What Does Kia Have In Store For The Indian Car Buyer?

The year 2019 is going to be a very exciting and important one for the Indian automobile industry. The first half of the year has been dominated with new car launches the likes of Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV 300; we have also seen the much-loved Honda Civic in an all-new avatar marking its re-entry into the Indian market after a gap of 7 years. Well...if you thought the first half of 2019 was great, then you are certainly in for an awesome second half! In the second half of 2019, India is going to witness the arrival of 2 global car brands – Kia and MG Motor. Yes, you read that correctly…South Korea’s second largest car manufacturer Kia is all set to enter the Indian market in mid-2019. We look at the brand and help understand what Kia has in store for the Indian car buyer.

   

    The origins of Kia can be traced to the Kyungsung Precision Industry which started off as a manufacturer for steel tubing and bicycle parts. The Samchully, Korea’s first domestic bicycle was manufactured in 1951 by Kyungsung. Kyungsung changed its name to Kia Industries in 1952 and went on to build Honda-licensed motorcycles, Mazda-licensed trucks and cars. In 1981, Kia was forced to stop the production of cars as a result of industry consolidation enforced by the then South Korean government. Five years later, Kia re-entered the automobile industry with Ford as its partner. Kia entered the USA market in 1992 and there has been no looking back since! Kia cars quickly went on to become very popular amongst American car buyers. The USA remains a very crucial international market for Kia to this day. Kia became a victim of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and filed for bankruptcy. This led to Hyundai acquiring a 51% stake in Kia. Both Hyundai and Kia are sister brands (Hyundai being the owner of Kia) but, both the brands have their own unique identity, philosophy. On the one hand, Hyundai is a global car brand which targets a more mature, elder age group of customers who lay emphasis on good, elegant styling, efficient performance and most importantly value for money. On the other hand, Kia is a global car brand which targets the youth, new age car buyer. Kia is a more premium brand in comparison to Hyundai – with more sporty and modern styling, more inclined performance, equipped with the latest technology and features Kia cars appeal to the new age young car buyer. Being a premium brand Kia commands a slightly higher price when compared to Hyundai, a Kia car is one of the best you can get in case you are looking out for a premium car on a budget.

     

     Hyundai and Kia share common vehicle platforms and components, yet there is a noticeable difference between cars of both brands with respect to design language, philosophy. Hyundai cars are known for their fluidic and yet elegant free-flowing design, this is a rather evergreen design which appeals to all ages. In India Hyundai cars have been very popular with customers and score well in the design department. Kia has a different approach to car design, Kia follows a sporty, modern design language which would appeal to the new age young car buyer. Globally Kia cars have won many accolades for amazing design, Kia would be banking on the same to achieve great success in the Indian market. Being a premium brand Kia has a very good interior, the build quality, fit and finish, materials used is quite good and offers great value for the customer at a price that would not break the bank. Kia offers a very extensive and capable range of petrol, diesel engines along with manual and automatic gearboxes as part of their powertrains. A lot of these powertrains are commonly shared with sister brand Hyundai. With a lot of market research and customer feedback, Hyundai has been very successful in understanding the Indian consumer and offering value-oriented products for the Indian market. Over the years Hyundai has developed a very strong marketing network across India, Kia will have the advantage in the Indian market as they seek to leverage this network towards a great impact in the market. Kia has a very large model range globally, with cars starting from hatchback to a large premium SUV…Kia has it all! This is a win-win situation for both Kia and the Indian consumer. Kia gets to offer their cars across a wide array of segments at the same time launching a multiple-segment offensive against competitors. The Indian customer gets a lot more choice across segments while choosing the next perfect car for him/her. At the New Delhi Auto Expo, 2018 Kia showcased 15+ models from their global line-up, the visitors at the event were amazed by the cars and the market remains very excited and positive about Kia entering India this year. Superb times ahead! Kia has not yet confirmed the list of car models which will be on offer for the Indian market. However, Kia has communicated that they will be entering the Indian market with a compact SUV (based on the Kia SP Concept) sometime in mid-2019.

