Hyundai i20 launch on december 28th

Hyundai have decide to take the bull by its horns and inspite of the dull economy are going in for a car launch.However Hyundai arent taking the risk of discontinuing the getz for the i20 in the Indian market atleast.

Maruti too plan a new launch by early next year and it would be interesting to see how both of them are able to spark new interest in the automobile industry with the new launches.

Wile Hyundai plan to go only with a 1.4l petrol engine,maruti also plan a diesel engine for their hatchback which should give it an egde.Hyundai plan to launch the i20 at around the Rs.5.40 lakh price tag,now that is a pretty high price and looks a tad too overambitious.

Maruti still number one in the Indian Market

Maruti still being the number one choice amongst Indian consumers may come as a suprise but what was even more suprising is Hyundai not being able to emerge a winner in a single segment even.

Cars were rated best on the 10 factors , covering aspects such vehicle exterior, fuel economy, driving dynamics, engine power and transmission smoothness, driving safety, music system and air-conditioning.

Honda emerged the winner in the luxury segment with its civic and Toyota was able to wino the MUV segment with its innova.The maruti swift and the SX4 have won this particular title now for the second year in a row.

source:
[the economictimes]

Mahindra launch limited edition Logan called Edge

Mahindra have come up with a special edition/variant of the Logan called the edge to cater to higher segment of customers[ironical considering the Logan is supposed to be the cheap people's car after all].

Not very sure what's new in this special edition but according to ET there would be a new music system and a marginally improved interior trim.Right now I am unable to confirm but I read from the internet that Mahindra have added ABS and Parking sensors in the limited edition Logan[edge].

The Logan Edge is priced between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7.15 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

This comes on the back of renault India cutting sales targets of the logan to a down to earth figure[25,000-30,000] from the earlier target of selling 50,000 logans in India in 2008.So far for half the year they have not been on course and the sales are a dismal 12,700 units for the first six months of the year. Mahindra plan to counter this lack of demand in the domestic market by exporting the logan to other emerging markets.

Remember the Logan in India is due for a facelift soon.

[source:The Wall Street Journal]
[Image source: ecofin.files.wordpress.com]

India comes home in a Maruti Suzuki

Great new ad from Maruti Suzuki.Thanks to manikdob1985 for uploading the Video on youtube.



I loved the new tag line.By the way India does come home in a Maruti Suzuki[pun intended]

Coming soon:Facelifted Ford Fiesta

Ford is all set to launch a more aggressive looking ford fiesta very soon[June 18th according to team-bhp].Most pictures out on the net are of the kitted sports variant and it would be interesting to see how the other variants look like without that body kit.

The earlier rather sedate looking car has now got an aggressive character to it[I personally prefer the new looks].Disappointingly however Ford Have not added the 1.6LTDCi diesel engine to its lineup whereas they have discontinued the 1.4L petrol[however with the latest initiative by the government to tax cars above 1500cc we shall mostly see ford going back to the 1.4L petrol engine again,probably delaying the launch even].

Thanks to the Maruit SX4,airbags and ABS are now becoming standard in this segment and now ford too has decided to give it as standard fitment in the top of the line variant.

The interiors have been tweaked around a bit and now you get wooden panels in the top of the line variant.

The new car is definitely a big improvement over the earlier generation and was desperately needed by Ford india to revive interest in the Fiesta brand but Ford should have thought about the 2009 Fiesta which it is about to sell in markets like China if it had any dreams about occupying the number one slot in the segment.

[image source:thecarsandmore.blogspot.com]

For more Visit:
Team-bhp

Long live Maruti Suzuki

Just one rival and that too a hyundai[the i10] ,seems be the end of the road for maruti, yup that's what anaylsts at CLSA and Meryl Lynch seem to be suggesting.God knows what the verdict would be when VW,Toyota and Honda join the battleground.And Marutis biggest headache the nano is not yet out on the roads.

