Owner: Car Automobile Blog in India from Carazoo.com URL:http://blog.carazoo.com/ Join Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:52:20 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Indian car automobile blog from Carazoo.com, India's first car portal with interactive animations, gives comprehensive information on the trends in car industry, car news, reviews and automobile industry updates. It also provides information on launc Site statistics:Click here
Indian cars with foreign designs 2008-05-07 05:14:00 Indian car companies have been known to raise large volumes but with poor designing. The quality of designing has come across criticism from several well known car designers. Indian companies have scored the highest markets in making affordable cars. Be it the Maruti Suzuki India, Tata Motors or Mahindra and Mahindra. But these companies are looking to reverse the trend by buying international car designing houses. You might have noticed that Tata’s has picked up stake in Italian design house Pinninfarina. The newly launched Indian company Argentum Motors picked up equity stake in design firm Heuleiz. Now M&M has pitched itself to acquire Stile Bertone, a firm in Italy. These companies have been associated with designing for renowned brands like Ferrari, Alfa, Romeo, Aston
Nano Creating Trouble for North American Auto Industry 2008-05-09 04:54:00 The outburst of Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice is an indication of the hurricane they expect with cheaper cars like Tata Nano. Dealers and contract manufacturers from these countries have already expressed interest in marketing these cars. Once in the country, the cars may overtake US made cars easily. China and India have access to low cost labour and car components, which can significantly alter the cost of a car. This is precisely the reason why European and American
car manufacturers like General Motors, BMW and Mercedes are setting up base in India. However, when these company show profits, while clearly stating they are going for cost cutting, now hue and cry is raised. It is clearly a sign that the auto sector is moving east and the concerns of Indians and Chinese pe Read more:Creating
, Trouble
, North
, North American
Fear of price hike pushes car sales up in April 2008-05-09 02:12:00 Ahead of the likely price
hike, car sales jumped 17.2 % in the month of April
. In fact it was the highest sales recorded in the past seven months. The highest number of sales was recorded by Maruti Suzuki India, the car market leader in India. The Indian buyers have taken advantage of the excise cuts and fantastically lower prices. Coupled with this, some car dealers even offered freebies with the car to push sales up. Those who wanted to buy cars after 3-4 months, advanced their dates to take maximum advantage of the price reduction. The gamble has paid well for car manufacturers. They now have health numbers of sales to show for this fiscal year. This is an irony of car business, where prices tumbled by Rs 2,000 to Rs 18,000 in March and continued in April. However, May will witn
Hyundai Mileage Rally 2008-05-09 02:10:00 Hyundai Motors India has left no stones unturned to prove its cars fuel efficiency. The company recently organised, the Mileage Challenge Rally
2008 for Indian auto journalists.The company had invited 30 journalists from Delhi, Mumbai and Pune to test drive Hyundai Verna variants and determine its fuel efficiency, drivability, handling and other aspects of the car. The mid-size car was available in both petrol and diesel versions. The participants were also ranked for achieving highest fuel economy. On an average, Verna diesel delivered a mileage of 33.57 kmpl. But when the results were scrutinized closely it was learnt that Petrol model delivered 25.88 kmpl. The event also helped the journalists to discuss various aspects of cars with Hyundai experts and learn more about their technol Read more:Hyundai
Canada Concerned About Chinese, Indian Cars 2008-05-09 01:03:00 After the US President’s comments on China and India’s consumerism as being responsible for rising oil prices, the Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice, on Wednesday, has stated that cars from these two countries could invade their nations soon. The cheaper cars, owing to cheaper inputs costs in these countries will make it more attractive for US and Canadian car buyers. The price advantage will be something that the developed nations can not ignore. Cars had become a necessity in these countries whereas, they were considered as a luxury item in developing countries. At one point, the business of car companies like Ford and General Motors became bigger than most national GDP’s including India. However, the trend has now reversed and the very lifestyle they were promoting has b Read more:Canada
, Chinese
Companies Re-Work Car Prices 2008-05-08 05:09:00 The news of roll back in steel prices has pushed the car companies to re-work on the quantum of price hike. In the last week of April, Maruti had announced that it was considering a price hike but had not specified on the increase. Now, General Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra are also re-working on the quantum of increase in costs. The car companies were contemplating on increasing costs by Rs 4,000 to Rs 16,000. Steel forms a major component of car manufacturing and the slightest rise will result in a huge leap in overall costs. The rollback has brought a huge relief to car buyers particularly the small car buyers, for whom the slightest rise will add burden to the total expenditure. It could also give some more time to buyers who have missed the April deadline to go for cars now Read more:Companies
, Prices
