Honda Accord Hybrid, the Japanese automaker's much-awaited sedan, will be launched in India on 25 October. Additionally, Honda Cars India has also now made the Accord Hybrid available for bookings across its dealerships across the country. Currently in its 9th generation, the Honda Accord first arrived in India in 2008 with a rather hefty price tag and was discontinued after nearly 5 years due to the lack of sales.

Honda's only hybrid model in India, the Accord will come sporting a lean stance, complemented by the chrome-laced grille, re-designed bumpers, and sharp-looking head-lamps with an LED strip. Inside, it is expected to receive provisions such as a new 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, reverse parking camera, Apple CarPlay support, and 6 airbags.

The Honda Accord Hybrid will come powered by a 2.0-litre iVTEC engine along with twin electric motors, which will be linked to an E-CVT unit and a 1.3 kW lithium ion battery. While the petrol engine develops 141bhp, the Accord Hybrid's combined power output stands at roughly 196bhp with a maximum torque of over 300Nm. It must be noted, Honda will also launch a petrol model of the Accord in India.

The Honda Accord Hybrid, expected to receive a price tag of about ₹ 28 lakh, will face competition from the Toyota Camry Hybrid in India.

Source : Honda Accord Hybrid Now Available For Bookings; Launch Details Revealed

NEW DELHI: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki BSE 0.13 % India today announced crossing the milestone of 15 lakh vehicles in its cumulative exports.

"These vehicles have been exported to over 100 countries including Europe, Latin America and Africa. Early this year, the company's premium hatchback Baleno, manufactured exclusively in India, became the first car to be exported from India to Japan," the company said in a statement. 

MSI had started exports to Europe in 1987-88, when a small number of cars were sent to Hungary.

"Thereafter, exports have grown at a steady pace, as new models and markets were added from time to time. Although exports business is inherently subject to economic and policy changes in the destination countries, the company has been able to maintain an upward trend in exports over the years," it said.

MSI Managing Director and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said: "Maruti Suzuki has consistently maintained a presence in international markets, regularly offering new products and reaching out to new countries. Our products like Zen, A-Star, Maruti 800 and Alto have made a mark overseas, including in the most competitive markets of Europe.

"  In 2015-16, MSI's top five exported models were Alto, Swift, Celerio, Baleno and Ciaz. Among destinations, Sri Lanka, Chile, Philippines, Peru and Bolivia were the top export markets .

MSI's newly launched light commercial vehicle, Super Carry, is also exported to South Africa and Tanzania and will be exported to SAARC countries in the future, it said. 

The company's hatchback Zen, India's world car of the 1990s, took the company to many new markets. Exports were bolstered also by the iconic Maruti 800 and later, A-Star.

 Alto, the company's best selling model in India for over a decade, also has a sizeable presence in the export markets, having clocked over 3,90,000 sales cumulatively, MSI added. 

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) India announced that the nationwide delivery of the new Fiat Avventura Urban Cross will begin on October 1, in time for the country's festive season.

The stylish Fiat cross-hatch will hit Indian roads at a special launch price of Rs 6.85 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). With this, FCA offers customers the most affordable diesel in its category.

Kevin Flynn, President and Managing Director, FCA India said, "FCA's commitment to India is firmly in place as we continue to add more products to our Fiat portfolio. We are excited that our new product, the Fiat Avventura Urban Cross will hit the roads in October with a special launch price."

The cross-hatch will be available with diesel engines in two trims - Active and Dynamic - both powered by the 1.3-litre Multijet, 93 PS, 5-speed manual transmission, and one top-of-the-line petrol (powered by Abarth) variant - the 1.4-litre T-Jet, 140 PS, 5-speed manual transmission in the Emotion trim.

Design:

With a considerable ground clearance and rigid lower body cladding, the Urban Cross possesses better capability against tough city road conditions, for thrill seekers looking for an active lifestyle beyond office walls. The car's dynamic exterior with the uniquely designed intercalated Piano Black front grille, new front and rear dual-tone bumpers with skid plates and a set of two-tone diamond-cut-finish 16-inch alloys with Piano Black painted pockets is a combination of capability, sleekness and excitement. A sporty spoiler (standard on all variants), smart side body cladding and roof rails accentuate the appeal of the Urban Cross' personality as a crossover for the city.

Features:

The Emotion trim, powered by Abarth gets the exclusive 16-inch 'Scorpion' alloys, while the Active diesel and Dynamic diesel get the diamond-cut-finish, Piano Black 16-inch alloys.

The dual tone interiors of the Urban Cross are fresh and premium. The car comes with plenty of standard features across the line-up such as central and automatic door locking, dual tone dashboard with a soft touch front panel, rear AC vents, front 'smart' power windows with 'delay' and 'auto-down' functions which roll up even after switching off, a Smartech 5-inch music system with touch screen navigation (standard across all variants), Bluetooth audio streaming and telephony.

Source : Fiat Urban Cross launched in India at Rs 6.85 lakh

The Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard offers VR9 bullet resistance.

Just like the "regular" Maybach S600 Guard, the new Pullman derivative has been created to provide optimal protection to heads of states and other at-risk individuals.

The first customer deliveries of the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard are scheduled for second half of 2017; paranoia is, however, expensive: pricing for the armoured version starts at just under €1.4 million (R21.2 million) ex factory, nearly three times the cost of the standard Pullman. Additionally, aramid and PE components throughout the exterior provide splinter protection. Intelligent overlapping systems at particularly critical points provide comprehensive ballistic protection. Polycarbonate coating on the bulletproof glass ensures the occupants aren't covered in splinters if the windows are shot at. The glazing is of special significance for safety and particular attention has been paid to it in terms of the choice of material and thickness.

Unlike most armoured cars, the Pullman doesn't have a laminated rear window; instead there's a steel bulkhead behind the rear-seat head restraints. From the outside, the special protection equipment is barely discernible, like on all S-Class Guard models. Floor armouring covers relevant areas of the underbody. With the standard S600 Pullman costing "around half a million Euros", and the Maybach S600 Guard around that price neighborhood as well, the ultimate in S-class protection and size should command an appropriately sky-high price tag when it starts reaching customers in the second half of next year. Powering this monster is a beastly 6.0-liter V12, biturbo motor that is capable of churning out over 515bhp and develops 830Nm of peak torque to go with it. This very luxurious tank's top speed is electronically limited to 160 km/h.

While prospect customer can get a feel of the vehicle at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Mercedes-Maybach will start delivering the S600 Pullman Guard only in the second half of 2017.

Source : Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard Limo Revealed

NEW DELHI: Mahindra & Mahindra is recalling an unspecified number of its new generation Scorpio and NuvoSport SUVs to rectify faulty fluid hose in engine compartment.

The proactive inspection and repositioning of a fluid hose in the engine compartment on all new generation Scorpio and NuvoSport will cover all the vehicles manufactured till June 2016, Mahindra & Mahindra said in a BSE filing.

The inspection and subsequent rectification will be carried out free of cost and customers will be individually contacted, it added.

"As an endeavour to ensure a hassle free experience for its customers, the company is proactively carrying out this activity. This action is also in compliance with SIAM's voluntary code on vehicle recall," M&M said.

Last month, the company had recalled an unspecified number of SsangYong Rexton SUV due to a suspected fault with the rear driveshaft.