Wait before you form an opinion ,even amongst the anaylsts there are a few optimists who suggest that everything is not that bad for maruti.What they say is that The i-10 is eating into sale of its sibling the santro rather than winning over maruti customers.Models like swift and sx4 are doing very well and the swift dzire too should do very well in its segment.Plus there is the a-star and the splash.The i-10 is eating into sale of its sibling the santro rather than winning over maruti customers is what they say.

What works against maruti is its rapidly aging fleet in the mass market segment.Whatever were the maruti bosses drinking when they thought of bringing the estilo in india in place of the zen.Just two years after its introduction its the old grandfather in its segment.Why would somebody looking for buying a maruti at that price switch to the estilo than the wagon-r.Had they introduced a much more modern offering at that time things would have been very different now.If the estilo/MR wagon was so old for the japanese market that they had to discontinue it there, how did they expect to sell it here.Besides the metrosexual idea for the estilo never caught up with the Indian public.

So is it all over for Maruti,in my opinion Nope. Yes Maruti have a serious problem on their hands but it has a trick or two up its sleeve.Expect plenty of small cars in the Indian market in the near future from Maruti[The cervo,Splash,A-star].Maruti is also working on its own range of diesel engines[not the fiat Multijet] which would make it more cheaper and also maruti can get the diesel on its small cars.But definitely from now on its not an easy road for the leader, rivals are fast catching up and all the goodwork of twenty plus years could get undone in a jiffy.

Maruti needs to send an SOS to Suzuki japan and get new small cars into the market as soon as possible plus develop that in house diesel range soon.Maruti needs to rebrand itself in India ,maybe create a separate division for selling premium and luxury cars/SUV's.However what they cannot afford to do is rest.

Maruti just have to look at the american markets to see how easily giants can fall.

Toyota's small car for India

Yes Toyota's finally ready with some plans for India.As Maruti have pointed out there is a much bigger segment of customers wanting to upgrade to sedans in India but are unable to afford the present offerings or the present models aren't up to their standards.Toyota too have realised this and they have plans to take on the Indigo CS by ensuring their sedan is less than 4 metres long and is powered by a 1.4L diesel egine or a 1.2L petrol engine.However what should be noted is that there are chances this car may not exactly fit the description of what you call a sedan,there may be a bit of a change.

The car would be ready by 2010 and by then everybody else in India[Honda included] would be well established making it that much more difficult for toyota to win over customers.Hence a lot of homework is being done since given the importance of this vehicle for toyota to establish itself in India.The car would be manufactured in India and exported to other markets as well.

Pricing expectations Rs. 5-7 lakhs.

All the best to toyota but makes you wonder if it is too little too late.

Maruti Suzuki Dzire down the drain literally

How many of us take it easy with the demo vehicles.Even before we are comfortable with the vehicle dynamics we like to rip her.The end result is that demo vehicles end up getting more abused than a prostitute.

An overenthusiastic customer ended up in the river with the swift dzire demo car from Mandovi motors,mangalore.Given the huge waitlist for the dzire don't know if mandovi manage to get a new demo vehicle soon.All four people in the car came out from the incident unhurt.

The car hit the milestone on the side of the road and plunged into the river meaning the driver was the only cause of this accident and if anything the car did a good job protecting these irresponsible guys.

So next time you are test driving a car please take it easy.Unless of course you are from a rival manufacturer.


Check out more detailed pictures and complete coverage here:
Daijiworld

[source:daijiworld]

Maruti to replace petrol engines of its entire lineup

Pressure from competition and the export commitments requiring stricter emission norms means Maruti is going to replace the petrol engines of its entire existing line-up except for the SX4.

Maruti's entire line-up at present runs on the F and G series petrol engines which are Euro-3 compliant.These engines are going to be phased out by 2010.

Maruti will start manufacturing new K-series engines in India by the end of this year.The new launches[like the a-star] would be getting the K-series engines which are euro-5 compliant.Existing models would get the new engines in phased manner.This includes the recently launched Dzire[petrol].