Volkswagen Walks Into Luxury Haven 2008-05-08 04:56:00 It seem like Punjab is becoming the epicenter of luxury cars in India. It is already known that 50 percent of the Mercedes-Benz cars sold in India are recorded in Punjab alone. BMW too upped its dealership in this region to take on its rival, and was followed by Audi. But now, Volkswagen
has joined the band. It has opened dealerships on Chandigarh and Ludhiana. The company has appointed Genuss Motors in Chandigarh and Prestige Motors in Ludhiana, respectively. The move could also be ahead of the launch of the premium small car Beetle, and the company expects to find more buyers in this region. Volkswagen luxury saloon Passat is already impressing luxury cars buyers elsewhere. Marketing cars in Punjab has become more upscale. The growing economic strength of Punjab has spurred inter Read more:Luxury
, Haven
BMC Fumes on Cars 2008-05-14 02:30:00 The sudden flow of cars not only causes traffic jams but also slows down the movement in the roads. The Town planners in India blame cars for traffic congestion in the cities. The undisciplined driving habits along with traffic congestion resulted in complete chaos. The introduction of Maruti 800 in the 80’s and later by more up market cars by different car manufacturers had hardly made an impac
Tata’s Policy for Nano 2008-05-14 02:05:00 The world’s cheapest small car, Tata Nano, created several emotions in several countries. While it was the cutie that all eyes at the Geneva Motor show in March followed, it created fear in North American countries of overtaking their domestic products. It braved a lot of criticism by environmentalists when it was unveiled in January 2008. Even though it is not yet launched, it continues to Read more:Policy
The Ferrari Magic India Discovery Tour 2008-05-14 01:39:00 The idea of owning a Ferrari
is considered as the ultimate statement by many in India
, even by those who do not own a car. People in India have got a glimpse of Ferrari only in F1 races. True Ferrari cars come with FI gearbox and superb power, but that is for those who can afford its fantastic price as well. There were rumours that the car will arrive in India by 2008, through its parent compa Read more:Magic
, Discovery
Maruti Suzuki Pulls Car Sector Forward 2008-05-14 00:49:00 It is commendable that Maruti Suzuki
is leading the total car sales of India. It is the only company which keeps repeating its success year after year, while other big names continue with dismal performance. Maruti still comprises half of the cars sold in India. It has surpassed its April 2007 sales figure by 22.4 percent. However, the entry level sedan segment, upper mid-size segment and prem Read more:Forward
Nissan to Increase Dealerships 2008-05-13 03:03:00 Nissan is seems to gear up for a war in the car market of India. It plans to sell at least 1 lakh cars by 2012 in India. Earlier, it has announced that it will be introducing eight cars over a period of four years. So far, Nissan had concentrated on the niche market with cars priced Rs 40 lakh like the Nissan X-Trail and Teana, and sold 533 units of them last year. Four of the eight cars will be p Read more:Nissan
Fabia precedes Skoda’s other small car 2008-05-12 12:12:00 The newly launched SkodaFabia
small car has been working wonders for the Czech car manufacturer. The Fabia sold out in high numbers since it was introduced to India in January this year. Skoda posted an 81% rise in sales during the month of April. Here’s news that will surely bring a cheer to all Skoda fans. Skoda does not seem satisfied with its deeds yet and is already working on a new small
Foreign car manufacturers want a centralized agency 2008-05-12 12:06:00 The pressure from rising input costs across the world has pushed several car companies to look for a centralized sourcing unit to control costs for them. Car manufacturers such as GM, Ford, Suzuki and Fiat have been looking at vendors from India and China to provide them with components at a 10-15 % lesser cost. Fiat has already started such a venture by opening its international purchase offic Read more:Foreign
, agency
Beware of Mumbai-Based Skoda Dealers 2008-05-15 04:27:00 Beware of some of Skoda
India's authorised dealers in Mumbai
. One particular Skoda dealer in Mumbai was caught red-handed in stealing and swapping original spares of Skoda cars with fake spares. The theft is so rampant that the dealers even swap critical parts that endanger the lives of the passengers. Skoda India is aware of this, but is not taking any action against the dealer. Skoda owners Read more:Beware
Microsoft Based Music System in Hyundai Cars 2008-05-15 03:10:00 IT crazy and car freak people will love this news. Microsoft
and Hyundai
have recently entered in to agreement to develop the next generation in-car entertainment system. The in-car entertainment will be based on Microsoft auto software platform. It will be similar to mini portable computers and allows consumers to enjoy music in different digital formats. It will also allow the consumers to upg Read more:Music
, System
Mahindra and Mahindra Hike Car Prices 2008-05-15 02:34:00 After Maruti Sizuki and Honda, it is now the Mahindra
and Mahindra to raise car prices. The prices of raw materials such as steel, aluminum, rubber have seen a sharp rise of 25-30 percent since January 2008. This has added pressure to the already squeezed car sector which has been witnessing decreased new car sales. Mahindra sources its materials from Indian vendors which were deeply hit. It w Read more:Prices
Renault-Nissan-Bajaj Trio Reached a Pact 2008-05-15 01:50:00 We had heard lot about the Bajaj Lite and Renault
’s small cars project. When the Bajaj-Renault agreement ran into rough weather, it seems that the car had gone into oblivion. Even the tri-party agreement between Renault, Nissan
