Here's our 'Make in India' wish list, Peugeot and Citroën

Now that the PSA Group and the CK Birla Group are coming together to assemble and sell cars in India, it paves way for two 'so-far-elusive' automotive brands to pique our interests. We are talking about Peugeot and Citroën here, both owned by the PSA Group of France. You might argue that Peugeot's India story has been a soap opera of sorts so far but, this time around, they appear to be pretty darn serious about it. 

While details are still under wraps, that doesn't stop us from pondering over the model lineup of the two brands and prepare our wish list for them to consider. Let's start with, well, Peugeot.

Peugeot

Peugeot isn't unknown in India. Unfortunately, they are remembered more for the wrong reasons than for the right ones. Nobody we spoke to seem to remember Peugeot's whiny yet frugal 1.5-liter diesel engine that powered the erstwhile Zen D, Esteem D and Accent DLS. But, almost every one of them could recollect the French brand's unceremonious first stint in India that ended as soon as it began. As daunting as it seems, Peugeot's international lineup appears to have just the right models that could help the brand overcome these hurdles and make an impact in the Indian market. 

Just like the rest of the world, SUVs and crossovers are the fastest growing segments here in India. A brand yearning to arrive in style and create a stir should look no further than launching one of these here. This is where Peugeot could make a difference as they have not one but two very competent crossovers to choose from. 

Based on an all-new platform that's stronger, lighter and more agile, the 3008 is the bigger of the two that competes with the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson in Europe. This newest crossover in Peugeot's lineup has received rave reviews from the critics globally and would be a nice 'image-booster' offering to start with in India. With a price tag that's expected to hover around INR 20 - 30 Lakhs, the 3008 would be strictly limited in its reach and appeal though.

On the contrary, the 2008 is the one that could make Peugeot popular in India. Spun off the 208, the 2008 is smaller than the 3008 and comparable in size to the Renault Duster and Hyundai Creta. In fact, the Duster is what the 2008 competes with in Europe and there is no reason why it can't do the same here in India. If priced sensibly, the 2008 could turn out to be that one big hit the folks at PSA head-quarters in France badly want.

If it intends to make up for the time lost, gain market share and go full throttle, the 108 and 208 hatchbacks are what Peugeot should be looking to bring in. The 108 is a city car that's priced in the whereabouts of Hyundai i10 in Europe. It is smaller than what you, me and most other Indian families prefer though. That's where the 208 comes in. Bigger, better and more stylish than it's sibling, this premium hatchback can take the fight to the i20 and Baleno. For that to happen, the 208 should have a high local content and, crucially, an aggressive price tag.

While the aforementioned models were all designed and developed to cater to highly-demanding Europeans, Peugeot also has a car that's tailor-made for the emerging markets. Say hello to the 301! We bet this car is an integral part of Peugeot's plans for India already and wouldn't be surprised if the 301 becomes the launchpad for the brand in 2020. If and when it gets here, this midsize sedan would rival the Honda City and Maruti-Suzuki Ciaz and possibly positioned in the same price bracket. Problem is, the current 301 is already 4 years old. Peugeot would do well considering the next-generation 301 for India as bringing in the current model in 2020 would be akin to flagging a dead horse.

Well, that's five already for Brand Peugeot! Let's stop right here and look at Brand Citroën, shall we? 

Citroën

One of the perks of owning more than one brand is that there is always another option if one doesn't click. When Opel earned a reputation for being expensive to maintain, GM didn't think twice to shut down the brand and replace it with Chevrolet. 

PSA is in a similar position. If the top honchos decide that Peugeot's tarnished brand image would be too much to handle in an often unforgiving market like India, Citroën could be the one leading PSA's charge. Since the two brands effectively have the same portfolio wrapped in different external forms, PSA has a real chance of getting away with what happened in the past.

In that case, the best bet would be to bring in the C1 and C3 hatchbacks. The C1 is nothing but a 108 underneath while the C3 is just a different-looking 208. If these two hatchbacks prove to be too expensive for our market, the C4 Cactus, Citroën's take on the Peugeot 2008 crossover, is another option. 

While its true Citroën does not carry the negative baggage from the past like Peugeot, they come with their own set of challenges. In a conservative market like ours, the unconventional, often-weird, love-it or hate-it styling of the Citroëns could prove to be a dampener. Their premium positioning relative to Peugeot is yet another thorn in the bush. 

But hey, it could work out well for PSA. 

