AUTHENTIC CARS

Honda has revealed its line-up for the 2016 Auto Expo. The carmaker will showcase the new BR-V SUV, the Accord sedan, the Project 2&4 concept and the Jazz racing concept at the upcoming expo.    The new BR-V will mark Honda’s entry into the popular small SUV segment that includes the Hyundai Creta, Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport. The new BR-V will also rival the upcoming Maruti Vitara Brezza which will make its world premiere at Auto Expo 2016.   Although based on the same platform as the Brio, Amaze and Mobilio, the BR-V looks more angular and rugged. At 2,652mm, the wheelbase is the same as the Mobilio's, but there is a possibility of the engines getting an update. The familiar 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine will be on offer. The carmaker has worked on giving the BR-V SUV-like design cues, such as the butch cladding that goes around the car, the rising beltline, the pronounced wheel arch flares and the roof rails. The BR-V gets an all-new dashb

Lexus has revealed the LC 500, a new flagship performance model, at the Detroit motor show. The coupé is a full production model based on the LF-LC concept showcased in 2012. The concept’s overall design and technical ideology have been carried over onto the LC 500. While the exterior of the 2+2 coupé is heavily influenced by that of the LF-LC, it also mixes in some of Lexus’s familiar design features such as the prominent front grille and angular headlights with smooth panels, and a swept-back roofline. The interior of the car features Lexus’s digital dash display and the carmaker's next-gen infotainment system, the 2017 Multimedia package. The LC 500 is powered by the same naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 found in the RC F and GS F, which produces 467bhp at 7,100rpm and 52.53kgm of torque at 4,800rpm. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic gearbox, which despite being single-clutched, is claimed to swap cogs with shift times that ‘rival’ dual-cl

The new year brings with it a line-up of cars, some all-new and some updated, that will be launched in our market as the months roll by. The beginning of the year will see exciting models such as the Mercedes GLE 450 AMG Coupe, the new Ford Endeavour, the all-new Mahindra KUV100 and the Tata Zica. Here is a list of cars expected to go on sale in 2016. Mercedes GLE 450 AMG Coupe (January 12) Mercedes will be introducing the GLE Coupe in India in its performance 450 AMG guise. However, it is not a pure AMG model, as the GLE 450 AMG coupe is powered by a 362bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 in place of the GLE 63 Coupe's full-blown 550bhp 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8. Power is sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic gearbox which offers five driving modes – Comfort, Slippery, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. The 2.2-tonne SUV is capable of being propelled from 0-100kph in 5.7 seconds. The interior is carried over from the standard GLE with the addition of a carbon-fibre trim, a

Chevrolet has revealed first images and details of its new Cruze hatchback prior to its public reveal at the Detroit auto show. The hatchback has the same 2,700mm wheelbase as the Cruze sedan, but it has a modified roofline that ends with a spoiler, giving the model a sporty look. The car offers a boot space of 524 litres with the rear seats in position and 1,198 litres with the seats folded down. Like the sedan, the Cruze hatchback is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 153bhp at 5,600rpm and 24.47kgm of torque at 2,000rpm. The engine is mated to a standard six-speed manual and gets the option of a six-speed automatic gearbox. The car gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as standard, and a number of safety and assistance systems can be ordered as extra. The next-gen Cruze hatchback will go on sale internationally in late 2016 and will be available in two trim levels along with the option of Chevrolet’s RS performance p

Tata motors will launch the Zica hatchback in mid-February, company sources tell us. Bookings for the Zica are expected to commence during Auto Expo 2016, where the hatchback will be showcased along with other Tata models.    Tata’s first all-new car since the Vista, the Zica marks the carmaker's brand reinvention in the passenger car segment following launches of heavily re-engineered models such as the Bolt and Zest.   The Zica will slot in below the Bolt in the lower segment of the hatchback market, which sees the strong hold of Maruti and Hyundai with the Celerio and i10 respectively. Tata really needs this to be a winner as currently its compact car sales average is at around 9,000 units per month of the sizeable 1.77 lakh units per month of the total compact segment (eight month average).   Fully aware of this, Tata has adopted a ‘no holds barred’ approach with the Zica and despite it being based on the older Indica platform, Tata has changed virtually every

