Volkswagen already offering discounts on new Polo variants

The Volkswagen Polo GT TDI, CrossPolo and even the 1.6-litre petrol Vento all have discounts available on them.

Following the launch of the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI and Cross Polo earlier this year, the carmaker introduced another Polo variant in the form of the diesel-powered Polo GT TDI in September. And there’s good news in store for buyers interested in the new 1.6-litre diesel engine-equipped Polo. Just two months after the new car’s launch, Volkswagen dealerships are already offering the car with a flat Rs 25,000 discount.

What’s more, dealerships are also throwing in three years’ worth of insurance for free, along with three years of extended warranty and three years of free maintenance for the car. This scheme applies only if you buy the hatchback on loan though.

Some dealerships are also offering a Rs 15,000 cash discount on the Volkswagen Cross Polo to try and counter the poor demand for the hatchback in India.

The 1.2-litre turbo-petrol-powered Volkswagen Polo GT TSI, however, doesn’t have any discounts or schemes available on it.

We also found out that the 1.6-litre petrol variant of the Volkswagen Vento also has the same deals going on it as the Polo GT TDI, which is a Rs 25,000 discount, or three years’ worth of insurance, extended warranty and maintenance free if you buy the car on loan.

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Audi A4 Celebration edition launched

The Audi A4 Celebration edition comes with a lower price tag of Rs 25.99 lakh, fewer features and the 141bhp 2.0-litre TDI engine.

Audi has launched the Celebration edition A4, which essentially loses out on a few features and comes with a cheaper price tag of Rs 25.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India) compared to the standard A4.

The Audi A4 Celebration edition loses out on features like a sunroof, 17-inch alloys, cruise control, Audi Drive Select, electric wing mirrors, front parking sensors and the wood trim on the dashboard. The front passenger seat’s electronic adjustment function also gets deleted.

What it does come with, however, is features like Bi-Xenon headlamps, electrically adjustable driver's seat, three-zone airconditioning, eight airbags and rear parking sensors.

Powering the luxury car is the lower powered version of the 2.0-litre TDI engine that produces 141bhp and 32kgm of torque.

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Exclusive! Tata Falcon hatchback, compact saloon to debut at Auto Expo

New hatchback and compact saloon to replace Vista and Manza; debut of new petrol engine family.

Tata Motors will kick off its new product offensive with ‘Project Falcon’, which will spawn a new hatchback and sub-four-metre saloon based on the company’s existing X1 platform that underpins the current Vista and Manza.

However, according to company insiders, the Falcon siblings are essentially all-new vehicles and have "no resemblance to any existing Tata product”. In fact, Tata Motors is likely to drop the Vista and Manza names altogether, to drive home the point that these models represent a fresh innings for the company that has been badly struggling with an ageing and dry product pipeline. It is unlikely, however, that Tata Motors will use ‘Falcon’, which is just the project designation, as the market name for the new cars.

‘Falcon 4’ is the project code for the hatchback, which has been styled in Tata’s European design studio. It will eventually replace the Vista when it goes on sale towards the end of 2014 and will come with both diesel and petrol engine options. The 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet diesel is carried over from the Vista, but a new 1.2-litre turbo-petrol, based on the current Xeta engine, will debut in the Falcons. This engine will be the base motor in an engine family that Tata Motors is developing, which, in the future, will include larger-capacity engines and direct fuel injection.

‘Falcon 5’ is a new sub-four-metre saloon that will replace the current Manza and will be positioned above the existing Indigo eCS when it goes on sale next year. Again, this new saloon will use the Manza’s 89bhp, Fiat-sourced 1.3 diesel, but petrol power is likely to come from a more powerful version of the new 1.2 turbo-petrol, producing in excess of 100bhp. 

It’s likely that the Falcon 5 will be launched a couple of months before the hatchback (Falcon 4) and around the festive season next year. Both the Falcon cars will be unveiled at the Auto Expo next February.

