The new platform will underpin Volvo's compact models; expected to debut in 2017.

Volvo has released details of its all-new platform, the Compact Modular Architecture or CMA. The platform is expected to underpin all future compact models from the Swedish manufacturer, with the first model using the platform expected to be revealed in 2017.

With the introduction of the CMA platform, all Volvos will be based around two platforms – the CMA for compact models and the SPA (Scalable Product Architecture) for its larger models. The CMA platform is expected to borrow components from the larger SPA platform that made its debut underpinning the second-gen XC90 SUV. Common components are expected to be combustion engines, plug-in hybrid hardware, as well as components related to the infotainment, climate, data network and safety systems.

The manufacturer states that the CMA platform will allow it to offer compact car customers the same engineering benefits as the owners of its larger premium vehicles underpinned by the SPA platform. The CMA platform will also form the basis of a new twin-engine, hybrid set-up and will allow Volvo to replace all its models in the international market in the next four years.

The all-new platform is expected to make its debut underpinning either the next-gen Volvo V40 or an all-new compact SUV, the XC40. Meanwhile, the larger SPA architecture will expand to a second model, the currently under development S90 sedan –  a replacement for the current S80 sedan.

Courtesy : Autocar

Maruti has launched the Ciaz RS which is a special variant of the popular sedan at Rs 9.20 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 10.28 lakh for the diesel model (both prices ex-showroom Delhi).The Maruti Ciaz RS gets new interior colour and cosmetic updates

With the festive season on the anvil, Maruti Suzuki plans to not miss out on the action. Maruti launched the Ciaz RS, which is a new variant of its popular sedan. The special variant of the Ciaz has been priced at Rs 9.20 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 10.28 lakh for the diesel model (both prices ex-showroom Delhi).The new Maruti Ciaz RS gets black interiors to set it apart from the standard variant while the instrument panel gets grey chrome finish. On the exterior front the Maruti Ciaz RS gets equipped with a spoiler pack that includes – front under spoiler, side under spoiler, trunk lid spoiler and rear underbody spoiler. The Ciaz RS will be offered with petrol and the recently launched diesel hybrid options. 

Speaking about the car, R  S Kalsi, Executive Director (Marketing and Sales), Maruti Suzuki said: “Ciaz has emerged as one of our strong brands. It has enabled us to strengthen our position in the mid-size premium sedan segment. Brand Ciaz has been appreciated by customers for denoting high style, being feature-rich and offering best in class mileage in both petrol and diesel options. Further, the introduction of smart hybrid diesel and safety features such as dual airbags and ABS in base variants has enhanced the reputation of Ciaz. For customers who love Ciaz and want something even more distinctive and stylish, Ciaz RS is irresistible”. 

The Maruti Ciaz is the first car in its segment to offer SmartPlay Infotainment system while also being the most fuel efficient diesel car on sale in the country. Maruti Claims that the new Ciaz RS has a mileage of 29.09kmpl. On the safety front, the Maruti sedan gets ABS and dual airbags even on the base variant. The Maruti Ciaz RS will be offered in the following shades Pearl Snow White, Metallic Silky Silver, Pearl Midnight Black, Pearl Metallic Dignity Brown, Metallic Glistening Gray, Metallic Clear Beige, and Pearl Sangria Red. Till date Maruti has sold over 56,000 units of the Ciaz in the country within a year of its launch and it competes against the likes of the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento in our four-wheeler market. 

Courtesy : Zigwheels

Volvo has revealed its global electrification strategy which will see it develop a range of hybrid cars and a fully electric car for sale by 2019.

Volvo's Global Electrification Strategy will begin locally with the launch in 2016 of the T8 Twin Engine All-Wheel Drive plug-in hybrid version of the Volvo XC90. Volvo plans to introduce plug-in hybrids across its entire range over the coming years, culminating in a full electric car on sale by 2019.

The first element of the new electrification strategy involves the introduction of plug-in hybrid versions of its 90 series and 60 series larger cars, based on the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture. The XC90, as mentioned, will be the first vehicle to get the plug-in hybrid treatment, with the S90 following after that. Volvo Cars will also broaden the range of plug-in hybrid cars it offers with the introduction of a new front-wheel drive Twin Engine variant.

