Hyundai launches the 1.2L i10

Once again India gets it first the rest of the world will follow as far as Hyundai is concerned.Hyundai have launched the made in India 1.2L kappa engine which produces power of approx. 80bhp@5200rpm and Torque of 114Nm@4000rpm.Fuel efficiency is expected to remain the same as in case of the previous 1.1L engine.This new engine conforms to euro 5 standards.

Hyundai have also added the option of a four speed automatic[you don't have to wait until december now].The 1.2L i10 is available in three variants and befittingly one of them is a sportz vehicle[Finally a vehicle in India with a sport tag gets an engine upgrade as well].

The new engine option is available on the i10 with a price range ranging from Rs.4 to Rs5.50 lakhs[approx] which mean it will directly compete with the Maruti swift.

This also means the new i20 will most probably priced higher and would take on the skoda fabia and the Honda jazz[when launched].

Honda cuts sales targets for the year

This year has not really been good for Honda.Newer rivals and overall a negative market sentiment have meant that its bread and butter model the Honda city is not selling as much as Honda expected it to.

Honda had an ambitious target of achieving 90,000 units for this calender year but this target just looks more or less an unlikely proposition.Honda has had a see-saw year with sales rising and falling every other month.Whether the new Honda city[next generation] brings about a change in this trend is what we have to wait and see.

Honda are looking at winning over the enviornmentalists with the launch of the civic hybrid later this year.However even with the excise cut for hybrids the civic hybrid would command a significant premium over its petrol counterpart.On the plus point you feel have done your bit for the enviornment and also get 60% better fuel efficiency than the petrol variant[though I suggest if its the latter proposition which attracts you more,you are better off looking at cheaper diesels from rivals]

For 2009 however Honda are banking on the Jazz[honda's small car].This car is expected by 2009 end by which time the Rajasthan plant should be up and running.But what Honda should learn from Skoda[Fabia] is that a high priced hatchback may not necessarily bring in volumes even if it has a brand name attached to it.

What Honda really needs is a diesel engine in the mass market segment and a sensible pricing strategy.

Suzuki SX4 and Honda Fit feature amongst best buys in the US

The sx4 is taking suzuki places.For the second consecutive year it has won the Kelly blue book coolest cars under $18,000.

While the Honda fit has made it thanks to its fuel efficiency and multiple seat arrangement configurations the SX4 has got roomy and cool interiors on its side[yes thats true].We don't have the all wheel-drive option in india and it is available in the sedan version.Perhaps Maruti could have a look.
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Anyways here's what Kelly blue book says about the two car:

2008 Suzuki SX4

This is the second year in a row that Suzuki's small crossover has made our list of cool new cars under $18,000. In addition to a sporty exterior and roomy, stylish interior, the SX4 still has the distinction of being the least expensive all-wheel-drive vehicle sold in America.

2008 Honda Fit

With gas prices on the rise, small cars like the Honda Fit are gaining in popularity. The Fit sips gasoline and offers the sportiest driving experience available in an econo-car. Plus, the seats can be configured in multiple arrangements, so it can easily hold things like your friends, your gear or a medium-sized alpaca (according to a photo on Honda's Web site, anyway).

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The 2008 Mitsubishi lancer too made it to the list,unfortunately according to media reports from India Mitsubishi plan to price the car exorbitantly high.

Source:
Kellybluebook

Buying a second hand car- Prefer a Japanese one

One more reason as to why Japanese cars should be on top of the list if you are hunting for a second hand car.Warranty direct UK conducted a survey and as expected its the Japanese vehicles which top the list.

The Toyota Avensis Verso has topped the list as the most preferred used car in britain.Unfortunately this car is not available in India.The closest we have is the Toyota Innova.Next is the nissan x-trail and the Honda jazz.Again the jazz is not yet available in India but its sibling[same platform] the Honda city is available and we know its popularity in the seconds market.

Honda had most number of cars in the list and overall all japanese manufacturers did well.The germans were not very far away either.So whats the conclusion looking out for a second hand car preferably stay away from the american manufacturers.