   

    They say you should strike the iron when it is hot…Kia is doing exactly this with the Indian market. India is one of the largest car markets in the world, most car buyers are the youth. With an increasing disposable income, product awareness and need for a premium, tech-loaded and most crucially value for money product; the Indian market has all the ingredients needed to make Kia’s time in India a very successful one. Will Kia’s power surprise and win the hearts, minds of the Indian car buyer? We certainly think so!  

Hyundai Unveils The Venue Sub-Compact SUV For India

Over the years Korean car giant Hyundai has built a very strong foundation in the Indian market. Hyundai in a short span of time has quickly become one of the market leaders and amongst the most trusted, loved car brands in India. Hyundai has had an excellent track record of producing cars that have the latest technology & safety, efficient and reliable in performance and most importantly offer an amazing value for money proposition to the car buyer. This has been a very important factor which has led to Hyundai becoming a force to be reckoned with in the highly competitive Indian car market. Hyundai has a presence in various segments ranging from hatchback to premium SUV. Indians love SUVs and one of the most lucrative, fastest growing segments in the country is the sub-compact SUV. However, Hyundai does not have a product offering in this segment until now.

   Today at an extravagant launch party aboard the Angriya cruise liner Hyundai have showcased their plans for an all-new car! Yes, Hyundai has unveiled the Venue sub-compact SUV which will mark the entry of the brand in the sub-compact SUV segment of India. The Venue is a highly awaited and anticipated car, and rightly so…it is an all-new car from the Korean brand in India! The Venue is a global sub-compact SUV which is being simultaneously unveiled at the New York International Motor Show as well. The Venue comes as a very important product for Hyundai as it will also serve as a blueprint for future products in key global markets such as the USA & India. The Venue will be positioned under the Creta SUV and will be Hyundai’s first SUV offering in the country. Hyundai cars are very well designed with their cars sporting a modern and contemporary look. The same can be said about the Venue. The new Hyundai car shares the design language of bigger SUVs in the Hyundai line up, this is always a good thing. Hyundai has showcased an all-new nose grille with the Venue along with a new dual headlamp cluster, LED DRL (Daytime Running Lights). The Venue shares a similar stance with its sibling the Creta, however, is smaller in proportions. The Venue has an all-new interior which is different to the other Hyundai cars we are akin to. A touchscreen infotainment system takes center stage in the dashboard. The Venue comes loaded with all the bells and whistles – an Arkamys sound system, cooled glovebox, rear AC vents etc. The Venue has an edge over its rivals in the connectivity department. Touted as India’s first ‘Connected SUV’ the Venue will be the first Hyundai car to feature the Blue Link connectivity system which adds practicality and aids in a more ‘connected’ driver experience by leveraging the latest technology, artificial intelligence. The Blue Link system encompasses – vehicle management, safety, infotainment etc. The Hyundai Venue will be powered by 3 engines – a 1.2 L petrol (producing 83 bhp of max power), a 1.0 L turbo-petrol (producing 120 bhp of max power) and a 1.4 L diesel (producing 90 bhp of max power). These engines will come with a choice of a 6-speed manual or an all-new 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox (dual clutch technology). The Venue will be the only car in the segment to be offered with a DCT gearbox.

  The Hyundai Venue will go up against the likes of the Ford Ecosport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV 300 when launched in the second half of May. The Venue is a car aimed at the youth and modern urban car buyer. With prices expected around the 8-12 lakh range, Hyundai seems to have hit the sweet spot! 

Porsche Launches The Eighth Generation Of The 911 In India

German car maker Porsche is one of the most popular and successful performance car manufacturers in the world today. Porsche has to its credit one of the most successful and best-selling supercars of all time – the Porsche 911. The 911 is an automotive icon, a legend in every sense of the word! Introduced in 1963 as a replacement for the Porsche 956, the Porsche 911 has grown from strength to strength ever since. The latest generation of the Porsche 911 was unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November 2018. At an event in Delhi today Porsche has launched the latest 911 for the Indian market.

