Alfa Romeo 4C to premier in Geneva

The Alfa Romeo brand is one that has tingled the senses of petrolheads worldwide with their exotic and passionate vehicles in the yesteryears. As of now though, the Italian marque only produces two hatchbacks. 

Alfa is going back to its roots with the new two-seater, rear-wheel drive, 4C sports car. First showcased as a concept in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show the Alfa Romeo 4C was designed in-house with the objective of creating a modern performance car. 

Alfa Romeo will be displaying the final production version of the 4C at the upcoming 2013 Geneva Motor Show. One of the key criteria while creating the 4C sports car was keeping the weight down and the 4C is said to have a power to weight ratio of 4kg to 1PS for maximum agility and performance. 

Royal Enfield to hike production in 2013

it's good news for all of the country's thumper fans as Royal Enfield has announced its eagerness to increase the production capacity of its motorcycles in 2013. With demand for its bikes at an all time high it was necessary for the Chennai based two-wheeler manufacturer to boost its production. For this very reason the company has invested Rs 150 crore in a new facility in Chennai and anticipates production to start within three months. With the addition of new facility Royal Enfield expects to increase its production capacity beyond 1.5 lakh units per annum. 

Speaking on the occasion, Siddarth Lal, MD & CEO (Eicher Motors Ltd) said, "With our new plant at Oragadam (near Chennai) coming on-stream within the next few months, in 2013 we will have a total combined capacity of 1,50,000 units. We are already working to increase it beyond that by 2014."

BMW to launch its face-lifted X1 model in early 2013

The BMW X1 in its short tenure has proved to be a fairly successful experiment for the Bavarian car maker and has undoubtedly helped it muster domestic sales both in India and overseas. With newer crossover models from miscellaneous car brands lining up for 2013, BMW has made its ambitions quite clear and this involves introducing a face-lifted version of the present X1 model sometime in February.

The refreshed model isn’t all that different from the 2012 model, but as you can see does indeed clad a more distinctive crossover profile. A new headlight design with LED accent lights, new fog lamp surrounds and subdivision of the apron, bumper and underguard are the most prominent changes. Side indicators integrated into the exterior mirrors, new exterior colours and alloy wheels are among other changes you can expect to see on the new X1 for 2013.

Nissan Sunny special edition Launched

Nissan has introduced special edition variants of the Sunny mid-size sedan in both the diesel and petrol models. The Sunny special edition models are essentially the top-of-the-line XV variants with minor cosmetic tweaks to the exterior that include a boot lip spoiler, chrome plated trunk detailing and body coloured side mouldings. 

On the inside, the Nissan Sunny special edition gets new leather upholstery and a touchscreen Kenwood infotainment system that can play DVDs and is also equipped with Bluetooth, USB and aux connectivity. The special edition car also comes with a rear-view camera hooked to the Kenwood display unit. 

The Nissan Sunny special edition XV petrol has been priced at Rs 8.60 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and the diesel Sunny special edition has been priced at Rs 9.69 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The petrol special edition Sunny has been priced at Rs 71,000 over the standard Sunny XV petrol while the diesel special edition Sunny has been priced at Rs 74,000 over the standard Sunny XV diesel. 

The move to introduce additional equipment such as infotainment systems and other technological features has become a market trend in the mid-size sedan segment as most car makers are either adding more equipment to top-end models or introducing limited/special edition vehicles.  

The average Indian young car buying customer is in tune with the times and is fairly tech savvy, an opportunity which car makers are capitalising upon. In the process, giving us better equipped cars. 

Also read: Nissan announces price hike for select models

2013 MV Agusta F4 RR

Chevrolet Sail Sedan launched at Rs 4.99 lakh

This is the first of an entire entry-level saloon barrage that is headed India’s way in 2013. With badge sharing now taking a breather, it is platform sharing that will now see mass market car manufacturers reload their arsenal for deeper penetration.

After drawing first blood with the launch of its very spacious Sail UVA hatch in November last year,Chevrolet has now flagged off the ‘hatchback with boot’ trend in the new year with the launch of its Sail sedan at a starting price of Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The width and the wheelbase are exactly the same as the Sail UVA, and as a result so is the space. Certain advantageous features on the Sail sedan like its spacious interiors, oodles of boot space (370 litres), comfortable ride quality and efficient power plants in both petrol and diesel guise will make it a strong consideration over most in the entry-level mid-size sedan segment (Read : Chevrolet Sail Sedan First Drive).

Audi A3 sedan India bound in 2013

The A3 has been Audi’s premium hatchback offering for Europe since way back in 1996 and has seen many evolutions since then. But the car that should have all Indian buyers excited is the sedan based on this hatch. First shown off in concept form at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the production version of the A3 sedan has been spotted undergoing final testing across Europe recently and it looks like it will break cover next year. Keeping in line with Audi’s (relatively) aggressive plans on expanding in the Indian market, there’s more than a chance that this car will hit land on our shores very soon after its international debut. Slotted a segment under the Ingolstadt based company’s entry level sedan in India, the A4, expect the A3 sedan to be priced similar to the Q3 baby-SUV. There would likely be multiple engine options available on launch, but it’s safe to assume that the company’s ‘meat-and-potatoes’ 1.8-litre TFSI mill would be on offer as well.