Autoblog

DC Design Avanti rolls up in New Delhi

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Misc. Auto Shows, India, Design/Style, MISC

DC Design, an Indian firm better known for creating one-off customized vehicles based on anything from the Tata Nano to Rolls-Royce coupes, has officially pulled the covers off its first production supercar at the New Delhi Auto Expo. Called the Avanti, we can't help but wonder what esteemed designer Raymond Loewy might think of this creation.

We're not going to call this Audi-R8-meets-duckbill-platypus attractive, though we do spot design themes borrowed from the likes of Ferrari and Lotus (and there's probably a bit of Bertone Mantide in there, too). Somehow it manages to be both somewhat derivative and distinctive at the same time, with proportions unlike that of most supercars from Europe.

Regardless of its styling, we can get behind the idea of a low-cost supercar - its expected 30 lakh rupees in India translates to about $56,000 at current exchange rates - powered by small-displacement engines relying on turbocharging to produce adequate power. The initial engine will be sourced from Ford, an EcoBoost 2.0 liter putting out 265 horsepower, mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, so perhaps calling this a "supercar" is overstating its case.

Later, a version of the machine will be offered with a Honda-sourced turbocharged V6 producing something around 400 horsepower. The base Ford engine will reportedly be sufficient to hit 60 miles per hour in under seven seconds and the turbo V6 will surely be quicker. DC Design hopes to build about 200 units in 2013 and plans to ramp up to a few thousand in the coming years.

Continue reading DC Design Avanti rolls up in New Delhi

DC Design Avanti rolls up in New Delhi originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford EcoSport bows at the Delhi Auto Expo

Zach Bowman — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Crossover, Hatchback, Ford, India, South America

Ford has officially unveiled the EcoSport ahead of the Delhi Auto Expo. The vehicle wears a CUV version of the company's Kinetic design language with a large octagonal grille and discreet headlights. Despite its concept looks, Ford says the vehicle could be in production in as little as six months.

Under the hood, the EcoSport boasts the smallest Ecoboost engine ever created. The turbocharged 1.0-liter, three-cylinder engine is good for around 118 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque, though a small-displacement diesel option may bow in the future.

The EcoSport will be built in India and Brazil and is likely to play a large role in growing the Ford presence worldwide. The vehicle will head to 100 markets globally and is slated to be the second of eight new Ford products headed to India by 2015. That doesn't mean we'll be seeing the CUV on our soil anytime soon, however.

Ford EcoSport bows at the Delhi Auto Expo originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo [UPDATE]

Chris Paukert — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:30:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Crossover, Misc. Auto Shows, India, South America, Design/Style

While we've been consumed with the ramp-up to next week's Detroit Auto Show, there's a more pressing matter on the international car events calendar - this week's New Delhi Auto Expo. Ford Motor Company isn't overlooking the burgeoning biennial show, and it's taking the opportunity to reveal its first-ever world debut at the show, the next Ford EcoSport.

Debuting with a sliver of show-only frosting (check out those glitzy headlamps), the tiny crossover is about the same size as the Fiesta five-door, and it's built on the Blue Oval's new global B-Car architecture. Ford isn't revealing much in the way of powertrain specifics for this thinly disguised model, but our sources tell us the EcoSport will see the first application of the company's new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in India (yes, that means there will be an EcoSport EcoBoost), and presumably there will be an ethanol variant as well.

The upright CUV has been designed with emerging markets in mind, namely portions of Asia and South America, so we're unlikely to see it in North America (we'd be more likely to receive the B-Max MPV), though our sources tell us that an eventual European market appearance is not out of the question. Roughly 90 percent of cars in those markets are B-Segment or smaller, and the previous generation of the Brazilian-built EcoSport has sold some 750,000 units since hitting the market nine years ago.

While the original EcoSport sold almost exclusively in Brazil, the new model will spread its wings to take on a more global role as part of the company's One Ford agenda. To be assembled in both India and Brazil, the EcoSport represents the first time that Ford's team in Camacari, Brazil has taken the lead in conceiving a global product, another indication of the market's growing importance. The new EcoSport will be a lynchpin for the Blue Oval, who expect the Asia Pacific region to swallow up to one out of every three Ford vehicles sold by 2020 (it's just one in six today).

