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Tag: car

  • India To Be Lead Market For Third Generation Renault Duster

    India To Be Lead Market For Third Generation Renault Duster

    The second generation of the Renault Duster will not be coming to India. After months of speculation, we can now confirm this news. But its not curtains for the popular brand in the country. After all the Renault Duster has sold almost 200,000 units in India since it debuted in 2012. Sources close to the development at the company’s global headquarters in France have told carandbike that India is likely to be the lead market for the development of the third generation Duster.

    So far it is Eastern Europe that has played as the led market since the Duster is a Dacia product – Renault’s Romanian subsidiary. But given the regulatory changes and electrification that most European markets will switch to, the Duster’s next generation is likely to be more relevant to India and Latin America. Given India’s frugal cost base, and Renault’s investments in R&D in India, the 3rd generation Renault Duster will therefore be designed and engineered primarily in India.

    So in the meanwhile, Renault will be giving the current Duster another massive update and facelift. This will cover styling and equipment. After all the Duster remains a very powerful nameplate and popular car in India. It has won several accolades, including our 2013 Car of the Year award too. It takes on the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Mahindra Scorpio. It will now need the aforementioned updates even more urgently, since the segment will get even more competition with the Kia SP /Trazor and MG Hector also entering the space. Expect the facelift to launch before Diwali this year.

  • Volkswagen Ameo Corporate Edition Launched

    Volkswagen Ameo Corporate Edition Launched

    Volkswagen India has launched a special edition of the Ameo subcompact sedan and it’s called the Ameo Corporate edition. The company says that it will cater to the needs of corporate and business customers. Available only in the Highline Plus variant, the Ameo Corporate edition has been launched at an introductory price starting at ₹ 6.69 lakh for the petrol with the manual transmission while the diesel costs ₹ 7.99 lakh.

    The Ameo Corporate edition comes equipped with features that are already part of the Highline Plus variant. Available in 5 colours – Lapiz Blue, Reflex Silver, Candy White, Toffee Brown and Carbon Steel, the Volkswagen Ameo all variants come equipped with dual front airbags, and ABS as standard. The Ameo comes with a host of features like cruise control, rain sensing wipers along with static cornering lights and the dynamic Touchscreen multimedia music system with AppConnect, Auto air-conditioning system.

    Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said, “The made-for-India and made-in-India Ameo is carline specifically developed for the Indian market. It’s a true testament of German engineering in a compact sedan filled with segment leading features. Through the Ameo Corporate edition, we aim to offer globally renowned standards of safety, quality and fun-to-drive experience to all our customers”

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  • Mazda Recalls Nearly 190,000 Cars In The US

    Mazda Recalls Nearly 190,000 Cars In The US

    Mazda is recalling nearly 190,000 Mazda 3 compact cars in the U.S. because the windshield wipers can fail.

    The company says in documents posted Saturday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the recall covers cars from the 2016 through 2018 model years. The Japanese auto maker traced the problem to metal deposits that can cause a wiper relay to stick, knocking out the wipers and limiting driver visibility.

    The company says it has no reports of crashes or injuries due to the problem. Dealers will replace the front wiper control module at no cost to owners starting June 3.

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  • Jaguar Land Rover India Announces The Above And Beyond Tour

    Jaguar Land Rover India Announces The Above And Beyond Tour

    What could be a better way to spend your day with a Land Rover than taking it off-road! Jaguar Land Rover India has designed the “Above And Beyond Tour” series of events to do exactly that. The series has been designed to give off-road drive experiences to customers on natural trails and demonstrate the advanced technologies that make Land Rovers a potent off-roader. The first event of the series started in Ahmedabad on April 12 across a number of cities in India.

    Speaking about the experiential event, Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India said, “Over the years, Land Rover events have become highly desirable. They are a perfect platform for us to bring the Land Rover brand closer to our customers by delivering experiences that they will remember for life.”

    ‘The Above & Beyond Tour’ is organised and delivered by a team of highly trained and professional Land Rover instructors. Customers will get an opportunity to off-road in the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque which are two of the entry models in the Land Rover line-up. The first Land Rover drive experience event was organised in India in 2013 and since then over 18,000 customers have shown at the events to experience these Land Rovers.

