India-bound next gen Ford Endeavour continues testing in China

The next gen Ford Endeavour (called as Everest in some markets) which is expected to be make its global debut next year, has been spotted testing in China once again. Though most of the details are hidden under the camouflage, it’s easy to make out that the car stays true to the Ford Everest concept which was unveiled in Thailand this year.

The next gen Ford Endeavour is based on the Everest Concept.

Our rendering based on previous spyshots shows that the new Endeavour’s design is a departure from the current car’s boxy appearance. The new gen SUV has a brawny stance with a prominent chrome-finished hexagonal grille.

The new Ford Endeavour is expected to retain the current engine options.

The interior is expected to be fully revamped and is reported to be equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen multimedia infotainment system which supports Ford’s SYNC and AppLink systems.

Our designer Shoeb’s rendering of the next gen Ford Endeavour.

As far as engine options are concerned, the India-spec model is likely to continue with its existing 2.5-litre and 3-litre motors however, a new set of 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions is expected to replace the current 5-speed units. The company will reportedly get rid of the dated leaf-spring suspension system at the rear and add a coil spring setup instead.
The current Ford Endeavour for India is being assembled at the company’s Chennai facility using CKD kits from Thailand. This arrangement would continue with the next gen model as well.
Competitors: Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Fortuner, Chevrolet Captiva, Ssangyong Rexton, Isuzu MU-7
Expected Price: INR 20-25 lakhs, ex-Showroom

Next gen Ford Figo’s production to launch on April 1, 2015

Ford Motor Company’s newly appointed CEO Mr. Mark Fields who took over the proceedings from Mr. Allan Mullaly on July 1, was on a market review visit to India in the month of June. During his visit, Mr. Fields held a meeting with the Indian PM Mr. Narendra Modi and the former updated the latter on the progress of Ford’s upcoming plant in Sanand, Gujarat.
Economic Times reports that during the meeting, Mr. Modi urged the Ford CEO to put the Sanand plant in the global manufacturing map by adding more export markets. The USD 1 billion plant is expected to go on stream on the 1st of April 2015 and expand Ford India’s manufacturing capacity by more than two folds.

The Ford Figo sedan (called as the Ka+ in Brazil) would be built at the Sanand plant alongside its hatchback sibling.

Flat out, the plant would have an annual production capacity of 2.5 lakh units while the initial production capacity is expected to be around 1.4-1.5 lakh units (800-900 units per day) in 2015, ET has reported.

The Sanand plant was commissioned in 2012 when Mr. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat. In the first year, the facility would roll out the next gen Ford Figo hatchback and the new Figo sub-4 metre sedan (unveiled as Ford Ka and Ka+ in Brazil) that is touted to replace the Ford Classic.
With the ‘One Ford’ global product strategy in place, Ford India is planning to expand its export markets from the current 50 to around 100 – 120 in due course. The Sanand plant is expected to contribute the lion’s share of Ford India’s export operations.

Suzuki to launch a new low-cost MPV in 2015

This rendering of the Maruti Celerio MPV, which uses a Datsun Go+ inspired rear, is merely an illustration.]
Suzuki is reportedly considering an all-new low-cost MPV for Asian markets like Indonesia. The brand is keen on having a product below the Ertiga to ward off competition coming from the Datsun Go+, which was launched in Indonesia a couple of months ago.

A new low-cost MPV is being developed by Suzuki to rival the Go+.

Suzuki showcased a three-row 5+2 MPV based on the Wagon R at the Indonesia International Motor Show last year. However, this report states that the new low-cost MPV is not based on the Wagon R, and that a team of Suzuki engineers are developing a new people carrier in Japan. The new MPV would be revealed later this year or sometime next year.

The Go+ MPV recorded over 3,500 bookings in Indonesia within two months of its launch. Based on the Datsun Go, the low-cost MPV is priced at an affordable level of 85 million to 102.9 million Rupiah (INR 4.33 to 5.24 lakhs).

The new MPV from Suzuki would be a size smaller than the Ertiga.

The MPV segment takes high precedence in Indonesia and among the Top 5 best selling cars, four (Toyota Avanza, Honda Mobilio, Toyota Innova and Suzuki Ertiga) are MPVs.
Meanwhile in India, Honda will launch the Mobilio later this month, and Nissan will introduce the Go+ during the festival season.
Competitors: Datsun Go+
Expected Price: INR 4.5-5.5 lakhs, ex-Showroom

Royal Enfield registers best ever monthly sales in June

Royal Enfield registers best ever monthly sales in June 2014 at 25,303 units (domestic wholesale and exports) which is a growth of 83% compared to the same month last year (13,806 units).
In May 2014, the Chennai-based retro motorcycle maker clocked 25,010 units and another 25,000+ figure puts the company right on track to meet its annual production target of 280,000 units. The company says that investment in the Oragadam plant and other operations are continuing as planned for the 2014 calender year.

