2014 Volvo S80

Facelifted Volvo S80 sports some styling changes on the outside and gets more equipment as well.

Swedish carmaker Volvo is all set to launch a facelift of its S80 sedan here on March 19. The facelifted Volvo S80 sports a smaller grille, new headlights with daytime-running lamps and revised front and rear bumpers. It also comes with new alloys.

There's also new equipment in the form of a new seven-inch touchscreen and in-car internet connectivity via a dongle or the user's internet-enabled phone.

The engine line-up remains the same with 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre diesel motors powering the base and the top-of-the-line model, respectively.

According to our sources, the 2014 Volvo S80 is likely to be priced at Rs 41.9 lakh for the base D4 model and Rs 45.5 lakh for the top D5 variant (all prices, ex-showroom, Mumbai).

Coutesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

Hyundai considering Genesis launch in India

Hyundai Genesis likely to be brought in as a CBU unit and will be launched with a 3.8-litre V6 engine here.

Hyundai has launched its next-generation Genesis luxury sedan globally. The Korean carmaker plans to bring its flagship sedan to India, albeit in limited numbers, and the car will serve as a halo product in the carmaker’s portfolio. Hyundai’s luxury offering, the Genesis sedan will come here through the CBU route and is expected to be priced at around Rs 45 lakh. 

Internationally, the Genesis is available with two engines. A 3.8-litre V6 that makes 311bhp and a more powerful 5.0-litre V8 that produces a hefty 420bhp. Both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels. However, the 3.8-litre variant also comes with an optional all-wheel-drive system. Apart from standard equipment you can expect in a luxury sedan, the Hyundai Genesis also offers a large 9.2-inch high definition touchscreen interface and a 17-speaker Lexicon audio setup. Also, at 4,990mm in length, the Genesis is slightly longer than the Mercedes E-class.

Hyundai is expected to launch the 3.8-litre variant here and while the estimated price-tag of Rs 45 lakh may seem a bit pricey, the Hyundai Genesis can easily rival luxury German sedans as far as equipment and power are concerned. The only thing it falls short on is badge value ¬– the Indian buyer may be reluctant to spend so much money on a Hyundai badge. 

Courtesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

Geneva 2014: Mitsubishi shows two new concepts

Both Mitsubishi XR-PHEV and GC-PHEV will be offered with plug-in hybrid powertrains.

Mitsubishi Motors gave sizable clues about two crucial forthcoming production models at Geneva, both of them due in the next three years, and both slated to be offered with plug-in hybrid powertrains. The XR-PHEV and GC-PHEV concepts, first shown in Tokyo last November, preview closely the next ASX crossover and Pajero/Shogun models respectively.

The former suggests Mitsubishi’s Qashqai-chaser is in for much more adventurous styling in its second generation. 

Wearing a much bolder waterfall-style radiator grille than the current car, more aggressive bumper styling and much more sculptural surfacing, the XR-PHEV demonstrates a newfound sense of confidence and identity from Mitsubishi.

In production form it will feature a simplified version of the Outlander PHEV’s petrol-electric powertrain with a smaller engine-generator and only one electric motor rather than two. The GC-PHEV shows how Mitsubishi plans to execute a replacement for the Shogun full-sized SUV. “Shoguns are hard-working utility machines as well as large luxury passenger cars,” a company spokesperson told us. “The rugged styling of the ‘GC’ concept speaks to that identity.”

A diesel-electric version of the PHEV powertrain could yet be signed off for the car to ensure lowest-possible CO2 emissions.

Coutesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

Bentley SUV

Bentley to launch SUV in 2016; plug-in hybrid version planned as well.

Bentley has 2,000 pre-orders for the SUV it will launch at the beginning of 2016, and the British company is now plotting a plug-in hybrid version of the vehicle as well. The first prototype of the SUV has already tested in South Africa and will commence winter testing in Northern Europe in April.

The design's exterior and interior have now both been signed off by the Volkswagen Group board. Company sources report that the latest creation is less boxy and more "Bentley-like" than the EXP 9 F concept that was first shown in 2012.

Bentley's target is to sell 15,000 vehicles per annum by 2018. Its sales last year were 10,120. Wolfgang Schreiber, Bentley's chief executive and chairman, said the target can be reached using the marque's existing model range, plus the SUV. The SUV will be built in Crewe, Schreiber confirmed.

The plug-in hybrid version of the SUV is expected to be launched in 2017, before any diesel is considered. The plug-in should offer an electric range of 30-40km. It will still feature a big engine, because "it's the Bentley way". Company chiefs haven't decided which engine and electric motor combination will be used, although the existing V8 seems a strong contender.

The SUV might not mark the end of Bentley's future ambitions. Schreiber said he "could imagine" a luxurious smaller car, perhaps a coupé, that would be built in a limited production run.

Courtesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

Jeep mulling bigger SUV

New model likely to bring back Grand Wagoneer nameplate; company boss also says demand for electric Jeeps slowly growing.

Jeep will turn its attentions to launching a model bigger than the current range-topping Grand Cherokee, company chief Mike Manley has revealed at the Geneva motor show. The new model is set to bring back the Grand Wagoneer nameplate to the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group brand.

Manley said the model was unlikely to come to Europe. Beyond the Grand Wagoneer, Manley said he didn’t see there being many other SUV segments left to discover, other than a model smaller than the new supermini-sized Renegade the firm launched at the show.

“There might be the emergence of a small A-segment SUV,” he said. “But it’s not for Jeep at the moment. There’ll be those who will be pushing down there, but before we do it, we’d need to know we can be capable off-road. 

Manley also said the demand from customers for a future electric or hybrid Jeep “was slowly growing” and the firm was ready to respond should the demand pick up to a level that can make a business case.

Courtesy: AutoCarIndia dot com

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG

Powering this top-spec CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake is expected to be the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine as in the A45 AMG hatch.

The upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake has been spotted testing for the first time ahead of its scheduled international launch next year.

While almost identical to the standard CLA45 AMG at the front, the rear of the sport brake is expected to get an all-new AMG-styled bumper and the same quad exhausts as the A45 AMG hatchback. 

The CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake is the performance variant of the planned CLA Shooting Brake range, which will become the fifth and final model selection to sit on Mercedes' MFA platform. Other models already using the compact front and all-wheel-drive architecture include the A and B-class, the new GLA and the regular CLA. The new Shooting Brake range was formally announced in 2012.

CLA Shooting Brake models will retain a similar silhouette to the larger CLS Shooting Brake, especially around the roofline; the car also appears to have kept the same rear light clusters as the standard CLA.

Powering this top-spec CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake is expected to be the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine as in the A45 AMG hatch. That means 355bhp and 45.9kgm of torque. 

Other engines set to power the rest of the CLA Shooting Brake range should echo the current CLA line-up. That means an entry-level four-cylinder 1.8-litre diesel engine with 136bhp, rising to a 170bhp 2.0-litre unit in the AMG-tuned version. Petrol engines should be lead by a base 122bhp 1.6-litre unit, rising to a 211bhp 2.0-litre AMG unit higher up.

While both the standard Mercedes CLA compact sedan and the CLA45 AMG is expected to come to India, there is no news of the the Shooting Brake to make it to our showrooms.

Coutesy: AutoCarIndia dot com