Weekly Wrap-Up: Pajero Sport AT Launched, 2015 Hyundai Verna Spied, LA Motor Show Preview and more

Apart from a few happenings like Mitsubishi Pajero Sport AT launch at weekend, limited edition of Swift, the week didn’t serve much. However, as the LA Motor Show was approaching there was a flood of new cars and concepts, which were being unveiled by their respective manufacturers prior to the motor show. The biggest among these are the Audi A9, Porsche Cayenne GTS and 911 GTS, Maybach S600 and BMW X5 M and X6 M. Yes, you read it right! Mercedes is re-introducing its ultra premium brand Maybach with S600.

The Indian market also received a few price hikes, Mahindra hiked price for its entire product range by 1 per cent. Another hike was by Indian Govt, which raised excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs. 1.5/litre, however dropping prices of crude oil in international market also resulted in a similar price cut. Last week, we reported that Maruti Ciaz has outpaced Honda City in October sales, however with these two new competitors in segment, the former segment leader Verna has lost its number drastically. However, if you are a Verna fan, do not worry as an updated Verna has been caught testing on Indian roads hinting an early 2015 launch.

Whereas, the car sales are not overwhelming for quite a few time, there are a few cars, which are still attracting waiting period. And, these cars also don’t face any manufacturing shortage as these come from the stables of Maruti and Hyundai. We found that newly launched Alto K10, Swift, Ciaz and Elite i20 have 2 week to 3-4 months waiting period for various variants.

Ford launched its next-gen Endeavour in the Chinese market, which will make its way to India next way. The beefy SUV has received a complete makeover and might found a new set of customers in India, when launched. Japanese auto maker also shared a quote saying that the automaker can launch Honda Jazz anytime in 2015, hinting the big launch coming soon. In Brazilian Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg won the race and his team-mate Hamilton finished at second. However, the  F1 winner for the season is almost decided as Lewis Hamilton is already leading the chart with 334 point and 10 wins, and even if he finishes 5th in the last race in Abu Dhabi he is the winner for the season.

The coming week will be dominated by the LA Motor Show as all the manufacturers round the globe will show best of their vehicles at one of the biggest platforms available for automobiles in the world. So, keep in tuned for latest updates and get the biggest happenings of the week at a glance in our weekly wrap-up.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 4x2 AT Launched in India at INR 23.55 Lacs

Mitsubishi has just launched the automatic variant of its only offering in India- the Pajero Sport in an on-going event in Delhi. Priced at INR 23.55 Lacs, the SUV comes only with a rear wheel drive option, and competes against the likes of Toyota Fortuner 4×2 AT, SsangYong Rexton RX7 AT, Chevrolet Captiva AWD and Ford Endeavour 4×2 AT. Read More

Maruti Suzuki Introduces Limited Edition Swift Windsong and new TVC (Video Inside)

Maruti Suzuki after launching the Swift facelift has now introduced a limited edition of Swift at the ‘Windsong Music Festival Lonavala, Maharashtra. Christened as ‘Swift Windsong’, the special edition is only limited to 100 units and will be available at selected dealerships. The limited edition ‘Swift Windsong' is based on the Swift facelift model and embraces attractive body decals and accessories inside out. However, it would add another 40-50 thousand more on the ex-showroom price of Swift. Read More 

Hyundai Verna Facelift Spied Undisguised; Launch Early Next Year!

Hyundai India is prepping-up for the Verna facelift, the refreshed sedan is likely to launch early next year. Verna received a serious blow from the new Honda City lately, which dethroned it from segment leader position. While Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has added fuel to the fire. Moreover, the segment is also crowded with refreshed rivals. Read More

Mahindra Announces Price Hike: Other Carmakers to Follow Soon

The home grown manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has announced a price hike in passenger and commercial vehicles by an average of 1 per cent. The increase in the price will be effective from this month and would be in the range of Rs 2,300 to Rs 11,500 (Ex-showroom) depending on the model. Read More

Waiting Period of Hyundai Elite i20, Maruti Suzuki Swift Facelift, Ciaz and Alto K10

For the past couple of months, Indian auto sector witnessed spree of car launches. In August, Korean manufacturer Hyundai launched Elite i20 while in October Maruti Suzuki launched Ciaz, both of which outshines their contemporary rivals. India’s largest carmaker with a market share of 44.77 per cent (In October) also introduced Swift facelift and next gen Alto K10 with AGS (Auto Gear Shift). In accordance with festive season of Diwali, bookings of these cars have touched a new high which further results in an increase of waiting period. While manufacturers are trying hard to mind the gap of waiting period by increasing the output, customers are still facing a waiting period of three to four months on their favourite cars. We called dealers across the country and found out the waiting period of Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Elite i20, Maruti Suzuki Swift facelift and Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 with AGS. We also like to add here that in some of the showrooms, cars are available but then you won’t have the opportunity to choose the sparky color or desired trim, you just have to go with the model and color available at the dealership. Read More

2014 Los Angeles Auto Show Preview

The 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show is just a week away till we get to see some exciting cars and amazing concepts. With around 15 cars waiting to make their world debut, this year’s edition of LA Auto Show too promises great excitement and loads of fun. Here, we take a sneak preview of the show before the curtains lift. Read More

Maybach is Back! Mercedes-Maybach S Class -S600 teased ahead of LA Motor Show

Mercedes is reviving the lost brand with the ‘Best Car In The World’ - the German automaker has teased S Class’s new range topping Mercedes-Maybach S600 ahead of the Los Angeles Motor Show on November 18th. The company is making world premiere at LA but it will be also showcased at Guangzhou Motor Show later this month. Merc says that Mercedes-Maybach is sub-brand like the sportier Mercedes-AMG and will present MB vehicles in an exclusive luxurious avatar! So expect some more Mercedes-Maybach apart from the S600 coming our way in near future. Read More

