The promise of 2007 as the year of the car is getting fulfilled. There are no less than six automotive launches in the next four weeks.
Mercedes-Benz fired the first salvo by unveiling their gorgeous looking CL-Class in Mumbai on Friday alongside the diesel variant of their mothership, the S-Class. The CL 500 is a large sporty and trendy coupe built around S-Class mechanicals and will retail for a whopping Rs 1.2 crore (Rs 12 million) plus in India.
Detractors may say that despite the price, the CL comes only with two doors, but those in the queue know the sheer value of exclusivity that the big coupe promises.
After all, almost every other CEO has got the bread-and-butter Rs 70 lakh (Rs 7 million) S-Class, right? But if you are not in that league and still covet an S-Class experience, then the newly launched S 320 CDI is for you. Order it without badges and no one is going to believe that you bought an S-Class but still covet fuel economy.
The sophisticated, third generation common-rail engine that powers the S 320 CDI is ultra-refined, mighty powerful and can still return a neat 10 km for every litre of sticky fuel that you put in.
At the end of this month, BMW will inaugurate their plant near Chennai which will roll out the BMW 320i and BMW 325i petrols and the 325d diesel. BMWs are supposed to be built around drivers and these machines will add a new dimension to the entry level luxury motoring segment in India. Petrol and diesel versions of the bigger 5 Series will follow at a later date.
Expect the 3 Series Beemers to give a run to the highly successful Mercedes C-Class. Prices will start from Rs 26.95 lakh (Rs 2.695 million) onwards. But the all-new C-Class is making a debut in India later this year.
In the first week of April, the Ranjangaon plant of Fiat will go on stream. The greenfield plant was built with assistance from Tata but the first cars to roll out will be the face-lifted Fiat Palio hatchbacks with a 1.1 litre engine that will help Fiat price the car aggressively.
The Palio and the rest of Fiat's A178 platform-derived cars have had a horrid run in India after a relatively successful launch back in 2002. With the large network of Tata now handling after-sales and service the plucky Fiat meant for developing markets might have a successful second coming.
The new engine is supposed to be much more economical and is expected to return 14 kpl in city driving conditions. The new Palio faces stiff competition from the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift, the Chevrolet U-VA and the new Hyundai Getz Prime.
The Getz Prime is also ready for launch in the first week of April, and it will feature the 1100cc engine borrowed from the Santro Xing. All these cars were not present in the market when the Palio made its debut in India.
Also on the comeback trail is the Daewoo Matiz, now christened Chevrolet Spark. Sure, the price of used Matizes are known to double when sold with a full tank of fuel, but the erstwhile 'Daewoo Project M' cars that wear a new look is currently being sold in Europe and feature a larger heart (a 1000cc four-cylinder engine instead of the 800cc three-cylinder unit that powered the Matiz).
The little Daewoo challenged the Suzuki Wagon R and Hyundai Santro in its first outing, and in the rejuvenated Spark attire, it has the updated versions of the competitors as well as a fresh challenge from the Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo to counter.
General Motors chief Rick Wagoner will be flying in to unveil the Spark to the Indian masses on April 19. Expect aggressive pricing from GMI for the smallest car in their line-up.
But the car that has everyone's curiosity perked up is the Mahindra Renault Logan, which will make its India debut in April. The Logan, developed by Renault along with their Romanian subsidiary Dacia, is meant for emerging markets, and has been engineered to that end.
The Logan will get two petrol engine options (1400cc and 1600cc) and a 1500cc turbodiesel motor, which promises to be quite frugal. It is expected to take the battle into the Tata Indigo territory. Yes, this summer is going to be pretty hot in the automotive front for sure.
