India auto news

Report: Next Land Rover Defender to be built in India?

When Tata's purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover began to appear inevitable, the question "Would you buy a Jaguar made in India?" was oft repeated. Yet it looks like Land Rover will be the first of the two brands to try to benefit from this kind of Anglo-Indian synergy: a report in Autocar states that the 2015 Land Rover Defender will be built at Tata's plant in Pune, India.

The Defender is a truly old school body-on-frame SUV that sells in small numbers compared to the rest of the Land Rover line. But it has benefitted from technology, some regulatory gymnastics and exemptions and, like the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, a warm place in people's hearts. If it's going to be around, though, LR would like to move more of them. Building the next generation model in Pune - with final assembly of some examples in England, a reverse of what's done now with products like the knockdown Freelander 2 (read: LR2) - could give the Defender's bottom line the boost it needs, as well as close proximity to Middle Eastern and Asian markets.

It is expected that the next Tata Aria SUV will be close enough in dimensions and manufacturing to share the same facility with the the 2015 Defender. They will remain two distinct vehicles - the Defender will likely go on the T5 ladder chassis that underpins the Discovery/LR4 and Range Rover Sport, and is predicted to have the general features of the DC100 concept. The current Defender is slated to remain on sale until 2017, and will likely be built in Solihull, England until then.

Report: Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan may have world's shortest trunk

While some would have you believe that Americans are unique in their general preference for traditional betrunked sedans over hatchbacks, don't let them sway you. There are plenty of markets in the world where trunklids are preferred to tailgates. But while sedans are typically viewed as larger than hatchbacks, the new Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire.

The product of a Suzuki joint venture in India (which is by itself the largest automaker on the subcontinent), the Swift Dzire is the new sedan version of the nimble little hatchback available in overseas markets. And while the previous-generation version appeared to have added a trunk as an appendage off the back of a Swift, the new version looks like it just lost the upper part of the hatch for what looks like the smallest trunk this side of a newborn elephant. (Cue the ballpark organ music.)

The reason for the Dzire's shortening from one model year to the next is not apparently in an effort to boost sales, as the model already reportedly has a waiting list, but to take advantage of Indian government regulations that more heavily taxes vehicles over four meters in length. Check out additional photos of the Dzire over at IndianAutosBlog.

Suzuki shows Concept XA trucklet in Delhi

Want to know how highly regarded the multiple-award winning Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is? At the recent Auto Expo in Delhi, India Maruti Suzuki showed a concept that is, to our eyes, extraordinarily reminiscent of the small English SUV - although we'll readily admit the glasshouse is a tweaked version of the current Suzuki Swift.

Called the XA Alpha concept, some reports say that it's underpinned by the Swift platform, while others report that the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy off-roader, based on the Jimny, provides the chassis. For comparison purposes, the XA is just a few inches shorter and narrower than an Evoque, but the same height as the Evoque four-door.

Plans for production are said to rest with audience reception, which appears to have - understandably - been quite positive. If and when a production version does arrive, you can probably kiss the suicide doors goodbye, but it is predicted to be offered with four-wheel drive and "a range of K-Series petrol engines and 1.3-liter DDIS engine." Click the link for more photos of the flexible Indian flyer.

Official: Land Rover Defender concepts turn red for New Delhi [w/video]

Land Rover took to the Delhi Auto Expo with a pair of Defender Concepts, demonstrating a few design possibilities Land Rover could pursue with the next-generation SUV. The company says it intends to launch the vehicle by 2015, which means the automaker has its work cut out for it if it plans to meet that deadline. The concepts feature many of the same attributes that made the original Defender and off-road icon, including dramatically short overhangs front and rear and a near vertical wind screen for increased visibility.

This isn't the first time we've seen the pair of Defenders, though. After an initial debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Land Rover spruced them up for a North American reveal at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November.

The Defender Concept Twins also come loaded with technology designed to make blazing your own trail all the easier, including a clever sonar-based system that can measure water depth as the vehicle crosses deep creeks and flooded streams. In addition, a new Terrain Response system maps the ground ahead of the vehicle in 3D and suggests alternate routes when the vehicle detects an obstruction. Hit the jump for a quick video on the vehicle as well as the full press release.

