Maruti Suzuki launches A-star

New Delhi, November 19, 2008

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited unveiled the much-awaited, World Strategic Model, A-star here today. Powered by the new, state-of-the-art, light weight, 998cc K10B petrol engine, A-star is the best in class fuel-efficient car with a mileage of 19.59 kilometers per litre, as tested by ARAI, Pune, country's premier automotive research agency. Built on a brand new platform, the A-star is an excellent city car with best in class turning radius, power, flat torque (minimum gearshifts) and performance. A-star is truly a green car with no compromise. The newest model meets the European ELV norms, which implies that 85 per cent of the car is recyclable. In addition, it is free from hazardous materials like Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and Chromium. The A-star was launched in the city by Mr. RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited and other senior company officials. The A-star has been designed keeping in mind aspirations of the urban economy-conscious customers, who seek best-in-class fuel efficiency, lower emission, and high quality and high performance alongwith style. It also takes the engine technology in India to the next level. A-star is the most relevant car that addresses the needs of today's customers be it India or any other part of the world. A-star is Maruti Suzuki's eighth vehicle launched in less than 40 months. It reinforces Maruti Suzuki's dominance in the highly competitive A2 segment where Maruti Suzuki holds a whopping 55% market share. Positioned in the premium A2 segment and targeted towards urban young professionals, the stylish, sporty and youthful A-star delivers a fantastic driving experience with futuristic looks. This new car, built under the slogan - small cars for big future - stems from Suzuki's commitment to make India the global hub for small cars. This car is Suzuki's fifth World Strategic Model. The A-star, produced at company's Manesar plant is being launched with a high 95 per cent indigenization levels.

A Brand New Engine and Transmission

The A-star is the first car from Maruti Suzuki to be fitted with the new KB Series engine. The K10B engine on the A-star is carefully designed to meet the current and forthcoming environment norms in India as well as in the advanced markets of the Western world. In India, the engine conforms to the present BS-III emission norms The KB series engine plant, built at an investment of Rs 1,200 Crore, is an outcome of over three years of design and development in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation. The new-generation three-cylinder, light-weight aluminum K10B engine is a major initiative undertaken by the company towards offering latest technology to its customers. Maruti Suzuki engineers have put together a host of innovative technologies to enhance performance, minimise friction and provide high acceleration. The engine offers power of 67ps @ 6200 rpm and torque of 90nm @ 3500 rpm. The flat torque curve comes in handy while negotiating the stop-go city traffic conditions with ease. The engine has undergone over 250,000 km of endurance testing and over 500 hours of engine calibration and 7,500 hours of engine validation on dynamometer.

Driving Comfort

With a turning radius of 4.5 meters and a ground clearance of 170 mm, the A-star is suitable for all Indian conditions, including congested areas and potholed roads. The A-star boasts of a unique all-round gas damped suspension, making rides much more comfortable, and also reducing wear and tear resulting in a low maintenance cost. The A-star has a front suspension frame for excellent handling. Front and rear suspensions have been fine-tuned for enhanced riding comfort with perfect handling on Indian road conditions. Ultra high-grade steel used in coil springs provides high rigidity and agility for passenger comfort.

Safety

Some important safety features on the A-star include:

Crushable structure energy dispersing frame and a high rigidity body combined with lightness Airbags and ABS

The A-star's body reflects the Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) concept in the form of crushable structures that absorb impact energy and then disperse impact energy away from occupants in the event of a collision.

Aesthetics: A class apart

Interiors: The interior of A-star boasts of a refreshing mix of modernity and ethnicity. The smart tacho pod, digital trip meter, odometer, fuel gauge, clock, an integrated music system with AUX-in facility, a short-throw 6-gear shift and a sporty steering, together offer an unmatched experience. A floating cockpit design, sculpted aero-dashboard and wrap-around console add to the overall engaging sporty theme. The crimson illumination that is gentle to the eyes and has stress relieving properties, has been integrated soberly in the interiors. Exteriors: The design reflects the contemporary European tastes with apportioned cabin layouts. Besides aerodynamic looks, the car's exterior has numerous interesting features such as sweeping expressive lamps, comet shaped tail lamps, and a wide sporty grille that also offers good engine ventilation. One of the most striking features that capture attention is the highly contoured rear bumper which brings in the cool quotient to the premium A2 segment car. A-star car is available in three variants: LXi, VXi and the top-end fully loaded ZXi. An array of nine vibrant colours, together with three new ones, include

Desert Brown * Supreme White Bright Red Paradise Blue * Sunlight Cooper Midnight Black Healing Green * Silky Silver Azure Grey

* New colours

Exports

The A-star will be made in over 200 variants and exported to around 150 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, Australia and Africa. The A-star will contribute half of Maruti Suzuki's overall export target of 200,000 units by 2010-11. As announced earlier, the company plans to commence exports of A-star in early 2009, to Europe.

