2012 Tata Safari Storme SUV

The new 2012 Tata Safari Storme SUV is out! The Tata Safari SUV has been around for a long time, almost a decade and a half. First beginning life as a well equipped Indian SUV that has been within the reach of the middle class SUV buyer, the Safari has come to become a cult of sorts with a steady set of owners who swear by their Safaris. Though not as big a seller, as say the Mahindra Scorpio, the Safari has always been that SUV for the discerning buyer who likes to stand out. In that vein, the Safari has had a streak of individuality about it, be it the very first 2 Liter TCIC diesel engined version to the latest 2.2 Liter VariCor turbo diesel motor engined model.

2012 Tata Safari Storme SUV Front

Audi Vs BMW Markets in India

The battle of the Teutons just got interesting even as Audi India edged passed competitor and compatriot BMW India in the June 2012 sales. Audi managed to sell 759 cars amidst difficult market conditions even as BMW could manage only 750 units, 9 units lesser than that of Audi India. The Volkswagen group owned car maker Audi is fast catching up with BMW in terms of sales in the Indian car market on the back of new launches and aggressive price positioning. While Audi aims to displace BMW from the top perch in India by 2014, the sales momentum currently seems to heavily be in Audi’s favor to achieve that feat much earlier.

2012 Audi Q3 Crossover SUV

2012 Hyundai Elantra Fluidic Sedan

Hyundai India has yet again put the proposed diesel engine plant on the back burner even as the Indian government’s policy uncertainty on diesel fuel’s pricing and the taxation on diesel engined cars remains an unknown area. Due to these factors, the South Korean automaker is not yet certain of setting up a diesel engine manufacturing plant with an investment of INR 400 Crores at its existing production facility at Sriperumbudur, off Chennai. Currently, Hyundai imports all its diesel engines from South Korea. The car maker has been contemplating a diesel engine manufacturing plant in India for a while now.

2012 Hyundai Elantra Fluidic Sedan

2012 F30 BMW 3 Series Sedan

BMW India will launch the all new 3 Series sedan, a very important car for the German luxury car maker, on the 3rd of August, 2012. The F30 3 Series sedan is the latest in the 3 series range and in its latest iteration, the car is both bigger on the outside and the inside. A grown up 3 Series sedan is what the F30 model actually is, with the length increasing by 93 mm, wheelbase by almost 2 inches and width by 1.5 inches. This car will be instrumental in BMW India fending off competitor and compatriot Audi,which is close on the heels of BMW in terms of sales figures in India.

2012 F30 BMW 3 Series Sedan

2012 Ford Classic Titanium Sedan

India has dumped the Fiesta moniker from the previous generation Fiesta, also known as the Fiesta Classic. The change in name could be due to the fact that Ford already has the replacement of the Fiesta sedan selling in India as the all new Fiesta. In a bid for brand differentiation, the Ford Fiesta Classic will now be known as the Ford Classic.

2012 Ford Classic Titanium Sedan

2012 Mercedez Benz B-Class MPV Sports Tourer

Mercedes Benz India will unveil the B-Class Sports Tourer on the 19th of July, 2012. The B-Class will be positioned as a sports tourer and will be the German luxury car brand’s least priced offering in India. The car is expected to generate big volumes for Mercedes Benz India even as the brand tries to fight its way back to the top. Currently, Mercedes Benz is the third largest luxury car maker in India, after BMW and Audi. Mercedes Benz will assemble the the B-Class Sports Tourer in India through the completely knocked down(CKD) at Chakan, off Pune.

