Toyota Fortuner 3.0 MT launched at 21.5 lakh Rupees.

The long awaited SUV from the Toyota arsenal has finally been launched in India. August. For starters, the Fortuner has been launched with a 3.0 diesel engine and a 5-speed manual gearbox only. Toyota has surprised the competition with a killer price tag. Compared to soft-roaders like the CR-V, Captiva and the Outlander, the Fortuner is a true-blue SUV with all-wheel drive and a low range gearbox as standard. It is practical too with a usable set of third row seats. Going by Indian publics affinity for big SUV's with equally huge C-R-D-I powerplants the Fortuner looks likely to be headed for a great success story in India as well.

Here's an overveiw of how the Fortuner compares to its rivals(all prices, On-Road, Mumbai).

Toyota Fortuner:

3.0 MT - 21.5 lakhs, 3.0 litre 4-cyl D4-D Diesel, 168 bhp, 343 Nm, 7-seater.

Ford Endeavour (Current):

2.5 XLT 4x2 MT - 17.85 lakhs, 2.5 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 143 bhp, 330 Nm, 7-seater.

3.0 Thunder+ 4x4 MT- 20.5 lakhs, 3.0 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 154 bhp, 380 Nm, 7-seater.

Ford Endeavour Facelift (Incumbent):

2.5 XLT 4x2 MT - 18.85 lakhs(estimated), 2.5 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 143 bhp, 330 Nm, 7-seater.
3.0 Thunder+ 4x4 AT- 21.5 lakhs(estimated), 3.0 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 154 bhp, 380 Nm, 7-seater.

Honda CRV:

2.0 2WD MT - 25.96 lakhs, 2.0 litre 4-cyl iVTEC Petrol, 142 bhp, 190 Nm, 5-seater.

2.4 AWD MT - 27.63 lakhs, 2.4 litre 4-cyl iVTEC Petrol, 160 bhp, 218 Nm, 5-seater.

2.4 AWD MT - 28.48 lakhs, 2.4 litre 4-cyl iVTEC Petrol, 160 bhp, 218 Nm, 5-seater.

Chevrolet Captiva:

2.0 LT MT - 23.86 lakhs, 2 litre 4-cyl VCDi Diesel, 148 bhp, 320 Nm, 7-seater.

2.0 LTZ AT - 25.66 lakhs, 2 litre 4-cyl VCDiDiesel, 148 bhp, 320 Nm, 7-seater.

Mitsubishi Outlander:

2.4 MIVEC - 23.16lakhs, 2.4 litre 4-cyl MIVEC Petrol, 170 bhp, 225 Nm, 5-seater.

Mitsubishi Pajero:

SFX - 23.65 lakhs, 2.8 litre 4-cyl TDCi Diesel, 118 bhp, 290 Nm, 7-seater.

F430 Scuderia goes topless!

Ferrari put the outstanding F430 on a crash diet and gave the world an insanely fast F430 Scuderia. But now, to celebrate their championship victory of the 2008 F1 season, the Italian manufacturer has launched a topless version of the 430 Scuderia in the form of a 'F430 Scuderia Spider 16M'. The car uses a 4.3-litre V8 producing a stagerring 530PS! It uses a 6-speed F1-g'box and manages a 0-100km/h run in less than 3.8 seconds! Only 499 units will be made with bookings starting now!

French toast for India

PSA Peugeot Citroen are finalizing plans to enter the Indian market once again. The French carmaker had entered India more than a decade back but failed to capture the market. This time around the company plans to follow a similar route they followed earlier - that of importing the vehicles to the country and finding local partners for sales and service. They may also consider multi-brand car showroom chains like the upcoming 'Carnation' for setting up their Indian network. 

They plan to initally enter the market with low-cast fuel efficient small cars and then add mid-size sedans to the Indian portfolio. If things work out on par with their planned roadmap, PSA Peugeot Citroen should be in India by 2011.

Mahindra launches new variants

M&M has launched new variants of the Bolero and Scorpio flagship models. These are called the 'Micro Hybrid' models - where the SUVs will give the customers a 'start-stop' technology. This technology basically uses a electric micro motor which keeps the engine running when idiling at traffic signals, jams etc. thus returning better mileage. Both the models are priced in the 6.5-7-lakh price bracket and are on sale now.

