Auto sales at new all time highs

Ahead of the festive season, the country's leading auto manufacturers have posted upbeat numbers in August. Maruti Suzuki and TVS motors have posted highest monthly sales in the month and while Bajaj Auto will announce its numbers tomorrow, sources say that the company too will post record numbers.

August saw a flurry of new launches and a good monsoon added a fillip.

Maruti Suzuki posted total of 1.05 lakh unit sales, the highest ever monthly sales from its stable. This is a growth of 24% from the same month last year and a marginal increase since last month.

TVS Motors also posted a highest ever monthly sales figure with a total of 1.67 lakh two-wheeler versus 1.27 lakh last year.

Bajaj Auto is likely to announce its numbers tomorrow but sources say that the company is likely to post bike sales of 2.9 lakh units in August, again, the highest ever monthly sales. The sale of Pulsar is learnt to be at 83000 units for August while Discover sales are at 1.27 lakh units.

Three-wheeler sales are learnt to be at 40000 units pushing the company's total monthly sale units to over 3 lakh.

2012 Merc B-Class New Spy Photos Emerge

New spy pictures of the 2012 Mercedes B-Class have emerged. The prototype has a strong resemblance to the BlueZero concept which debuted at the North American International Auto Show last year.

The 2012 Mercedes B-Class will be coming with a longer wheelbase, a Mercedes-Benz GLK-like grille, a panoramic glass sunroof and a tailgate-mounted spoiler. We also get a peek of the interior from one of the photos. But, unfortunately, we only get to see the rear seatbacks and the front armrest.

The new 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class will be sportiest yet as a high-performance AMG variant was confirmed by the tuning arm’s outgoing boss Volker Mornhinweg late last month. AMG currently offers V-8 engines, but for the B-Class a new specially tuned four-cylinder engine will be developed.

The current Mercedes-Benz B-Class has enjoyed reasonable success in most of the markets. But the next-generation model due in 2011 is expected to sell in even higher volumes.

Marry A Mercedes-Benz to Apple and You Get an iCar!

Way back in 2007, there were reports that Apple and Mercedes Benz had signed a deal whereby Apple was to design an in-car maintenance, communication and navigation system for inclusion in Mercedes Benz vehicles. It’s all coming true. The iCar is what you get when you combine a Mercedes-Benz S Class car and the latest Apple devices.

The car has 750 horsepower and almost 1000-lb/feet of torque. It has a top speed of 211mph, and sprints from 0-60mph in just under four seconds.

The gadgets include a MacMini which is installed in an electrically operated tray located in the trunk. It feeds to a foldable LCD display in the ceiling.

Dual iPads can be used with Apple keyboards. The feature lets you control the climate; operate the command system and many more. A multi sound system is also available. The entire installation connects to the Internet with a 3G connection.

The car without the Apple power costs over $500.000. That could mean that the actual price for the full version would be much more. But you can enjoy the photos for free here.

Heico Sportiv adds aggression to new Volvo S60 [w/video]

Heico Sportiv reworks the 2011 Volvo S60 – Click above for high-res image gallery

We got a glimpse of it not long ago in renderings, now Heico Sportiv has taken its retuned 2011 Volvo S60 to the track and brought us some souvenirs of the day. Changes are restrained yet aggressive outside, with added front lip components and a rear diffuser that wraps around four tailpipes, in addition to a set of attractive gunmetal Volution wheels.

Under the hood is where the real oomph resides, with power outputs hitting the 297 horsepower and 258 pound-feet in the 2.0T, and 330 hp and 339 lb-ft. in the T6. In the T6 model, that will get you from naught to 62 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds. Follow the jump for all the details and to see it in motion, and have a look at the gallery of high-res photos below.

HEICO SPORTIV - The all new Volvo S60. from heicofilm on Vimeo.

Video: BMW releases second 1 Series M Coupe teaser

by Damon Lavrinc (RSS feed) on Aug 27th 2010 at 7:57PM

BMW 1 Series M Coupe – Click above to view the video after the jump

The achingly slow striptease of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe continues with a 47-second-long spot of the camo-clad coupe bearing just enough sheetmetal to keep us interested.

The multi-spoke wheels, drilled discs and quad-exhausts are the only elements not left to the imagination, but the extra vinyl aft of the front wheels is sure to hiding a set of M-style fender vents while a ducktail spoiler is fitted out back.