  • Audi To Showcase AI:Me Concept At The Shanghai Auto Show

    Audi To Showcase AI:Me Concept At The Shanghai Auto Show

    Audi will be presenting the AI:ME concept at the Shanghai Auto Show 2019. Beside this car, the company will also showcase the Q2L e-tron, which was designed especially for China and is built in the Foshan plant. The compact SUV, which will be delivered to the first customers in the summer of 2019, will make its world premiere in Shanghai.

    The body of the Audi Q2L e-tron is 33 millimeters longer than that of the basic model. The car is powered by an electric motor on the front axle that mobilizes 100 kilowatts and 290 newton meters. With a battery capacity of 38 kilowatt hours, it has a range of up to 265 kilometers.

    But the big concept car that will make its world premiere is the AI:ME concept car which shows the company’s vision for the future of urban mobility. The Audi AI:ME shows the ideas of Audi designers and developers for a compact car of the future. The show car offers a roomy, futuristic interior and capability for level 4 automated driving. This allows the occupants the freedom to do what they like with their time on board. The Audi AI:ME offers high-tech features for communication, entertainment, or simply relaxation.

    There’s just one design sketch of the interior and that shows an interesting layout. There’s a massive screen that dominates the cars instrument cluster and is placed behind the steering wheel and the wooden trims. Considering that the company says it is a level 4 autonomous car, the AI:ME gets a steering wheel too but we expect it to be retractable given the autonomous driving function of the car.

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  • Range Rover Evoque Scores 5 Stars In Euro NCAP Crash Test

    Range Rover Evoque Scores 5 Stars In Euro NCAP Crash Test

    The second-generation Land Rover Range Rover Evoque was recently crash tested by the Euro NCAP and results are finally out. The new 2019 Range Rover Evoque has bagged a 5-star rating in the crash test, scoring 94 per cent for adult occupant protection and 87 per cent for child occupant protection. Furthermore, for pedestrian protection and safety assist features, the 2019 model has scored 72 and 73 per cent rating, respectively. The second-generation Range Rover Evoque was unveiled last year in November and in addition to updated design and styling, the SUV comes with a host of advanced safety and comfort features.

    According to the Euro NCAP report, in terms of safety, the new Range Rover Evoque has made major progress in the area of vulnerable road user protection with the adoption of an active bonnet and AEB for pedestrian and cyclist detection. Commenting on the SUV’s improved safety standard, Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP says, “It is encouraging to see the continued widespread deployment and improvement of advanced technologies such as AEB and lane support. It is good news that some of the basic driver assist technologies will finally be mandated from 2022, but thankfully most vehicle manufacturers are already way ahead of the curve today.”

    The highlights of the new Range Rover Evoque’s safety features include – auto emergency braking (AEB) function for pedestrian, cyclist, city and Intra-urban. The SUV also comes with active bonnet function, speed assistance and lane assist system. These, of course, are in addition to features like dual front, side, and curtain airbags, seatbelt pretensioner with load limiter, seatbelt reminder, ISOFIX child seat mount, and airbag cut-off switch.

    The Euro NCAP tested the SUV for front offset impact, full frontal impact, rear whiplash impact, and lateral impact. In all these scenarios, the results showed that for adult occupants the protection levels always either good or adequate, except for rear whiplash impact where protection for the rear seat passengers’ necks was recorded as just marginal. On the other hand, in terms of child occupant safety, the protection levels were always rated good. The NCAP test also proved that in city driving condition, the vehicle’s Auto Emergency Brakes (AEB) was rated Good in all three test scenarios – left offset, right offset and no offset.

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  • Evoke Motorcycles Unveils New Electric Power Cruiser

    Evoke Motorcycles Unveils New Electric Power Cruiser

    Evoke Motorcycles, a Beijing-based electric motorcycle manufacturer, has unveiled a new electric power cruiser, called the Evoke 6061. The name is derived from the “Twin Plate Frame” which uses precision laser cutting process from solid T6-6061 aluminium billet pieces. The rear swingarm uses the same twin plate design and sports dual coil-over rear shocks. The Evoke 6061 employs a 120 kW (160 bhp) motor with a chain final drive, and provides over 272 Nm of torque. While the company hasn’t revealed the top speed of the 6061, it says that the new motor and batteries offer a higher top speed than the previous 130 kmph with Evoke’s Urban Series electric motorcycle.

