still backward as far as its infrastructure is concerned. Due to lack of proper public transport system you need to buy cars to travel comfortably in India.

India has a large middle class population with growing income. This class is still considered conservative by nature. Traditionally owning a car used to be considered a social status symbol. Though perception is changing due to fast growing economy and large number of cars seen in the urban areas of India.

Besides being a status symbol in India, cars are also needed to commute to office or for vacation to nearby locations. Public transport system in most of the towns and cities in India are very bad. Many areas even do not have any public mode of transport. Buying a car becomes necessary in that case.

Maintaining a car requires a lot of money and efforts. Besides the fuel charges, you have to spend lots of money on the maintenance also. Servicing of cars also costs a significant amount of money in a month. Due to spiraling fuel costs all over the world, the cost of owning a car is getting higher up.

Due to the recent economic recession, a great number of people do not want to own an expensive car. Lots of luxury cars are not economical to own. And they are also quite costly as far as fuel costs are concerned. Due to the cost factor sales of fuel-guzzling expensive cars have gone down a lot in the US. People now prefer small cars with great economy. Due to this new change against fuel consuming cars, many car models are finding it tough to survive. Models like Land Rover and Jaguar were losing market share and were sold to the Indian car maker Tata Motors.

However, in spite of all these cost factors, it is nice to own a car. So, buy cars. It is good for the economy of the country also.

Car loans for new and used cars

2009-11-17T01:56:00.000-08:00

Most of Indians buy cars after availing of car loans. Proliferation of easy loans and credit cards have resulted in more and more Indians buying items on credit. It is a change from the times when Indians did not want to buy things on credit.

The Indian economy is growing fast and it is resulting in creation of big number of jobs. The entire economy is growing along with fast growing industries like IT and BPO. Creation of outsourcing related jobs in the urban India has resulted in more income for young Indians.

The financial industry is one of the growing sectors, resulting in aggressive sales and marketing. Financial companies are selling their products like credit cards and retail loans quite aggressively. Of late we have seen that the number of credit card holders in India is growing fast. Easy availability of loans has made purchasing any consumer item easy for people.

Young workers, especially those employed in the IT and IT related industries, are spending more money on consumer items and are also going for expensive items like houses and cars. They are buying the items mostly on credit. The banks attract them with favorable terms and conditions. Retail loans form a chunk of business for banks.

The middle class people, with more money at their disposal, are spending on items like cars and houses and buying things on credit. At this rate, very soon we will have most of Indians living on debt. It is not a great thing considering lack of social support from the government.

There are many benefits of taking a loan. A great number of people can not afford to pay in full for the items that they buy on credit. For them it becomes necessary to buy things after taking loans. Loans are a convenient thing for salaried people as they can easily re-pay the loans in equated monthly installments (EMI).

One drawback of taking a loan is that interest rates are quite high. They add up to a high amount over many years. For salaried people it becomes a bit risky to take loan as they may lose their jobs and may find it difficult to re-pay the loan amount.

In spite of all the drawbacks, house and car loans will continue to be popular especially among the salaried people in India.

Hyundai and Indian car market

2009-11-17T01:35:00.000-08:00

The Indian car market is booming like never before. The foreign car companies like Hyundai are finding the market quite attractive.

Of late the Indian market has turned very beneficial for foreign auto players. Almost all major car companies are now operating in India. Even when the recent economic recession was resulting in flat sales of cars in developed countries, Indian consumers showed their appetite for four-wheelers. During the Deewali festival in India, there were unprecedented sales of cars. Most of the car companies posted record sales during the period. For many car makers like GM and Ford growth can be possible mainly in the growing markets like India.

Now a days all car makers are operating in India and they are also establishing their manufacturing units here. They are also utilizing the cheap labor costs in India. As India has the world's second largest population, there is a need for job creation for all young workers. Many companies like Hyundai are manufacturing and exporting cars from the country. India became Asia's largest exporter of cars recently beating China.

The growing market of India is offering growth opportunities to all kinds of auto makers. Even luxury car makers like BMW and Mercedes are seeing growth in the market. Audi also saw its car sales grow in last some months. As all auto companies are realizing the potentials of the Indian market, they are launching new cars on a regular basis. The upcoming cars in India include Volkswagen Beetle, Hyundai i30 and Škoda Fabia Combi.

Hyundai has been a great success in the Indian market. Just after few years of its debut in the market, the South Korean auto maker became the second largest car maker in India. Its models like i10 and Santro have turned out to be huge successes.

Hyundai Motor Company is a part of the Hyundai group of companies, the largest business group of South Korea. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. The meaning of “Hyundai” is modernity in the Korean language. As of now the company is selling its cars in 193 countries. Hyundai has around 6,000 dealerships and showrooms all over the world.

