Monday, March 5, 2012

50 New cars for 2012 - Part 2

Tata Manza CS

Cropping the boot to get a midsize saloon under the crucial four-metre mark to benefit from the excise duty relief is a successful formula. Ask Tata Motors whose Indigo CS has been a big seller since launch. Tata would want to emulate this success with the Manza too and is said to be developing a sub- four-metre variant. If launched, the CS could use the Vista’s 1.2 petrol and 1.3 diesel engines. Like the Indigo CS, pricing should be competitive.
Factfile: 
Engines: 1.2-litre petrol, 1.3-litre diesel
Power/Torque: 65bhp/9.8kgm,
74bhp/19.3kgm
Kerb weight: NA
L/W/H: NA
Expected: Late-2012
Price: Rs 5 lakh

Skoda Fabia Scout 

A rugged, go-anywhere hatchback sounds ideal for India and that’s exactly what the Fabia Scout is. The Scout is in essence a Fabia that uses taller springs to give it more ground clearance. There is no 4x4 system, so off-road ability will be limited to rutted paths at best. The Indian car we have spied testing at Aurangabad will feature gravel and scratch-resistant cladding on the lower portion of the doors, wheel arches and rear bumper. A scruff plate at the rear will also differentiate the Scout from the standard Fabia, though frontal styling will remain identical. 
Engines will be shared with the Fabia. The Scout will be a niche product but if priced well could win itself a sizeable fan following.
Factfile: 
Engines: 1.2-litre petrol, 1.6-litre
petrol, 1.2-litre diesel
Power/Torque: 75bhp/11.2kgm,
105bhp/15.6kgm, 75bhp/18.3kgm
Kerb weight: NA
L/W/H: NA
Expected: Mid-2012
Price: Rs 6-7 lakh

Renault L58

Renault’s new midsize car (codename: L58) will be to the Nissan Sunny what the Pulse is to the Micra. The cars will share the same platform, engines and, in all likelihood, the same interiors. However, exterior styling will be quite different. Engine options will include a 105bhp, 1.5-litre petrol and an 86bhp, 1.5-litre diesel. Renault will price the car aggressively, so expect this exciting new saloon to cost between Rs 7-9 lakh when it is launched in September 2012.  
Factfile: 
Engines: 1.5-litre petrol, 1.5-litre diesel
Power/Torque: 97bhp/13.6kgm,
85bhp/20.4kgm
Kerb weight: NA
L/W/H: NA
Expected: September 2012
Price: Rs 7-9 lakh

Renault Pulse

Auto Expo 2012 will be the venue for the launch of Renault’s first hatchback for India the Pulse, (earlier codenamed B58). The Pulse shares its platform with the Micra and will be built alongside it at Renault-Nissan’s Chennai plant. Dimensions are be near-identical to the Micra and likewise should weigh less than a tonne, which will reap huge dividends in terms of economy. While the two cars will share many components including engines, the Pulse is easily identifiable as a Renault . However, the two cars share the dashboard design as tooling for a new dashboard entails considerable expense. Pricing should be at par with the Micra, so it will be interesting to see if the Renault can eat into Nissan sales. 
Factfile: 
Engines: 1.2-litre petrol, 1.5-litre diesel
Power/Torque: 75bhp/10.6kgm,
63bhp/16.3kgm
Kerb weight: NA
L/W/H: NA
Expected: January 2012
Price: Rs 4.5-6 lakh
Renault hatchback will be similar to the Nissan Micra.

New Porsche 911

It may not look radically different from its predecessor but this is the all-new sixth-generation 911.  The car will go on sale in India soon after right-hand-drive sales commence globally. It will initially be sold in rear-wheel-drive Carrera (3.4 litre) and Carrera S (3.8 litre) coupé guises. Cabriolet and four-wheel-drive variants will follow in 2012, and pave the way for a range-topping 523bhp Turbo in 2013. The new 911 will sport a new seven-speed manual gearbox — a first for a series production road car. Apart from increased power and improved emissions, the new 911’s chassis has also been worked on for improved ride and even better dynamics.
Factfile:
Engines: 3.4-litre petrol, 
3.8-litre petrol
Power/Torque: 345bhp/39.8kgm,
394bhp/44.9kgm
Kerb weight: 1455-1470kg
L/W/H: 4491/1808/1295mm
Expected: September 2012
Price: From Rs 90 lakh

Renault Duster

Renault wants a presence in each segment of the car market and will be ready with its Duster mini-SUV by July next year. The Duster shares its platform with the Logan (now Mahindra Verito), so should be able to take a fair bit of abuse. But this is no off-roader in the true sense and will be sold in India in a two-wheel-drive avatar only. Interior space is impressive and, just like on the Logan, ride quality is nice and supple too. The Duster will have  1.6 petrol (105bhp) and 1.5 diesel (90bhp) engines. A more powerful 107bhp 1.5 diesel with reduced turbo lag will also be on offer. Expect prices to start at Rs 7 lakh for the base petrol-engined Duster. 
Factfile:
Engines: 1.6-litre petrol, 1.5-litre
diesel, 1.5-litre diesel
Power/Torque: 105bhp/15.1kgm,
90bhp/20.4kgm, 107bhp/24.5kgm
Kerb weight: 1205kg
L/W/H: 4315/1822/1695mm
Expected: July 2012
Price: Rs 7-8 lakh

Nissan NV200
With the NV200, Nissan wants to take the Toyota Innova head-on. The NV200 will be the first product of the Nissan and Ashok Leyland joint venture to manufacture minivans in India. An eight-seater, the NV200 seats passenger in a 2+3+3 layout. Styling is more commercial van than MPV and this appearance is not helped by the NV200’s sliding rear doors. It will be powered by the same 105bhp 1.5-litre K9K diesel that also does duty in the Renault Fluence. Pricing is likely to be in the range of Rs 7.5-12 lakh.
Factfile: 
Engine: 1.5-litre diesel
Power/Torque: 105bhp/24.4kgm
Kerb weight: 1269kg
L/W/H: 4400/1695/1860mm
Expected: Early 2012
Price: Rs 7.5-12 lakh

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