Weekly Automotive News - Summarised

December is traditionally a slow moving month for the Indian automarket in terms of sales. And in order to stir things up, most auto makers usually bring out minor facelifts and limited editions of popular models. And that is mostly what we saw in the past week, where Maruti Suzuki India, BMW India and Mercedes-Benz, all brought in facelifts and limited editions. We also saw news out of Renault India 's stables on its most popular SUV to date. Lets find out what took place in the automotive world over the previous week.

Limited Edition Alto K10 Knightracer Launched; 11 New Features!

The first week of December saw Maruti Suzuki India try and spice up things by introducing a limited edition A-Star that they dubbed the A-Star Aktiv. Following that we saw MSI introduce a similar limited edition of the popular Alto K10. The limited edition K10 has been dubbed Knightracer by MSI and features the Alto K10 LXi variant packed with 11 new features. On the exterior we have a rear end spoiler, trendy Knightracer body graphics, full wheel covers, body side moulding and left side ORVM. The interiors boast of new Knightracer fabric seat covers, rear parcel tray and a steering wheel cover. Additionally, the Knightrace also brings with it a state-of-the-art JVC MP3 music system with USB options.

Read More

BMW 530d M Sport Launched; Old 530d Discontinued

We also saw BMW India try a similar approach with the 530d model. What BMW has done is take the now old 530d and add the M Sport package to it with a very minimal increase in price. Additionally the new 530d M Sport comes with several interior and exterior changes and a dealer discount of up to 3 lakh.

Read More

Renault Duster 4x4 Launch Expected in March 2013

Apart from the limited edition offerings, we also brought to our readers updates on the Renault Duster 4X4. According to reports on the Internet, the 4X4 version of the Duster may be launched at the same time as the competing Ford EcoSport which is expected to come out in March, 2013.

Read More

Mercedes-Benz Reveals Facelifted E-Class

We also brought to our readers some big news from the Mercedes-Benz stables. The E-Class got a mid-life facelift centered around the styling, design and equipment upgrades. We also saw some engine changes to the E-Class; there is the new E-Class in a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit with 2 tuned states. Mercedes-Benz also has 2 diesel options planned out. One is a 2.1-litre, 4-cylinder diesel mill and the other is a 3.0-litre V6 mill. Both the engines will be in various states of tuning for increased performance.

Read More