Now that we are done with our wishlist, let's wait and see how many of these are fulfilled. 

Believe it or not, Peugeot might be back in India by 2020

Peugeot may not be manufacturing and selling cars in India right now but they have a storied history with our country. The first time they were here in the nineties, Peugeot shut shop and exited due to a botched joint-venture with the erstwhile Premier Automobiles Limited (PAL). The 309, their sole offering at the time, had been received well with backlogs stretching into hundreds, if not thousands. The sudden decision from PAL and Peugeot to call off the joint-venture left the investors and the customers in the lurch with Peugeot's brand reputation taking a royal beating.

When the folks at PSA, the parent company that owns Peugeot and Citroen brands, decided the time was ripe for Peugeot to come back to India, Sanand in Gujarat was chosen as the location for setting up the plant. Well, this time, it didn't move beyond press releases and participation at the Auto Expo as the prevailing financial crisis in Europe left PSA with no cash reserves for a substantial investment in India. They tried to ink a deal with General Motors to use the latter's facilities to roll out the 207 and the 508 but, for reasons best known to the them, the deal didn't go through.

India is too big a market for car-makers to ignore and with hopes of a fresh start, the PSA Group has now entered into an agreement with the CK Birla Group, which owns Hindustan Motors (HM). Two joint-venture agreements have reportedly been signed, one for the assembly and distribution of cars with PSA holding the majority stake and the other a 50:50 joint-venture with AVTEC Limited, a HM subsidiary, to manufacture and supply powertrains for PSA vehicles. HM's facility at Thiruvallur near Chennai and AVTEC's plant at Hosur are likely to be the locations for the two ventures.

This agreement is claimed to be a long-term partnership between the two conglomerates with a claimed initial investment to the tune of 100 Million Euros (Rs.700 Crore). The first cars from this joint-venture are expected to roll out by 2020.

The sign-off was done in Paris yesterday in the presence of Mr. Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA Group and Mr. CK Birla, Chairman of the CK Birla Group.

While we are glad about Peugeot's potential re-entry and Citroen's debut here in the country, what's going to be crucial is PSA sticking to their words and being committed to the Indian market. Our country is unforgiving. Ask Fiat, who has never really recovered from a disastrous joint-venture with PAL in the nineties despite their continuous efforts all these years backed by wonderful products. We hope the folks at PSA aren't heading down the same path and are actually serious about India this time around.

That said, with their distinct and quirky styling, Peugeots and Citroens would certainly make Indian roads more interesting to look at!

Tata Hexa launched in India, prices start at INR 11.99 Lakhs

After a series of delays, Tata Motors finally launched the much-awaited Hexa in India yesterday. After the Aria, the Hexa is Tata's second attempt at the premium crossover segment and locks horns squarely with the Mahindra XUV 5OO. First shown to the public at the 2015 Geneva Auto Show, the Hexa has been a long time coming.

Tata has played it smart with the Hexa's styling, making sure the crossover stays away from MPV-ish looks as much as possible. When viewed from the front, the clamshell hood with the prominent power bulge, the blacked-out projector headlights and the solid plastic cladding in the bumper gives the Hexa an imposing look. Tata's excellent attention to detail stands out too, like in the hexagonal meshes that form the grille. While the arching roofline, the blacked-out pillars, the full-length cladding and the massive 19-inch alloy wheels try their best to mask it, the Hexa's MPV roots are still evident in profile. At the rear, a thick chrome bar connects horizontally-stacked LED taillights. 

As posted before, we had been to the Hexa Experience Centre and can vouch for the fact that the Hexa's interiors are easily the best we have seen on a Tata so far. The clean, minimalist design looks European and the build quality is solid. What's more, the Hexa comes loaded with features too. Projector headlights, dual front airbags, power-folding mirrors, 6-speaker infotainment system, steering-mounted audio controls, cooled glovebox and tilt steering are standard across the range. 

The top-end variant gets a whole lot more including automatic climate control, heated mirrors, 3 Super Drive modes, reverse parking sensors, Voice Command Recognition, side and curtain airbags, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with Rollover Mitigation, Traction Control System (TCS), Hill Hold and Hill Descent Control, Cruise Control, 10-speaker infotainment system, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, leather seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Available in both six and seven-seat configurations, the Hexa is powered by the 2.2-liter VARICOR diesel engine in two states of tune. While the base variant gets 148 horsepower and 320 Nm of torque, the other variants in Hexa's lineup gets the higher state of tune with 154 horsepower and a solid 400 Nm of torque. The former is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission while the latter is paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 6-speed manual gearbox gets 4 driving modes for the driver to choose from -  Auto, Comfort, Dynamic and Rough Road. The automatic variant gets a Sports mode with Race Car function!