Government Increases Excise Duty on Petrol and Diesel by Rs 1.50 per litre

Just a few hours ago, we reported that state oil companies are planning to reduce the fuel prices but now as the government has raised the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 1.50 per litre, the possible reduction has now been negated. With the increase in excise duty, government pulls an additional revenue of about Rs 13,000 crore. Before the duty hike, petrol in Delhi costed Rs 64.25 a litre while the diesel was priced at Rs 53.35 per litre. Read More

Here's our new Endeavour! Ford Says Its Coming to India Next Year

‘Blue Oval’ has revealed the production version of the next-gen 2015 Ford Endeavour/Everest in China today (Endeavour is known as Everest to others). The vehicle is built from scratch and shares nothing with the ongoing SUV and Ford says new seven seater will be launched in 2015 in nine markets from next year that includes -  China, Australia, New Zealand, India, and markets across the ASEAN region along with Africa. Read More

Honda Says New Jazz will be Launched Anytime in 2015

Honda Cars India are mulling over to defer the launch of new Honda Jazz to next year. Showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo, it was scheduled to enter this fiscal year but it may get derailed as Honda says. Having said that, expect the new hatch to launch in the first half of 2015! The company stated that their current hot selling models - City, Amaze and recently launched Mobilio MPV demands are exceeding their expectations, they even started second shift recently at the Tapukara plant to reduce City’s waiting period. Read More

Paying Respect to Rich Indian Emperors, Rolls-Royce unveiled Maharaja Phantom Drophead Coupe

The Maharaja rose again. This time in the desert city of Dubai. The ultra luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce unveiled Maharaja Phantom Drophead Coupé created exclusively for customers in Dubai. The Rolls-Royce Maharaja Phantom Drophead Coupé is one-of-a-kind bespoke vehicle which was unveiled in an Indian-themed evening at the AGMC Rolls-Royce showroom. Read More

Brazilian Grand Prix; 11th One-two finish for Team Mercedes with Rosberg on top

Nico Rosberg may have won the Brazilian Grand Prix, but championship title is still a long shot for him. His teammate Lewis Hamilton is already 17 points ahead and with only one race at Abu Dhabi remaining, chances of Hamilton’s becoming a World Champion are stronger. Even if Rosberg wins the last race, Hamilton’s finishing 5th will make him a world champion. Till now, out of 18 Grand Prix races, Hamilton have won 10 races while his teammate has won 5 races and remaining 3 is under Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo name. Read More

Honda Amaze creates Guinness World Record: Longest journey by a car in a single country

India’s most fuel efficient compact sedan Honda Amaze gardens another achievement under its brand by getting its name written in Guinness World Record books in the category of  ‘Longest journey by a car in a single country’. The journey started on 15th September 2014 from Jodhpur as a part of ‘Honda Amazingly Indian campaign’ under which Amaze clocked a distance of 23,800kms across the nation. The campaign was initiated to celebrate the success of Honda Amaze in the country and for reaching 100,000 units sales milestone. This is the fastest in the history of Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL). Read More

BMW and Toyota's Sports Car Project Moves To Concept Stage

Three years back, BMW and Toyota signed a memorandum of understanding for partnership between the two carmakers on several future projects, and development of a 'midsize sports car platform' was the most prominent part of it. Now according to a latest report, that cooperation on the underpinnings 'has moved on to the concept phase and is running according to plan.'  Read More

0 to 100 kmph in 1.79 seconds? This Electric car breaks the world record

Can an electric car achieve an acceleration of 0 to 100 kmph in mere 1.79 seconds? Well yes, as the students from ETH Zurich and Lucerne University Applied Sciences and Arts, have built an electric car which has broken the previous world record for electric cars acceleration. The previous record of 2.134 seconds was held by an electric car built by Delft University of Technology. Read More

AMT to rule 30% of Vehicles in Next Five Years

Mankind always march further to ease up our life, this seems to fit perfectly here! Automatics once despised in the country for being less efficient than their manual counterparts, are now rapidly gaining popularity in almost every segment. Thanks to the technological advancement and increased efficiency, which now matches with manuals. Meanwhile, we came across a new term - AMT - Automated Manual Transmission, (basically a traditional manual unit with hydraulic actuator and a dedicated ECU). Read More

Fiat to Invest $1 Billion For a new Family of Compact Cars Including Linea Replacement

Fiat S.p.A’s turkish joint venture - Tofas will reportedly invent $1 billion for a brand new family of compact vehicles that will include replacement of Bravo hatch, Linea sedan and the discontinued Stilo station wagon. Bravo is discontinued in Europe but is on sale in Brazil while Linea is still sold by Fiat globally including India. The new clan is set to go into production early 2016. Read More

119 units of Toyota Camry Recalled in India

Continuing with the recalling spree, Toyota Kirloskar Motors India has recalled 119 units of the Camry sedan after the recent Innova recall. The Japanese quintessential automaker adds that the faulty vehicle has been manufactured in between March and July 2011,  imported to India from the the home country - Japan. Toyota says that the sedans are recalled to rectify a defect in the front suspension setup of the vehicle. This move is under the Toyota’s global recall of nearly 1.7 lac units of Camry sedan manufactured in Japanese manufacturing facility. Read More

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