Team-BHP - The Indian Car Scene http://www.team-bhp.com/forum Swifts, Vtecs, Mahindras, Nanos and everything else on the Indian Car Scene. en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:49:44 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/bhpsilver/misc/rss.jpg Team-BHP - The Indian Car Scene http://www.team-bhp.com/forum Does Fiat need to buck up before they launch other variants?? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69877-does-fiat-need-buck-up-before-they-launch-other-variants.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:46:08 GMT I own a linea emotion pack petrol. i was one of the few early takers of the car when it was launched 8 months before. i had high hopes on fiat and tata JV when i bought the car. i was told that the parts are made indigeniously and there are no shortage of spares now (palio debacle). and the service is as good as any other concern. so i bought the car.

first i thought the plastics are only poor. my chrome beadings fell off first. then my linea emotion logo, now my chrome door handles are falling off!!!

Now even after 11 months after the launch i find my authorised service centre ( concorde , ambattur, chennai) saying :

" the parts have to come from pune",

" we have placed order and we are yet to recieve" ,

" there is a delay in shipping the spares"

i have found out that my service centre dont adequately stock parts of linea and punto. even a few basic parts like ORVM and Door handles, wipers are not readily available.

It has taken them more than 5 months to get a replacement seat for me now.

The little i say about the *** the better.

The mechanics dont even know how to do basic things. They do all things in trial and error basis.

i get a reply still even after 11 months that " sir this is a new mechanism sir, we are trying". " sir, these guys are used to service indicabs and sumos only. it will take time for them to figure out things"

Tata is treating linea and punto owners just like indicab drivers. they dont even call the customer to inform about what service they have done.

and more pathetic is that things cannot be done at service centre level. each time i have had to beg mangesh kodalkar, amit srivastav, aasish bharadwaj for getting my car issues resolved. people at tata dont do things unless it is escalated

They have put deisel engine oil in my petrol car. and worse they have damaged the running board on pretext of changing the seat lever today

( please have a look at my thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...hs-9k-kms.html)

And if i think i am the only one suffering i am wrong. i am hearing similar horror stories from other owners too here in chennai.

just one example: my friend binze john (bnz jon) who is also a part of this forum owns a line vocal white and his car is rusting all over and fiat is paying no heed to his request!!!


after seeing all this i have become a frustrated more and more each day.

no!!. i am not writing this in frustration. i am not writing this to create any controversy.

i am writing this as i still see people enthused about the launch of 1.4 t jet,1.6 and 1.9 version


Doesnt fiat need to buck up the ends before launching the variants?. if they cannot provide adequate service even to existing customers what is the use in launching higher variants and making fools out of indian consumer?. can they get away like this else where other than india??. why isnt there any regulatory authority in india who can ensure that these automobile giats to give a proper service to indian automobile customers?. shouldnt these people who cannot give adequate quality of service be ousted from indian automobile industry?. are indian consumers so bad that they should suffer?.

what can a common man do get a proper A.S.S?.

we are still raving about " a wednesday" and what a common man can do . but in reality we cannot do anything other than to suffer and feel sad!! ]]> The Indian Car Scene geeash http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69877-does-fiat-need-buck-up-before-they-launch-other-variants.html <![CDATA[Rolls Royce's 'Ghost' ready to haunt Indian roads]]> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69850-rolls-royce-s-ghost-ready-haunt-indian-roads.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:06:54 GMT NEW DELHI: After 'Phantom', Rolls Royce is ready to drive its most technologically advanced car 'Ghost' into India and hoped that at least 45 people with crores in disposable income would be charmed by the vehicle's simplistic design.

The company today previewed Ghost, the super luxury sedan with a whisper-quiet engine and a price tag of Rs 2.5 crore, in the country and expects the first delivery to happen in quarter one of next year. The 6.6 L twin-turbo car is charged with a V12 engine.

"We expect to sell 75 units in 2010 in India, of which 'Ghost' will comprise 50-60 units," Roll Royce Regional Director Asia Pacific Colin Kelly told reporters here.

Last year, the company had sold about 15 units in the country, comprising cars from the 'Phantom' family.

He said the company might witness a slowdown in its global sales this year because of the global recession. The company had globally sold 1,212 units of its cars last year.