Continue reading Land Rover Defender concepts turn red for New Delhi [w/video]

Official: Hyundai HND-7/Hexa Space concept unveiled in New Delhi

Hyundai officially unveiled the eight-passenger Hexa Space Concept at the New Delhi Auto Show. This MPV features clever hexagonal seating designed to optimize interior room, with each chair fitting into a honeycomb matrix, allowing passengers to sit three across without feeling cramped or crammed together. The seats can also be folded flat to allow for expansive cargo room. Outside, the vehicle makes use of the Hyundai fluidic sculpture design language. A bold front fascia with exaggerated headlight displays and a sprawling front grille define the Hexa Space Concept's nose, while large LED tail light arrays mark the vehicle's rear.

Under the hood, a 1.2-liter turbocharged, direct-injection engine is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. Not surprisingly, Hyundai doesn't have any plans to bring the Hexa Space to market any time soon, though a similar MPV-style creation could show up in the Indian Market to do battle with the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga in coming years.

Official: DC Design Avanti rolls up in New Delhi

DC Design, an Indian firm better known for creating one-off customized vehicles based on anything from the Tata Nano to Rolls-Royce coupes, has officially pulled the covers off its first production supercar at the New Delhi Auto Expo. Called the Avanti, we can't help but wonder what esteemed designer Raymond Loewy might think of this creation.

We're not going to call this Audi-R8-meets-duckbill-platypus attractive, though we do spot design themes borrowed from the likes of Ferrari and Lotus (and there's probably a bit of Bertone Mantide in there, too). Somehow it manages to be both somewhat derivative and distinctive at the same time, with proportions unlike that of most supercars from Europe.

Regardless of its styling, we can get behind the idea of a low-cost supercar - its expected 30 lakh rupees in India translates to about $56,000 at current exchange rates - powered by small-displacement engines relying on turbocharging to produce adequate power. The initial engine will be sourced from Ford, an EcoBoost 2.0 liter putting out 265 horsepower, mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, so perhaps calling this a "supercar" is overstating its case.

Later, a version of the machine will be offered with a Honda-sourced turbocharged V6 producing something around 400 horsepower. The base Ford engine will reportedly be sufficient to hit 60 miles per hour in under seven seconds and the turbo V6 will surely be quicker. DC Design hopes to build about 200 units in 2013 and plans to ramp up to a few thousand in the coming years.

Continue reading DC Design Avanti rolls up in New Delhi

Followup: Ford EcoSport bows at the Delhi Auto Expo

Ford has officially unveiled the EcoSport ahead of the Delhi Auto Expo. The vehicle wears a CUV version of the company's Kinetic design language with a large octagonal grille and discreet headlights. Despite its concept looks, Ford says the vehicle could be in production in as little as six months.

Under the hood, the EcoSport boasts the smallest Ecoboost engine ever created. The turbocharged 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine is good for around 118 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque, though a small-displacement diesel option may bow in the future.

The EcoSport will be built in India and Brazil and is likely to play a large role in growing the Ford presence worldwide. The vehicle will head to 100 markets globally and is slated to be the second of eight new Ford products headed to India by 2015. That doesn't mean we'll be seeing the CUV on our soil anytime soon, however.

Official: Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo [UPDATE]

While we've been consumed with the ramp-up to next week's Detroit Auto Show, there's a more pressing matter on the international car events calendar - this week's New Delhi Auto Expo. Ford Motor Company isn't overlooking the burgeoning biennial show, and it's taking the opportunity to reveal its first-ever world debut at the show, the next Ford EcoSport.

Debuting with a sliver of show-only frosting (check out those glitzy headlamps), the tiny crossover is about the same size as the Fiesta five-door, and it's built on the Blue Oval's new global B-Car architecture. Ford isn't revealing much in the way of powertrain specifics for this thinly disguised model, but our sources tell us the EcoSport will see the first application of the company's new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in India (yes, that means there will be an EcoSport EcoBoost), and presumably there will be an ethanol variant as well.

The upright CUV has been designed with emerging markets in mind, namely portions of Asia and South America, so we're unlikely to see it in North America (we'd be more likely to receive the B-Max MPV), though our sources tell us that an eventual European market appearance is not out of the question. Roughly 90 percent of cars in those markets are B-Segment or smaller, and the previous generation of the Brazilian-built EcoSport has sold some 750,000 units since hitting the market nine years ago.