Three trim levels are on offer - XE, XM and XT. The XM and XT gets both manual and automatic variants while the 4x4 is exclusive to the top-end XT variant. Prices range from INR 11.99 Lakhs for the XE to INR 17.49 Lakhs for the top-end XT 4x4 variant. At these prices, the Hexa marginally undercuts it's arch-rival from Mahindra while being significantly cheaper than the Toyota Innova Crysta with which we expect some cross-shopping. But Toyota's rock-solid brand image and the XUV5OO's solid fan following would be tough nuts for Tata to crack. After all, we know what happened to the Aria.

Tata was going through a bad phase in India until the Tiago came in and arrested their free fall. With momentum on its side and value-for-money pricing on the base and mid variants, the Hexa is off to a good start. It remains to be seen if Tata can sustain the interest in the Hexa going forward.

We were off to the Tata Hexa Experience, came back impressed

Tata Motors has a lot riding on it's upcoming launch, the Hexa. With the Tiago doing well, the Pune-based car manufacturer finally has something to cheer about and they would be keen to retain the momentum going forward. Moreover, the Hexa is Tata's second attempt at the premium crossover segment after the Aria failed miserably. The pressure, then, is on Tata to get this right. If the pre-launch events are anything to go by, Tatas are leaving no stone unturned to create an impact this time. 

The Hexa Experience Centres that were setup in various cities prior to launch is one of them. We had a chance of experiencing it in Chennai last week when a bunch of Hexas came visiting.

The entry to the venue had three separate counters for online registrations, Bookmyshow bookings and walk-ins. We had registered online through Tata Motors' official website and the entry was seamless. Elsewhere in the hall, a Hexa took centrestage as visitors gathered around to have a look at the new flagship of Tata Motors. The indoor hall also had a host of Tata Group stalls including Croma, Tata Finance, Tata Water Plus and some quick eats as well to keep the visitors engaged. Just outside the hall were a couple of accessorized Hexas parked to attract eyeballs. With it's blacked-out exteriors, the Hexa Tuff looked particularly inviting.  

The well-organized drive event was split into two parts - an 'Off-road Experience' with Tata experts behind the wheel and a short test drive around the venue. While it was disappointing to not unleash the Hexa off-road ourselves, we couldn't fault Tata. With limited cars and little room for error in the course specifically set up for the event, they had to keep us visitors in check. 

The track had been designed to demonstrate the capabilities of the Hexa off the beaten track and, having experienced it, we have to admit the newest Tata crossover didn't fail to impress. 

Starting the course were a pair of axle-twisters to showcase Hexa's articulation capabilities. With the trained hands and legs of Tata-appointed professionals behind the wheel, the Hexa cleared the axle-twisters with little fuss, albeit scaring some first-time visitors a bit.

Next up were a set of solid blocks that utilized the full 200 mm ground clearance of the Hexa. There was nary a struggle in going past this, errr, obstacle. Bring on those speed breakers, we say!

The top-end variants of the Hexa gets Traction Control System (TCS) as standard which worked flawlessly through a set of rumblers that were placed next on the course. As soon as the system sensed loss of traction on the front left wheel, it ensured there was enough traction on the other wheels to keep the vehicle going steady without wheelspin.

The next set-up was easily the crowd's favourite, an arched ramp to demonstrate Hexa's Hill Hold Control and Hill Descent Control features. The professionals driving the Hexas stopped at the right places to explain the occupants on the usefulness of these features in the tricky conditions. While it's true that most of the potential Hexa owners aren't likely to venture off-road ever, these features will come in handy on those bumper-to-bumper traffic scenarios or the unscientific ramps that dot our malls and hotels.

As soon as we descended the ramp, a side incline of 40 degrees welcomed us. The Hexa had no qualms in negotiating it though. 

With a fantastic 400 Nm of torque available from as low as 1700 rpm, the Hexa was then driven through a flight of stairs that the crossover dismissed with aplomb.

What's off-roading without splashing some mud and water? We did that next with the Hexa wading through more than 400 mm of muddy water. A couple of other minor obstacles later, we reached the end of the course.

