Volkswagen New Beetle

Honda Jazz

If you are looking for the cleverest superminis around, then Honda Jazz is the ultimate answer! The modern engines and transmissions, the interior space solution forms the most innovative and unique features of the Honda Jazz. The 1.3 litres and 1.5 litre engines result in great power output and fuel economy.FeaturesThe Honda Jazz standard features include a CD player, two front airbags, ABS brakes, a trip computer, central locking, a transponder coded immobilizer, power windows and mirrors. The steering wheel design and placement makes driving in a Honda Jazz more comfortable even with compact seats.TrimThere are three different available colours. The wheels are leather wrapped. They are well-organized, semi-retro technique air and audio controls and the two main audio buttons resemble sauce containers, which definitely looks cute!SafetyThe front-end design of the car diminishes pedestrian injury. The car has not undergone an official crash test by a 3rd party yet however an average score can be expected.The Honda Jazz revolutionApart from the fact that the Honda Jazz is taller, its size is very similar to the Honda Getz. The back suspension of the car is flat and dense and the fuel tank is situated below the front cabin, thus the car has a long and deep floor with a short engine bay. Four average adults can be easily accommodated into the car leaving a good amount of space for gear functioning. You have an easy back seat access owing to the high roof design which is absent in most small cars. The seats are flat with soft padding and there are about three sash belts and two headrests. The car has a super cargo system, which can be compared to most mid sized wagons. When one part of the 60/40 split-rear seat is folded back, the seat slides under making the extended floor totally flat. All this takes is just one quick action! No swindling or strength is required.With excellent build and finish qualities, the Honda Jazz sets a striking example of modern and comfortable small cars which is are user friendly and fun to drive. It is a total package for those who are looking for an easy, comfortable family car equipped with a powerful engine and progressive brakes.

Maruti Suzuki Splash

Maruti Suzuki Splash / Ritz
Expected in May 2009
Estimated price: 4-5.5 Lakh
Splash all over the place. And I am not talking about some naughty little boy being the brat that he has always been going about his usual business and splashing muddy water everywhere. If all goes well for India’s largest auto-maker, “Splash all over the place” this statement actually can easily come true! Maruti is coming up with Splash / Ritz very soon.
Maruti 800 started the bang and the very beloved Zen carried it forward. Wagon-R chipped in well too later on. And now that Zen has already received a make-over in the form of Estilo, it is the turn of her stable-mate, Wagon-R. Suzuki had showcased a concept based on this car in last year’s Paris Motor Show. Since then a lot of surgery has seen the Splash take its final form, the pictured of which we see here.
The styling is bold and is characterised by the massive headlamps at the fron. The rear is a result of some out-of-the-box thinking and has an inward tilt to it, something that the French have always had in their car designs. It does not look very nice, but every person has a right of thinking!
On the inside, you will notice the parts-sharing that Maruti has mastered now. The dash and the centre console shouts SX4 and Swift at its loudest. The rev counter placed on the dashboard is interesting though.
As far as engines are concerned, you won't be disappointed. A very refined and fuel efficient 1.2L petrol and the award-winning 1.3L multijet (DDiS) diesel engines are planned for the car.
This car is expected to hit Indian roads early 2009.

Hyundai i 40

Hyundai i30

The Hyundai i30 is a small family car by Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company and it design in Hyundai European Team in Germany. It shares mechanical components with the Kia cee'd although there are enough bodywork modifications to make both cars appear individual. It is available as a five-door hatchback or estate, with a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines, either with manual or automatic transmissions.
The i30 is sold in the United Kingdom as a replacement for the budget Hyundai Accent and the Hyundai Elantra and sits below Hyundai Sonata in the firm's range. The Hyundai i30 is a product born of focus, delivered through careful design with just a dash of inspiration. Dynamically stylish, invitingly spacious and totally practical. A car with all the intelligent features, inbuilt quality, and integrity that you expect from Hyundai. The i30 features dual front, side, and curtain airbags, active headrests, seatbelt pretensioning and seatbelt reminders.
The hatchback measures 4,245 mm long, 1,765 mm wide and 1,480 mm high. A wheelbase of 2,650 mm offers significant interior space for a vehicle of this size. Total luggage space is 340 liters with the rear seats upright. Hyundai will offer a variety of diesel and gasoline engines with the i30, ranging from 90 to 140 horsepower. A choice of either an automatic transmission to a five-speed all-synchro gearbox will be offered.
Hyundai Motor Company's i30 was chosen as Spain's Car of the Year 2008, the first time for an Asian carmaker, proving once again that the Korean marque, the world's sixth-largest automobile company, has made great advances in technology, design and safety.
The award follows the i30's outstanding recognition in Australia, where it was voted as both 2007 Car of the Year and 2007 Green Car of the Year. The i30 was judged by a jury composing of 52 journalists from a wide variety of Spanish media, including newspaper, specialized magazines, television, radio and news agencies. The jury based their points on exterior and interior design, reliability, performance, safety and market segment volume.

