Author: yoann besnard

Maruti has no plan to build a Nano competitor

In a previous post it was reported that Hyundai planned to launch a budget car set to compete with the Tata Nano. Since then, the Indian press is reporting similar plans for Maruti but Suzuki issued a statement to deny the rumours.
The company said that it has “no plans of developing or offering a new car below the Maruti 800.” and reminds that it has built a succesful people car for the last 24 years with the 800 model.
Instead of competing with Tata, Maruti wants to move upmarket with the future Splash and A-Star models.
February 8, 2008
Aston Martin to collaborate with Mercedes

Aston Martin and Mercedes might collaborate to develop new models and new engines. The car maker might even go into the wild by selling branded merchandising.
In an interview with Automotive News, Adham Charanoglu, business development manager for Investment Dar, which is a shareholder of the British car maker said the company has entered into talks with Mercedes and with LVMH’s Louis Vuitton and PPR’s Gucci.
Joining forces with Mercedes is a good news for Aston Martin as the German car maker proved its ability to design and build expensive cars, and sell branded merchandising. Anyway, Charanoglu has set an ambitious plan to increase the company’s sales from £50 million in 2006 to £150 million next year. Aston Martin will increase its production from 7,000 last year to 8,000 this year. He also confirmed indirectly that the future Rapide won’t be built in the UK. “Whatever has been produced in the UK will continue to be produced in the UK,” said Charanoglu.
Charanoglu wants the company to focus on emerging markets such as China, Russia but also in the Middle East. With almost 20% of the Bugatti production only in Dubai, it is certain that Aston Martin can perform well there. Russia already has an Aston Martin dealership, but will get another this year, and China recently opened its first dealership.
February 8, 2008
Volkswagen Routan unveiled

Volkswagen has unveiled its new people carrier, the Routan, intended for the American market while the Sharan is at its of life in Europe.

Sharing its underpinnings with the Chrysler Voyager, the Routan also offer a similar exterior styling despite featuring a different front fascia and rear end.

Intended to increase the sales on the American market, Volkswagen featured the Routan with engines that match the American tastes. The will be available with a choice of two V6 petrol engines, a 197bhp 3.6-litre and a 251bhp 4.0-litre.

The Routan isn’t expected to cross the Atlantic ocean.
February 8, 2008
Lancia Delta revealed

Lancia has revealed the first official pictures of the new Delta. Unsurprisingly, the new model adopts an original positioning, halfway between a compact and a saloon. For the carmaker, the new Delta spearhead a revival of the Italian marque.
Until now, the Italian brand was surviving by revamping its lineup or creating limited editions. With the new Delta, Lancia offers a new car at last derived from the Fiat Bravo. Lancia seized the opportunity to associate the Delta with its heritage and the press release doesn’t hesitate to mention the Aprillia, the Appia or the Fulvia. Unfortunately, the previous model to proclaim the company’s heritage was the Thesis. Despite its qualities, the executive saloon never convinced people to buy it. Intelligently, Lancia doesn’t try to associate the new model with the former Delta which rhymes with sportiness and not luxury.

At 4,500 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,500 mm high, the new Delta is bigger than the Fiat Bravo and features a long wheelbase of 2,700 mm. On the inside, the rear bench seat can move forward and rearward while a new GPS system will be on offer.

The exact spec of the new Delta remains unknown although Lancia gave a few details about the engine range. Both normally-aspirated and turbocharged engines will be available on the Delta. The range is likely to start with Fiat’s 118bhp 1.9-litre MultiJet diesel, and the topping engine will be to 200bhp 2.0-litre turbo unit.
February 8, 2008
New Zealand sales hits a new record

New Zealand domestic market registered 9,399 vehicles over the same period last year. Toyota lead the market followed by Holden and Ford.
If in Europe and in the US, the new vehicle markets are gloomy, the other side of the world, New Zealand, recorded a 11% increase over January 2007. Perry Kerr, CEO of the Motor Industry Association, said: “Not only was this the best January in the history of our industry, but it came after a particularly strong finish to the previous year.”
The good January follows a great 2007 year. Sales of new vehicles in New Zealand last year cracked the 100,000 miletsone. The final figure of 102,468 was only 980 units behind the 16-year record set in 2005.
February 8, 2008
MG TF delayed, again, again and again