Price

Introductory Prices of A-star in DELHI are:

Model City Ex-Showroom (Rs) A-star Lxi Delhi 346775 A-star Vxi Delhi 374775 A-star Zxi Delhi 411775

Page Rank Updated for Indywheels

Indywheels got an update in the page rank from PR1 to PR2 with 27th Sept Google PR update.

In general Google has been generous in PR this time as many of my blogs received a higher PR this time like:

http://homejobsblog.blogspot.com/
http://myfirstwebhome.blogspot.com/
http://indywheels.blogspot.com/
http://mysitereview.blogspot.com/

I didn't notice any loss in PR on any of my blogs.

Kudos Google... and Thanks for the updates.. :)

New Honda City 2008, Some more pics

here are some more pics I found. The model shown is Left hand drive and the interiors are those to be sported on European model.

Asian model will be Right hand driven and the interiors will be slightly stripped down.

Front grill of the new Honda City


Stylish Side profile of the new Honda City


Notice the new changed boot and lights, The design has some similarities with the first model of Honda City.

Stylish console and steering mounted controls. Tis may not be a standard feature on Indian models.


Three spoke wheel similar to that of Civic and Manual transmission
Boot Space on new Honda City seems to be more than the previous model.

Here are the Features which have been revamped in the new city.

More pics of soon to be launched Honda Jazz

Here are some pics of soon to be launched honda Jazz.

Honda Jazz has already been posted earlier here: http://indywheels.blogspot.com/2008/03/honda-jazz-fit.html

Maruti Suzuki's compact A-Star

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki's compact A-Star, which will be launched in October, is expected to surpass the earlier strict emission norms announced by the company.

Emission from the A-Star not only complies with the Euro 3 (Bharat-3) norms that are operational in 13 Indian cities, including Delhi, but also geared to meet stringent emission norms that will be implemented across Europe in the coming years.

Here are some pics from the Auto Expo of A-Star.


The A-Star is all about brutality, to me. It is all about looks. Brutal looks. Take the headlamps for instance, they appear to be like an angry elephant’s droopy eyes. How cool is that! The imposing grille with translucent crossmember looks menacing. And then is the airdam which is rounded off by the stylish and sharp fog lamps. How on earth can anyone mistake this car for anything else!


The teardrop roofline, the muscular wheel arches and that eccentric rear view mirror all add to the sense of dynamism. As mad as the front end of the car is, the rear does is equally so. It is simple, without frills but aggressive still. The sharp-edged tail lamps are mounted high up not only to accentuate the bold ‘S’ badge but also to enhance safety by making it highly visible. The rear diffuser has integrated exhaust pipes to complete the picture.


Maruti Suzuki A-star: The newly developed A-star platform is based on the much successful Suzuki’s alto platform. A-star shares the same 2360mm wheelbase of other cars built on Alto platform. A-star will be the first car to be produced solely in India.

Maruti Suzuki A-star: A-star will be priced in the range of Rs3-4lakh and would be out in October (around Diwali). Though this new A-star will replace the Alto in European markets, A-star will co-exist with the Alto and Wagon R in India. It wont be priced below 3 lacks as the rumors might have floated some time back.

New Toyota Corolla 2008

The world’s Best seller “The Toyota Corolla” looks a disguise of the latest Camry in its 10th incarnation. Corolla represents the symbol of perfection which made Toyota manufacture over 30 million corolla’s in over 150 countries, making it the worlds highest selling car. Now its all set to launch in India in the first week of September 2008 with its new fresh look. Toyota has taken the outer design looks from its Camry sedan and slapped them on to the Corolla. Mainly, the car front grill and headlamps are the first things you would notice about the New Corolla. Though the engine remains the same as the previous model it is fine tuned for better performance. When you drive this latest version of the corolla you’ll feel it handles much better than the Honda Civic.



Sharing the design cues from the Camry, the new corolla will be the much needed boost that Toyota needs, since the Civic has beaten the existing corolla sales wise into a corner.



The “New Toyota Corolla” exudes a much younger and sportier nature. The soft, distinct lines cut, define their way from front to rear as they flow over the headlamps, past the bonnet and running the length of the sides before gently dissolving at the trunk. Toyota calls this modeling process a “Sweep Cut” , which is basically one of their forms of car sculpting & the same has been used in the latest Camry. This Corolla has character in terms of styling & performance compared to its predecessor, but its no comparison to the Civic which is leaps forward in its futuristic design.




