SUZUKI FAN

A-segment

1. Maruti Alto 19.992
2. Hyundai i10 12.477
3. Maruti WagonR 9.084
4. TATA Nano 7.704
5. Hyundai Santro 6.557
6. Maruti 5.389
7. Maruti A-Star 3.655
8. Chevrolet Beat 3.411
9. Chevrolet Spark 2.906
10. Maruti 800 2.090

b-segment hatchback

1. Maruti Swift 9.191
2. TATA Indica 9.003
3. Ford Figo 6.188
4. Hyundai i20 5.366
5. Maruti Ritz 4.107
6. VW Polo 1.527
7. Fiat Grande Punto 1.273
8. Skoda Fabia 583
9. Honda Jazz 507
10. Chevrolet UV-A 377

b-segment sedan

1. TATA Indigo 7.752
2. Maruti Dzire 6.951
3. Honda City 3.544
4. Hyundai Verna 1.838
5. Hyundai Accent 1.130
6. Fiat Linea 850
7. Ford Fiesta 665
8. Hindustan Ambassador 650
9. Mahindra Logan 562
10. Chevrolet Aveo 375

C-segment

read more click below

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Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 during displays at 2010 Indonesia motor show

Maruti Alto K10 spyshot, technical specifications, features, variants and colours
Maruti’s much awaited powerful Alto called “Alto K10″ will be launched in August. but before that know the specifications,features, variants, colours and everything you want to know about the Alto K10. To cater to the customers who want no compromise on performance,style,features, style and attitude in the entry level car segment. Maruti believes Alto K10 will redefine the segment as Swift did in the premium hatch segment.

Engine and Transmission

Maruti Alto K10 is built on the same platform the existing alto (called Alto F8). There are not much mechanical changes except for the retuning of suspension and booster assisted braking system. The new stuff is the all new K10 engine which Maruti already uses in A-star, Estilo and Wagon-R. The K-series under the hood of Alto K10 produces 68PS of maximum power at 6200rpm and 90Nm of maximum torque at 3500rpm. Remember, these figures are astonishing when compared to current alto which generates just 47PS of peak power.On the other side, Alto k10 has gained just 50kgs because of the new engine. Result, Alto K10 reaches 100kmphs in 13.3 seconds as opposed to 17.3 seconds by alto.

Even though the power ratings have improved, Maruti claims the Alto K10 returns a mileage of 20.3Kmpl under standard conditions which is marginally better than the current alto. Like the new Wagon-R, Maruti Alto k10 also gets the new cable type transmission for smoother gear shifts

Exteriors

Maruti Alto k10 is 125mm longer to accommodate the K10 engine. The front fascia is different with a dynamic hood, eagle eyed clear lens headlamps and body coloured bumper. Alto k10 also gets swanky fog lamps. The side profile remains largely unchanged except for the 13″ inch wheels and body side mouldings.Alto k10 also gets nice looking wheel covers. The rear gets a new designed back door and fresh tail lamps.

Interiors

Those who bothered about utilitarian Alto interiors can now rejoice. Alto k10 gets two tone interiors with lot of usable features and design elements. The decade old two spoke steering wheel is replaced with three spoke wheel. Maruti has borrowed the 3-spoke steering wheel from the A-star. Integrated headrest for front and rear passengers is a radical change. The instrument panel is refreshed with amber illuminated speedometer, tachometer and an electronic trip-meter.

Features

Alto K10 comes with long list of much needed features like power steering,internally adjustable ORVM, key reminder, remote boot opener (reminds you if you left the key in the lock itself), central locking, power windows, rear parcel tray, accessory socket, remote fuel lid opener and electronic trip meter

Colours

Alto K10 will be available in six colours – ecru beige, midnight black, fire brick red, blue blaze, silky silver and superior white.