Maruti Ritz India's first BS-IV compliant Car

2009-08-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

Overall, the car is a feast to the eye. Maruti Ritz mileage is expected to beat its competitors and said to rank top in its class. It is built on European design with spacious interiors. The car's back seat comfortably allows three people sitting space. The boot of the car seems small at first glance but there is ample space under the floor which is perhaps sufficient for nuclear family needs.

The high seating position gives the driver an all round visibility thereby improving safety. For a small car, the Ritz has a lot of room, with headroom especially good. The rear seat is set higher than the front seats so all occupants get a good view out, and all seats are comfortable enough.

One of the most noticeable features of Maruti Ritz is the rear end, with inward tilt.

The car poses a clean, bold and stylish exterior and interior design, largely deviating from the traditional Maruti car looks and feel. Together with high-quality materials and a metallic-silver border on the center console, they treat occupants to a pleasingly fresh ambiance.

The model includes 3 variants in petrol type and 3 in diesel versions, which makes Maruti Ritz to be available in 6 variants. A specially developed K12M engine has been extensively tested, calibrated and tuned specifically for Indian conditions. The vehicle's engine has a relatively low noise and emission. Also the non-use of chromium, cadmium, and mercury makes it more eco-friendly. Moreover, the car comes in 8 color shades.

The car has also created hope for the India’s largest car manufacturer to revive profit margins that went plunging down after the global meltdown and tightening finances. It may now help strengthen Maruti’s position in the Indian car market.

The Ritz is streamlined rather than boxy and is uncompromising in terms of interior roominess, functionality, and configuration. Overall, Maruti Ritz would serve as a great family car.

New Cars in India would meet the needs of the future generation of the country

2009-08-19T04:09:00.000-07:00

The automobile industry in India has shown a rapid growth since the last two decades. In fact it is the fastest growing industry in the country. During the recent years the automobile manufacturers of the country has come out with a number of new models with new features. The Indian car industry has come at par with the standards of the international automobile manufactures. All this has become possible due to the tremendous response shown by the customers in the country. India is presently occupies the 17th position amongst all the automobile manufacturing countries of the world.

The phenomenal growth of the automobile industry in the country has been due to the dramatic and positive changes in the design and manufacture of cars. Today Indian cars manufactured by the Maruti Udyog Ltd., Tata Motors, Hyundai and Toyota are refreshing changes from the age old Ambassadors. More new designer cars are yet to come.

Earlier most of the cars in India were manufactured keeping in view the demand of the local customer. But with the passage of time new cars in India are now manufactured with a view to make its presence felt in the international car market as well. Cars are now made and fitted with the latest technology such as the ABS, ESP, Climate Control, Adaptive Dampers, and Riding Control etc. The demands of the customers are kept in mind and every year companies are launching their latest models and designer cars which are quite affordable.

Due to the rising cost of fuel the automobile manufacturers are now opting and making new cars in India such as the Electric cars and the Hybrid and Eco-friendly cars. These cars are attracting Indian customers. In India, Honda was the first manufacturer to launch its model Civic, which is the first Hybrid card in the country. Another auto giant the BMW also plans to launch its hybrid version, Concept X6 Active Hybrid, in next two years in India. On the other hand, CNG cars have also made its presence felt in the Indian car market. Mercedes has brought a few CNG versions of its E-class in Delhi and Mumbai in India.

The Indian auto giant Mahindra and Mahindra has also made plans to bring a hybrid version of its SUV Scorpio in India. Mahindra and Mahindra have also the technology for manufacturing electric cars and plans to launch the same in the country in the next few years. Not to be undone, Tata Motors is also gearing up to launch hybrid cars as well as electric vehicles in India after the runaway success of its Nano, the ordinary man’s car. The electric cars shall be built on Indica platform in India.

Today the call for the future is fuel efficient cars and as such the manufacturers in the country are striving to design and make new cars in India that would meet the needs and issues of the future generation of the country.

New Honda - Get value for your money

2009-08-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

Honda is a Japanese Automobile and Motorcycle manufacturing company. It was established in Japan after the end of the Second World War. Due to its efforts it has made its presence as a true multinational company with branches spread all over the world. Today Honda cars make a mark in the award arena, and have bagged quite a few distinctions in the international arena also. Honda range of automobiles is trusted for their robust engines and power packed driving capacity. The Honda car manufacturers have a long standing name for dependability and value for money. It's no surprise that Honda cars have been adjudged the best models offering good Industry Brand Residual Value by the Automotive Lease Guide.

