New launches bring back fizz

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: GM Corp has filed for bankruptcy, Toyota and Honda are downsizing operations in some countries, and all major car companies are facing the heat globally. While India hasn’t been particularly immune from the dusty winds of recession—attributed to the worldwide consumer credit crunch amid a serious global financial crisis—in recent months the automobile market has made some determined efforts to get its act together and take the growth story forward.

And June is turning out to be among the most eventful in recent months with the launch of a slew of cars across categories. General Motors India has launched the LPG version of their popular small car Chevrolet Spark. The Spark LPG comes in two variants—1.0L PS priced at Rs 3.52 lakh and 1.0L LS priced at Rs 3.69 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Both come with a certified, factory fitted LPG kit as well as the three-year/1,00,000-km standard company warranty, which is an industry first in the mini-car segment. Karl Slym, president & MD says, “The launch of the LPG mode reiterates Chevrolet’s vision of moving towards environment friendly alternative fuels.” With this, GM plans to continue to introduce variants of the Spark that target different groups of customers. GM is also scheduled to bring to India the Chevrolet Cruze in September

this year.

In the luxury segment, German premium car maker Audi has recently unveiled its luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) Audi Q5. The Q5 is the sixth offering from the Audi portfolio in the country and is its second SUV to hit Indian roads. The Q5 comes with two engine types—2.0 TFSI (petrol) for Rs 38,29,000 and 3.0 TDI (diesel) for Rs 44,19,000 (ex-showroom Mumbai). The Q5 will be competing against the BMW X3 in the market. In 2009, the company expects to sell 1,000 units of the A4 and A6 taken together; 400 units of the Q7 and around 100 units of Q5. The company has 12 dealerships across the country.

Toyota Motors launched its flagship model New Land Cruiser with a starting price of Rs 81.64 lakh (ex-showroom Thane). “This launch would help us build our brand in the country,” says a company spokesperson. The car comes with 4.5 L V8 engine and will be available in all major cities.