Ferrari launched cars in India starting at Rs 2.2 crore onwards

Italian luxury sports car maker Ferrari on Thursday officially entered the Indian market with popular models such as the California, 458 Italia, 599GTB Fiorano and the latest FF at prices starting from Rs 2.2 crore onward.

"Till yesterday, Ferrari was present in 57 countries. Now we are in the 58th country, which is India. We should have been in India much before and we expect to be able to sell more than 100 cars in the next 2-3 years," Ferrari SpA Chief Executive Officer Amedeo Felisa told reporters here.

The company has appointed the Shreyans Group as its official importer in India. Bookings for the cars start today with the opening of the first dealership in the national capital. The second showroom is scheduled to open in Mumbai in the second half of 2011.

The Ferrari range which will be sold in India includes the Ferrari California priced at Rs 2.2 crore, 458 Italia at Rs 2.56 crore and 599GTB Fiorano tagged at Rs 3.37 crore. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi.

Ferrari's latest model the FF, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, will also be available. It carries a price tag of Rs 3.41 crore.

The Shreyans Group is involved with luxury retail in India, including interests in products such as yachts, super bikes, fashion articles and jewellery, besides cars.

Hike on car and bike loan interest rate

If you’re planning to buy a car or a motorcycle through an auto loan, chances are that you’ll have to pay a higher interest rate even as the Reserve Bank of India, in a bid to contain rising inflation has raised the repo rate by half a percent or 50 basis points.Due to this, the Indian banking sector finds itself in a position of having to raise interest rates for auto loans by a quarter to half a percent. The decision regarding the interest rate hike is expected to arrive in the next few days.

Meanwhile, here’s a statement from IDBI Bank’s Executive Director R K Bansal,"I think banks do not have any other option but to increase rates. It could be 25 basis points or 50 basis points, depending on individual banks". With that your plans of buying a car or a motorcycle will mean that you need to set aside a larger amount each month for your EMI. Also, higher rates could slow down car and motorcycle sales, which have already shown signs of a slowdown in April, 2011.

Car and bike rally held in Mumbai

A day after social activist Anna Hazare ended his 97-hour hunger strike, Mumbaikars celebrated the veteran Gandhian's victory against corruption by taking out a car and bike rally. "Around 1,500 people participated in the rally which saw more than 200 cars and 60 bikes," said Varsha V., coordinator of India Against Corruption that supported the cause.

"People from all age groups participated in this rally. We even had a 10-year-old, accompanying the riders to register his support and celebrate the victory," she added. The rally started from Shivaji Park in South Central Mumbai and headed towards north Mumbai, passing through L.J. Road, Mahim, S.V. Road, Santacruz, Juhu Tara Road and V.M. Marg before terminating at Kaifi Azmi Marg in Juhu.

"The participants halted at several places and raised victory slogans. They were welcomed by locals who had also contributed to this cause in their own way," Varsha said. Cheered by tens of thousands of countrymen, Hazare Saturday ended his 97-hour fast for a rigorous anti-corruption law after the government met almost all his demands, elevating the reformer to the status of a cult figure.

Report about the launch of 2011 Fiesta Classic car

Team IndianCarsBikes was at the Taj Connemara in Chennai to catch the Ford Fiesta in it’s latest avatar yet, the cut price Classic Variant. Does the 2011 Fiesta Classic pack just enough punch to justify your purchase of a sedan that is more than half a decade old in India? Read on to find out.

Ford India Managing Director Michael Boneham and Marketing Director Nigel Wark unveiled the latest iteration of the Ford Fiesta Classic for the Indian market at the Taj Connemara in Chennai. The Fiesta Classic in essence is a cheaper priced sedan of the current Fiesta.

Why exactly has Ford launched the 2011 Fiesta Classic when the all new 2011 Fiesta Sedan is just around the corner?

There are two reasons for this. One is the all new 2011 Fiesta itself, which will be showcased on the 14th of April. As the new model comes in to replace the existing Ford Fiesta, Ford has repositioned the older/current Fiesta into a lower priced sedan that will now battle with the Maruti Dzire, Tata Manza and the Toyota Etios Sedan.

