The updated Land Cruiser gets refreshed styling, more equipment and additional paint shades.

Toyota has launched the updated Land Cruiser 200 in India. The premium luxury SUV comes with styling updates to the exterior and interior along with a host of safety features.

Up front, the Land Cruiser 200 facelift gets a large three-bar chrome grille with a chrome surround that is stretched out to under the headlamps. The headlamps are new, while the bumper has been restyled and the fog lamp housing now comes with chrome inserts. The bonnet has also been redesigned and features dual power bulges, further accentuating the SUV's muscular look. At the rear, the new tail-lamps are joined by a bar of chrome that comes emblazoned with the 'Land Cruiser' name.

Inside, the dashboard and centre console have been revised. The refreshed Land Cruiser gets a new instrument cluster with a larger multi-information display. The centre console is dominated by a larger infotainment screen flanked by large air-con vents with chrome surround. The control surfaces along the centre console have also been revised, and the steering wheel is new. The third row gets a centre headrest to accommodate an additional passenger. The Land Cruiser 200 continues to be powered by a 4.5-litre V8 diesel engine which churns out 281bhp and 66kgm of torque.

The updated SUV is priced at Rs 1.29 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). Toyota offers a warranty of 3 years / 100,000km whichever is earlier, on the Land Cruiser 200.

Courtesy : Autocar

Already launched in the international market, the 2016 Toyota Fortuner will only make its way to India late next year

Earlier this year in August, Toyota took the wraps off the 2016 Fortuner and launched it in the international market a few months later. Since then there have been a lot of speculations about when the model will make its way to Indian shores. ZigWheels.com recently learnt that the Japanese car maker will only bring it to India towards the end of 2016. 

Just like the current generation model, Toyota will continue to produce the 2016 Fortuner at its plant in Bangalore. Toyota is currently in fake watches sale talks with vendors and is concentrating on localisation of the product prior to the launch next year. However, they are still to finalise as to how much of the car will be locally produced, keeping in mind Toyota’s global quality standards. Toyota Motor Corporation has allocated enough funds to the Indian sub-division for future offerings like the 2016 Fortuner and the 2016 Innnova. 

Toyota has already launched the 2016 Fortuner in Thailand. Aside from having an all new design, the 2016 Fortuner gets a new 2.8-litre direct injection four-pot turbocharged motor that will produce 177PS of power. The 2016 Fortuner too will come with a manual and an automatic gearbox option producing 420Nm and 450Nm respectively. 

While Toyota will bring the new Fortuner late last year, Ford too has launched the new Endeavour in the international market and is expected to launch it in India in the first quarter of 2016. Mitsubishi will also be bringing in the new Pajero Sport. Meanwhile, the first manufacturer to make the move in this segment is Chevrolet as they launched the Trailblazer last week. 

Courtesy : Zigwheels cheap replica watches

Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of Renault and Nissan says that India will play a crucial role in next mid-term plan.

In a global media interaction session held at the Tokyo Motor show 2015, Renault and Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn revealed that the two companies planned to focus more attention on the Indian market in the next mid-term plan.

India is becoming a major attractor for multinational companies with the market being seen as one of the most promising in the emerging BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) markets.

“Among the large markets of the world, India is the market with the highest growth in 2015. It will end up seeing a 7-8 percent growth. We think it will continue. We can envision India will be in the top level of growth among the large markets for the next 2-3  years," Ghosn said in response to a query from our sister publication Autocar Professional.

This is in contrast to the Russian market which has seen a 50 percent fall in the last three years and the Brazilian market which has witnessed a 40 percent fall in the last two years. The growth rate in China has also started to slow down as well.

“For all carmakers, India is becoming more and more important because there’s growth and two car manufacturers having 70 percent of market share. So, everybody thinks there’s opportunity here. Atleast the small guys thing they can do a better job. And we are part of the small guys,” added Ghosn.

Renault recently launched the Kwid entry-level hatchback in India, with the small car garnering a lot of interest with bookings for the small car crossing 25,000 within a few weeks of its launch. The CMF-A platform underpinning the hatchback is expected to give rise to a new model in Nissan’s line-up under the Datsun brand with the new entry-level hatchback expected to be launched in India in March 2016 to celebrate the brand’s anniversary. Nissan is also learnt to be tweaking its strategy for the Indian market the results of which are expected to kick in in the coming three to four years.

Ghosn also said that since the global automobile industry’s growth was expected to be reach stagnation in the coming years, the two companies were looking to enhance its efforts in India and South Africa and also look towards developing newer markets.

