Tata might be Working on turbocharged petrol engine for Nano.

Tata Motors not giving up on the Nano yet, the sales of the Nano might be flagging, but the company intends to change that. According to a source the Indian car major is working on a turbocharged version of the Nano. The interesting bit is that the turbocharged Nano might make it to markets this year during the festive season.

The turbocharged Nano project could be a strategy by Tata Motors to re-position the Nano as a ‘smart city car’ from the current ‘cheap car’ image it has been tagged with. Along with this the company is also rumoured to be working on an electric variant of the Nano to be called the Nano ‘e-rev’.

A company spokesperson said “Tata Motors is constantly working on upgrades, new variants, and new projects. We continue to look at new and refreshed products to be launched across various segments and, of course, test these vehicles and the same is applicable to the Nano.”

The source adds, “While we have high degree of technology-readiness and the programme offers several competitive strengths, it is difficult to predict the exact timeframe needed to create the right ecosystem for this to be a market-viable project.”

While Tata may wait for favourable policies for the electric and hybrid vehicles before it launched the Nano ‘e-rev’. We can expect the turbocharged vehicle facing not too many delays before it’s available in the showrooms. These are still early days to predict the cubic capacity of the engine or the number of cylinders the turbocharged Nano will use, all we can say is – it will be huge improvement in performance over the current model. The Nano is also the cheapest rear-wheel-drive car on sale in India today.

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Mercedes-Benz relaeses CLS Facelift 2015 Snaps online

Mercedes-Benz has released a batch of images of the upcoming CLS facelift. The images preview the front fascia with the new grille and the Active Multibeam LED headlamps of the new car in its full glory.

The multibeam units enable high-precision adjustment of the car’s headlamp beam depending upon the speed as well as road conditions. The headlamps are made of special modules with 24 individually controlled LEDs which automatically illuminate a road by distributing the beam optimally. The beams are also controlled to mask the main beam to avoid blinding the drivers in the oncoming traffic. A camera has been placed behind the windscreen which processes data through four control units. These control units adjust the light pattern 100 times per second, delivering perfect lighting.

Internally called C218, the new CLS gets minor cosmetic updates to the exterior like a revised front grille and front and rear skirts. Interiors will also be revised with new upholstery options, a new steering wheel and a free-standing screen in the centre console, just like in the A-Class and B-Class. It will also get the latest version of Mercedes’ COMAND Online system with NTG 5.0 version.

The CLS is offered in India in a single variant - the CLS 350. This car is powered by 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine churning out 306bhp and 370Nm of torque. The engine will send power to the rear wheels through a new 9G TRONIC gearbox.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS is pitted against other four-door coupes like the Audi A7 and BMW 6 Series. While sales of this segment have been steadily increasing in some foreign markets, the trend hasn’t really caught up in India yet. The CLS is imported as a CBU and due to the high price, has to compete with other more practical luxury saloons like the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8L. The CLS facelift will be launched in India a few months after its European launch.

2015 Land Rover Discovery officially announced

Land Rover has officially took off covers from the 2015 Discovery. Though the car remains cosmetically identical to the previous model, the car gets many features from the XXV Special edition as well as two new base variants. Deliveries of the 2015 model will commence in UK from September and the car is expected to hit our shores by the end of this year.

The XXV Special edition was launched earlier this year to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Discovery. The 2015 model gets many standard features from this edition like satellite navigation, media streaming, cruise control, front fog lamps, automatic headlamps, xenon headlamps with LED DRLs. The interior has been spruced up with black lacquer wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel. The HSE variant gets 20-inch alloys wheels instead of the 10-inch ones.

The 2015 Discovery is equipped with Land Rover’s new InControl Apps system, which is compatible with iPhones and Android phones and works with the Discovery’s existing infotainment system. The InControl Apps can display and control your cellphone’s apps with the car's touch screen and allows you to sync the cellphone to display the contacts, calendar and play music.

Speaking about the new model, Phil Popham, Jaguar Land Rover Group marketing director said, “To mark 25 years of Discovery, Land Rover offered more premium luxury in the form of the XXV Special Edition. Striking attributes from this anniversary derivative are now being made available across the range for our customers to bring that level of heightened luxury into their Discovery of choice.”

This 2015 model seems to be an attempt by Land Rover to keep the sales of the Discovery going till the new line-up is introduced next year. Many things in the Land Rover line-up are going to change as the British manufacturer is gearing up to completely rejig its portfolio in the coming years.

For the Indian market, the 2015 Discovery will continue to be powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine producing 245bhp and 600Nm of torque. The engine sends power to all four wheels through a six-speed gearbox. It competes with the only other seven-seater SUV in the price range, the Toyota Land Cruiser.

The 2015 Discovery will be available with three new colour schemes- aruba, kaikora stone and montalcino red. In the UK, the two revised base variants, the SE and SE Tech, are priced at GBP 41,595 (Rs 42.5 lakh) and GBP 47,495 (Rs 48.5 lakh) respectively. Like the previous models, the 2015 Discovery will be imported for the Indian market as a completely-built-unit (CBU).

Honda's MVP Mobilio is expected to Launch in July 2014

Honda Mobilio

Expected Launch: July 2014
Expected Price: 6.50 - 9 lacs
Availability - Diesel and Petrol

The Brio platform is one of Honda’s major developments for the Asian markets. The platform can be currently seen in Brio hatchback and the Amaze sedan, while a third model is expected to be launched in India this July. This all-new car is called the Honda Mobilio and is a seven-seater MVP that will compete with Maruti Suzuki's Ertiga.

The Honda Mobilio MPV (codenamed 2NH) is 4.4-metres long (wheelbase of 2.6-metres) and has a ground clearance of 185mm. It may appear like a stretched out version of the Brio but much like Amaze, it looks like it has been designed from the ground up to be an MPV. The Mobilio is a budget MUV, and so it shares a lot of components with the other Honda cars that would help it achieve a very competitive pricing. Despite this budget tag, the Mobilio looks and feels premium car with a trendy design and the Honda badge at the front.

The interiors of the new car are similar to that of the other Honda cars with beige being the predominant colour. The front two rows will certainly be spacious with a foldable third-row that can either accommodate children or make way for extra luggage.

The music system will be similar to that of the City sedan and it will have to be seen whether the touch screen AC panel will be fitted on the higher trims. The safety features will be up to the mark – ABS-EBD will be standard on all except the base variant and, at least the top two variants will get front airbags.

The Mobilio is have two variants

1. Diesel - Will be powered by the new 1.5-litre turbocharged Earth Dreams diesel engine churning out 100bhp and 205Nm
2. Petrol - Will get the 1.5-litre i-VTEC unit putting out 117bhp and 145Nm of torque.

The Honda Mobilio has reached production stage and the MVP is expected to reach the showrooms by July end. Honda will target the Ertiga with the new car, so expect a starting price of around Rs 6.25 lakh for the petrol base variant, the top-end diesel on the other hand should carry a price tag of around Rs 9 lakh. Honda showcased the Mobilio in 2014 Auto Expo. Once launched, the Mobilio will also compete with the Chevrolet Enjoy and Mahindra Quanto.