The sx4 already has the new M-series engine which is euro-4 compliant and can also be made euro-5 compliant and hence would not see a change.Diesel engines[swift hatch,dzire] are also not going to see this change.

What interested be most is that the article mentions the wagon-r,swift and estilo to be present in 2010 but no mention of the Maruti 800 and the Alto.Does this mean they would be phased out for newer models.Probably yes.

[Source:Economictimes]

Hyundai looking at launching all new Getz-The i20

Cartrade india reports that Hyundai want to replicate the success of the i10 in the b+ segment now.Though they are not very clear about the new car it is supposedly more spacious than the existing getz and interiors would be more in line with the i10.

The Hyundai Getz is due for replacement and most probably this car would be the new platform called the i20.In its present avatar the Getz has not impressed car buyers and the result is sales are below average compared to its competitor the Maruti Swift.


The car is expected to have a 1.2L petrol as well as 1.4L petrol engine options.There will alo be a diesel engine option,the 1.5L crdi one.

The i20 will debut at the Paris motor show in September 2008 and can be expected by the year end or in early 2009.

Here are some spy pics of the i20 caught testing around the world:




The present getz itself is super spacious and I wonder what this replacement car would be like.Indians have appreciated world class products as proven by the success of the i10 and this new car too should do wonders for Hyundai.Once again highlights the importance Hyundai is giving to the Indian markets by giving us new cars as soon as they are launched elsewhere if not before.

Ps:Cartrade India call the new car the Hyundai TB.Where TB stands for Think Basic.Hyundai better look at a better name than that.i20 is the better bet.

Update:The probable launch date of the i20 is october 2008.

[source:Cartradeindia]
[Image source:worldcarfans,hyundaiblog,kiaworld]

Maruti's A-star will be here in 2009 only

Yes that's what Maruti officials have been quoted saying.The A-star concept which we saw at the auto expo in 2008 would be a production vehicle only in the second half of the next financial year.

Maruti does have a serious problem on its hands right now, in the fact that its premium cars are doing very well but its bread and butter models are not really catching customers fancy anymore and thus sales are stagnating or falling in the economy segment.More choice from competitors means people have the option of looking elsewhere.Maruti needs to address this problem soon and get in world class but relatively cheap hatchbacks.

Now as to which vehicle would be here in october.The Suzuki Cervo has been caught testing and it may be the first of the new small cars to make it here.The Suzuki Splash and the A-star could be here only after that.Between the two I expect the Splash launch to be before the A-star one.

Also read:
Maruti Suzuki A-star Revealed

Maruti's new bestseller in rural markets-The SX4.

Maruti is very keen to target the rural markets in India and helping them in this achievement is the Maruti alto but another car has joined the list and its surprisingly the SX4.Yes Maruti have just revealed that they are achieving good success with the SX4 in the rural markets.

Brilliant strategy by maruti to promote the SX4 in the rural markets I say,after all this market has traditionally been an suv/muv market and the SX4 is the closest alternative to the SUV that a car can get.SX4 should have absolutely no problem tackling the village roads and Maruti's huge network means help is always near by when you need it.Also this market is always looking at getting maximum bang for their buck and are not only looking at the brand name and heres where the SX4 scores over its rivals again.Now if only there was a diesel alternative sales would hit stratospheric levels.

Trust Maruti to come up with innovative ways to increase their sales.

Car prices in India set to rise by as much as 5%

If are looking at buying a new car now may perhaps be the best time.Cars makers are all set to increase prices by as much as 5% due to rising costs and this cut is not limited to any particular manufacturer but all are likely to follow suit.

If you like the Maruti Dzire hurry up and buy the car.Maruti have made it very clear that the present prices are only introductory and may see a rise soon.GM,Toyota have hinted of a price rise in the near future,so if you want have any plans of buying your dream car hurry.