Nissan has confirmed that it will be bringing the Kicks concept into production. The concept made its debut at the Sao Paolo motor show in October 2014. The project was led by Nissan’s Global Design Centre in Japan but featured involvement from Nissan’s San Diego and Rio-based design teams. The confirmation comes with Nissan officially releasing a teaser image of the production car which is set to be manufactured at the company’s Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The production Kicks is expected to follow the concept closely in terms of styling and have near identical dimensions to the said concept as well. This means that the crossover will rival the Fiat 500X when it goes into production. Nissan Latin America chairman José Valls said the model has been designed with a Latin American focus because of the rapidly increasing demand for compact crossovers in the region. “With Nissan Kicks, we will go beyond the obvious to pack a punch with a strong d

The Endeavour brand has always found favor with buyers in India but the currently on sale 2nd generation unit has seen a decline in numbers with mere double digit sales since 2014. Thus the all new 3rd generation Endeavour will once again look to dominating the segment currently led by the Fortuner.   As reported earlier, this new SUV will be available in three trims and two powertrain options. The powertrain and gearbox options for the new Endeavour are as follows: 2.2-litre 158bhp four cylinder with optional 4WD, mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox 3.2-litre 197bhp five-cylinder diesel with standard 4WD, mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox only. Key features of the new Ford Endeavour are: Ford My Key system Eight-way power adjustable front seats Ford SYNC Infotainment system\ CD/MP3 player with Bluetooth and AUX Steering mounted audio controls Dual-zone climate control Rear parking sensors Powered tailgate Cruise control   Th

New spy shots of a China-specced VW Flagship, based on the Passat for the US market, reveal a new style of engine badging for the company. The pictures are of a 220bhp 2.0-litre TSI model, but the rear of the car shows a 380 TSI badge, while the 150bhp 1.4-litre TSI and 160bhp 1.8-litre TSI are expected to get 280 TSI and 330 TSI badging respectively. The nomenclature most likely indicates the torque value.  In December last year Volkswagen Group Malaysia (VGM) managing director, Armin Keller, indicated that Volkswagen will adopt a new torque-based naming system for Asian market. Whether this new naming standard will come to India, or if it will be used for VW’s diesel engines are not confirmed yet. However, such a move could help disassociate the cars from the controversial engines embroiled in the dieselgate scandal. Audi implemented a similar nomenclature for its TDI engines in 2014, which saw the 2.0-litre TDI engine in the A3 change its badge to 35 TDI. According t

Jaguar design chief, Ian Callum, has confirmed that the British automaker will replace the current XJ sometime in the future. He also revealed that the company was planning on developing new model lines instead of new body styles for its existing range of models. Talking about a new XJ, he said: “We’re looking at that now, and other things, too – other car lines, additional ones. [We’ll] continue to grow.” Speaking to our sister publication, Autocar UK at the LA motor show 2015, Callum did not specify from where the growth would come but did say that a capacity crunch would stunt any immediate new models. JLR’s three production facilities in UK are expected to hit maximum production capacity of 6,50,000 units once the production of the F-Pace SUV and XE sedan are fully ramped up. The company is currently in the process of developing a fourth facility in Slovakia, due to open in 2018. “JLR doesn’t want to be BMW or Audi in size,” he said. “Chasing volume relentlessly i

Images of the fifth-generation Mercedes-Benz E-class have been revealed before its official unveiling at the Detroit motor show to be held this month. The images show the new car borrowing styling from both the Mercedes S-class and Mercedes C-class sedans. The front end gets large slanted headlights and a wide two-bar grille. However, Mercedes is expected to offer two front-end treatments, a traditional chrome grille alongside a more sporting two-blade grille. The new E-class is expected to get Mercedes’ ‘Multibeam LED’ headlamps that feature 84 individually operated LEDs. It's likely to be offered as an option on low- to mid-range models. Codenamed W213, the car is 43mm longer than the outgoing model at 4,923mm, with a  65mm increase in the wheelbase at 2,939mm. Mercedes also claims weight saving of up to 100kg over the present car, thanks to increased use of high-strength steel and aluminium. Earlier, Mercedes officially released a video, revealing the interior of n

German automotive manufacturing company, BMW, has released an image of the upcoming i8 Spyder concept, which shows the car’s cabin.  The addition of a large widescreen colour display, facing the driver, on the passenger side of the car is the most obvious change from the production i8. As the display lacks any obvious interface, BMW may utilise the gesture control system that features on the new 7 Series. Originally unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show in 2012, development of the i8 Spyder has been fraught with difficulties. However, the car is expected to be nearly production ready, hinting that the i8 Spyder will finally go on sale four years after the first concept was shown. In December 2013, officials said the car was presenting "major challenges" to its engineers. Those problems hinged around incorporating the carbonfibre-reinforced plastic body shell construction of the i8 into a convertible format. Speaking to our sister publication Autocar UK at the time, a