Volkswagen Touareg 2011

Volkswagen Touareg 2011

Expected in Late 2011

Estimated price: Rs 55 lakh  

Volkswagen had unveiled the second-generation of the Touareg at 2010 New York International Auto Show. With the Volkswagen Touareg being a CBU, even India will get the 2011 Touareg once its launched in the European market.

Design/Styling:
The 2011 Touareg gets the new Volkswagen face and styling created by Walter de’Silva, Volkswagen’s chief of design. The front grille is now narrow if compared to the outgoing model and the trapezoidal headlamps even get the LED surrounds.  The silhouette of the Touareg remains almost similar, with not so arched wheel flares.  The new 2011 Touareg gets a crown hood with a step at its sides giving it a more muscular look. The SUV gets chrome garnish with chrome surrounds around the greenhouse and a strip running on the rocker. The rear of the new Touareg is more pronounced and gets LED taillamps as well.

Volkswagen's new RNS850 touch screen entertainment and navigation system features an 8-inch screen, a 60GB hard drive with 18GB of space available to upload audio, video, and more, and a DVD/CD player with MP3 playback and Satellite/FM/AM stereo.

Mechanicals:
The Volkswagen Touareg will be available with the same 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine, with 4-MOTION, which is Volkswagen’s term for all-wheel drive system.

Overall Evaluation:
This new 2011 Volkswagen Touareg will be a great buying option considering all the bells and whistles it comes loaded with. The newer SUV has more road presence than the older one and should have better sales figures if compared to the current Touareg. This will come true only if Volkswagen price it well.    

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 3.0-litre V6 TDI
Power: 239bhp

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Volkswagen Jetta 2011 Coming in October 2011

Volkswagen Jetta 2011

Expected in October 2011

Estimated price: Rs 15-18lakh 

Volkswagen had recently updated its Jetta and Passat on the engine considering the BS IV norms and the German manufacturer based in Chakan, even revised its pricing. Next year, Volkswagen will launch an all new Jetta, which will be based on the Golf platform, but will stand out in the looks department.

The 2011 Jetta has been completely overhauled, inside and out.  Its new wheelbase and exterior length are significantly bigger than its predecessor – resulting in superior performance, more space and greater comfort. The styling characteristics in the side profile of the Jetta meld into yet another interpretation of the ‘design DNA’ conceptualized by Walter de Silva, the Italian Head of Design for the Volkswagen Group and the German Head of Design for the Volkswagen Brand, Klaus Bischoff.

The new Jetta is mostly expected to be launched by Mid 2011.The new and bigger Jetta will give the Skoda Laura and maybe by then launched Renault Fluence a run for their money.

Specs (Speculated)

Specifications:
Engine: 2.0 TDI

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Audi A6 Coming in mid 2011

udi A6

Expected in July 2011

Estimated price: Rs 38-47lakh (ex-showroom)  

After a long wait, Audi will soon next the next-generation A6 into India. The new Audi A6 will be shorter and have a lower roofline that the outgoing model. The new-generation will have a longer wheelbase by 69mm and 80kg lighter than its predecessor.
The new A6 will get Audi’s latest MMI interface that we had witnessed in the new Audi A8. The Audi A6 is expected to be offered with two diesels, 2.0 and 3.0-litre TDI and two petrol engines – 2.8FSI and 3.0TFSI.  These engines will be mated to a S-tronic, dual clutch transmission, which will make shifting smooth and efficient.

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 2.0 TDI, 3.0 TDI, 2.8 FSI and 3.0 TFSI

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Mahindra Mini-Xylo coming soon

Mahindra Mini-Xylo

Expected in Mid 2011

Estimated price: Rs 4-5 lakhs     

Mahindra had launched its Xylo in January 2009 and now the company plans to launch a Mini-Xylo. The Mini-Xylo will be less than four metres in length and will have a diesel engine. This could be a 1.5-litre diesel engine and as the Mini-Xylo is less than four metres, it will avail the 12 percent duty cut as well.

Mahindra is currently testing the Mini-Xylo and it can be expected to be launched by mid-2011. We can expect a price tag of Rs 4-5 lakhs. The Mini-Xylo will be based on the current Xylo’s body-on-frame design.

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 1.5-litre

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Honda Brio Coming in October 2011

Honda Brio

Expected in October 2011

Estimated price: Rs 4-5 lakh 

In country like India, the automobile market is dominated by hatchbacks. Here most of the auto giants who wish to set a firm base in India, are focusing on small car market. Honda tried the same thing with the Jazz, but the expensive price tag didn't work in it's favour. So, Honda now plans to launch a small car for the Indian car market.

Honda had unveiled its small car concept the 2010 Auto Expo, and the company plans to launch this small car in India somewhere around in early 2011. This new small car will be smaller than four metres in length and will get Honda Jazz's 1.2-litre petrol engine to avail the duty cut.

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 1.2-litre petrol

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Chevrolet Beat Diesel Coming

Chevrolet Beat Diesel

Expected in June 2011

Estimated price: Rs 4.5-5.5 lakhs 

After launching the Beat petrol, Chevrolet will now launch the Beat diesel for the Indian market. The diesel variant is expected to launch by early 2011. The Beat should be powered by a 1.0-litre or a 1.2-litre diesel engine. The diesel engine will help GM India to increase their numbers and help them capture some of those who want to reduce their running costs.