While buying a new Honda car, it is very important to choose things in accordance to our needs and requirement. Therefore proper research on the cars, their make and models should be made before deciding and choosing the car that would suit us the best. The Internet is one of the best places for obtaining all the information relating to new Honda cars. It is also advisable that quotes for a new car should also be obtained from different dealers of Honda cars and kept on hand so that on the spot comparison of the quotes can be made while negotiating with a dealer.

If you are entering a Honda dealership office you should expect to get a good deal provided you have done your homework properly and have obtained the pricing structure. While negotiating your price for the new Honda try to get all the incentives that Honda provides for your region. Honda provides 3% holdback off the base MSRP of each new Honda to their dealers. Honda has a variety and models of cars that caters to the needs of every budget and expectation of the customers. Cars like Honda Accord and Honda Legend are very different in design, quality, and prices.

Honda provides comfortable and high tech cars and most Honda users are satisfied with the range of cars such as the Honda Civic 2.0 CTD-I 06, Honda Legend, Honda CRV, Honda Accord and Honda Insight. Most of the Honda cars are fitted with leather seats, fog lights, gold finish grills and security system, though the design and the look of the models may differ in different parts of the world. This is due to fact that the economies and culture of the particular country has been kept in mind while manufacturing the car.

Honda cars have a combination of performance, technology, comfort, safety, bold design and also offer other incentives such as low APR and leasing options. With improved safety features, a more powerful engine as well as spacious seating for the sedan range, Honda cars truly offers value for money.

Growing car industry in India

2009-07-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

The transport revolution in India has come a long way from the bullock cart to the jet-age. A few decades ago an average Indian could hardly think of owning a car let alone travel in a taxi due to the prohibitive cost of cars as well as traveling in it. Today the average Indian can now dream about owning a car. It may not be a stately Rolls Royce but it can be the ‘Nano” the world cheapest car.

The first motor car which rode down the Indian roads was in the year 1897 and was owned by one Mr. Foster of M/s Crompton-Greaves, Company, Mumbai, then known as Bombay. The first Indian to own a car was Jamshedji Tata who bought a car in the year 1901 and the first woman to drive a car in India was Mrs. Suzanne R D Tata in the year 1905. From then onwards up till the First World War, about 4,000 cars were imported to India from foreign manufacturers. From then till the First World War, about 4,000 cars were directly imported to India from foreign manufacturers. The growing demand of these cars established the market in India. This opportunity was quickly seized upon by the businessmen and more and more cars began to be imported to India.

In the year 1942, the Hindustan Motors (HM) was set up in India and Premier Automobile (PAL) followed suit in the year 1944. It was the Premier Automobile Limited which produced the first cars in India as Hindustan Motors had concentrated on the production of auto components. It produced its first car in the year 1949. Another Indian company Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) soon followed suit and started producing the sturdy vehicles, commonly known as the American Jeep (Willy’s Jeep).
Later in the 1950s the Government of India started the protectionist policy in the production of cars and approved only 7 car dealers to operate in India, namely the HM, API, ALL, SMPL, PAL, M&M and Telco. This policy continued till the 1980s when the doors of the Indian car industry were thrown open to foreign manufacturers and collaborators.

From the year 1990 onwards the policies were further liberalized which gave a major boost to the car industry in India. The customer became the king and newer models like Maruti Classic, Alto, Station Wagon, Ford’s Ikon, and Mitsubishi Lancer flooded the Indian market.

Today, the automobile industry in India has become the tenth largest in the world with an annual production of about 2 million units. The automobile industry in India is expected to become one of the major global automobile industries in the next few years. This will become possible because of the efforts of a number of domestic companies as well as the presence of multinational investment. All these will contribute to the over growth of the car industry in India.

Buy cars with care

2009-05-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

Buying a car is an important decision for middle class Indians. People take their own sweet time to decide on buying a car after due diligence.

In fact decision to buy cars should be taken with care. Now a days there are many websites that help people buy a car with their extensive information on cars available in India today. They have lots of stuff on their site to attract users. They also have city specific information like details about Delhi cars or Hyderabad cars.

Another dilemma for most people is to decide about buying a second hand car or going for a new car. There is a big used car market in India today. A lot of rich people buy new cars and sell cars after using them for only few months. It is often said that if your are going for your first car it is better to go for an used car. This way, you can sell the car after use any time if your are bored with the car or you feel that the performance of the car leaves much to be desired.

When you have decided to buy a car do proper research about it. Look at the competition before zeroing on a particular car to buy. Now a days, after opening up of the Indian economy all the major car companies of the world are in India with their best of products. If you are thinking about a Maruti car then also think about its competition. If you are considering a newly launched car then also look at some previously launched cars. Also do proper research on car prices and features of the cars. Ensure to do city specific research also, like if you are living in the National Capital Region (NCR) then do proper research on Delhi cars. It's better to do good research and come up with a good machine than to buy cars in haste and repent later.