TOYOTA ETIOS

The new concept car, which came at Auto Expo as fully production form, will be manufactured from late 2010 at its second facility which is under construction. The company has promised to provide world class technology and quality with the Toyota Etios. The design concept for the car is Bold Simplicity which is refer to affordable luxury and functionality in one machine. The car will have to compete with the likes of Maruti Swift, Skoda Fabia, Hyundai i20 and Fiat Punto. The company will produce around 70K units of the car per year.

Toyota Etios sedan model is equipped with 1.5L petrol mill. The 1.5 L petrol mill might generates over 100 bhp of peak power. On the other hand, hatchback model of Toyota Etios is supposed to fit with 1.2 litre petrol mill. Top power from this engine would be around 80 bhp. Both engines are refined and tuned for better power, fuel economy and performance even without VVTi technology. Though the Toyota Etios might give a 12 kmpl mileage in city and 16 kmpl on highway.

Toyota Etios hatchback is to fall in the category of Maruti Swift, Fiat Punto, Skoda Fabia and Hyundai i20. So the birds eye view of the car suggests it to be same as these car's appearance. Though the front face of the vehicle is sharp and compact. The upper grille, lower grille and headlamps collectively make a shape of a face of human being that seems smiling with dimples (headlamps) at both end of lips (upper grille). The upper grille in chrome finish while the lower grille come in black stuff. Pearl white fog lamps are placed at both end of the lower grille. Shining rain wipers are provided at front and rear face. Standard rear side view mirrors are in body colour along with door handles, rear cowl and bumper. The same treatment can be noted in the sedan variant of the Toyota Etios except rear box. Six-spoke alloy wheels are very much same in looking but different in specification as the sedan's wheel is bigger than hatchback in terms of size and wheelbase.

Toyota designers tried hard to give stunning looks to the interiors of Toyota Etios and as a result a creative kind of output is there. However, they fail to provide it eye-catching and eye-soothing appearance. Dashboard is a conventional type that houses instrument panel in the centre which can be easily read out by rear passenger. AC vents are at both end of the dashboard. There is enough storage space at dashboard facing front passenger. A touch-screen audio-system is installed at the middle of the console along with operating switches. Additional steering mounted audio controls are there provided for convenience of driver.

Toyota Etios will priced around 4-5 lakhs and will be launched at the end of the year in India.Now there will be a real competition in the Indian market.

SUZUKI SX4

India's largest passenger car manufacturer launched the new variant of its popular sedan model Maruti SX4 in India which meets latest BS IV emission norms. The newer version of Maruti SX4 is packed with newer generation BS IV compliant petrol engine. Maruti has also launched two variants of Maruti SX4 which is packed with the automatic transmission gearboxes. The newly launched variants of Maruti SX4 are much more stylish than its earlier variants and feature honey-comb front grille that makes its front appearance more aggressive.

Some other newly added features that make Maruti SX4 more luxurious and stylish are its dual tone beige dash board, 10-spoke stylish light weight alloy wheels, and wooden finish panels. The exterior of this car is almost the same as its older version but the interiors of Maruti SX4 have been revamped with exciting new features. All variants of Maruti SX4 are priced in the range of Rs 6.68 lacs to Rs 8.35 lacs (as ex-showroom prices in New Delhi).Available in 16V DOHC VVT engine, Maruti SX4 is extremely powerful in delivering higher power out-put of 104.68 Ps and a top torque of 145Nm with a displacement of 1586cc.

BMW X1

BMW X1 is reported to be available with five variants and all its variants will be powered by diesel engine. All five variants of BMW X1 will be loaded with the same capacity diesel engines that produce different level of power and torque at different rev. Two variants of BMW X1 will be equipped with the 1995cc, 4-Cylinder, 16-Valve, twin turbocharged diesel engine that produces 143 hp of maximum power at 4000rpm with 320Nm of maximum torque at 1750~2500rpm. Another two variants of BMW X1 will be equipped with the same capacity engine but it can produce 177 hp of maximum power at 4000rpm with 350Nm of maximum torque at 1750~3000rpm. The top end variant of BMW X1 is also equipped with the same capacity engine but it delivers higher level of power and torque in comparison to the previous version. It can produce 204 hp of maximum power at 4400rpm with 400Nm of maximum torque at 2000~2250rpm. As we see, it delivers more power and torque in comparison to previous variants of BMW X1, thus the engine performance and torque of the these two variants are also better. The top end variant of BMW X1 is mated with six speed automatic transmission gearbox while rest of the siblings have six speed manual transmission.

The BMW X1 is designed to give more storage space to the passengers; the storage space is available in the form of centre console, dashboard and front interior door panels, luggage compartment - illuminated with four lashing eyes in boot floor and additional storage on each side and under floor, Cup holder in centre console. It is expected that the compact SUV will be available with more or less same features in India although, the company may trim some features to keep the cost low for the country.

After the partial success of BMW Z4 roadster, luxury car manufacturer BMW plans to launch its cost efficient and much stylish SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) model BMW X1 in the Indian auto market. BMW is planning to launch BMW X1 with comparatively lower price tag to capture more market share and to make its position stronger in luxury car market.BMW X1  is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 25 to 30 lacs. The company unveiled this stylish SUV at Delhi Auto Expo and hopes to launch it in the Indian auto market in the second quarter of 2010. It is expected that the BMW X1 will be launched with five variants and it will be available with six speed manual gearbox or six speed automatic gearbox. All five variants of the car will be equipped with the diesel powered engine.

FORD MONDEO

The all fresh Ford Mondeo will be packed with powerful 1999cc, 2 litre 16 V Duratec engine in petrol with refined sequential Electronic Fuel Injection System that has the competency to offer a spectacular performance on any road condition, it has the calibre to generate the utmost power & torque of 142.7 PS at 6000rpm & 185Nm at 4500rpm respectively. Ford Mondeo is expected to offer a agreeable mileage of approx 8 kmpl on an average while on highway it may mark up-to 11.6kmpl which is pretty good as the competitors are concerned. Date of launching is by December 2010, and estimated price of the Ford Mondeo will be approx 15 lacs.

This time the all new Ford Mondeo is much safer than its ex-version because of diverse range of attributes added to it like side and dual stage front airbags which can be used at the time of sudden crash, anti lock braking system which prevents from slippery road, computer screen is given to watch fuel and rear outside look by which a rider can keep his attention and ignore accidents. So here the all new Ford Mondeo is back with all upgraded attributes that can satisfy a buyer who is planning to have any luxury car in near future.

SUZUKI KIZASHI

Built at Suzuki's brand-new manufacturing facility in Sagara, Japan, the 2010 Kizashi is equipped with a standard 2.4-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine offering a more potent standard engine than many competitive best-sellers. The engine employs both an aluminum block and cylinder heads, providing a lightweight installation; aluminum pistons with low tensile force rings deliver improved power and efficiency. Dropped-forged connecting rods, rotating on a forged steel crankshaft, contribute to the inline four's durability, and a balancer shaft delivers improved engine balance and reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

Tailored for the driving enthusiast, Kizashi's bold and aggressive stance is complemented by available 18-inch alloy wheels; contemporary styling--with its lean proportion and minimal front overhang--injects the sophistication appropriate to a performance-oriented sport sedan.

Suzuki Kizashi will be launched in india in the mid november and will be priced around 10-12 lakhs.This time suzuki did a great job with this car! From the design statistics I think it will do very well against the competition. It's sized just below most mid-sized sedans but larger than most small sedans. With the type of engineering that went into the suspention and driving characteristics of this car they will give more expensive cars a real run for their money.