Maruti Suzuki Alto launched

Maruti launched new limited edition of Maruti Alto. This new car. Alto Xcite, is priced at Rs 13,500 more than the regular version. This car houses a number of great features such as manual central locking, power windows and remote boot opener. The company said in a statement that the high-end model of the car is priced at Rs 2.75 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Approximately 20,000 car units are being sold every month. It may be recalled that Maruti Alto is the largest selling car in India. On the other hand, Ford Fiesta and Hyundai i10 are the other popular cars in India. The company had introduced the Maruti Alto in September 2000, with two variants. At present, Maruti sells three variants (Base model, LX, Lxi) in the domestic market. It is powered by a 796 cc gasoline engine with 3 cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder MPFI engine with 32bit Engine Control Module (ECM). All models are equipped with 5-speed manual transmission. In the current year, most parts of the world will get a brand-new Maruti Alto, which will be sold as the Maruti A-Star in the Indian market. The current Alto will continue its innings in the Indian market.

Price: Rs 2,24,835^* - Rs 2,72,824^*

Suzuki SX4 Overseas Model

Maruti Suzuki had recently launched its sedan model SX4 in India. Suzuki SX4 comes with VVT engine with an option of automatic transmission. The international model of Suzuki SX4 model is a compact hatchback and crossover model. This model is available as 2WD and 4WD. There are four models offered with SX4 2WD. It is available as 2.0L DOHC engine which is a bullet proof, smooth running power train. It delivers power of 150hp which is up from 143 and its fuel economy is at least 10 percent more than before.

Maruti increases prices of its models

Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest car maker raised prices of its models by an estimated up to Rs 10,000 to recover the increase in input costs arising out of raw materials including steel. As per the current on road prices of various models the raise would range between Rs 100 to as high as Rs 10,000 per car. Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement that while the average increase in prices is of around 0.6 per cent, it varies from 0.12 per cent for the Ritz VDi at the lower end to 1.9 per cent for the Dzire LXi models but did not share the hike in rupee terms.

Google study concludes Maruti Suzuki as most searched car brand

ccording to Google India study it has been reflected that the favorite car maker among the potential buyers looking for online information is Maruti Suzuki India. Google study conducted on 'The Role of the Internet in Automotive Buying' showed that 56per cent searched for Maruti Suzuki before buying a car while 33 per cent bought the vehicle after the online search. Maruti Suzuki is followed by Honda with 46 per cent respondents agreeing that they searched information on the Honda models and 17 per cent respondents said that after the online research they bought a Honda car. Tata Motors grabbed third position with 43 per cent search which is followed by Hyundai, Ford and Toyota.

Cool car: Ford Ikon ikool launched

Ford India introduced its new variant, Ikon ikool, of Ford Ikon in India. Equipped with Duratorq TDCi 1.4 diesel and ROCAM 1.3 petrol engines, these models will be available from tomorrow. The ex-showroom price of the car in Delhi is Rs 4.82 lakh for petrol version and Rs 5.42 lakh for diesel version. Ford India said in a statement that the engines of the car are designed in a way to give class leading fuel efficiency.

Next week will see brand new Ford Endeavour

Ford is ready to take on the competition head on with recently launched Toyota Fortuner. If Toyota Fortuner has been a runaway success for Toyota, Ford is not ready to step aside. It’s brand new Ford Endeavour being launched in Indian market next week. The premium SUV from Ford will be completely face lifted and launch of this advanced vehicle means to cater to the rising demand of the vehicles in market, says a senior company official.

"We will launch the Ford Endeavour by next week. It will be an automatic version and we hope to achieve a significant market share after the launch," Ford India president and managing director, Michael Boneham said. No price has been declared though for the new model. “Some new mechanical bits have been added. The new Ford Endeavour SUV is equipped with Borg Warner’s Shift-on-the-Fly system which will enable you to switch between 2wd and 4wd up to 100kmph. There will be some cosmetic changes like changed headlights, grille, with the rear side likely to be the same,” says a Delhi-based Ford dealer.

