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Honda Motors has unveiled the third generation model of its best selling sedan, Honda City. The new Honda City would come in three different grades with both automatic and manual transmissions and would be available with a 1.5 liter I-VTEC engine.  The 3rd generation Honda City will be the only car in its segment to be equipped with 5 Speed Automatic Transmission. The I-VTEC engine churns out 118PS of peak power at 6000 rpm and 149Nm of peak torque at 4700 rpm. Honda City has been one of the most the successful cars in the country. The company president predicted that India will become the largest market for Honda City with this launch. Honda city is quite popular in the world as it has attained global recognition within a short span of time. As of now this stylish car is being produced in 7 countries and sold in 39 countries across the world. The fuel efficiency remains almost the same as that of the previous version with 12 kmpl in the city and a decent 18 kmpl in highways. New Honda city which comes in three variants is priced between Rs 7.7 lakh and Rs 8.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) respectively.

In a year when global car sales have dipped quite dramatically, Korean car manufacturer Hyundai gave us a huge surprise by launching the Hyundai i20 on December 29, 2008. The Hyundai i10 was received well by the customers and Hyundai hopes to replicate the success with this newly launched model. The car has been launched in three variants-Magna, Asta and Asta (O).The only noticeable difference is that Magna version doesn’t come with airbags whereas the other two versions are equipped with airbags. The Asta has four airbags and The Asta (O) has six airbags. The exterior is almost the same when compared to its previous version and plush interior are spacious and comes loaded with a lot of boot space. Hyundai-i20 is equipped with 1197cc Kappa engine that provides a whopping torque of 110 Nm and 79 bhp @4000 rpm. Hyundai is also planning to launch a CRDi variant in March/April 2009. The new entrants Magna, Asta & Asta(O)  have been  priced  at Rs. 4.79, 5.59  and 5.82 lakhs respectively.

Hyundai, the second largest automobile manufacturer in India has unveiled the new advanced version of Verna which is graced with luxurious interiors and promises improved performance. The newly launched Verna models include two petrol variants – 1.6 VTVT & 1.6 SX VTVT – and two diesel variants – 1.5 CRDi VGT & 1.5 SX CRDi VGT . The company has introduced Automatic transmission in VGT SX variant making it the 1st diesel A/T in its segment. The 1.6 liter petrol variant produces an impressive 103.2PS of peak power @5500 rpm and 14.9 kgm of peak torque @3000 rpm whereas the 1.5 liter diesel variant produces  a whopping power output of 110 PS@4000 rpm and and  24 kgm of peak torque @1900 – 2750 rpm. The top end diesel variant will be available with both – a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic transmission. The new audio console boasts of a high fidelity 2 DIN Music System with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters. The new Verna also incorporates safety features like ABS, reflecting Hyundai’s emphasis on safety and security.

It has been noticed that the cars that flaunt automatic transmission have yielded lower mileage and are tagged at higher prices. Perhaps this might be the reason why the cars that are equipped with automatic transmission haven’t gained enough attention from car buyers. A lot of auto makers have queued up to release the automatic transmission version of their best selling models. For instance even Mahindra has launched the automatic transmission version of Scorpio, one of the prominent cars from the Mahindra stable. Now the obvious question is what will be the mileage of this sexy sedan. Well, tests have revealed that this car gives 10kmpl in the city and 13kmpl in the highways. The company has introduced the new Verna model in six new exciting colors – Blushing Red, Stone Black, Crystal White, Champagne Gold, Sleek Silver & Deep Ocean Blue. The ex-showroom Delhi prices for the variants of the new Verna are as follows:

VTVT (Petrol)-637,700
SX VTVT (Petrol)-712,500
CRDi VGT (Diesel)-752,200
SX CRDi VGT (Diesel)-802,100
SX CRDi VGT AT (Diesel)-865,350

It is reported that Hyundai car sales have declined 13.5% from last year. It remains to be seen whether this new version can provide relief and boost the sales of the company.