As for mechanicals, the smart money is still on an upgraded twin-turbocharged inline-six (N54), channeling over 335 horsepower through a manual gearbox and down to the rear wheels via a torque-vectoring M differential.

We're hearing rumblings that the Coupe could be unveiled at next week's Oktoberfest BMWCCA event in Wisconsin, but in the meantime, check out the latest teaser after the jump and scope the first vid in our previous post. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Hyundai to raise prices from September, Toyota in October

NEW DELHI: Come September, South Korean auto maker Hyundai will increase car prices in India by around 1.2% due to rising input costs, said a senior company official. While the price of its popular small cars—Santro and i10—would go up Rs 3,500 for the entry-level variants, Sonata would become dearer by Rs 10,000.

“We have tried to absorb as much of the cost as we can, but there has been consistent increase in the commodity prices that forced us to pass some of it to the customers," Hyundai Motor India's director (Marketing & Sales), Arvind Saxena, said.

Hyundai price hike comes after Maruti raised prices by around 1.5% from August 1. It had hiked the price of all its models by up to Rs 7,500, except its entry-level product Alto. Auto makers had been grappling with rising commodity prices like steel and rubber, which had been firming up in the domestic market.

Japanese carmaker Toyota Kirloskar Motors also announced price revision of its products across categories from October this year. The company currently sells premium sedan 'Corolla Altis', SUV 'Fortuner' and utility vehicle 'Innova' in India, which are manufactured at its facility in Bangalore. It also imports luxury sedan 'Camry' and premium SUV 'Prado'.

“Input cost pressure is very high and the fluctuation in Yen is also affecting us. We will review the prices of our products in October," Toyota Kirloskar Motors deputy MD (marketing) Sandeep Singh said. He, however, declined to say by how much more the cars will cost after the proposed hike. Other carmakers have not ruled out price hike though no specific announcements were made.

Honda CR-Z Achieves Top Euro NCAP Overall Safety Rating

August 25, 2010 -- The Honda CR-Z has been rated one of Europe's safest cars, following on from the success of the Honda Insight, according to the new independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.

Euro NCAP's rating scheme focuses on the vehicle's overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection in frontal, side, pole and rear impacts, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids. The Honda CR-Z has been awarded the maximum 5-star rating.

The new rating scheme, introduced in February 2009, uses a weighted score, combining many aspects of a car's safety performance: adult (50%), child (20%) and pedestrian (20%) protection assessment results with the availability of safety assistance devices (10%). To qualify for inclusion, safety assistance devices (VSA for Honda) must be fitted as standard across 90% of the EU 27 2010 model range.

The CR-Z is the most recent in a string of Honda cars to receive top marks. Since the introduction of the new rating scheme Euro NCAP have tested 4 other Honda models; Civic, Accord, Jazz and most recently, Insight. All 5 models achieved 5 stars, with the Honda Insight also being named "safest hybrid vehicle" as well as the 2nd safest vehicle tested in 2009.

Euro NCAP's new assessment reflects Honda's commitment to overall vehicle safety, complimenting Honda's long standing in-house safety testing which seeks to improve real world safety. Honda�fs car-to-car crash test facility at the Tochigi R&D center analyzes impacts between models of different sizes and weights and develops solutions to mitigate injuries for both for passengers and pedestrians. The omni-directional vehicle-to-vehicle crash test facility opened in 2001 and is the world's first indoor all-weather facility of its type.

[Safety in the Honda CR-Z]

Vehicle Stability Assist:

Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) is designed to assist the driver in maintaining control during cornering, acceleration and sudden manoeuvres by applying braking assistance to any of the wheels as necessary and modulating the engine torque output as required.

Braking:

14" ventilated front and solid rear disc brakes ensure road stability, which is further enhanced by the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE):

Developed in the car-to-car crash testing facility at Tochigi, the Advanced Compatibility Engineering(TM)(ACE[TM]) body structure is now a well-established strength of Honda's safety credentials.

The ACE(TM) body structure is a Honda exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. The ACE design utilizes a network of connected structural elements to distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front of the vehicle. This enhanced frontal crash energy management helps to reduce the forces transferred to the passenger compartment and can help to more evenly disperse the forces transferred to other vehicles in a crash.

