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Fiat Viaggio spotted testing outside China for the first time

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

The Fiat Viaggio or Fei Xiang as it is called in China was spotted being tested undercover for the first time outside Chinese borders. The test mules were spotted in Naples, Italy by Quattroruote.it. Though Fiat has not made an official announcement, sources suggest that the Viaggio would be exported from China to selected European cities. Fiat is said to be secretly working on the same platform to churn out a 5-door hatch which would take the place of the Bravo by next year. The Viaggio is the first vehicle to be produced under the joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group. It will be manufactured at the GAC-Fiat plant in Changsha, Hunan province. A look at the technical specs of the Fiat Viaggio The Viaggio is one of the most important products from the Chrysler-Fiat joint venture. It is based on the CUSW (Compact Wide U.S.), which is the most advanced platform within the Fiat group. Measuring 4,679 mm in length, 1,850 mm in overall width and with a 2,708 mm wheelbase, the Fiat Viaggio is is comparable to a few D segment cars. It will be offered with a choice of two 1.4-liter T-Jet turbocharged petrol engines producing 120HP and 150HP, mated to either a 5-speed manual transmission or the latest Dual Dry Clutch Transmission (DDTC) developed by Fiat Powertrain. Fiat has announced that the first lot of the cars will be built by July and sell in China during the third quarter of the year. [Source - QuattroRuote.it ]

Tagged as: fiat, fiat viaggio, indian, indian-autos, octathorpe

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Hyundai adds ‘Sound’ to i10 in Italy

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

Hyundai has come out with an unique product offering in Italian market. Company has launched a special edition i10 there under ‘Hyundai i10 Sound Edition’ badge. The specially prepared i10s are aimed at young buyers. Naturally i10 Sound Edition is packed with goodies and gadgets to attract  youth. i10 Sound Edition has manual key with remote lock, climate control, ABS, CD Player, hands free system with bluetooth and navigation system as extra along with all standard features. Hyundai has paid special attention to the music department in i10 Sound Edition. There are six company fitted  speakers in this special edition i10. Volume control has been mounted on steering wheel and the music system can be connected to external devices including an iPod. Hyundai is offering an additional safety pack as well. This extra pack include many safety features include side and curtain airbags, electronic stability control system (ESP), rear disc brakes and active front head restraints. Hyundai i10 Sound Edition will continue with current engine line up. The 1.1ltr 69bhp engine is compatible with both petrol and LPG while the second engine is gasoline only engine. The 1.2ltr Kappa2 engine develops 85bhp power at peak. Both the engines are currently available in Indian market. The engines have the company of a five speed manual gear box. There is an option of an autobox as well. Back in India, i10 is Hyundai’s best seller. The car which crosses 10,000 mark on monthly basis consistently (the April-12 is an exception). Considering the demand for i10 in India, we don’t anticipate i10 Sound Edition’s debut in India. Anyways an interesting edition for those who wants something exclusive for their garage. Let us wait and see whether something similar in India as well. Stay tuned to Wheelosphere for more such exclusive updates. Hyundai adds ‘Sound’ to i10 in Italy is originally published on : Wheelosphere – Indian Car and Bike Blog

Tagged as: hyundai, hyundai-india

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Mahindra launches New Cool Thar

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

An upgraded A/C version of Mahindra Thar has been launched at a price of Rs.6.75 lakhs (Ex – Mumbai). The new Thar features a factory-fitted air-con system. Powered by a 2.5-litre CRDe engine, the Thar delivers 105bhp of peak power. It is available in both BSIV and BSIII DI engine variants. Mr.Vivek Nayer, Senior VP, ….Click here to read complete post

Tagged as: auto news

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Fiat 500 becomes the first car to be sold using Twitter

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

Twitter has been used for celebrity rants, assisting charitable organizations, updating sports scores, breaking news stories, and drawing the world closer. But have companies used it as a medium to sell goods? Fiat has! That’s right, Fiat used Twitter to carry out an auction for its Fiat 500 America Limited Edition. Note that this is not a car for America even if the name suggests so. It is a special edition vehicle launched in Europe. To participate in this initiative it is obvious that you have to be registered on Twitter and on “500America.fiat500.com”. Once the registration is complete, each user sends a tweet with the offer price abiding by the rules. During this TwitBid, which lasted from March 1 to March 15, 293 users from 11 different countries made more than 700 “twit-offers”. The whole initiative registered 787 tweets with the official hashtag #500America and 140 retweets. The number may sound less but remember this wasn’t a sale or a giveaway. Only those who were considering the 500 as their next car tweeted. The TwitBid came to an end with Fiat announcing “Adelheid D. Kieper” (@KanzleiKieper) as the winner. With an offer of 15,165 euros (approx 10.5 lakh INR) , she won the TwitBid and will be awarded with the first unit of the Fiat 500 America limited edition in Europe. About the Fiat 500 America Edition The styling and the concept inspiration is the United States of America. The car gets a blue metallic exterior paint job with the outside mirrors adorning USA’s national flag. Pinstripes on the body panels have been inspired by the national flag’s red and white colour scheme. Interiors have details which convey that the car is a limited edition model. To complete the look the car sits on multi-spoke 16” alloy rims. Power is provided by a 1.2L, 69HP engine which is Euro5 compliant. ABS and EBD with driver, passenger and side airbags are equipped to provide high levels of safety. I norder to make it extra special Fiat will provide a badge bearing the serial number ’1/500′ and the twitter nickname of the winner!

