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].

The Maruti SX4 diesel will have to wait?

The demand for the Diesel Swift[both sedan and hatch] has now gone way beyond maruti's control so much so people are moving to competitors frustrated by the waiting period.Maruti[really speaking its parent suzuki] has really been very slow in adapting the dirty fuel diesel and has more or less concentrated only on petrol cars.Whatever diesel cars are actually available right now from the Maruti suzuki stable are possible only with the help of Fiat's Multijet range of diesel engines.It is just natural that there would be a shortfall.

Now why Suzuki is not thinking seriously about diesel is perplexing.India is its main market now and boy do Indians love diesel.

Maruti did have plans to launch the diesel version of the SX4 sometime this year[2008] possibly with a tweaked 1.3L multijet engine but given the demand for these engines in the other cars Maruti would just not be able to sell any diesel SX4's due to lack of availability of the engines and hence have now postponed the plans for the disel SX4.

This should come as a shot in the arm for rivals especially ones who have diesel options.As far as the waitng period for the swift dzire goes someone just told me book now and get delivery only in 2009.

Hyundai to launch 1.2L petrol engined i10 soon

We are aware of a possible December launch of the diesel version of the i10 and perhaps even the automatic transmission but in a very suprising move, economictimes reports that Hyundai plan to launch a 1.2Lpetrol engine variant of the i10 as well within the next two months.

Even hyundai officials seem to have confirmed this move and the only bit they have not revealed is the pricing part but logically speaking expect it to be priced marginally higher than the existing 1.1L engine.The new 1.2L engine codes named "Kappa" is about 15bhp more powerful than the existing engine so it should be somewhere around the 80bhp tag without compromising too much on the mileage side whereas performance certainly would get a boost.

Now what has prompted this move is unknown perhaps the i20 launch has been delayed or the i20 is a bit more pricier than expected and there is a big gap in terms of pricing in the i20 and the i10 and hyundai don't have anything else in the portfolio take on the Maruti swift.With this boost in engine power perhaps hyundai is targeting the Maruti swift customer.

Hyundai are also planning to sell LPG variants across its entire line-up with the santro getting it by august 2008.The rest will get the LPG option a little later.

[Source:Economictimes ]

Maruti adds new features to the Swift hatchback

This week has not been that good for car buyers,with companies raising prices faster than they can even manufacture cars.But here's some news to cheer you up.

Anybody going in for the swift will now get an in-dash audio system along with steering mounted controls.With the dzire getting it it was really just a matter of time.Tilt steering has also been added for the swift hatch.

The official explanation is Maruti is happy for selling 222,222 cars in just years time and this is a way of celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the Maruti swift.

Fiat to launch the Grande Punto in 2009

As predicted earlier fiat are all set to launch the Grande punto in India only after the Linea launch.The linea should be available in the Indian markets by September 2008 while the Grande punto would be out in the early part of 2009.

The grande punto would be competing in the premium hatchback category and would be priced on the lines of the Skoda fabia if not a notch higher.Maruti swift should continue to remain the cheapest offering in the segment for some time to come.

What this also means is that just like NDTV predicted the Linea would be competing more with D-segment sedans in terms of pricing atleast since Fiat will not price the Grande Punto and the Linea at around the same price tag otherwise nobody would head towards the Grande Punto.

It would be interesting to note how people accept Fiat as a premium brand in India but whatever happens its Tata who shall be the winner once again with Fiat cars not competing with Tata in the economy segment and Tata ensuring a presence in the premium segment with the help of Fiat.

For people interested in the future of the Palio,the Palio is going to be around atleast for a year or two and fiat plan to launch a CNG version by next year.

[Source:Sify]

Maruti Dzire - Long waiting period

As predicted before there is a huge waiting list for the Maruti dzire.Approximately three to four months.

Yes that is a very long time indeed and My suggestion is please pay only the booking amount only,even if the dealer assures you a faster delivery if you pay the whole amount upfront.

Maruti is already working at full capacity and its very unlikely the situation would improve quickly unless ofcourse maruti think of something drastic for instance cut production of its hatchback[swift] or even the sx4.

Maruti surely should have anticipated this considering the waiting period for the swift [hatch] diesel.What this also means is a diesel sx4 looks very unlikely in the near future.

Do we indians love diesels or what and if its a sedan then its icing on the cake.

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]

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

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

Maruti Dzire- What your heart desires

Yes the Maruti Dzire[swift sedan] website is up and running.Maruti is taking registrations for an exclusive preview of the Dzire.First impressions reminds me of the Nissan Teana [the back] but overall I am pretty impressed by maruti's engineers and design team but once again reiterates my point Dzire will kill the SX4.

Heres the link to the official Maruti Dzire website:
Maruti Dzire

There is even an exclusive song for it from the band Euphoria.Maruti as always have done a prettty good job with the website part, no complaints on that front.



But if you want to have a look at the Dzire before the launch date the internet is your best friend.

Videos of the DZire are out on youtube.Heres the You tube link [video by Crazzy4cars from New Delhi]:


Pictures:




Interior pic of the dzire:



The images are taken from indiabike.blogspot.com,if you want to have a look at more pictures please visit the link :

Here

Also read:
Swift Dzire to be launched on 26th March-Confirmed

Review of the Maruti Dzire.