Courtesy : Autocar

The new Discovery is expected to be powered by a family of four- and six-cylinder Ingenium engines; to share platform with the Range Rover.

British automaker Land Rover has started testing the next-gen Discovery on international roads. Previewed by the Land Rover Vision concept that debuted at the New York motor show in 2014, the new model, to be called the Discovery 5, in line with previous models is expected to be based on the platform used by the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, making it lighter than its predecessor.

In terms of styling, the spy pictures display a front-end styling similar to the new Discovery Sport while the overall styling of the Discovery is less boxy than its predecessor. Inside, the new Discovery is expected to feature the use higher quality materials along with getting the company’s latest infotainment system and head-up display. The cabin is expected to be offered in five- and seven-seat layouts.

The Discovery 5 is expected to be powered by a family of four- and six-cylinder Ingenium engines along with the possibility of a hybrid powertrain combining a 2.0-litre Ingenium engine with an electric motor to drive the wheels.

The next-gen Discovery  is expected to make its debut sometime in 2016. There is also a possibility of a hard-core off-roading model developed by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations division, badged Discovery SVX, expected to follow around a year later.

Courtesy : Autocar

The Baleno is the second Maruti Suzuki model to be sold from their Nexa dealerships. Positioned as a premium hatchback, can the Baleno live the Nexa dream for Maruti Suzuki?

Right from the time Maruti Suzuki established a name in the Indian market with the SS80 and its successors, it has been perceived as a people’s brand. In fact, with the onset of the 90’s the brand almost became synonymous with cars in India altogether. Numbers were sky rocketing and sales executives at Maruti dealerships didn’t need to break a sweat to ‘sell’ cars. 

While Maruti Suzuki was enjoying the success that it had managed to achieve with its entry-level cars, buying power and demands of the consumers were gradually increasing as more manufacturers started entering the Indian market. Maruti Suzuki however continued to do what they knew best and efficiently at that. Little did they know that the brand image that they worked so hard to build will be the one that they would want to shake off. 

Soon enough there was a demand for premium offerings and despite brining in cars like the Baleno sedan, Grand Vitara and the Kizashi, Maruti Suzuki was unable to establish itself as a premium car maker. The SX4 was a car that did manage to put a foot in the door for Maruti Suzuki, but unfortunately, that was all it could achieve. Its successor though, the Ciaz, since the time of its launch has helped the cause further. 

Recently though, Maruti Suzuki decided to take a different approach altogether. With the launch of the S-Cross, the Manesar-based car maker introduced a new range of Nexa dealerships that would cater exclusively to their premium cars. But considering its niche, the S-Cross isn’t quite the car that would establish Maruti Suzuki’s name in the list of premium car makers either. Enter, the new Baleno hatchback. 

With cars like the Hyundai Elite i20, the Honda Jazz and the Volkswagen Polo in the market, Maruti Suzuki knew that it had to bring in a fabulous product to make place for itself. So Maruti Suzuki played it smart and developed a car that looks like an evolution of the Swift. And just to be sure, they plunked it with powerplants that have proven its mettel in the test of time. But these are not the only factors that define a premium hatchback. 

In the Baleno, Maruti Suzuki has maintained high standards in terms of quality. The all-black cabin looks upmarket and although a lot of its parts have been carried forward from some of its other models, the overall quality has not been compromised. Seats are well bolstered and the knee room at the back is quite impressive too. And then let’s not forget the long list of features. From automatic climate control, colour TFT information screen and a 4.2-inch touch screen with a rear parking camera to keyless entry, push button start, USB and AUX ports the Baleno gets it all. 

Even if it is slotted in the premium hatchback segment, the sales of a product have a lot depending on the price. By undercutting the base price of arch rivals Hyundai Elite i20 and the Honda Jazz, Maruti Suzuki has managed to tick that box too. In fact, even the top-end diesel Baleno is priced at par with the Elite i20 and considerably cheaper than the Jazz. Let's also not forget that the Baleno is considerably cheaper than the S-Cross and falls in a very popular segment, which means the Nexa dealerships will now be getting more footfalls too. 

So, to answer the question we first asked, does the Maruti Suzuki Baleno live the Nexa dream? With a strong product that offers a lot for its price, reliable power plants and most importantly has the ‘Maruti bharosa’ going for it, we sure think it does. In fact, it wouldn't be too bold to say, the Baleno is the most promising product Maruti Suzuki has brought in to step into the premium space.