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Skoda Octavia vs Volkswagen Jetta

Video Comparison

The new Skoda Octavia has been making waves since its launch in India but how does it fare head to head against its cousin the Volkswagen Jetta.

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KTM 390 Duke vs Kawasaki Ninja 300

The KTM 390 Duke and Kawasaki Ninja 300 form a pair of fierce rivals. So which one should you pick?

In the last year, motorcycle enthusiasts across India have been spoilt for choice, especially when it comes to deciding on affordable, yet sporty motorcycles. Much of this is thanks to Pune-based Bajaj Auto, a company that has brought Indians two high performance motorcycles, the KTM 390 Duke and Kawasaki Ninja 300. This duo is among the best lightweight sportsbikes money can buy today, bringing to the table a heady mix of up-to-date style, top-notch specifications and really strong performance for the class.

The 390 Duke and Ninja 300 fit their parts as modern day sportsbikes viewed from any angle. However, their basic philosophies are more akin to chalk and cheese. The butch 390 is a naked sporty streetbike, where the mean 300 is a sleeker, fully-faired and unabashedly track-focussed motorcycle.

In terms of engines, the 390 Duke and Ninja 300 once again stand poles apart. The KTM uses a 373.3cc, single-cylinder engine, while the Ninja 300 houses a 296cc, parallel-twin. Both motorcycles run liquid-cooled, with fuel-injection offered as standard. The KTM is the more powerful motorcycle, generating 43.5bhp at 9000rpm, while peak torque is 3.57kgm at 7000rpm. The Kawasaki engine revs higher, as is more fitting, and produces maximum power of 38.5bhp at 11000 rpm, with 2.8kgm of torque on supply at 10000rpm. Both engines are built to perform.

The 390 Duke comes with a forged piston and Nikasil-coated cylinder bore, along with an enhanced cooling system in India. Meanwhile, the Ninja 300 uses wide intake ports and valves, pistons with flat crowns and lightweight cylinders. The KTM and Kawasaki bikes both deploy close-ratio, six-speed gearboxes that shift in one-down, five-up patterns. The KTM is easier to pilot in the city, thanks to a relatively stronger bottom-end, while the Kawasaki needs to be wound up a bit more and performs best when pushed to high revs. The Duke and Ninja both provide robust mid and top-end performance.

It’s all about acceleration and speed. The 390 Duke is capable of dashing to 60kph from standstill in a scant 2.47 seconds, surpassing 100kph in 5.70sec, and 150kph in 16.14sec. The Kawasaki isn’t as snappy initially, getting past 60kph in 2.89sec, 100kph in 6.50sec, but pulling much of that back to bag a more favourable 16.51sec at 150kph. The KTM’s third gear gets the bike to 102kph, while fourth is good for 126kph, and fifth, 151kph. The Kawasaki does 112kph in third, while fourth goes up to 136kph and fifth 150kph. The 390 Duke and Ninja 300 are potent bikes that both breach 160kph. The KTM nudges 162kph when flat-out in top gear, while the faired-in Kawasaki manages a higher, true 168kph.

It’s evident the KTM 390 Duke and Kawasaki Ninja 300 are top of their game, with few rivals to speak of in their class.

Hard on the brakes, we found both bikes perform closely, the 390 (47.59m) being quicker than the 300 (50.28m) to stop from 100kph. The Kawasaki however does better slowing down from 60kph, to halt in 16.06m, where the 390 takes 16.56m.

At the end of the day, both bikes here offer evenly matched and top scores across parameters, except for their pricing. The KTM 390 Duke retails at a smashing, value-for-money Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), where the Kawasaki Ninja 300 sets you back a whopping Rs 3.50 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which cements the odds in favour of team Orange over team Green. The 390 in fact, makes a solid case for itself in providing riders more performance for this much money than any other motorcycle made in this class.

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Sachin, the car guy

Here's our tribute to the world's greatest batsman who has just hung up his pads.

