4-door Mahindra e2o spotted testing in Bengaluru

It's a good time to be an environment-friendly automobile in India. With the WHO reporting that Indian cities are amongst the most polluted globally, Indian Government's proposal to directly move to Bharat Stage-VI (equivalent to Euro-6) from the present Bharat Stage-IV (Euro-4) and the knee-jerk reaction in Delhi resulting in the ban of diesel cars above 2000 cc and the odd-even traffic policy, there just wasn't a better time for cars like the Mahindra e2o to present their case to potential customers.

Sadly, the e2o hardly sells in the Indian market and its easy to understand why. It is such an impractical choice as a first or even a second car in a typical Indian family. It is diminutive, has just two doors, comes with a tough-to-access rear seats and has a limited range. While the range factor can be compromised by urban customers, the other tough choices remain. Despite being designed and developed in India and the only electric car officially on sale here, the Mahindra e2o just isn't a car for our market.

All that could be history shortly! It appears Mahindra has realized its folly and is working on getting them corrected.

Spotted testing in Bengaluru last evening, this car with 'test' registration plates appears to be the 4-door variant of the Mahindra e2o. When we received these pics from a regular reader of Anything On Wheels who hails from the Garden City, we were a bit puzzled trying to identify the car. Of course, the exhaust pipe isn't there but it could be hidden well underneath the vehicle! But one look at its silhouette cleared all the doubts we had.

The very short hood and the headlight that peeps out of a hole in the camouflage clearly resemble the ones in the current 2-door e2o. Further proving us right were the circular air-conditioner vent and a tinge of blue where the instrument cluster belongs, two things that the e2o currently has. Because of its short hood, the wheelbase of this 4-door variant appears stretched and that should liberate decent legroom at the rear along with an easier access to the rear seat. The tipped forward stance is carried over from the current e2o too and the test car appears too tall for its width. We would reserve our comments until Mahindra unveils the car though as the camouflage could play spoilsport with our eyes. The car was said to be doing decent speeds of above 60 km/h when these pictures were shot.

The current e2o is on sale in limited cities in India including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chandigarh. Powered by a 19 kW electric motor that produces 53.9 Nm of torque, the 2-door e2o has a range of 120 km per charge and a top speed of around 80 km/h. It's quite tech-laden for its size but its high retail price is the single biggest deterrent preventing people from patronizing this car. When the 4-door e2o is launched, we expect Mahindra to give the car a bigger capacity motor with more power, torque, range and top speed.

Though it isn't clear if Mahindra will launch the 4-door e2o in India or just reserve it for exports, launching it in India would be the logical choice. In fact, with Mahindra being one of the brands most affected by the ban on diesel cars above 2000 cc in Delhi, we expect them to fast-track the development of the 4-door e2o to try and compensate the loss in revenue and volumes. Come on Mahindra, bring us a proper 4-door e2o with improved range, mature road manners and less quirky styling and see it sell better, much better!

2016 North American Car & Truck/Utility of the Year announced; Honda Civic and Volvo XC90 take top honours

The annual North American International Auto Show at Detroit has just begun with the announcement of the North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year award winners. These awards are significant as they represent the collective knowledge and opinion of more than 50 automotive journalists from all forms of media including magazines, newspapers, television, radio and websites. 2016 marks the twenty third year of these awards that have become the gold standard in the industry circles.

To qualify for this award, a car or truck/utility should either be all new or significantly revised from the previous model year. Its retail price should not exceed $100,000 and sales in North America should be not less than 5000 for cars and 2000 for trucks. From the several new vehicles that made it to the list, the jurors had selected three finalists each in cars and trucks. 

Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Civic and Mazda MX-5 Miata were the finalists that vied for the North American Car of the Year crown. Of these, it was the Honda that came out on top after the three cars were driven, tested and evaluated. The new tenth-generation Civic is said to be a quantum leap for Honda vis-a-vis the old model and one that's expected to bring the lost glory back to the Japanese brand. Let's not forget the previous-generation Civic was a rare blip in form for the popular nameplate and the new Civic attempts to correct it right from the word go. It looks sharp and edgy, boasts interiors that are miles ahead of its predecessor and gets a new turbocharged mill under the hood in addition to the free-revving i-VTEC engines on duty. Playing second fiddle to the Civic is the Chevrolet Malibu with the Mazda MX-5 Miata finishing a distant third.

2016 NACOTY RESULTS

* Honda Civic - 203 points

* Chevrolet Malibu - 181 points

* Mazda MX-5 Miata - 146 points

PREVIOUS NACOTY WINNERS

* 2015 - Volkswagen Golf/GTI

* 2014 - Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

* 2013 - Cadillac ATS

* 2012 - Hyundai Elantra

* 2011 - Chevrolet Volt  

Moving on to the trucks and utilities, Honda Pilot, Nissan Titan XD and Volvo XC90 were the three finalists from more than a dozen qualified new launches. In the end, it was the reborn XC90 that takes the honours this time around. The XC90 is stylish, sexy and elegant all at once. Even against its acclaimed German competitors, the XC90's interiors stand out for its premium feel and tech-laden feature set. Symbolizing Volvo's resurgence under their new ownership, the XC90 had a lot of expectations placed on its shoulders. Needless to say, it has come out in flying colors! That it decimated the other two vehicles vying for the crown by a whopping margin just underlines how good an automobile the XC90 is. Losing out to the Volvo but bunched closer together are the Honda Pilot and Nissan Titan XD, both competent products in their own right.