This year, the company is looking to more than double its global sales. "We are looking for sales of 2,500 units globally in 2010, of which two-third is expected to come from the yet to be launched 'Ghost'," Rolls Royce General Manager (South and East Asia Pacific) Brenda Pek said.

She added that in India the company expects to sell 14-16 units this year and increase it to 75 units next year.

"Everybody is keeping an eye on India. India is a key market for us. Last year, we added our second dealership in Delhi and if demand increased we will expand more," Brenda said.

Rolls Royce has already received 25 bookings for the 'Ghost.'

To keep pace with the launch of 'Ghost', the BMW group company is also increasing its global headcount by adding 200 more to its staff this year.

"Globally, we have an employee strength of 700 and we are increasing this to 900 by end of this year, mainly to cater to the anticipated demand of the Ghost," Brenda said.

The UK-based company's global manufacturing facility is at Goodwood in Britain, where cars are hand-built by engineers.

*********

Rolls Royce's 'Ghost' ready to haunt Indian roads- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

India is again becoming 'Sone ki Chidiya' for foreign Companies. clap: ]]> The Indian Car Scene akj53 http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69850-rolls-royce-s-ghost-ready-haunt-indian-roads.html Report and Pictures: Autocar Performance Show 2009 Mumbai http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69837-report-pictures-autocar-performance-show-2009-mumbai.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:14:45 GMT The Autocar Performance Show 2009 began yesterday on the 19th of November '09 at the MMRDA grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex Mumbai. A annual affair, many a car enthusiast visit the show to catch their favourite cars and bikes which are on display . This year's show will go on till 22nd November. Team BHP gives you a low down on what is HOT and what is NOT at the show.


The ACI Performance Show was inaugurated by Dhoom Actor John Abraham. Here he is posing for the Team BHP Camera

Attachment 231429
Attached Images
 
]]> The Indian Car Scene Dippy http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69837-report-pictures-autocar-performance-show-2009-mumbai.html Hyundai Verna to get Cosmetic Changes http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69834-hyundai-verna-get-cosmetic-changes.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:49:17 GMT After Maruthi SX4, Hyundai Verna is getting a makeup. Only Cosmetic. No mechanical changes. Wish they would offer Airbags as optional this time. SOURCE: A small touch up for Hyundai Verna | Vicky.in | Indian Automobile Blog | Car Reviews | Bike Reviews | Test Drive Reports | Pictures | Videos (http://www.vicky.in/straightfrmtheheart/a-small-touch-up-for-hyundai-verna/) Motoroids - The Free Revving Species: Latest automotive news, car and motorcycle reviews, first drives and rides, features, videos, wallpapers, motorsports, forums and free Motoroids2 e-magazine download – India’s first bike e-magazine. India’s (http://www.motoroids.com/first-drives/383-hyundai-verna-to-get-some-nip-tuck.html) After Maruthi SX4, Hyundai Verna is getting a makeup. Only Cosmetic. No mechanical changes. Wish they would offer Airbags as optional this time.

SOURCE:

A small touch up for Hyundai Verna | Vicky.in | Indian Automobile Blog | Car Reviews | Bike Reviews | Test Drive Reports | Pictures | Videos

Motoroids - The Free Revving Species: Latest automotive news, car and motorcycle reviews, first drives and rides, features, videos, wallpapers, motorsports, forums and free Motoroids2 e-magazine download – India’s first bike e-magazine. India’s ]]> The Indian Car Scene Sarvodaya http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69834-hyundai-verna-get-cosmetic-changes.html VW Beetle bookings open!! http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69824-vw-beetle-bookings-open.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:17:01 GMT Just received this mail from the VW dealer "DD Autoworld" in Delhi.
Beetle is open for booking. Booking Amount is Rs. 2 Lacs.
The new Touareg and Beetle colour cards are attached below.

Whats your favourite colour??

