Choosing a model with fewer amenities or a slightly smaller engine can save thousands.

The winner of next year's new Formula Two series will be guaranteed a Formula One test drive with Williams.

Audi's RS6 Avant is not just another car not if it tip-toes behind Ferraris and bites off huge chunks of metal and plastic.

More than a decade after the iconic race car brand Jaguar was forced to pull out from the gruelling 24-hour Le Mans race, the new owner, the Rs 16,400-crore Tata Motors, is considering a plan to put the brand back on the racing track.

German luxury car manufacturer Audi would launch its acclaimed sports car R8 in India in October-November as it seeks to build the brand in this market, a top official of Audi India said.

The story about India enticing world auto majors will add another feather in European giant Volkswagen's (VW) cap as it prepares for its first fully-original Indian Volkswagen car, made with the help of expertise provided by Indian engineers and designers.

Audi India commenced its business activities in 2007 and presently has five models -- Audi A8, Audi Q7, Audi A6, Audi A4 and Audi TT. As a part of its strategy to increase sales, the company will have 12 dealers in place by the year-end, from the present seven. The company plans to increase its dealer-network to 18 by next year.

K K Swamy is between jobs. After spending a little over a decade running Toyota Kirloskar Motors as its deputy managing director, he made a quiet exit a month ago to move to Volkswagen India as its first managing director. He is moving lock, stock and barrel from Bangalore to Pune, where he is set to take charge on July 21.

The E's nature is genteel, more upscale and assured. And that's what most people who gravitate towards the three-pointed star want. It's just that attaining that experience has become that much more accessible with these two new variants.

Roughly 70 per cent of the country's car owners may cringe at the rise in fuel prices, but the rising cost of petrol and diesel does not appear to have put the brakes on the market for luxury cars, even though they deliver a measly mileage in single digits. Till April, sales of luxury cars, defined as those costing Rs 40 lakh and more, touched 4,000 units the same as the number of cars sold for the whole of 2007.

Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, will launch its new Audi A4 sedan in July this year. The A4 is priced at Rs 29 lakh (Rs 2.9 million) (ex-showroom Mumbai without sales tax, transportation, etc).

Despite a general slowdown, Audi India has posted a dizzying growth figure of 123 per cent, selling 321 units in January-April 2008. All set to launch the new A4 sedan in July, Benoit Tiers, managing director, Audi India, tells Business Standard about the company's objectives.

The auto sector is doing well in India, despite stock market meltdown, emerging signals of industrial slowdown and rising costs.

Many German companies have invested in India and more are willing to come, but it should not be only one way, Deputy Consultant General of Germany, Horst Pfeifer said at a seminar in Kochi on 'Europe Via Munich' to explore the market and business opportunities for Indian companies in Bavaria. India is now a strong economic power and the bilateral trade between the two countries has doubled from euro 5 billion to euro10 billion, he said.

Skoda Auto is considering shifting the production of the Fabia, its compact hatchback, to parent company Volkswagen's Chakan plant in Pune. At present, Skoda is manufacturing cars at its Aurangabad plant. The surge in demand has pushed the waiting period for the car to more than 2 months.

Goodies and early bird discounts are not a new feature of India's real estate story, but the timing is significant. Real estate prices have climbed off their historic highs in the last six months on account of tighter liquidity and an overall decline in sentiment.

It is a true that some developers are unable to sell houses and are offering discounts to lure purchasers. But, recent buyers have also discovered that many of these discounts are only marketing gimmicks.

Now, a growing number of well-heeled private citizens are buying armoured vehicles for their safety, providing a profitable new business stream for companies like Jalandhar-based Laggar Industries and automaker Hindustan Motors. The annual market is about 500 vehicles, of which 30 to 40 are bought by private citizens.

"We are planning to bring Evo 10 to India through the completely built route (import). This may push the cars' end cost but the company has no plans to locally build the car yet. The response for the car (from the market) will decide whether it can be manufactured here or not," said a company executive on the condition of anonymity. Internationally, the car costs $30,473 (Rs 12 lakh) and $32,697 (Rs 13 lakh) for different variants.

Vitantonio, or Tonio for short, Liuzzi joins Force India Formula One Team as its new test and reserve driver for its 2008 Formula One campaign.

Bose Corp has decided to enter the auto parts sector, with suspension systems for luxury cars.

Audi India of German luxury carmaker, Audi, is planning to offer its new imported A4 model at the CKD (complete knock down) version price. The price difference between the existing A4 model, when the company started assembling in November last year, and the imported version was Rs 2.1 lakh.

The rapidly growing luxury car segment (at a price range upwards of Rs 25 lakh) in India has seen young affluent customers buying vehicles on the back of a rise in disposable incomes, changing lifestyles and a shift in decision-making from elders to youngsters.

Volkswagen plans to integrate its Indian facilities, which will help the company contain costs and maintain uninterrupted supply of auto parts.

"The toughest part was continuing to believe that we could do it," Tata told journalists covering the Auto Expo in New Delhi, where he unveiled the lowest-priced car in the world. He added that "a promise is a promise", hinting at the ability of his company to deliver even in the face of brutal scepticism.

Gasoline might just become a thing of the past for future supercars.

One sign of it was that the most discussed car at the Detroit show was not actually on display. It was Tata's $2,500 Nano small car for the Indian market, which captured the attention of US executives who have their own plans to push into India and to expand further in China.

Launch will be under separate brand name

The growing Auto Expo in New Delhi is still in search of a focus, even though it is staring it in its face.

The industry will see as many as 24 new launches in 2008, from 14 car makers across the country, with nearly all of them being unveiled at the upcoming Auto Expo in New Delhi. New model releases from the top three manufacturers will include Tata's much awaited 'One lakh car' concept (almost production ready), new compact car Indica, mid-sized car Indigo and the Sumo multi-utility vehicle.

Taking a cue from heavyweights such as BMW, Mercedes and Audi, Ford Motor Company-owned Volvo Car India may use the parents' India facility in Chennai to manufacture and assemble some of its products, reducing their prices substantially.

As a rule of the thumb any money that you do not need for a rainy day and can spare should go towards prepaymnet of all loans (with the possible exception only of home loans in some cases), says personal finance expert Harsh Roongta.

For India, the S80 comes with three engine options a 2400cc turbocharged five-cylinder diesel, a 3200cc inline-6 petrol and the monstrous 4400cc petrol V8. The XC90 will have the same engine options as well.

Sandil tells us what he thinks of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya.

Following a successful year in the country, global luxury car maker BMW plans to expand its dealer network in India. While the German giant is considering metros and mini metros in the first round of expansion, it would also target tier-II cities with high consumer spending, Peter Kronschnabl, president, BMW India, said on Wednesday.

Cars from Infiniti are priced in the range of $34,000-$52,000 (Rs 16 lakh to Rs 21 lakh) in the US market.

German luxury car manufacturer Audi on Wednesday said it has slashed the price of its A6 range by up to Rs 2.10 lakh and will start marketing a locally assembled sedan in India by December. The company, which will also be launching the new A4 sedan in India next year, is planning to start local production of the vehicle by end of 2008 at group company Skoda's Aurangabad plant as it aims to sell about 3,000 units across its portfolio in the country by 2010.

Business Standard Motoring at the Tokyo Motor Show.

German luxury car major Audi on Wednesday said it plans to increase local production of its models in India, with its sedan A4, which could be the next one to be manufactured there. The company has already started local production of its A6 sedan at the facility of Skoda, which is also a part of the Volkswagen Group

Carmaker Skoda India has decided to price Fabia, the hatchback it plans to launch at the Auto Expo in January, in the range of Rs 5-6 lakh.