The leading Japanese bike maker Yamaha announced on Saturday that it is mulling over the option of rolling-out an electric bike in the Indian market to provide an alternative transportation mode. The Indian subsidiary of the Yamaha Motors is developing an India specific scooter that will hit the Indian roads in near future.

In a statement given to PTI, India Yamaha Motor Director (Sales and Marketing) Jun Nakata said, "For rising fuel prices, electric bike is a good option. Currently we are selling electric bikes in Japan and Europe. There is a possibility for the Indian market for introducing these products." However, the company is yet to disclose the specification and pricing details of this prospective electric bike in the country.

The company had announced last year that it would focus more on Indian market with more investment. The company is aiming to have 10 per cent of its total global sales from India in coming 3 to 4 years.

While answering a query regarding the scooter segment, Mr. Nakata said, "We are preparing to enter the scooter market. The product is under development in Japan and it will be an India-specific product."

Via: cartradeindia.com

Following a bonanza for the electric and hybrid cars manufactured in India, General Motors (GM) is all set to showcase an electric version of its small car Chevrolet Beat next month. In the coming future, the car may become the second electric car after Reva to be launched in the country, provided the government follows up with more incentives for alternate fuel vehicles, GM said.

“We are glad that the government has woken up to the need to encourage alternate fuel and electric vehicles,” said Karl Slym, president and managing director, GM India. “We will showcase an electric version of our mini car next month. Though we have not decided whether to launch it here or not, if the government follows up the budget with more incentives, it will only help us decide.”

The government announced full exemption from customs duty, special additional duty and countervailing duty on some specified parts of hybrid vehicles such as battery pack and chargers as also for spare battery packs for electric vehicles.

Further, excise duty has been halved for hybrid kits and their parts.

In the past, GM had tied up with Reva electric car company to develop an electric version of its other small car Spark.

The project met with an untimely death after Reva was acquired by utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra and the two companies went their separate ways.

GM sold 88,568 units in April-January 2010-11, up 37% over the previous year. It has 235 dealers in the country.

Currently, India has only one hybrid vehicle the Toyota Prius.

Via: hindustantimes.com

Toyota’s much-anticipated Etios Liva hatchback’s launch has been pushed from April to June 2011. The step was announced to channelize the existing capacity towards production of the recently launched Etios sedan, which has been plagued with waiting periods that run as long as 7 months!

Aside from delaying the Liva’s launch, Toyota is also initiating a second shift at its plant, faster production time per vehicle and production enhancement in order to speed up the Etios’ deliveries. The second shift production will help the company dish out a total of 5,000 units a month from the current 2,500 units at its Bangalore plant. The plant has an annual production capacity of 70,000 cars.

Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) Managing Director Hiroshi Nakagawa said that Toyota is thankful for the positive consumer responses to the Etios and for the resulting demand. He added that Toyota’s consumer-first philosophy has meant that they put the customers’ needs ahead of everything else. Further, the consumer-first philosophy has helped Toyota manufacture quality products and maximize customer satisfaction, said Nakagawa.

TKM’s Deputy MD Sandeep Singh was apologetic about the Liva’s postponement saying, “We would like to sincerely apologize to people eagerly awaiting the hatchback – Etios Liva, for the postponement of the launch. We will do everything we can to limit the inconvenience caused to our customers.”

Toyota Etios Liva launch, price and competition

Toyota Etios Liva, which will now be launched in June 2011, is the hatchback version of Etios, and will be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine. Price around Rs. 4.5 lakh, the Liva will be the cheapest Toyota in the country and will take on Maruti Swift and Ritz, Hyundai i10 and i20, Tata Indica Vista, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra and Fiat Punto. But Toyota will have a mammoth task ensuring deliveries of the Liva are met promptly. Also read: Toyota Etios Liva vs Honda Brio vs Suzuki Swift and the rest

Toyota Etios launch, price, demand and waiting period

The Toyota Etios, launched on December 1st 2010, is the cheapest compact sedan in India starting at a competitive price of Rs. 4.96 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) that’s slam bang in the Swift Dzire and Tata Manza price bracket. Toyota has received bookings for more than 26,500 cars, which has led to waiting periods stretching as much as 7 months!

