Fiat confirms a new small car and CBU for India

An Artist’s impression of the new Palio (copyrights reserved by designer)

We have been telling you about the ‘new small car’ Fiat have been developing since quite some time now. The new car will be positioned below the Punto and will sell at a price which could make look competitive with the i10s and the Swifts of the world. The Punto, even after being a terrific product, retails for a premium over the regulation hatchbacks reducing its appeal significantly.

To overcome the problem, Fiat is developing a band new small car, tailor made for India. Some Italian designers and engineers are burning the midnight oil designing and developing the new car for India, based on the inputs from the company’s operations here in India. The new car is expected to be highly localized (upto 85%) and will be produced at the company’s Ranjangaon plant near Pune. The new car may just be the new Palio, which we have been following up for months together now.

“The small car is under development. We had announced earlier that our intention is to launch it in 2012. The exact timing and details will be shared when we will be ready with the product,” Rajeev Kapoor, Fiat India’s president said. He didn’t divulge any further details on the car though.

The Fiat Sedici Crossover

Apart from the small car, the company has also hinted at bringing a new CBU unit to India. “There are different routes and opportunity to launch a model in India and the completely built unit route is one of them. Every route is open to us and we are still evaluating” said Mr. Kapoor.

While we cannot be sure about this new CBU import, the Sedici crossover, which shares its platform with the SX4 may be one of the options. Do let us know if you have any clue about which CBU import Mr Kapoor is talking about

BMW to enter the hatchback market in India with the 1-series

Downsizing is the buzzword for premium carmakers, especially for developing countries like India. After creating ripples in the premium car market with its sub-25 lakh X1 SUV, BMW seems to be planning to take the game further down the segment hierarchy. The company recently unveiled the 2012 version of its 1-series hatchback (also known as the F20 internally), and will put it on sale in the international market by September. The same car will be launched in the Indian market as well, sometime in 2012.

The cheapest car in BMW’s international lineup is expected to carry a sub 20 lakh price tag, and is expected to take the sales volumes to a new high. The 1 series may not be the prettiest cars around, but who cares, really – all that matter is that round blue and white logo on the grille, a rear wheel drive, and some of the most intoxicating engines under the bonnet. It’s bigger than your usual hatchback for sure though, and the cabin space and comfort would be more than your 5 lakh hatchback any given day.

BMW’s distinguishing points to justify the extra money spent would be powerful engines, driver oriented chassis, immaculate handling, liberal equipment levels and well, a rear wheel drive layout. Sadly, BMW seem to be working on FWD cars, I would rather be dead than having to witness one.

Under the hood there will be choice of petrol and diesel engines. The 1.6-liter petrol engine in available in two states of tune producing 136 PS and 170 PS. Then there would be a 2.0-liter diesel engine with power outputs ranging from 143 PS to 184 PS.

Transmission options are also impressive for this class of car and include the 8-speed automatic from ZF. There will also be a six speed manual for those want to shift ratios the good old way.

So if you were looking to buy a car for Rs. 15 lakh, start saving up a bit more. You’ll get your shot at driving a BMW without having to loot a bank very soon!

The 1 series won’t be the only ‘cheap premium’ car looking for those greenbacks in your wallet though. Mercedes-Benz too will be launching it’s A and B Class hatchbacks to offer a proper fight to the Bavarian carmaker. You can check out our earlier stories on the A and B class by searching Motoroids.

But does it make sense to you? A 15+ lakh rupee premium hatchback, would you ever buy one? I for one would love to have one parked in my garage with a diesel engine. Do let us know your views.

2012 Toyota Camry Brochure Snap Leaked

Just two days ago we showed you a secret leaked tape of the 2012 Toyota Camry, today we have what some are calling the a much clearer picture of the 2012 version of USA’s bestselling car. The picture, apparently has been leaked by one of the Toyota dealers.

The 2012 Camry is certainly a vital product in the Toyota world-wide line up and Toyota is leaving no stone unturned for this new baby, it is said to be equipped with all the latest gadgetry and with a new engine which will be Toyota smooth with more power and better fuel efficiency. The new design also looks fresh and goes in hand with the Toyota brand image.

After its international launch, Toyota will get this car in India through the CKD Route and will surely give a better fight to the VW Passat, Skoda Superb & Honda Accord. Would it make for a better choice than the current version, going by the looks? Would you give the VW Passat or the Skoda Superb a miss for this? Do let us know.

