Maruti, M&M, Tata to unveil hybrid vehicles for 2010 Commonwealth games

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) will unveil its hybrid vehicles in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as part of the Indian government’s hybrid development project.This national hybrid project was initiated by the Indian government under the public-private-partnership mode (PPP) in order to develop hybrid vehicles in India.

Other auto majors like Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS and Bajaj are also expected to participate in the project.

MSI, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra will work on a shared technology basis in the hybrid project.

Mr C.V. Raman, Chief General Manager (Research and Development), Maruti Suzuki, said, “Under the initiative of the Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India, and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, these companies will work in key areas such as transmissions, electronic controllers, battery and motor.”

He said that each of the four areas will have a representative from the three companies.

Mr C.V. Raman also said that the focus would probably be on high-powered lithium iron batteries that can be used with a gasoline or a diesel engine.

Mahindra & Mahindra wil bring to the table its sports utility vehicle technology while the Tatas will display the technology it uses for its heavy vehicles like buses.

MSI will will show the technology used in its passenger car models.

All three companies will then incorporate the shared know-how, on the basic areas of transmission and batteries, in their own vehicles.

MSI Managing Director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi said, “Indian government has put in money for developing hybrid vehicles through the National Hybrid Project and we have also joined that process.”

“Our team is working on that and we will demonstrate the first hybrid vehicle in the Commonwealth Games in the next year,” he added.

The national hybrid project requires the participants to develop at least 10 hybrid vehicles and demonstrate them in the 2010 CommonWealth Games.

“Each manufacturer has to demonstrate 10 hybrid vehicles, which will be used for ferrying the players during the games. We are also developing for the same,” said Mr C V Raman.

Mr. Raman further explained that the government will foot 50 per cent of the development cost while the rest will be spent by the individual companies.

The hybrids are expected to run on CNG and electric energy. This move is also a part of the government’s green city agenda.

“Hybrid buses were a part of the system during Beijing Olympics. Delhi, too, has a green city agenda and the event (Commonwealth Games) could be used to extend our commitment to the cause,” Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said.

In 2008, the Beijing Olympics sent out a message urging individuals and government to contribute toward the conservation of environment and toward making the planet green. This project may be the Indian government’s way of contributing toward a green planet.

The hybrid buses being developed by auto majors in India well be stationed at all 11 game venues to take participants to the concerned places.

Meanwhile, MSI has said it is aggressively pushing its small car project, which will hit the domestic market by 2011-12. The company will conceptualize, design, and develop the small car from scratch.

MSI plans to hire 1,000 engineers by 2010 from all over the world. The company also plans to develop a test track in Haryana as a part of the company’s Rs 9,000-crore expansion project.

Hyundai i20, i30 and i40 cars will be launched in India

The decision to this effect by the Korean car maker comes following the astounding success of the Hyundai i10 small car model in India.

Hyundai i30 in the US - is this the car that will come to India?

Hyundai, which has, by now, turned the second largest car manufacturer in the country, is expected to launch the Hyundai i20 before December 2008. This will be followed by the i30 and i40 car launches, most probaly in 2009. According to the company top brass, the entire portfolio of Hyundai’s new i-series cars will drive into India one after the other. Hyundai believes that the premium i30 and i40 cars too would be accepted wholeheartedly by the Indian car buyers.

Hyundai i20 - sedan version might come to India

The Korean giant believes that the new generation cars would be ideal for the fast growing Indian market. It is expected that the company would go in for a strengthening of the i10 models by bringing in a new engine and an automatic transmission in the next few months.

The Hyundai i20 is a four door sedan. There are rumors that a three-door version of the i20 would be launched, but frankly we don’t expect that to happen. Expected to offer more spacious interiors, The Hyundai i20 would have an automatic transmission option too. The i20 would be manufactured at its Chennai plant.

Apart from the i20 that has been lined up for the year end, the car maker is also expected to launch a diesel version of Hyundai i10 model. The petrol version will be positioned as a B segment vehicle. News sources hinted that the car has been codenamed PB and will aim at customers who look for a Getz upgrade.
Further, Hyundai Motor India is also expected to come out with a spruced up version of the i10 car which would be specially designed for international customers. Hyundai, which has made India a small car export and manufacturing hub, plans to export cars in the of Rs 5-6 lakh price range. All models the lined up will be rolled out of its India assembly line.

Maruti to Launch Revamped Zen Estilo in India

Maruti is all set to launch the revamped version of Maruti Zen Estilo. The existing engine will be replaced with the1.0L K- series engine, seen in the latest model from Maruti; the A-star. This engine will make around 67bhp and is equipped with innovative technologies to reduce consumption and enhance performance.

Currently, Maruti Suzuki India is focusing on revamping its models rather than building new ones. Besides working on the existing models, Maruti has launched two models in the past few months namely Maruti A-Star and Maruti Ritz. They are an addition to Maruti's already strong car segment. The company has however dismissed plans to launch its premium sedan Maruti Kizashi in India.