While the original EcoSport sold almost exclusively in Brazil, the new model will spread its wings to take on a more global role as part of the company's One Ford agenda. To be assembled in both India and Brazil, the EcoSport represents the first time that Ford's team in Camacari, Brazil has taken the lead in conceiving a global product, another indication of the market's growing importance. The new EcoSport will be a lynchpin for the Blue Oval, who expect the Asia Pacific region to swallow up to one out of every three Ford vehicles sold by 2020 (it's just one in six today).

Want more proof of India's rise in importance? Officials tell us that Ford plans to treat the Delhi show as a first-tier show going forward, on par with Detroit, the Frankfurt Motor Show, and so on. Ostensibly, the show will replace a Tokyo Motor Show presence for the Dearborn automaker, as Ford was absent from last month's show in Japan.

UPDATE: Additional photos and sketches have been added to the gallery, along with two official videos and a press release after the jump.

Continue reading Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo [UPDATE]

Official: Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo

While we've been consumed with the ramp-up to next week's Detroit Auto Show, there's a more pressing matter on the international car events calendar - this week's New Delhi Auto Expo. Ford Motor Company isn't overlooking the burgeoning biennial show, and it's taking the opportunity to reveal its first-ever world debut at the show, the next Ford EcoSport.

Debuting with a sliver of show-only frosting (check out those glitzy headlamps), the tiny crossover is about the same size as the Fiesta five-door, and it's built on the Blue Oval's new global B-Car architecture. Ford isn't revealing much in the way of powertrain specifics for this thinly disguised model, but our sources tell us the EcoSport will see the first application of the company's new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in India (yes, that means there will be an EcoSport EcoBoost), and presumably there will be an ethanol variant as well.

The upright CUV has been designed with emerging markets in mind, namely portions of Asia and South America, so we're unlikely to see it in North America (we'd be more likely to receive the B-Max MPV), though our sources tell us that an eventual European market appearance is not out of the question. Roughly 90 percent of cars in those markets are B-Segment or smaller, and the previous generation of the Brazilian-built EcoSport has sold some 750,000 units since hitting the market nine years ago.

While the original EcoSport sold almost exclusively in Brazil, the new model will spread its wings to take on a more global role as part of the company's One Ford agenda. To be assembled in both India and Brazil, the EcoSport represents the first time that Ford's team in Camacari, Brazil has taken the lead in conceiving a global product, another indication of the market's growing importance. The new EcoSport will be a lynchpin for the Blue Oval, who expect the Asia Pacific region to swallow up to one out of every three Ford vehicles sold by 2020 (it's just one in six today).

Want more proof of India's rise in importance? Officials tell us that Ford plans to treat the Delhi show as a first-tier show going forward, on par with Detroit, the Frankfurt Motor Show, and so on. Ostensibly, the show will replace a Tokyo Motor Show presence for the Dearborn automaker, as Ford was absent from last month's show in Japan.

Bajaj RE60 may take World's Cheapest Car title from Tata Nano

The Tata Nano may not be the runaway sales success the vehicle's Indian manufacturers had hoped, but that hasn't stopped other automakers from eying India's blooming inexpensive vehicle segment. The country's largest manufacturer of three wheelers is set to dip a toe into the automotive manufacturing with an all-new vehicle. The Bajaj RE60 features a water-cooled 200cc engine with around 20 horsepower, and as a result, the vehicle has a top speed of just 43 mph. That may not be quick, but the company says there's room for up to four people indoors or up to 14.1 cubic feet of cargo area with the rear seats folded flat.

The Bajaj RE60 weighs in at a mere 880 pounds, and the company plans to offer several fuel variants. Gasoline, liquid propane gas and compressed natural gas versions will all be available, though buyers won't be able to get their hands on an RE60 with a diesel engine. So far, there's no word on price, but we're guessing it'll have to undercut the Tata.

Hit the jump for the press release and check out the gallery of photos provided by our friends at Indian Autos Blog.

Continue reading Bajaj RE60 may take World's Cheapest Car title from Tata Nano