Friday 30 May 2014

Spied – Next generation 2015 Chevrolet Beat spotted in Korea

Launched in early 2010, the Chevrolet Beat (Chevrolet Spark overseas) will get a successor sometime next year. While the Beat replacement has been spotted many a time in Europe, these spyshots come from Korea. These spy images reveal that engineers have finalized most of the car to a large extent.

The new Beat would launch next year.

The side profile of the test mule suggests that the new Beat would look largely different compared to the current model. The wheelbase of the hatchback seems longer compared to the current Beat, suggesting that the interiors, especially the rear, would be roomier than its predecessor.
Under the hood, GM may choose to plonk its new three-cylinder 1.0-liter turbocharged ECOTEC engine. Developed in Germany and first seen in the Opel Adam, this engine can be had with 90 PS or 115 PS, though the torque output at 166 Nm remains the same on both power states.

2015 Chevrolet Beat spied rear three quarter

The hatchback could be powered by a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.

If and when the car does come to India, it will benefit from the 1-liter diesel engine serving the current Beat to give a tough fight to the Hyundai Grand i10 and the Maruti Celerio. It would be sometime before GM launches the new Beat in India given that the facelifted model was launched only this year.

2015 Chevrolet Beat Spy Image Gallery

Suzuki Celerio launched in Thailand with CVT

Suzuki has started sales of the Suzuki Celerio in the Thai market. The Thai Celerio received its local debut at the Bangkok Motor Show in March this year. The Celerio for Thailand is made at Suzuki’s plant in Rayong, Thailand. The same facility will also export the Celerio to European markets.

Suzuki Celerio front three quarter - Bangkok Live

The Suzuki Celerio is launched in Thailand in three variants.

The Thai Celerio is powered by the same three-cylinder 1.0-liter K-Series engine as the Indian model. Producing 68 PS and 90 Nm of torque, the output of the engine is also identical to the Indian model. However, where the Indian Celerio is offered with a choice of a 5-speed MT or AMT (automated manual transmission), the Thai Celerio either gets a 5-speed manual or a CVT.

The Celerio in Thailand is classified as an ‘Eco Car’ (Eco Cars are those which return more than 20 km/l). Three variants are available currently – GA (MT), GL (CVT) and GLX (CVT). Prices range from 359,00 Baht (INR 6.45 lakhs) to 488,000 Baht (INR 8.77 lakhs).

Suzuki Celerio full dashboard - Bangkok Live

The Celerio gets a CVT gearbox for the Thai market.

A driver side airbag is a standard feature on all variants. The mid-level GL model adds ABS and EBD, while the top-end GLX sees the addition of a passenger airbag as well. In India, Maruti offers these features only on the top-end Celerio ZXi MT.
Suzuki Thailand also offers an optional body kit for the Celerio which gives the car side skirts and bumper spoilers.

Suzuki Celerio (Thai Spec) – Official image gallery

Suzuki Celerio CVT (Thai Spec) Image Gallery

TVS launches Apache RTR 180 Matte Black edition

TVS Motor has launched a new color on the Apache RTR 180. Called the Apache RTR 180 Matte Black Edition, the motorcycle was showcased in January this year at the India Bike Week. Sales of the RTR 180 Matte Black have now commenced, and a TV commercial featuring this bike in conjunction with the new X-Men movie is also on air.
Save for the color, there are no other changes to the motorcycle. Power comes from a single-cylinder four-stroke, 177.4 cc engine which produces 17.03 bhp at 8,500 rpm and 15.5 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm, paired to a five-speed gearbox.

TVS Apache RTR 180 Matte Black Edition side press shot

The TVS Apache RTR 180 Matte Black Edition has now gone on sale.

The Apache sells in satisfactory numbers for the company. The months of February and March 2014 saw sales of 13,539 units and 14,266 units. These sales figures are nowhere near that of competition though, as Bajaj sold 49,964 units of the Pulsar in March 2014.

TVS, in a bid to gain a foothold in the premium motorcycle segment, announced that a new Apache will be launched towards the end of this year. The announcement was made by Venu Srinivasan, TVS Group Chairman, earlier this month at the launch of the TVS Star City+.
Following the announcement, Vinay Harne, head of new product development for the company, told Indian Autos Blog that the new Apache will get certain features from the Draken concept shown at the Auto Expo this year.

Tata Motors to launch diesel variants of Indica, Indigo, Manza, Vista in Philippines

After entering the Philippines market in April this year with the petrol variants of the Indica, Indigo, Manza and Vista, Tata Motors will launch the diesel variants of these cars in July this year. The announcement was made by Mr. Nicky Mariano, general manager of Pilipinas Taj Autogroup, the local distributor of Tata vehicles in Philippines.

The Vista, Manza, Indica and Indigo will be offered with a diesel engine in Philippines.

The cars will be exported from India and will be priced between 550,000-750,000 Pesos (INR 7.38 lakhs to INR 10.07 lakhs). It remains unannounced as to which diesel engine will be used on these cars though.
Apart from the Manza, the others are available with a choice of two diesel engines: The Vista comes with Fiat’s 1.3-liter and Tata’s 1.4-liter TDI; the Indica and Indigo come with the 1.4-liter TDI and 1.4-liter CR4
common rail engine.