Business standard has done a calculation and here is what it could mean to you:

A 5% increase would mean* (in Rs)

Maruti Suzuki ->10,000-75,250
Hyundai ->14,100-82,400
Tata Motors ->16,850-58,300
Skoda ->35,000-90,000
Ford ->25,300-31,100
General Motors ->15,800-93,100
Fiat ->17,500-22,000
Honda ->35,800-98,000
Toyota ->36,000-1,10,000

* Prices are based on calculation of a rise of 5 per cent on models ranging from the lowest priced to the premium priced. Prices that were taken for this were all ex-showroom, Mumbai


[Source:Business Standard]

The swift Dzire launched-Heres what the price list reads

Yes the launch is over and the all important pricing,it starts at 4.49 lakhs ex showroom for the Lxi petrol while the zdi diesel costs Rs.6.70 lakhs ex-showroom new delhi.

Here's the price list[all prices ex-showroom,new delhi]:

Petrol[1.3L]:

Lxi -> Rs.4.49 lakhs
Vxi-> Rs.4.97 lakhs
Zxi-> Rs.5.90 lakhs

Diesel[1.3L]:

Ldi-> Rs.5.39 lakhs
Vdi -> Rs.5.85 lakhs
Zdi -> Rs. 6.70 lakhs

For a detailed look at the features available I suggest you visit the official maruti link:
Here

Maruti say this is only introductory and they may rise prices at a later date.This makes the dzire[zdi] more costlier than the sx4 vxi petrol and very close to the price of the sx4 zxi.Very very interesting strategy.Unlike the sx4 ,the variant with airbags and ABS on the swift dzire is attracting a huge premium and hence I feel the intermediate model would be the most popular choice with the Vdi model being the favourite.
****************************************************

Maruti's press release:

Like the earlier Maruti Suzuki models, Swift and SX4, the DZire too is set to redefine the market and stir excitement in the entry level sedan segment. The DZire, which comes both in diesel and petrol engines, offers luxury feature options like integrated stereo, steering mounted audio controls, automatic climate control and power windows. It also comes with safety features like Dual Airbags, ABS with EDB, collapsible steering column and an i-CATS anti-theft facility. Many of these features are being offered for the first time in this segment.

Managing Director of Maruti Suzuki, S Nakanishi said: "The DZire is the seventh model Maruti Suzuki has launched in the last three years. It has a special place in our product strategy. Millions of Indians own compact cars. With growing incomes and better lifestyle, many of them want to upgrade to a sedan. But today, they are not able to find an entry level sedan that offers style, features and performance. The DZire offers all this, and at an attractive price."

Performance with Prestige
DZire offers customers the prestige associated with a sedan, while retaining the famed performance of the Swift hatch back. The Swift had, from the start, been conceived as a car that would be offered both as a hatchback as well as a sedan.

For the eleven Maruti Suzuki engineers who worked on the design of the DZire, the challenge was to integrate the boot into the overall personality of the Swift, while imparting the elegance of a sedan. In providing a high style quotient, the engineers have integrated the boot with just 30 Kilograms added to the car's weight ! The suspension and engine have been tuned for the sedan.Owing to this, the DZire has the highest power-to-weight ratio in its category. This ensures best performance and superior fuel efficiency.

The petrol version of DZire comes with a 1.3 litre, 16 valve, ALTec 32 engine, with a maximum 87 bhp at 6000 rpm. The diesel version comes with the 1.3 litre DDiS engine, offering a torque of 190 Nm at 2000 rpm.

DZire is offered in seven colours: Arctic White, Silky Silver, Clear Beige, Midnight Black, Bright Red, Azure Gray and Sovereign Blue.

Best of both worlds - more features, attractive price
In recent years, Maruti Suzuki has consistently delivered more features than competitor cars, at prices that are comparable or lower. This has been the reason for the resounding success of Swift (Petrol as well as Diesel), Zen Estilo and SX4.

