Weekly Wrap-Up; CarDekho Exclusive - New Ford Figo and Ford Compact Sedan Spied; Renault to Launch Both Lodgy and Stepway together in India

This week we brought some exclusive news to our readers. Our journalist spotted the most awaited next gen Ford Figo and an upcoming new entrant Ford Compact Sedan. Both the cars will be manufactured in Sanand Gujarat and are expected to be launched in a couple of months. Based on Ford's second iteration of the Kinetic design philosophy – Kinetic 2.0, the Figo duo will feature Ford's SYNC voice command system, the AppLink (smartphone App integration) and Emergency Assistance. In our yet another exclusive coverage, we reported that the French Automaker Renault will be launching two new products in 2015 – Renault Lodgy and its upcoming small car. In an exclusive interview with Mr. Sumit Sawhney, we also discussed Renault's future plans for India. Here's the glimpse of what all happened this week.

CarDekho Exclusive

New Ford Figo Compact Sedan and hatch Caught Testing - Exclusive

The anticipated 2015 next-generation Figo hatchback and its compact sedan from Ford India is spotted testing with bare minimum camouflage in Udaipur. The launch of both the cars is expected in a couple of months and will be produced in Ford's new manufacturing facility in Sanand Gujarat, which will be fully operational by April, 2015. Furthermore, Maruti Suzuki Swift was also spotted with these cars, probably they are using it for the benchmark. Both the cars are already on sale in Brazil and known as KA and KA+ there. In India, hatch will be known as Figo while its not clear yet whether Ford India will call the compact sedan - Figo+ or not. Read More:

Exclusive: Renault to Launch Both Lodgy and Stepway together in India: Official

Renault India recently showcased its much awaited Lodgy MPV at the Star Guild Awards, where Mr. Sumit Sawhney presented the Stepway trim to Bollywood Star Hritik Roshan. Right after the event, everyone was busy guessing; whether Renault will launch the Lodgy MPV or its premium trim Stepway in India. To clear the air, here is the official word from Mr. Sumit Sawhney, MD and CEO, Renault India, “We will be launching both the Lodgy and Stepway in India and both the trims will be launched together.” Mr. Sawhney told this to us at an exclusive interview today. Read More:

Upcoming Launches

Upcoming Cars In February

In the month of January, Indian auto industry witnessed quite a few important launches in the form of Tata Bolt, Datsun Go+, Mercedes Benz CLA Class and Toyota Fortuner 4x4 AT. Apart from this, country's ace carmaker Maruti Suzuki added a limited edition variant along with Z+ trims in its mid size sedan Ciaz. Home grown manufacturer Mahindra too introduced S4+ and S4+4WD in Scorpio while Honda upgraded Brio and Amaze models with Audio Video Navigation. Now as the month of January has passed, automakers are now looking to introduce more vehicles in February. Lets have a look on the upcoming cars in February. Read More:

Mercedes Benz India to Launch New C Class Diesel on Feb 11, 2015

Mercedes Benz India will launch the 2015 C Class - C-220 CDI diesel on February 11, 2015. The petrol guise - C-200 was launched in November last year and on similar lines, the diesel C 220 CDI will also be imported as CBU initially, following local assembly later. It is likely to be offered as a sole variant, similar to that of petrol. The vehicle will compete with Audi A4, BMW 3 series and Volvo S60 in its class. Read More:

Hyundai Verna Booking Commenced

As Hyundai is prepping up for the launch of Verna, the dealers across the country has started taking the advance booking of updated model with an upfront payment of Rs 21,000 to as high as Rs 51,000. The facelifted Verna is slated for the launch on 16th/17th of this month. The updated model will feature daytime running LEDs placed alongside with fog lamps, LED taillamps, redesigned bumper and twin-rear fog lamps. Read More:

Renault Reveals Kadjar; Public Debut at Geneva Motor Show

After tasting the fruit of success from Captur, Renault has now revealed Kadjar, company's first C-segment crossover. The car will make its public debut at the 85th Geneva Motor Show starting 5th March 2015 where the full details will be released. The crossover will be first launched in countries of Europe, Africa and Mediterranean Basin and then finally in China. Renault Kadjar will be available with either four or two-wheel-drive transmission. Read More:

India Bound: Skoda Reveal Interiors of the New Superb

Skoda has revealed the official pictures of the upcoming third generation Superb's dashboard. The Czech automaker will introduce the new Superb by mid of this month and it is set to go on sale in Europe by mid-2015. Speaking of the Indian launch, it is expected early next year. Read More:

