Autoblog

Renault appoints Dacia Logan creator to head its Nano-rival program in India

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:57:00 EST

After watching the Tata Nano post sales numbers smaller than its engine displacement, Renault gave up on its much publicized intention to build a truly inexpensive car to rival it. Then, a month ago, reports emerged that Renault was resuming work on a couple of low-priced cars for emerging markets, but this time it would work with its in-house partner, Nissan. That plan envisions an offering for €3,000 ($3,888 US) and another for €5,000 ($6,400 US), both of which would be more spendy than the Nano but might avoid the charge of being cheap - and nasty - and instead be considered affordable.

A report in Reuters talks to the man in charge, Gerard Detourbet, who has been in Chennai, India since at least August working on the program. Detourbet led the Dacia Logan project and is considered "Renault's low-cost car specialist" and "the father of entry-car programs." This one is reportedly codenamed A-Entry and will create a "'sub-entry' architecture" that will provide roominess beyond the vehicle's price and class, and use an engine with a displacement of 800 cubic centimeters.

It isn't aimed at the Nano, though - it means to take on the products that make up 45-50 percent of India's car market, like the Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai Eon. According to Reuters, out of the 2.6-million-strong Indian car market the Maruti Suzuki line-up alone nabs one million registrations annually. The Alto 800 begins at 244,000 rupees ($4,440 US), the Eon at 300,000 rupees ($5,559 US), the Chevrolet Spark at about 316,000 ($5,750 US); if Renault can nail its price targets it will just about bracket those three and be right in the game.

Renault wants to get this car right and then ship it to other markets. Detourbet's wider mission is encapsulated in his assessment that "Once you've done battle with the world's best cheap car manufacturer, you can go into another country where there isn't a Maruti Suzuki and be relatively comfortable." Reports have said that we'll see it for the first time at the 2014 New Delhi Auto Expo. Meanwhile, Tata has gone back to the idea well, and the bank, to work on restoring the good fortunes it hasn't had with passenger cars in India in a long while.

Renault appoints Dacia Logan creator to head its Nano-rival program in India originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Dec 2012 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suzuki reopens India plant post-riot with police outnumbering workers

George Kennedy — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Suzuki, India

Suzuki's plant in Manesar, India builds cars for Australia, specifically its Alto small car. Or at least they were building cars before violent worker riots forced the factory to close. The plant has been idled for five weeks as a result of worker violence that led to the death of one manager and 95 injuries. The riot was spurred over a labor dispute - specifically, a gulf in salaries between temporary workers and their salaried counterparts who earn triple the contract workers' wages.

According to reports, on Tuesday, the factory re-opened with more than 1,200 police officers stationed around the plant. The staff of actual workers at the plant numbers just 75 currently, meaning the police force greatly outnumbers Suzuki employees.

The number of employees will eventually grow to 300, and the officers will run in shifts of 100 at a time, but the initial disparity of workers to police is meant as a show of force to the more than 500 permanent and 500 temporary workers who were found to be involved in a July 18 riot.

As a result off the shutdown, Suzuki lost more then $250 million in potential output. News of the plant's reopening boosted Maruti Suzuki (the Japanese automaker's Indian branch) stock 1.7 percent. Up to this point, the stock had dropped four percent since the riot.

Reports indicate that Maruti Suzuki has fired all workers - permanent and temporary - that it has found to be connected with the riots. The company has also developed its own security force of 100, with another 40 guards specifically hired to protect managers and supervisors.

The plant is currently putting out 150 cars a day - nowhere near the 1,500 to 1,800 capacity, but according to Suzuki officials, output is scheduled to grow slowly.

Suzuki reopens India plant post-riot with police outnumbering workers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maruti Suzuki stretches Swift into new Ertiga

Noah Joseph — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Minivan/Van, Suzuki, India

With over a billion people, the Indian market holds huge potential for any automaker. In fact, Suzuki makes a dedicated range of vehicles on the subcontinent specifically for the local market under the Maruti banner, and this is their latest.

Dubbed Ertiga, it's essentially a lengthened Swift hatchback "Life Utility Vehicle," or what would conventionally be called an MPV (Multiple Passenger Vehicle).

Call it what you will, Maruti Suzuki has managed to fit three rows of seating into the stretched Swift for seven-passenger accommodation. Launching locally in India prior to export to neighboring markets like Indonesia in the aim to take market share away from the Toyota Avanza and Mahindra Xylo, the Ertiga takes advantage of huge economies of scale by sharing basic components with the Swift and the Dzire sedan which Maruti builds on the same platform.

Buyers in India will be able to choose between three trim levels, two engines (gas or diesel) and seven colors, but they'll have to justify spending six or seven times the price of a Tata Nano to do so - but then again, that's true of most cars. Take a closer look in our gallery above and scroll down for the official press release with more information.

Continue reading Maruti Suzuki stretches Swift into new Ertiga

Maruti Suzuki stretches Swift into new Ertiga originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan may have world's shortest trunk

Noah Joseph — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:21:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Suzuki, India

While some would have you believe that Americans are unique in their general preference for traditional betrunked sedans over hatchbacks, don't let them sway you. There are plenty of markets in the world where trunklids are preferred to tailgates. But while sedans are typically viewed as larger than hatchbacks, the new Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire.

The product of a Suzuki joint venture in India (which is by itself the largest automaker on the subcontinent), the Swift Dzire is the new sedan version of the nimble little hatchback available in overseas markets. And while the previous-generation version appeared to have added a trunk as an appendage off the back of a Swift, the new version looks like it just lost the upper part of the hatch for what looks like the smallest trunk this side of a newborn elephant. (Cue the ballpark organ music.)