Toyota delivered 1,651 units and 2,686 units of Etios sedans during January and February 2011 respectively. The number of cars to be delivered in the following months will increase gradually once the second shift at Toyota’s plant begins. Related: Toyota Etios vs Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire

The Etios is powered by a 1,496 cc, 16-valve, DOHC, 4-cylinder engine that churns out 90 PS of power at 5,600 rpm and 132 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. It’s mated to a 5-speed manual transmission that doesn’t need frequent shifts.

During the Toyota Etios road test, we found the sedan to be a practical, budget saloon that’s easy to drive, great on interior space with enough leg room at the rear (550 litres boot space, too). Powered by a peppy engine that offer’s quick acceleration, the Etios returns a mileage of 17.6 kmpl (as per ARAI).

Toyota Etios Price of Different Variants: (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Model Colors Interiors Price

Etios J White, Silver Black Rs. 4.96 lakh

Etios G All six Black Rs. 5.46 lakh

Etios G + ABS, EBD All six Black Rs. 5.96 lakh

Etios V + ABS, EBD All six Black & grey Rs. 6.41 lakh

Etios VX + ABS, EBD All six Black & red Rs. 6.86 lakh

Via: dancewithshadows.com

Maruti Kizashi Features & Specifications in India is given below:

Six Speed manual Transmission

5 Seater Car with Four doors

3 spokes power steerting

Leather covered steering wheel

Tilt and telescopic adjustable Steering

Audio system, 7 Speakers

Instrument panel

AC vents

Storage boxes

Armrests and Cup holders

Split Folding Rear Seat

Macpherson strut suspension

Multi link frond and rear coil springs

17 inche alloy wheels

8 airbags (front, rear and curtain)

Pushbutton keyless start

Power steering

Windows and mirrors

Dual-zone climate control

EPS Stability control and ABS

Projector beam headlamps

Front vented Disk brakes

Rear Solid Disk brakes

Force limiter and height adjusters

LATCH Child seat tether anchorages x3

ISOFIX child seat anchorages

Child safety locks

Daytime Running Lights

Front wheel Drive

optional all wheel drive

Headlight cluster with headlamp

Turn indicators

Rain sensing automatic wiper

LED brake light cluster

CD/MP3 player

Energy-absorbing trim on pillars

Roof-side rails

Side impact rear door beams

Front seats

3-point ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor)

Seatbelts with pretensioner

Integrated bluetooth

Audio streaming

Wireless mobile phone integration

USB/iPod input port

Electronic stability program with TCS

Intelligent vehicle stability program

Anti-lock Braking System with EBD

Brake assist function

Vehicle security system Alarm

Dual-zone automatic climate control

Height adjustable driver’s seat

Adjustable rear heater vents

Power windows

Mirrors and door locks

Maruti Kizashi Engine Specification in India is given below:

- 2.4 litre petrol Engine

- 4 cylinder, 16 valves DOHC.

- Power – 185 hp @ 6,500 rpm

- Maximum torque – 170 Nm @ 4,000 rpm

Maruti Kizashi Mileage & Fuel Capacity in India is given below:

- City Mileage – 9 kmpl

- Highway Mileage – 12 kmpl

- Fuel Tank Capacity – 63 liter

Different Variants or Models of Maruti Kizashi Price in India in different cities of India is given below:

Ex Showroom Delhi Price: Rs 16,50,000* - Rs 17,50,000*

Ex Showroom Ahmedabad Price: Rs 16,62,858* - Rs 17,63,988*

Ex Showroom Bangalore Price: Rs 16,77,600* - Rs 17,78,300*

Ex Showroom Chennai Price: Rs 16,66,834* - Rs 17,66,647*

Ex Showroom Kolkata Price: Rs 16,89,680* - Rs 17,90,347*

Ex Showroom Mumbai Price: Rs 17,12,000* - Rs 18,15,900*

Mahindra has confirmed the launch of Mojo 300cc bike around Diwali this year. The motorcycle was introduced last year along with Mahindra Stallio 110cc. According to the original plan, Mahindra Mojo was to be launch in the first quarter of 2011, but, after Stallio face some technical problem, the company is not taking any chance with this one and wanted to assured that all sides of the Mojo were completely tested before launching the bike.