Tagged as: fiat 500, indian, indian-autos, indian-bike, octathorpe, scoops

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Fiat to launch sports variant of Punto

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

An all-new Sports variant of Punto will be launched tomorrow by Fiat in India. This new variant of Punto will be available in Black, White and Red colour shades. The engine options are the same 1.2-litre, 1.4-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre diesel engines. The design of the car looks better with some goodies. The new ….Click here to read complete post

Tagged as: auto news

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Suzuki launches Hayate at Rs.40,162

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

Suzuki has launched its new 110cc Hayate motorcycle in India at a starting price of Rs.40,162 (Ex-Pune). The five available shades of Hayate are white, black, grey, red and green. It is powered by a 112.8cc, four-stroke, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine. The engine is mated to a four-speed, all-down shifted gearbox. Hayate looks similar to Suzuki’s ….Click here to read complete post

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Video – Mercedes Benz Concept Style Coupe amazes

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

When we posted a video of the Mercedes stylist Gordon Wagener explaining the design of the Mercedes Concept Style Coupe, our readers were amazed by the car’s form and design features (the car’s avalanche-effect headlights to be precise) and longed for a closer look at the model. We then posted images from the car’s unveiling at the Beijing Auto Show and kept our eyes wide open for any new updates. Our reader Hari KM tipped us on the trailer of this concept car uploaded on to Mercedes’ official Youtube channel. Prepar to be amazed once again! A bonus fact is the production model will be 90% similar to the concept car and the price range is expected to be 20-25 lakh rupees when it graces showrooms next year. You already know that Mercedes India has shown interest in bringing this model to India.

Tagged as: indian, indian-autos, indian-bike, mercedes-benz, octathorpe, scoops

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Is this what the Porsche Macan would look like?

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

The Porsche Macan has captured our fancy since the day it was announced. Even though Porsche has not officially announced the markets that the Macan will be sold in, our gumption says that the Baby Cayenne is Porsche’s trump card in the race to be India’s most popular luxury SUV. Hence, we have been tracking the Macan since the day it was announced. Looking at the spyshots that entered the web recently, our friends at Ps-Garage have managed to provide us with near accurate renderings of the Macan. As one can see, there is a reason why it’s called a Baby Cayenne. A lot of styling cues are borrowed from the elder brother to keep the design in-line with the family of Porsche cars. The key difference between the two models are elements such as the LED lights and DRLs in the air intake vents. The rear is more curvy and slopes more than the Cayenne. It can certainly be an alternative to the BMW X6. We have comprehensively covered each and every aspect of the Macan over here . It remains to be seen how well engineers have made the Macan handle and whether the Macan finds the sweet spot with the target market just like its elder brother did. [Source: ps-garage.com ]

Tagged as: indian, indian-autos, octathorpe, renderings, scoops

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New Mercedes A Class uses Nissan Micra’s 1.5L K9K diesel engine

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

With the advent of the MINI brand in India, a whole realm of luxury hatchbacks have India on their minds. Mercedes India has plans to introduce the new A Class in India to rival BMW’s Mini. Thanks to AutoExpress, we are able to bring you the complete line of power mills that will propel the new A Class. The new A Class will be offered in both petrol and diesel options. Mercedes A-Class petrol lineup The A180 will come with a 1.6L engine with 120bhp and 200Nm of torque. Mercedes claims the A180 gives 18 kmpl and emits 128g/km. The same engine will be present in the high-performance version A200. It will generate 154bhp and 250Nm. The flagship A250 will have a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 208bhp and 350Nm. Considering it is a flagship model it will sprint from 0-100 km/hr in 6.6 seconds to a top speed of 240 kmph. This engine will be mated to an all-new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic box. It will offer 16 kmpl. Mercedes A-Class diesel lineup The diesel charge will start with a Renault-derived 1.5-litre diesel in the A180 CDI. It will generate 108bhp and 260Nm of torque while churning out 26km/l and 98g/km of CO2 – the lowest of any Mercedes A200 CDI will use a 1.8-litre that generates 134bhp and 300Nm of torque and gives 23kmpl The top-of-the-line will be the A220 CDI, featuring a 168bhp 2.1-litre with 350Nm of torque. It can do the 0-100 run in 7.8 seconds. Mercedes wants to target the young audience with the all new A Class. In India, the A Class will compete against uber luxury hatchbacks such as Fiat 500, Mini and Beetle. Mercedes plans to have as many as four compact cars in India in the next 3-4 years. [Source: autoexpress.co.uk ]

Tagged as: indian, indian-autos, indian-bike, mercedes a-class, mercedes-benz, octathorpe, scoops

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Sources – Hyundai Elantra readies for festival season splash

by Paul Joseph May 17, 2012 Featured

Sources recently told IndianAutosBlog.com that assembly of the Hyundai Elantra (Avante in some markets) begins at the Chennai plant during late August or September. Hyundai is expected to stock showrooms with the Elantra just before the festival season. The company is hoping to repeat the success of the Verna in the segment immediately above it. Hyundai showcased the Elantra at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo and stated in the press release issued at the event that 1.8 VTVT and 1.6 CRDI are the engines available globally. The company has been testing out mules all around the country. Testing began late last year and one of our readers had snapped an early test mule in Delhi. We hear Hyundai will do a 100% CKD operation meaning there won’t be a morsel of localization on the Elantra. Hyundai may look to the high-power version of the 1.6-liter CRDI carrying out duties for the Verna, for the Elantra’s powertrain. A petrol engine option, even if it incorporates advanced technology like direct injection, may not find a huge number of customers in India. The Elantra is a great upgrade for Verna customers as well as Civic fans turned off by the lack of a diesel option. Hyundai is not expected to change the appearances of the car like it has done for the Chinese market. The car shown at the Delhi Auto Expo more or less will be the showroom model. We’ll continue to bring more details on the Elantra, so stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com.

Tagged as: hyundai, hyundai elantra, indian, indian-autos, indian-bike, octathorpe, scoops

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