Ford launches Endeavour All-Terrain Edition

The Ford EcoSport is almost here with us. But just before the baby Ford is ready to take center stage, the big daddy Endeavour gets a special edition model. 

Called the Ford Endeavour All-Terrain Edition, this is the second special edition that i have seen in the Endeavour line up after the Hurricane Limited Edition.
For a price of Rs 19.11 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) the Ford Endeavour All-Terrain Edition features:

• New Grille
• Hood Decal
• Chrome Highlights
• Illuminated scuff plates
• 16” chrome plated Alloy Wheels
• Two-tone beige interiors
• Reverse Parking Camera
• Electric Shift on the fly 4×4 automatic transmission
• Touch Screen GPS-enabled SATNAV system

Being an AT version, this special edition Endeavour is powered by a 3L diesel engine which is rated at 156PS@3,200rpm and 380Nm@2,500rpm. The 5-speed AT box does the duty of shifting cogs.
Right now the Endeavour special edition maybe Ford’s only answer to the 5-speed AT launched on the Fortuner TRD edition and the introduction of the Ssangyong Rexton. Ford will need an all-new Endeavour if it has to respond to this situation in a much better way.

Next generation Suzuki Swift to launch in 2016

According to a report on Italian website AlVolante, the next generation Swift would be ready by 2016. Suzuki started production of the current generation Swift in Hungary in mid-2010 and commenced manufacturing in Manesar in mid-2011.



 
Unsurprisingly, the new Swift managed to improve on its predecessor’s groundwork and became India’s best selling car for a brief period.
The Japanese company has not faithfully followed a 6-8 year lifecycle that most automakers plan with their compact cars, some of them have lived along with their predecessors, while some have been around for over 10 years.
There’s a Suzuki product in India that’s going strong for over 25 years!
The Swift brand is perhaps the most important nameplate in the Suzuki family today. Over 3 million copies are on global motorways today and to secure its future, Suzuki have to keep refreshing and updating it to the changing needs and trends.
There are no details technical available on the Swift replacement but looking at some of the concepts brought to recent motorshows, Suzuki is bound to develop electric and hybrid propulsion systems for cars in the B- and C-Segment.
The Swift hybrid, based on the previous generation model, was displayed at the Delhi Auto Expo last year, as part of the SIAM technology day. At the Tokyo Motor Show in 2011, a plug-in Swift hybrid concept was shown. Slowly but surely, the Swift will move from just being a petrol or a diesel car.
The S-Cross Concept that premieres in Geneva in a few weeks may give us a glimpse into what could inspire the next generation Suzuki family.
As the Maruti Swift is India’s favorite family car, what would you like to see Suzuki/Maruti do differently with the next generation Swift?

Isuzu D-Max gets accessory packs in the UK

 


The Isuzu MU7 and the D-Max pickup have just entered India with the hope of cracking their respective segments.
The Japanese duo look like the automotive equivalents of their home country’s sumo wrestlers and the bookings are already open at Isuzu’s first dealership at Hyderabad. The cars are being imported as CBUs as of now but the car maker is in the process of setting up an assembly plant in Andhra Pradesh.
Since the D-Max is officially here, i thought it is apt to bring to our readers’ knowledge that the brawny pickup truck has received a couple of accessory packs in the UK. Called the Work and Work Plus, the accessory packs save considerable amounts on the cost of constituent parts.
The Work pack consists of tow bar, a payload liner, rubber mats for front and rear and waterproof front seat covers. The pack is priced at £499 (around Rs. 41,809) which is a saving of £346 (around Rs. 28,990) pounds.
The Work Plus pack includes all the features of the Work pack and adds premium BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. The Work Plus package is priced at £999 (around Rs. 83,704) which is £411 (around Rs. 34,430) less than the recommended retail price of the individual constituents of the package.
The price range of the D-Max pickup truck in the UK is £14,499 (Rs. 12.14 lakhs) to £21,999 (Rs. 18.43 lakhs). The India spec D-Max is less equipped and retails at Rs. 6.87 lakhs for the single cab version and at Rs. 8.09 lakhs for the double cab version, both the prices being ex-showroom Hyderabad.

Ford Fiesta sold once in every two minutes in 2012!

The new Ford Fiesta is not exactly a sales success in India like its predecessor but the story is entirely different for the car in European countries.

The Ford Fiesta has always been one of Europe’s most favorite cars and Ford has managed to dispatch a colossal 3,06,405 Fiestas in the continent in 2012, making in the best selling small car in Europe. On an average, that is one Fiesta rolling off the showroom delivery gate every two minutes!
The Fiesta clocked around 1,10,000 units in the UK alone. The ‘One Ford’ Fiesta got an updated front fascia last year which constituted an Aston Martin like front grill.
The Ford Fiesta in Europe is currently available with the award winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost turbocharged direct injection petrol engine (which will make its Indian debut in the EcoSport). There is also a highly fuel efficient and ultra clean ECOnetic variant that is powered by the 1.6 litre Duratorq diesel engine which emits only 87 grams of CO2 per km. This engine is from a bygone generation was dropped in favor of the more fuel efficient 1.5-liter TDCi for the Indian market.
The other selling points of Fiesta are features such as the MyKey which allows parents to encourage their wards to drive safe and program the top speed of the vehicle as well as the radar-based emergency braking assistance program. The Ford SYNC multimedia infotainment system completes what is a very impressive overall package. Ford India is expected to load the Fiesta facelift with some of these missing items when it comes to town later this year or next year.
The Ford Fiesta has a starting price of £9,795 (around Rs. 8.2 lakhs) in the UK which is very affordable by European standards. Ford Europe is expecting that the Fiesta would continue its successful run in 2013 as well.