Pedestrian Protection:

The CR-Z also incorporates many features designed with pedestrian-protection in mind. Research has shown that these features can dramatically improve a pedestrian's chance of survival if struck by a moving vehicle. Features include windscreen wiper pivots designed to break away on impact, energy absorbing front wing mounts and bonnet hinges, as well as an unobstructed area beneath the bonnet allowing greater space for deformation.

Airbags and Seatbelts:

On all models the driver and passenger Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) front and side airbags are complemented by full length curtain airbags to protect all occupants. There are three-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) seatbelts in all seating positions, the front seatbelts also have 2 stage Energy Absorption (EA) load limiting pretensioners. Additionally in the rear ISOFIX points ensure secure and correct installation mounting of child seats.

Active headrests:

The CR-Z is equipped with front seat active headrests which reduce the likelihood of neck injury in rear impacts. As the occupant is pushed against the seat back, a rigid plate in the seat presses a link to the headrest pushing it up and forward to support the head.

Honda Civic Hybrid battery update brings fuel-economy complaints

Honda has issued an update for 2006-2008 Honda Civic Hybrids to address premature failures of the expensive hybrid battery system in its cars. Owners are being notified to return their vehicles to the dealer for updated software that applies the battery-management logic of the later model 2009 and 2010 Civic Hybrids.

A common complaint in user forums, however, is that some drivers have seen worse fuel economy since the update; some say up to 10 less mpg.

Honda says that the cars’ EPA ratings of 40/45 mpg (city/highway) do not change, and that fuel-economy-conscious Civic Hybrid drivers have probably learned to maximize mileage and may now need to learn new driving strategies to maximize mileage under the new system. The software change did not require the company to recertify the cars to record new mileage ratings.

In our testing, the Civic Hybrid got an excellent 37 mpg overall. Dropping to 27 mpg represents an additional 10 gallons a month for the average driver, or an annual cost of $336 (at $2.80 per gallon).

Our reliability data shows Civic Hybrids and other hybrids to be very reliable overall.

Our reliability data on first-generation Honda Insights, shows a higher than average number of electrical problems, some of which are related to the battery.

France: Honda Jazz Hybrid to debut at Paris show

The hybrid version of Honda’s Jazz model will make its global debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show in September. The company notes that this new variant will mark the first time a parallel hybrid vehicle has been available in the B-segment. Sales in Europe will begin in early 2011; prices and full specifications will be announced closer to launch.

The new Jazz can operate in all-electric mode in medium- and low-speed conditions and shares an IMA hybrid motor and control system with the Insight and CR-Z hybrids. It also features the Insight hybrid’s 1.3-litre i-VTEC engine mated to a CVT gearbox with an electric motor positioned between the two to create a parallel hybrid system. Although Honda has not released fuel consumption figures, it says that the Jazz hybrid has a comparable fuel economy and CO2 emission levels to the Insight.

The hybrid version offers a few new features differentiating it from the current Jazz range, such as revised headlights, clear rear lights, new front grille, restyled bumpers and a chrome tailgate garnish. It also offers leather trim – a first for the Jazz model in Europe.

Toyota Prius to be fitted with sound to warn pedestrians that electric car is approaching

Its drivers like to feel they are doing good for the planet when they get behind the wheel.

But Toyota Prius drivers may be a danger to humanity - as pedestrians are unable to hear the vehicles at low speed.

Now they are to be fitted with noise-making devices to to warn pedestrians they are approachin.

Demi Moore spotted in her black Toyota Prius. Many celebrities own one of the cars because of their green credentials

Toyota is to begin selling the sound generator for installation in its best-selling Prius car - which runs in near silence on electric power at low speeds.

The artificial sound will issue from a speaker mounted under the bonnet, and rise and fall in pitch depending on the speed of the car.

A spokesman for the Japanese carmaker compared it to the noise made by the space-age vehicles in The Jetsons - the cartoon series about a age family living in the year 2062.

Hybrid cars such as the Prius operate on electric power at low speeds. At higher speeds, their petrol engine takes over and they sound like a conventional car.

But campaigners have voiced concern that the vehicles could prove a hazard for the blind and partially sighted - and have campaigned for Toyota to introduce the mechanism.

A US study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year found hybrids were twice as likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash than conventional cars when reversing and parking.

Hybrid cars such as the Prius, which sell for between £17,000 and £27,000 in Britain, have found favoured with Hollywood A-list celebrities keen to display their green credentials such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz.