and Bajaj seemed to be headed nowhere. But now the sun shine on the ambitious small car project is back. Bajaj-Nissan and Renault have formed a joined venture to deve
The Next Generation Accord Arrives 2008-05-15 01:25:00 Finally, the 8th generation Accord has arrived in India. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the officials of Honda Siel Cars. According to initial reports, the car will be available in three variants – Accord 2.4, Accord 2.4 Elegance and Accord 2.4 Inspire. The prices would start from Rs 16.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and go up to Rs 18.14 lakh. The new accord is Rs 2 lakh costlier t Read more:Generation
Honda Reviews Annual Target 2008-05-13 06:19:00 The sales performance of the company in the last fiscal year was not very good. Stalling production of 7th gen Accord is one of the factors. The company had stopped production in December. However, the company officials were aware of the rising graph of car ownership in India. But the market soon lost all charm and the auto sector showed a downward trend. The fluctuating Indian car market has Read more:Honda
, Annual
, Target
Fiat’s Interest in Indian automotive OEMs 2008-05-13 05:27:00 Indian is already known as a hot destination for cheap OEM components. The car OEM component business is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country. The vendors here source not only to domestic brands but also to foreign made cars. The need for manufacturing the components is due to the fact that they are cheaper by 15 percent than other countries. Exports of auto components have increa Read more:Interest
Skoda Superb to Hit Indian Roads 2008-05-13 04:50:00 The premium luxury sedan Skoda
Superb will be available in a new avatar by the end of this year. The Indian version of Superb will be based on Volkswagen Passat platform. The Superb will be available in petrol and diesel version with a V6 engine. It will also come with a DSG gearbox with twin clutches. The car is likely to launch by the end of this year. The new model will cost Rs 20 lakh to R Read more:Roads
Maruti Suzuki’s ‘Midas Touch’ 2008-05-12 07:09:00 Maruti Suzuki
keeps repeating the records with every model it launch. The company seems to have the ‘Midas
Touch’ to make gold out of everything. First it was the M800, which sold huge numbers followed by the Alto, and now it is the Swift. The small car has crossed the 2 lakh mark within 36 months of its launch. It has emerged as the fastest selling hatch in India. The popularity of Swift
Star Signs Influence Driving Habits 2008-05-12 07:07:00 The common notion is that driving habits influenced by all tangible thing but not the stars. The comment that ones driving habits are governed by stars will be shot down immediately. It just doesn’t make sense. After all what is driving got to with zodiac sign? But a recent study in UK has revealed that more number of people born under the star sign of Aries were prone to accidents. In a Read more:Driving
Toyota Splits India Operations 2008-05-12 06:56:00 India is becoming big on the global map. It is not about geographical dimensions but the consumer power. The consumerism of cars is getting bigger and more global brands are arriving every day. The car companies which came first have grown in size. One such company is Toyota
which came to India in 1996. They brought with them one of their cheap utility vehicles for a market that was ready to g Read more:Splits
, India
Tata’s Legal Hurdle Solved 2008-05-16 04:41:00 The Apex Court has finally passed a verdict on the Singur land in favour of Tata Motors. The company has won the case after a long battle with the farmers. Earlier the company had planned to manufacture Nano only at Singur plant. But since the agitation went out of hand of West Bengal government, the car manufacture had gone on a back foot. However, the company did not abandon the plan co Read more:Hurdle
Ford’s 2nd Plant in India 2008-05-16 02:01:00 India is already a hub for several international car companies. Many have chosen it to access Asia-Pacific regions, while actively marketing their products. Some car companies like BMW and Hyundai have preferred India over China. American car companies like General Motors is now busy erecting its plant near Pune. India is one of the fastest growing car markets in the world and is likely to be the Read more:Plant
, India
Audi Expands its Target 2008-05-16 01:22:00 German car manufacturer Audi is presently concentrating harder on India market. The company now targets to sell 1000 units in 2008. It has already sold over 300 units and reaching the new target seems to be a very conservative estimate. Audi had created a successful image since it entered India. This is evident in the fact that it has five models in its portfolio for India. The cars are hu Read more:Target
Accord is Also a Hybrid 2008-05-16 01:07:00 The 8th Generation Accord is a kind of hybrid vehicle in India. It gets an E10 engine which is fueled by 10 % ethanol and 90 percent petrol run. This car will be manufactured in India at Honda facilities. Thus, the car will also be eligible for benefits given for hybrids as announced by the Union Finance Minister in the Budget 2008. The 8th Generation Accord is also costlier by Rs 2 lakh compa Read more:Hybrid
Nissan Looks at Newer Segments 2008-05-19 00:54:00 Nissan now plans to come up with entry-level cars for its global market. So far, most of its cars have been utility vehicle or super luxury utility vehicles. They come with the latest engineering and safety technologies and amazing designs. Nissan has overlooked the small car segment for a long time, even though it is based in Japan. Nissan’s biggest markets have been US and Western Europe. Read more:Nissan
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