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Mitsubishi Nissan Joint Venture To Manufacture Small Car
Honda Cars Prices Increasing By Up To 3 % From April 2011
Skoda Growing Globally–Optimist For Coming Year 2011
Suzuki 100 CC Commuter Bike For India
Nissan India Testing Its Sedan Sunny On Indian Roads Prior To Launch
Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Edge Special Edition- Specifications Features Price Details

Mitsubishi Nissan Joint Venture To Manufacture Small Car

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 09:45 AM PDT

Mitsubishi and Nissan are two brands which are completely unique in their own way and are known for some of the finest products globally and in India as well. Talking about Mitsubishi, it reminds us of the iconic and very dynamic Mitsubishi Lancer which made a mark in the Indian automobile industry while the Nissan is known for its recent addition Nissan Micra.

Both the brands have their own appeal and certainly have a good relationship with its customers and now their bond is supposed to get stronger. The two Japanese automakers have announced of a venture where they will be working on a new mini-car concept. With no details in hand about the small car they will be working on, it is expected to be even smaller than the Mitsubishi Global Small Car.

For the new joint venture, Nissan's Senior Vice President Junichi Endo has been appointed as CEO while Mitsubishi Motors Senior Executive Officer takes the place of the COO.

Currently being displayed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the global small car is going to feature highly efficient 1 Litre and 1.2 Litre MPFI Petrol engine with 5 speed manual transmission, Start Stop technology (Micro Hybrid) and Regenerative braking technology. Now it is to be seen what new design and innovations these brands collectively come out with how acceptable the new mini car would be.

Honda Cars Prices Increasing By Up To 3 % From April 2011

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 05:34 AM PDT

Honda SIEL India has revealed its plans to increase the price of Honda cars in India by up to 3%. The price increase has been blamed on the increasing input costs which is putting burden on the profit margins of the cars. In an interaction with media, spokesperson of Honda SIEL quoted:

Commodity prices are rising very strongly in recent months. We will raise the prices of all our cars by 2-3 per cent from next month to minimize the impact of strengthening raw material rates.

honda-city-india

This price increase will be applicable on Honda's popular cars like Honda City, Honda Jazz, Honda CRV SUV, and Honda Civic Sedan . The newly launched Honda Accord 2011's prices will not be revised. So If you are planning to book your Honda car, it's a good time.

Skoda Growing Globally–Optimist For Coming Year 2011

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 05:21 AM PDT

The statistics and data of Skoda clearly states that the car Maker has grown stronger, more profitable and more popular in the past one year. The year 2011 is also going strong for Skoda. In an press release to Media, Skoda has expressed its optimism for the year 2011.

Skoda wants to continue to grow in 2011. After the record year 2010 with 762,600 sold vehicles, the Czech automobile manufacturer expects a continuation of the growth course for the current year. For the first time, Skoda cracked the threshold of three quarter of a million. Until the year 2018, Skoda wants to double its annual sales to at least 1.5 million units. To achieve this, the company has launched an extensive product and market offensive and plans to increase production at all locations. Skoda concluded the year 2010 with a positive result. Sales revenue rose 22.4 percent to EUR 8.692 billion. The operating profit was more than doubled to 447 million EUR."The year 2011 is – exactly 20 years after the entry of Volkswagen – a year of setting the course and setting out to new horizons for Skoda," said the chairman of the board of Skoda, Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland, within the framework of the annual press conference in Prague. "We began the new year very well and have seamlessly followed up on the record sales year 2010," said the chief financial officer of Skoda, Winfried Krause.

In the first two months of the year 2011, worldwide sales of the brand have already risen almost 25 percent to 132,100 vehicles compared to last year. "We will resolutely expand our position in the markets and expect a continuation of the growth course this year. To do so, we plan to increase the production at Skoda locations, both in our home market of the Czech Republic as well as outside of Europe," said Winfried Vahland.

Within the framework of the Skoda Growth Strategy developed in 2010, the company wants to double its sales to at least 1.5 million units until the year 2018, measured at today's volume. "We do not want to be satisfied with what we have achieved and we will shift into a higher gear. Skoda has great potential and is on the verge of a growth spurt. That applies equally to our activities in the markets and to the expansion of the model range," Winfried Vahland emphasized.

A central element of the plans is the increased internationalization of the company. While market growth in the core European markets is expected to be rather moderate, Skoda expects a continued dynamic development in the emerging countries China, Russia, and India. "We're charging ahead in all regions and want to participate intensively in the upswing in the booming regions of the automobile industry," said the Skoda boss. Until the end of the decade, the manufacturer expects a growth of the global automobile market to an annual volume of about 85 million units: "We have good years ahead of us in the automobile industry – that provides us with additional tailwind."

For this purpose, Skoda invests extensively in new products and wants to excite new customers in new market segments for the brand. A first glance of the new design language of the models was provided by the design study "VisionD", which was presented at the Geneva Motor Show. Still this year, the new "City Car" will be the first vehicle within the framework of the product offensive to be launched in the market. Winfried Vahland: "This car is our answer to the increasingly strong demand for small cars with low fuel consumption and affordable costs of operation and offers a new sales potential in Europe for us."

In 2012, another strategic step will be taken in the model policy: a compact sedan – located between the models Fabia and Octavia – shall open up another high-volume element for Skoda. All new models will continue to fulfill the brand promise "simply clever" without change: practical vehicles with an optimal offer of space and an outstanding price / value ratio.