Kevin McCann, Managing Director of Volvo Car Australia, said: “We believe that the time has come for electrified cars to cease being a niche technology and enter the mainstream. We are confident that in two years’ time, 10 per cent of Volvo’s sales in Australia will be electrified cars. We believe plug-in hybrid cars offer customers the best combination of efficiency, range and convenience.

“Our All-New XC90 T8 Twin Engine, to be launched in Q1 2016, will be one of the cleanest and most powerful 7-seater SUV on the market. It will deliver over 300 kilowatts equivalent and just 49 g/km CO2, plus a pure electric range of 43 km, an industry leading 2.1 l/100 km in fuel economy and reaching 100 km/h in just 5.6 seconds.”

This combination of power, efficiency and environmental friendliness will be the hall marks in all of Volvo Cars’ forthcoming electrified models.

“We have learned a Replica Rolex Day Date lot about how people use cars with electrification,” Mr McCann said. “Our research has shown that people are driving Volvo’s Twin Engine cars in electric mode around 50 per cent of the time, meaning our plug-in hybrids already offer a real alternative to conventional powertrain systems.

“With around 40 years of experience in the field of electrification, Volvo Cars has learned a lot about battery management along the way, delivering the best range per kilowatt hour in the industry. We have come to a point where the cost versus benefit calculation for electrification is now almost positive. Battery technology has improved, costs are going down, and public acceptance of electrification is no longer a question,” Mr McCann added.

Courtesy : MSN Replica Rolex Sea-Dweller

The Scrambler 400 will gets its chassis and styling from the current model; might be launched at EICMA 2015.

When it was launched, the Ducati Scrambler immediately got everyone's attention. However, as Ducati does with almost all its motorcycles, it needed to have a younger (or older) sibling. And that's exactly the path the manufacturer seems to be on.

Ducati is working on a smaller version of the Scrambler, and will be giving it a 400cc engine. From what we know so far, this smaller Ducati will get its chassis and styling from the current one, and even the engine will have its roots in the larger V-twin one. Although in all probability the chassis could be made lighter on this smaller motorcycle.

As announced earlier, the Italian manufacturer has nine new models in the works, including the recently unveiled hooligan, the Monster 1200 R. Ducati also said that it is planning on revealing the remaining eight models at the EICMA 2015, a few weeks from now, and we can expect them to showcase the Scrambler 400 there.

The Scrambler on sale right now is brought in as a CKD kit, and retails for Rs 6.7 lakh. We can only wait to see how Ducati prices its younger sibling.

Courtesy : Autocar

Say hello to the next big thing from Maruti Suzuki which has had its worldwide Replica Rolex Daytona unveil at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This is going to be one of the most important launches from Maruti Suzuki this year simply for the fact that the premium hatch space is growing unlike any other so this was a segment which Maruti Suzuki was going enter sooner rather than later. Here it is then and it will be called as Baleno (thus bringing back an old name) with an India launch on October 26th which means we are getting it first. Read on for our first India drive review.

1) How does it look?

While styling is subjective there is no doubt that the Baleno is an attractive design and pretty much the best we have we have seen yet from the car-maker. A premium hatchback has to look the part and the Baleno does that with a design that is a tad conservative but classy nevertheless. What also goes in favour of the Baleno is that in the flesh it looks a bit bigger than its direct rivals and has lots of presence. The design theme is liquid flow and there are some clear typical Suzuki design details but they have been cleverly moulded together to form a handsome and pleasing shape that will appeal to all.

The front-end is the best angle where the HID projector headlamps with LED DRLs blend in well with that unique Y-shaped grille and the chrome is also just the right amount. The side view is interesting and that is where you can gauge the size of the Baleno plus the raked C-pillar gives it a nice, low stance. The Baleno is a big hatch thus 16 inch wheels feel right with the 15 inch ones looking a bit too small for the car. A big talking point in the new Baleno is the fact that it has the new platform which makes it lighter and stronger plus we may add that in terms of build quality it feels the best from Maruti with both paint finish and overall build being very good.