The reason for the Dzire's shortening from one model year to the next is not apparently in an effort to boost sales, as the model already reportedly has a waiting list, but to take advantage of Indian government regulations that more heavily taxes vehicles over four meters in length. Check out additional photos of the Dzire over at IndianAutosBlog.

Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire sedan may have world's shortest trunk originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suzuki shows Concept XA trucklet in Delhi

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Crossover, Suzuki, Misc. Auto Shows, India, Off-Road

Want to know how highly regarded the multiple-award winning Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is? At the recent Auto Expo in Delhi, India Maruti Suzuki showed a concept that is, to our eyes, extraordinarily reminiscent of the small English SUV - although we'll readily admit the glasshouse is a tweaked version of the current Suzuki Swift.

Called the XA Alpha concept, some reports say that it's underpinned by the Swift platform, while others report that the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy off-roader, based on the Jimny, provides the chassis. For comparison purposes, the XA is just a few inches shorter and narrower than an Evoque, but the same height as the Evoque four-door.

Plans for production are said to rest with audience reception, which appears to have - understandably - been quite positive. If and when a production version does arrive, you can probably kiss the suicide doors goodbye, but it is predicted to be offered with four-wheel drive and "a range of K-Series petrol engines and 1.3-liter DDIS engine." Click the link for more photos of the flexible Indian flyer.

Suzuki shows Concept XA trucklet in Delhi originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suzuki readying next-gen Jimny/Samurai?

Zach Bowman — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, SUV, Japan, Suzuki, India

Suzuki has dropped a few teasers of a new concept vehicle headed to this year's Delhi Auto Expo, and the sneaky shots may hint at a successor to the well-worn Jimny/Samurai throne. Right now, the automaker doesn't have a known replacement lined up for the pint-sized SUV.

The Samurai may have exited North America long ago, but its direct descendant, the Jimny, is still very much alive elsewhere. In fact, it has cultivated a decades-old reputation for being a tough-as-nails bruiser that's as reliable as it is capable. We think Suzuki would do well to keep the model in its portfolio in the future, and now, new reports suggest the company could lift parts from the Swift drivetrain to build a low-cost Jimny successor.

Even so, assuming the teasers indicate a concept vehicle, it would likely be some time before we saw a production model frolicking about in the light of day. Early estimates would put a next-generation Samurai on stage at the Delhi Auto Expo in two years or so. Does that mean the U.S. will see the Samurai name return to its soil? With Suzuki's floundering presence here in the states, that seems unlikely, but we would welcome a capable, low-dollar off roader to our shores any day. Head over to the Maruti Suzuki page for a closer look.

Suzuki readying next-gen Jimny/Samurai? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indian talent show goes overboard with Suzuki

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:13:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, India

The show's called India's Got Talent, and we're certainly prepared to say that India's got The Warriors of Goja but we're not sure if what they have is called talent, bravery or just plain crazy. The aforementioned warriors put on a lengthy display of what, in a circus, would be called 'amazing feats of strength' that includes breaking rocks on every part of their bodies with sledgehammers and eating florescent light bulbs.

Admittedly, most of this seven-minute long video doesn't have anything to do with cars, but then they bring out a Maruti Suzuki five-door and use a comrade to show tricks that, off the set, would probably be both illegal and fatal. And in the middle of the stunt, they randomly add a motorcycle to the mix. As said by the person who uploaded the video, "I have no words for this.. just AMAZING." That's about right. You'll find it all after the jump, the Maruti action starts at 2:40.

Continue reading Indian talent show goes overboard with Suzuki

Indian talent show goes overboard with Suzuki originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai launches Eon in India, challenges Maruti Suzuki

Jeff Sabatini — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:04:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hatchback, Hyundai, India

Meet the Hyundai Eon, the Korean automaker's new pint-sized econobox for the Indian market. Bloomberg Businessweek says Hyundai expects to sell 140,000-150,000 of the $5,496 hatchbacks in the subcontinent each year. With styling and interior treatments borrowed from higher up in the Hyundai food chain, we wouldn't be surprised.

Powered by an 814-cc 3-cylinder making 55 horsepower and 55 lb-ft of torque, the 137.6-inch Eon rides on a 93.7-inch wheelbase. That makes it 8 inches shorter than a Mini Cooper hatchback, meaning it's smaller than any four-seater currently sold in the U.S. market. Unsurprisingly, Hyundai is pushing fuel economy and interior roominess as the Eon's key selling points, claiming not only best-in-class fuel economy but that its width and wheelbase are also tops in its segment.

The Eon is designed to compete directly with the Maruti Suzuki Alto, the best-selling car in India. Suzuki Maruti currently holds 43 percent of the market, with Hyundai capturing only 20, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Hyundai launches Eon in India, challenges Maruti Suzuki originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maruti Suzuki unveils ironically named Swift DZire sedan

Noah Joseph — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:39:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Suzuki, India

Click above (if you must) for more of the Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire

It's a shame that more of Suzuki's line-up isn't as well designed and executed as the nimble little Swift hatchback. But we swear, this was not what we had in mind.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., the country's largest automaker and majority owned its the Japanese parent company, has taken the wraps off of the ironically named Swift DZire today, initial spy shots of which we lamented several months ago. Rather contrary to its name, we're left wondering what's so desirable about a trunk that it's worth butchering erstwhile attractive hatchbacks. The resulting conversion ends up looking like the hatch version, only with a tumor growing out the back. Maruti calls its "The Heart Car", but we'll go for the bypass, thank you very much.

More details are available at the DZire micro site, in the press release after the jump, and images in the gallery below for those with bizarre fascinations.

Gallery: Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire

[Source: Maruti Suzuki]

Continue reading Maruti Suzuki unveils ironically named Swift DZire sedan

Maruti Suzuki unveils ironically named Swift DZire sedan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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