Greater Noida: The Delhi Auto Expo 2016 today kicked off with the unveiling of Vitara Brezza, a compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) from Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest car maker.
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SMMT is leading a delegation of United Kingdom automotive companies to the Auto Expo Motor and Component Shows for the sixth year this week.
The show, jointly organised by SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers), ACMA (Automotive Components Manufacturers Association) and the Confederation of Indian Industry, will be opened for public from February 5-9.
In an indication of Maruti’s increasing involvement in product development, Suzuki for the first time appointed an Indian – CV Raman, executive director for engineering at Maruti – to head the development of a product, the compact Vitara Brezza SUV made for India.
Susumu Hosoi, chairman and representative director, Isuzu Motors, Japan said, “India is gaining huge significance in the global arena thanks to the fast moving economy and thrust on various growth factors”.
The motor show 2016 began at the India Expo Mart here with the industry hoping that the new models will boost sales.
Apart from the Vitara Brezza, which is scheduled to hit the markets in the upcoming weeks, General Motors announced Chevrolet Essentia and Chevrolet Beat Active for India.
Eight brand new vehicle models, including the Bentley Bentayga, Infiniti Q30, Jaguar XE, Jaguar XF, Land Rover Discovery Sport, McLaren 570S, MINI Clubman and Vauxhall Astra, were produced in United Kingdom plants in 2015, and with £2.5 billion (Rs 24,607 crore) of fresh investment committed in 2015, more are set to follow in the coming months. It will be launched this year.
The sub-four meter SUV will compete with rivals like Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300 in compact SUV space.
The Vitara’s all-black cabin also gets several neat bits inclusive of a multi-function steering wheel, auto climate control, SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and inbuilt navigation; rain sensing wipers, electrically foldable ORVMs with integrated turn indicators, push button start, cruise control, reverse parking camera, 60:40 split rear seats, among other bits. Volkswagen unveiled their new compact sedan Ameo, Tiguan, Passat GTE and the 21st Century Beetle. It is powered by 300 DDiS engine that is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. This new engine is capable of power and torque equal to that seen on a 2.2 liter unit, but the company has downsized the engine due to restrictions on diesel engines of capacities higher than 2,000 cc.
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Honda cars India has unveiled its seven-seater crossover utility vehicle “BR-V” which has been exclusively developed for the Asian markets including India.
