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/

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

The one I settled for finally..

Well choosing your first car is as complicated as choosing the right girl for you.. There are tons of features and qualities to look out for. Some have beautiful smile, long tempting hair, seductive eyes, protruding lips, or the jawline to give you dips, or for those who can think beyond the chassis and bumper there is sense of humor and wits, and for the audiophiles there's always the laugh and the tone that might cheer up a heavy day. But then its optimally said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. So its totally personal what sets your nerves on fire. Yeah I am very much talking about a car till now.

For me its surely the wit that matters more than any aesthetics, beauty, cuts and economics. So I decided to test drive my options.


.... and finally went fida over ford fiesta.

Peugeot Maybe Coming to India..... Again

Remeber the 309 pugeot, well that was not something really great to be remembered but what is expected to be coing up next might be.

Pugeot 107

French carmaker Peugeot is rethinking of entering the booming Indian automotive market. Top officials from the company are in the country, engaging in talks with auto associations namely Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) along with various auto component makers. Peugeot had earlier entered the Indian market in 1995 (JV with the Premier Group) with the locally assembled Peugeot 309 mid size saloon. Though the car was quite capable and suited to Indian conditions the company faced labour issues and problems with it's local partner which led to production problems and an untimely withdrawl of the brand.

Pugeot 207

This time around Peugeot wants to be absolutely sure of it's market entry strategy and is currently mum on it's exact plan. Peugeot being a French carmaker has always been known for artistic styling and brilliant attention to detail . Out of it's international lineup the Peugeot 107 mini hatchback, 206 and 207 hatchs seem like possible prospects for India along with the 407 sedan.

Diesel Getz Launched

Hyundai Motors India has launched the diesel variant of it's premium hatchback - Getz. The car has been fitted with a powerful 1.5 litre common rail direct injection (CRDi) engine that delivers 110 BHP of power at 4000 rpm and an impressive 235 nm of torque. This is the same engine which does duty in the Hyundai Verna and in a small car like the Getz this would result in awesone performance and acceleration figures. The diesel Getz is likely to become the hottest hatch in India beating even the 100 bhp Fiat Palio 1.6 sports which is petrol.


The new Getz also beats Suzuki's DDis Swift in terms of power since it only has a 1.3 litre 75 bhp engine. The diesel Getz has been priced at Rs 5.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) which makes it Rs 73,000 pricier than the swift diesel Vdi model. Expect mileage figures of 13-14 kmpl in the city and upto 20 kmpl on the highway. The diesel Getz would come into showrooms by the 1st week of October and is expected to sell well during the upcoming festive season.

Skoda Fabia

Well Fabia is what I would like to call as a Fabulous little Skoda. Skoda has been in indian market for quite some time now, and is synonymous to its most popular Octavia. Skoda Fabia was globally launched in 2002 but India launched was constantly postponed. Major factor being the Indian market was not matured enough to accept a premium hatchback. But with the success of Swift, Chevy U-AV and Getz Skoda is all set for the launch of the most awaited Fabia.


Fabia In India is expected to be annouced at the Auto Expo in Jan 2008. In India it will have either 1.2 litre or 1.4 litre engine. There are rumours that Skoda may reduce the overall length of the Fabia to try and meet the requirements for the lower excise duty benefit. Skoda Fabia is based on the Volkswagen platform. It will be Skoda's first small car in India. The car will compete with Chevrolet Aveo UV-A, Hyundai Getz, and ofcourse the Swift for the market share.


Skoda Fabia has got seven engine options, however, India will get maximum three i.e. 1.2L Petrol, 1.4L Petrol and 1.4L Diesel. Among these three too, 1.4L Petrol is very unlikely. 1.2L (1198cc), 3-cylinder, 12V Petrol engine produces 70ps of power and 123Nm of torque. 1.4L (1422cc), 3-cylinder, 12V TDI Diesel engine produces 80ps of power and 195Nm of torque. Though neither of the engine is class-leading in power/performance, they are powerful enough to give you wonderful drive. Diesel engine is 3-cylinder version of Laura’s engine and is a little noisy like its bigger sibling. Last but not least, both Petrol and Diesel engines are quite fuel efficient.



Skoda Fabia is far bigger than any hatchback in India hence is hugely spacious in cabin as well as in boot. Standard boot is of 300 liters, if rear seat is folded, it can be extended to 1100+ liters. Fabia has ample legroom at front, knee-room at rear and head-room at front/rear. Goodies available as standard will be more than adequate too. Overall, a highly desirable hatch.


Well, if Fabia really comes to India, consider it as revolution in Indian B+ car segment. No car in India is able to match what Skoda Fabia is about to offer. It can be considered as India’s first truly premium hatchback. With Fabia, India is bound to have world-class styling, luxury, technology and safety features. If rightly priced, this highly sturdy, hot hatch will sell like hot cakes.

Estimated Price: Rs 5.5-7 Lakh estimated

Swift Sedan, Maruti Dezire

Maruti Suzuki will launch a swift with definite boot , yes the new esteem i.e swift sedan will hit the showrooms in in January - Febraury 2008. The new Swift sedan is expected to be offered in both petrol and diesel engine variants. For the diesel option, Maruti may pick the 1.3L DDIS engine which currently powers the swift hatch back to power the new swift sedan. Swift sedan will be positioned as a practical family car(no sporty ) a new wider rear section will facilitate that. The upcoming swift sedan may replace (or) complement the esteem(if it is launched only on diesel version). Swift in its three box avtaar(sedan) will take on the upcoming next generation Indigo and is expected to be priced around Rs5.5 lakh. Maruti’s earlier bid to capture the diesel market with the esteem diesel ended in a failure node. But the esteem’s petrol model still holds some grip - even after 13years of its debut 6,000 units of esteem is sold in April-July period.

Got a pic from net, might be photoshopped, who cares..
here it is:


another one:



courtesy: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/14/spy-shots-suzuki-swift-sedan-nabbed-in-india/



Maruti Swift Sedan, Now coenamed Maruti Dezire replacement of esteem, Esteem production has been stopped already, and Dezire is expected to be onroad in first quarter of 2008.

check out the pricelist and review here:
http://indywheels.blogspot.com/2008/03/maruti-suzuki-swift-dzire-launched.html

Make Maruti Swift DZire Launched, See the pricelist

Fiat Grande Punto

The first product of the Fiat - Tata alliance will be the Grand Punto, a premium hatchback which is expected to be launched in the beginning of 2008.



Punto 75bhp engine is already offered in swift by Maruti. GM, Suzuki and Fiat co-developed the engine.



Designed by the famous Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, the Grande Punto is an attractive and spacious car. The punto is preceded with “Grande” to indicate its larger size.


The car is expected to be priced between 4.5 – 6 lakhs to take on getz, swift and Fabia.