   The Porsche 911, now in its eighth generation has evolved gracefully over the past 50 years. Its design has successfully stood the test of time something its original designer the legendary Ferdinand Porsche would be very proud of. It is quite common for car design of any given car to change/evolve from one model generation to another. But this is not quite the case for the Porsche 911. Hats off to the designers at Porsche who have done a superb job of keeping the original design blueprint at the same time giving the new 911 a very modern look. The 911 in its latest avatar has grown – the car is now longer, wider and taller while retaining the same wheelbase. The new 911 has added more muscle and is more aggressive with respect to styling. The bonnet is slightly longer, and the cooling ducts add some nice character to the front section of the car. The rear of the 911 gets a good dose of OLED treatment. There are OLED tail lights which wrap around the rear width of the car giving it an awesome modern look. Porsche has added a new rear spoiler for better performance. Moving inside you will see a new and more angular dashboard. The fit, finish of the cabin and the materials used are top notch! The large sport seats ensure that you are in a comfortable, safe driving position always – whether cruising or drive at breakneck speeds! There is a new steering wheel unit which comes along with a Sport Response rotary dial. This dial is used to switch between the various driving modes. A 10.9-inch infotainment touchscreen comes standard across the 911 model range, this comes equipped with the Porsche Communication Management system. Coming to the biggest change…the engine – the 2019 Porsche 911 gets a new engine, a 3.0 L turbo-charged flat-six petrol engine powers the new 911. The rear mounted unit produces 450 bhp of max power and 530 nm of torque. This is an increase of 30 bhp and 30 nm of torque over the previous model. The engine is mated to an 8-speed PDK automatic gearbox. The 2019 911 can do the 0-100 kmph sprint in only 3.7 seconds!

    The latest generation of the 911 will be available in 2 variants - the Porsche 911 Carrera S coupe and the Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. Both the variants having a price tag of Rs.1.82 crore and Rs.1.99 crore respectively

2019 BMW Z4 : BMW's Iconic Roadster Is Back In India!

BMW India has launched the highly anticipated, awaited latest generation BMW Z4 roadster for the Indian market. BMW’s popular roadster the Z4 comes to India in its 6^th generation. BMW’s Z4 has been amongst the most popular and best-selling roadsters across the globe for many years. The platform for the latest generation Z4 was made in collaboration with Toyota. The current Toyota Supra also shares the same platform as the Z4. The Z4 will not be produced in India but will be sold via the CBU route.

   The styling and overall design of the new Z4 have evolved over the years and are like the concept showcased a few years ago. Starting at the front the newly designed large kidney grille which is a BMW signature gives the car a sporty and aggressive look. The redesigned headlamps now have a smoky effect, new LED headlamps which add to the character of the car. The new Z4 is much sleeker than ever before, the aerodynamic elements are well integrated with the design. There are cars that are beautiful, and then there are those that will surely turn heads wherever you go! The new BMW Z4 belongs to the latter. The interior of the Z4 is like modern BMWs. With top-notch materials, and an overall luxurious outlook. The Z4 gets BMW’s latest camera and radar-based safety systems, a great sign for India. The new Z4 is available in 2 variants – the sDrive20i & M40i. Powering the sDrive20i is a 2.0 L 4-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 194 bhp of max power and 320 nm of peak torque. A more powerful 3.0 L in-line six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 340 bhp of max power and 500 nm of peak torque does duty on the M40i variant. Both the engines are mated to an 8-speed Steptronic Sport Transmission.

  The prices for the 2019 BMW Z4 are Rs.64.90 lakh (for the sDrive20i) and Rs.78.90 lakh (for the M40i). The BMW Z4 will go up against rivals the likes of the Porsche 718 and Audi TT. It’s just a matter of time until we see the BMW Z4 zipping the Indian streets! Exciting times ahead for BMW India! 

