Honda Jazz New Hatchback by HONDA up to mid-2009

Honda is launching it’s new hatchback after launched the new Accord V6 & said its ‘Jazz’ hatchback would hit the Indian roads by middle of this year, so the new car would trail the it’s own “Honda City” sedan in terms of sales volumes.
Honda will launch its premium hatchback Honda Jazz in India in Year 2009. In view of the importance of small cars in Indian market and the enthusiastic response which the company got for the Jazz when it was showcased at the Auto Expo in New Delhi this year, it has been decided to pre-pone the launch of the Honda Jazz to the middle of next year. The initial roll out of the car will be done from the current plant at Greater Noida.
The very new Jazz will be a premium segment hatchback and we do not expect that it will overcome the sales numbers of the City sedan in India as it is expensive. The Jazz is priced much higher than the City in many foreign markets, including Thailand, but it is still managing to sell more numbers. Honda people said they were not worried about the premium tag associated with the Jazz. The price or premium ness will be determined by the customer. We are confident that the model will be well accepted in India as like other premium segment cars.
Honda is expected to price this car between 5 lakh to 6 lakh. The pricing in the Indian market would be tricky, as the Jazz has to be profitable for Honda, as well as stay reasonably below the Honda City to ensure it doesn't cannibalize the low end Honda City cars. As hatch back is the only category in which Honda does not has a product, once a small car like the Jazz enters the Indian automobile market, Honda would have a car in every category. . Honda already has the Honda City ZX and other variants in the mid-size saloon market, The Honda Civic as a larger saloon, The Honda Accord in the luxury segment and the Honda CR-V as a city crossover SUV.The launch of the Suzuki Swift in India forced Honda last year to re-calculate its plans for India. Originally, Honda SIEL had planned to enter India with cars from Daihatsu whcih could be priced lower in the Indian market. However, the tremendous response to the Swift forced a relook - the Indian customer now expected a lot more sophisticated car than a Daihatsu hatchback, and the Jazz initially was considered a bit too expensive a car for India. The production of the Jazz will still be a tough feat for the car manufacturer to stay within the price range and have a car in the Indian market that can beat the Suzuki Swift.
Jazz is accomplished with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and will be competitively priced for the Indian market and get the premium tag due to the company’s focus on making it luxurious and safe by adding features like- Airbags,- ABS (anti-lock braking system)- G-CON Technology (an advanced passive shielding that offers the occupant a survival zone in case of an unavoidable collision).
Honda, however, believes that customers would be willing to pay for the additional features.
Vehicle Summery
Name Jazz
Model SE 1.4
Segment C
Car body type Hatchback
Top Speed 170 kmph

ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS
Displacement: 1339cc, i-DSI
Engine Type: Petrol
Maximum Power: 83bhp@5700rpm
Maximum Torque: 119nm@2800rpm

DIMENSIONS
Length: 3855 mm
Width: 1876 mm
Height: 1525 mm

OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Seating Capacity: 5
Tyre Size: 185/55 R15
Steering: Power
Brakes: Front Ventilated, Rear Disk
Gears: 5 Manual
Kerb Weight: 1041.00 kgs.
Body Color Bumpers: Yes


COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE
AC: AC without Climate Control
Power Windows: Central Locking:
Remote
Remote Boot: No
Remote Fuel Filler: No
Rear Wiper: No
Rear Defogger: No
Rear Armrest: No
Streeing Adjustment: Yes
Driver Seat Adjustment: Manual
Music System: MP3, 4 Speaker
Leather Seats: No
Door Mirror: Both Side Electric
Tinted Glass: No
Rear AC Vent: No
Folding Rear Seats: No
Sun Roof: No
Buttons/Controls on Steering: No
Auto Wiper: No
Auto Headlamp: No

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
Airbag: 4
Parking Sensors: Yes
Fog Lamp: No
Traction Control: No
EBD: Yes
ABS: Yes
ESP: No

Fiat 500 comes to India

The Fiat 500 - the much fancied car of 2008 has been launched in India. The two door Fiat new car is to be priced around 15lac ex-showroom Mumbai. The on-road price in India (Mumbai) will be close to 17lac.
This car will not be fancied by the public, but is going to be loved by the rich youth of the country. Celebrities and car lovers would enjoy this car as much as anything.
The Fiat 500 will face stiff competition against the Mini Cooper and the Volkswagen Beetle which is also going to be launched soon in India.

Maruti Suzuki A-Star

The Maruti Suzuki India group has launched the A-Star in India which is produced in Haryana at teh Manesar factory. The car has been desgined by Rajesh Kumar and Saurabh Singh.
The car is a Euro 5-compliant model with lower Co2 emissions. The car is going to be the replacement for the Alto in export markets. In India the car will be a direct competition to the Hyundai i10.
The price of the Maruti A-Star is a good 10% higher than the i10. The base version of the A-star will be about 3.6lacs.

Face-lifted Scorpio launched

Mahindra continued to it's culture of launching Refresh version after Champion Refresh & Bolero Refresh.