With the DZire, Maruti Suzuki will take the story forward. Commonising platforms is emerging as a global best practice. This enables manufacturers to minimise duplication and prevent wastage. They are able to offer more features and superior styling in car models, at an attractive price.

The DZire is the latest example. By commonising platforms, Maruti Suzuki is able to offer more features and superior styling, while keeping the price attractive.Maruti Suzuki designers and engineers have worked to control the noise, vibration and harshness levels, thus ensuring the best in class driving pleasure and comfort.

A3 segment's new leader - Maruti Suzuki
While continuing to lead India's small car market, Maruti Suzuki has emerged as the market leader in the A3 segment as well during 2007-08. The company has sold a total of 41800 units in the last 11 months (Apr-Feb 2008) in the domestic market. This is the highest number of cars for any manufacturer in the A3 segment, according to the recent industry results published by SIAM.

The popularity of Maruti Suzuki cars in A3 segment also suggests that it has successfully expanded its image from being the leader in small cars to a company offering the full range of cars. With the launch of DZire in the A3 segment, the company is set to widen choice for the customer and further increase its lead over the competition.

Source:
Maruti Suzuki

Honda To bring in its diesel CRV soon,Marutis new small car.

Finally we shall get a diesel from Honda.Our country just loves diesel and it does not matter which segment you talk about diesel cars rule the roost.Honda was able to do well with the CRV inspite of having only a petrol engine option.With this diesel engine I expect Honda to not only rule in this segment[SUV] but win over many prospective premium sedan customers.

Now if only honda thinks about smaller i-ctdi engines for the smaller offerings like the honda city and the jazz.

The vehicle has been caught testing in India
***************************************************************************

The same person has also captured pictures of another vehicle which I presume is the Maruti Suzuki Cervo[dont know its official name in India yet] which as rumour had it was to replace the maruti 800[which is unlikely].This car is more in the wagon-r segment.

Heres the picture of the Suzuki cervo:


This car too has been caught testing at the same location.


Update:The autocarindia links are not working any more.Sorry.

[image source:nihoncars]

Preferably don't buy these cars in 2008

If you have any plans to buy the Skoda fabia this year I suggest you wait for a year if resale value is important to you.VW [skoda's Parent company] say that they will lower costs of the Fabia by manufacturing the fabia at the chakan plan [while VW plan to delay their debut vehicle in India to 2010].Skoda have already done this with the Laura where later on they launched cheaper models which severely affected resale value of the cars which were already sold.I came across one such Laura owner who says he lost close to 6-7 Lakhs in resale value in just an 8 month old car.

However I must add that nothing wrong with Skoda cars,infact the Octavia[Laura as we know it here] has just been voted the best car in the UK for the second consecutive year.Octavia[Laura in India] drivers are the most satisfied lot in terms of reliability,build quality,running costs and ease of driving.Skoda beat rivals like Honda,Toyota,BMW,Mercedes for the second consecutive year.The Fabia too should be more or less on these lines and will definitely not disappoint you. If the car is going to be with you for a long time or you are not bothered about resale value please do go ahead with your purchase decision.

But the case with the cars I discuss next is a bit different.In these cars you will see a major revamp pretty soon.

1>.The first car in the list is the present Toyota corolla which is currently one generation behind its main rival the Honda civic.It is confirmed that you will get the next generation in India in 2008[maybe a diesel option as well].

2>.The next car in the list is the Honda city.You can see pretty much the push both the company as well as dealers are giving to increase sales since a major revamp of the Honda city is expected by the end of the year[2008].You will be left with a model which would be one generation behind in just a matter of few months.

Now I go back to the title I say preferably because you could also take advantage of this situation since all the above mentioned cars are great cars as well and dealers would be pushing for sales by adding incentives for you to buy these cars.But yes you must be ready to accept the fact that you will be driving an outdated model soon.