Edit: Just spoke to DD, they are quoting Rs. 20/- Lacs ex-showroom Delhi!!
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Beetle & touareg Specs1.pdf (110.9 KB)
File Type: pdf color Beetle-ws.pdf (56.3 KB)
File Type: pdf Volkswagen Touareg colours.pdf (96.9 KB)
]]> The Indian Car Scene mikem http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69824-vw-beetle-bookings-open.html VW Caravelle on Bangalore roads http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69772-vw-caravelle-bangalore-roads.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:54:04 GMT Found a VW Caravelle on Bangalore roads. No camoflageing was doine, the VW symbol was huge in both front and rear. Found a VW Caravelle on Bangalore roads. No camoflageing was doine, the VW symbol was huge in both front and rear. ]]> The Indian Car Scene vinaykiran79 http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69772-vw-caravelle-bangalore-roads.html A case for a segment-straddler! http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69756-case-segment-straddler.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:34:33 GMT Dear Bhpians,
Here's an idea from my wishlist for Tata motors to chew on.
Here I go:
Extend the Manza's chassis.Strengthen it for a bigger engine.

Add on the 2.2 DICOR engine in a good state of tune (don't touch the BHP rating!).I'm sure if there was Palio 1.9 diesel , this is possible!

Put in tall gearing to appease the mile-munchers.Using a good gearbox is extremely important, no need to repeat what Hyundai did with the Getz CRDI (result was that there
was a performance difference with the Verna Diesel and the gearbox was not upto the engine's capabilities)

Make adjustments to the body to hold this additional weight , change the tyres appropriately. (Tata knows how to handle this kind of stuff)

Price the thing at around 8.5 lakhs OTR. (Again possible since the Sumo Grande retails for about the same with the same engine (of course 120 BHP and retuned ECU, but so what?)

That would be India's first equivalent of an Octavia vRS car.What say, BHPians.Tell me, tell me!Of course, add your fine ideas.Ayes and Nays there will be lots, but I do think this has potential! You know why , because the Manza has the interior space easily comparable to the C-Segment cars. ]]> The Indian Car Scene rpmx1000 http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69756-case-segment-straddler.html Drivers with Disabilities. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69743-drivers-disabilities.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:04:27 GMT Hello Everyone,

I would like to thank the Team of this forum to let me post here.

I will like to Introduce myself first although this is not the right section for introduction but i thought one post would be better than two.

My name is Connie Sanders i am 25 and drive a Volkswagon bettle but i love driving Dodge Ram at my family ranch in North Carolina ,i live in Atlanta U.S and a Freelance writer and researcher

I have been commissioned for a very interesting project in India which concerns upliftment and betterment of Drivers with disabilities in India and which is special to me because i suffer from Pendred syndrome (Loss of Hearing) myself.

I have seen few posts regarding drivers with disabilities but what surprised me was that there wasn't a single female driver mentioned anywhere ,One of the goals of this research is to bring men and women drivers with disabilities into into mainstream and this project will be very effective to bring this into action

I would like to take this Opportunity to call upon all the all the drivers with disabilities and at the same time would request people who know of friends or anyone who is a driver with disability to come forward and help me make this vision a success

Kind Regards

Connie Sanders ]]> The Indian Car Scene Connie http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69743-drivers-disabilities.html A tribute to the Sunshine Car - The Hyundai Santro http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69722-tribute-sunshine-car-hyundai-santro.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:07:03 GMT
THE SUNSHINE CAR

PART 1:

July 1997, as a 12 year old kid, and as a 7th grade student, I was never serious about studies.
Just had little interest in them, but one thing that I never forgot to read was an automobile magazine, and remained up to date with the latest happenings from the auto industry, even if I could not understand the A to Z of cars.

Then suddenly, while watching a programme at Discovery Channel, I came across a series of repeated TV commercials, truly in international style, showcasing quirky but decent looking coupes and sedans. It seemed that a company wanted to announce some new models or was it some brand building process or...couldn't recall.., since at that time I thought that these ads were for foreign countries only...

(Don't expect a 12 year old to remember everything:D)

Then while one fine day coming back from school in mid august, turn on discovery at 3 pm, again, I see extended versions of these commercials and thats when I recall the slogan which shows a handshake and proclaims-

"THE WINDS HAVE CHANGED".

After that, the brand's name appears. More on that later..

Meanwhile, again, Christmas time, December 1997, that same company airs a 3 minute commercial showcasing its infrastructure, factories, employees and headquarters in the same discovery channel, followed by the slogan,

"OUR FUTURE IS YOURS".

Suddenly I start to get excited, and over excited little knowing that this brand will create shock waves in our market when it commercially starts operations after one year.

Little do I realize that this brand will create history by bringing in many firsts in the Indian automobile industry.