2) Want to know about the interiors now...

Step inside and for once there is no boring beige as the black interiors looks way more tasteful plus being more sporty for sure. Move your eyes around and spend some time, then you will spot some bits and pieces of other Maruti cars but they are overshadowed by the fact that the centre console and the instruments are the clear big highlights here.

The Baleno gets a multi-information speedo with a 4.2 inch TFT which displays a myriad of info like power/torque, average FE etc. The other bit is the centre of attention as the top-end trim levels gets the 7-inch touchscreen display with has Apple CarPlay. Of course there is also the MirrorLink where you can connect your smartphone but before you ask Android Auto will also come in later which is good.

The Apple CarPlay works very well though and of course with Siri voice control it gets a whole lot better where you can do many things i.e. make calls, listen to music etc. The responsive touchscreen display and the various functions mentioned earlier is reason enough for Replica Rolex Cellini us to say that the top-end trim level is the best buy. Of course there also also features like steering mounted audio controls, push button start/stop, reverse parking camera etc.

There are no rear ac vents but the cabin is cooled down quick enough to not warrant them. Safety, needless to say is important and Maruti is offering ABS with EBD with dual airbags as standard which to us is reason enough to buy the Baleno!

In terms of space Maruti Suzuki needs to be lauded as the Baleno is incredibly spacious at the rear with excellent legroom with decent headroom and also at the front the seats are quite comfy. There are also enough storage spaces including space to store 1 litre bottles in the door trims. The new Baleno has a 339 litre boot which is good for a hatch.

3) How does it drive?

The Baleno comes with two engine options and two gearbox options. There is the 1.2 petrol with 83 bhp and 115Nm and the 1.3 diesel with 74 bhp and 190Nm. A 5-speed manual is standard though there is the option of the CVT in the petrol. We drove both the petrol manual as well as the diesel manual for most of the time considering that these would be the popular variants but we did squeeze in some time with the CVT.

An AMT was not in consideration at all considering that this is a premium hatch instead Maruti went the CVT route which is good as it is a lot better than the other current Maruti automatics. In the city, the CVT is very smooth and responsive which is what matters but pile on the revs and it gets a bit noisy but as said earlier people who would buy would do for the convenience that it offers. Though we wish Maruti also makes the CVT available in other trim levels as currently it is only available in Delta variant.

Enthusiasts will like the petrol manual though and that is also our choice as this engine is a delight. It is a fact that Maruti knows a thing or two about making punchy petrol motors and this is no different plus as said earlier the new platform makes the Baleno lighter than the Swift. Thus it feels agile and eager with the 5-speed manual being precise and quite slick in its operation which means you do not mind working the gearbox to extract the best out of this motor.

So what about the diesel? The engine is of course the much loved 1.3 diesel but sans the SHVS tech so it is the Swift diesel engine which is no bad thing as again the weight factor comes into focus. The characteristics are similar like a bit of turbo-lag at the start and then the strong mid-range which does give the Baleno strong performance which enables it to get to triple digit speeds with ease. However we do think that the Baleno could do with a 6-speed gearbox. 

In terms of handling it is nearly as much fun as the Swift which is very good indeed. The steering is light but direct and there is not much body roll. More good news is the excellent high speed stability and the ride. Yes, in the area of ride quality the Baleno is a big leap forward from current Maruti hatches as it swallowed the bad roads with ease.

4) Kitna deti hai?

Ah, yes, the answer is 21.4 kmpl for the petrol (manual and CVT figures are the same) and 27.39 kmpl for the diesel.

Final thoughts?

No doubt the Baleno is an impressive product especially when compared with its direct competition. What we like is that while the agility and all things we loved about the Swift have been given here, also along with that there is a healthy dose of style, features and a good ride which makes it a complete package. The first premium hatch from Maruti does everything well and buyers will flock to the NEXA showrooms no doubt because of the looks, features and impressive quality all around.

However as we know pricing is the key factor and here to wipe out its competition, Maruti needs to give it aggressive pricing and given that the Baleno has everything in its arsenal to be the king of the premium hatch space.

Courtesy : MSN