Want more proof of India's rise in importance? Officials tell us that Ford plans to treat the Delhi show as a first-tier show going forward, on par with Detroit, the Frankfurt Motor Show, and so on. Ostensibly, the show will replace a Tokyo Motor Show presence for the Dearborn automaker, as Ford was absent from last month's show in Japan.

UPDATE: Additional photos and sketches have been added to the gallery, along with two official videos and a press release after the jump.

Continue reading Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo [UPDATE]

Next Ford EcoSport now playing at New Delhi Auto Expo [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Indian Grand Prix brings F1 to the subcontinent [spoilers]

Noah Joseph — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, India

India is rapidly motorizing, and with it is emerging a burgeoning automotive industry. Where there's cars there's bound to be racing, and just as the world's biggest automakers head to India in droves, so has the world's foremost racing series. India has seen two of its top drivers make it into F1, it's given rise to its own F1 team, it's hosted numerous demonstration events, and this weekend, for the first time, it hosted its first grand prix.

The race was held on what has - despite a stray dog wandering onto the track during Friday's practice sessions - been widely rated as a fantastic new circuit on the outskirts of New Delhi. But while the hype is all well and good, the part that really counts is how the race went down. Follow the jump to read on.

Continue reading 2011 Indian Grand Prix brings F1 to the subcontinent [spoilers]

2011 Indian Grand Prix brings F1 to the subcontinent [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buddh International Circuit gears up for inaugural Indian Grand Prix

Noah Joseph — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:04:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, India

A few years ago, India wasn't a place one would naturally associate with Formula 1 racing. Now, however, the country has its own F1 team (Force India), a couple of F1 drivers (Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok) and will soon host its first grand prix.

The race is scheduled to take place on October 30, 2011, on the new Hermann Tilke-designed Buddh International Circuit. named for the region in which it resides. The circuit was designed to be one of the fastest on the calendar, with lap times for a contemporary F1 car set to come in around 1 minute, 20 seconds, with projected speeds topping 320 km/h (just under 200 mph). With 5.14 kilometers (3.19 miles) of track and sixteen turns, the facility is being constructed as part of a $400 million project that the FIA is expected to sign off on this July.

[Source: JPSI Sports]

Buddh International Circuit gears up for inaugural Indian Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NYT: India's police turning to Facebook to catch bad drivers

Zach Bowman — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Technology, India

It looks like drivers should be less concerned about their vehicles' black boxes recording their every move, and more worried about their neighbors in traffic. Police in New Delhi have dished out 665 tickets for traffic violations, though not by using any traditional footwork. Instead, the local PD launched a Facebook page where fans can submit photos of bad drivers. With 6.5 million vehicles registered to drive on its roads, New Delhi is notoriously afflicted by motorists that tend to alternate between homicidal and suicidal. So far, fans of the Facebook page have submitted a rash of photos of cars and motorcycles in illegal or dangerous situations.

The New Delhi police have admitted that there may be some privacy issues at stake here, but that by and large, the system seems to be working. Citations are sent to the owners of the vehicles and issued by using license plates that are easily visible in the photos. Here's hoping this line of law enforcement remains overseas.

[Source: The New York Times]

NYT: India's police turning to Facebook to catch bad drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM confirms Chevrolet Spark for North America after all

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Misc. Auto Shows, India, Canada

2010 Chevrolet Beat for India - Click above to enlarge

The question of whether or not General Motors will bring its diminutive Chevrolet Spark to the United States still doesn't have a definitive answer. Thanks to a GM of India press release, however, we now know that the little urban runabout will be coming to North America, although that geography obviously also includes Mexico and Canada.

In the past, GM spokespeople have suggested that it might be possible for the Spark (A.K.A. "Beat," or that unbearably irritating robot from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) to be imported Stateside and that the automaker had kept U.S. regulations in mind when designing the car. Regardless, with gas as cheap as it currently is and a new Aveo just around the corner, we're certainly not holding our breath for a U.S. launch any time soon, and we feel that seeing the Beat in Mexican and/or Canadian showrooms is more likely.

