Soaring petrol prices: Here are some great diesel cars

There are several factors that govern car sales in India. Fuel prices, of course, are one of the most prominent ones.

Fuel rate hike, along with interest rate hike and car price rise also affect car sales. Sky-rocketing petrol prices adversely affect petrol car sales. The spike in the price of petrol also shows a resultant rise in the demand for diesel cars.

If we observe the petrol prices trend chart from 2002 to May 2011, we find that it has always set itself for an uptrend with only two significant breathers -- in 2003 and December 2008.

It started with around Rs 30 in New Delhi in May 2002 and after witnessing the steepest increase by Rs 5 on May 15, 2011 it has reached to around Rs 63.37 (in Delhi; in other cities it is even higher).

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Diesel cars in India

Let's see what the Indian car market has to offer in the diesel car section.

While we have Maruti Swift Diesel, Ford Figo, Nissan Micra, Hyundai i20 and Fiat Punto in the hatchback segment, we have the latest Hyundai Verna Fluidic, Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Vento, Maruti Swift Dzire prominent ones in the sedan category.

Meanwhile, we have premium sedans also available -- viz. Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Laura and Volkswagen Jetta.

Let's elucidate it more and see what these cars have to offer, besides being diesel-driven.

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Hatchback diesel cars in India

This is the entry level for diesel cars in India. This is also the most sought-after segment and similar to its petrol counterpart, the diesel hatchback cars are the choice of many in India.

In this segment, the Maruti Swift Ldi BSIII is available at a price of Rs 483,324, ex-showroom Delhi.

Another competitor in this section which is the diesel car from Ford -- Ford Figo -- also became popular among the Indians. It is priced at Rs 458,500.

The Ford Figo has an impressive mileage of 14.5 kmpl in the city and 18.5 kmpl on the highways.

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Nissan Micra is the third most sought after car in this segment and at a price of Rs 558,500 the car is a best buy giving a mileage as high as 23.08 kmpl on the highways.

Other best buys in the segment are Hyundai i20 and Fiat Punto, priced at Rs 516,558 and Rs 579,759, respectively.

Yet another car Chevrolet Beat Diesel is a car which has created much anticipation in the wake of rising petrol prices.

Meanwhile, reports have also come in that Tata is also coming up with a diesel version of its Tata Nano.

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Diesel sedans in India

The sedan segment, similar to the hatchback one, is the most lucrative and has perhaps offers the most varied choices in India.

The recently launched Hyundai Verna Fluidic is creating much abuzz and has registered 5000 bookings in the first week since its launch on May 11.

The basic Hundai Verna Fluidic diesel is priced at Rs 809,000, while its high-end variant is priced at Rs 10,74,500.

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Recently launched Renault Fluence is another option available to the diesel sedan car buyers in India.

The Renault Fluence diesel is priced at Rs 12.99 lakh (Rs 1.299 million).

Besides, there is more to choose from: Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Vento and Maruti Swift Dzire -- all of which attractive buys in this segment.

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Entry level luxury diesel sedans in India

In this segment customers do not primarily focus on petrol or diesel or mileage before buying. Instead, luxury is given preference.

The Chevrolet Cruze which is a 2.0L, 150bhpVCDi engine car is available in New Delhi at a price of Rs 11.92 lakh (Rs 1.192 million).

Meanwhile, another luxury sedan Toyota Corolla Altis 1.4L, 1364cc, InLine Diesel priced at Rs 11.31 lakh (Rs 1.131 million) is the ultimate in luxury.

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The offering from Skoda, Skoda Laura is priced at Rs 13.76 lakh (Rs 1.376 million). Yet another diesel offering in this segment is Volkswagen Jetta which is available at Rs 16.23 lakh (Rs 1.623 million).

With so many back-to-back offering, the Indian car market seems to be ready to meet any demand for diesel cars.

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