The most exciting part of the Malaysian company Proton is that they own Lotus, and Proton knows this too. That’s why the new Persona carries over the tradition of the original car and will sport “Handling by Lotus” badges.
This is no way a lie, but just because Lotus’ engineering arm touched your car doesn’t mean you’ve got Colin Chapman’s blessing to go racing in your budget-minded Persona.
This is not a new idea in automotive sales. The badge from Lotus has been applied to De Loreans, Pontiacs and Isuzus, to add a little more excitement to somewhat mundane cars. But no stories have ever surfaced of people buying the car purely for this badge.
When you hear the name Scion, you probably think about the “stylish” Scion xB. The xB was such a success, with over 60,000 xBs sold in 2007; it outsold its smaller sibling the xA. Apparently, the xA just wasn’t cool enough. That is probably the reason why Scion decided to stop production of the xA back in 2007. However, the xA was quickly replaced with a newer and nicer model- the xD. The 2008 Scion xD was first introduced to the public on February 2007 at the Chicago Auto Show, and production started that same summer. The new xD wants to be fuller, sportier and more playful than the defunct xA, let’s see if that is the case. > More
Sometime in the future, gas stations would switch to selling gas. Gas in the sense, air, which when compressed to an extent, has enough energy to help a specially designed engine, generate power. Big companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are interested in looking for other ways to run their cars, and might want to take a close look at these air powered engines.
Sure, these things make a lot of noise and don’t coax out enough horsepower, but with time and research, things could change drastically. Just like how electric cars or hybrid cars have evolved and reached a certain stage where the trade-offs are not considerable and offer a number of advantages over the normal cars, soon air powered engines might catch on and small-car manufacturers could use them on a large scale.
Poland is emerging as one of the world’s leading places from where green and fuel efficient engines are born. Toyota’s 1-liter engine which is presently performing duties on the Aygo small car, won the International engine of the year award a while back. That engine was also developed in Poland giving us strong hints that Poland should be one of the best countries for developing and manufacturing small engines.
Italian manufacturer Fiat has put its hand up and decided to manufacture a low emission 900cc gasoline engine in Poland. Unlike any of the engines present in European cars today, this one would be the smallest of the lot with only 2 cylinders. The new engine will give life to Fiat’s new microcar, the Topolino, when launched late next year for European markets.
Sufficient engine options will be on offer for the Topolino, ranging from a 65hp normally aspirated version to a turbcharged 110hp version equipped with Fiat’s Multiair adjustable valve timing (110hp from a 900 c.c engine?!) which promises to be powerful yet frugal. I guess there are more reasons for Mercedes and Toyota to worry about as the Topolino is likely to be another massive hit.
One can expect to see this engine in cars like the 500, Grande Punto and Panda a few years from now on, especially with the emission norms getting tougher, the idea of a 2-cylinder and sub-100 gram per kilometer of CO2 emission engine is definitely a bright one.
The Tata Nano continues to make headlines both for the right and wrong reasons since its unveiling at the Delhi AutoExpo in January this year. Land acquisition trouble and rising inflation which has past well over 11% in the country has created a new set of problems for Tata, although the manufacturer is hell-bent on retailing the base model at $2,500 and more importantly on the previously decided dead line of anytime between September and October.
The good news is that Tata is working on multiple variants of the Nano. No, not bumper colors or alloy wheels, by variants, we mean powertrain options. Sources say a battery powered Nano might roll out of the Singur plant in West Bengal very shortly along with air-powered and micro-hybrid (start-stop technology) models.
The compressed air technology would be borrowed from French company MDI, which uses compressed air to push the piston. An onboard compressor pressurizes air which is stored in a tank for use, a technology which works pretty well, and is one of the best alternatives to an electric car.
Otherwise, the Tata Nano uses a 2-cylinder 624 cc engine that produces a little over 30 hp. The tailpipe emissions are minimal and is less than what an average motorcycle in India would emit.
In the new age of Eco automobiles, big names in the car industry must make some moves in this area as the sales for the large and inefficient cars are going down. This is the case of Volvo which decided to introduce smaller vehicles with fuel efficient engines. By fall 2008, the company will reveal three new diesel powered cars.
It is not known yet on what vehicles Volvo is referring to, but after seeing the C30 Efficiency concept, we might thing that the Swedish manufacturer will introduce new models based on that concept.
In a world where compact and fuel-efficient cars make more sense than big and thirsty ones, this news comes across without any surprise at all. The Swift hatchback from Suzuki has brought several laurels to company and it now surpasses global production of one million cars.
Loved by audiences across the globe and interestingly by tuning companies, the Swift was launched less than four years back intended mainly for the European markets as its design and styling took shape with feedback from there.