Swift Dzire to be launched on 26th March-Confirmed by Maruti

Since this seems to be the hottest topic have once again posted the launch date of the Swift Dzire[sedan from Maruti].Finally Maruti itself has made a statement and the launch date has been confirmed as 26th March.
****************************************************************
" The image of a hatchback and styling of Swift is carried forward to the Sedan. The new car will be available in both petrol and diesel variants," Maruti Suzuki India Ltd Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales) Mayank Pareek

The petrol variant is expected to be priced between Rs 4.75 to Rs 5 lakh, while the diesel variant would be available for above Rs 5.5 lakh.
****************************************************************
The Dzire project, which started in 2005, is a planned progression of the Swift hatchback.

The Sedan will be available both in petrol and diesel versions, with the diesel engine being the same as current one in the Swift hatchback and the Dzire will now sport the same 1.3 litre multi-jet engine of Fiat.
****************************************************************
[Source:Sify,Economictimes]

Also Read:
Maruti all set to kill the SX4

Maruti to launch Swift sedan on March 6th 2008[Edit:Now 26th March]

Maruti Swift Sedan to be priced between Rs.5-6 lakhs

Review of the Maruti Dzire.

Budget 2008 impact -Hybrids,buses and small cars to become cheaper

Honda India must be having a smile on their faces,the lobbying by Japanese manufacturers has worked.Hybrid cars are all set to get cheaper.Excise duty has been cut from the present 24% will come down to 14% and the first real beneficiary is none other than Honda with concrete plans to launch the Civic hybrid in a year or two.

Although not much is been said about development of infrastructure,atleast some cheer in the form of reduction in excise duty on Buses.

Small cars,two wheelers and three wheelers would be marginally cheaper with an excise duty cut to 12% from the present 16%.Good news for the Tata Nano.

A Small car is defined as petrol car with an engine capacity not exceeding 1,200 cc and not exceeding 4,000 mm in length, or diesel car of engine capacity not exceeding 1,500 cc and not exceeding 4,000 mm in length.

Its really puzzling that when it comes to the Maruti Swift[petrol],the largest manufacturer in India is not taking advantage of this facility and providing a lower engine variant for the Swift petrol,the diesel already qualifies as a small car.

Update:Hyundai motors india,are the first to announce a price cut,they say small cars prices could come down by as much as Rs.10,000-15,000.What interests me is by how much the prices of the Skoda fabia will come down by simply because its present price tag means the cut would have the most significant impact if implemented.Gm too has decided to cut prices of the spark and the U-VA.

I salute Hyundai India for being so proactive and ensuring the benefit of the customers being the first manufacturer to announce a price cut.

Also Visit:
Price cuts announced by Car manufacturers

Maruti to launch Swift sedan on March 6th 2008[Edit:Now 26th March]

According to CNN-IBN Maruti Suzuki India are scheduled to launch the Swift Sedan[Dzire] on March 6th 2008.

Update:The launch is slated for 26th March.

What is interesting to note is SX4 prices are expected to go up by Rs.12,000 which could help Maruti indirectly as far as the Swift sedan pricing is concerned[Maruti are scheduled for an across the board price rise of Rs 2000-12000 for its different models soon except for the Swift hatchback which already had a rise in its prices]

Unclear whether Maruti is launching the diesel variant simultaneously but Maruti want to clearly take on Honda city on the mileage front here and even the petrol engine would be more oriented towards fuel efficiency.Expect this car to be a bit more pricier than the Esteem it is replacing.

Spy picture of the swift sedan [Dezire] which first appeared on team-bhp.com and autocarindia.This picture taken from autoblog.com



Related post:
Maruti Swift Sedan to be priced between Rs.5-6 lakhs

Update:
Now launched
The swift Dzire launched-Heres what the price list

Maruti Swift Sedan to be priced between Rs.5-6 lakhs

Hormazd Sorabjee,Autocarindia in an article writes that the swift sedan would be aggressively priced by Maruti with the base petrol version coming within the 5 lakh price tag and the fully loaded diesel version of the sedan expected to be priced at around 6 lakhs.The vehicle would be called the Dezire.

Just like the hatchback we could expect the Lxi,Vxi,and Zxi variants as well as Ldi,Vdi[dont know if they come up with the Zdi version].The badging according to him is expected to stay the same as the Hatchback.The equipment is the same as that on the hatch with the Zxi variant offering Abs and Two airbags.There should be no change in interior space and the boot/trunk is the only added benefit as compared to the hatchback.

Maruti are targeting a sales figure of 3000 units a month.Maruti are mostly likely to retain the same G series 1.3L petrol engine for the swift sedan as well as the 1.3L ddis diesel engine both of which presently do duty on the hatch,At 6 Lakhs expect the diesel engine to sell really well and even outshadow its petrol sibling.What is unclear is whether both engines would be available initially or the diesel engine would be available only at a later date.

While this is real good news for consumers Maruti must also realise there is very much a risk that Sx4 sales would be cannibalised and Maruti needs to create a distinct identity for the SX4.The swift sedan is all set to rob the VFM tag from the SX4.

Edit:
Inputs from economic times suggest,more changes in the front like for instance in the grill,foglamps and while along with the boot/trunk at the rear there would be a new set of taillights and also the car may come with an integrated audio system with controls for the audio system present on the steering wheel as well.

Update:
Most probable launch date of the Maruti Dezire [swift sedan] is March 2008.

Maruti to launch Swift sedan on March 26th 2008

Now Launched
The swift Dzire launched-Heres what the price list..