2012 Mercedes Benz B-Class Sports Tourer

2012 Renault Duster SUV

Renault India has just launched the Duster SUV, its fourth product for the Indian car market, in barely over a year of the Fluence breaking cover sometime last year. Marc Nassif, the Managing Director of Renault India did the unveiling honors. The Duster SUV has been launched both in petrol and diesel engined variants. The SUV can seat five adults and comes in front wheel guise for the Indian market. Coming to the all important pricing of the car, Renault India has done quite well to price the base petrol model of the Duster at INR 7.19 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

Hero MotoCorp Laucnhes Ignitor 125

The country’s largest two wheeler maker and the world’s largest two wheeler maker by volume, Hero MotoCorp, has just launched their second product for this year, the 2012 Hero Ignitor motorcycle. This motorcycle, which was first showcased at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo is essentially a rebadged and restyled Honda CB Stunner. The Hero Ignitor 125, however will get only the carburetted version instead of the fuel injection that is available on the top end variant of the CB Stunner. The rest of the specifications of the Ignitor 125 are bog similar to that of the Stunner.

2012 Hero Ignitor 125cc Motorcycle

Rumor of Honda Jazz based crossover

Japanese automaker Honda could be the latest amongst the increasing crop of car makers wanting a pie of the fast expanding compact SUV and crossover range. The Honda Jazz hatchback, a spacious and practical car that has been a big seller for Honda across the globe could be the base for the crossover.This is pretty much what WhatCar has managed to glean from sources in the know about this project. For now though, it remains to be seen when the Jazz based crossover will debut in markets across the world as there has been no time frame revealed just as yet.

2012 Honda Jazz Hatchback used as an illustration

2012 Mahindra Maxximo CNG Mini Pick Up Truck

Mahindra &Mahindra has launched the CNG version of the Maxximo mini pick up truck at Delhi. The CNG variant of this mini pick up truck is priced at INR 3.99 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi. Pitted at the Tata Ace mini pick up truck, which has been the market leader in the segment it helped create, the Maxximo has been a decent success for Mahindra. Mahindra also has a passenger van variant of the Maxximo, which does duty in the semi-urban and rural parts of India as a people mover. The Maxximo is the only vehicle in it category to feature common rail diesel injection engine technology.

2012 Mahindra Maxximo CNG Mini Pick Up Truck

2012 Honda Civic Sedan

The new 2012 Honda Civic that was launched in markets globally many months ago is apparently a no-show for the Indian car market. According to AutocarIndia Editor Hormazd Sorabjee, the Japanese automaker is not planning to launch the new Civic to replace the older model, that has been around in India for quite a while now. Honda’s reluctance to launch the new 2012 Civic sedan in India stems from the lack of a diesel engine in its portfolio. Also, the car has been a dud in many markets across the world, with critics vociferously panning the car for being a damp squib in terms of the update.

2012 Honda Civic Sedan

Market Rumors flow about 2012 Mercedez Benz B-Class

Mercedes Benz India has made no bones about the fact that it intends to capture back market share that it has lost to competitors and compatriots, Audi and BMW over the past couple of years or so, with a slew of product launches aiming to bring in big volumes. The first car in this new crop of Mercs will be the 2012 B-Class Sports Tourer, which could break cover as early as July 2012, according to a report carried by our friends over at Overdrive. The 2012 B-Class sport tourer will be Mercedes Benz India’s entry level product, competing in the same price range as that of the Audi Q3 and the BMW X1 crossovers.

2012 Mercedes Benz B-Class Sports Tourer

2012 Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS Delhi Ex-Showroom Price INR85,000

In line with its strategy of launching the Pulsar 200 NS in a phased manner across the country, Bajaj Auto has now made its flagship motorcycle available at the country’s capital, New Delhi. The Pulsar 200 NS was first launched in Maharashtra a couple of weeks ago, in a low key launch ceremony held at Pune. The motorcycle is priced at INR 85,000 ex-showroom Delhi, which translates into on on-road price of INR 94,300. This launch now represents the first instance of the Pulsar 200 NS being available in the northern part of India. The Pulsar 200 NS will be launched on other parts of the country in the next couple of months.

2012 Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS

2012 Hyundai Elantra Fluidic Sedan

Hyundia India has begun testing the 2012 Elantra Sedan sans camouflage hinting at a launch that could happen in the near future. The Elantra Fluidic, which was showcased at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo, is also known as the Avante in international markets. This D-segment car has been a huge success for Hyundai globally and when the car arrives into India, it will be a long due replacement for the now-discontinued Elantra sedan, which the South Korean car maker used to sell in the country many years ago. The uncamouflaged 2012 Elantra Fluidic car has been spotted on the outskirts of Chennai, a city which plays host to Hyundai’s Indian factory.

