The new Santro, with a premium feel, is proof that when it comes to offering latest features and with it design at competitive prices, small cars are no longer shying away from entering a territory once occupied only by larger models, says Pawan Lall.
Hyundai Motor India on Tuesday flagged off maiden shipment of its flagship 'Santro' brand of passenger cars to European markets of Italy, Spain and Netherlands.
Hyundai's entry-level Santro still packs a punch but, flanked by spunkier siblings, seems worn out.
The Korean company has sold over 1.36 million cars and has exported 535,000 units.
Only five of India's top 20 car models have seen a reduction in wait times over the past year.
Building houses and sending children abroad for higher studies is becoming common.
Buying a three-year-old Maruti Alto/Hyundai Santro/Tata Indica and selling it two years later, results in an average cost of just Rs 50,000, according to a study on the used car market.
It is quite interesting to look at the cars closest rivals and how they stand against this much trusted model.
The fully-loaded version of the car costs around Rs 2.5 lakh and boasts of facilities, including AC, power window and centralised locking, like any other small, premium hatch-back. The fully-charged car would run for 110 km with AC switched on and another 20 kms without AC. It could give a maximum speed of 55 kmph and was likely to give a tight competition to the two-door fibre-bodied battery car Reva, introduced a few years back in the country.
Prices of second-hand cars, mainly compact ones, have fallen 15-20% in the last few days. Dealers in the unorganised market fear a further price dip of 10 per cent when delivery starts and the Nano is seen prominently on roads. The Nano, expected to sport an on-road price of Rs 1.25-1.3 lakh for the no-frills, base version, will compete with the compact cars of Hyundai Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and General Motors.
Forget about the Tata Nano for Rs 100,000. Or buying a sleek Yamaha R15 for over Rs 97,000. An array of car models is now available at prices under Rs 100,000, thanks to an expected 20 to 25 per cent fall in used-car prices on certain models, in response to the government's decision to reduce Central value added tax (Cenvat) four percentage points for new cars.
That means a manufacturer looking at a market like India needs to decide whether small, cheap cars or small, expensive cars or both will work better for them, says Pavan Lall.
The British Airways flight with Sabeel on board landed at the Bangalore airport at 0345 hours IST. The doctor, who was sporting a beard, was immediately whisked away by sleuths of the Intelligence Bureau through the VIP exit in a Santro car. Sabeel's mother Dr Zakia Ahmed was in the car with him.
New car launches in the past six months have driven sales growth despite a hike in vehicle financing. In April, new launches accounted for 17 per cent of over all sales.
The new cars which have been launched in the last six months include the Zen Estilo from Maruti, Hyundai Getz diesel, Spark from General Motors, Logan from Mahindra Nissan and Fiat Palio Stile.
Hyundai Santro, Ford Ikon, Honda City and Tata Safari have been ranked highest in their respective vehicle segments in a study conducted by global research and consulting firm J D Power.
Small cars corner 77% of Indian roads, top four models grab 60%.
Eight months after it was phased out from the market, Maruti on Tuesday unveiled the new Zen sporting an all-new look and under a new name 'Estilo', pricing the base variant at Rs 3.19 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
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In a major boost to the automobile industry, the finance minister on Tuesday cut the excise duty on small cars to 16%.
Maruti Udyog Ltd, India's largest carmaker, unveiled on Thursday a new-look Zen, without tinkering with the price, to take on competition posed by Hyundai's Santro and Tata Motors' Indica.
India's biggest carmaker Maruti Udyog Ltd will launch a new Zen compact car on November 27.
A CRPF vehicle suffered slight damages in the rear side.
Auto experts from CarJasoos will answer all your questions related to buying, selling or maintenance of new or used cars.
In swift and specific operation Assam Police on Tuesday apprehended five members of Garo tribal militant group.
Maruti and Hyundai favoured among used car buyers
These cars offer the performance of a more expensive car for a quarter of the price.
Manoj Bajpayee simply lives, and loves, the role -- of a man who life is fast passing by, and who continues to live the lie of a simple government servant, observes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
Every three minutes, in some corner of the country, two Altos are being sold.
Tampering with electrical fittings of a car, subjecting it to improper maintenance or making unwarranted changes to it are the primary reasons behind the spurt in cases of vehicle fires, which have claimed several lives in the recent past.
Mamata Banerjee's TMC and Kejriwal's AAP challenged the old order.
As other global car makers struggle in India to keep sales consistent, the Korean player has made a heady combination out of design, launches and localisation.
The multi-seater vehicle currently runs on BSIII engines.
Why Kia is keen to drive into India? The Korean automobile maker plans to carve out a niche for itself in the crowded Indian market with its compact sedans and SUVs.
Pad was a moniker for the Premier Padmini, which became the jewel in the crown of the Mumbai-based Walchand Hirachand Group.
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