2015 Hyundai Solaris (Verna) unveiled.

The 2015 Hyundai Verna has been launched in Russia at 4.73 lakh Rubles (Rs 8.26 lakh). Sold under the ‘Solaris’ moniker in Russia, the facelift adopts the Fluidic version 2.0 design philosophy, making it closely resemble its elder brother, the Sonata.

The new Verna is a facelift of the current car and gets some prominent cosmetic changes influenced by the 'Verna RB concept'. The Russia-spec Verna is very similar to the Hyundai Rena, which is sold in China, though the front grille gets two chrome slats and the headlamp design has also been altered. The lower bumper has also been redesigned and gets a different design for the fog lamps. The rear gets new tail lamps with LED lights and a reflector on the lower bumper.

The interiors of the new Verna have remained almost same, though it now gets an all-black centre console and cabin. Safety features include six airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) and ABS with EBD.

The Verna is currently offered with four engine options and we expect the same to be retained for the facelift. Both the petrol and diesel-powered variants are offered with either a 1.4-litre or a 1.6-litre unit. While the petrol variants come with a five-speed manual gearbox, the diesel variants come with a six-speed manual gearbox. A four-speed automatic gearbox is also available in some high-end variants.

The current second-generation Verna was launched back in May 2011 and is one of the Korean manufacturer’s best-selling cars in India. Hyundai recently updated the car with redesigned alloy wheels, projector headlamps and daytime running lamps, though the threat from the new Honda City, Sunny facelift and the Fiesta facelift is too big to be ignored. While the sales numbers have remained pretty consistent over the past few months, the City has shown that there is a lot of untapped potential in this segment. We can expect the facelift to be launched by the end of this year.

2014 Ford Fiesta launched starting at Rs 7.69 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

Model Available: 

1.5 TDCi Diesel Ambiente
1.5 TDCi Diesel Trend
1.5 TDCi Diesel Titanium

Colors Available:

Panther Black

Diamond White

Golden Bronze

Smoke Grey

Paprika Red

Moondust Silver

Ford has launched the 2014 Fiesta today for a price tag starting Rs 7.69 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The good-looking sedan will be available in three variants namely 1.5 TDCi Diesel Ambiente, 1.5 TDCi Diesel Trend, 1.5 TDCi Diesel Titaniumand with a single engine option of  1.5 TDCi Diesel with some changes.

The new Fiesta gets Ford’s new trapezoidal front grille and wraparound headlamps. The bonnet gets a power-dome hood design that looks impressive. The tail lamps get more detailed to be in sync with the stylish front end. Inside the Fiesta gets an in-car entertainment system inspired by the logic of the modern mobile phone. The interface is easy to use and have been placed for optimal ergonomic positioning.
The sedan retains the 1.5-litre Duratorq TDCI diesel engine. This engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

‘‘The Fiesta has a very special role in Ford India’s product portfolio and is for the pure driving enthusiasts who are known for their distinct choices and opt for nothing but the best,’’ said, Nigel Harris, President, Ford India.

“2014 Fiesta, with its best-in-class driving dynamics, design and in-car technology, is a complete package that delivers much more than the expectations of customers in this segment. What’s better is its attractive price, making our premium sedan an even more compelling option for discerning enthusiasts,” he added.

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.

Source

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.