That said, feel free to hit the jump to read GM of India's press release on the introduction of the Beat, which made its production-ready debut earlier in the week in New Delhi.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM confirms Chevrolet Spark for North America after all

GM confirms Chevrolet Spark for North America after all originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auto Expo 2010: Toyota Etios Concept strikes a balance

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Sedan, Hatchback, Toyota, Misc. Auto Shows, India

Toyota Etios Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

It doesn't take a MENSA member to understand that small, inexpensive and reliable transportation is a big thing in India. On one side, you've got the diminutive Tata Nano. On the other, Honda's New Small Concept. And right in the middle is this: the Toyota Etios concept.

Due to be available in both four- and five-door variants, the Indian-market Etios is yet another inexpensive, easy to maintain runabout for India's burgeoning middle class. Amenities are minimal and so are the engine choices -a 1.2-liter in the hatch and a 1.5-liter in the sedan. But basic transport is each models reason for being, and when the Etios goes on sale in India later this year with a price well below $10,000. Toyota expects to sell around 70,000 units annually and plans to export the Etios in markets outside of India in the near future. But don't expect the either model to arrive in the States anytime soon. Hit the jump for the press release and thanks to Indianautosblog for the pics.

Gallery: Toyota Etios Concept

[Sources: Toyota; IndianAutosBlog | Live Images: Shrawan Raja]

Continue reading Auto Expo 2010: Toyota Etios Concept strikes a balance

Auto Expo 2010: Toyota Etios Concept strikes a balance originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auto Expo 2010: Suzuki shows off tidy R3 MPV concept [w/video]

Chris Paukert — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Minivan/Van, Hatchback, Suzuki, Misc. Auto Shows, India, Design/Style

Maruti Suzuki R3 MPV Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Maruti Suzuki has unveiled its latest concept car, the R3 MPV inside New Delhi's Auto Expo 2010. Despite its small footprint, the Indian-designed vehicle actually secrets six individual seats.

MSi has yet to detail what platform underpins the R3, let alone what powertrain is inside the concept (if any), but the concept is said to provide a very good look at a forthcoming Indian-market model that could hit the country's roads within two years. Some sources are suggesting that the people mover could be motivated by anything from a Fiat-sourced 1.3-liter diesel to Suzuki's own 1.2- or 1.4-liter gasoline engines. To our eyes, it looks eerily similar to the just-previewed next-generation Opel Meriva, could the R3 be a holdover twin from the days when General Motors and Suzuki were working together more closely?

It isn't altogether clear if Maruti Suzuki will offer a production version of the R3 concept beyond India's borders, as the marque already owns upwards of 50-percent of the fast-growing market and could potentially do adequate volume just within the country's borders, especially if a bit of platform sharing is involved. Still, we can see something like the R3 playing well in the European marketplace. Do you think it would go over well in the States? Click on our high-res galleries below (thanks to Shrawan Raja for the live shots!), then make the jump to watch a video of its unveiling in New Delhi and check out the car's official press release.

Gallery: Maruti Suzuki R3 MPV Concept

Gallery: Suzuki R3 MPV concept live

[Sources: Maruti Suzuki; Youtube; IndianAutosBlog | Live Images: Shrawan Raja]

Continue reading Auto Expo 2010: Suzuki shows off tidy R3 MPV concept [w/video]

Auto Expo 2010: Suzuki shows off tidy R3 MPV concept [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auto Expo 2010: Honda New Small Concept unveiled at New Delhi show

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:26:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Hatchback, Honda, Misc. Auto Shows, India

Honda New Small Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

India's Auto Expo 2010 kicked off this week and the first major concept to come out of New Delhi is this: the Honda New Small Concept.

Befitting its name, the New Small Concept is both compact and rather bland - particularly when compared to Honda's recent stylistic endeavors - but the five-door hatch is sure to find budget-minded buyers when it arrives in both India and Thailand in 2011.

Unfortunately, details on the proposed powertrain and interior are all but nonexistent, with Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. (Honda's Indian arm) simply stating that the HSC can fit five people and benefits from an "Efficient Energetic Exterior." For an inexpensive runabout, the HSC has potential to be a hit in emerging markets, but don't expect it to hit U.S. or European shores anytime soon. Make a break for the brief press release after the jump.