Suzuki’s Hungarian plant produces vehicles entirely for Europe which contributed more than 306,000 to the total. Since its launch in the UK, over 36,500 Swifts have been sold showing that it has been received very well by the English people.
The car was first built in Japan, followed by Hungary, China, India and recently Indonesia and Malaysia. There is always this trend followed by manufacturers to change the styling of a car, when releasing it in markets abroad, but interestingly the Swift has undergone little or no changes in its appearance. Now, here’s a lesson for other small car manufacturers- If you plan on making a hatchback for global markets, use feedback from Europe to design the car.
The petrol models, especially the 1.6-litre Sport, are popular for their acceleration and mileage, but the award winning Multijet engine from Fiat under the diesel Swift’s bonnet requires a special mentioning. In countries like India where diesel is preferred over petrol in the small car segment, the manufacturer is unable to meet the demands for the diesel version, thanks to this fabulous engine, which has won infinite hearts.
Here’s some mighty exclusive news. The Concept A-Star from Suzuki sent out strong reverberations throughout the world when the wraps were taken off it at the Delhi Auto Expo in January earlier this year. The design of this small car was the reason for the buzz and company officials declared that they would embark on producing it from the later months of this year. They also confirmed that in India, it would run alongside the existing models rubbishing claims which suggested it would replace the Suzuki Alto.
The leap of an automobile from concept stage to mass-production stage sometimes takes years and that was one of the reasons Suzuki’s statement was taken lightly. But No! It looks like they will stick to what they said and the car could go out on markets including Europe on the promised date. But it also seems like they haven’t stuck to all the design elements of the concept car. Looking at the photographs one can make out the similar grille and headlamps but the rest aren’t carried over. There is still some time left, and we hope the thin-striped LED rear tail lamps are present on the production model. C’mon Suzuki!
The A-segment five-door hatchback will be manufactured exclusively in India and will be shipped to overseas markets (read- Europe, India and other non-US markets) similar to its competitor Hyundai’s i10 hatchback. It will use the help of a Euro 5 compliant 1.0-litre petrol engine which is said to have CO2 emission levels nearing 109g/km making it a fiercely green car! No plans as of yet on a diesel version.
The Logan sedan from the house of Renault (or Dacia elsewhere) is due for a comprehensive upgrade. Unlike the Indian version from Mahindra which boasted of special paint schemes and interiors alone, the Romanian version will come with a new sporty engine.
Sports car designer Ken Melville was assigned a task by Renault to design a vehicle that could ingest four adults, a pig, a sink, and 100kg of potatoes. He went ahead and created what today we call Logan, a simple, no frills cheap sedan which has sold even in markets it wasn’t intended for.
To add life and possibly numbers to the sales chart, Renault will plonk the 133 horse-power engine borrowed from the Renault Twingo under the Logan’s bonnet for its Romanian customers wanting extra fun without shelling too much of extra money.
Meanwhile the men at Renault are very optimistic that the Logan-based Sandero hatchback will fare well in the EuroNCAP crash test. They expect it to come back with 4 stars, a very respectable result if it happens.
The Sandero will be unveiled at the British International Motor Show in London next month. If the crash test works in favor of them, it will serve as a huge boost to the image of the car and could attract plenty of entry-level buyers in the safety-conscious U.K market, where it goes on sale next year.
There has always been the question of safety whenever an entry-level car is introduced in a matured market. Take for example Chinese cars which come at a rock-bottom price tag but remain in the dealer lots due to safety concerns of the customer. Manufacturers of small and cheap cars target the mileage and cost areas more than the safety of the vehicle which remains the bare minimum required for the vehicle to qualify selling in an overseas market. Dacia’s Sandero is here to prove that wrong and conveys that all cheap cars aren’t necessarily unsafe. For the buyer looking at a 5 door hatch for under £7,000, a 4-star EuroNCAP car is the bargain of the century.
The Scirocco coupe from Volkswagen, when unveiled earlier this year, created waves for its design and the advanced technology that went into making it. It is a car with something for everyone. A range of powertrain options justifies that but the company isn’t planning to take a break anytime soon.
Instead VW has gone ahead working on more variants which will appeal to customers looking for power or fuel economy. VW has confirmed that the coupe will be released in an AWD format which will use a high-performance engine, which is likely to be the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine found in Audi S3 at present.
For the cost-conscious customer, VW might in the near future release a special “BlueMotion” version of the Scirocco which is aerodynamically more efficient with mechanical tweaks to help lessen C02 emissions and fuel consumption. At present, the base model employs a 1.4L TSI but the BlueMotion will probably work in tandem with a diesel engine generating fewer horses.
The Scirocco will not come stateside though it would find so many interested buyers. The collapse of the dollar against the euro is the only reason VW has for the curious American needing urgent answers.
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