Little do I realize that their maiden product will be unlike anyhing we have ever seen or experianced before, and that it will look unlike anything before and most importantly, succeed unlike any nameplate we have seen before in our market.

December 1997, Auto India magazine carries an exclusive auto expo preview and features a red coloured unusual looking hatchback on the bottom right of its cover, just below the Indica and labels it as a "show star"........

Lets embark upon the journey of a car that created ripples in the Indian automobile industry and for the first time ever, gave sleepless nights to the numero uno of the Indian automobile industry, and still continues to do so today.

Lets go back to the history and walk through the memory lane of this little wonder that still stands tall....

Lets pay tribute to the sunshine car, live here on team-bhp, in a series of write ups which will contain the journey right from the start till today, looking back and what in store for the future.

While I am off to IITF , all bhpians here are free to narrate their experiences, or any memories that are/ were attached to their little wonder that stands tall.

Part 2 will come up next in a few hours.
]]> The Indian Car Scene sidindica http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69722-tribute-sunshine-car-hyundai-santro.html Honda plans to roll out small car by 2012 to take on Toyota, Suzuki. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69708-honda-plans-roll-out-small-car-2012-take-toyota-suzuki.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:43:57 GMT Could not figure out any thread for this news, and hence started this thread. The news is that Honda plans to launch a small car to challenge Toyota and Suzuki. Means that they are planning a car smaller than Jazz.

Source : Honda plans to roll out small car by 2012 to take on Toyota, Suzuki

Article :

Quote:
Honda Motor's small car is likely to hit the Indian market earlier than expected. The new car (code named 2CV), being developed Making of Nano

especially for India, may be launched before 2011-12 to take on Toyota and break Suzuki's stronghold on the Indian market.

Toyota plans to launch its small car next year, while Suzuki, with its seven compact models, dominates the Indian small car segment with over 60 per cent market share.

Honda doesn't have a small car in its portfolio and has been looking at new models to gain market share in India.

The 2CV may come with a 1.1 litre petrol engine and could double Honda's volumes in India, currently hovering around 52,000 cars per year.

The car is expected to roll out from its stalled manufacturing plant in Rajasthan, where Honda plans to have targeted capacity of one lakh small cars per annum.

The company refused to confirm the developments on the new car and said that nothing has changed from its earlier stated position.

'All plans of the new small car are going as per schedule,' the Honda spokeswomen said.

An executive in the automotive component industry said that Honda's small car project is on track and it may also have a diesel variant at a later stage to gain on the rising popularity of diesel cars in India.

The car will be pitted against the growing tribe of premium hatchback cars like the Swift, Hyundai i10, General Motors
Aveo UV-A, Tata Motors' Indica, Fiat's Punto, Ford Figo and Toyota's yet to be launched small car.

This is the fastest growing segment in the domestic market with over 2.5 lakh cars sold every year.

The new car will be much smaller than Honda Jazz, its other hatchback, but is expected to have an affordable price tag of Rs 4-4.5 lakh for the petrol variant.

It may share platform (common manufacturing line and spares) with the Jazz including the same iV-TEC engine technology, but will fit as a small entry-level A segment car.

The same car will also be made in Thailand where it is expected to be developed and sold under the Thai government's Eco-Car project, which enjoys many tax concessions. However any such eco-variant is ruled out for the Indian market for the time being.
]]> The Indian Car Scene aaggoswami http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69708-honda-plans-roll-out-small-car-2012-take-toyota-suzuki.html Big Used Car Market in Gujarat ? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69698-big-used-car-market-gujarat.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:22:44 GMT Hi Guys.. Recently I heard that a big used car market exists in some district in Gujarat. Its basically famous for cars owned for a small period of time like 4 to 5 months. NRI are known to sell cars at throwaway prices.. does anybody have any idea what this place is called and how the market functions ?? Hi Guys.. Recently I heard that a big used car market exists in some district in Gujarat. Its basically famous for cars owned for a small period of time like 4 to 5 months. NRI are known to sell cars at throwaway prices.. does anybody have any idea what this place is called and how the market functions ?? ]]> The Indian Car Scene bigautobuff http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69698-big-used-car-market-gujarat.html CNG variant for Palio and Punto soon http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69652-cng-variant-palio-punto-soon.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:30:42 GMT The company had plans to roll out the CNG variant of the Palio in early 2009. According to analysts, the Palio and the Grande Punto are the two probable cars that Fiat is initially considering for CNG. CNG is seen as a viable option primarily because of assured domestic supplies. Source:The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Business | Fiat CNG variants (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091118/jsp/business/story_11754459.jsp) The company had plans to roll out the CNG variant of the Palio in early 2009. According to analysts, the Palio and the Grande Punto are the two probable cars that Fiat is initially considering for CNG.