The company is also working towards building face lifted models of its existing products in the wake of the Bharat IV emission norms which will come into effect from April next year.

Porsche to Launch Cayenne Hybrid in India

Porsche is all set to launch the hybrid variants of the popular models Cayenne. The company is supporting eco-friendly models of its cars in addition to other sports car makers like Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Porsche has begun work on its SUV model Porsche Cayenne in a bid to bring its hybrid variant into the market. The new models are likely to come by next year. Following this, the new eco-friendly model of the luxury sedan Porsche Panamera will be brought to India. A revised engine that will deliver 11km/l on the cayenne is being devised. This would be an advancement of 25 percent of the present fuel efficiency of 6 km/l and 8.9 km/l in the city and on the highway respectively.

In India, currently five variants of the Porsche Cayenne are available. It includes GTS and Turbo variants. The completely built units come with a price tag of Rs. 56 lakhs. Since in India there is an option for CNG and LP models, the hybrid market is still in the nascent stage. Hence the marketing strategy to sell the hybrid variants in India needs to be really worked on.

Tata Nano Could Overtake Maruti 800 & Omni

The days may not be too far away when the Tata Nano will dominate the rural car market by outpacing the Maruti 800 and the Maruti Omni. Actually, both these models are not compliant with the BS IV norms, hence this could drive them off the road. Also, the new BS IV compliant M800 is not expected to hit the markets until 2011, which could work in favour of the Tata Nano.


According to Kapil Arora, partner at Ernst & Young, "This (absence of Maruti 800 and Maruti Omni) would mean no direct competition to Tata Nano. The important question is whether Tata Motors would be able to manufacture enough units of Tata Nano that would meet the demand."

Tata Nano has already climbed the popularity charts and is already a hot favorite with many Indian customers. However, the major issue with Tata Nano currently is that its mother plant is not operational currently. Though the plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2009, it already seems that Tata Nano has lost the crucial lead time that could have been successfully used to obtain an advantage over the Maruti 800 and the Maruti Omni.

Currently, Tata Motors has acquired a loss of around Rs. 2500 crores largely due to the acquisition of luxury brands internationally. Therefore, the company needs to sell around 2.5 lakh units of the Tata Nano in order to cover the losses. It is expected that this figure should be reachable given the growing clout of the Indian consumer in present times.

Skoda Plans to Debut Skoda Yeti Soon in India

The Czechoslovakian automaker Skoda has already started rolling out the Skoda Yeti from its plant, and it seems that this car will hit the roads soon. According to sources who are close to the project, this magnificent SUV will be displayed at the forthcoming Delhi Auto Expo 2010. As you will already know, the Delhi Auto Expo is a premier platform for car manufacturers and car lovers in the country. Earlier this car was put up at the Geneva Auto show in 2009.

For the Indian market, the company plans to launch the Skoda Yeti SUV close to around 2010, though there is no official confirmation from the company yet. Some of the features that the company plans to include for the Indian debut are a 4x4 variant and a 1.8L TSI petrol engine that will be adapted to Indian conditions. With a robust and elegant look, this vehicle has the power to create a sturdy impression with its 17 inch wheels and a neatly styled body. Though there are growing environmental concerns about SUVs, the Skoda Yeti has made some attempts at reducing the fuel consumption and emission.

For longer journeys, there is ample luggage space of up to 1,760 available in the Skoda Yeti by removing the rear VarioFlex seating system. There is ample safety features included as well. Though there is no official confirmation about the price, it is expected to cost between INR 10 to 12 lakhs.

Awesome police chase videos!

As you probably know by now, I'm a sucker for videos full of fast cars. And as you may have noted a couple of weeks ago, I'm also a fan of the show "Jesse James is a Dead Man" on Spike TV. In a recent episode, Jesse takes his custom-modified muscle car on a chase through the desert, with the object being to see if the police can actually catch him. Apparently, real police officers from Orange County were used in performing this stunt, and sure enough, the police finally catch Jesse when his tires give out and ends up riding the last part of this chase on his rims.

So as you may have guessed by now, those police chase shows that are on late-night cable are a guilty pleasure of mine. And with this timely prompting I have determined that this week's video blog will be dedicated to some crazy yet awesome police chase videos.

Since I thoroughly enjoyed the scenic southern California desert setting for Jesse James' race against the police, I sought out a similar police chase video to kick things off. As originally presented on "World's Wildest Police Videos" (incidentally, another program on Spike TV), we see a stolen Corvette speeding through the Arizona highway at speeds close to 200 mph. When the Corvette begins weaving through traffic lined with huge semitrucks, the car begins to fishtail and smacks right into the rear of a third tractor truck. Despite being hurled at triple-digit speed, the driver somehow manages to escape with little damage.