    What is also unique is that Evoke will be using its latest Gen 2 battery modules which are capable of attaining a 0-80 per cent charge in just 15 minutes. The Evoke 6061 will be packing 6 of these batteries for a combined 15.4 kWh of energy capacity. But fast charging and the six battery packs will also mean the need for a good heat management system.

    So far, there’s no word on actual range of the batteries, but most estimates put city range in the region of 300 km on a single charge. Evoke Motorcycles intends to have the 6061 on the road by June 2019, so it’s not very far from where we will can see how the bike eventually performs, although there’s no word yet on if the 6061 will be introduced in India. What is confirmed though is that Evoke Motorcycles is planning to make its debut in India. Evoke also has two models, the Urban S and Urban Classic in its portfolio, but for the Indian market, an all-new entry-level electric motorcycle is expected to be launched.

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  • 2019 Porsche 911 India Launched

    2019 Porsche 911 India Launched

    The new-generation 2019 Porsche 911 went on sale in India today and we have all the highlights from the from the launch here. The eighth-generation Porsche 911 coming to India was internally codenamed 992 and retains the iconic silhouette that is distinctive to the Porsche 911 family. Furthermore, the car also comes with a heavily revised, more powerful range of six-cylinder turbo petrol engines. In India the new Porsche 911 comes in two variants as of now – Carrera S and Carrera S Cabriolet, priced at Rs. 1.82 crore and 1.99 crore respectively, very close to what we has expected.

    The eighth-generation Porsche 911 gets an extensively re-engineered platform that uses generous amounts of aluminium in its construction in its rear section, for improved weight distribution. Under the hood, the Porsche 911 Carrera S is powered by the extensively 3.0-litre flat-six, turbo petrol engine that makes an additional 30 horses. The total power output now stands at 444 bhp.

    The 0-100 kmph sprint time has been dropped under 4 seconds, with the new Porsche 911 Carrera S reaching 100 kmph from standstill in just 3.7 seconds. The 911 Carrera 4S does the same run in just 3.6 seconds and it also comes with all-wheel drive. The optional Sport Chrono Package further reduces the sprint by 0.2 seconds. The top speed on the Carrera S is rated at 308 kmph, while that on the heavier Carrera 4S is 306 kmph.

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  • Vietnamese banks find out car loans not low-hanging fruit

    Vietnamese banks find out car loans not low-hanging fruit

    Vietnamese banks are struggling to recover overdue car loans since many customers mortgage vehicles bought using bank loans. Dao Minh Tuan, manager of the debt recovery department at private lender Vietnam International Bank (VIB), said 50 percent of non-performing car loans are because of this.

    Borrowers are supposed to get the bank’s permission before pawning a car, but most don’t, which makes it difficult for the bank to repossess the car, he said.

    “Pawn shop owners decline to meet our staff while our customers are unreachable. As the banks do not technically own the car, we have trouble recovering the debt.”

    Since banks normally lend 80-100 percent of the cost of a car, getting the cars back by paying off pawnbrokers would cost too much, he said.

    “The last resort would be to sue the customer, but this will take a long time and cause damage to both sides.”

    Banks also have to pay a commission to car dealers of 0.7-1 percent and offer competitive interest rates of 7-9 percent in the first year. All this means, in a competitive, crowded segment, banks are unable to earn much.

    A banking expert who asked not to be named said: “Banks which want to maintain high credit growth often focus on increasing the amount of car loans, not quality.”

    Those focused on this segment are usually banks which are not competitive in other areas with higher interest rates, such as real estate, the expert said.

    The auto loans segment has seen average growth of 38 percent in 2012-2016, according to data from Viet Capital Securities VCSC.

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  • Tata Altroz Spotted In India Sans Camouflage

    Tata Altroz Spotted In India Sans Camouflage

    The upcoming Tata Altroz premium hatchback was recently spotted in India sans camouflage. The spy photo posted by the forum Supercharged is claimed to have been taken at Tata Motors’ plant, and thus we can also see a few Tata Harrier SUVs around it. The car appears to be production ready and comes in the same Yellowish-Gold shade that we saw on the Altroz showcased at the Geneva Motor Show. Expected to be launched around mid-2019, this photo indicates that the carmaker might soon be ready to begin full-scale production of the Tata Altroz.