2012 Hyundai Elantra Fluidic Sedan Spyshot

Launch of 2012 Renault Duster SUV at UK

Renault India has begun building the Duster SUV at its Oragadam factory off Chennai, which it shares with Japanese alliance partner Nissan. The 2012 Duster SUV will be exported to the United Kingdom, where the SUV has just been launched at a starting price of GBP 8,995, which corresponds to an equivalent of about INR 8 lakhs. The SUV is available in both petrol and diesel engined variants for the UK market, just like it is in India. However, the UK spec Duster gets only two engine tunes. The 1.6 Liter petrol engine produces a peak power of 105 PS while the 1.5 Liter K9K diesel engine produces 110 PS-240 Nm.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

2012 Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel Sedan

The Chevrolet Optra Magnum, which first began life as the Daewoo Nubira and then the Lacetti is a South Korean car that has been selling in India for more than half a decade, in the form of the Optra initially, and then as the Optra Magnum. The car, which sits in the Indian C-segment in terms of positioning is available only with a turbo diesel engine heart, and a stonker at that, with 120 Bhp of peak power and 305 Nm of peak torque. The car, although priced well never really took off in India. Now, the car has reached the end of its model life cycle with GM India planning to discontinue it over the next few months.

2012 Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel Sedan

2012 Fiat Grande Punto Hatchback Facelift

Italian automaker Fiat has just launched the Punto hatchback with a mid career facelift in the UK market. The 2012 Punto, as the facelifted is known as, comes with many changes on the cosmetics front. The car gets brand new headlamps and fog lamps along with a new front bumper. Overall, the look of the car from the front has been changed quite a bit when compared to the existing model. The rear of the car also gets a makeover with a new bumper, a new tail gate design and new tail lamps. The interiors also get a once over with new materials used.

2012 Fiat Grande Punto Hatchback Facelift

Facelifted Tata Winger expected to get 2.2 Liter DICOR Turbo Diesel Engine

Our roving eye in the sky, EarthFusion, is back with a juicy bit about the Tata Winger. Tata Motors is testing a 2. Liter DICOR turbo diesel engine on Winger MPV. The Tata Winger MPV, a van that is strikingly similar to the previous generation Renault Traffic, will get a makeover in the future and along with the facelift, the 2.2 Liter DICOR engine is said to be big change. Currently, the 2.2 Liter DICORturbo diesel engine is used in a range of Tata vehicles, ranging from the Sumo Grande to the top of the line Aria crossover. However, on the Winger, the engine is expected be in a state of tune similar to that on the Sumo Grande.

2012 Tata Winger MPV

2012 Chevrolet Sail Hatchback India

The 2012 Chevrolet Sail hatchback will be launched in India before the Indian festive season of Dusshera-Diwaliand this car will be positioned in the B+ hatchback space, populated by the likes of the Maruti Swift, the Hyundai i20 and the Ford Figo. This car will replace the Aveo U-VA hatchback, which has been a perennial dud for GM India, ever since it was launched in the Indian market many summers ago. The 2012 Sail hatchback, developed by GM’s Chinese partner SAIC, will also bring a key change to the table, in the form of a diesel engine under the hood.

2012 Chevrolet Sail Hatchback India

2012 Renault Duster SUV Pre-Launch Advertisement for India

Renault India is betting big on the Duster SUV, that the French automaker plans to launch in the country on the 4th of July, 2012. Renault has begun sending out emails to prospective Duster customers across the country even as many Renault dealers across India have already begun accepting bookings for this hot new product. Renault has chosen to position the duster SUV as an alternative to sedans, and this is quite evident in the pre-launch advertisement which shows sedan owners glum about not owning a Duster SUV, which is shown performing a variety of off road activities, the exclusive preserve of an SUV.

2012 Renault Duster SUV