Interiors: Have been done nicely with an uncluttered dash, beige two tone color scheme.Keeping with the trend, the interiors have been ergonomically designed & the steering wheel comes with auto, multi-information system & Climate controls. The seating positions have been strategically handled by removing the hump on the rear floor which gives you comfortable support & can swallow 3 adults at the rear.There is ample amount of storage space with 475L boot & with the new split glove box it becomes quite a novel way to utilize the space.



Engine & Power: This 1.8L VVT-i power horse pumps in 130 BHP with ease.There is enough power at your disposal & an efficiently facilitated 15″ discs for effective braking. Dual airbags, brake-assist, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and an anti-theft System, all of it come as standard.



Toyota now offers something that will take the Honda Civic head on in the indian market. Lets hope it fares well and “The Toyota Corolla” legacy continues…

Fiat 500 Launched

The two-door lifestyle model from Fiat, the Fiat 500, was launched in India at a ceremony in Mumbai on 18th July 2008.



It would be available in two variants in the Indian market. The Fiat 500 a 4-cylinder, in line engine that delivers 75bhp@4000rpm & the 1248cc Common Rail Multijet direct injection with supercharger and intercooler engine which is capable of producing a peak torque of 145Nm@1500rpm.



Though a small car it DOESN'T come under the class of so called "SMALL CAR" in India.
The car competes with the likes of Volkswagen Beetle and BMW built Mini Cooper, yet another retro designed lifestyle car in Europe. The fight will continue in India as well as BMW is planning to bring the Mini to India too. Volkswagen is believed soon to follow.



"We expect to sell the Fiat 500 to people who want to make an automotive statement but don't want to show-off with another big limousine," the Fiat spokesperson added. "We expect it to be a hit with the celebrity circuit and trendsetters in the metros since they are aware of the value a genuine lifestyle statement the 500 makes."



Though only 3.55 metres long, the New Fiat 500 is safer than some of the bigger cars and has already received a five star rating in EuroNCAP tests. The car features seven airbags (an industry first for a car in its class) including a knee-bag. All cars feature electronic stability programme - yet another luxury car feature.



Fiat 500 is going to be sold here as a completely built unit (CBU) and would be made available in two versions; Lounge and Sport. Both the versions are priced at Rs 14,82,500 (ex-showroom, Delhi).



Here is the official site if you want to take a look
http://www.fiat-india.com/

New Honda City 2008

Honda is planning to launch the fourth avataar of Honda City. The new Honda City 2008 is expected to be launches late 2008. The new Honda City seems bigger and stronger.



Interestingly the New Honda City is going to be launched in India first and will be followed by the global launch. India seems to be the biggest market for Honda City and the domestic competition has also toughened a lot lately.



Its likely to sport a i-Vtec 1.5L gasoline (petrol) engine but with more power to punch in, 119ps@6000rpm. City is well known to be the most fuel efficient car in its segment, With these specs the New Honda City might also be the most powerful in the segment.



Check out more Pics for new Honda City.


New Honda City 2008, Some more pics
http://indywheels.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-honda-city-2008-some-more-pics.html

Hyundai India Cars Prices and Models Sites

Hyundai Motor India
http://www.hyundai.co.in/

Hyundai i10
http://www.hyundaii10.co.in

i 10 D-Lite (Solid)	337174
i 10 D-Lite (Metalic)	340787
i 10 Era (Solid)	372878
i 10 Era (Metalic)	376489
i 10 Magna (Solid)	396655
i 10 Magna (Metalic)	399998
i 10 Magna O(Solid)	470747
i 10 Magna O(Metalic)	474360
i 10 Magna-O with Sunroof (Solid)	485967
i 10 Magna - O with Sunroof (Metalic)	489579

Hyundai Santro Xing
http://www.santroxing.com/

Euro III NonA/C (Solid)		265132
Euro III NonA/C (Metallic)		268720
Euro III GL (Solid)		332794
Euro III GL (Metallic)		336385
Euro III GLS (Solid)		351857
Euro III GLS (Metallic)		355448
Euro III GLS AT(Solid)		396557
Euro III GLS AT (Metallic)		399997
CNG Kit Available for Rs. 52,000