The world is celebrating the phenomenon called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar as he hangs up his boots after being the bedrock of Indian cricket for 24 eventful years. While we look back with awe and wonder at his cricketing achievements, it is Sachin’s unbridled passion for cars that makes him extra special for us at Autocar India. The bond we share with Sachin the car nut, is based on this mutual love for cars. And for the past four years, in our September anniversary issues, the master has been sharing this passion with our readers. After driving with him in some of the quickest cars in tracks around Europe, we discovered his repertoire of drives is not restricted to the cricket field. 

Sachin is an acceleration junkie who feels the true measure of a sports car is by its 0-100kph time. His knowledge of 0-100kph times of various models will shock you. And when he says “This car is a 2.9, isn’t it?”, you know he is referring to seconds it takes the Catherham R500 to reach the ton. Yes, it’s spot on. In fact his knowledge of cars will astound the most serious petrolheads. And where do you think he gets his fix of car news and reviews? 

Sachin doesn’t just know about cars, he knows how to drive. And drive fast, seriously fast. Sitting shotgun with him in a McLaren MP4-12C, you realize that it is his reflexes and hand-eye coordination honed to whack 150kph balls into oblivion that make him comfortable with speed. Yet, the maturity with which he conducts himself on the cricket field is reflected behind the wheel too. No boy racer antics, no lurid power slides, just smooth measured movements as he builds up speed rapidly around the track at the Dunsfold airfield.
 

But it’s not just acceleration that Sachin looks for in a great car. The car has to sound good too. The aural experience is an important part of the car, so even the super-quick McLaren does not make it to his list. But that’s not the problem when he scorches the track in the supercharged 2-litre, 300bhp minimalistic Ariel Atom with its banshee like wail. It’s a car that he treats with the utmost caution. “I’m not going to push it. It’s got no traction control, so why take chances?” Despite his love of speed he is just not the type to get carried away. 

Earlier this year, Sachin joined us and eight winners of the BMW Dynamic1 contest at BMW’s test centre at Maisach for a day with the 315bhp M135i. The master blaster joined in as an ordinary participant, and by the end of the day everyone was as much in awe of his driving as his batting. “It seems that there is nothing that he cannot do”, opined one participant. How quick is Sachin? His lap time was just a few tenths slower that professional racing driver Armaan Ebrahim! In the end he said,” In spite of having driven for so many years, you still find out there is room for improvement”. Yes, it’s his constant desire to improve in whatever he does that makes Sachin the phenomenon he is. You become a master, by staying a student. 

After Sachin has played the last ball, and shed the weight of the expectations of a billion people he carried on his shoulder, he can finally spend time with his family and do all the things he enjoys. You might not see him in the field any more, but you are sure to find him on the track. 

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Mercedes-Benz to launch SLK 55 AMG on December 2

New SLK 55 AMG gets a 5.5-litre V8 engine that puts out 416bhp and 55kgm of torque.

Mercedes-Benz will launch the new SLK 55 AMG on December 2, 2013 in India.

The new SLK 55 AMG is powered by a 5.5-litre V8 engine that puts out 416bhp and 55kgm of torque. It comes mated to an AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic automatic transmission that has three driving modes – Controlled Efficiency (C), Sport (S) and Manual (M). 

It completes the 0-100kph dash in a claimed 4.6 seconds and goes on to an electronically limited top speed of 250kph.

The new Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG will come with the usual enhancements like an AMG body kit, 18-inch AMG wheels and AMG sport seats, among others.

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Volkswagen Jetta facelift coming soon

Minor updates in the form of new headlights and alloy wheels; to launch soon with a marginal increase in price.

The Volkswagen Jetta facelift will reach Indian showrooms soon. The facelift, although minor, comes a little more than two years after the second-generation Jetta was launched (August 2011) in India.

The refreshed Jetta is expected to get new headlights, similar to the ones seen on the current Passat, with LED daytime-running lamps, and new alloy wheels. On the inside, all variants of the Jetta will be equipped with automatic climate control, which is a good addition considering the current Jetta doesn’t have it as an option even on the higher variants.