Mahindra Renault Sandero

Introducing the all new Renault Sandero Stepway which will be launched in Brazil by this October and Argentina will follow soon. The car, which will be manufactured in its Curitiba plant, Renault Sanero Stepway is the fifth of six models to be launched in Brazil as part of Renault Commitment 2009. Renault doubled its sales in Brazil between 2007 and 2008 with this strong product offensive. The brand now ranks among the top five best-selling manufacturers in the country.
In India Renault has recently launched its new version of its Mahindra Renault Logan and sources say that to build a name in the SUV market, Mahindra Renault are seriously thinking of getting this car to India very soon. Meanwhile, the existing Mahindra Renault Logan is making waves in the entry level mid-size car segment, creating stiff competition for its rival, Tata Indigo.

So what does this all new Renault Sandero Stepway has got for us? The Renault Sandero Steway is based on French carmaker’s low cost hatchback. The car gets a solid muscular styling typically meant for any good SUV comes with all new roofbars with an integrated spoiler, exclusive bumpers and grille, raised ground clearance and a chrome finished exhaust pipes. Sources say that in Argentina it will get a dCi Diesel engine in addition to the bio-ethanol engine. The car can comfortably fit in 5 adults and it comes with a standard three year/100,000 km warranty in Brazil.

Hummer H3T

With the launch of the HUMMER H3T pickup truck coming in just a few months, we thought we’d compile what we know about the newest HUMMER model.
Production of the pickup is slated to begin on September 4th, making dealership arrival likely to be late September or early October. Production had to be put off for a month due to the American Axle strike. The 2009 HUMMER H3T’s fuel economy will be 14 city / 18 highway for the standard in-line 5 cylinder engine. The 300 horsepower V8 H3T gets a rating of 13 city and 16 highway. We also learned that due to the placement of the full-size spare tire on the under-body, the pickup’s gas tank had to be redesigned. During the redesign, the capacity was increased to 27 gallons, increasing the highway range of the I5 to nearly 500 miles – not bad!
Pricing for the HUMMER H3T has been announced and came in lower than the H3 SUV. The 2009 HUMMER H3T starting price will be $31,495 which includes a ton of standard features.
Standard Features:
• full-time electronic four-wheel drive w/ 2:56:1 transfer case• premium cloth interior
• a standard integrated bedliner with built-in storage• Stabilitrak
• cargo management system
• 239 hp 3.7L inline 5-cylinder w/ 5-speed manual
• 32″ tires• four underbody skid shields
• Hill Start Assist
• Front driver and passenger airbags
• Side-curtain airbags with rollover sensor
• Six-speaker audio system
• XM Radio
• OnStar
• Bluetooth phone connectivity
• full-size spare tire
• HUMMER’s premium five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty plan.

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen has revealed its future model plans for India, but it packs many surpises. Contrary what we believed and what Volkswagen officials already told (”Andreas Prinz, managing director, Volkswagen India, told Business Standard the mid-size car would be priced competitively, aligned with the likes of the Honda City. This places it in the Rs 7 lakh to Rs 9 lakh bracket, which has models like the Hyundai Verna, the Maruti Suzuki SX4 and the Ford Fiesta”) volkswagen will bring three new models before 2010 and a microcar based on UP! concept in 2011. According to the statement, a slew of models could see Volkswagen producing as many as 240,000 units a year in india by 2012.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Car

