Stars Genius: Car

Japanese carmaker Toyota on Monday launched the petrol variant of its much anticipated small car Liva in India, priced between Rs 399,000 and Rs 599,000 (ex- showroom, Delhi).

The auto major has also invested Rs 3,200 crore (Rs 32 billion) to set up its second manufacturing facility in Bangalore.

"The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, has invested Rs 3,200 crore to set up its second manufacturing facility in Bangalore with an initial installed capacity of 70,000 units per annum.

"With Liva we will now be a complete manufacturer in India, offering a full range of products including the luxury SUV Prado... Liva is a very useful stylish and dynamic car," Toyota Kirloskar Motor managing director Hiroshi Nakagawa told reporters in New Delhi.

First up: Maruti Suzuki Kizashi...
When: January 2011
How much: Rs 16 lakh

Small car maker Maruti Suzuki India is all set for a foray into the luxury segment with the Kizashi. Powered by a J24B 2.4 litre petrol engine, 4 cylinder, DOHC, the D-segment car's powertrain is capable of producing peak power of 185 hp at 6,500 rpm (Manual Transmission) and 180 hp at 6,000 rpm (Continuously Variable Transmission). The maximum torque from the engine is 170 Nm at 4,000 rpm in both types of transmission.

Hyundai Avante

When: January 2011

How much: Rs 12 lakh

India's largest auto exporter and second largest auto manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Co., plans to launch Hyundai Avante as a replacement for its discontinued model Hyundai Elantra. The Avante might be equipped with a 1.6 litre Gamma petrol engine and a diesel engine variant may follow. The 1.6 litre, DOHC, VVT, 4 cylinder, petrol engine is believed to pump out a top power of 118 bhp at 6200 rpm and churn out a peak torque of 156 Nm at 4200 rpm. The diesel variant of the car is reported to be loaded with a 1582cc, CRDi power-train that belts out a max power of 115 bhp at 4000 rpm and generates maximum torque of 260 nm at 1900 rpm. Both the mills are to be mated with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. For better fuel economy, the petrol engine is reported to have intelligent Gasoline Direct Injection technology (GDI). This technology will ensure around 10 per cent increase in the fuel efficiency as compared to its peers.

Maruti Cervo

When: January 2011

How much: Rs 1.5-2 lakh

India's largest auto manufacturer, Maruti, is planning to launch another small car model, Cervo, as an entry level segment in the Indian auto market. This is seen as Maruti's aggressive counter for the Tata Nano which has stormed the auto market with its ultra low cost. To reduce its manufacturing cost Maruti Suzuki may reduce some features from the original model which is available in Japan. It is also expected that after the launch Maruti Cervo will overtake the company's most popular models Maruti 800 and Maruti Alto

Chevrolet Camaro

When: February 2011

How much: Rs 20-25 lakh

Leading Indian car manufacturer General Motors India is planning to present its fifth generation all-new luxury sports car in Indian auto market. The Camaro is expected to be powered by two types of engines - 3.6L V6 petrol engine and 6.2L V8 Engine carrying 5 trim level variants, LS, 1 LT, 2LT, 1SS & 2SS. The variants LS, 1LT, 2LT comes with 3.6L V6 engine while rest 1SS & 2SS are packed with 6.2 L V8 engine.

Chevrolet Sail

When: April 2011

How much: Rs 5-7 lakh

After being hit by bankruptcy last year, General Motors has overcome the bad time and is now sailing across the world. It recently launched a new sedan Chevrolet Sail in the Chinese market in association with Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), both being GM-SAIC joint ventures. The concept car model, Chevrolet Sail, was displayed in Shanghai Auto Show in 2005. The company has informed that the car will be exported to other emerging markets as well. The statement is seen as an indication of its launch in India as well. However, the company has not confirmed the India launch. The Sail EV isn't approved for production but there is a strong possibility of it arriving in India next year in the prototype form. GM India has said it will display a concept EV in April 2011.

Nissan Sunny

When: April 2011

How much: Rs 8 lakh

As promised by the Japanese auto major, Nissan Micra, a small car, will be followed by Nissan Micra sedan. The Sunny range was first introduced in 1966 and a lot of modifications took place every passing year for decades. Among the all raw information, the code name of the upcoming Sedan i.e. L02B and it's Nissan V-platform sound trustworthy. The company is also planning to launch Nissan Sunny with both petrol and diesel engine, each having three variants that are all set to be produced in the manufacturing plant in Chennai where Nissan Micra is produced for India and exported to other countries. However, in the case of Nissan Sunny, the car would be first launched in China and then in other nations including India.

The Nissan Sunny is speculated to be loaded with 1.5 litre petrol and the same capacity 1.5 litre diesel engine producing 100 bhp of maximum power. The engine might produce around 146 Nm of torque like other 1.5 litre powertrains. The engine will be incorporated with a 5 speed manual gearbox. It is also clubbed with 4 cylinders and 16 valves. With this engine configuration and expected price tag, the Nissan Sunny will have to face competition from the likes of Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Swift Dzire, Tata Indigo Manza, Ford Fiesta.

Audi A1

When: June 2011

How much: Rs 11-14 lakh

Audi has decided to bring its small car to India. Audi A1 is based on its parent firm's car Volkswagen Polo and is to be shorter than the Audi A3, but will have more length, width and height than the Mini Cooper.

Initially, Audi is reported to launch the compact car in four variants, viz 1.2L TFSI, 1.4L TFSI, 2.0 TDI and 1.6L TDI engine. The first two are petrol and last two are diesel engine. All the power-plants are smaller, turbocharged and have direct fuel injection system. The base petrol engine, 1.2 L TFSI is capable enough to produce 63 Kw of peak power while generates top torque of 160 Nm at 1500-3,500 rpm. The higher end petrol variant of the Audi A1 is powered by a 1.4L TFSI, four cylinder engine which easily pumps out 90 kW of maximum power and 200 Nm of peak torque at 1,500-4,000 rpm. The variant is to be loaded with standard six-speed manual transmission. The diesel variant of Audi A1 might be loaded with 1.6 TDI 16 valve engine that develops 77 kW of peak power and 250 Nm of top torque at 1500-2500 rpm. The variant is loaded with a five-speed manual transmission. There is a bit confusion for the second diesel engine. Some sources report that it will be a 2.0L TDI engine or others say that it will be another 1.6L TDI engine which is to produce more power.