Maruti will launch the Alto K10 in the first week of August. Maruti plans to sell the current alto with the new Alto K10 and believes the dual-model will further boost the sales numbers. Expect the pricing of Alto K10 to be very competitive.
source:vicky

Volkswagan and Suzuki future suv road map

Volkswagen recently bought 19.9% stakes in Suzuki. The German carmaker made a very smart move by buying stakes in Suzuki could create opportunities for VW to jointly develop low cost car models,especially in Small car and SUV srgment, which is the Japanese marque’s strength.
 The future product plan was publish in car magazine refer that it was mapped out by the VW Group  which calls for up to five different crossovers/SUVs
1 Small SUV
2 Compact SUV
3 Mid-size SUV (Tiguan)
4 Mid-size + SUV (Q5, baby Cayenne)
5 Full-size SUV (Touareg)
 
VW are reportedly favouring the next SX4 which would work for Volkswagen new small SUV , Audi (Q1), Seat (Tribu) and Skoda (Yeti II).read more story about this car here http://autoten.com/2010/05/17/2012-volkswagan-rocktan-rendering-and-information/
 car magazine say that Even though the Tiguan already exists in standard and XL form, Wolfsburg sees room above it for a slightly bigger Passat crossover dubbed VW416. Passat SUV, Tiguan II, Audi Q3 II and the follow-up to Vitara/Grand Vitara would in this scenario share the same DNA. Instead of using the flexible but rather expensive modular transverse matrix MQB, VW and Suzuki could pool their hardware and create a more affordable common architecture.
 as autoten got information the Next Generation Suzuki Grand Vitara is dua in 2013. at first Suzuki was planed to use the Kizashi derive platform.but now VW has take some part in Suzuki. as we know that modular transverse matrix or MQB is more pricer to build, may be the two will turn to modifly Kizashi platform which is cheapper to build than the MQB
read more here http://suzukifan.com/2010/01/13/suzuki-usa-roadmap-2010-2013/
other interresting story is from Suzukifan.com they report that Suzuki is working on new version of its XL7 crossover for the 2012 . as Production of the XL7 ceased earlier  in 2009 due to low demand, but the new version could ride on a  stretched    version of the Kizashi’s architecture. expect the car to be far better quality than the old model as Suzuki plans to market it in global market.
read more here http://suzukifan.com/2010/01/13/suzuki-usa-roadmap-2010-2013/  but since VW take some part in Suzuki the developement news is tight liped. but autoten.com predict that the car  maybe delive to Passat crossover dubbed VW416 that slight ly bigger than Tiguan II

Questions over questions – and so far only one answer. While Suzuki will at the bottom of the price and performance spectrum teach the
Germans how to decontent and save money, Porsche will at the upper end teach Audi and Bentley how to conceive modern lightweight driver?s cars and crossover vehicles.

via: autoten.com

Suzuki Kizashi get top rated car in 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards
 

Survey of 42,000 Consumers Reveals Vehicles that Exceed Expectations,
An “ideal” is defined as conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence. In the 2010 Ideal Vehicle Awards, announced today by automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific, owners rate their new vehicles by how closely they come to their ideal. “After owning and operating a vehicle for some time, consumers often identity shortcomings and ideas about what they would like to change about their vehicle,” says George Peterson, President of AutoPacific.  “The IVAs are based on owners’ ratings of their new 2010 model year cars and trucks across 15 key vehicle attributes ranging from power and acceleration to interior storage. The cars or trucks that owners would change the least are the most ideal.”
“In today’s vehicle market, quality is expected, and car buyers take many factors into consideration – styling, safety features, fuel economy and more,” says Peterson. “IVA winners deliver the most of what consumers are really looking for in their vehicles. Shoppers can use the IVAs as a benchmark for vehicles that are designed and built with customers in mind.”
For 2010, the top-rated vehicle overall is the Range Rover, which received a fresh look and improved powertrain for the 2010 model year and climbed from last in its class in 2009. The top rated car is the Suzuki Kizashi.  The 2010 Kizashi was also the top rated vehicle overall in AutoPacific’s recently announced 2010 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.
The top-rated popular brand is Ford, outscoring GMC for top popular brand. The top-rated premium brand is Porsche, outscoring Lincoln and Land Rover for the most ideal premium vehicle brand honors. Porsche and Ford are three time brand winners, scoring top rankings in 2008, 2009 and 2010 IVA rankings.