The other reason of course is the discontinuing of the Ford Ikon. Since Ford India has just stopped producing the Ford Ikon, it’s Indian portfolio has a void in the entry level sedan segment. Hence, the older Ford Fiesta will now sit in place of the Ford Ikon as an entry level sedan at a starting price of INR 5.49 Lakhs for the petrol version and INR 6.48 Lakhs  for the diesel version.

How has Ford managed to price the Fiesta in the range of the Maruti Suzuki DZire, the Tata Manza and the Toyota Etios Sedan?

This has been achieved by replacing the dashboard of the Fiesta with that of the Ford Figo Hatchback. Also the plastics such as the bottle holder and the glove box are from the cheaper Figo Hatchback which has helped Ford cut corners and price the Fiesta Classic competitively.

So, why should I buy the Ford fiesta Classic over the Dzire , Manza and the Etios Sedan?

The Ford fiesta in essence is a C-plus segment car that is half a segment higher than the C-Segment trio of the Dzire, Manza and Etios Sedan. So, like upper C segment cars, the Fiesta Classic has bigger and a more powerful petrol engine while the diesel engine, while being less powerful than the Dzire and the Manza’s Multijet units is equally frugal and more drivable, especially in the city due it’s almost negligible turbo lag.

The Fiesta Classic also has class leading dynamics that is better than all three cars in question here and the Fiesta’s good road holding manners has to be experienced to be believed. It is basically the cheapest Driver’s car in the sedan category in India.  So, the Fiesta drives better than these cars and also has a rorty 100 Bhp petrol engine that is highly responsive. Overall, you’re getting a bigger car(read more snob value) which is better built at a cheaper price.

What are the downsides of the Fiesta Classic when compared to the Dzire, Manza and the Etios Sedan?

Since Ford has cut corners in the interiors by dumping the erstwhile Fiesta’s dashboard for that of the Figo, the quality of plastics feel cheap. Also, the finish of the car, at least the one at the launch, has plenty of rough edges that is unacceptable in a Sedan that sits in the C-Segment. Also, in car equipment levels falls massively short of the Tata Manza.

Space in the Fiesta’s rear is smaller than the Tata Manza and safety features like airbags and ABS are available only in the top end SXi version which makes it costlier than the Dzire-Manza and Etios Sedan trio. The 1.6 Duratec Petrol though ultra responsive and fun to drive is less fuel efficient than the Dzire and the Etios.

Team ICB’s Verdict

Go for the Ford Fiesta if you don’t mind a slightly dated looking car which you can own for two to three more years before it will start really looking it’s vintage. Buy the petrol version if you enjoy driving and you won’t go wrong. The SOHC, 2 valve, common rail diesel is extremely frugal and responsive too even though it is a generation older than the 4 valver, DOHC CRDI Diesel engines.

But post 120 kph, the going gets slow on the diesel. So, buy if if you’re looking for a comfortable and relaxed mile muncher. The top end versions of both cars, though coming with ABS and Airbags don’t make much sense at the price levels. So, only the base variants make sense due to the cut price. All said, the Fiesta Classic is still a decent buy for those who are on a cramped budget but want a well built, fun to drive C segment sedan.

Ford Fiesta Classic Prices Ex-showroom Delhi

Petrol LXi: INR 5.49 Lakhs Petrol CLXi: INR 5.99 Lakhs Petrol SXi: INR 7.45 Lakhs

Diesel LXi: INR 6.48 Lakhs Diesel CLXi: INR 6.89 Lakhs Diesel SXi: INR 8.51 Lakhs

Here are a bunch of images you might want to go through and this is the 2011 Ford Fiesta Classic Brochure.

Hyundai Elantra 2011 launching in India will follow the Verna RB!

April 2011 is when Hyundai India will unveil the 2011 Hyundai Verna RB Sedan for the Indian market. Now, a little birdie tells us that Hyundai is also preparing to launch the 2011 Hyundai Elantra/Avante Sedan once the dust settles after the Verna RB’s launch.