2012 SX4 may get a new 1.4 liter petrol engine

A few days back we told you that Maruti will be sourcing the 1.6-liter Multijet diesel engine from Fiat for its 2012 SX4 crossover, which will first come out of the company’s plant in Hungary. The new diesel engine will be replacing the current 2.0-liter oil burner unit, which again is a Fiat sourced mill. Now more news on the engine options of the second-generation version of the car is emerging. Seems like a 1.4-liter K-series (K14?) engine will replace the current 1.6-liter VVT unit.

The new engine will be marginally less powerful than the 1.6liter powerplant, but will be more fuel efficient. The new engine will produce 95horses and 130 Nm of twist, as against the 1.6-liter’s 102bhp and 145 Nm. The new engine would not just be more fuel efficient, but would also be more driveable in city conditions.

All said, we still think at 95PS of power shouldn’t be enough to pull the heft of the heavy SX4 with reassurance, unless the engine is really a gem. Let’s hope it really is.

Covini C3A is a 6-wheeled supercar for Goodwood

The chances of you having seen something of this sort are quite bleak. All of us have seen trucks which have as many as 48 or more wheels. But this one is a car, a supercar at that, and it has six wheels!

Covini C3A is the first 6 wheeler supercar to receive and invitation to Goodwood Festival of Speed. And just as you must be wondering right now, the company’s stall at the show was thronged by people asking … why 6 wheels?

Gianluca Covini, the brain behind the prototype explains that, for performance enthusiasts, four front wheels offer the ability to get around a racetrack faster than ever before as better traction offers higher cornering speeds and deeper braking, particularly when the pavement is slippery or less than ideal.

The C3A is powered by an Audi 4.2 litre V8 that produces nearly 500bhp, and with its weight kept to just 1150kg using a tubular steel frame and a lightweight carbon fibre body, the Covini C3A is capable of exceeding speeds of 300kph.

The six wheels have other advantages too. For starters a front tyre puncture will not cause the vehicle to lose control. 6 wheels provide more stopping power with four front discs and four tyre treads to transmit the force. 6 wheels offer better directional stability and higher cornering speeds than a four wheeler. Finally the Covini feels more comfortable than its 4 wheels rivals, thanks to less unsprung weight at each wheel, that allows the suspension to control wheel movement better and guarantees more evenly distributed reaction forces in the suspension.
Covini is also working on a Speedster and an Eco version of the supercar, which will be a petrol electric hybrid.

Volvo S60 – Performance Project Showcased

For the common man, the word Volvo is always equated to massive buses they sell here in India. Only a few interested buyers in India actually go for a Volvo personal car. Very recently Volvo guys showcased their new mid-size luxury car with a sporty edge the S60 In India which was sold under the ‘naughty with power’ tagline.

Audi, BMW and Mercedes all of them have a specific racing sport department like the M badge from BMW, the Rs. badge from Audi and the AMG from Mercedes. Now Volvo will enter this restricted territory with its S-60 first.

The model is based on the T6 R-Design and features a sport exhaust system and 19-inch Heico wheels with Pirelli tires. Under the hood, Polestar installed a revised ECU which enables the turbocharged 3.0-liter engine to produce 325 hp and 480 Nm of torque – an increase of 25 hp and 40 Nm.

The Volvo S60 is already a very robust power frenzy car, but with the Performance Project”, Volvo are trying to take the performance and sportiness to a different level altogether. Hope the outcome is really good.

BMW introduces new 520d EfficientDynamics

BMW have revealed the first official pictures of the 2011 520d EfficientDynamics. The new car, true to the EfficientDynamics tag will boast extraordinarily low CO2 emissions (119gm/km) and great fuel efficiency.

The 520d ED will achieve the feat of being clean, green and mean at the same time by employing some clever tech. BMW have made the final drive ratio quite tall to enable the new 520d ED to cruise at the maximum possible efficiency on the open freeways. The new alloys comprise of a design which reduces drag significantly. The tyres on the new car have much less rolling resistance than normal. In addition to all this the car comes with a start stop system which saves fuel when the car is idling. The 520d ED also has a optimum gearshift indicator to help the driver stay in the best gear for best efficiency.

The car will be introduced in the European market by September. An Indian launch should follow in a couple of months.