Five Point of Everything

2015 Hyundai Verna Facelift: 5 Things You Must Know About!

Hyundai India is prepping up to launch the 2015 Verna and it does not seem to be like ‘i'm getting a fresh new face.' instead of it, things are expected to change mechanically too. Ever since the launch of City, sales of Verna dropped significantly, Ciaz has just worsen the scenario. Let's see what's the mid-life refreshed Korean sedan, launching on 17th of February, has in its bag! Read More:

2015 Hyundai Elite i20 Cross: 5 Things You Must Know About!

Hyundai is making world debut of the Elite i20 ‘Cross' in March, this vehicle is country's second largest automaker's fend to the riling hatch turned crossovers segment - VW Cross Polo, Toyota Etios Cross and the recently launched Fiat Avventura, which is indeed growling at Ford EcoSport. We bring you the 5 things you must know about the 2015 Hyundai Elite i20 Cross which is launching in the second week of March. Read More:

2015 Volkswagen Jetta: 5 Things You Must Know About!

Volkswagen is prepping up for the launch of facelifted 2015 Jetta, the sedan made its world debut just ahead of the 2014 New York Auto Show and went on to sale in Europe couple of months back. We bring you the 5 things you must know about the 2015 VW Jetta which is launching on 17th of February! Read More:

Spied Stories

2015 Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire Facelift Spied, Launching Soon!

After the facelift of Swift, Maruti is gearing up to release the updated version of Swift Dzire soon. The launch of the same is expected in coming weeks. In terms of changes in the Swift Dzire facelift, it would be similar to ones found in recently launched Swift hatchback. The compact sedan Dzire competes with Hyundai Xcent, Tata Zest, Honda Amaze and the soon to be launched 2015 Ford Figo compact sedan (The car was spied yesterday) Read More:

Sportier Ciaz with Body Kits Spied Again; Is it Upcoming Verna Facelift Effect?

As Hyundai is getting ready with the Verna facelift, Maruti Suzuki is too planning to bring the RS/sportier trim of its midsize sedan Ciaz. The car is spied again with sportier body kits which is expected to be either offered as accessory package or the automaker might launch a special or limited edition with aggressive body styling. Read More:

India Bound Next-gen Ford Endeavour Spied, Specs Leaked!

The next-gen Ford Endeavour which was revealed by the Blue Oval recently was spied in Australia. The SUV will be launched in the country this year after the introduction of 2015 Figo and compact sedan in the Indian market. Ford has revealed the powertrain of the new Endeavour but its specifications were not revealed earlier. Adding on this context, spec of the same were recently leaked. Lets roll what we know so far about the new Endy! Read More:

Road Test

Toyota Fortuner 3.0 4WD Automatic: Expert Review

The Fortuner has been the jewel in Toyota's crown for years now, and with gradual facelifts getting essentials like both 2WD and 4WD options earlier, and then later an automatic 2WD. The latest iteration gets an automatic gearbox with the 3.0 litre 4WD making it pretty much a complete off-road package. Read More:

Feature Stories

Formula One cars for 2015

Every new season of Formula 1 brings in new rules and regulations. Cars go through precise changes and tweaks to chop of as much lap times as possible within the boundaries of FIA standards. Key modifications are inclined towards engine performance and improved aerodynamics making cars faster than earlier. The new 2015 season will see faster cars than the 2014 season and improved driver skills as the constructors prepare. We look at some of these closely. Read More:

The Business of Formula Motorsports

India has successfully hosted Formula 1 for three years on its world class racing circuit. The deep Indian connect to Motorsports and its impact on sectors like tourism, logistics and hospitality. Read More:

The showstoppers of Fast and Furious 7

Over the years there have been quite a few car racing movies that have drawn audiences towards them, but if you ask anyone a certain series that they remember, we're sure the most popular answer will be ‘Fast and Furious'. Yes, this movie series can be rightly credited for popularizing car racing movies, and converting many non-auto people into automotive enthusiasts. So much is the anticipation for a new movie of this series year after, that Fast and Furious is the only automotive movie in the world to have seven parts. Besides having a fabulous cast of good looking faces and bodies, the primary attraction of Fast and Furious besides the protagonist Vin Diesel aka Dominic Toretto, are the cars. These are the real show stoppers of the movie. Read More:

All about BMWs new Laserlight

Automotive headlight technology has been getting a lot of concern by manufacturers, especially because they can enhance safety while driving. With the battle gaining heat between German manufacturers, BMW showcased its new Laserlight equipped M4 Coupe at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2015) held earlier this year. Read More:

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