Honda unveils the all-new City in India

Honda City needs no introduction in India. Ever since its launch, the City has been very popular and a consistent best-seller in our market that’s widely considered ‘tough-to-crack’. It’s sharp styling, the smooth, powerful and efficient engine with the now-iconic “i-VTEC” technology and the solid reliability, not to discount the premium image that the ‘H’ logo carries, have earned the City legions of fans in India. Fifteen years, six facelifts and three generation changes later, it’s now time for an all-new City to take over.

As if to signify the importance of our market, Honda chose India for the global unveiling of the fourth-generation City. Unlike the three earlier generations which were all revolutionary compared to their predecessors, the new City is more of an evolution of the previous model. Blame it on the design of the existing City that, despite its age, still looks sufficiently chic and modern.

Adopting Honda’s new striking ‘H’ design philosophy, the new City looks much sharper and sleeker. A thick chrome grille and a bold new bumper dominate the proceedings up front, while the profile remains similar to the current City, save for a couple of character lines. The designers at Honda seem to have channeled their efforts towards the rear, which now looks far more exciting and sporty than the outgoing model. The split taillight clusters that extend into the boot and the muscular boot lid adds character. Despite these changes, the similarity with the existing City is quite apparent. And for that reason, the new City won’t be sending its loyalists into an excitement frenzy.

It’s a different story with the interiors though. All the flak that Honda received for the sub-par feature list of the previous City have ensured that the problem is addressed, and how. The cabin, sporting a fresh and modern theme, looks to be loaded to the gills now with the top-end variant of the new City even sporting features such as touch-screen air-conditioning controls, rear vents, sun roof and cruise control. Hyundai Verna’s rise to the top seems to have had an effect at Honda’s head-quarters in Japan.

Based on the same platform as the all-new Jazz that’s also due for an Indian launch sometime next year, the City will carry over the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine from the existing City, albeit with slight tweaks to the power and torque figures. More importantly, the 1.5-liter i-DTEC diesel engine that’s making waves under the hood of the Amaze will make its way into the City for the first time. If the existing City could do all that it did with just a petrol engine, the future looks super-bright for the new model with the diesel joining the lineup.

Bookings for the new City has started and the car is slated to go on sale in January, 2014. The specifications and prices are expected to be available only then.

After ruling the segment for more than a decade, the Honda City lost its ‘numero uno’ position to Hyundai Verna in 2011. Will the new City, with its much-improved interiors and the all-important diesel option, displace the Verna from the top? That’s gonna be one really interesting tussle to witness.

Production of Lamborghini Gallardo comes to an end

It was the end of the road for an Italian icon earlier this week as production of Lamborghini Gallardo, one of the most stylish and iconic super-cars of our times, ended in the company’s Sant’Agata Bolognese facility.

The Gallardo rose to fame at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, an year that marked the 40th anniversary of Lamborghini. While the design and styling stunned audiences at the motor show, the exceptional handling, amazing all-wheel-drive system and the insane power from its 10-cylinder engine impressed critics and experts on the road. Apart from the regular Gallardo and Spyder variants, Lamborghini kept tingling at the hearts of automotive enthusiasts around the world with a range of performance variants and special editions in regular intervals. In case you hadn’t noticed, there was one for India too. Of all such variants, the Gallardo Polizia Stradale that still serves the Italian State Police became a global desktop sensation with its iconic blue and white livery.

It is no wonder then that the Gallardo is, by far, ‘the most successful’ Lamborghini ever. In its 10 year run from 2003 to 2013, production of Gallardo has totaled 14022 units, a truly remarkable feat for a super-car. To put that into the right perspective, the total number of Gallardos is almost half of the 30000 cars that the famous Italian marque has produced since it was first founded in 1963.

The last Gallardo to roll off the line was a LP 570-4 Spyder Performante in Rosso Mars (that’s called red in our parlance). Headed to an undisclosed private collector, the spec-sheet of the final Gallardo read 5.2-liter displacement, V10 configuration, 570 horsepower, 324 km/h top speed, 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and a permanent 4-wheel drive system.

As the Gallardo fades into sunset in the year of Lamborghini's 50th anniversary after sharing the factory space with two of the brand's 12-cylinder super-cars in Murcielago and Aventador, teasers of its successor are already out in the world wide web. However good its replacement is though, the Gallardo will be terribly missed.

LHD variant of Tata Ace spotted testing in Pune

Compared to the rest of the world, India is still a developing country when it comes to automobiles. While most manufacturers are growing with the market with rising sales and market share, Tata Motors sadly isn't one of them. From the diminutive Nano to the ambitious Aria, not a single Tata model is actually setting the sales charts on fire. While all this is happening, one model was silently raking in the volumes and money for Tata Motors. When we say volumes, its not a few hundreds or thousands but a million units and counting. The Ace, Tata's mini truck that pioneered the Small Commercial Vehicle (SCV) segment in India, has really been a shining star in troubled times for the company.

