Spotted: New Ford Ikon?

Is this the new Ford Ikon? Spotted on a busy rainy morning at TTK Road, Chennai.

At this point, the driver realised that I was taking snaps. I wanted to take a snap from the front, but he did not allow us(I was in an auto!) to overtake him.

My auto driver lived up to ‘Chennai Auto Drivers’ name as he cut/bent/sneaked and finally got me in front of the car much to the car driver’s frustration.

I showed him a thumbs up sign and he smiled back as we parted ways.

Needless to say, my auto driver was amused.

New Honda City to kick ass from tomorrow

The car for which the whole of India has been waiting for is getting launched tomorrow.

The all new Honda City is powered by a 1.5L VTEC under the hood producing a whopping 118PS at 6000 rpm. The new CIty also gets paddle shifts like the CIvic. Only two variants are being planned as of now. This is due to the fact that the old City is to co-exist with the new City.

The City is being priced around Rs.9 Lakhs.

Keep checking this space for more details.

Hyundai i20 - Coming soon!

The much awaited Hyundai i20, the successor of Hyundai i10, is debuting at the Paris Mondial de l’automobile (Paris Motor Show) later this year. The latest offering from Hyundai in the i series sports a longer wheelbase and spacious interiors than the i10.

Aimed at replacing the Getz at European markets, the i20 will coexist in India alonside Getz and the i10. The entire research and development has been done in Hyundai Motor Company’s Germany division keeping the European markets in mind.

i20 i-blue

Hyundai is has also planned a very eco friendly variant chreistened, i20 blue where the regular 5 speed manual gearbox is replaced by a 6 speed unit. Also aerodynamics are improved due to the presence of full length under-body covers. Other modifications aimed at fuekl economy include 15 mm reduction in ground clearance, low rolling-resistance tyres and low-friction engine oil.

The carbon emission in Hyundai i20 i-blue is only 99 g/km and the car is expected to return close to 25 kmpl!

Compact Rolls in India

Rolls Royce is planning to bring to India, a cheaper and smaller sedan, the RR4.

Priced at around Rs. 2.6 crores, the RR4 is based on the Rolls V12 engine.

The RR4 is expected to roll in to India by 2009.

K Series Engine from Maruti

With Bharat IV norms to be enforced in India, the engineers at Maruti R&D have been working overnight on the K Series engine which would subsequently replace the current F,G and M engines in all further Maruti cars. The K Engine will also be complaint with Euro IV and Euro V norms.

Tata Indica Vista - Can Tata do what Microsoft couldnt?

Tata Motors has launched Indica Vista this week and by the first looks, it is evident that Tata means business. Though not much major changes, there are a few notable ones. The grille is new and so are the headlamps which look exciting. The Indica Vista is available in one petrol and two diesel versions namely the 1.2L Safire (petrol), 1.3L Quadrajet (the same Fiat diesel engine that powers the Swift and Palio) and the 1.4L TDI which serves the current crop of Indicas. The three overall variant are tera, aqua and aura of which there are sven sub variants. The petrol version will cost Rs. 3.49 Lakhs and the diesel Rs. 4.88 Lakhs.

Tata is also working on ABS, airbags and other safety and luxury options for the Indica Vista.

The Tata Indica Vista looks promising and Tata Indica has lived upto its name as a family car. Lets see if Tata Motors can do what Microsoft couldnt! Will Vista deliver?

2008 Honda City

Honda is rolling out the long awaited revised version of the new city. And this time it looks good too.

Design:

Somehow the old City’s styling was way ahead of its time, but the new city has a lot to offer with the tail lights having a bit of the Accord’s look. Though it looks like it’s derived from a hatch it seams to look much better than the older city. Honda won’t compromise on fit and finish, so even if the car is too futuristic for you, there’s a reason for you to buy the city.

Engine & Gearbox:

The City will be powered by the same engines but will be tuned to squeeze out more performance from it. There will be a 1.5L with 3 variants. The V-Tec will follow the herd later on.

There will be both automatic and manual options with revised gearboxes (5Speed) for the new city.

Ride & Handling:

The new City is expected to have a higher ground clearance than the present or the previous lots. Ride will be stiffer, but what remains to be seen is whether this car can live up to the first Gen. City on the handling department.

Price & competition:

It’s will be priced around the same as the current City owing to the stiff competition in this segment and is expected to be priced around 7.2-8.5 lacks.

If you are looking to buy some other cars in this price range you can also look for the Maruthi SX4, Lancer, Hyundai Verna, New Ford Fiesta.

More bloopers

Spotted near Egmore, Chennai

100 Years of Model T

Henry Ford famously remarked,

Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black

It is exactly 100 years today since Ford sold its first car Model T. This car may have been critisized a lot, but still it is a car which revolutionized the automotive sector!

What do you think of the Model T and other American cars?

Ford Endeavour Limousine - In Chennai

WheelsAndRevs.com team spotted a Ford Endeavour Limousine (Black)  on the streets of Chennai a couple of hours back.

The total cost (incl. stock and modifications) of the limo was Rs. 38 Lakh and the stock model was a Ford Endeavour 4×2 XLT.

The modification was done by Executive Coach Builders, Chennai.

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