Skoda Laura facelift around the corner, may get the R S badge

The Skoda Laura is clearly the king of its segment when it comes to power, looks, engine options, handling and of course the option of an Auto transmission in the form of DSG. While the petrol 1.8 TSI variant is available at a good price, the golden liquid isn’t very affordable even for the well heeled, especially on such bigger cars. The 2.0TDI variant is a phenomenal car for cross country touring, and it’s an absolute breeze to drive through the city traffic with the DSG variant. We recently took the diesel variant out for an 800km long drive and man, did the car impress us with its engine, poise and quick shifts! But more on that later.

The latest buzz surrounding the Laura is that the sub D segment car is about to get a facelift. The changes are expected to be purely cosmetic. Skoda Auto India is expected to embellish the Laura with visual changes at the front and the rear. The car will, if some reports are to be believed, get a generous dash of aggressive-looking cosmetic bits such as side skirts, rear spoiler and sharper styling. The engines will remain the same but a go-faster look will help the Laura justify an R S badge on its bonnet.Changes may be made to the interiors of the car as well, to make them look and feel more up to date. Not that the Laura looks under-equipped, but a few changes here and there would increase the desirability quotient.

Stay tuned for more updates on the subject.

Tata Aria 4×2 Pleasure variant spied

Only a few days back, we told you that Tata Motors are planning to introduce a 4×2 version of the Aria pretty soon. Now the spy pictures of the new 4×2 version in ‘Pleasure’ variant are doing the rounds on the internet.

The new 4×2 version of the car is expected to hit the streets very soon. Although many are expecting Tata Motors to strip the Aria of its generous list of safety and comfort equipment for the 4×2 variant, the news is that the company doesn’t have any plans to degrade the Aria into a bare basic MUV. Even in the 4×2 guise, the entry-level Pleasure variant will not be robbed of features such as air bags and ABS. The car sports 16 inch steel wheels without the AWD badge at the rear.

The price difference between the 4×2 and the 4×4 variants may be upto Rs. 1 lakh. Would you buy the Aria 4×2 at Rs. 1 lakh less than the 4×4 variant?

2012 Audi A4 Facelift Spied

Well Audi has really had an amazing year ahead of its competition when it comes to launching new cars and offering better options to the buyer. It started with the Audi introducing the flagship Audi A8 L which is considered as the epitome of luxury in the rear seat. Then Audi introduced the A7 Sportback along with the power monger RS5. The A6 is on its way and very soon will ply on Indian roads.

Other plans that Audi has for India are introducing the A1 hatchback, Q3 mini SUV and we exclusively spied the Audi A5 which was doing test rounds in and around Mumbai. The latest scoop says that Audi will give a facelift to the Audi A4. The A4 is one model which is not particularly doing well in India compared to the BMW 3 series and the Mercedes C Class. The 3 series facelift has already been spied, and the new C Class is already on its way to India, Audi will not rest on its laurels and will launch a facelifted A4 soon.

Even though the spy shots are of the A4 Wagon, the sedan will be no different except for the boot. The new model will take cues from the elder siblings A6 and A8 also it will be updated on the gadgetry department. The design will be more sharp with perfectly arched grille and wrap around tail lights.

We can expect this one to debut in the Auto Expo 2012 along with its rival 2012 Bmw 3 series.

New Swift (K12) to boast 90 bhp power, better fuel efficiency

The ARAI rated fuel efficiency figures for the new Maruti Suzuki Swift are out. While we initially thought that the engines for the new car will remain entirely unaltered, such is not the case. Maruti Suzuki have worked quite a bit on the 1.2-liter K seriespetrol engine to boost both fuel efficiency and power. In its newest iteration, the engine will deliver 90PS of peak power. The figure will take it in the same league as the Honda Jazz’s i-VTEC which is currently the segment leader in specific output. The feat is attained by introducing the dual VTT tech to the K12 engine.

Not just has the power output increased, there is a substantial spike in the fuel efficiency as well. From an earlier ARAI certified figure of 17.9 kmpl, the fuel efficiency for the petrol Swift has jumped up to 20kmpl. Thanks to the new weight reduction techniques adopted by Maruti Suzuki, which also includes incorporation of advanced plastic fuel tanks, the fuel efficiency of the diesel engine too has gone up. The ARAI figures for Swift 1.3 DDiS diesel is 23.8kmpl, and increment of 2.8kmpl over the efficiency of the earlier version.

The engines for the new Swift will come mated with a five speed manual transmission. A much needed 4 speed auto variant will also be introduced a year down the line.

Beat Diesel expected launch on 15th July: All the details

We were the first to bring out the official specifications of the Chevrolet Beat diesel to you. Now there is some more unofficial info that we are taking credit to be the first to bring to you. After having a chat with people closely associated with Chevrolet, we have come to know that the fuel efficiency of the car may actually surpass the ARAI figure of 24kmpl.