Bajaj Auto has announced that it will introduce 6 new bikes under the ‘value for money’ segment this year. Despite its high price, Pulsar still continues to dominate the market in the 150cc segment. All the new bikes to be launched are expected to be priced at Rs 40,000 each and specifically targeted at cost conscious customers. There are also plans to launch some new models of gearless scooters. The recently launched motor cycle XCD 135 DTS-Si offers almost the same specifications as that of the Pulsar but is priced at Rs 45k while the Pulsar sells at 60k. Mr Susheel Kumar Bajpai regional manager West Bengal and North East said “Pulsar may not be affordable to the middle class as it is placed in the niche segment among Bajaj Auto’s range of motorcycles. The strategy behind launching the XCD-135 is to offer a bike with similar specifications like the Pulsar that is more affordable. In the immediate term, plans are there to launch new motorcycles in April and July.”So if you are planning to buy an economy bike with high performance features in the next few months it is better to adopt a wait and watch policy. Bajaj Auto, which is known to produce fuel efficient bikes, might come up with a model that exactly matches your expectations.

Yamaha announced the debut of the new YZF-R15, one of the best looking sports bike in India. The design is inherited from its dad, the Yamaha YZF R1.R15 is powered by 149.8cc Fuel Injected liquid cooled engine that will be produce 17bhp with maximum torque of 15 Nm at 7500rpm; which makes it the most powerful bike under 200cc segment and is equipped with a 6-speed manual Transmission. It’s overall length is 1070mm, overall width is 670mm and its wheels base is 1290mm. Yamaha is showcasing its potential for India with some real performance. The bike promises a mileage of 40 kmpl in the city and 50kmpl in the highways. But is it really possible?  The bike has got an amazing pick up  i.e 0-60 km in 3 seconds. The bike is fitted with mono suspension and rear disc brakes. The cost of the bike is around 1 lakh, which is by far the most expensive bike in the 150 cc segment.

Suzuki has finally unleashed its most anticipated model GS150R in the Indian market. As it has been advertised the looks are really stunning. Suzuki is definitely on the lookout for some fierce competition from its competitors in the 150cc segment. The Suzuki GS150R bike is 2095mm in length, and 775mm in width, 1120mm in height. The sleek beauty is adorned with bikini fairing and pilot lamps; horizontally cut twin LED stop lamps with built-in turn indicators on both sides of the bike. GS150R’s 149cc four stroke engine with six gears produces 13.8bhp of peak power at 8500rpm and 13.4Nm of peak torque at 6000rpm. It is equipped with world’s first eco-mode rpm indicator and operates in two modes: Power and Economy. The wheelbase of the bike is 1340mm and ground clearance is 160 mm. The engine uses engine balancer technology to minimize vibration and comes with a rubber damper and a balancer shaft. The Suzuki GS150R is expected to provide a mileage of 50kmpl in the city and 55kmpl in the highways. The Suzuki GS150R is available in a wide range of colors: Pearl Nebular Black, Metallic Flint Gray, Candy Max Orange, and Candy Dark Greenish Blue. And as for the price tag, it is reasonably priced at Rs 59,000.

The most anticipated car, Tata Nano will be launched on March 23 in India. Tata had launched Nano on January 2008 and had decided to launch this petite beauty last year itself but due to the problems confronted by the company in Singur it was forced the delay the launch. The cars will be on display at Tata Motors dealerships from the first week of April. And Bookings shall commence from the second week of April. Consumers need to pay Rs 70,000 while booking. Touted to be the world’ cheapest car, the initial demand would be very high and the company may find it difficult to match the supply and demand. The car has been designed mainly to cater the middle class the luxury of owning a car. The attractive price tag has created a lot of hype and global car makers are still mulling over the pricing of the car. The company spokesperson indicated that the details pertaining to the pricing and distribution would be disclosed at the launch.