Tata Aria Crossover selling at a special “December” discount of upto INR 2 Lakhs!

Tata Aria MPV Crossover

Sheer value for money; That is precisely what the Tata Aria Crossover is, especially with the “December” discount offer doled out by Tata dealers. Tata Motors dealers are now offering the Aria with a massive discount of up to INR 2 Lakhs. This discounted price includes a flat cash discount of INR 1.6 Lakhs along with an exchange bonus of INR 40 thousand. The base variant of the Aria 4X2 is now available for an ex-showroom price of INR 9.99 Lakhs. Tata Motors is calling this offer as the Tata Aria anniversary sale.

However, we feel that this “December” discount offered by Tata Motors is actually the price at which the 2 wheel drive Aria should have been priced in the first place. The Aria has stumbled to its lowest ever monthly sales last month, clocking just 140 units. So, this represents a good time for Tata Motors to reposition the Aria at a more attractive price to ensure that the Crossover begins selling to its true potential.

The Aria is Tata Motors’ flagship products and hence features a better fit and finish than any Tata car. Despite this, the Aria has not fired the imagination of Indian luxury crossover buyers mainly due to the high price at which it is positioned. The Aria originally debuted with a permanent all wheel drive system and a five speed manual transmission. The Aria featured the 140 Bhp-320 Nm 2.2 Liter DICOR engine from the Tata Safari.

A dual mass flywheel was added to this engine for better refinement when it made it into the Aria’s engine bay. Earlier this year, Tata Motors introduced a two wheel drive version of the Aria, and priced it much lower than the all wheel drive variant. Sales, however have slipped after showing initial promise on the back of the 2 wheel drive version’s launch. Tata Motors is also testing an automatic gearbox option for the Aria, which could be launched in the coming months.

Source: ICB 

2012 Tata Nano: A detailed preview

You do not need to step inside the 2012 Tata Nano to know that the vehicle has been given a complete makeover. The multiple color range that it has been provided with including unique colors, like Rouge Red and Papaya Orange, makes this statement as soon as you take a look at the vehicle.

Tata Nano 2012

The Exteriors:

Though the car has been launched as a low-budget hatchback, Tata Motors has not shied away from giving a stylish look to the 2012 Tata Nano. The bonnet, though small, gives a petite appearance to the car. However, other than the additional eight colors that the vehicle comes in, it is hard to identify any other features within the car exterior that are strikingly different from the previous model. The only major additions that have been provided to the exteriors of the vehicle is an additional rear-view mirror on the passenger side, which indeed is a sensible and essential addition. Also, the top end LX model has been provided with plastic wheel-caps.

The Interiors:

If you were getting a bit disheartened looking at the exteriors and thinking that it’s the same vehicle with minor adjustments, just open the door of the vehicle and the refreshing change provided to the interiors gives you the feel of stepping into an all-new car, altogether. It really seems that the authorities at Tata Motors have indeed been listening to their customers. The manufacturer has definitely taken a lot of pains in livening up the interiors. The LX model has been given a beige-colored dashboard with a central console and the gear knobs have been given a silver finish. With the seat fabric also being provided in beige, the cabin gets a feel that we all desired for. The standard version has been provided with graphite interior that exudes a lot of freshness. Similarly black is the chosen colour as far as the interior of the CX model is concerned. The two-toned door pads with deeper pockets are also a significant notch up from the initial model that had been introduced.

The other comfort feature that was definitely required, and hence is being appreciated greatly, is the provision of adjustable headrests in the front seats. Though these headrests have restricted movement, yet the development is significant as the earlier model just had a one-piece seat. The front seats also are more supportive to their occupants. As we move to the rear, we are again reminded of the huge space the Nano has packed inside, almost a size greater than all competitive budget hatchbacks. Comfort issues of the rear seat passengers have also been addressed with the height of the seat back being raised to provide better support to the shoulders.

Power and Mileage along with Driving Comfort:

The manufacturer has definitely put in work on the 624cc engine. Not only is it more fuel-efficient, the power has also been increased to 37BHp (the previous model was at 35BHp). Torque has also been raised to 5.2kgm. The Nano retains its city driving aspect and now offers increased fuel-efficiency of 25.4 km/liter (23.6km/liter was provided by the erstwhile model). The overall driving comfort have also been refined further as you experience less shocks while driving.

A complaint we always held while driving the erstwhile model of the Tata Nano was the heaviness of the steering when operating at a slow speed. The suspension has been definitely given a fair revision and the effect seems noticeable with the steering being a little lighter. However, some degree of effort is still required on the steering, particularly when parking the vehicle. Power steering is not something that one might see in the very near future. This has been addressed to a certain extent, though, with the tight-turning circle of the Nano, that enables you to weave through city traffic. The vehicle also has improved stability with the anti-roll bar provided at the front, doing its job well.

