Toyota Unveils Prius

The world's largest car maker Toyota has announced plans to launch hybrid car 'Prius' in India early next year.
Talking to a group of visiting Indian journalists in Tokyo, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Vice-Chairman Kazuo Okamoto said "We will be introducing our hybrid car (in India) sometime in the beginning of next year and it will be Prius." He added "We are not at all thinking about a hybrid small car right now. However, in future it is possible but nothing has been decided". He also said that there were no plans to bring in a hybrid small car but Toyota is planning to launch a small car in the Indian market in 2011. "Technically, the new small car platform is capable of being used for a hybrid version. But there are no specific plans for it currently," he said.

Mr. Okamoto confirmed that at this moment, the new small car being developed by Toyota for emerging markets like India would be the cheapest-ever made by the Japanese company and though efforts are on to reduce costs of future models, Toyota is unlikely to consider making an ultra low-cost passenger car on the lines of the Tata Nano or the proposed car by Bajaj-Renault.
Toyota Prius is the highest selling hybrid model of TMC with a growing global sale of over 1.4 million units since the year 2000. The company's foray into hybrid vehicle segment in 1997 and in August this year, surpassed the two million mark in overall global sales.

TMC's Project General Manager (Research and Development Management Division) Yutaka Matsumoto mentioned that the company is working on a number of models like bio-fuel, natural gas and hydrogen vehicles as part of its global strategy with an aim to grow in the alternative technology market. The company would start leasing out 500 units of Prius with lithium-ion battery in Japan, US and the other European Union countries.

"Pricing is very important. Toyota is looking very positively with this small car to mark a strong presence in the country," Noritake said. In order to reduce cost of production, he said the company is looking at sharing components from other models with the proposed compact car.

"It is very important to reduce the cost. Commonalisation of components of various models is helpful and now we are assessing this aspect," he said, adding that a major portion of the components will be sourced locally. "But we are also considering to supply parts from the ASEAN countries such as Thailand and Indonesia to bring down the cost of the car," he said.

By: Amrith K.A.

New Maruti SX4 Automatic Car

Maruti Suzuki, the largest car manufacturer in the country, today launched the new Maruti SX4 sedan with an engine powered by advanced VVT technology. Maruti India has also introduced a 4-speed automatic transmission variant of the new Maruti SX4.

The environment friendly new Maruti SX4 is amongst the first A-3 segment sedans to be BSIV compliant in the country. BSIV regulations are scheduled to be introduced in the country in April 2010. The new SX4 comes with a brand-new sporty honeycomb grille and 10-spoke 16 inch alloy wheels and dual tones interiors and plush upholstery.

Announcing the new Maruti SX4, Mr. Mayank Pareek, Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) said, "The new SX4 is set to raise its own benchmark in luxury segment, even further. The car's distinctive stance and style profile is characteristic of today's modern sedans. With a VVT engine, it is all set to send the adrenalin pumping while caring for the environment. The 4-speed automatic transmission addresses the needs of today's cosmopolitan customers for convenience in the stop-start city traffic conditions. The new SX4 with a range of contemporary features is sure to win many a hearts."

The VVT or Variable Valve Timing allows the timing of the intake valve to be changed while the engine is in operation, thereby ensuring that there is never a shortage or wastage of power. This leads to improved engine efficiency, optimized fuel consumption and lesser carbon emissions. With the advanced VVT technology, the car starts, accelerates and climbs steep slopes better. In essence, the technology is an intelligent system leading to a smoother, more luxurious drive and better mileage.

With a more efficient engine, the new Maruti SX4 has ARAI certified mileage of 15.6 km per litre of petrol. The superior technology engine helps the SX4's four-valve, 1.6 litre engine produce a maximum power of 104.68ps @5600 rpm. The engine also has a high torque of 145Nm @4100 rpm.

Automatic Tansmission:
The 4-speed automatic transmission makes the city drive much easier. A slick shift allows easy down-shift and effortless up-shift to ensure a smooth and sporty drive. The instrument cluster incorporates an electronic display to highlight the engaged gear.

A cluster of computer controlled sensors constantly manage the throttle input and optimize the engine response accordingly, thus requiring no changing of gears. The overdrive mode in the Automatic Transmission provides additional power on the tap, whenever needed.