2016 NATOTY RESULTS 

* Volvo XC90 - 310 points

* Honda Pilot - 111 points

* Mazda MX-5 Miata - 109 points

PREVIOUS NATOTY WINNERS

* 2015 - Ford F-150

* 2014 - Chevrolet Silverado

* 2013 - Ram 1500

* 2012 - Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

* 2011 - Ford Explorer

Kudos Honda and Volvo! Keep models such as these lined up in regular intervals.

Jeep celebrates 75th Anniversary with Special Editions

Jeep, the iconic American brand known for the legendary off-roading prowess of its models, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Yes, Jeep has existed since 1941 and the brand has lined up a full lineup of Special Edition models to mark the occasion. Jeep aficionados in the United States of America can choose from the Special Editions of Renegade, Patriot, Compass, Wrangler, Cherokee or Grand Cherokee that go on sale in the first quarter of 2016.

So, what's special in these Special Edition models?

For starters, each of these Jeeps wear distinct green paint jobs. While the Compass, Patriot, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee are painted 'Recon Green', the Renegade gets a brighter 'Jungle Green' and the Wrangler twins are offered in 'Sarge Green'. In addition, all these models offer feature los gloss bronze wheels, orange exterior trim elements and exclusive seats with embossed '75th Anniversary' logo or a one-of-a-kind mesh fabric. As a symbolic tribute to the open air freedom offered by the Jeeps of yore, each of these Special Edition models offer one or the other kind of open top motoring. While the Compass, Patriot, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee feature the regular power sunroofs, the Wrangler gets a fully convertible roof and the Renegade a fabric roof panel. Of course, the ubiquitous 75th Anniversary badge is there as well!

Hardcore off-roaders would not look past the Wrangler while those looking for some panache will go for the Grand Cherokee. For everybody else, there's the Renegade, Compass, Patriot and Cherokee. Pick yours and rule on and off the road!

2016 is going to be special for Jeep lovers in India too as the brand is gearing up for a formal launch in the market. Initially, the Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SRT are expected to be on offer imported as Completely Built Units (CBU). So, in addition to the love for Jeeps, you also need pockets running deep to buy one. But, does all that even matter? Jeep is here and that's what matters! 

2015's Best-Selling Cars & Trucks - USA

In the heights of global recession not so long ago, doom and gloom was predicted for the automotive industry in the United States of America. Squashing those skeptics, sales have been on a continuous rise year after year with 2015 marking the sixth straight year of growth. In fact, a record 17.4 million cars and light trucks were sold in the United States in 2015, an all-time high. Let's now look at the brands that capitalized on this growth and gained in what's widely considered as the most lucrative market in the world.

America's Best-Selling Automotive Brands

Ford continues its stint at the top as the best-selling automotive brand in America. With sales of 2.51 million units last year, the Blue Oval held a solid lead ahead of Toyota that ended 2015 with sales of 2.15 million units (including Scion sub-brand). With 2.12 million sales, Chevrolet was hot on Toyota's heels and might just manage to pip the Japanese brand next time around. Honda and Nissan finished a distant fourth and fifth, with sales of 1.40 and 1.35 million units respectively. 

The Top 10 Cars & Trucks

The American consumers have always been predictable when it comes to their choices of cars and light trucks. 2015 was no different and the list of top ten best-selling vehicles last year hardly changed vis-à-vis 2014. But, more and more Americans prefer crossovers and SUVs to sedans and that shows with popular sedans being overtaken by their crossover siblings across brands and price brackets. Watch out for the CR-Vs, RAV4s and the Escapes!

Americans love pick-up trucks and 2015, as usual, saw an all-truck podium. For a 34th year running, Ford’s F-Series topped the sales charts with 780,354 customers putting their money on their perennial home favorite. Let’s not forget that Ford took a huge gamble in 2015 by pioneering the use of aluminium in the construction of the new F150, a move that has paid off handsomely so far. As always, F-Series’ long-standing rival Chevrolet Silverado came runner up with sales of 600,544 units. All Ford has to do is slip a teeny weeny bit for this Chevy to jump past and rewrite history books. This battle is close! Rounding off the podium is the Ram Pick-up in its various incarnations that collectively reached 451,116 homes in the United States.

These three American pick-ups apart, the rest of the top ten best-sellers have their origins far east, in Japan. With three models apiece, Toyota and Honda continue their good run of form in the United States with a Nissan occupying the remaining slot. 