A new small car from Ford will launch in India by middle of 2010

Ford will also export this product from India by end of next year. Ford intends to tap the fast growing small car market in India which is world’s largest small car market. Ford Motor executive vice president for Asia Pacific John Parker said that the launch will be a game changer and it will take us into the centre of indian market. He did not reveal any numbers targeted for exports from India.

Ford car demands on a high

Indian counterpart of American car maker, Ford India Motors, expects higher sales volumes during the festive season. It will increase its vehicle production by almost 30 percent. "We have been producing about 130 vehicles a day but this will be increased to 174 vehicles a day this month," Ford India President and MD Michael Boneham.

Ford’s entry level sedan Ford Ikon is the highest selling model in India. Its demand is already high. Ford Endeavour and Ford Fiesta models have also registered healthy sales growth in recent months. Ford launched new Ford Endeavour this week is priced between Rs. 15.99 lakh and 17.99 lakh..

New Ford Endeavour launched in India

New Ford Endeavour has been launched in India on Wednesday. The much-awaited premium SUV has a fresh look. Once a very popular car, now, comes with a number of advance and stylish features. This five-speed automatic transmission vehicle is to compete with Toyota Fortuner. The price tag for 3.0L 4X4 automatic transmission is Rs. 17, 99, 000 while the manual variant of Ford Endeavour 2.5L 4X2 is priced at Rs 15, 99, 000. Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty launched the vehicle in New Delhi. Customers of North and West region can book their vehicle from today but SUV lovers from Southern and Eastern markets have to wait for a while. The new grille design three features, detailed horizontal bars that seem to float in the grille opening, the middle of which supports a proud ford oval badge. The top edge of the grille features a wide header bar with the Ford Endeavour embossed boldly into its surface.

New Ford Mondeo to be launched in January

New Ford Mondeo is all set to be launched in India in January 2010. This luxury sedan is in process to revamp in the company's Chennai facility. The outgoing version of Ford Mondeo was not as successful as it was sold 5 to 10 units since its launch in 2001. The old Ford Mondeo had a price tag of Rs 16.30 l lakh but the new version will see a minor change. Ford India, Vice president (sales and marketing), Vinay Piparsania, said that the new model is already there in India for upgradation.

Ford India all set to ramp up its Chennai unit

Ford India MD and president Michael Boneham told that the fully-owned subsidiary of the US auto major Ford Motors, Ford India Motors will be one of the major production hubs for the parent company’s operations in the Asia-African region.

Ford India is all set to invest $500 million to ramp up its Chennai plant’s production capacity to 2-lakh vehicles by 2010.

The US-based Ford Motors, which has not taken any financial rescue from the US government like its peers GM and Chrysler, is developing China, Thailand and South Africa, as the other major manufacturing hub

Ford Figo showcased in India

Ford Motor showcased its compact car, Ford Figo, in India on Wednesday. However, this small car will be launched in India by early 2010. The compact car, Ford Figo, will be available in petrol and diesel versions.

This four-door hatchback will be manufactured in Ford Chennai plant. Apart from this, the company reveled about its exteriors but specific details about engine capacity, price and other data is under cover. Ford Figo is believed to compete with the Hyundai i20 and the Maruti Swift. The recent global trend is to switch over to small cars that are fuel efficient but Ford India's products present here in mid-sized cars and SUV class. The company is aiming to grab the most in small car segment in India and China.

Ford showcases small cars this week

US company, Ford is now eying on India to offset tough business conditions in other global markets. The company that survived the downturn without a government help, Ford Motor is planning to integrate car designs globally and develop compact and mid-sized cars as part of a strategy to improve profitability and productivity.

Ford has focussed on economies of scale and implementing ‘One Ford’ strategy across markets. Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford Motor, is also making a lightning visit to India to showcase its small car in the middle of this week. He joined Ford in 2006 after divesting brands like Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.This moment will be exciting and worth watching. Ford India has not had a new product launch, but continues to upgrade its existing product line since 2005.