CNG is seen as a viable option primarily because of assured domestic supplies.

Source:The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Business | Fiat CNG variants ]]> The Indian Car Scene Chuchan http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69652-cng-variant-palio-punto-soon.html Fiat’s Made-for-India Small Car launch in 2011 http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69646-fiat-s-made-india-small-car-launch-2011-a.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:20:03 GMT Source: Times Of India. Fiat’s getting ready for launch in 2011 Kolkata: The prototypes of the first-ever made-for-India car from Italian auto giant Fiat SpA will arrive in India in a year’s time for extensive road trials. The results and feedback from the trials will lead to the final round of tweaking before Fiat India Automobiles begins manufacturing the small car at its Ranjangaon facility. Fiat India president and CEO Rajeev Kapoor said the small car to be positioned between the A and B segments was already off the drawing board. “The small car — conceived for the Indian market — has been designed at Fiat’s legendary design studio in Turin. There are several steps between the drawing board to actual production-grade vehicles. The car will definitely be launched in 2011,” he said. Sources said a clay model had already been prepared and prototypes were on the way. The engine, with a 700-1,000cc capacity, has also been designed and is currently being tested in India to make suitable changes to adapt to the country’s driving conditions. “We are adapting the engine to Indian specifications to ensure that it delivers optimum power and mileage,” said Roberto Dalmasso, manager at the engineering centre of Fiat Powertrain Technologies, a Fiat group company that develops powertrains for cars, trucks, boats and gensets. Explaining the car’s positioning, Kapoor said it would be higher than A segment Maruti 800 and lower than B segment Maruti Wagon-R and Hyundai Santro. “As per our agreement with manufacturing and marketing partner Tata Motors, Fiat India will introduce non-competing products in a more premium segment. The Linea is positioned above the Manza; the Grande Punto above Indica Vista. The new mass market small car will be similarly placed,” he said, referring to the car’s positioning vis-a-vis Nano. Sources said the car would be somewhere close to Maruti Alto or the proposed Renault-Bajaj small car that will is also slated to go into production in 2011. Source: Times Of India.
Fiat’s getting ready for launch in 2011

Kolkata: The prototypes of the first-ever made-for-India car from Italian auto giant Fiat SpA will arrive in India in a year’s time for extensive road trials. The results and feedback from the trials will lead to the final round of tweaking before Fiat India Automobiles begins manufacturing the small car at its Ranjangaon facility.
Fiat India president and CEO Rajeev Kapoor said the small car to be positioned between the A and B segments was already off the drawing board. “The small car — conceived for the Indian market — has been designed at Fiat’s legendary design studio in Turin. There are several steps between the drawing board to actual production-grade vehicles. The car will definitely be launched in 2011,” he said.
Sources said a clay model had already been prepared and prototypes were on the way. The engine, with a 700-1,000cc capacity, has also been designed and is currently being tested in India to make suitable changes to adapt to the country’s driving conditions. “We are adapting the engine to Indian specifications to ensure that it delivers optimum power and mileage,” said Roberto Dalmasso, manager at the engineering centre of Fiat Powertrain Technologies, a Fiat group company that develops powertrains for cars, trucks, boats and gensets.
Explaining the car’s positioning, Kapoor said it would be higher than A segment Maruti 800 and lower than B segment Maruti Wagon-R and Hyundai Santro.
“As per our agreement with manufacturing and marketing partner Tata Motors, Fiat India will introduce non-competing products in a more premium segment. The Linea is positioned above the Manza; the Grande Punto above Indica Vista. The new mass market small car will be similarly placed,” he said, referring to the car’s positioning vis-a-vis Nano. Sources said the car would be somewhere close to Maruti Alto or the proposed Renault-Bajaj small car that will is also slated to go into production in 2011. ]]> The Indian Car Scene arun1100 http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69646-fiat-s-made-india-small-car-launch-2011-a.html