“Ford Motor Company leads the industry with a total of eleven segment winners. No other manufacturer came even close,” said Peterson.  “In addition to these eleven segment wins, the Ford brand scored highest of any brand in the 2010 research, including all premium brands.”
Of the twenty-seven Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) categories, American brands have sixteen segment winners, European brands six and Japanese brands five. Surprisingly, no Korean brands scored segment wins.
The top-rated product segment is Large Crossover SUV, beating out last year’s leading category, Large Car. American buyers continue to value large, comfortable vehicles suitable for suburban driving and longer distance highway cruising.

In addition to identifying segment winners, IVA also establishes numerical ideal vehicle ratings for virtually every passenger car and light truck in the United States market. These results come from calculating owner input across 15 specific areas related to a vehicle’s attributes, including: exterior styling, exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, driver’s seat comfort, driver’s seat visibility, interior technology, interior lighting, power and acceleration, ease of getting in and out, interior storage compartments, ride, handling, safety features and tires and wheels.

source: AutoPacific

Maruti Suzuki To Restrict Car Exports Due To Capacity Constraints

Automobile major Maruti Suzuki would limit its exports for this year as the company is struck with capacity constraints, the company said. Maruti said it would restrict its car exports to the last year’s level.
 
“We are not competing in exports (with other carmakers) … we are short of capacity. This year exports will not go beyond last year”, Maruti Suzuki Chairman R. C. Bhargava was quoted as saying.
 
The highest ever exports of Maruti Suzuki was in the year 2008-09 which was at 1.47 lakh units and the A-star model reached 1.27 lakh units.
 
It is to be noted that in February 2010, the company called back nearly one lakh of its a-star model cars with fuel leakage problems.
 
Maruti Suzuki India Limited is the largest automobile maker in India in terms of volumes sold and revenue earned. A majority of the company’s stake is held by Suzuki Motor Corporation.
 
The major exporting countries for the company include the UK, Indonesia, Uganda, France, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Guatemala, Chile and Netherlands.

To address increasing demand for its products, Maruti Suzuki has commenced work to increase capacity at the Manesar plant.

“We have started work at Manesar. But that will take time (to reach full capacity), which would be by 2012″ he told PTI.

In March 2010, the company had announced a Rs 1,700-crore (Rs 17 billion) investment for expanding production by 2,50,000 units at its Manesar plant. Production capacity after the expansion will reach 12.50 lakh (1.25 million) units by 2012.

Bhargava replied in the affirmative when asked whether the company was facing delay in deliveries.

“Almost all our models are in the waiting list . . . I would say the average waiting list is three months for the diesel variant of Swift [ Images ] Dezire.

“We will keep increasing production in whichever way we can primarily to meet customer demand. . .our reasonable target (to meet the demand) is 2012″, he said. Maruti Suzuki sold 10.18 lakh (1.01 million) vehicles in 2008-09 fiscal, the first time in Indian automotive history that a car company has sold over a million units in a financial year.

This included sales of 8,70,000 units in the domestic market, the highest ever by the company in a fiscal.

Asked whether introduction of new models by foreign companies would be a challenge, Bhargava said every carmaker has to introduce new models to address customer needs.

“He (carmaker) should make sure the customer gets something new”. On the growth of the automobile industry, he opined it might grow by 15 per cent.

“Even Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers also said the industry would grow by 12-14 per cent and that is reasonable . . .but we have to look at base effect also”, he said.

Bhargava felt one of the biggest challenges facing the industry is lack of infrastructure.

“I think (lack of) infrastructure is one big problem . . . especially when you look at global developments (in auto-industry)”.

