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.

Scoop! Hyundai i40 for India

What you can see here are pictures of the new mid-size sedan from Hyundai which will go on sale early next year. This model is set to replace the current Sonata line-up, with an aggressive design which is now defining all the latest Hyundai's. And you guessed it right, the 'Sonata' badge might be dropped as well, to follow the Korean carmaker's new 'i' naming conventions.
This sedan will most likely be conferred with the 'i40' tag when it takes on the mid-size luxury sedan segment. The car will grace Hyundai's exhibit at the upcoming Auto Expo and is expected to go on sale in India by Q2 2010 at a price bracket ranging from Rs. 14-lakh to Rs. 19-lakh for the petrol and diesel variants. We speculate the India model to be powered by the same range of Theta-2 engines that do duty under the current model. As the photos show, the interiors will sport an upmarket feel as compared to the current model, and Hyundai are to be believed, will also sport high quality materials similar to the ones we have already witnessed in the i10/i20. At the price bracket mentioned above, we feel this car will be one helluva value offering and has the fire-power to break the jinx that has been plaguing the India Sonata all this while!

Stay tuned for more news and scoops...

Infiniti M

This is Infiniti's answer to the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-Class. Infiniti is Nissan's answer to the German luxury sedans, just like Toyota has Lexus. The M will be launched with a 3.7 litre V6, which will send power exclusively to the rear-wheels. More importantly though, the M will get a 3.0-litre V6 diesel and a hybrid version by end of 2010.

Traditionally, these Japanese rivals have never been able to make a dent on the Germans except for the American market. However with such competent products their popularity is surely on the rise.
Is it coming to India? No, at least not anytime soon. Nissan itself hasn't established itself in India yet and it will take at least a couple of years more till they get the Infinity brand to India.

Bentley Mulsanne

What you see in the pics is the new Bentley Mulsanne that was unveiled at the Concours in Pebble Beach, California. The Mulsanne tag was earlier worn by the predecessor of the Arnage, which will be replaced by the new Mulsanne in 2010. The 'Mulsanne' name is derived from the 'Mulsanne Straight', the fastest straight at Le Mans, where Bentley has recorded five historic victories. The Arnage been around, largely unchanged, since 1998 and was getting a bit long in the tooth.

The new Mulsanne is a clean sheet design, developed on Bentley's new platform specifically developed for this car. It looks like a modern Bentley, as contemporary as the Continental albeit with design cues from the Arnage. The Mulsanne will be built with exquisite detailing with each car taking 400 hours to build of which 200 will be consumed by hand-building tasks.
Power comes from a 6.75 litre V8 with over 500 bhp capable of hurtling the car to 300Kph.
Bentley is planning to sell around 700 Mulsannes a year, priced at around £200,000 (1.6 Crores exclusive of taxes).

Venom GT to be faster than the Bugatti Veyron?

The debut supercar from any low-volume ultra-exclusive supercar maker (read Ascari, Koenigsegg, Pagani) is preceded by claims to beat the best 0-100 acceleration and top-speed figures. Following the trend, American tuning firm Hennessey, better known for tinkering with Cadillacs, Corvettes and Dodges is now planning a supercar, to be introduced at the next Geneva Motor Show.

The mid-engined two-seater, christened the Venom GT will be powered by a V8 dishing out a claimed 1,200bhp. Hennessey claim that the new car with so much power and a kerb-weight of less than 1100 Kg will take no more than 2.4 seconds to hit the 100kph mark from a standstill and should be good for a top speed of 272mph.

Those figures could easily shame a Veyron, but as you would assume, its easier said than done. Hennessey have made some real tall claims, let's see whether they manage to live up to them.

Ferrari 458 Italia Ringtones

There is hardly any petrolhead who is not fascinated by the sound of a roaring V8 with the Ferrari emblem on it! For all such enthusiasts, here are a few sounds clips of the new Italian steed, the F458 Italia. Available in MP3 and iPhone formats:

1. Off The Mark:


2. Acceleration:


3. Overtaking Maneuver:


4. On The Track:


5. On Board:

New Indica Vista Ignis variant with 1.4 petrol engine

Expected Launch: September 2009
Expected Price: 4.5 to 5.5 lakhs (On-Road)
The Indica Vista hasn't done as well as expected in the market thanks largely to customers not having faith in the Tata brand. So Tata has decided to give the Vista a new lease of life by plonking in Fiat's 1.4 litre petrol power-plant from the Grande Punto. The Vista currently comes with a 1.2 litre engine variant which is a tad underpowered for the car. It was introduced just to keep the car inside government's skewed excise cut parameters for cars with petrol engines smaller than 1.2 litres. The Ignis will be the only Indica variant which wont be eligible for the excise cut driving up its price.

The 1.4 litre engine is good for 90 bhp and 115 Nm of toque. Expect the price to slightly undercut the Swift petrol by 10-20,000 rupees. At that price the Vista will be a sensible alternative to the Swift thanks to better (much better) space and practicality, drivability and value. The engine being a Fiat unit, it will also be as reliable. The top-of the range Aura variant is loaded to gill with a 2-DIN stereo with bluetooth connectivity, steering mounted controls, electronically adjustable mirrors, chunky 175 section 14 inch tyres and last but not the least ABS and 2 airbags.

New Lancer on its way!

A few days back we told you about HM's plans to launch the Mitsubishi Lancer Ev0-X in India, early next year. But if you are already disappointed by the speculated Rs.40-lakh price tag, then Hindustan Motors might put the smile back on your face!

Come Auto Expo 2010 and you may see HM-Mitsubishi's new Lancer gracing its exhibit. Designed to reflect the familial connection with the Evo-X, this model, if launched in India will replace the existing Lancer Cedia line-up. Doing duty under the new hood will be the 1.8-litre MIVEC petrol engine. There would be a frugal 2.0-litre diesel powerplant too.

This model is loaded with all the latest safety and dirver aids along with the fun quotient that one can associate with a 'Mitsubishi Lancer', albiet with less than half the horses.