The Mahindra Mojo is powered by a 292cc engine that delivers 25 hp (19.3 kW) @ 8,500 rpm and 24 Nm @ 7000 rpm. The bike features dual exhausts, and has both front and rear disc brakes.

This engine of the bike will be loaded with Electronic Control Unit (ECU) ignition which is latest technology in the bike. The Mahindra Mojo will be available with expected price of Rs. 1.75 lakh which is same as a Honda CBR 250R and almost half of Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

Mahindra Mojo Features:

300cc, Liquid Cooled engine

DOHC technology with 4 valves

Ducati Energia EFI

Inverted shock absorbers

Gas charged Monoshock rear suspensions

Radial calliper breaking technology

Tear drop design

Double barreled exoframe

Twin retro headlamps with pilot LED’s

Dual exhausts

Lightweight alloy wheels

Digital display

India’s largest petal disc brakes

India’s widest rare tyres with tubeless technology

Led tail lamps

Mirror mounted indicators

Source: autoplugged.com

Greetings! Here is a piece of news that will certainly bring some questions on Bajaj because the company is again set to roll out Bajaj Discover 125 next month i.e. in April. According to the news, Bajaj will launch the bike in coming month. One can just say that they are coming up with nothing but variants of Discover.

Bajaj Discover Price in India:

Bajaj Discover 125cc Drum brake version – Rs.44,000

Bajaj Discover 125cc Disc brake version - Rs.47,000

Bajaj Discover 150cc – Rs.48,000!

According to the market conditions, Bajaj doesn’t want people to lose sight of their one of the best selling bikes and thus they are rolling its variants time and again. The company wants to take advantage of Discover’s popularity and one may expect lot more variants from them in future.

Bajaj Discover 125 is going to be launched in two variants i.e. a cheaper drum brake variant and another variant that sports a disk brakes. The cheaper drum brake version is expected to sell around 44,000 INR and the other with discs will be priced around 47,000 INR. Well, as you can see that there is not much of a difference between the two expect the brakes part and thus in my opinion the company might have to rework their pricing system. The pricing policy of the company needs a serious reworking because the Discover 150 sells at 48,000 INR. After these two versions come up, Bajaj will have many variants of the same bike; this will be confusing for people to come to a conclusion.

News has it that, the all new Discover 125 will have a sub brand that will be independent of Bajaj. This re-branding is Bajaj’s long time strategy to set different brand names for Pulsars and Discovers because they are so successful in the market.

Yet another interesting fact associated to the launch is that the company is looking to push Discover sales to 1.65 lakh units by mid 2011-2012. To sum up the whole scenario, Bajaj wants to double its Discover sales and set it as a separate brand and thus they are rolling out Discovers time and again.

Source: bikeadvice.in

India Yamaha is all ready to leap in Indian 250cc bike market with the launching of a 250cc bike in this year. In the same segment, Kawasaki Ninja 250R and Honda CBR 250R have attracted bike lovers; other companies are also working on 250cc bikes in India that include Bajaj Pulsar 250R, TVS Apache 250R and Suzuki GW250. The launch of the Yamaha 250cc bike is expected before end of this year or on Diwali. The new Yamaha 250cc bike is expected with competitor price range of between Rs. 1.75 lakhs to 2.0 lakhs.

Yamaha 250cc bike is expected in Yamaha FZ series and it might be loaded with a single cylinder fuel injected 250 cc engine with liquid cooling. It might be Naked motorcycle as Suzuki GW250. The bike will have general but aerodynamic body design and attractive graphics. This upcoming Yamaha 250cc bike might be loaded with dual disc brake and latest security system ABS as Honda CBR 250R. It would also have 4 valves and an adjustable monoshock at the rear. As other entry-level sports bikes, it is expected with fatter tyres to give it sporty and bold look in the segment.