Ford India will launch its small car, code named B517 in March 2010, which is expected to compete with the Hyundai i20 and the Maruti Swift, that were also showcased to its dealers in Chennai recently. The small car will be a four-door hatchback, powered by an indigenous diesel and petrol engine manufactured at its Chennai plant. Ford India has invested around $500 million (Rs 2,400 crore) to double the current capacity by one lakh cars and 2.5 lakh engines, company officials said.

India to make Ford Figo

Ford Motor has plans to make India its manufacturing hub for its small car Ford Figo. Ford Figo will be launched in the first quarter of 2010 and come in both petrol and diesel variants. No prices have been officially announced by Ford India but the car is expected to cost at Rs.4 lakh and upwards for the base variant and will compete against an array of cars like Maruti Swift and Maruti Ritz, Fiat Grande Punto, Chevrolet U-VA and Hyundai i20 that are already present in the market.

After unveiling the Ford Figo in Delhi, Ford’s president and CEO, Alan Mulally said: “The global market is shifting towards smaller cars and India has a predominant advantage with a 70% market for compact cars." The company also has plans to export a significant number of the Ford Figo to Asia Pacific and African countries in 2010.

Special edition of Ford Fiesta launched

The best selling product of Ford, US auto manufacturer, Ford Fiesta now will be available with a couple of new features in India. The mid-sized sedan Ford Fiesta is having the price tag of Rs 6.44 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Nevertheless, the new Ford Fiesta 1.6 ZXI comes with petrol engine only. According to a company statement, the car saw impressive sales during the festival period in India.

Ford to increase market share by new car launches

Michael Boneham, president and MD of Ford India here on Thursday indicated that the US car maker, Ford has decided to launch a new car every 12 to 18 months in India to enhance its market share. However, he did not indicate what sort of market share the company aims to achieven the long run. Talking to newsmen at the inauguration of Ford’s new dealership, Victoria Ford, Mr. Boneham said: "We now have a marketshare of nearly 2% and we want to grow it significantly in coming years. Launching of new cars from the Ford stable, will play a crucial role in growing our market share in India."

For 2009, Ford India aims to achieve sales of 30,000 cars compared to 29,000 cars sold in calendar 2008. "In September ‘09, we have been able to sell 3,500 cars which is a 50% increase year-on-year basis," said Nigel Wark, executive director (marketing, sales and services). By investing $500 million, company will expand production at its Chennai plant from 1 lakh to 2 lakh vehicles, apart from producing 2.5 lakh engines, both in petrol and diesel.

Ford launches another variant of Ford Ikon

US based car manufacturer Ford has introduced a new variant of its popular entry level sedan Ford Ikon in India. The new variant has been launched on the basis of the responses the company has witnessed from the users of Ikon iKool. The new Ford Ikon model has been priced in the range of Rs 5.17-5.77 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). The New Ford Ikon Plus model will be available in both Diesel and petrol versions. The price difference between the previous Ford Ikon and the new Ford Ikon Plus is about Rs 33,800. The new model has been launched with stylish exteriors as well as modified interiors.

Ford plans to launch series of small cars in Asia

Ford Motor,the second largest car maker in Detroit, is all set to push its sales in Asia,particularly in China through introduction of a family of new small cars which will the focus of the company's product profile.In its pursuit towards small cars.Ford displayed a new version of Focus,its top most selling car in Detroit this week According to Alan Mully,Ford's chief executive,the company's strategy would be to move quickly to invest in one of the fastest growing economy China.The company is now converging on manufacturing a series of small and mid sized cars built on the platform,"One Ford" strategy something that is followed by the company on a global basis. The fundamental structure of the revamped Ford Fiesta will be common around the world except for the changes that will be required at the top of the car to meet with the local standards,rules and regulations.Around 10 models will be manufactured using the new platform,resulting in the production of 2m units annually by the year 2012.

Ford to launch next version of Explorer SUV

US based automobile manufacturer Ford Motors has announced that it will invest $400 million in its production facilities to manufacturer next version of, its Explorer SUV by the end of year 2010. According to company this move is expected to create 1,200 jobs at its Chicago assembly plant. The USD 400 million includes the investment of USD 180 million in manufacturing facilities at the Chicago sites and investment of about USD 220 million for launch and engineering costs.