Hyundai HCD-14 four-door coupe concept at 2013 Detroit Motor Show

What is the Hyundai HCD-14 concept?


Hyundai has taken the covers of its slinky new four-door coupe prototype – the HCD-14 Genesis concept – at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show. Anyone out there looking for Audi A7 style motoring on a budget take note.

Toyota launches new version of `Fortuner’

New Delhi:

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has said it has launched a new variant of sports utility vehicle Fortuner in five—speed automatic transmission, priced between Rs 22.33 lakh and Rs 22.93 lakh (ex—showroom, Delhi)


“Further adding to Fortuner’s strength of unmatched road presence and luxury, we have now introduced the five—speed automatic transmission... The five—speed AT will further add to the drive quality and comfort,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director and COO (Marketing and Commercial) Sandeep Singh said in a statement.

Besides, the car maker has also decided to produce the Fortuner TRD Sportivo regularly that was introduced as a limited edition in October last year, he added.

“Looking at the overwhelming response and its popularity, we have now regularised this grade for all those looking for a unique sporty image. The bookings will open starting January 18, 2013,” Singh said.

The TRD Sportivo variant is priced at Rs 21.97 lakh (ex—showroom, Delhi).

First take on 2013 Detroit auto show - Sports cars trump EVs

Detroit: The message from automotive CEOs at the opening of this year's Detroit auto show is deceptively simple: Sports cars are hot, electrics are not

As General Motors Corp CEO Dan Akerson unveiled a new 450-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette and Fiat SpA CEO Sergio Marchionne extolled the Italian automaker's $130,000 (80,810 pounds) Maserati Quattroporte luxury sedan, their counterpart, Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Japan's Nissan Motor Co, announced a stunning $6,000-plus price cut on the slow-selling Nissan Leaf electric vehicle.

Despite that hiccup, executives generally seemed upbeat about the mood of the U.S. auto industry as it enters a fourth year of recovery from the 2009 meltdown and bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler. "Without trying to read tarot cards and tea leaves, 2013 is structurally going in the right direction. It will be the best year on record since I've been here," said Fiat's Marchionne, whose company was handed control of Chrysler four years ago.

If U.S. consumers' views of green cars remains sceptical, their unabated appetite for performance and luxury models is widely evident on the show floor at Detroit's Cobo Centre, even to industry officials from overseas.


'The U.S. auto market has revitalized itself with amazing speed and dynamism,' said Matthias Wissmann, head of Germany's carmaker association (VDA). 'The fascination of the car is again alive and well in the U.S.'

Part of that fascination is being driven by foreign brands such as Maserati, like Chrysler part of the Fiat group. But not every out-of-town executive is sanguine about prospects in the U.S. market. The Detroit show has lost its lustre for Lamborghini, the Italian supercar maker owned by Volkswagen AG, which quit the most significant U.S. auto show after 2009.

'For us, a return to the show isn't on the agenda at the moment,' CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in an interview, noting the scarcity of Lamborghini customers in and around the Detroit area. 'You have to spend your marketing budget wisely. The Detroit show isn't marked red in our calendar.'

Still, the United States remains Lamborghini's biggest market where the brand boosted sales 53 percent last year and will premiere its new Aventador roadster at a special event in Miami in early February, the CEO said.


Not quite in the same league as Lamborghini, but drawing considerably more interest from the hometown crowd, is the new 2014 Corvette, which goes on sale later this year.

'It's got a little bit of the Ferrari 599 in the front, a little bit of the Nissan GTR on the side, and a little bit of the (Chevrolet) Camaro in the back - elements from exotic cars blended into a package that is much more modern and aggressive than the previous generations of the Corvette,' said veteran designer Naga Tandjung, who was worked for Ford, GM and BMW.

On the show's first media preview day, GM elicited much attention, not only for the new Corvette, but for its redesigned pickup trucks, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. And a jury of U.S. and Canadian journalists on Monday recognized GM's Cadillac ATS as the 2013 North American Car of the Year.

Another new Cadillac, the 2014 ELR plug-in hybrid, will be unveiled at the show Tuesday. But its potential appeal to consumers may be driven as much by the car's luxury trappings and sporty styling as by its gasoline-electric drivetrain, which the ELR shares with the Chevrolet Volt.

The ELR, which is expected to be priced from $60,000 to $70,000, is one of the few overtly green cars being introduced at this year's event. At the opposite end of the pricing spectrum, the 2013 Nissan Leaf is being repositioned as one of the most affordable electric cars in the United States, with a new starting price below $30,000. Now that the car and its battery pack are being assembled locally to benefit from the weaker U.S. dollar, 'we are making the consumer benefit as soon as possible from the cost reduction,' Ghosn said.

Bucking the general apathy toward green cars is Toyota Motor Corp, which is featuring a variety of new hybrid models on its show stand and said sales of its gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles climbed 7 percent to 350,000, more than two-thirds of them wearing the Prius badge.

Bajaj launches Discover 100T

Hyderabad: Bajaj Auto Ltd today said that it has gained a market share of 2 per cent to touch 26 per cent during the nine months of this fiscal and expects to increase it further with new models


While launching its latest bike Discover 100T here, K. Srinivas, President of Bajaj Auto, said the company plans to launch more models during the year.

The Discover 100T is priced at Rs 51, 645 (ex-showroom) in Hyderabad. Introduction of four major products this fiscal has helped add volumes and market share and the new products will help sustain and grow the company’s market share further, he said.

Ford India to offer discounts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra

Chennai: In order to cash in on the harvest festival in Tamil Nadu (Pongal) and Andhra Pradesh (Makar Sankranti), car maker Ford India is offering buyers in these two states discounts between January 12 and 14.


"Ford India will offer benefits like free insurance and discounts on all its models. While customers can save up to Rs 25,500 on the New Figo, offers up to Rs 34,500 on Ford Classic, up to Rs 72,000 on the Global Fiesta, and up to Rs 81,000 will be available on the Ford Endeavour," according to a statement issued by the company Friday:

Ford India's dealerships in the two southern states will sport festive decorations during the promotion and welcome customers into the showrooms to experience the Ford vehicles first hand and take test drives.

Chevrolet Sail Sedan to be showcased at Detroit Motor Show

As another year dawns upon us, new car products will be unveiled one after the other
The North American International Auto Show is scheduled to be held in Detroit and some of the most prestigious names like Corvette, Imapala and Malibu would be seen presenting their cars there. Along with these brands, Chevrolet Sail will also be presented.

Apart from the Chevrolet Sail sedan, General Motor will also be showcasing three of its recent compact cars, which include Onix and Spin. These two cars will be competing with Orlando and Trax. According to the firm, Spin is already doing quite well in the Brazilian car market and is going to be manufactured in Indonesia at its Bekasi Plant.

During this year, Spin will hit the Indonesian and Thailand car market.

Coming back to Sail, this car will be the first passenger car that will be totally manufactured in China by a Sino-Foreign JV, which is basically exported to Chile, Bolivia, and Peru.

On the other hand, in India, Ecuador and Colombia, the car will imported in CKD kits from China and would be assembled in the respective plants.For Chevrolet Onix, which is a compact hatchback has been developed particularly for Brazil. The specialty of the car is that is comes with the Chevrolet MyLink Infotainment system, which makes it the first one to have in the segment.

For India, General Motors had showcased the Chevrolet Sail hatchback at the 11th Auto Expo last year in Delhi. Now, the company will be displaying Sail sedan at the Detroit show.

Therefore, we could very well see that the Sail sedan launch in India is quite far away. But, as Indian car bazaar is one of the most thriving one, it might see the sunshine here soon!