Toyota said it would initially sell its ‘on-board approaching vehicle audible system’ in Japan, where it is the country’s best-selling car.

But the company said it will also consider selling it elsewhere.

It will go on sale from August 30 at a price of 12,600 yen - around £97 - excluding tax and installation.

A Toyota spokesman in the UK said of the device: ‘It’s a humming sound, a bit like the space-age cars in the Jetsons.’

In Britain, the Department for Transport said it is studying whether electric vehicles require noise-makers to make the safer, and the EU as a whole is also looking at whether to introduce regulations making them mandatory.

Toyota’s rival Nissan, has launched a rival hybrid car, the Leaf, already on sale in the US and Japan, and to be sold in Europe early next year.

Nissan said its cars will emit a ‘turbine sound’, sounding like an aeroplane taking off, from a speaker behind the left headlamp.

Nissan’s device, which will be fitted as standard, will operate only when the car is driving at speeds of up to 19mph. after which electric and hybrid cars make enough noise - mainly from their tyres and wind resistance, to be clearly heard.

The Prius is the world’s top-selling hybrid model by far. Toyota sold 269,812 units of the car in the first half of this year

Audi to Sell A1 Compact Car Outside Europe, Boost Production

Volkswagen AG’s A1, seen here, will be sold outside Europe in 2011 according to Audi sales chief Peter Schwarzenbauer. Photographer: Jochen Eckel/Bloomberg

Volkswagen AG’s Audi luxury brand will start selling the new A1 compact outside Europe next year and increase production to meet higher demand, Audi sales chief Peter Schwarzenbauer said in an interview.

Audi decided to expand A1 sales after a website the automaker set up for the car attracted more than 150,000 interested customers worldwide, Schwarzenbauer said. The model, which will compete with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s 1 Series and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz A-Class, will start at 15,800 euros ($20,100) and enters showrooms Aug. 27 in Europe.

“We will expand our production capacities by 20 percent” for the A1, Schwarzenbauer said yesterday in Munich. Audi initially pledged to produce about 100,000 A1s annually at its Brussels factory.

The A1, originally built to sell only in Europe, will be expanded to markets globally in 2011, with the exception of China and the U.S., he said. Audi, which is targeting record sales of more than 1.08 million cars and sport-utility vehicles this year, has a goal of dethroning BMW as the world’s largest maker of luxury cars by 2015.

“It makes good sense for Audi to focus on European core markets first before expanding the A1’s reach abroad, depending on demand for the vehicle,” said Tim Schuldt, a Frankfurt-based analyst at Equinet AG who recommends buying VW stock.

Young Professionals

Audi is targeting young professionals with what will be its cheapest and smallest car and expects 80 percent of purchasers to be first-time customers for the Ingolstadt, Germany-based carmaker, Schwarzenbauer said. Audi is targeting these buyers with the intention of trying to get them to trade up to a more expensive model in the future, he said.

The A1 will be introduced in China at some point after 2011, Schwarzenbauer said. The car will go on sale in the U.S. “at the earliest” with the model’s second generation, he said.

The VW division is able to introduce the A1 “at short notice” in China, he said, adding that a decision on the timing of such a move hasn’t been made yet. Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have boosted sales this year because of surging demand in China, the world’s largest car market, and a rebound in the U.S.

“Many of the Asian markets are now showing a trend towards smaller vehicles,” the executive said. “For that reason, it’s right to sell the A1 also in those regions.”

Chinese Sales

Audi’s seven-month Chinese sales surged 53 percent to 20,537 vehicles, spurred by the extended-body A6 and A4 models and the Q5 sport-utility vehicle. Targeting China for future A1 sales underscores Audi’s commitment to maintain its sales lead in the market ahead of BMW and Mercedes, said Juergen Pieper, an analyst at Bankhaus Metzler in Frankfurt.

“Audi will roll out its latest models to Chinese buyers, and this shows the degree of appreciation for the market which is key to Audi’s global growth goals,” said Pieper, who recommends selling VW stock. “The U.S. will be a different story. The A1 is small and expensive, that’s not going to work over there.”

Audi will expand the lineup of A1 model variants after introducing the current version, Schwarzenbauer said, declining to provide more details. Audi will produce about 50,000 A1s this year, he said.

“The uptrend has continued in August and we will again post a super sales month,” Schwarzenbauer said. “It looks as if the good development in first-half deliveries will continue.”