CHEVY AVEO WEBSITE

GM has put up a some pretty pages with lot of information on Aveo on their website. The site has more details on the features and specifications and the models. A hatchback version would be rolled out sometime later this year, which could compete with Swift and Getz, but the website does not mention anything about it.

The pricing looks fair and competitive for the lower end models(1.4, 1.4E), with a 94bhp engine and power steering, windows and central locking as standard. The prices for the 2 higher end models(1.4LS, 1.4LT) are good too, but not as aggressive as that of the other two. There are some good images on the website and the car definitely looks pretty. Especially adding to the look are a nice grille and the bow tie symbol. The website is informative and worth a look.

GM is doing a good job in getting the right kind of publicity, and ensuring that everyone who would want to buy a car in its class will also put Aveo in the prospective buys(Very unlike the Corsa which was hardly an option for many). But they seem to have taken the same course as Ford Fiesta, in hiring movie stars for endorsement(Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan) and using some new jargons(VGIS for Aveo, like it was Dura for Fiesta). Here is what the website says about VGIS:

The Variable Geometry Intake System makes the Aveo an intelligent car. Drawing inspiration from the human body, this cutting edge technology enables the car to vary its air intake according to need, just like a runner who breathes in a normal manner while walking and automatically starts breathing faster while running.

Whether Aveo will make a mark or not, it is good news for the customer, who is now getting more choices in a segment that did not have many options a few years ago. And it is good to see that most of the cars in this segment are fresh new and offers the latest. Besides, more competition may very well mean that some of them may start offering discounts in the days to come.

CHEVY AVEO: MODELS AND PRICING

Chevy Aveo will have four variants available in India, priced between 5.55 to 6.85 lakhs(ex-showroom, Thane). That means the starting on-road price would be somewhere near 6 lakh mark. Below are the variants and the prices:

1.4E - 5.55 lakhs
1.4L - 5.74 lakhs
1.4LS - 6.14 lakhs
1.6LT - 6.85 lakhs

There is no diesel version available yet, but GM is working on one. See the full story.

Update: The version mentioned above as 1.4L is called just 1.4 in GM's website. Besides, 1.4E will be available only from August.

HYUNDAI'S ONE MILLIONTH CAR

Hyundai has rolled out its One Millionth car from its facility at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. The one million mark has been breached 90 months after inception, is said to be the fastest in India. Its probably the second car maker after Maruti to reach one million mark in passenger cars.

CHEVY AVEO: BETTER DAYS FOR GM?

General Motors has always been on the loosing side since they stepped in India. When Ford and GM come to India, they both made similar mistakes - of pushing old and useless models that no one really wanted, and a budget at which few people would have bought at that point of time. Ford India corrected their mistakes quickly in launching the Ikon. But General Motors never had much success. Nothing seemed to work for them: none of their cars - Astra, Vectra, Corsa or sail really made a mark in the Indian market. Things began to look up a little with Optra, which was accepted fairly. Tavera did not really begin well, but Toyota seemed to be kind to GM, and the sales of Tavera seemed to have gone up considerably since the exit of Qualis.

With Aveo coming into the market, GM should be ready to gather some more market share. Initial feedbacks for the car have been welcoming(See fist look at rediff). With Aveo being the much needed replacement for Corsa, and a small car coming up by the end of the year, GM will be able to offer something for the buyers in all segments, which may see some change in the company's fortunes in India. Aveo should be made available by third week of March. And Chevy Spark, the resurrected Matiz, which ran into problems of acquiring Daewoo plant, is likely to be launched by the end of the year. GM India is finally making the right decisions, and we have to wait and watch for it to take fruit. But it is very much likely that GM is going to see better days in India in near future.

REDUCED PRICES, MORE CARS AND MORE TRAFFIC JAMS

This year's budget has made car buyers happy. And it has made car sellers happy too. The cut in the prices is substantial and that is very much likely to increase the sales. I have an ad from Maruti in front of me, which lists the price cuts.

Alto: Rs. 18,605
WagonR: Rs. 22,597
800: Rs. 13,838
Zen: Rs. 24,283
Baleno: Rs. 8,000

There are no price cuts on the Swift.

The question I have is - if the government encourages people to buy more cars and drive them on the same roads, how long can we sustain? Most of our cities are already congested and the travel time is increasing every day. More cars can only worsen things unless the new roads are built to support them. But the trouble is that it takes a long time to get the infrastructure in place but the cars will be on the road very soon. An increase in vehicles and more traffic jam also means more pollution and health disorders. In a city like Bangalore where I live, half the children are known to have some breathing disorders, and it only gets worse.

This is a time when most cities in the world are jacking up buying and driving prices of personal vehicles. Singapore introduced congestion taxes long ago to encourage using public transport. London has introduced congestion taxes since 2003 and it seems to be working. More countries in Europe are planning to go this way. What we now need is a step in similar lines. It can't be done in haste, and requires effort in improving public transport system to a degree that one feels convenient to take the bus. But working on these directions is the need of the hour to avoid congestion, ensure pollution free cities and faster movement from place to place.

END OF ROAD FOR MARUTI ZEN?

It looks like the days of Maruti Zen are over. Its falling sales, which were cannibalized by Maruti's newer models like the Swift, Alto and the Wagon R are making Maruti to consider stopping production of their once best seller B segment car. This may not come as a surprise to most. Being one of the older cars on the road, Zen was getting dated, and the newer models of Maruti cannibalized the sales of Zen. It was spruced up to a new look in end 2003, but that was not sufficient. Maruti failed to address some important complaints that customers had about the car - less road clearance and height. But Zen did have its advantages in the longevity and reliability of its aluminum engine, best fuel economy in its class, a very stable body and a very refined engine.

But all is for good, and Maruti has decided to replace the existing Zen with a completely new car in the same range, with the same brand name. This again indicates the maturity that Indian car market is arriving at. It is common in the evolved markets to launch completely new makeover of a car with same brand name. Maruti is taking a step in the right direction.