The Hyundai Elantra could arrive into sometime during the Indian festive season and has been selling in markets abroad for some time now. The fifth and the latest generation Elantra has been received extremely positively mainly as the new car represents Hyundai’s new styling philosophy, which has been a far cry from the ugly Hyundai’s of yore.

Also, the mechanicals of the new 2011 Hyundai Elentra Sedan has got high acclaim. For instance, the 2011 Elantra Sedan features a six speed automatic gearbox, which is a first for Hyundai. Also, the sedan comes with a host of class leading convenience and safety features.

The car will come with both petrol and diesel engine options with the 1.6 Liter petrol engine using Hyundai’s latest Gasoline Direct Injection(GDI) technology to produce 140 Bhp of power and 170 Nm of torque. Along with the class leading power and torque figures, this engine is also highly frugal due to GDI technology.

While the specifications of the diesel engine remain unknown at the moment, knowing Hyundai India, one of Hyundai’s latest crop of CRDI diesel engines could make it into the 2011 Elantra. Pricing is expected to be in the range of the Civics and Corollas of the world at INR 12-14 Lakhs.

Audi R8 V10 Spyder introduced in India at a price of INR 1.47 Crores!

As scheduled, Audi India pulled the wraps off the 2011 Audi R8 Spyder “drop top” supercar at the ongoing Mint Luxury conference at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. The SuperCar is essentially a convertible version of the hard top Audi R8. Featuring a 5.2 Liter, FSI V10 engine good enough for 525 Bhp and 530 Nm of torque, the Audi R8 Spyder will give you all the kicks of a supercar while also letting the world know you’ve arrived as you can drop it’s top at the drop of a hat, literally.

In 19 seconds, the Audi R8 Spyder will go from a coupe to a convertible, with the minimum of fuss. With a nought to hundred sprint time of 4.1 seconds a top speed of 313 Kph, this supercar rides on massive 19 incher wheels with a full time all wheel drive “Quattro” mode. Made of lightweight aluminum with the required reinforcements to make sure that the car’s body remains stiff at the extreme speeds and performance this machine is capable of, the Audi R8 weighs 1,720 kilograms.

While this is a full 160 kilos more than the R8 Coupe, all these reinforcements will ensure that the high performance R8 Spyder super car is also a very safe car to do those stupendous speeds on. Audi India has priced the Audi R8  V10 at INR 1.47 Crores, ex-showroom Maharashtra. Now, while that is a lot of money, the Audi indeed is a bargain in this world of Ferraris and Lamborghinis which cost almost double as the Audi R8 Spyder.

Konigsegg Agera to be unveiled on 29th March 2011

Don’t bother to pinch yourself or slap your own face because this is actually the reality. Christian Von Konigsegg is coming to India with his latest hypercar, the Agera. According to some insider news, IndianCarsBikes has come to know that the Agera will be launched in India on the 29th of March. The Swedish supercar maker has signed InterGlobe Enterprises, the parent company of Indigo Airlines as their Indian distributer.

The Konigsegg Agera is one of the very few cars that could give a Bugatti Veyron a run for its money. Thats right. We are talking about top speeds in excess of 400 kmph (249 mph). The Agera as we know is the replacement for the old CCX. The power comes from a 5.0 litre, twin supercharged V8. This massive engine produces 940 bhp @ 6900 rpm and a stratospheric 1000 Nm of torque which available right from 2700 to 6170 rpm.

The car is made of Carbon fibre with aluminium honeycomb and integrated fuel tanks for optimal weight distribution and safety. This makes it very light and aids in improving acceleration. 0-100 kph is over in just 3 sec. The Agera rides on 19 inch front and 20 inch rear wheels. 392 mm ventilated ceramic discs upfront and 380 mm ventilated ceramics at the rear do the job of stopping the car in time.

With almost a 1000 horsepower on tap and speeds of over 400 kph, the Agera is not a car that will be easy on your pocket. Over a combined European driving cycle, the Agera does 6.8 km per litre. We expect the price of the Agera to be over Rs 10 Crore. Bugatti too has lined up its 400+ kph hypercars for India. The Veyron SS could be priced around Rs 16 Crore. So, compared to the Veyron SS, the Agera seems to be a bargain!