Small looks cute and beautiful. It also drinks less fuel. Small cars account for 80 per cent of the Indian domestic market and exports are still managing to keep a decent pace. After realising this fact, no multinational companies is ready to ignore it.
Skyrocketing fuel costs and general recessionary trends are compelling carmakers overseas to move away from big cars to compact cars, opening a huge business opportunity for domestic and international carmaker in India such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, GM, Ford, Toyota, etc. India has become the world's second-largest maker of small cars, overtaking Brazil. Japan remains the world's biggest small car manufacturer.
So at the upcoming 2010 AutoExpo, the innings would be kicked off by GM India with its Beat - the 5-door hatchback car to be made available in three variants, Base, LS and LT, to be powered by a 1.2 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that would be churning out a power output of 79bhp@ 6200rpm and deliver a torque of 106Nm @ 4400rpm. Rumoured to be having an ARAI certified fuel efficiency figure of 18.6 kmpl, it is also expected to be one of the safest cars in its class with a Euro NCAP safety rating of 4 stars. Unlike overseas markets, the upcoming minicar will coexist with the current Spark (based on the M200 platform) and will be rolled out from its Talegaon plant in Maharashtra.
On the same time, Volkswagen's first made-in-India car ‘Polo’ will be unveiled.It is highly likely that the car will be offered with a 1.2-litre petrol engine (to qualify for lower excise duties), though a 1.6-litre TDI diesel might also be offered at a later stage. Once launched in the Indian market, Polo could be priced in the range of Rs. 5.5-6.5 lakh, and it’s highly likely that the car will not be as well-equipped as its European sibling, in order to keep prices competitive.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. (TKM) announced today that it will display 14 production and concept vehicles at the 10th Auto Expo in Delhi to be held at Pragati Maidan from January 5 to 11, 2010. Toyota Kirloskar Motor will launch its small car by the end of 2010 from its Bangalore plant.
Following its cues from other global auto Nissan Motor Company is all set to earmark Indian operations as its low-cost small car hub. Amidst its global restructuring plan, Nissan Motor Company has kept its investment plans for India unchanged and the production of its first compact cars (beginning with Micra) in the country will begin by next year. The company which will start exporting 110,000 units in FY 11 and 180,000 units in future is planning to export vehicles from India to more than 100 countries. It is to be mentioned that a major chunk of exports has been earmarked for the European markets, including UK.
Honda Motor's small car codenamed 2CV is another car being made for India. This car will be launched by 2011-12. Honda is looking at new models to further accelerate its market share in India. It is widely believed the 2CV may come with a 1.1 litre Ivtec petrol engine. The car is likely to be built at the company’s new plant in Tapukara.
Similarly, Korean auto giant, Hyundai Motor Company will invest around Rs. 800 crore (Rs. 8 billion) to develop a small car for the Indian market that will be launched by 2012. The car will be smaller than the Santro will be rolled out at its Chennai plant. The car which is in the design stage will also be exported.
Fiat India has also announced its plans to cash in on the rising demand for small cars in India to generate more sales. The prototypes of the car, which is being designed in Turin, will hit the roads in a year. The proposed small car, expected by 2011, will be rolled out from its Ranjangaon facility. The car which will be launched in 2011 would have an engine capacity of 700-1,000 cc. The company is conducting trials to make sure that the cars suits Indian requirements and offers a good mileage.
It was reported very recently that Renault-Nissan is building a passenger car plant in Chennai with a capacity to make 400,000 units a year. Renault, Nissan Motor Co and Bajaj will launch a low-cost car in India in 2012, which is likely to be priced closed to the Tata Nano. While Bajaj will take over the design and manufacturing, Renault and Nissan would take care of marketing in India and overseas.
At the same time, don't miss the small car tagged as Made In India which is going to ne unvelied at the 2010 AutoExpo. One can expect a significant amount of euphoria about these small cars and their future.
source: wheelsunplugged