In its growth strategy, the company builds on a healthy starting position. In 2010, sales reached a new record level of 762,600 units. In almost all markets, Skoda was able to grow and gained market shares. Skoda recorded the most dynamic development in the overseas markets of Asia with a plus of 48 percent. In its home market of the Czech Republic, Skoda expanded its leadership position to a market share of more than 34 percent. In Eastern Europe, the sales increase amounted to 22 percent. A slight decline was recorded – due to the expiry of state-subsidized aid programs – in the sales in Western Europe.

The top-selling vehicle in the past year was the Octavia with worldwide sales of 350,000 units.

The key financial figures of the company also developed in a positive way. Sales revenue rose 22.4 percent to EUR 8.692 billion. The operating profit was more than doubled to 447 million EUR compared to the previous year. Net liquidity was also improved significantly and has reached EUR 1.605 billion. Profit before tax amounted to EUR 418 million.

Suzuki 100 CC Commuter Bike For India

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 05:09 AM PDT

Suzuki India's Vice-President for Marketing and Sales Atul Gupta has revealed to media that Suzuki India is soon going to launch a 100 CC segment bike targeted for the masses and will be placed in the commuter segment with low cost and high fuel economy. The 100 CC commuter bike segment in India accounts for about half of the Motorcycle sales in India. Most of this demand comes from the Tier 2, Tier 3 and rural parts of the country. There are many bikes in this segment by Hero Honda, a few by Bajaj, but hardly any other brand has its products in 100 CC segment. Presently, the minimum engine capacity motorcycle from Suzuki's stable is the Suzuki Slingshot launched in 2010. The addition of a 100 CC bike will offer a choice to the buyers interested in Suzuki Motorcycles in India.

Suzuki Slingshot 125CC

image- Slingshot for illustration only.

Honda Two Wheelers India is also interested to capture this segment after its split from the Hero Honda Joint Venture. The 100 CC Bike of Honda will be placed below Honda CB Twister and is also intended to capture a slice of the 100 CC segment pie in India which is mostly captured by Hero Honda Bikes In India which are priced between Rs. 35000 to Rs. 50000 approximately.

Check out more -

Suzuki India News

Nissan India Testing Its Sedan Sunny On Indian Roads Prior To Launch

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 12:23 AM PDT

Nissan is all set to bring its global sedan based on the Versatile Platform called as the Nissan V-Platform to India. The car has been spotted testing on Indian roads near Chennai. The Nissan Sunny (named in China), will be launched with a different name in India since Bajaj holds the Sunny name in India with its scooter. The global sedan from Nissan is already launched in China and its scheduled for launch in India in the second half of year 2011. Nissan intends to launch the car in over 170 countries worldwide. The global sedan will be a direct competition of the segment leaders like Maruti Swift Dzire, Volkswagen Vento, Toyota Etios, Tata Indigo Manza etc..

From the appearance, the car looks like a regular sedan with short boot. Also it may be shorter than 4 meters in length (we guess from the side view), which may help Nissan to price it very aggressively as it may fall in the small car excise and tax bracket.

The car looks curvy as the small car Nissan Micra and has no sharp edge styling. The tyres look large, 15 inch or higher, styling is rounded and Nissan signature curvy and cute.

Lets wait and watch till more news comes up from the official channels.

Source and Image credit – AutoCarIndia

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Nissan India News

Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Edge Special Edition- Specifications Features Price Details

Posted: 13 Mar 2011 11:55 PM PDT

Maruti Suzuki is best small car brand in the country and the popularity is literally unmatched. They have been offering amazing cars, exceptional aftersales service and true brand loyalty for over a decade now. One of the recent hits from the brand was Maruti Alto K10 which were sold like hotcakes and are still leading the sales figures of most of its counterparts.

Other successful cars from the brand include Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R and Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo of which the Estilo has been been follower. The company even came up with a Maruti Zen Estilo CNG variant to boost its sales but evidently the car was not competitive enough in terms of overall looks and features and now to giving it another shot, the company has launched Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Edge.

This time things might work for the brand as the new Edge model does get an edge over many other cars including Hyundai i10 in terms of new features which were missing otherwise.

The appearance is almost the same with minor changes on the exterior including new catchy body graphics and body coloured ORVM while the interior is what to look out for as a number of cool features have been added making the car appeal to new buyers considering it.

Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Edge Specifications

It's a powered by the same 3 cylinder 12 valve 998 cc k-series engine which delivers a maximum power output of 67 BHP at 6200 rpm and a maximum torque of 90 nm at 3500 rpm. The K10 engine is constructed using aluminum, and accounts for better mileage and smooth operation and also has an advantage of producing less noise and vibrations. The car also gets an improved fuel efficiency of 19 km/l.

Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Edge Features

The Zen Estilo Edge is loaded with the following features:

More cabin entertainment and thrill with 2 Din Radio + CD Player + MP# Audio with 2 speakers
Advanced audio input with auxiliary and USB ports
Better driving efficiency with Bluetooth Hands free
Better visibility and safety with front fog lamps
Sporty style with rear spoiler
Better aesthetics include body coloured outside mirrors and door handles
Enhanced look with full wheel cover
Attractive body graphics
Rear Parcel tray
Added upholstery with Leatherrite seat cover
New K-series engine for higher performance and lesser maintenance
Central locking System

Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo Edge Price In India

The price starts from Rs.3.60 Lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and for sure the car offers more features at a lesser price.

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