Mitsubishi
has developed another vehicle for electric vehicle research, the Mitsubishi i MIEV. Mitsubishi took the Mitsubishi i, and installed a lightweight motor into it, hooked up to a pack of high-energy density li-ion batteries, retaining the rear-midship layout. The Mitsubishi i’s rear-midship engine location allows the new motor and battery packs to be placed in front of the rear axle line, which ensures ample cabin space for passengers. The Mitsubishi i MIEV is also equipped with an on-board charger which supports charging from ordinary electric outlets - plug-in capability!
Mitsubishi will begin joint research with the Tokyo Electric Power Company, and The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc., in November 2006 and with Kyushu Electric Power Co., Ltd, in January 2007. MMC will provide each power company with Mitsubishi i MiEV cars. The power companies will evaluate how fast-charge infrastructure can be developed for electric vehicles. Fast charging will allow the Mitsubishi i MIEV to be charged in about 20 minutes, compared to the hours it takes now.
After this first phase, fleet testing will begin in Autumn 2007 in order to verify the vehicle’s technical capabilities in daily use and to evaluate the commercial acceptance in collaboration with the power companies above along with, the Kansai Electric Power Co., Ltd, and Hokuriku Electric Power Company. The data collected from the test of daily use shall be used to assess the commercial viability of EVs in the market place.
The 1080kg electric vehicle is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor developing 63 HPand 180Nm of torque. This motor spins up to 8,500rpm, which translates to a top speed of 130km/h. This is hooked up to a pack of 330 volt lithium ion batteries which will have a 16 kWh capacity at first, but is expected to be 20 kWh during the fleet test phase. With a 100V power supply, it charges in 11 hours to 80%, and with a 200V supply it fills up to 80% capacity in 4 hours. And did I mention it’s rear wheel drive? I just did Check out Mitsubishi’s other electric vehicle,

FORD FOCUS

The Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet is the latest in a long line-up of Focus models and features Ford of Europe’s first powered hard-top.
Based on the Focus Vignale concept, first seen at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, the 4-seater, Focus CC retains the lines and essence of the original show-car.
Pininfarina have played a large role in the design and engineering of the new Focus model, which is also manufactured by the Italian company. The Focus CC is also the first car from Ford of Europe to carry the Pininfarina badge but I have to say that it is not one of the best efforts to come off the drawing board of the famed design studio.

That said, the Focus CC does have an elegant profile in coupe mode. The two-piece roof blends smoothly into the body, at the back and it is quite difficult to see the joins, especially in the darker colours. The distinctive tail-lights are separated by a chrome strip and the front end features a unique bumper shape with integrated foglamps, very similar to the face of the new Mondeo.
Most modern coupe-cabriolets have a three-piece roof but the Focus CC has two sections. Therefore, the panels are larger, which means that the boot needs to be longer than normal. After all, they have to go somewhere when the button is pressed. Instead of making the car look ungainly, Ford and Pininfarina have managed to get away with it and although the Focus CC is a little longer than the saloon, on which it’s based, it doesn’t look at all unbalanced.
It takes 29 seconds to lower or raise the roof, which is a little longer than some others on the market, but not by much. Once tidied away in the boot, there is still some 248-litres of cargo space under the folded sections, although it can be a little difficult to get to smaller items that have hidden themselves at the back. Ford tell us that the Focus CC’s capacity is the largest in its class and that with the roof up, it offers 534-litres of luggage space under the ‘soft-close’ boot-lid.

New Cars In 2009

The ever-increasing automobile market of India has been attracting car-makers from around the world. Right from BMW to Volkswagen to Audi, there is hardly any car model that has not reached Indian customers. Apart from the huge line-up of foreign-made cars, Indians also have large number of indigenous cars to look forward to. The coming year i.e. 2009 will also see the entry of many new cars in India, suiting every need and budget. So, while one hand, you will see 'Tata Nano', made specifically for lower middle-class consumers, there will also be the entry of Hyundai Avante, a premium model, on the other. Let us know more about the latest car models in India, the ones that will be making an entry in 2009.

New Cars in 2009Premium Models
Audi RF4
Ford Focus
Hyundai Avante
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Volkswagen Polo
Luxury Models
BMW Minis
Chevrolet Cruise
Hummer H3T
Cadillac CTS
Maruti Kazshi
Mercedes Benz C-Class ‘Blue Efficiency’
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
Mahindra Renault Sandero
Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe
Toyota Lexus LS 460
Volkswagen UP
Volkswagen Tiguan
Mid-Size Models
Fiat Linea
Fiat Grande Punto
Fiat Bravo
Hyundai i20, i30, i40
Maruti Splash
Maruti A-Star
Nissan Infiniti G35
Tata Elegante

Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)
Hyundai Santa Fe
Maruti Escudo
Mahindra Xylo
Mahindra Renault Megane
Skoda Roomster
Toyota Fortuner
Volvo XC60
Small Cars
Honda Jazz
Reva Electric Car (Special Edition)
Tata Nano
Volkswagen New Beetle