A short test drive in and around the venue was also offered and we got behind the wheel of the Hexa XTA, the top-end automatic variant. Despite it not lasting long enough to form our opinions, the short test drive highlighted Hexa's strengths and, of course, weaknesses, quite easily. 

• First up, the interiors are the best seen on a Tata vehicle yet.
• The gear ratios in the automatic transmission are well tuned with the Hexa never leaving us wanting in the short drive that we had.
• For those one-off nights to have fun, the Sports Mode with Race Car Function is good enough. It holds gears and sounds sweet to the ears too!
• Steering is heavy at parking speeds and gains weight as speeds build up.
• Handling is predictable with a hint of body roll around corners. In the short test drive that we had, it wasn't scary.
• Ride quality, like in most Tata vehicles, is superb with the road irregularities hardly filtering into the Hexa's cabin.
• We sorely missed paddle shifters, more so in the Sports Mode.
• For such a feature-loaded car, omission of push button start is startling.
• Space is abundant in the first two rows with the third row easily capable of accommodating two medium-sized adults.
• The captain seats in the second row is supremely comfortable. If we were to go on a long road trip in the Hexa, this is where we would be perched!
• Even with all three rows in place, there is still decent space in the boot for a weekend family trip.

By this time tomorrow, the Hexa would have been officially launched and we wish Tata well for it's success. The Hexa can sell on it's own merits but a value-for-money price tag would make the deal sweeter and the XUV5OO sweatier. Over to you, Tata.

Maruti-Suzuki launches Ignis, goes after the millennials

Maruti-Suzuki's latest salvo in the hatchback space, the Ignis, was launched in India earlier today. Aimed at the young and the young-at-heart, the funky and compact Ignis would be the third product after the S-Cross and the Baleno to be sold exclusively through the premium Nexa sales channel.

Armed with a fresh and bold design approach with a host of retro touches that mimic popular Suzukis of the past, the Ignis is designed to attract stares on the road. Having said that, it's a clear love-it or hate-it affair. The single frame grille that encompasses the cool LED projector headlights, for instance, looks great while the retro-styled rear end is not designed to please everyone. Nevertheless, the Ignis is an eyeball-grabber and almost passes off as a mini SUV with its negligible overhangs, slim plastic cladding and tall stance. Adding to its appeal are the tasteful application of chrome, stylish alloys and the dual-tone colour options available.

The interiors are equally funky and unlike anything you have seen in a Maruti-Suzuki. Finished in black and ivory, the dual-tone dashboard gets a refreshingly new steering wheel, a nifty infotainment screen that looks like a bolt-on addition and a cool retro-themed center console with toggle switches for the air-conditioning system. While the base variants are left wanting in terms of features, the top-end Ignis is loaded to the hilt with features like automatic climate control, keyless entry and go, SmartPlay infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, electrically-foldable mirrors, puddle lamps, split-folding rear seat, steering-mounted controls and rear parking sensors with camera. 

What's impressive is the standard safety kit that include dual front airbags, seat belts with pre-tensioners, Antilock Braking System with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), ISOFIX child seat anchorage system and speed-sensing door locks. 

Adding that special 'classic' touch, both externally and internally, is the Suzuki Progressive Triad, a set of three parallel stripes that you cannot miss!

Powering the Ignis are the same set of engines that power a host of other Maruti-Suzuki models - the 1.2-liter K-series petrol engine that generates 83 horsepower and 113 Nm of torque and the Fiat-sourced 1.3-liter DDiS diesel engine that churns out 75 horsepower and 190 Nm of torque. A 5-speed manual gearbox is paired with both the engines while the option of adding an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), or 'Auto Gear Shift' in Maruti-Suzuki's terminology, is also available.

Ignis is available in four trim levels - Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. The petrol variants are priced between INR 4.59 and 6.69 Lakhs while the diesel variants retail at prices between INR 6.39 and 7.80 Lakhs. All prices are introductory and ex-showroom Delhi. 

At these prices, the Ignis doesn't play the value card that most of it's stablemates do. Instead, this car tries to appeal to the millenials who don't mind spending that little extra to stand out in the crowd. 

At these prices, the Ignis has just about enough gap to the bigger Baleno sharing the Nexa showroom space and it will be interesting to see how Maruti-Suzuki positions the new Swift when it makes it here, albeit to Maruti-Suzuki showrooms.