World premiere of the all new Honda city in August 2008 in Thailand

Update:
Please read:
Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

Yes now that the jazz has been launched in thailand news is that honda is all set for the world premiere of the all new honda city in august 2008 in thailand.


The jazz which shares the same platform with the honda city now gets a i-vtec engine something which will also make it to the indian markets.Honda will replace the present 1.5L vtec with 1.5L i-vtec engines.I cannot say how much Honda will cut down on power in India in order to compensate for fuel efficiency and indian fuel.But right now the tech specs are very impresive.
120ps@6600rpm and torque is 148Nm @4800rpm. What is also not know is whether honda will replace the present i-dsi engines with the new 1.3L i-vtec engines which are also pretty impressive at 100ps.Or if honda only bring in the 1.3L i-vtec to india.Many engine combinations are possible and I am not in a postion to predict which one we will get in India.The wheelbase is increased further in the new jazz which means the interiors would get even more spacious in the all new honda city.

While right now it would be exported to australia,malaysia and phillipines,it will come to our markets a little later since it would be manufactured here as well.


Regarding the new Honda city it could be here in India by the year end and going by the interiors of the new jazz honda civic owners are going to feel a bit shortchanged.


Noticed from the pictures of the jazz,the all new Honda city is going to get huge quarter glasses up front like the suzuki sx4.

[image source:bkkautos.com]

Also read:
Honda confirms all new Honda city launch by end of this year

Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

Something for Honda to keep in Mind

Its no secret that Honda plan to introduce the Civic hybrid in India.What is also known is as per present government policies the Hybrid would cost much more than the conventional petrol engine one[Since the Hybrid would be imported into India] plus the fact that unless there is a dramatic change in Government policy,there shall be no incentives in driving environment friendly cars.

In a similar situation,in the Australian market hybrids aren't really doing that well and its only the government being the major patron of the hybrids.In a country like India I doubt the Indian government would be so pro-active with things concerning the environment.Only 4228 hybrid cars were sold last year in australia, representing just 0.7 per cent of the total passenger car market of 637,019.And 2725, or 64.5 per cent, of those were bought by governments and businesses.Private hybrid passenger car sales are up 16.3 per cent to 1503 but from only 1292 in 2006.Hybrids have not yet caught on with the individual buyers in a big way.Also diesel cars are big competition for hybrids.

Only in countries where governments offer substantial subsidies and concessions such as free parking, no tolls and access to transit lanes, regardless of occupancy are hybrids catching up.

As for Honda Australia,they are not to worried,they actually even plan a hybrid for the Jazz which would be a much more cheaper option.Perhaps that is the direction even Honda India should be thinking of taking.

Source:News.com.au

Would the Honda Jazz be actually priced at 4.5 lakhs

After the Fabia its now the Honda Jazz which is the talk of the town .There was a lot of expectation from the Fabia somehow the pricing has left most disappointed[Mind you it would be foolish to write of the Fabia just yet, not because its a Skoda with legendary build quality but because it is supposed to take you from Delhi to Mumbai on a single tank of fuel[ok a bit exaggerated]]

Now after some reports that the Honda jazz would be available for a price tag of Rs. 4.5lakhs a lot of attention has shifted towards the Jazz but is that actually possible.For starters if any company enjoys a better image than Skoda its Honda so by that logic Honda should move a bit more further ahead as far as the pricing is concerned.But don't think you need to be worried Honda know the importance of numbers in the Indian market and I really doubt the Jazz would be more expensive than the Skoda especially since Honda does not have the diesel engine advantage.

With each passing generation Honda and Toyota vehicles keep getting expensive.With a newer generation Honda city we can surely expect a rise in prices about Rs 25,000-50,000 more than the present generation.What this means is that leaves a significant gap for Honda in the Rs. 5-7 lakh category and this is precisely where the Honda jazz will come into play in the Indian market Hopefully for this price range the Jazz comes loaded with all the bells and whistles and hopefully that includes its famous ingenious luggage carrying abilities.

So don't look at the new Jazz as a cheaper alternative to a Skoda Fabia but more as a cheaper alternative to the Honda city[next generation one].