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 1.0-litre or 1.2-litre diesel

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Toyota Etios Liva Coming this year in June

Toyota Etios Liva

Expected in June 2011

Estimated price: Rs 3-5 lakh

Toyota Etios Liva

Toyota launched the sedan version of the Etios on the 1st of December, 2010. At present the sedan comes with only one engine option which is the 1.5-litre petrol engine. Toyota will now launch the hatchback version of the Etios, called as the Etios Liva. The Etios Liva will get the 1.2-litre petrol engine which will help Toyota to get the duty cut.

The Etios Liva is expected to be launched somewhere around in the third quarter of 2011. The production version of Etios Liva will resemble the concept model. Toyota Etios has been developed on a new platform and has a completely new engine which is not present in any Toyota car so far. The hatch will offer a 1.2l DOHC petrol engine and will come with lower excise duties. Both, the models, the sedan and the hatch, will sport new engines which have been specially designed for Indian conditions, where high mileage was an important factor in the designing of the engine.

Specs (Speculated)

Engine Displacement: 1.2-litre petrol

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New Tata Safari Coming in this year

Tata New Safari

Expected in Mid 2011

Estimated price: Rs 7-11 lakh 

While most people have been saying that there’s a Tata Safari facelift around the corner, we have good reason to believe that the Safari which will roll out of Tata Motors early next year, will be the second product to be based on Tata’s all-new X2 platform. The first product on the X2 platform is the recently launched Tata Aria and we strongly believe that the Safari will be based on this significantly more advanced platform rather than just a facelift. For starters the X2 platform has several structural advantages right from the strong hydro-formed chassis sections and the more refined powertrain package which consists of the 2.2 Litre DiCOR engine with the dual-mass flywheel and the upgraded G76-Mark II gearbox.

With such extensive testing having been done for the X2 platform development in the Aria, the upcoming Safari will no doubt have significantly better ride and handling than the outgoing one. This also means that the Safari will come with four wheel disc brakes and all the electronic safety kit (ABS, EBD and ESP) when it is launched. Staying true to it’s off-road worthy nature; the new Safari will sport a selectable 4x4 mode which will give it better off-road prowess than the Aria currently has with its full-time All Wheel Drive. We also think that the new Safari will have a significantly more Land Rover like styling for the exterior. Perhaps the most significant difference, thanks to the new X2 platform is the fact that the spare tyre now sits underneath the vehicle like the Aria and not hinged to the rear tail-gate.

We hear there’s extensive high quality rugged body-side cladding on the Safari and the side still retains a very ‘Safari’ profile with the front and the rear receiving most of the styling attention. The front, we believe is a little more squared off as is the rear, and this will no doubt make the Safari look a lot more rugged and SUV-ish than it already is. The interiors are fresh and will follow a general theme as found in the Aria – which means that we’ll see simple clean interior lines as well as a more functional and better built interior. We’re quite looking forward to the new Safari soon and no doubt this will really be a better Safari to drive and own than ever before. Watch this space!

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 2.2-litre DiCOR engine
Power:140bhp

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Nissan NV200 Coming in End Of year 2011

Nissan NV200

Expected in Late 2011

Estimated price: Rs 5-8lakh 

Nissan could launch a MPV called NV200 for the Indian car market. Nissan plans to manufacture the NV200 in a joint venture with defence and commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland.

The Nissan NV200 is built on the modified Renault-Nissan B-Alliance platform and will have the 1.5dCi engine (the same engine block used on the Renault Logan). However, the NV200 will produce more power than the Logan.  This MPV could compete with the Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo.

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 1.5-litre dCi engine
Power: 80-85bhp

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Nissan Micra Upcoming Sedan car in indian market in Mid 2011

stimated price: Rs 7lakh 

The Nissan Micra is an important car for Nissan in India and the company has a lot resting on the success of the Micra. Nissan India have gone to great lengths by doing a lot of marketing activity in shopping malls and key consumer touchpoints to promote not just the upcoming Micra, but to also spread awareness and visibility of the Nissan brand. They have also managed to cross over a thousand bookings for the Nissan Micra last week and since Nissan India started production of the Micra in May earlier this year at their swanky facility in Chennai, they should be able to cope with the initial demand spike and deliver the cars quickly.

Now, Nissan will launch the Sunny by the end if the year. The Nissan Sunny should be available with a diesel engine from the Renault stable, the same engine that was used on Logan.

Design:

The Nissan Sunny will be based on the same Micra platform and will have parts in common. We have seen the Indica/Indigo, Swift/Swift DZire, Polo/Vento hatch/sedans combinations. Now, even Nissan joins the bandwagen.

Powertrain:

The Nissan Sunny will be powered by a 1.5-litre dCi, which is basically the same oilburner that powers the Renault Logan. Renault and Nissan have jointly invested in the Chennai plant, and the duo already have a joint venture and to share technology. Nissan already uses Renault engines on its X-Trail. This diesel powerplant is a 8-valve 1.5-litre dCi engine (code name K9K) and is Renault’s top selling engine with almost 900,000 units manufactured in 2008 (only in Spain and Turkey) and this engine is available with several power ratings (65bhp to 110bhp) in other markets. Renault claims the engine design to be simple, low friction and have a superior cost-to-performance ratio. The Micra sedan dCi engine powering the Mahindra Renault churns out 65bhp and a torque of 160Nm@2000rpm.

competition:
The Nissan Sunny will compete with the Mahindra-Renault Logan, Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire and the Tata Indigo Manza. All its competition are great value for money products, and are being offered in petrol and diesel variants.

Overall Evaluation:

The Nissan Micra sedan will be offered with a diesel engine. No questions can be raised on the efficiency of this engine, and the build quality of the Micra has been good. So Micra sedan should be a great product to own if Nissan prices it correctly.  

Specs (Speculated)

Engine: 1.5-litre dCi
Power: 65bhp

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