    Visually, the car appears to be identical to the Tata Altroz unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, which could mean that the India-spec model will be similar to the global-spec Altroz. The model seen here appears to be the top-spec variant, and it seems to come with LED lightings like – LED projector headlamps, LED DRLs, electrically operable ORVMs with turn lights, and LED taillamps. However, the car gets a different set of alloy wheels, compared to the show cars seen at the Geneva Motor Show.

    The Tata Altroz is built on the company’s new ALFA Agile Light Flexible Advanced (ALFA) Architecture and will be the first model to get the underpinnings of this new platform. Furthermore, the design and styling are a part of the company new Impact Design 2.0 philosophy, which was also used for the Tata Harrier. While we do not get to see the cabin of the car in these images, similar to the exterior, the interior too is likely to remain identical to the car showcased in Geneva. Expected features include a floating touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a semi-digital instrument cluster, multi-functional steering wheel, and a host of other premium creature comforts.

    Under the hood, the Tata Altroz will borrow its powertrain options from the Nexon, featuring the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, along with the option of both, a manual and an automatic transmission. Upon its launch, the car will rival the likes of Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Honda Jazz, and Hyundai i20.

  • MG eZS Electric SUV Unveiled Globally

    MG eZS Electric SUV Unveiled Globally

    MG Motor or Morris Garages took the wraps off its new pure electric SUV, the MG eZS. MG says that the international launch will happen soon and India will be getting it too before 2019 draws to a close. The MG eZS will be one of the first ever fully electric SUVs in India when it is launched. It will subsequently be launched in some other markets like the UK, Germany, Australia, Thailand and the Middle East. The eZS will be MG’s second launch in India after the upcoming MG Hector, which should be launched in the country in the next couple of the months.

    “With a modern design and advanced technology, the MG eZS will herald a new chapter in environment-friendly solutions in India. While the petrol version of the MG ZS had already become a popular choice globally, we are confident that its zero-emissions electric equivalent will bring accessible electric motoring to the customers in India upon its launch by the end of this year,” said Rajeev Chaba, President & Managing Director, MG Motor India. The company further shared that its electric vehicles would have over-the-air (OTA) technology and would go over 250 km in a single charge.

    By the end of 2019, MG Will have a total of 120 sales and service outlets across India and the company said it will also reach out to Indian target audience and educate them about electric vehicles and look to address issues such as range anxiety and charging infrastructure. Like the MG Hector, the eZS will also feature MG’s iSmart Next-Gen connected technology.

    Connectivity will be an important part of all MG vehicles and the upcoming MG Hector will come with a new advanced connectivity system called i-Smart next-generation system, a complete integrated solution that combines software, hardware, connectivity, services and application. The system has been developed in collaboration with several technological partners like Cisco, Unlimit, and Microsoft among others. The iSmart connectivity system comes with advanced technology, smart application, built-in Apps, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart Features, Voice Assist, and Infotainment.

  • Fiat Chrysler Auto Expands India Footprint

    Fiat Chrysler Auto Expands India Footprint

    Fiat Chrysler Auto is in the process of expanding its India business and it recently opened its 82nd point of sale in India. At present, FCA has its presence in 70 cities and town in India which include all-brand showrooms that sell Jeep, Fiat and Abarth vehicles along with Jeep Connect showrooms, which are premium retail outlets that cater to potential customers in satellite cities and towns. The company recently inaugurated two all-brand showrooms in Bengaluru along with a new all-brand showroom in Panjim, Goa along with two new Jeep Connect showrooms in Ajmer, Rajasthan and Patiala, Punjab. Along with sales points, Jeep is also increasing its after sales touch points in India. At present, the company has 84 Mopar (mobility and parts) workshops.

    Kevin Flynn, President and Managing Director, FCA India said, “Our vision was to have a growing retail and after-sales network which could strategically complement our growing volumes in the market. With 82 retail outlets in 70 towns and cities we are covering a significant amount of landmass and customer base. We have grown over 50 per cent in our retail network since the Jeep Compass launch in August 2017. Our effort has been to maintain consistency in our network expansion and ensure excellence in customer experience along with improved service coverage.”