Honda Seil launches the new Honda City!

The class leader is back with a bang. The all new Honda City that has created such a big buzz around the Asian market has unveiled today in New Delhi by Honda Seil. While there is no word on the 1.3-litre variant that we expected, Honda Seil offers a 1.5-litre 118PS model in three trims - 1.5 E MT, 1.5 S MT and 1.5 S AT. The base model starts at an ex-showroom price of approximately 8-lakh, while the top end AT values close to 9.5-lakh.

The most significant aspect however is, the safety features like Airbags, ABS etc. are same across all variants - so no compromise on safety either.  For a complete list of features and lisitings, visit the Honda Seil site HERE.

2009 Honda City Launched in Thailand

Thai Honda unveiled the 2009 Honda City eralier today. The car will only be available with a 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine, however for India, Honda will also offer a fuel-efficient 1.3-litre variant. The car is expected to launch in India by Diwali.

Image Source: Thai Honda via Paultan

Earlier posts on the new Honda City: 

http://100octane.blogspot.com/2008/08/2008-honda-city.html

Fabia extends family

Skoda India is on a roll with some successful models like the Octavia, Laura and the recently launched Fabia hatch. However, the car that created waves amongst the enthusiasts was the Skoda Octavia RS. The Czech company however put the 150bhp monster to sleep a couple of months back due to the lack of demand.

But it seems that the performance hungry enthusiasts have a new offering coming their way from Skoda - this time in a diesel flavor though. The Fabia's strong chassis will soon house Skoda's trusty ol' 1.9 TDI powerplant to introduce itself in a new variant - the Fabia Sport. The car is expected to be launched by the end of this year and the hot favorite RS Yellow color will be back on the brochure. The car will also feature side skirts, a rear roof spoiler and 16" alloys.

There are three other variants on the cards as well. The first being the Fabia Greenline - tweaked version of the diesel hatch which will supposedly return better mileage. The next in line is the Fabia Combi - an estate version (no idea why Skoda wants to gamble again considering the Octavia Combi never really sold) and last but not the least, is the Fabia Roomster - the car that Skoda displayed at the Auto Expo.

2009 Honda Civic

The facelifted version of the Honda Civic is expected to hit global showrooms soon. But the people at '8th Civic' forum have got their hands on the Showroom Brochure which will go into printing before the launch of the car.

The Indian version too is expected to undergo the facelift in order to stay up-to-date with the new Accord and the upcoming City. However, the headlights will be more or less the same as the current model and wont resemble the ones seen in the brochure images. The tail light though is expected to be an exact replica of the 2009 model shown in the images below. The engine options wont change and the same 1.8-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre hybrid will run under the new body. The facelift is expected to hit Indian showrooms by Q1 2009.



SOURCE: 8th Civic

For more images and discussions, follow this LINK

2009 Audi A6

Audi has taken the wraps off the 2009 Audi A6 facelift, ahead of the Paris Motor Show. The new look A6 is expected to reach India by Q1 2009 at a price slightly higher than the current A6 that is sold in India.

For more images, CLICK HERE

For the complete Press Release, CLICK HERE

Honda launchs Civic Sport

Honda India recently launched the Civic Sport limited edition model to celebrate a sale of 3,00,000 cars in India. Ironically though, the car doesn't have any upgrades under the hood and what ever you get is pretty much cosmetic or from the safety point of view. No paddle shifts for this limited edition either :(

For a list of the add-ons, CLICK HERE

For the Press Release, CLICK HERE

2009 Chevrolet Cruze

As of all you might have already read in various magazines, the Cruze, which will replace the Optra/Lacetti in the global market is all set to launch in India too. But it will be sold alongside the Optra is what our sources say. Here's a brief shot of what the interiors will look like (sans the sat-nav ofcourse):

Honda introduces new Jazz

Honda Motor recently introduced the 2009 model of the Jazz. The Jazz took birth in 2001 and like most Honda cars, redefined the small car market with great design and practicality along with the trademark Honda reliability. Known as the 'Fit' in some markets, the car has been one of the highest number crunchers in the automobile market for Honda. The new car has grown bigger, following the footsteps of the new Accord, Civic and the upcoming City. The car is expected to come to India in 2009.

For the complete Press Release and Images, Click Here