Creta makes best start with 6,783 units sale in first month

In its very first month of launch, Hyundai Creta has notched up sales of 6,783 units - the best start ever for an SUV in India.

Creta's main competitors like Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport and Nissan Terrano witnessed sales of 1194 units, 4715 units and 3079 units respectively in their first month. The car also outsold India's largest selling SUV for almost a decade Mahindra Bolero in July taking over the leadership position in the category. Last month was the first time since 2010 that Bolero finds itself outside of the top 10 in the domestic market.

With bookings of over 27,000 units and a waiting period stretching upto 4 months for some variants, Hyundai is ramping up production at its Chennai factory to produce 7500 units of the SUV per month.

"We have got just the kind of started we were aspiring for with the Creta," said Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. "We advanced the launch of the car from September to July as we wanted to take the initiative. Now our problem is to make enough cars and keep the waiting period in check. The customer is very demanding in this segment." 

Renault Kwid expected to be launched by this month

Renault has unveiled a hatchback-based crossover called the KWID. Named after the concept car that it unveiled at the 2014 Auto Expo, the KWID, is a five-seater crossover underpinned by the French automaker’s CMFA platform and will be produced at their Chennai factory with 98 per cent localisation.

The Renault KWID has lines similar to that of the Datsun GO but now gets body cladding, flared wheel arches and a forward leaning stance giving it a muscular appearance. It is the first car in the Indian market to debut the French automaker’s honeycomb grille and new headlight design. It gets an aggressive front bumper design that extends outwards and in the top spec variants houses the fog lamps.

The side profile reveals the heavily flared wheel arches and forward leaning stance. The windscreen sharply rakes towards the rear. There is plastic cladding at the base of the doors which are the colour of the wheel arches and basically serve the purpose of rub rails.

At the rear, the glass section is small and slopes forward while there is a sharp lip on the middle of the boot door. The plastic cladding sits right below the boot door and houses the number plate. Renault has given the KWID a small spoiler which we believe will be standard across all variants.

The KWID appears to have the same interior from the Pulse which is basically the layout of the Nissan Micra. However, while the layout is the same, the feature list will have many first in segment items. It gets a fully digital instrumental cluster, Media-NAV infotainment system, front power windows and AC. While the instrument cluster, power windows and AC are expected to be standard across all variants, we believe that the Media-NAV infotainment system will only be offered in the top-spec variants.

The engine is expected to be an 800cc three-cylinder unit that will produce around 50bhp and 90Nm of torque. Power will go to the front wheels via a five-speed manual. We also believe that this car is likely to debut an AMT from the Renault-Nissan stable. There will be no diesel model but a 1.0-litre model with higher power figures will arrive six months later. It is also possible that there may be a CNG model but this will only materialise based on demand.

The KWID is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh and will compete with the Chevrolet Spark, Tata Nano, Datsun Go and the Hyundai Eon. It will be launched during the festive season and most likely with an introductory price.

2015 Mahindra Thar Facelift Launched

Mahindra & Mahindra, the home-grown automaker, has finally launched the 2015 Thar facelift at Rs. 8.03 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom Nasik) in the country. The aforementioned price is of CRDe model, which would available across Mahindra dealerships in select markets, with immediate effect. The new off-roader comes with several cosmetic upgrades over the outgoing model.

Talking about the exterior changes, the 2015 Mahindra Thar facelift comes with new front & rear bumpers, restyled wheel arches, clear lens headlamps, redesigned tubular side footsteps and a revamped canopy. Inside the cabin, there is a new black-beige dashboard, wider and larger seats, a redesigned center bezel, new sporty 3-pod instrument cluster, new steering wheel and gear knob, redesigned AC vents, new windshield demister and door trims. Additionally, there comes a new lockable glove box and a new floor console with cup holders.

Speaking at the launch of the New Thar CRDe, Pravin Shah, President & Chief Executive, (Automotive) Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, said, “Since its launch, the Thar has been the face of our tough and rugged DNA, a continuation of our legacy and what Mahindra stands for. Today as we launch the new avatar of this ever popular off-roader, the effort has been to enhance the appeal of a brand that is already a cult. Increasingly consumers are looking for a different lifestyle as they seek an adventure and fun experience and the Thar is the perfect companion for such thrill seekers. I am confident that in its new avatar, the Thar CRDe will not only continue to be ever popular among off-road enthusiasts but significantly widen its appeal amongst a whole new set of consumers.”

Mechanically, the Thar facelift retains its 2500cc CRDe diesel motor which develops 105bhp of top power at 3800rpm. This motor churns out a peak torque of 247Nm between 1800-2000 rpm, while mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The off-roader would be offered in both 4X2 and 4X4 avatars. In addition, the 2015 Mahindra Thar now gets an auto-engaging differential lock for the rear axle. Just so you know, Mahindra Thar was firstly launched in 2010 and it is the first major upgrade for the hardcore off-roader since its launch.