If you ask me what is the best alternative at this moment ,well I suggest the Hyundai Verna CRDi.It is a relatively safe bet and a good car with good mileage[FE.].In case of a petrol car I suggest the Maruti SX4.I don't expect any drastic change very soon to either of the two.The Toyota Corolla is not in the C segment and its alternative would be the Honda Civic which too should not see anything drastic soon.

Update 1:
In the don't buy list I am adding the Skoda octavia,for reasons please refer to this post,Next generation Skoda Octavia due in 2009 .Also the more modern VW jetta is expected soon.I would avoid the Laura too for the moment since a price correction could be possible but I am not 100% sure and hence am not placing it in the don't buy list.Alternatives I suggest the Optra Magnum.


Update 2:
NDTV confirms launch of the next generation honda city by the end of the year[2008].

Update 3:
The hyundai getz is a car in the don't buy list since the all new I20 is expected by the year end.Search the post for more details.Alternative ford fusion diesel.

Update 4:
With competition expected to catch up with Toyota in the form of the mahindra ingenio and the tata Xover expect something drastic from Toyota,from talks of launching a cheaper UV to even discontinuing the present innova doing the rounds I suggest you go slow and postpone your buy.No alternative buys suggested for the moment.

Update5:
Mahindra Renault Logan is a new addition to the list,a Facelifted model is expected soon.

Update6:
Maruti to replace the alto with the A-star.

The don't buy cars list for 2008:
1>.Honda City
2>.Toyota Corolla
3>.Hyundai Getz
4>.Skoda Octavia
5>.Skoda Fabia
6>.Toyota Innova
7>.Mahindra Renaul Logan
8>.Maruti Suzuki Alto


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

Also read:
Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

Would a Multi-car dealership strategy be successful?

Mr.Jagdish Khattar,I have great respect for the man.He has taken Maruti Suzki India to a completely different level and Maruti should thank him for what it is today.Even on a personal level I have got to interact with him and I was completely mesmerized by his management skills and his humility.For him customer really was king.

It comes as no surprise that even at this age after retiring from MSIL he is starting his own venture.He is think of setting up Multi-car dealerships across the country.Now the question really is how successful could this model be.Can cars be sold just like fridges,TV's and washing machines.

The problems I see are the after sales part where the whole company trained personnel concept goes for a toss also there could be a problem of logistics since different manufacturers are concerned while ensuring quality is not compromised. I would love to see Mr.Jagdish Khattar do more on this issue and assure us that standards are similar to those of single car dealerships.Initial expenditure for setting up such a dealership would be on the higher side which would also include training the concerned personnel and sourcing equipment.There is also the question of volumes,too little and the dealership could run into losses pretty soon while too high and the dealership may just not be able to handle them.In some places I have seen dealers managing two different manufacturers at the same place where mostly one arm has suffered because of the other[the present Tata-Fiat showroom is a classic example where the best work for tata and emphasis is given more on the sales of tata vehicles].

However with real estate prices touching sky-high levels and dealer margins becoming wafer thin this could certainly help in better revenue generation for car dealerships and also help improve the sales and service network of car manufacturers at the lowest possible costs.This may very well be the way forward.Year 2009 will see the first such dealerships from Mr. Khattar.

Review of The Maruti Dzire

Nope I have not got my hands on the Maruti Dzire[swift sedan].I am not amongst those lucky few.However the reviews of the Maruti Dzire are out and the one from thehindubusinessline is quite detailed.
From the review what can be concluded is that though you will get the features of the SX4,the dzire will remain its baby brother.The dzire may after all not be a threat to the SX4.Rear legroom is just the same as the swift and only the angle of the seat has been adjusted.Maruti have not offered a beige trim and an upmarket kind of feel to the interiors mostly to avoid clashes with the SX4.NVH too is on the higher side.Maruti has tried its best to ensure a difference between the SX4 and the Dzire by making sure the SX4 feel more of an upmarket choice compared to the Dzire and I must say I did jump the gun and proclaim an early death for the SX4.However let me still see the car personally and then I will take a final call.