Hyundai Getz Prime
http://www.getzprime.co.in/

GETZ GLE 1.1		394088
GETZ GVS 1.1		426096
GETZ GVS 1.1 175 tyre + Rear spoiler		433463
GETZ GVS 1.3		443449
GETZ GLS 1.3		464450
GETZ GLX 1.3		498548
GETZ GVS 1.5 CRDi		564548

Hyundai Accent
http://hyundai.co.in/accentwebsite/index.html

Accent GLE		499903
CNG Kit Available for Rs. 56,500

Hyundai Verna
http://www.hyundaiverna.co.in/

Verna i	649190
Verna Xi	667667
Verna XXi	725781
Verna XXi_ABS	745818
Verna CRDi	764273
Verna CRDi_ABS	786319
Verna CRDiSX	814499
Verna CRDiSX_ABS	836544

Hyundai Sonata Embera
http://hyundai.co.in/sonatawebsite/index.html

SONATA MT(Fabric)		1238562
SONATA MT(L)		1268611
SONATA AT(F)		1298671
SONATA AT(L)		1328716
SONATA CRDi(MT)		1377016

Hyundai Tuscan
http://www.hyundai.co.in/tucson/

Maruti Prices and Models Sites

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd
http://www.marutisuzuki.com/

Maruti 800
http://www.maruti800.com/
prices:
M800 STD LPG 205981.67 208362.86
M800 A/C LPG 226476.94 228858.14
M800 STD (WITH IMMOBILISER) 190981.66 193362.85
M800 AC (WITH IMMOBILISER) 211476.95 213858.15

Maruti Alto
http://www.marutialto.com/

ALTO STD 231190.43 234446.99
ALTO LXI 281452.29 284708.85
ALTO LX 263444.01 266700.60

Maruti Omni
http://www.marutiomni.com/

OMNI E STD 8-STR 221287.22 223851.18
OMNI STD 5-STR 219578.59 221959.81
OMNI AMBULANCE 255390.04 255390.04
OMNI CARGO 221439.84 224080.31
OMNI LPG STD 5st 230980.42 233361.62
OMNI LPG CARGO 199148.86 201551.67

Maruit ZEN Estillo
http://www.marutizen.com/

MARUTI ZEN ESTILO LXI 341035.71 344292.28
MARUTI ZEN ESTILO VXI 393100.93 396357.50
MARUTI ZEN ESTILO VXI 365347.87 368604.44
MARUTI ZEN ESTILO LX 313281.45 316538.02

Maruti WagonR
http://www.marutiwagonr.com/

MARUTI WAGON R LXI DUO 367353.07 370609.64
MARUTI WAGON R LX DUO 340504.92 343761.49
MARUTI WAGON R LXI 346837.01 350093.58
MARUTI WAGON R VXI 399438.12 402694.69
MARUTI WAGON R VXI 369868.47 373125.04
MARUTI WAGON R LX 322877.84 326134.41
R AX (Automatic) 438531.04 441787.61

Maruti Swift
http://www.marutiswift.com/

SWIFT LDI 478015.72 478015.72
SWIFT VDI 513210.65 513210.65
SWIFT VDI (ABS) 532356.46 532356.46
SWIFT LXI 399989.73 399989.73
SWIFT VXI 443874.14 443874.14
SWIFT VXI (ABS) 463724.73 463724.73
SWIFT ZXI (ABS) 525588.66 525588.66

Maruti Swift DZire
http://www.marutidzire.com/

Swift Dzire Ldi 557006.48 557006.48
Swift Dzire Vdi 603007.01 603007.01
Swift Dzire Zdi 688006.54 688006.54
Swift Dzire Lxi 467006.48 467006.48
Swift Dzire Vxi 515007.01 515007.01
Swift Dzire Zxi 608006.57 608006.57

Maruti SX4
http://www.marutisx4.com/

SX4 VXI 655735.40 655735.40
SX4 ZXI 726735.39 726735.39
SX4 ZXI WITH LEATHER 761735.39 761735.39

Maruti Grand Vitara
http://grandvitaraindia.com/

GRAND VITARA MT 1380000
GRAND VITARA AT 1480000

Maruti Gypsy
http://www.marutigypsy.com/

MARUTI GYPSY KING MPI (SOFT TOP) 509172.62 512015.31
MARUTI GYPSY KING MPI (HARD TOP) 528513.90 531356.61

Maruti Versa
http://www.marutiversa.com/

MARUTI VERSA STD 5 SEATER 373860.34 377471.49
MARUTI VERSA DX1 8 SEATER (SINGLE A/C) 446686.19 450297.34
MARUTI VERSA DX2 8 SEATER (TWIN A/C) 484595.51 488206.66

Baleno and Esteem have been discontinued.