Behind the Ram Pick-up, Toyota Camry continues to be America’s best-selling car with 429,355 units sold in 2015. Following its bigger sibling in fifth position is the Toyota Corolla, the most popular car in the planet. With sales of 363,332 units, its nowhere close to threaten Camry’s stronghold but has gained considerably compared to 2014. Right behind the Corolla are a trio of Hondas each finishing approximately 10,000 units off each other. Accord leads the bunch while CR-V jumps ahead of the popular Civic, hinting at changing consumer tastes. Altima, the sole Nissan in the top ten list, comes in at ninth followed by Toyota’s RAV4 that didn’t feature in the top ten list last time around. Losing out to Toyota’s crossover is the sleek Ford Fusion, again hinting at crossovers being the flavour of the season.

Source for Sales Figures: Official Press Releases

2015's Best-Selling Cars & Utility Vehicles - India

Well, 2016 is here and the hype and hoopla surrounding the new year has settled down. This is the perfect time to look back at 2015 and retrospect the annual sales figures to find out what's hot and what's not in the Indian automotive industry. And that's precisely what we did. 

Here's the list of 2015's top selling 'Passenger Vehicles' (Cars & Utility Vehicles belong to this category) in India.

Six out of ten best-selling cars are from Maruti-Suzuki

It's business as usual for Maruti-Suzuki, India's largest car manufacturer. While its true the competition in the Indian market is getting tougher year after year, it is also true that Maruti-Suzuki is getting stronger and stronger. While five out of the top ten cars were from Maruti-Suzuki last year, the number has gone up to six in 2015. When we look at the top twenty, a whopping nine models wear the 'S' badge. They have mastered the art of understanding the needs and preferences of car-buyers in India and are going out of the way to ensure those needs are met. Maruti-Suzuki's new-found fondness on AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) and safety features (ABS & Airbags) are perfect examples of that. Overall, its an incredible feat and one that should send shivers to the rest of the industry!

Like 2014, the Alto, Swift Dzire and Swift made it an all Suzuki podium in 2015 too. The fact they are successfully fending off competition from better alternatives in their respective segments just goes to show the faith and trust that these three Suzuki cars enjoy. Wagon-R emerged a distant fourth while Celerio and Omni also featured within the top ten. Let's not forget the Celerio was used as a launch pad to gauge customer responses for the AMT technology as well as Suzuki's new 2-cylinder diesel engine and it turned out to be successful. As for the Omni, it just doesn't deserve to be in this list for reasons we all know. Moving further down, the Eeco, Ertiga and Ciaz have also joined the party, bringing in good numbers for Maruti-Suzuki.

The newer Hyundais put on a good show

Ever since it set shop in India, Hyundai has been in a no man's land. The Korean brand has clearly established itself as Maruti-Suzuki's closest challenger but there has always been a huge gap both above and below it in the sales charts. While it was the Santro, Accent and i10 that established Hyundai as a strong player in India, the next-generation Hyundai cars are putting up an equally impressive show. Occupying fifth and sixth positions, the i20 and Grand i10 have found a whopping 254,139 customers between them. Outside the top ten, Eon and Xcent have managed respectable sales figures as well but a star in the making is Creta, Hyundai's new compact SUV. Since its launch in August last year, Creta has decimated competition in its segment and 2016 will see this SUV fighting for a position in the top ten.

Honda and Mahindra have reasons to cheer too

Mahindra Bolero has been India's best-selling Utility Vehicle for a long time now and 2015 was no different. With sales of 88,047 units, Bolero continues to be a strong revenue proposition for Mahindra. Will it defend its turf from the seemingly all-conquering Creta in 2016? Let's wait and watch. Outside the top ten, Scorpio continues its success story with a little over 51,000 units sold in 2015. Amongst the mid-size sedans, the dominance of Honda City in India is legendary and 2015 did little to change that perception. With the sole exception of Ciaz, none of the City's competitors made life tough for Honda. The Amaze's performance just outside the top ten helped add critical volumes for Honda in its fight with Mahindra to become India's third largest car manufacturer.

After nine Maruti-Suzukis, five Hyundais, two Mahindras and two Hondas, Toyota and Ford have one model each in the top twenty list. It's continuously-increasing prices and more-than-a-decade-old design notwithstanding, the Toyota Innova continues to be a popular choice in India. With the all-new Innova expected to debut in 2016, things are looking brighter than ever for this Japanese MPV. The Ford Ecosport made hay when the sun shone bright and the competition was light. Things have changed now and Ford had to contend with a significant drop in Ecosport's sales compared to 2015. Will the Ecosport's funky styling and extensive feature list help in sustaining sales amidst fresh competition? We'll see this time next year.

Brand Toyota prevails

Stepping away from these top-sellers, Toyota continued its bull run in the premium segments of the industry. Be it in MPVs, SUVs or entry luxury sedans, the Innova, Fortuner and Corolla went for a killing giving no chance to their competitors. Would you believe us if we tell you that sales of each of these three Toyotas were higher than the cumulative sales of all their competitors combined? Yes, you read that right! Its no wonder then that Toyota isn't really contemplating on bringing in mass market models. Why would they when all their premium models are bringing in loads of profits in relatively lesser volumes?

Source for Sales Figures: Official Press Releases & www.team-bhp.com