    The company’s last launch was the Jeep Compass Sport Plus Variant, which is priced at ₹ 15.99 lakh and is positioned above the base Sport variant, getting more features. Jeep has two new products coming up in India which are the Trailhawk variant of the Jeep Compass and the new-generation Wrangler Unlimited.

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  • Ford Might End Its India Business

    Ford Might End Its India Business

    News has emerged that Ford India could end its India business as it looks to sign a new deal with Mahindra. According to a Reuters report, Ford could enter into a new joint venture in India in which it will hold 49 per cent stake, while Mahindra will own 51 per cent. The American carmaker could transfer most of its India business to the joint venture including its assets and employees.

    carandbike reached out to Ford India for a comment and the company responded by saying, “We do not comment on speculation. Ford remains committed to India. On the strategic alliance with Mahindra, teams from both companies continue to work together to develop avenues of strategic cooperation that help us achieve commercial, manufacturing and business efficiencies for the future.” Mahindra hasn’t confirmed the news either and has refrained from commenting on speculations.

    Ford and Mahindra entered into a strategic alliance in 2017 under which they will share platforms and build new models together. Mahindra Electric, a completely owned subsidiary of the Mahindra & Mahindra which expertise in electric vehicles will lead the alliance by providing the technology to develop new electric vehicles. Mahindra Electric will supply the electric powertrains, battery packs and software technology while Ford will share platforms with Mahindra.

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  • Upcoming Hyundai Venue Subcompact SUV Sketches Released

    Upcoming Hyundai Venue Subcompact SUV Sketches Released

    Hyundai Motor India has officially released the sketches of its upcoming Venue subcompact SUV which will make its India debut on 17 April, 2019 and will be launched in India on May 21, 2019. The Hyundai Venue will be the first connected SUV in India and will slot below the Hyundai Creta, taking on established rivals such as the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon and the Mahindra XUV300. The sketches give considerable insight into the overall interior and exterior design of the Hyundai Venue. The front end seems to be similar to the Hyundai Kona, with a massive embellished grille and slim LED headlamps. Of course, the fenders and the wheel arches look to be a little exaggerated. We believe the actual car will have cleaner, flatter lines and smaller wheels. The front bumper too looks muscular with housings for the fog lamps.

    The sketch of the rear section reveals a thick C-pillar design along with square-ish headlamps and a sculpted tailgate. The roof-rails will add that extra bit of SUV flair to the Venue’s overall looks. Coming to the interior, the Hyundai Venue will get two-tone interior along with features such as climate control, Apple CarPlay and possibly an automatic variant right from the launch.

    Hyundai Motor India Limited has pulled out all stops to ensure that the new and upcoming Hyundai Venue subcompact SUV will be India’s first ever connected car. The Hyundai Venue will get the company’s ‘BlueLink’ connected technology and it will have 10 India-only features with a total of 33 connectivity features. Some of the features that BlueLink will offer in India are geo-fencing, speed alerts, SOS, panic notifications, destination sharing, and road-side assistance and so on.

    Hyundai said that it has tested its BlueLink technology rigorously in India, keeping the conditions in mind along with the needs of the customers. This also includes voice guidance and recognition in Indian-accented English which means that the software will be able to recognise spoken English from different regions in India. The Hyundai Venue will also have remote-control operated functions such as climate control, horn and headlamps on, vehicle status, engine start/stop and so on. The best thing is that Hyundai BlueLink can use your smartphone interface as a remote control.

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  • VinFast, South Korean firm to make batteries for EVs

    VinFast, South Korean firm to make batteries for EVs

    The joint venture will be located in the automaker’s factory in the southern port city of Hai Phong, where it will manufacture lithium-ion battery packs for VinFast’s electric scooters that are being made now, and for electric cars to be produced in the future, VinFast said in a statement.

    The factory, which will be built on a 2,000 square meter area, will employ Vietnamese workers who will be trained in technology provided by LG Chem.

    The automaker, a unit of Vietnam’s largest conglomerate Vingroup, rolled out its first made-in-Vietnam cars last month, the first steps in a $3.5 billion automaking venture.

    VinFast has recently sent its SUV and sedan to European and Asian countries for quality testing and is set to deliver preordered vehicles in the second and third quarter.