Yamaha India is doing well in Indian market and having almost all the segment bikes from entry-level to supersports. The company is providing reliable and durable two-wheelers and recently launched Yamaha SZ that is awarded by 'Bike of the Year Award'. In Yamaha's portfolio Yamaha VMAX is the high-end super.

The new 250cc bike from Yamaha might be re-worked Yamaha Fazer or Yamaha FZ that come with 150cc engine, at present.

Source: BikeDekho.com

The amendments related to the Finance Sector will help in streamlining operations and boosting the economy.

Dr Pawan Goenka, President, SIAM welcomed the Union Budget 2011-12, terming it as a “Reform Oriented Budget”. Hon’ble Finance Minister has talked about several reform initiatives including roadmap for Direct Taxes Code, Constitutional Amendment Bill for Goods & Services Tax (GST) which would be tabled in the current session of the Parliament and also, pilot project across 11 states for implementation of IT towards GST introduction. The amendments related to the Finance Sector will help in streamlining operations and boosting the economy.

Mr S Sandilya, Vice President, SIAM added that the increase in flow of money to the rural areas from Rs. 3,75,000 crores to Rs. 4,75,000 crores would lead to demand creation in rural areas. However, this may also lead to increase in food inflation which one needs to keep a watch on. He added that the Hon’ble FM has also initiated a lot of course corrections, for instance, direct subsidy to Kerosene customers, which would remove a lot of malpractices from the system. Increase in investment in rural warehousing and encouragement for cold storage facilities is also a welcome move. He also welcomed increased allocation to the National Clean Energy Fund and National Skills Development Fund.

Dr Goenka remarked that Hon’ble FM has given a clear message to the industry by announcing setting up of National Mission for Hybrid and Electric Hybrid vehicles. He thanked the Department of Heavy Industry for taking it up on behalf of the industry. He also talked about several fiscal measures for promoting such vehicles including introduction of 10% excise duty for Fuel cell and Hydrogen vehicles, exemption to specified parts from Basic Customs Duty and CVD along with 5% excise duty, etc. which would provide a significant incentive to promote the development, manufacturing and sale of such vehicles in India.

The Hon’ble Finance Minister has also removed certain anomalies in the excise duty structure, which SIAM has been requesting for removal, like Taxi Refund extended to vehicles with seating capacity up to 13 persons and exemption to factory-built ambulances from additional excise duty.

Dr Goenka also welcomed that the Hon’ble FM has accepted our request of not rolling back the economic stimulus package and maintaining the Central CENVAT rate. The industry, however, was expecting some rationalization of excise duty on larger cars and utility vehicles, at least removal of additional excise duty of Rs. 15,000/- from such vehicles, which was not announced.

He hoped that the implementation of all the measures announced in the Union Budget today would fuel growth of overall economic activity and have a positive impact on the automotive industry.

Courtsey: indiainfoline.com

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. on Wednesday unveiled the luxurious sporty sedan Maruti Kizashi. The launch of Maruti Kizashi marked the company's entry into the premium luxury sedan segment.

Maruti Kizashi Booking Price in India:

Bookings for Maruti Kizashi can be done with an initial deposit money of Rs 50,000 at any Maruti dealer in India while the deliveries for the car will start only from March.

Maruti Kizashi Variants:
Maruti Kizashi will be available in India in two variants - manual transmission (MT) and continuous variable transmission (CVT).

Maruti Kizashi Price in India:
- The Maruti Kizashi MT is priced at Rs 16.5 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi), while the Kizashi CVT has been priced at Rs 17.5 lakhs.
- The Ex-Showroom price in Mumbai for the two Kizashi variants is: Rs 17.12 lakhs (MT) and Rs 18.16 lakhs (CVT).

Maruti Kizashi Colors:
The Kizashi will be available in 'Snow White Pearl', 'Super Black Pearl' and 'Premium Silver Metallic' colors.

Maruti Kizashi Mileage:
Maruti Kizashi offering excellent fuel efficiency of 12.53 Kmpl (CVT) and 12.45 Kmpl (6-speed MT).

Maruti Kizashi Features:
The Kizashi is powered by the celebrated 2.4 litre DOHC J–Series engine that ensures potent performance (maximum output: 178 PS @ 6,500rpm and a maximum torque: 230Nm @ 4,000rpm) while offering excellent fuel efficiency of 12.53 Kmpl (CVT) and 12.45 Kmpl (6-speed MT).

Maruti Kizashi Exterior:

Maruti Kizashi Interior:

Enjoy the Ride of India's First Luxury Sedan Maruti Kizashi

Most awaited car Maruti Kizashi is all set to be launched in the India on 2nd February, 2011. The Maruti Suzuki Kizashi will be available at a price rance of Rs. 12 to Rs. 15 lakh. Maruti Kizashi will be the competitor for of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis and Volkswagen Jetta at the lower end, and Honda Accord and Toyota Camry at the upper end.

As per a recent statement given to PTI, Maruti Suzuki India Managing Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Mayank Pareek said, "This (Kizashi) is our attempt to be future ready, as we believe the A4 and A5 segment (luxury) is going to grow. It is small at the moment but the way the economy is growing, this segment is going to be big."

"There are nine million Maruti Suzuki customers at present. Many of them want to move up and have been asking after the SX4, what next? What we are doing here is to provide them options in luxury segment," Mr. Pareek said.

Maruti Kizashi model will be launched in India in both manual and automatic transmission versions. Maruti Kizashi will be the most expensive car in India for Maruti Suzuki.

Tata Nano is one of the cheapest car of the world and the Tata Nano is available all over the India at cheaper rates. Tata Nano Diesel is on the card as well. Tata Nano Diesel will be launch around September 2011, as speculated in recent media reports.

Tata Nano Diesel will be the cheapest diesel car available in India. So far there is no diesel car in the segment A and A+. Earlier this month, the company had announced to offer open sales of the car at all of its 874 sales outlets spread across the Indian market.

With the New Year 2011 started, it's time to take a look at the cars expected in this year. 2010 was a bumper year for the Indian car fans with launches as the Etios, Figo, Micra and Polo. Now, as the Indian auto market is growing at its best pace ever, the auto biggies are eying to make the most of this ongoing high demand momentum by expanding their India portfolio.

Same as the scenario was throughout last year, a slew of new cars is ready to enter the Indian roads this year as well. Major car makers such as Maruti, GM, Ford, Honda, Nissan and Renault are gearing-up to launch their respective new portfolio car models in the Indian market. Here is a brief description of the much anticipated upcoming cars in India in year 2011.

Maruti Kizashi
Indian auto giant Maruti Suzuki is coming-up with a series of new cars in the country throughout this year. The most awaited among these is company’s high-profile premium sedan – Maruti Kizashi – that will be launched in the Indian market in the second half of January 2011. The Kizashi sedan would be sporting a 2.0L petrol engine and is expected to be shelved in the price segment of Rs 14 to 16 lakh. The major competitors of the Kizashi will be Toyota Corolla Altis, Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic. The car will be imported to the Indian market as a completely built unit (CBU) from Suzuki’s base market in Japan.

The Kizashi is Maruti’s first attempt to enter the premium sedan market, and will thus will be a very important and interesting event in the Indian car scenario.

Maruti SX4 Diesel
The SX4 diesel is yet another much awaited Maruti car in India that is expected to be rolled-out in the Indian market by the first quarter of year 2011. The new SX4 diesel variant will come powered by a 1.3L turbo charged diesel engine. The car is expected to be launched in the price segment of sub Rs 7 lakh. The company has in fact already started assembling the car at its Gurgaon plant.

New Maruti Swift and Swift Dzire
After launching the Kizashi and SX4 diesel in the first half of this year, the company plans to launch upgraded version of its popular premium hatchback Swift and volume driving entry level sedan Swift Dzire. The new Maruti Swift Dzire model is speculated to come with a shorter length (less than 4 meters) and also with price reduced by over Rs 40,000, due to lower taxes applicable. On the other hand the hatchback Swift is expected to come with a number of cosmetic changes at both exterior and interior front.

New Maruti Swift Spy Shots

Maruti Cervo
This is yet another Maruti car that is lined-up to hit the Indian roads by the end of this year. The Maruti Cervo will be placed in the price segment of sub Rs 2 lakh where it will be competing with the small car Tata Nano and Hyundai’s upcoming 800cc small car. It is expected to sport a 0.6L, 60 bhp engine and is claimed to be offering a segment leading fuel economy.

Given the car's specs and pricing, the Maruti Cervo is sure to be one of the most awaited launches this year!

Toyota Etios Liva
After launching the sedan version of Etios in the Dec 2010, Toyota is all set to launch the hatchback Etios Liva in the Indian market in April 2011. The car will be sporting a 1.2L petrol engine that is expected to deliver a peak power of 80 bhp. A concept version of this model was showcased at the Delhi auto expo in January 2010, where it had received an applauding response from the car enthusiasts. The car is expected to be launched in the price range of Rs 4 to 6 lakh where it will be competing with the likes of Maruti Swift, Hyundai i10, Ford Figo, Chevrolet Beat and Volkswagen Polo.

Renault Fluence
After splitting up with Mahindra, Renault is now looking at cracking the Indian market on its own. Plans are well underway and company has announced its Premium sedan Renault Fluence which will be rolled-out in the Indian market in May 2011.

The Fluence is expected to be set in the price segment of Rs 12 to 14 lakh where it will be competing with the likes of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis and Chevrolet Cruze. The company will commence the commercial production of this car in April 2011 at its Chennai facility.

Renault Koleos
Following the launch of sedan Fluence in May 2011, the company is planning to roll-out a compact luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) – Koleos – in the Indian market by sometime around October 2011.The new Renault Koleos will be competing with the likes of Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail and Ford Endeavour. The car is expected to be rolled out in the price segment of Rs 16 to 20 lakh.

Nissan's New Global Sedan
The Japanese auto giant Nissan that had launched its compact hatchback Micra in the Indian market in July 2010, is now gearing-up to launch its New Global Sedan in the Indian market by the last quarter of year 2011. The company has released sketches of the car and announced that is an all new car based on the Nissan V platform, common to the Micra.

The car is expected to be shelved in the price segment of sub Rs 7 lakh and will be fighting for space with the likes of Maruti Swift Dzire, Volkswagen Vento, Toyota Etios and Ford Fiesta.

Honda Brio

The Honda Brio is one of the most awaited cars in India that will be launched in the country in the upcoming Diwali season. The Honda Brio hatchback will be carrying a 1.2L petrol engine and is expected to be offered in the price segment of sub Rs 5 lakh. The major competitors of this model in the Indian market will be Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra, Chevrolet Beat, Hyundai i10 and upcoming Toyota Etios Liva.

The Brio will be Honda's first entry into the budget segment, thus forming another important event for the Indian market.

Hyundai’ New 800CC Small Car

Hyundai India is planning to launch its 800cc small car in the Indian market by the end of this year. The car will be shelved against the best selling Maruti Alto and the country’s cheapest car Tata Nano in the price segment of sub Rs 2 lakh. It will be the cheapest car in Hyundai’s India portfolio and expected to drive high volume for the company.

Besides the above hot favorites, there is a slew of other cars that is expected to be rolled-out in the Indian market this year. These cars include Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Sail, Chevrolet Spark Electric, Volkswagen Golf, Tata New Safari, Mahindra Mini-Xylo, a new mini-SUV from Maruti, new Volkswagen Jetta 2011and Passat 2011. For a full overview of the launches in India, please visit our Upcoming Cars section.

Chevrolet Camaro

Chevrolet Sail

Volkswagen Golf

New Tata Safari Spy Shots

Volkswagen Jetta

As we look forward to an exciting 2011, we hope you keep on visiting us to stay abreast of the latest in the Indian car market.

Courtsey: Cartradeindia.com