As for the mechanicals, they’ll carry over unchanged, which means it’ll get the familiar 2.0-litre TDI engine and the 1.4-litre TSI petrol. Both come mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, while the diesel engine also comes with the option of a six-speed auto ’box.

Volkswagen will no doubt be aiming to put up a better fight against the new Skoda Octavia and the current segment leader, the Hyundai Elantra. Its sales have been nothing to write home about, with the Jetta selling a paltry 49 units in September, 2013. In comparison, the Hyundai Elantra found 358 new homes last month. When it is launched here, expect the refreshed Volkswagen Jetta to come with a marginal increase in price.

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New Honda City bookings open unofficially

Honda dealers have begun accepting bookings of the next-gen City unofficially. Deliveries likely to start from early to mid-January.

Honda is all set to unveil its new Cityglobally on November 25. Stocks of the current generation City have been almost exhausted at most dealerships, with some still offering a discount of up to Rs 40,000.

We spoke to a few dealers across the country and most reported receiving around 50-70 bookings each for the new Honda City. The booking amount varies from Rs 50,000- Rs 1 lakh, depending on the city. Deliveries are being promised to start from early to mid-January next year.

The new Honda City will be offered with the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine from the current car, improved for better refinement and economy here and the new, made-for-India, 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel motor that made its debut in the Amaze and saw a fair share of popularity here. The car is also expected to be marginally bigger and with more kit on offer.

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Sachin's Garage

As cricket’s most iconic batsman calls it an innings, we take a look at his garage to see what drives Sachin Tendulkar.

After 24 years, 456 ODI and 200 test matches, Sachin Tendulkar has finally hung up his pads. The God of cricket is hoping that the probing lights will dim a bit and he can spend a more time with his family and friends, doing other things he loves. And as Autocar India readers know, one of the things he loves other than cricket are cars. So it’s little wonder that his garage houses a collection that reflects his love of cars. Cars he will have more time to play with now. These are some seriously quick cars. After all we know Sachin’s measurement of quick is the 0 to 100km time. So let’s take a walk around his garage, and check out what’s lurking there .  

Even the slowest car in Sachin’s garage is one of the quickest diesel SUVs in the country -- a BMW X5 M50d. The M50d is not sold in India, and this is the only one in the country. It was specially imported by BMW for Sachin, since the maestro didn’t want to sacrifice performance even in an SUV. How quick is it? The 2993cc motor launches it from zero to 100kph in 5.3 seconds. 

For more formal occasions Sachin has a BMW 7-Series in his garage. Not just any Seven but the 760 Li. And not just any 760 Li but one with the Sachin Tendulkar logo, designed around a cricket ball, monogramed on the headrests and door sills. And just in case you thought that Sachin had sacrificed performance for luxury in this car here’s the news. This car is powered by a 12-cylinder 5972cc petrol engine that will rocket this luxury chariot to a 100kph in 4.6 seconds.

Sachin Tendulkar’s garage also houses BMW’s flagship four-door M6 Gran Coupe powered by a twin-turbo V8 4395cc petrol engine. This is a heinously fast car that will charge towards its limited 250kph top speed with the blinkered insanity of a raging elephant trampling past 100kph in 4.2 seconds. 

Sachin’s famous Ferrari 360 Modena used to do the same 0 to 100kph time. And with the M6’s performance entering sports car territory, Sachin needed a sports car that was quicker. So the 360 found a new home. And Sachin found himself a new car. 

 

Enter, the Nissan GT-R. A car that explodes from zero to 100kph in an unbelievable 2.9 seconds. Best of all for Sachin, it’s flamboyance lies only in it’s performance. The GTR’s desgn does not shout out its supercar underpinnings and attract the eyeballs a red Ferrari does. This allows him to sneak out for a drive without creating a traffic jam. 

 

We do not know how many kilometers these cars have clocked in their odometers so far. But what we do know is, now these cars will be clocking many more miles. For 24-years we have enjoyed his drives on the cricket field, now we wish him to enjoy his drives off it. 

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