Maruti True value - for Pre-owned Maruti Car with Maruti guarantee
http://www.marutitruevalue.com/

* all prices are ex-showroom Delhi, as on 14th July 2008

Diesel Vs Petrol Variant

I have seen a lot of dilemma and confusion amongst people when it comes to chosing Petrol vs Diesel variant for a car. Undoubtedly there are advantages of one over the two and that makes the decision even more complex.

Based on my personal experience I would like to make it simpler. According to me a lot depends over the personal usage and pattern of usage of the vehicle.
Ok typically if your vehicle is supposed to be driven a lot then diesel makes more sense, but how do you quantify how much is "a lot".

Typically the cost difference between a diesel and a petrol variant is lets assume Rs. 1 Lakh (an approximation) with the same features.
Lets assume the average life of the vehicle is around 4-5 years. Lets take it as 5 yrs on a more conservative side. So the additional cost that one pays for a diesel vehicle is Rs. 20,000 per year. Adding the interest one pays on that amount makes it around 24 K per year.

Now assuming the average fuel consumption (overall) of a diesel vehicle to be around 17-18 kmpl and petrol to be around 13-14 kmpl in the same segment and variant. the cost per km is
Diesel : 2.5 Rs per km.
Petrol : 4.5 Rs per km.

The difference thus being Rs. 2 per km.
Now if you drive your vehicle for 1000 km per month, You save Rs. 24,000 per year.

1,000 kms per month x 12 months per year x Rs. 2 per km difference = Rs. 24,000 saving annually.

Verdict:

So if your running is 1000km per month you'll be able to only cover up the additional cost of your diesel vehicle, with no savings as such.
If your running is below 1000 km per month you'll be spending more overall than what you would on a petrol vehicle actually.
If your running is substantially above 1000 km per month only then you'll be actually saving on fuel with a diesel vehicle.


Other points to consider:

Diesel variants have higher maintencane cost, and low life. The maintenance cost increases further with the age of the vehicle.
Petrol variants have more power, pickup and are considerably silent thus offer a better driving pleasure overall. Makes a better choice for self driven vehicle.

Chevrolet India Car Sites and Prices

Chevrolet Spark

Chevrolet Spark 1.0 E Rs.301508
Chevrolet Spark 1.0 Rs.323388
Chevrolet Spark 1.0 PS Rs.331707
Chevrolet Spark 1.0 LS Rs.349784
Chevrolet Spark 1.0 LT Rs.349784
Chevrolet Spark 1.0 LT Opt. pack Rs.412650
Chevrolet Spark 1.0 LT Opt. pack(airbag) Rs.424353

Chevrolet AVEO U-VA

Chevrolet AVEO U-VA 1.2 Rs. 393,496
Chevrolet AVEO U-VA 1.2 LS Rs. 434,359
Chevrolet AVEO U-VA 1.2 LT Rs. 473,600

Chevrolet AVEO

AVEO 1.4 Rs. 602,053
AVEO 1.4 LS Rs. 643,338
AVEO 1.4 LS Limited Edition Rs. 656,420
AVEO 1.4 LT Rs. 703,442
AVEO 1.4 LT with Option Pack Rs. 749,662

Chevrolet Optra Magnum
Optra Magnum 2.0 Max 897510
Optra Magnum 2.0 LS 938175
Optra Magnum 2.0 LT 1052967
Optra Magnum 1.6 Max 798306
Optra Magnum 1.6 LS 832157
Optra Magnum 1.6 LT 953398

Chevrolet Optra SRV

Honda Jazz / Fit

Honda will soon be entering the small car market in India with Jazz a.k.a. Fit in some areas in the premium hatchback segment. This would directly compete with Suzuki Swift and the Hyundai Getz and also Fabia.



The Jazz is also expected to provide a better mileages than both the Getz and the Swift and will be priced slightly higher.



In its current form, the Jazz comes with a dashboard that looks like that of the Civic but makes do without the digital speedo. Also do not expect steering mounted controls that you see here. Ergonomically designed dash makes life better behind the wheel and the quality is not comprmised upon either. Lots of cubby holes and storage areas make it a great utility offering.



Jazz is likely to sport a price tag of Rs 4.6-5.6 lakh to draw big volumes in the segment. While Jazz will hit the Indian roads in early 2009 or late 2008, another small car from the Honda stable, designed for the Indian market, will be launched in the country thereafter. This model would be launched one notch lower in the B-segment and would compete with the likes of Hyundai Santro, Tata Indica and Maruti Wagon R.