The domestic sales of Royal Enfield grew by 84% in June 2014 compared to the same month last year.

Royal Enfield’s Orgadam plant has been rolling out over 10,000 units per month since Q1 of 2014 thereby contributing significantly to reduce the waiting period for its motorcycles. In the domestic market, the company managed to sell 24,519 units last month against June 2013′s 13,315 units, a growth of 84%. Exports during the same period grew by 60% to 784 units from 491 units in June 2013.

YTD 2014 sales in the domestic market stand at an impressive 1,35,026 units which is a staggering 86% growth compared to 72,638 units during the same period last year.
Royal Enfield is looking to attain global leadership in the medium displacement (350 – 500 cc) segment. The company has recently renovated its branding and introduced new color options for its popular models like the Thunderbird, Classic and the Bullet.

VW Polo facelift 1.5L MT

The 2014 VW Polo facelift will launch on July 15. These spyshots show the diesel variant of the refreshed Polo which will get power from a new 1.5-liter four-cylinder TDI engine. The engine would produce about 90 PS (88.7 bhp) of power on the standard Polo diesel and 105 PS (103.5 bhp) on the GT TDI variant. These images confirm that the Polo diesel will get a 5-speed manual transmission, as it is currently.

The Polo TDI will get a 5-speed manual transmission and a new 1.5-liter diesel engine.

Changes on the outside come in the form of new bumpers with chrome foglight housings, new mirror elements for headlights, a single-slat chrome grille, reflectors on the rear bumper, a new alloy wheel design and a new Orange body color.

Inside, the 2014 Polo will get a new 3-spoke steering wheel with integrated controls, a new font for the multi-information display and silver inserts for the center console and AC controls.

The refreshed Polo will launch on July 15.

Dealers of VW India have started taking orders for the 2014 Polo. The hatchback would come in three trim lines – Comfortline, Highline and Highline+. However, the GT variants of the Polo aren’t expected to launch until August this year.
Competitors: Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20, Honda Jazz, Tata Bolt, Fiat Punto
Expected Price: INR 5-8 lakhs, ex-Showroom

Hyundai Grand i10 LPG launched with new 1L engine, brochure inside

Hyundai India have launched an LPG variant on the Grand i10 hatchback. The Grand i10 LPG is available in a single Magna trim, but gets options of solid and metallic colors.

The Hyundai Grand i10 LPG gets a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine.

The engine powering the Grand i10 LPG is not the 1.2-liter Kappa motor. Nor is it the 1.1-liter engine seen on the i10. Instead, the Grand i10 LPG gets a 1.0-liter three-cylinder motor producing 68 bhp and 94 Nm of torque. This is the same engine used on the Eon 1.0-liter variant. The engine is paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and produces 66 bhp and 92 Nm of torque when powered by LPG.

The car gets a factory fitted kit which comes with a 2-year unlimited kilometer warranty. The tank has a capacity of 34 liters.
The Grand i10 recently achieved sales of 100,000 units in India, making it the fastest car to achieve this feat. The 100,000 unit sales milestone comes 10 months after the launch of the car.

Datsun has not lived up to expectations, says Andy Palmer

Datsun launched in India in March this year with the Go hatchback. Priced from INR 3.12 lakhs for the base D variant to INR 3.69 lakhs for the top-end T variant (prices ex-showroom, New Delhi), the Go competes with the hugely popular Maruti Alto and Hyundai Eon.

The Go has fallen short of the company’s expectations.

At the time of the launch, Nissan estimated that it would sell about 5,000 units/month of the hatchback. Production was aligned accordingly to 60,000 units/annum. However, the car and the brand have fallen short of the company’s expectations. Speaking to the Economic Times, Andy Palmer, Chief Planning Officer at Nissan, said that Datsun has not “lived up to internal expectations.” The executive says that lack of dealerships have limited the Go’s sales in the country.

For the months of March, April and May combined, Nissan sold a total of 6,750 units of the Go, averaging 2,250 units/month, which is less than half of the company’s expectations. Hyundai have sold 20,273 units of the Eon, and Maruti sold 59,664 of the Alto during the same three month period.
The company aims to increase sales of the Go by adding new dealerships. Nissan India plans to have 200 dealerships by end of this fiscal year and plans to add another 100 over the course of the next two years.