Sources close to Chevrolet tell us that the test drivers who drove the cars for thousands of kilometers managed fuel efficiency figure of 30kmpl + on certain stretches on the highways. According to them the car’s engine is capable of consistently delivering 20+ kmpl in the city if driven sensibly. Now that’s some claim, as if those figure turn out to be true in the real world, the Beat Diesel may become a rage overnight. Especially so because Chevrolet is planning to price the car very aggressively, making it the cheapest, and the most fuel efficient diesel hatch among its contemporaries.

Unlike most other diesel-petrol duos, where the price difference between the two versions is about a lakh of rupees, the diesel variant of the Beat will sell only for about Rs. 60,000 more over the respective petrol variant. Going by this logic the Beat LS petrol variant which retails for around 3.85 lakh ex showroom, should have its diesel counterpart priced at Rs. 4.45 lakh, making the Beat diesel LS variant a sub-5 lakh car OTR. The top end variant with ABS, twin airbags, climate control, and an interior to die for (yes, the Beat has the best interiors in its class) for less than Rs. 6 lakh rupees. Now that’s one heck of a deal for a modern car, with frugal diesel engine.

Here is a list of a few other things about the Beat diesel if you are looking to buy a car in that segment:

• Powered by a 936 cc, three cylinder turbocharged Smartech SDE diesel engine
• Peak power 57.3PS @ 4000 rom
• Peak torque 150Nm @ 1750 rpm
• New Electric Power Steering replaces the hydraulic unit, to be introduced on petrol Beat later
• ARAI certified fuel efficiency of 24 kmpl
• Excellent NVH deadening, silent operation
• Very less turbo lag, linear acceleration
• Zippy engine, doesn’t feel lethargic
• New 5 speed manual gearbox
• No changes made to the interior
• Prices not announced, but expect Rs. 50-60K premium over every petrol variant
• India first market in the world where a diesel variant of the Beat is being launched
• Car to be officially launched in the first week of July

Expect us to bring you a detailed road test review very soon. In the meantime, do let us know if you would seriously consider this car as your first car? What according to you are the negatives of this car?

Maruti discontinues current Swift, new one to arrive in August

This time there seems to be some certainty about it! The launch time for the replacement of India’s most loved big hatch has almost been decided. Although the buzz about the launch of the new 2011 version of the Swift hatch in India has been on for months together now, with speculations suggesting launch dates from as early as March. This time, however, there is some substance to the buzz, as there has been an official activity. Maruti Suzuki seems to have decided to draw curtains on the current version of the Swift. The dealers are not taking the bookings anymore, which means that the new version is waiting somewhere around the corner to be introduced.

When asked, one of our friends who owns a huge Maruti Suzuki dealership in Pune confirmed that the company has, indeed, decided to discontinue the current model. The news would come as a dampener for those who have got the delivery of their Swift recently, but should sound like music for those who have been waiting for the new version.

The ne Swift is expected to hit the roads sometime in August. Sources indicate that the car was slated for a launch slightly earlier than that, but the recent strike at Maruti’s plant in Gurgaon derailed production, and thus the launch schedule.

The new Swift is a substantial improvement over the current version. It’s bigger, better engineered, and is said to handle better. The engines, however, remain the same, with the 1.2 K series engine reported to have been tweaked a little for better efficiency.

We are expecting a slight increase in price for the new Swift, amounting to upto 5 %, though nothing official has come out in this regard.

New Ford Fiesta launch on 14th July: Read our road test

Ford has been playing hide and seek with the journos about the launch dates of the new Ford Fiesta. The company gave us a preview of the car months ago, via the Fiesta cafe, but didn’t breathe a word about the launch dates. Then Ford India called us to Bangalore for a day long drive to Mysore and back, no word on the launch yet! Finally, after having seen and studied the response to the new Fluidic Verna to form a proper marketing strategy, the company seems to have decided to reveal the launch dates. The Fiesta is hitting the streets on the 14th of July.

Since the car has not been launched, Ford India have not revealed the price. The Fiesta has some good features which no other cars in its segment have, such as Cruise Control. The voice activated controls too are a rare feature, with the Linea being the only other car in the segment to have a similar system. Our logic says that Ford India will launch the car at a price which is slightly lower than the Verna and the Vento. Nothing official, but that’s what we think, as Ford, with the Figo’s success now know how a right price tag can do wonders to the sales of a good product.

As stated earlier, we have driven the car, and put up a very detailed road test review of the website as well. You can follow this link to read the road test review of both 1.5 TiVCT and TDCi engines.

As always, bank on us to bring you a live launch coverage of the car.

What should be the correct pricing for the top end diesel variant of the car? Do let us know your views.