Tata could choose either the TDI or CR4 engines for the Indica and Indigo.

Tata made its Philippines entry last month at the Manila International Auto Show. Apart from launching the petrol variants of the Indica, Indigo, Vista and Manza, Tata also put the Xenon pick-up on sale, and showcased the Ace and Super Ace LCVs. The LCVs were announced to go on sale towards the third quarter of this year. Interestingly, the Ace for Philippines was shown with a petrol engine, the same engine block used by the Tata Nano.
Pilipinas Taj currently has three showrooms, and aims to open two more by the end of this year.

The Jaguar Land Rover – Chery joint venture rolled out the first China-assembled Range Rover Evoque yesterday from their yet-to-be completed factory in Changshu, Jiangsu province. The media were not invited for the rolling out ceremony as the factory is yet to be complete (inauguration expected in July this year).

China assembled Range Rover Evoque front

China will be the first location to assemble the Evoque outside the UK.

China will be the first location to assemble the Evoque outside the UK. While official details are unavailable, we imagine the Halewood plant to ship CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits of the Evoque to China.
The Evoque in China is available only with the four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine (a Ford EcoBoost unit). It produces 240 hp and 340 Nm of torque and is paired to the new ZF 9-speed automatic transmission.

Currently sold as an import, the Evoque is priced between 578,000 CNY (INR 54 lakhs) to 628,000 CNY (INR 59 lakhs). The Chinese media expect prices to go down by 20 percent following local assembly. The launch of the locally-assembled Evoque is expected to take place by the end of this year.

The Freelander 2 and a long wheelbase XF are reported to be the next models for this factory.

The Evoque is the best selling car for JLR in China making up 36 percent of its last year’s volume. In 2013, China overtook UK as the single largest market for JLR.
Media reports point out that the factory will also assemble the Freelander 2 and a long wheelbase variant of the XF in the future.

IAB Report – Renault Duster 85 PS RxE Adventure Edition launched at INR 9.16 lakhs

Renault India launched the Duster Adventure Edition at the Auto Expo in February this year. The Adventure Edition of the Duster was available only with the higher-spec 110 PS diesel engine and is priced at INR 11.79 lakhs (ex-Showroom, New Delhi). To offer the same package at a lower price, Renault have launched the Adventure Edition on the 85 PS spec at INR 9.16 lakhs (ex-Showroom, New Delhi).

Renault Duster Adventure Edition front three quarter left live

The Adventure Edition is now available in the base RxE 85 PS specification.

On the outside, the Adventure Edition features smoked headlights, a bumper guard with integrated foglamps, plastic cladding on the side and wheel arches, a white cover for the wing mirrors and door handles, and gunmetal grey alloy wheels. Inside, the seats have the ‘Duster’ word embroidery, while the door inserts and floor mats get a fluorescent theme.

The Duster Adventure Edition 85 PS is powered by the 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine making 85 PS and 200 Nm of torque, transmitted to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox. The regular 85 PS RxE is priced at INR 8.61 lakhs, which makes the Adventure Edition pricier by INR 55,000.

Renault Duster Adventure Edition dashboard full view at Auto Expo 2014

The Duster Adventure Edition comes with fluorescent inserts for the floor mats, seats and door trims.

To keep the excitement of the Duster alive, Renault India plans to launch the 4×4 version of the crossover by the end of this year.

Report – GM Korea to surpass 10 million CKD exports by month end

GM Korea announced that it will surpass the 10 millionth CKD export by the end of this month. The Korean arm exports CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits to 17 countries which include India, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Russia, Brazil and China.

Updated Chevrolet Cruze india press shot

The Chevrolet Cruze in India is imported as CKD from GM Korea.

GM Korea commenced CKD exports in the year 2002. The same year it exported 120,000 units, while the year 2005 saw this number rising to 1 million units. The 5 million mark was reached in 2010. GM Korea has three manufacturing facilities: Bupyeong (440,000 units/annum), Gunsan (260,000 units/annum) and Changwon (210,000 units/annum).

The Cruze sold in India is assembled at GM India’s Talegaon facility from kits shipped by GM Korea. Recently, the Cruze was mildly updated in India by way of a tweaked front bumper and grille. The top-end variant received side airbags in addition to dual front ones. Mechanically though, the sedan retains its 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine which produces 166 PS and 380 Nm of torque.

The refreshed Captiva, imported from Korea, gets LED taillights and tweaked bumpers.

The Captiva sold in India also comes from Korea, though it is brought in as a CBU (Completely Built up Unit) rather than CKD. The Captiva too was mildly updated last year with LED taillights, redesigned bumpers, new foglight enclosures and revised seat fabrics. Sales of the Captiva have slowly tapered off, as GM managed to sell a mere 23 units in the January-April 2014 period (the same period last year saw sales of 70 units). Sales of the Cruze fell by 35 percent in the Jan-April period this year compared to the previous year.

Wednesday 14 May 2014