The World This Week - 2nd April to 6th April, 2012

The financial world keeps changing every now and then. Read the latest happenings around the globe and become a wise wealth planner! 

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Curtain raiser: 3 stunning cars at the 11th Auto Expo

Not even a month is left for the Indian Auto Expo -- one of the most awaited car events. In 2012, the Auto Expo will witness more than 55 new cars that would take your breath away.

About 42 automobile manufacturers took part in the auto expo last year, but this year around, about 50 car makers will participate. Sparkling cars will come from manufacturers like Maruti, Hyundai, Ford, Renault and Tata Motors. While some of these cars will be actually launched in India, some more will just be showcased, and others will be concepts.

Renault Pulse

Renault India has been quite active lately in the Indian car market. Earlier it launched its premium sedan, Renault Fluence in the country, which was pretty successful in wooing consumers. Now Renault is ready to tap the most thriving car segment, i.e. the hatchback segment with its new car, Renault Pulse.
Renault Pulse will be officially launched at the 2012 Auto Expo, New Delhi. This hatchback car has a striking resemblance to Nissan Micra in terms of its space and appearance. It is expected that the company will launch Renault Pulse in both diesel and petrol variants and keep the price between Rs 600,000 to 800,000. As soon as it is launched in the Indian car market, it will certainly be facing a cut throat competition from hatchbacks like Maruti Swift, Hyundai i10 and i20, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo and Toyota Etios Liva.

Audi A4

2012 Auto Expo will not only witness car launches from Indian car makers, but also from German luxury car maker, Audi. Audi India is all set to launch the Audi A4 facelift sedan in the country next year. Once launched, Audi A4 facelift will face aggressive competition from BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C Class.
This new sedan by Audi will come powered with 2.0 litre of petrol engine which will churn out 333 BHP of power and is likely to be more fuel efficient as compared to its previous version. Also the interiors are improved considerably in terms of steering wheel, superior MMI (multi media interface) and high quality upholstery. The exact price of Audi A4 facelift is still unknown, but it could be expected between Rs 34 to 40 lakh (Rs 3.4 - 4 million).

BMW Mini Cooper

Another German car maker that will launch its new car at the Auto Expo 2012 is BMW. BMW India is all set to bring its cute hatchback BMW Mini Cooper. Mini brand basically specialises in manufacturing small cars owned by BMW. BMW Mini Cooper was first introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011. There, the president of the firm, Andreas Schaaf mentioned that it might bring BMW Mini Cooper to India by 2012. Reports suggest that this car will be available for Rs 23 lakh (Rs 2.3 million).


Source: www.rediff.com
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Top 5 luxury cars

With time, the definition of luxury car has changed in India. In the 60's and 80's a car meant either a Premier Padmini or Ambassador.
Then in the mid-90s came the Maruti and the auto scene in India changed forever.
Though hatchbacks are still the most popular, sales of luxury cars are also slowly picking up.

The luxury car segment in India starts at Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million).
From SUVs and sedans to coupe, hatchback, station wagon, convertible, minivans and crossovers, Indian roads boast of a fleet of luxury cars.

There is no dearth of luxury cars in India.
Ranging from the most expensive Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million) Aston Martin to BMW or Toyota, Rolls Royce, Porsche or Lamborghini, India has it all.
Aston Martin has five offerings in this range viz. Aston Martin DB9, Aston Martin DBS, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Aston Martin Rapide, Aston Martin One 77.
The price ranges between Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) and Rs 20 crore.

German car maker BMW has around eleven cars in this segment starting from Rs 22.5 lakh (Rs 2.25 million) BMW X1 to BMW 7 Series which costs around Rs 1.32 crore (Rs 13.2 million).

Among the Toyota luxury cars in India are Camry priced around Rs 21.58 lakh (Rs 2.15 million) and Prius at Rs 27.08 lakh (Rs 2.7 million).

British brand Rolls Royce luxury car range in India starts with Rolls-Royce Ghost priced at Rs 2.50 crore (Rs 25 million) followed by Rolls-Royce Phantom which is priced at Rs 3.50 crore (Rs 35 million) and Rolls-Royce Drophead which has a price tag of Rs 4.20 crore (Rs 42 million).

Another German car maker Porsche has 5 cars in India ranging from Rs 59 lakh (Rs 5.9 million) Porsche Cayenne to Rs 1.42 crore (Rs 14.2 million) Porsche Panamera.

Source: www.rediff.com
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These 8 cars will sport a new look in 2012

Gear up and get ready to welcome enhanced and improved versions of your favorite cars in 2012.

Some of facelifts in India will include cars from highly prominent car makers such as General Motors, Hyundai, Audi, Tata Motors, Honda and Toyota.

Chevrolet Cruze

GM launched its stylish sedan, Chevrolet Cruze in India in October 2009.

