DriveBlog

Forgot the Viva?

From rediff.com today:

"As it now stands, the diesel Fiesta is a decent option over the current C-segment king - the Honda City."

I wonder where (and if) the much-underrated Accent Viva CRDi fits into this whole equation.

Battle of the Tall Boys II

They fought it out then; they fight it out again. The Santro won then; the WagonR loses again.

Getz, Set, Match!

Sania Mirza has been signed on as the new brand ambassador for the Hyundai Getz. Sania will endorse the Korean hatchback in India for the next 3 years and is claimed to be making quite a packet for it. Such a packet, in fact, that immediately after signing on Sania, they decided to hike the price of the Getz. =)

However, Hyundai must think it's money well spent as they hope that Sania will do for the Getz what Shahrukh did for the Santro.

And close on the heels of the endorsement deal are the obligatory newsbytes.

Also see:
Aamir Khan, the face of Innova

Boot-ylicious!

[Found via the excellent Creative Criminal]

Let's have ourselves a mela!

I'm whack in the middle of a 'Blog Mela' hangover, thanks to an utterly enjoyable post from over at Yazad's. That being the case, I thought I'd fashion this post of mine on similar lines. What follows therefore, is an attempt to bring you the best of the web from over the past few days on what's been happening on the Indian car scene. So belt up, tilt that seat back, play your current favourite road-tune over in your head, stretch those legs deep into that footwell and enjoy the ride.

The folks at Autocar India have traded in their old Palio 1.6 GTX for a newer 1.2 nv which they'll be putting through their long-termer test in the months to come. Though they do miss their old, bigger-hearted buddy, it's smaller cousin hasn't done much to disappoint so far.

I wondered aloud a little while ago as to whether the Indian passenger car market had such a colourful history of 'auto recalls' as compared to the West. Well, evidently not - and more so, for a variety of interesting reasons.

There's a new Accent on the horizon - and am I the only one who likes the looks of it?

It seems like the beginning of a SUV-eet summer for sports utility vehicles in India - we just can't seem to get enough of them, their prices notwithstanding. Take your pick: the current hot favourite Honda CR-V, the 'freshened-up' Scorpio Sportz, the just-launched Hyundai Tucson or the upcoming Toyota Fortuner.

Ford India rolled out their 100000th unit of the Ikon sedan earlier this month. And as it is their wont to do everytime they reach a landmark of this kind, Ford's celebrating with a limited period, limited edition offer. This time it's called the 'Josh100' series. For me, Ford sets the bar when it comes to staying top of mind through consumer-driven promos and special offers. Remember the 'Ikon Anniversary' and 'March Masti'?

4 Indian cars - the Alto, the M800, the Hyundai Santro and the Tata Indica - are now in the 'over 100000 units sold in the year 2004-05' club.

A couple of fellow bloggers post on a couple of topics that are right down my alley. Jamshed Rajan of 'Ouch, My Toe!' goes people-watching and introspecting every time he spends 2 and a half minutes at a traffic signal. And Abhi of 'A Tyrovial Pursuit' (honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what kind of a chase that is) reckons that the least desirable part of Indian roads is, well, the people that drive on them.

And finally, would you sign up a deceased family member for one helluva joyride? =)

Do Aur Do Paanch?

It all started pretty innocuously when Hyundai released advertisments, mainly in print and over the radio, pushing the Santro Xing as a 'legal' 5-seater car. The intention was simple - to educate the buyer about the possible legal violations and safety hazards of a car that allowed 3 people to occupy the back seat, but didn't have the necessary additional seat-belt for the extra person. So the ad basically said, "Well, the Xing does! So, in your face, all you other 4-seaters parading as 5-seaters!" And to back their claim up, Hyundai claimed they had certification from The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

Shortly after, the ARAI came out crying foul demanding an explanation from Hyundai on the ad, their main peeve being that the ad did not clearly name the competitors' models that the Santro was positioning itself against (it didn't take a genius to figure out that Hyundai was hitting out at the WagonR) and that it had also had issues with its name being flashed in the ad. They would rather be referred to as 'the country’s premier certification and homologation agency', thank you.

Not one to to be bogged down, Hyundai's out with new ad that calls them just that as well as mentions very clearly the 5-seater and 4-seater B-segmenters available today. Check out page 17 of today's Chennai edition of The Hindu for 'Kissa Kursi Ka'.

The 5-seaters: Hyundai Santro Xing, Hyundai Getz, Maruti Zen, Tata Indica, Fiat Palio, Opel Corsa Sail
The 4-seater: Maruti Wagon R, Maruti Alto, M800

Also see: Which is really the better car?

India Getz Together

Well it's about damn time. There's finally a place where Getz owners, enthusiasts and interested others in India can get together, rave and rant - Yahoo! Groups getz_india. [Link via Hrishikesh]

It's a young and therefore, small group to start with, but there's no reason why time (and more Getz sales) can't see us getting bigger and better. PUG India, here we come!

Also see:
Getzclub.com India, anybody?

Good Xings come with small price tags

As it is, March is traditionally a high-volume month for Motown. But smart pricers Hyundai have decided that this time, just the usual year-end rush simply won't do. After raking in mucho moolah with their festival season offer late last year, the Koreans are now rolling out a sans AC, sans Power Steering (and sans insurance) Santro Xing - for only Rs. 2.93 lakhs! Want either or both of the AC and PS? Just pick and choose - your 'custom-fitted' Xing will come for a reasonable few thousands more!

Ford too is cashing in on the year-end excitement with their 'March Masti' scheme - and that means free insurance and exchange bonuses on the Ikon, Rs. 21000 off on the Fusion and free diamond bling-bling worth Rs. 40000 with the Endeavour. All of that if you make that purchase before March 31, 2005.

Maruti's greatest hit!

Talk about your reputation preceding you. Being billed as Maruti's first 'real' launch in over 20 years, the Suzuki Swift seems like it's going to make its debut in a market that's laden with big, big expectations. But by the look of things, Maruti's premium compact (which will put a whole new spin on the whole Getz vs. Fusion battle - one that the Fusion admittedly seems to be winning at the moment) seems like it'll be able to take all that and more well within its stride. And what's more, it seems set to make a rather starry-eyed debut!

Also see:
Autocar reviews the Suzuki Swift
The Swift promises bigger, better, more