Chevrolet plans to launch a Beat based compact sedan in India

Chevrolet plans to introduce a compact sedan in India, which would be based on the Beat hatchback. Now, it has been learnt that Beat-based GM sedan would debut in 2017 and currently, it is under development. It is also known through sources that the next-generation Beat hatchback, specifically for India, is in works. Just so you know, General Motors recently held the world premiere of all-new Spark (Beat in India), but it won't head to India.

The next-gen Beat would be a completely restyled version of the current car. The reason, which propelled the company to not bring the all-new Spark (Beat) in India, seems to be cost issues as our country is a highly cost-sensitive market. Hence, the American automajor decided to give the India-spec model a heavy facelift, instead of bringing the all-new Spark (Beat). The new Chevrolet compact sedan would be based on next-gen of India-spec Beat, and the exterior styling would be quite identical. Though, for global markets, both the next-gen Beat and compact sedan based on it, are expected to share several elements with the all-new Spark.

Mechanically, the new Beat-based compact sedan would be introduced in both petrol and diesel guises. The sedan would be powered by a set of 1.0L, 3-cylinder petrol and diesel motors. The same set of petrol and diesel engines would also do duties to the next-gen Beat hatchback. For those asking, the 1.0L, 3-pot diesel mill is new to India, while the petrol engine is a down-sized version of company's existing 1.4L, 4-cylinder, Ecotech motor. The aforesaid petrol engine is on offer with all-new Spark (Beat). Chevrolet's compact sedan would join the crowded sub 4-meter sedan segment which currently has Maruti Swift DZire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent, and Tata Zest. In addition, Volkswagen's compact sedan is all set to debut at 2016 Auto Expo in February.

BMW launches Mini Countryman

NEW DELHI: BMW India launched the Mini Countryman 'hot' hatchback at Rs 36.5 lakh ex-showroom Delhi here on Wednesday.

MINI Countryman will be available at MINI dealerships as a completely built-up unit. The countryman will be available in two non-metallic colours and 9 metallic colours.

"MINI is a style icon for trend-setters and has established itself as a unique brand, associated with tradition and irresistible charm," said Philipp von Sahr, President,BMW Group India. "Selective design modifications for the exterior and interior along with innovative equipment features contribute to the more mature charisma and increased appeal of the new Mini Countryman. It is a perfect amalgamation of character, space and the 'go-kart' responsiveness."

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross launched

Maruti Suzuki has re-entered the premium segment by launching much awaited crossover S-Cross at Rs 8.34 ex-showroom Delhi. With the launch, India's largest carmaker is giving another shot to a segment where it has failed to garner decent number.

The car comes with two diesel engine options, DDiS 200 and DDiS 320. The the 1.3 litre DDiS 200 makes 90PS power and 200 Nm of torque whereas the 1.6 litre DDiS 320 delivers 120PS and a torque of 320 Nm. While the 1.3 litre claims a fuel efficiency of 23.65 kmpl, the 1.6 litre engine gives 22.07 kmpl.

Interestingly, the S-cross will only be available with a diesel engine and petrol variant not expected anytime soon.

150PS Abarth Punto to be launched by october

 Fiat wants to bring some serious sting in its offerings for the Indian market. The 595 Competizione launched today will be Abarth’s flagship model for India but it comes in as a CBU and will do duties of a halo product only – improve brand image and help push other models planned in the future. And the future for the petrolhead from Abarth’s stables looks quite bright. Two models are planned in the near future, the first one will be the Abarth Punto and it will be followed by the Abarth Avventura. While we don’t have any details of the Avventura yet, we can reveal a bit about the Abarth Punto.

The Abarth Punto will be powered by the same 1.4-litre T-Jet motor that powers the Linea, but the company has upped the power considerably to about 150PS. There’s about 200Nm of torque too making it the first hot hatch that one can buy without shredding your bank account. We’re being told that the Abarth Punto will be aggressively priced, say a slight bit more than you would shell out for a Linea T-Jet and that puts the Abarth Punto right up against aPolo TSI. The Punto however will come with a 5-speed manual transmission, appealing to the enthusiast. 

The Abarth Punto gets brake discs all round, stiffer suspension and lower ride height to complement the engine’s sporty character but it’s still not low enough to make it difficult to use in our road conditions. Fiat truly wants the Abarth Punto to appeal to a wide audience. 

There aren’t many changes to the exterior of the Abarth Punto. It’s got contrast orange lining in the grille, orange painted wing mirrors and a new set of Abarth alloy wheels. There is plenty of Abarth branding all around and no Fiat badge anywhere to distance it from the stock Fiat cars. The interior is same as the Punto Evo but the Abarth Punto gets racy steel pedals and the instrument cluster gets new Abarth colour inserts. Seat upholstery too gets matching stitch patterns.