Refreshed Scorpio launched. Rs. 7.21 lakh to Rs. 9.99 lakh. Price cuts ranging from Rs 34,000 to Rs 70,000. Model range includes new VLX BS-IV micro-hybrid variant.
Mahindra has launched a refreshed version of its Scorpio. The price has been significantly reduced accross the range with price cuts ranging from Rs 34,000 to Rs 70,000. The new Scorpio has a host of new features across its range of variants.The VLX, LX and SLE variants get the mHawk engine and the SLE gets ABS. The SLE, VLX, VLX Bharat Stage-IV and VLX Automatic get powered outdoor rear view mirrors. The all new VLX BS-IV variant also features Mahindra’s stop-start Microhybrid system. The variant is priced at Rs 9.3 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi. "We are especially pleased to be the first company to launch a BS-IV compliant version in India", said Rajan Wadhera, Mahindra's engineering department chief.The price range is from Rs. 7.21 lakh to 9.99 lakh across the five variants (prices are ex-showroom Delhi).

XYLO v/s INNOVA

Spruced up Toyota Innova to take on Mahindra Xylo

A new face-lifted version of the hugely successful Innova MPV has been launched by Toyota in India.
The new Innova is essentially a tidied up version of the existing model, with spruced up exteriors and interiors. The company had anticipated the launch of the Xylo, and had planned the new Innova to be revealed immediately after the launch of the Maxindra MPV.
That apart, the company is said to be in the process of launching alternative fuel versions of Toyota Innova in India following the facelifted Innova. Sources said that a CNG version of Toyota Innova which will cost approximately Rs 75,000 – Rs 90,000 or more.
The modifications in the new Innova include a handful of cosmetic alterations aimed at making the vehicle exude freshness. The changes include a refreshed bumper, grille, fog lamps and new front skirt. Meanwhile, the company has also spruced up the interiors to make it more comfortable and pleasing to the eye. The inside of the car now comes with a new color wooden panel with climate control AC, steering mounted audio controls and an in-dash CD changer. The Toyota Innova was much loved by large families, as well as by the tourist taxi trade for its car-like comfort.
With regard to the alternative fuel version being planned, the company feels that the CNG Innova might have to be sold for a bigger price. This, because, there is a difference in the installation procedure of the CNG kits in India and Japan. The company might go in for a tie up with Minda Industries for its CNG kits for CNG variant of Toyota Innova, sources added.
Toyota had recently been elevated to a position as the the world’s biggest carmaker, thanks to the strong global presence it boasts of. Toyota has a market value of about $117 billion, and like all major carmakers, it is suffering from the financial troubles that have afflicted the global market place. The company had recently said that it will record its first operating loss for the current financial year. Toyota sold about 9.366 million vehicles worldwide last year.

Mahindra XYLO “the era of sedan is under serious threat.”

Mahindra unveils multi purpose vehicle Xylo to indian market with comparioson to it's competitor TOYOTA Innova. It is bit cheaper & more in performence to it.

Xylo, with its competitive price ranging from Rs 6.24 lakh to Rs 7.69 lakh, is pitched against not only MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) market leader Toyota Innova but also midsize sedans including Ford Fiesta and Maruti SX4.
Mr Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, reiterated the pre-launch advertising slogan for Xylo – “the era of sedan is under serious threat.”
According to Mr Mahindra, comparatively lower price and additional comforts it offers would help Xylo beat the current downtrend in the automotive market.
“There is clearly pressure on market all around world. But if you come out with right product at right price, there is a huge overhang of demand that you can capitalise,” said Mr Mahindra.

GLOBAL LAUNCH
He said that Xylo will have its global launch in South Africa by the end of this financial year. The product will later be launched in other markets, including Europe where tougher emission standards are in place, he said.
Xylo will be available in 57 select Mahindra dealerships in January and another 44 from February.
While Toyota’s low-end Innova E costs Rs 7.60 lakh, the low-end version of Mahindra MPV, Xylo E2, at Rs 6.24, comes with greater comforts including power steering, power windows and central locking. Toyota’s high-end Innova G4 is priced Rs 9.29 lakh while Mahindra’s high-end variant Xylo E8 costs Rs 7.69 lakh and offers additional comforts including digital drive assist system and flatbed front seats, said Mr Rajesh Jejurikar, Chief of Operations, Mahindra & Mahindra.

A NEW PLATFORM
Xylo, which was under development for four and a half years, is coming out of an all-new platform called Ingenio. It is six and a half years since Mahindra launched a new platform in the UV segment.
“The entire product development has cost Rs 550 crore,” said Mr Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra. “The product development process has improved significantly in the last six and a half years. We hadn’t got everything right the first time when we launched Scorpio. We have got everything right in Xylo the first time.”
Mahindra has the capacity to produce 25,000 units of Xylo a year which, the company officials said, can be ramped up based on demand. “We are assembling Xylo and Scorpio on the same line. So we have got that flexibility,” said Mr Goenka.

NEW PRODUCTS
Mahindra will have a few more products from the Ingenio platform in the coming years. “We cannot afford to develop just one product out of one platform. There will be many more products in the next two to three years,” said Mr Goenka.
The company is developing two products, one of which is an SUV targeting the US market. The development cost of the two upcoming models is Rs 550 crore each. Interestingly, the development cost of Scorpio and Xylo is the same.