With such an astronomical success in the domestic market, its only natural that Tata wants to take the Ace international. The Ace is already on sale in some countries in the Indian subcontinent and a handful of right hand drive (RHD) markets like South Africa. This test vehicle caught with artificial loads to simulate the real world conditions in the outskirts of Pune hints that Tata is readying the Ace for left hand drive (LHD) markets that could even include countries like Italy amongst other African countries. From these spy shots sent in by one of our regular readers, it isn't clear if this is the sub 1-ton Ace or the 1-ton Super Ace. Whatever it is, the message is clear. The Ace family is all set for travel across the shores.

Our guess is that this is the smaller Ace LHD being tested here. Apart from its size, the exhaust snorkel that's positioned in the left side and the absence of crash bar at the rear helped us arrive at that decision. If you hadn't noticed, the Super Ace available on sale in India has the snorkel on the right side and a rear crash bar. The LHD variant of the Super Ace caught testing by our media friends earlier also had them. So, this should be the regular Ace being tested for export markets. Having said that, there are chances of this also being the Super Ace with the said modifications done. Tata Motors had displayed a LHD Super Ace at the 2012 Auto Expo with features like power steering, air-conditioning, power windows, ABS and airbags and powered by a 1.4-liter DiCOR engine.

Given that there aren't many powerful players in the last mile connectivity segment in many markets, Tata Motors has rightly sensed an opportunity there. With the solid reputation that the Ace range has earned in the harsh Indian conditions for its workaholic nature, frugality and reliability, we are sure it can withstand the challenges that the advanced international markets throw at it. If Tata manages to work on the quality, fit and finish of this tiny truck to live up to the higher expectation levels overseas, the Ace and it's derivatives have the potential to make it really big. Wanna bet against? Do it at your own peril!

Ashok Leyland Jan Bus spotted testing in Chennai again

It seems Ashok Leyland, the Chennai-based commercial vehicle manufacturer, is having its hands full at the moment. While the Dost mini-truck and the Stile MPV are helping the company gain foothold in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment at one end, the continuing sales slump in the Heavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV) space is a major cause of concern in the other end. The collective onslaught of international brands that include Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Navistar and Scania has resulted in significant loss of market-share for the domestic brands, with Ashok-Leyland being the most-affected.

The Jan Bus, that we spotted testing in Chennai earlier this year, is one of the many products that Ashok Leyland has lined up to bring it back in the reckoning. While we were expecting it to go on sale any moment, it seems Ashok Leyland is on to something else as one of our regular readers spotted the Jan Bus being tested again. These pictures were taken late last week in one of the arterial roads in Chennai.

Unveiled to the public at the 2012 Auto Expo, the Jan Bus is a single-step entry, low-floor, front-engined bus that is targeted at the city transport fleets. If the brochure released by the company is to be believed, a turbocharged, fuel-injected, 6-cylinder ‘H-Series’ engine that generates 235 HP of power at 2400 rpm and 720 Nm of torque between 1600 to 1800 rpm would be powering the rear wheels of the bus. Features such as air-conditioning, Ashok Leyland’s proprietary ‘Leymatic’ Automated Manual Transmission, air suspension and a clutter-free gangway with cantilever-mounted seats and seat-mounted stanchions are expected to be available as and when the Jan Bus goes on sale on Indian metros.

Despite offering features similar to the city buses from Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, Ashok Leyland’s frugal engineering would mean that the Jan Bus would end up with a significantly lower sticker price, making it an excellent value-for-money proposition.

While all the above information is either known or being speculated, what’s a big unknown is the launch date of this sleek bus. We hope its not too far off. More importantly, we wish Ashok Leyland actually markets and sells the Jan Bus well as it shows huge potential to make a mark in our cities.

2013 Tokyo - Honda Vezel compact crossover makes its world debut

Crossovers and Utility Vehicles in all shapes and sizes are taking over the world big time. More specifically, the smaller, lighter and nimble compact crossovers are experiencing hitherto unseen levels of growth. With the all-new Vezel that made its global debut at the ongoing 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, Honda is the latest manufacturer to join this brigade.

Despite its looks suggesting otherwise, the Vezel, based on a platform that also underpins the new Jazz and City, is more a crossover than SUV. Sporting the brand’s new family design, the Vezel is sleek and modern, borrowing cues from other Honda models like Jazz, City and CR-V. In what could be termed as borderline fussy, the front end looks a bit cluttered with the three-part grille, the angular headlights and the bumper ridges vying for attention. With the arching windows and hidden rear door handles, the Vezel is designed to look like a coupe when viewed in profile. The strong character lines extend to the rear and, together with the sharp taillight clusters, make for an attractive rear three-quarter look.

The interiors are clean, modern and attractive with the center console’s clutter-free fittings looking classy and promising to impress in flesh. Hondas are always known for their good fit and finish and the Vezel wouldn’t be an exception. The power-train options are again shared with the Jazz and City, with a 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol and a 1.5-liter i-DTEC diesel engine doing duty under the hood. While Japan will also have automatic transmission and Hybrid variants on offer, Honda’s intentions for the other markets aren’t clear at the moment.

With demand for compact SUVs booming in India, the Vezel should be a ‘de facto’ addition to Honda’s Indian lineup. But you never know, as the second-generation Jazz flopped spectacularly and its fortunes couldn’t be revived despite a massive price drop, leaving a bad taste with the top bosses at Honda. As and when Honda decides to bring this compact crossover here, we wish they also have the insight to change its name to something better and sweeter than Vezel.