Maruti have made rear visibility better which was one of the main complaints of the Swift hatch.The addition has not affected turning radius or ground clearance and extra weight is only 30 kg so the dzire should give more or less the same mileage as the swift hatchback and drive should also be exactly the same which is a good thing since the swift hatch is one fun to drive car.
Beauty lies in the hand of the beholder,however the review suggests it may take some time for us to accept the looks of the Dzire.For the front Maruti has given a chrome grill which is not present in the Swift hatch.There is lavish use of chrome on the boot too and so also the instrument cluster which has a white backlight unlike the orange on the swift hatch.

The all important pricing issue,the cheapest variant LXi[petrol] should be priced at around Rs.4.5 lakhs while the top end ZDi[diesel] should be priced at around Rs.6.2 lakhs.Prices mentioned are ex-showroom New Delhi prices.Even though the Zdi does have all the bells and whistles it is not exactly cheap and I expect the Vdi[diesel] variant to be the most popular.However let me warn you there is going to be a huge waiting list for this car and you may have to wait for quite a long while before you could own one.

Oh and the answer to the mileage[FE] kya hai question?The most conservative figures suggest 14kmpl in city and 19 kmpl on highways[for the swift dzire diesel] and this is no record run I am talking about.These are figures you and I can achieve.

Looking at the prices Maruti does have a winner in its hands,now the question is only how fast can I get my car.

The link to the review is here:
Thehindubusinessline

[image source:autoblog.com]

Update:
There will be a special online screening of the Dzire launch on the official website http://www.marutidzire.com for registered users as pointed out to me by a reader.Thanks for the information.

Also read:
The swift Dzire launched-Heres what the price list reads

Maruti Dzire- What your heart desires

Toyota's customer unfriendly initiatives

Toyota have always looked at their profitability even at the cost of the Customers convienience and even compromising security of the vehicle.

As far as the inconvenience bit ,you have the option of power steering on the base model E but no air conditioning option even after paying close to Rs9 lakhs but the worst bit is the G1 model does not come with an intermittent wiper,something which cars much cheaper come with.

And this is not the case with Toyota India itself,I was going through this review about the american corolla and the first thing the reviewer was very critical was Toyota's attempt at cutting corners which was emphasized most in the fact that Toyota is only giving power windows as a standard feature on the top end corolla model compare this to Honda who have long made power windows standard across their entire civic range.

But these are things one can live with, what is not acceptable is the security bit.Toyota knew that its earlier MUV the Toyota qualis was one of the favorite amongst car thieves and this is precisely why they came up with immobilisers for the innova range but they kept this out from the base model innova[E].And what do we have now apart from the Tavera and the Indica,the Toyota innova is the favourite amongst car thieves according to a newspaper report.

Toyota have only to look at Maruti as an example,Maruti has given the immobiliser feature[icats] across its range even to the cheapest Maruti 800.This just costs the customer an added Rs.3000 surely somebody buying an innova could easily afford.

Hopefully these stolen cars were the ones which did not have immobilisers because believe me just yesterday came across a stolen Toyota innova top end model[v].Why I am so sure the number reads as MH-03 XXX .Now when was it when that series existed.

Maruti No.1 in Sri Lanka too

Yes its not only us Indians who love Maruti,our neighbors too have developed a love for the brand and it has helped Maruti to remain the most preferred imported brand in Sri Lanka for the fifth year in running.Remember it faces competition from biggies like Honda.

Maruti exports all cars to Srilanka present in its stables in India except for the SX4.

According to a company spokesman in Sri Lanka the reason for Maruti's success is the high fuel efficiency of Maruti cars,very good resale value,Reliability offered by Maruti cars and the ease of parking in congested areas.


Maruti is doing what it did in India for so long,making a brand new car affordable to a lot more people.Sometimes we do forget what Maruti Suzuki has done to revolutionize the automobile industry in India.The fruits of which other manufacturers are now enjoying.

[source:Dailymirror Srilanka]