Asked whether the company would phase out Maruti 800 [ Images ], the first small car introduced in 1982, he said, “sometimes, every model has to be stopped . . . Maruti 800 will also end at one stage.

I don’t know when it will happen . . . right now, it is running. . .”, he said. Maruti Suzuki reported a 17.28 per cent jump in sales to 88,091 units in June against 75,109 units in the same month last year.
source: rediff

Suzuki have a special edition Suzuki Alto the SZ-L. This special edition model is based on the SZ3 mid trim model.

Standard specification on the Suzuki Alto SZ-L includes air conditioning, a pollen filter, side airbags and front fog lamps. The Suzuki Alto SZ-L has a 1.0 litre petrol engine that returns 64.2mpg on the combined cycle with co2 emissions at approximately 103g/km; it also qualifies for annual tax of £35.

The Suzuki Alto SZ-L is also well-appointed from a safety perspective with Suzuki incorporating a full complement of crumple zones and impact-absorbing structures to keep occupants safe in the event of a collision. Front side and curtain airbags are available, as is ESP stability control.

There are only 500 of the Suzuki Alto SZ-L’s up for grabs; it is great value for money priced at £8170 if you are looking for a top value city car.

source: motoring.co.uk

Auto Insurance Companies Are the Cheapest

Now you may think, where is the list, which one do I choose to get the lowest premium. I’m afraid the answer is not that simple. It all depends on who you are, how old you are, where you live and so on.

This is why choosing your auto insurance online is the best way to go. Here you just type in your information and then get quotes from the different insurance companies.

The company that is the cheapest for one person may be the most expensive for another. The companies use different ways to find out how much you should pay for insurance with them. You might be considered a high risk driver with one company and a low right driver with another. Further more the insurance company may set your address has high risk of theft, while another have you living in a safe neighbourhood.

Before the birth of the Internet, this was all a big problem if you wanted the best and cheapest auto insurance. You would have had to invest hours and hours on the phone to get the right choice for you. Luckily those days are over. Now it takes 5 minutes to get a quote. This means you have many offers in no time at all. It can be done in your lunch break.

The savings are amazing. If anyone said they would not do half an hours work for $500 year after your, I’m sure most people would call that person nuts or filthy rich. When you get your premium lowered it will say low year after year. This means that your savings huge in the long run

GM and Maruti Suzuki will add range with LPG/CNG car

NEW DELHI: As petrol and diesel have become costlier after government decided to decontrol fuel prices, it’s focus alternate fuel for carmakers. And they are chalking out plans to strap more of their models with CNG and LPG variants.

Faced with a slew of new launches from the competitors in the compact segment, Maruti Suzuki is planning a blitzkreig with CNG and will launch dual-fuel variants for five of its cars, including the popular Alto and WagonR. General Motors, Toyota, Hyundai are some of the other carmakers which have CNG and LPG options for their cars and are planning to expand further.

According to officials of auto companies, alternate fuel market is likely to become stronger in the coming months on the back of their lower operating cost. As per estimates, while per km cost on petrol is about Rs 3.44, it is Rs 2.35 on diesel, Rs 2.23 on petrol-LPG and Rs 1.31 on petrol-CNG.

Dual-fuel models contribute about 15-20% of total sales, say marketing officials. “The shift will be faster to alternate fuels now,” said Ankush Arora, the sales and marketing head for General Motors in India. GM currently offers LPG on its Spark mini car and CNG on Optra and Aveo sedans. “As we go forward, companies have to provide alternate fuel as an option on many of their models,” Arora said. GM plans to launch an LPG version of its Beat compact by year-end.

Considering the potential, Maruti Suzuki has also decided to offer CNG option across various segments. So while Alto, WagonR and Estilo will have the CNG option in compacts, the SX4 will offer it in sedans and Eeco in the multi-purpose category. The company has worked on a new technology, i-GPI (Intelligent Gas Port Injection), for the dual-fuel engines and would offer CNG as factory-fitted option.

A CNG car typically carries an additional cost of Rs 45000-50000 over its petrol-only model, while the incremental cost for LPG is around Rs 20000-30000. But the market for the alternate fuels is not limited only to models where the companies are offering them. A huge market exists outside, where CNG and LPG kits are retrofitted on various models, ranging from the Honda City to Toyota Corolla to Maruti Swift.

“The only issue with a retrofitted model is that it can face problems on warranty as many-a-times car companies refuse to take them within their fold. They say that damages and accidents could be a result of the tampering done in the car while CNG/LPG kits were being installed by an outside vendor,” an industry analyst said

source: indiatimes

Maruti Suzuki Swift vs Nissan Micra
The newest kid in town is the Nissan Micra and it is ready to take on the established king of the ring, the Suzuki Swift. But can beat the benchmark? Let’s find out.

 With the new Micra, the little Nissan has now entered its fourth generation and takes a lot of design cues from its predecessor. The exteriors are interesting to say the least with its huge bug headlamps, the Mini-like grille and a lot of curves all round. In profile the curving roof and the greenhouse make it stand out. The Swift on the other hand uses a combination of sharp bulges and features to also lend it a unique look, alas lost out in a sea of Swifts we guess.
On the inside, the Micra uses excellent space management to liberate acres of leg, head and shoulder room, both for passengers at the front and rear. It comes quite loaded too, with keyless start-stop (a first in the segment) as well as electrically folding mirrors (all on the top-end XV), a nice stereo system and good use of materials. The problem with the Micra is there are too many surfaces and colours and that makes the dashboard appear cluttered. Some of the plastics used aren’t the best quality, but the switchgear is pretty good. The Swift is just a hue of black on the inside and nothing else. Plastic quality is commendable, but not the best, though it all fits into place very well. The Swift may not have a Start-Stop button nor electrically folding ORVMs, but it does have stereo controls on the steering and nice front seats. Space, however is at a premium here and passegngers at the rear will complain about the lack of overall perceived space. Strangely enough, it’s the Swift that has the bigger boot of the two, but the difference is marginal.

But once you are behind the wheel, the equation changes. The Micra’s 1200cc, three-cylinder petrol engine is torquey and the ratios are nicely spread out for both city and highway use. Acceleration is brisk with 100 kph coming up in just under 15 seconds. Top speed is a shade under 160 kph which is par for the course. Overall driveability is decent, though there are some issues. Since it is a three-cylinder unit, the engine sounds coarse past 5000 rpm and the gear shifts aren’t as slick as you would expect. Moreover, a lot of tyre and wind noise seeps into the cabin once you’ve crossed 80 kph. The Swift on the other hand has a four-cylinder 1.2-litre K Series unit that is refined, torquey and more powerful than the Micra (84 bhp vs 76 bhp). Acceleration is even more brisk and it can cross the 100 kph mark in just 13.5 seconds. Top speed is marginally better too at 165 kph. Overall refinement and driveability is good, and the gear shifts are slicker, although it’s the Micra that makes for the better city car.

Dynamics have been the Swift’s forte and the Swift with its numerous revisions over five years has now built up to be a car with good ride and handling balance. The ride quality has particularly improved, especially low and high-speed ride, although it is the Micra that outsmarts it in this aspect. Handling is beautiful, especially on-the-edge where the Micra’s soft-suspension setup makes it a bit wooly and brings in a fair amount of body roll. Braking on both cars is good, but it’s the Swift that tends to brake with more confidence.

In the end, there can be only one winner. The Swift is more adept dynamically, has a better engine and is more refined. It’s also backed by Maruti’s unfalliable service network, which the Micra can’t boast of. But it’s the Micra that seems to find the sweet-spot. It rides brilliantly, is well loaded, has more space and seems better put together. It also is more practical on a day-to-day basis and is more efficient too (14.05 kpl for the Micra vs 13.5 kpl for the Swift, overall). And it is the better car of the two.

source:bsmotoring