The Chevrolet Cruze facelift version is expected to be launched in 2012. When Chevrolet Cruze arrived in India, the sedan managed to grab a lot of attention and finally was victorious among other strong competitors, such as Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Corolla and Skoda Laura.

The major changes that are anticipated in the facelifted version of this sedan include, freshly designed fog lamps, high-up placed Chevrolet badge, sophisticated interiors with 2-tone colour scheme along with ample of storage space. However, the engine size is likely to be same.

 Estimated price of the new Chevrolet Cruze is Rs 14 lakh.

Chevrolet Captiva

General Motors is certainly busy, along with Chevrolet Cruze facelift, GM is also expected to launch Chevrolet Captiva's facelifted version by next year.

This new car by GM will feature latest car technology. The major key features of the face-lift of Chevrolet Captiva would comprise newly designed bonnet, rectangular headlamps along with divided rectangular grille.

The facelifted Chevrolet Captiva will also come with LED turn signals placed on the rear view mirrors on either sides, ice blue back light, three row seating arrangements, touch screen navigation system, ABS, BAS, ESC, TCS, electric hand brake, hill start assist, USB ports and parking cameras.

As far as the engine of this new SUV is concerned, it is likely to be powered with 2.2 litre of VCDI engine that will produce 163 BHP of maximum power.

The price of the facelifted Chevrolet Captiva is expected to be approximately Rs 20 lakh.

Tata Nano

Following the facelift trend is Tata Motors. It is expected to launch the facelift version of the world's cheapest car, Tata Nano.

The new Tata Nano will come powered with a diesel engine that will provide a whopping mileage of 30 km per litre, which is absolutely striking. But this excitement has to be reserved as the diesel version will come next year. However, this year too, Tata Motors launched Nano with few cosmetic upgrades. Furthermore, reports suggest that the firm is also working on the hybrid version of the world's cheapest car.

This might come with Bosch power steering unit, top-hinged rear windshield along with twin cylinder diesel motor that will deliver 40 km per litre of mileage, which surely could be the next big thing.

The price of the hybrid version is not yet revealed, but the diesel version will be priced around Rs 225,000 only.

Audi A4

German luxury car maker Audi is also ready with a facelift version of Audi A4. The face-lifted version of Audi A4 sedan is expected to hit the Indian shores by mid-2012. This new sedan by Audi will give a direct competition to BMW 3-Series and also to Mercedes-Benz C class.

The key highlights of the new Audi A4 might comprise 4 engine trims, including 2.0 TFSI, 1.8 TSFI, 2.0 TDi and 3.2 FSI Quattro.

Furthermore, the redesigned comfortable interiors and stylish steering wheel will add more charm to the sedan, the price of the new Audi A4 has been still kept under the hood, but speculations suggest that this new sedan will cost you around Rs 34 lakh to Rs 40 lakh.

Toyota Fortuner

Next on the list is Toyota Motors, which is expected to launch a face-lifted version of Fortuner next year. This newly designed SUV will sport certain cosmetic upgrades including rear license plate, chrome radiator grille, black wood grain paneling inside the cabin and cylindrical shaped projector lamp.

All these are mere cosmetic changes but will surely give a new look to the very manly Fortuner. The engine specifications are likely to be same as the current version available in the Indian car market.

The cost of the facelifted Toyota Fortuner will probably be Rs 22 lakh.

Toyota Innova

Along with Toyota Forturner, a facelift variant of Toyota Innova is also likely to hit the Indian roads in 2012. There will be some high points in the new Toyota Innova, which might comprise 2.5 litre of diesel engine mated with 5-speed manual gearbox, redesigned tail lamps, windshield and bumper.

The chrome trimming done of the above number plate will add more charm to this MPV. Other changes will include squared grille, new bumper and sharp headlights.

Price of the facelifted Toyota Innova is likely to range between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 14 lakh.

Honda Civic

Honda Motors too is planning to launch the facelifted version of its much acclaimed sedan Honda Civic in 2012. The new Honda Civic is expected to come with some minor cosmetic changes on the outside along with stylish and chic interiors.

The engine will become more powerful and is expected to deliver better mileage. Also the gear transmission is expected to be enhanced as compared to the current variant of the sedan.

The price factor is still a mystery, but reports suggest that one will have to shed around Rs 14 lakh.

Hyundai i20

One more wagon on our list comes from Hyundai Motors, who are planning to launch the facelift version of its hatchback car, Hyundai i20. The new Hyundai i20 might come with hexagonal grille, revamped fog lamps along with sharper headlights.

New wheels will be installed on the facelift version of this hatchback.  As far as the engine of the new Hyundai i20 is concerned, it is likely to get powered by 1.2 litre of Kappa engine accompanied with valve timing.

The new Hyundai i20 would give a tough competition to cars like Nissan Micra, Volkswagen Polo, new Maruti Swift and Toyota Etios Liva.

Source: www.rediff.com

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