When the Maruti SX4 sedan was launched in May 2007, Maruti Suzuki was the first automobile company to introduce class leading premium features such as air-bags, steering-mounted audio controls, auto climate control, glass antennae and many others in an A3 segment car for customer benefit. The tradition continues in the new SX4 with the company bringing in advanced VVT technology, which has so far been used only in the luxury SUV, Suzuki Grand Vitara.

The interiors have been stylized in new two-tone beige colours to define calmness and luxury within the vehicle. The steering mounted controls are illuminated for easier usage at night, while there is a new provision of USB connectivity on the dashboard.

In addition auto climate control system, and windshield antenna, the new Maruti SX4 sedan also offers illuminated key insert and variable instrument illumination.

The new Maruti SX4 is available in 2 transmission - Manual and Automatic. While Manual Transmission has two variants VXi and ZXi, the Automatic Transmission is available in ZXi variant with optional leather upholstery. The ZXi variant also comes with safety features like ABS, EDB, Dual SRS airbags.

The Maruti SX4 sedan is the tallest, widest car in its class. It also has the largest fuel tank capacity at 50 litres. It comes with the widest tyres and a boot space of 505 liters. The ground clearance of the new SX4 sedan is 190mm, the highest in the A3 segment.

The Maruti SX4 is being manufactured at the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Manesar.

New Maruti SX4 Colors:
The SX4 now comes in an array of seven vibrant metallic colours including 2 new ones:

- Azure Grey
- Pearl Arctic White
- FRENCH ÉCLAIR*
- OYSTER BLUE*
- Clear Beige
- Silky Silver
- Midnight Black

New Maruti SX4 Price:
Prices of Maruti Suzuki new SX4 in New Delhi are:

New SX4 (BS4 compliant)			Ex-Showroom Price (Rs lakh)
Model / Variant	Transmission	City
SX4 VXi	Manual	New Delhi	6.68
SX4 ZXi	Manual	New Delhi	7.37
SX4 ZXi (Leather)	Manual	New Delhi	7.71
SX4 ZXi	4-speed Automatic	New Delhi	8.02
SX4 ZXi (Leather)	4-Speed Automatic	New Delhi	8.36

Chevrolet Spark Electra

General Motors India's small car Chevrolet Spark will soon be launched in the electric version on Indian roads. Chevrolet India has forayed into a technology tie-up with Reva Electric Car Company. The main aim is to produce green cars and the Bangalore based Reva is set to assist in the endeavor.

General Motors India, Vice President P Balendran said "While Reva will provide the technology, GM will do the engineering and manufacturing of the green cars." The D-segment sedan 'Chevrolet Cruze' was launched here on Tuesday and talking about the sales, Mr. Ankush Arora, vice-president (sales, marketing and aftersales), GM India, said "The D-segment car market in India was currently pegged at 4,000 units a month, which was expected to grow at 10-12 per cent next year". He added "We expect to sell 800 units of Cruze a month to start with and take the number to 2,500 by the end of this calendar year." He said the company had received 1,200 bookings for Chevroler Cruze in the last 15 days, of which close to 65 are from Hyderabad.

At its Halol (Gujarat) and Talegaon (Maharashtra) manufacturing plants, Chevrolet India plans to export 20 per cent of the production starting 2011. The two facilities have a capacity of 225,000 units a year. The company is also setting up a new line with a 160,000-unit per year capacity at Talegaon in order to manufacture petrol and diesel engines, which will go on stream towards the end of next year.

Cars from Reva never became hugely popular in India due to the high prices and the fact that the initial version of the car suffered from low build quality. Government subsidies were non existent and the car suffered from limited range and it was powered by the lead acid battery. But the newer versions namely NXR and NXG will change the perception as the car will escalate to improved battery technology.

The technology tie-up between General Motors and Reva is certainly going to yield positive results as the product is slated to be India's first real electric car.

Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Photos - Mercedes SLK 350 Pictures - Mercedes New SLK Class Images, Pics

Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is a beautiful great fast sport car. Mercedes SLK Class is a 2 door, 2 seater convertible designed foe pace. Mercedes-Benz SLK Class priced at Rs. 46.55 Lacs.

Mercedes-Benz SLK Price in India:

Mercedes-Benz SLK 200: Rs. 46.55 Lakhs

Mercedes-Benz SLK 200: Rs. 65.26 Lakhs

Mercedes-Benz SLK Class Exteriors:










Mercedes-Benz SLK Class Interiors: