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Government of India has moved in a new proposal to set fuel efficiency standards for all automobiles from 2015. Government has also planned to give star ratings for average fuel efficiency for all vehicles including passenger cars,scooters, buses, and truck.

The Director general,bureau of energy efficiency,Mr.Ajay Mathur regarding this issue quoted that they are working on the fuel efficiency standards that will be represented in kilometers/litre of fuel. The vehicles would be classified on their weight to classify them under different levels of fuel efficiency.He also added that the star-system is currently under discussion.

The new standards are based on ‘Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency’ (CAFE) norms which was widespread in the US since 1970’s and penalties have been paid by big carmakers such as BMW, Porsche, Audi, Lotus and Volkswagen in US for failing to meet the local fuel standards.The Indian automobile industry has already disclosed the fuel efficiency of each car voluntary.

The Director general,Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers,Mr.Vishnu Mathur revealed that they are already disclosing all the details and would be working with the government to develop any rationale norms.

Mercedes Benz,the German premium car maker announced that it is going to fetch its A and B class cars into India within next 3 to 4 years.It has also planned to locally assemble them in order to make the prices of its vehicles competitive and to get back its lost position from BMW.

The Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes Benz India,Mr.Peter Honegg reported that they do not have enough locally assembled products in India and his current portfolio does not allow him to compete with his competitors at this time.He also added that the company currently does not offer any product in a price range where models such as BMW’s X1 exist.They will bring in A and B Class cars into India in the next 3-4 years and the company at its headquarters in Germany was mooting whether to produce the vehicles at a local level.

He further declared that if he do not produce these A and B Class cars locally, he can’t get the numbers. They will be able to compete with BMW only when they produce the cars locally and the decision to produce them locally will be taken by Germany.

Currently,Mercedes Benz is assembling C, E and S Class luxury sedans at its Chakan unit, which has a capability of producing up to 10,000 units annually on two shifts.The cheapest Benz car in India is C class which starts at a price of Rs.25.48 lakhs in the ex-showroom, Delhi.

The new Karizma ZMR has been launched in India by Hero Honda with many new advanced features which include Astra Gold Front and Rear Disc Plates,Sporty Full Body Cowl with Body Coloured Rear View Mirrors,Multi-Functional Digital Console and Dazzling Integrated LED Tail Light.It features a four stroke single cylinder OHC engine that delivers 17.6bhp power at 7000rpm and produces 18.35Nm of maximum torque at 6000rpm.The colours available are Vibrant Orange,Panther black metallic,Spot light white and Candy blazing red.Its price has not been confirmed.

Click here to see Pictures of new Karizma ZMR

Hero Honda has launched the new 2011 Karizma ZMR in India which holds many advanced features.The new Karizma ZMR comes up with the impressive colour options namely Vibrant Orange,Panther black metallic,Spot light white and Candy blazing red.It features a four stroke single cylinder OHC engine which has a displacement of 223cc.It pumps out a power of 17.6bhp at 7000rpm and produces a maximum torque of 18.35Nm at 6000rpm.It attains a maximum speed of 126kmph.

The advanced new features of the 2011 Karizma ZMR are as follows:

.Astra Gold Front and Rear Disc Plates

.Sporty Full Body Cowl with Body Coloured Rear View Mirrors

.Multi-Functional Digital Console

.Dazzling Integrated LED Tail Light

The eye-catching feature of this bike among the above mentioned features is the multi functional digital console with blue illuminated backlight.It also holds some other changes which include the body coloured grab rails,the all new gold coloured exhaust cover along with some smaller changes in its sticker pattern.It is expected at a price of Rs.1,06,000 which is not yet confirmed.

Ford India plans to bring its Focus by 2012 which made its first debut in Detroit Motor Show.Ford India has posted the new CKD rules to Focus.It features a 1.6 litre Ecoboost four-pot turbo petrol engine with variable cam timing (Ti-VCT) delivering 150 bhp power and 27.4 kgm torque at 1900 to 3500 rpm.Its top-end variant features a 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCI engine which pumps out 90 bhp power and 29.1 kgm torque at 1750 rpm.Similarly,the MKII Focus holds a 2.0-litre TDCI  engine which produces 138 bhp power and 30.6 kgm torque at 1750 rpm.The first two engines holds six-speed manual transmissions and the third engine holds a 6-speed auto box.

Click here to see Pictures of Ford Focus

Hero Honda launched the new glamour 125 with new graphics and advanced added features.The additional new features include the all new stylish Visor and Headlight,Edgy new muffler cover,Eye catching digital analog combo Meter console and the all new Aerodynamic air scoop shrouds.Remaining features are almost as same as its previous model.It features a 125cc engine with a displacement of 124.7cc.The power delivered by the engine is 9bhp at 7000rpm and the torque produced is 10.35Nm at 4000rpm.The price tags of its top end,disc and drum brake variants are Rs.58,000,Rs.51,200 and Rs.49,300 respectively.

Click here to see Pictures of Hero Honda Glamour

GM India plans to give major push to its beat brand. GM will launch the much expected diesel variant of beat. Beat sales which is sagging around 3000 units/month might see a jump in sales post the launch of beat diesel. GM is expected to working for an aggressive price tag to make the beat diesel – low cost yet reliable diesel.Beat diesel will come with a 1litre diesel engine producing 57bhp of peak power

GM will also unveil an electric car in june prior to the launch of beat diesel. Remember, GM and Reva worked on a electric before the acquisition of Reva by Mahindra. However the GM’s electric car is just to showcase its technical capability and its commitment toward green energy, coz the official launch is not in sight yet.After the launch of Beat diesel, Indian market will see the fruits of GM-Saic tie -up. GM India will launch will introduce a SUV from SAIC’s portfolio at delhi auto expo 2012, which will be followed by a minivan and a light truck next year.

Bajaj is all set to launch next bike in the Ninja series. Ninja 650R will soon hit the Indian market. Ninja 650R is powered by a twin cylinder 650cc engine generates 71bhp at 8500rpm and 66Nm at 7000rpm. Bajaj which enjoyed fair success with Ninja 250Rpm now facing competition from Hyosung superbikes and Honda CBR250R.

Honda CBR250R with its aggressive price has taken the limelight off the quarter litre class bike Ninja 250. With more competitors setting a new price war, Bajaj can no longer price the 650R to improve its bottomline. We expect the price to be around Rs5lakhs. Remember, Bajaj has more launches in this fiscal year including boxer, KTM duke 125cc, KTM duke 200cc, next generation pulsar and next generation discover. Cheer up Bajaj fans.

Nissan Sunny is going to make its debut in India in the second half of 2011.It will be available in two engine options namely a 1.5 litre four-cylinder engine delivering around 100bhp of power and the 1.5 litre diesel engine which will be shared with the Micra hatchback.It features all-new styling based on Nissan’s versatile ‘V’ platform and it is the second model to be based on ‘V’ platform after the Micra.It is expected at an attractive price tag.

Click here to see Pictures of Nissan Sunny

Skoda is in a plan to launch its new Rapid in India during the festive season. The new Rapid will have a revised front and rear end resembling the VisionD concept.It shares the same platform with Volkswagen Vento and features 1.6 petrol and diesel engine options.The design of skoda rapid is formulated from the Vision D concept shown at geneva auto show.The new Skoda Rapid will not feature the typical hatch as such as Skoda’s other versions and hence it will cost lower than its competitors.

Click here to see Pictures of Skoda Rapid