UPDATE: Live pics added to the gallery below thanks to Indianautosblog.com.
UPDATE 2: Reports indicate (Automotive News - Sub. Req.) that Honda will sell the compact hatch for around 500,000 rupees (a little over $10,000) and power will be provided by a range of engines, maxing out at 1.2-liters.

Gallery: Honda Small Car Concept Live

Gallery: Honda New Small Concept

Continue reading Auto Expo 2010: Honda New Small Concept unveiled at New Delhi show

Auto Expo 2010: Honda New Small Concept unveiled at New Delhi show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Honda to premiere new small car concept at Delhi Motor Show

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Honda, Misc. Auto Shows, India

Honda CR-Z concept 2009 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Honda has announced plans to unveil a new small car concept at the 10th Auto Expo automobile show in New Delhi on January 5. Just last week, Toyota made almost the exact same announcement and both Japanese automakers are staying mum on any actual details.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Honda's entry in the hotly-contested market of India is being referred to internally as the "New Small Concept," and while it's intended primarily for emerging markets (think: Tata Nano), the vehicle is being engineered so that it could be sold in other parts of the world.

Interestingly, in addition to the NSC, Honda will also use the Delhi Motor Show to show off its the concept version of its CR-Z hybrid (shown above), originally seen at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier this year. With brochure images already circulating of the production CR-Z, we expect to see the for-sale version premiere as soon as next month's Detroit Auto Show.

Gallery: 2009 Honda CR-Z Concept

[Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req'd]

REPORT: Honda to premiere new small car concept at Delhi Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It Begins: First tuned Tata Nano spotted

Dan Roth — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Honda, Suzuki, Toyota, India, Tata, Design/Style

DC Designs customized Tata Nano - Click above for image gallery

It was bound to happen. Think back to when Volkswagen Beetles infested the roads of the globe; there was no shortage of customized Bugs. Tata aims to put the world on wheels with its low-priced Nano, offering mobility to India's massive population for what many Americans just dropped on Black Friday. To stave off an impending swarm of same-same vehicles, and cash in with buyers looking to stand out, New Delhi-based Carnation Auto (not to be confused with North America's Car Nation) has teamed up with Dilip Chhabria's DC Design to offer prefab-custom options for the Nano.

The endeavor has been given the tagline, "The Artist Meets the Enabler," and it began with tarted-up offerings for the Toyota Innova, creating a car called the Innov8. If the reworked MPV is any indication, we can expect the DC Design Nano to have an interior that apes a Gulfstream, while we can all plainly see what's been done to the exterior. The Nano kit is not yet available, but Carnation says it will be ready to join the already-available Innova, Honda City, and Suzuki Swift kits in 2010. We're sure opinions abound over this visually-charged Nano, so feel free to express yourselves in the comments. Press release posted after the jump.

Gallery: DC Designs Cars

[Source: CarnationDC.com via Indian Auto Talk]

Continue reading It Begins: First tuned Tata Nano spotted

It Begins: First tuned Tata Nano spotted originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai i10 revealed in India

Dan Roth — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:34:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai

Hyundai's rolled out a new city car, the i10, which they feel is so good that it will double Hyundai's sales in that segment. Manufacturer propaganda always ladles on the glowing prose, but after reading through the specs, we were nodding in approval, too. A quick glance at the pictures had us thinking "modern day Excel," but that's not the case. Comprehensively equipped, the i30 comes standard with air conditioning, power windows, six-speaker stereo, and four airbags. The 1.1 liter four cylinder, providing about 60 horsepower, returns fuel economy in the 50 miles per gallon (US, 60 mpg Imperial) range, and low emissions.

Styling, well, it's in the very small car idiom, and it's not breaking any new ground. Tall and short, the i10 is not ugly, and in these days of $90-plus per barrel oil prices, small is ever more beautiful. The i10 will be exported from India, which will be the sole manufacturing base for the car. With the tight supply of Honda Fits, we could use another A-class ride for low dollars on these shores, maybe if we ask real nice?

[Source: Hyundai]

Gallery: Hyundai i10

Continue reading Hyundai i10 revealed in India

Hyundai i10 revealed in India originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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