Will the reborn MG TF roadster roll off the production line in Longbridge? Nothing is certain as the car maker has announced it will delay the car once again.
In an interview with the Financial Times, SAIC president Chen Hong said “We want to begin production of cars at Longbridge as soon as possible, but the first priority for us is the quality of the product.”
Aware of the negative brand image promoted by Chinese car makers in Europe, Hong wants to ensure that the build quality of the MG TF will meet the demanding expectations of western customers.
SAIC has already selected 50 dealers among the 100 inquiries received until now but wants to have a network of 70/80 dealers by the end of 2008.
February 8, 2008
One million DSG milestone

Volkswagen has reached an important milestone: one million vehicles sold with the DSG gearbox since its introduction in 2003.
The German car maker will quickly reach the 2 million milestone at the current pace. Last year, it built more than 400,000 units and demand is getting stronger everyday. The Kassel plant in Germany has increased its building capacity to 1,750 units per day. Today almost a quarter of every new Volkswagen model is featured with a dual-clutch gearbox.
Earlier this week, Renault has announced it will build its own dual-clutch gearbox although not launch date has been mentioned.
February 8, 2008
IHI to build the smallest turbocharger in the world

Japanese IHI has announced that it has developed the world’s smallest turbocharger for use in cars.
The turbocharger is about 20% smaller than existing units. Smaller turbochargers have the advantage of eliminating the famous ‘turbo lag’ which is the delay between pushing on the accelerator pedal and feeling the turbo kick-in.
The turbocharger will be featured in future Daihatsu Kei car whose engine displacement is limited by law to 660cm3.
In Europe IHI provides turbochargers to BMW and Mercedes.
February 8, 2008
Spyshots: Porsche 911 Turbo

A revamped 911 Turbo has been spotted during winter testing. The topping 911 is expected to be launched at the next Paris Motor Show.
As the picture reveals, one does not expect big exterior changes from a car which has kept the legendary overall shape for the last fourty-five years. The biggest visual change will be the taillights which adopt the LED technology.
Technically, it is rumoured that Porsche will take the opportunity of the facelift to spice up the 911 Turbo in order to counter attack the ubiquitous Nissan GT-R.
Source: Autoexpress
February 7, 2008
Jaguar’s Future Plans

The next Jaguar’s owner will buy an ambitious company which plans to expand its lineup new models in the coming years: a XF coupé, a possible XF SUV, a potential four door XK and a renewed XJ executive saloon.
Jaguar executives never hid their plan to expand the XF lineup with several variants. The most likely variant to appear will be the XF coupé which will feature a more exclusive design but keep the saloon interior architecture and its engine range. The company wants to keep the price under £45,000. In addition to the coupé, Jaguar executives are considering building a convertible variant but it is unlikely to come to anything. Indeed, accountants are hesitant because of the expense generated by the technical changes and engineers don’t favor it because of large amount of work generated by a large fabric roof. A SUV variant is also in the pipes, but the stricter emission regulation and the shrinking SUV segment don’t plead its cause. An estate version is being also considered, but unlikely to go beyond the discussion stage.
Aside the XF, XK might get a four door version set to compete with the Mercedes CLS. After all, Mercedes launched the CLS to compete with Jaguar. Secrecy surrounds the spec of the car due to be launched in 2011 although some observers believes that the car will feature a similar engine range to the XK’s with V6 and V8 petrol units. Insiders also talk about a sportier version of the XKR. Dubbed XKR-R, the super XK would be powered by a 500bhp 5.0-litre petrol engine thanks to a tuned supercharger and tweaked engine. The chassis would also be tuned and the XKR-R would reach a top speed of 180mph.
Closer to us, the next-generation XJ will be launched next year. Like the outgoing model, the future limousine will be available with a choice of two wheelbases. This time, the shorter version will be roomy enough for two passengers at the rear.
Source: Autocar
February 7, 2008