Ferrari F8 Tributo - Meet Ferrari's Latest And Most Powerful V8 Supercar

Over the past 70 years, Ferrari has achieved legendary, God-like status in the automobile world. The Italian car giant has etched its name in the hearts and minds of automobile enthusiasts, automobile critics and the general public alike. Having produced some of the finest supercars of all time, (e.g. Ferrari F40, Enzo, La Ferrari, 488 etc.) Ferrari has also been a pioneer and flag bearer for the motorsport industry with countless championships in Formula 1 and other world-renowned races. Supercars and large, powerful engines with stupendous amounts of horsepower go hand in hand. Ferrari has been very popular in producing some very successful V8 supercars, with the most recent from the house of Ferrari the Ferrari 488 which was launched in 2015. At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show Ferrari unveiled the F8 Tributo, as a replacement for the Ferrari 488. Let’s find out what makes the latest Ferrari a spectacle of engineering, speed, technology paying a fitting tribute to the mid-engine Ferrari V8’s.

    On first impressions, you will realize that the F8 Tributo resembles the 488 quite a bit. Look closer and you will realize that the changes though subtle are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Car design is ever evolving and progressive, same is the case with the F8 Tributo. Ferrari has taken the 488 as a blueprint and enhanced the overall design for better aerodynamics, performance. The new car is sleeker, lighter, very aerodynamic and visual beauty to look at! The front section of the car is particularly aggressive looking. The nose of the car has a boomerang-like design to it. The headlamps though taken from the 488 are slimmer and sleeker. There is a large air intake at the front allowing for air to channelize and pass through to the engine for better cooling. Brake cooling has also been improved with additional vents allowing for air to pass directly to the brakes, Ferrari has decided against going for larger brakes, hence saving on overall weight. The rear of the car exhibits a complete rejig in design when compared to the 488. The rear fascia is now more aggressive with cuts, vents for the aerodynamics. The taillights give the car a good retro look and the dual exhaust pipes ooze performance. There is a hint of the legendary Ferrari F40 with the louvred engine cover. According to  Ferrari, the F8 Tributo is the bridge to a new design language for future Ferraris. Ferrari in a statement has said that the overall design of the F8 Tributo has resulted in a weight saving of over 40 kg and a 10% improvement in aerodynamics. Step inside and you will be welcomed to the familiar cabin of a modern Ferrari. Like the rest of the car, the 488 resemblance is familiar in the cabin. Amongst the changes are newly designed turbine-like AC vents, a new 7-inch touchscreen unit on the passenger side of the car, a new steering wheel. Coming to the most important element of the car, it’s 3.9 L V8 engine! The F8 Tributo is powered by Ferrari’s iconic twin-turbo V8 petrol engine.  This engine also does duty on the 488. There has been an astounding increase of 50 bhp to the power output when compared to the 488 thereby making 710 bhp of max power. For most of the ordinary and day to day cars reaching from 0-100 kmph would be a good 9+ seconds (approx.) but not for the F8 Tributo…Ferrari’s latest supercar takes a mere 2.9 seconds! You hit the 200 kmph in 7.9 seconds, both these are extremely quick and remarkable timings. The world-renowned 3.9 L V8 engine which does duty on this car is a twin-turbo unit, however, Ferrari claims there is virtually no turbo lag. With the advent of technology performance, car manufacturers are using a lot of hybrid technology to get out peak performance from their cars. Taking this into consideration, Ferrari has not used any hybrid technology in the F8 Tributo.

  The F8 Tributo is a benchmark for mid-engine supercars. The latest car from the Ferrari stable is its most powerful mid-engine V8 supercar yet. The F8 Tributo pays homage to the mid-engine Ferraris before it, this could very well be the last mid-engine V8 supercar from Ferrari. Nevertheless, Ferrari has given us a marvellous car! Watch out McLaren 720S, you just got a new challenger!