Pricing:

The best news among all these however is the fact that all the updates provided have not been accompanied with a corresponding increase in price. Ex-showroom pricing of Nano 2012 for Delhi is:

Standard Model - Rs.1.4 Lakh
CX Model - Rs.1.7 Lakh
LX Model - Rs.1.96 Lakh

Source:Indian Drives

Tata Nano clocks impressive sales of 6,401 in November 2011

Tata Nano 2012

When the Tata Nano was first launched more than a year ago, 20,000 units per month was what Tata Motors initially targeted for the Nano. Things however went awry with the Nano managing to sell not more than 3,000 to 4,000 units per month on an average, prompting analysts including us to question whether the Nano is dangerously close to becoming a sales flop. Things however seem to be looking up for the little car, spawned out of Ratan Tata’s dream of putting Indians on four wheels.

In November, amidst a gloomy economic climate even as the Indian GDP has failed to grow at even 7% on account of a sagging manufacturing sector, the Nano managed to clock over 6,401 units. Tata has been doling out attractive offers to push Nano sales and these measures could finally be yielding results even as the Nano seems to have made a decent comeback, after months of drooping sales.

Interior of Tata Nano 2012

Incidentally, November 2010, exactly a year ago was a time when the Nano slumped to its worst monthly sales ever, with 509 units, prompting Tata Motors to come up with a slew of corrective measures like a 4 year/60,000 Km warranty, zero downpayment schemes and a INR 99 month maintenance package. In November 2011, Tata has come up with a refreshed 2012 Nano, which is a vastly improved car compared to the previous iteration in many areas.

The 2012 Nano is not just faster and more responsive than the previous versions, but is also more frugal and upmarket. Apart from the revamped interiors, the 2012 Nano features a more softer exhaust note compared to the distinctive twin cylinder thrum that the first generation Nano had. In a sense, the 2012 Nano seems like what the Tata Indica V2 was. The big question now is whether the 2012 Nano could glorious comeback, just like the Indica V2 did almost a decade ago for the Indica brand. For a start, things look quite positive for the Nano.

Source: ICB

Jaguar Land Rover to develop Low Carbon Engines along with University of Bath

Jaguar Land Rover is to be a partner in a new centre working on the development of low carbon turbocharged engines at the University of Bath.



The £800,000 centre is carrying out its work in collaboration with Ford and Jaguar Land Rover, as well as turbocharger manufacturer Cummins Turbo Technologies.

It has been set up as part of the UK’s drive to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles by 2020 and to help deliver more environmentally-friendly fossil fuel technology before new fuel sources become widely available.

The new centre in Bath aims to develop new downsizing technologies that can be applied to both petrol and diesel engines, allowing them to reduce fuel consumption while still giving the performance of a large engine.

Dr Chris Brace, an automotive researcher from the powertrain and vehicle research centre, within the university’s department of mechanical engineering, said: “By incorporating turbocharging into smaller engines, we can maintain power while significantly decreasing the size of the engine and the amount of fuel required to run it.

“Working with leading vehicle manufacturers is essential to the knowledge transfer of this project - by improving the relationship between research and end users we hope to accelerate the uptake of downsizing technologies.”

The research will be carried out primarily through the new turbo centre in Bath, with additional work taking place through the project partners.



The project, funded by the three industrial partners, with match funding from the university, will be completed in January 2013.

Source: Birmingham Post

Details about 2015 Jaguar XK coming out

Bigger, faster and more luxurious, Jaguar reveals future of its next-generation XK

Thoughts at Jaguar HQ are turning to replacement for XK, Auto Express has learned.

Following the hugely successful response to the new CX-16, the firm is now beginning work on redesigning its top selling flagship coupe – and is believed to be on track to launch the car sometime late in 2015.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one company insider told Auto Express that the launch of the £97,000 XKR-S shows the likely direction the development team will take with the new car.

In an effort to lift it clear of the CX-16 – with which the model will share its aluminium construction and chassis design – the rear-wheel-drive XK will be bigger than the current model, offering larger rear seats and a more practical cabin.

“If the CX-16 is the sports car, the new XK will be the GT” said our source.

There’s still no word on the engine likely to power the car. However, with performance of the near-200mph XKR-S setting a benchmark, it’s unlikely that the car will be fitted with the hybrid V6 engine showcased by the CX-16.



Instead, the model could use either a development of the four-cylinder turbocharged and supercharged engine first shown in the CX-75 concept, or a new V8 hybrid that the firm is developing from its new V6.

Source: AutoExpress