List of 1200cc petrol cars available in India

This is the third part of the article following
http://boyracer.blogspot.in/2013/09/diesel-engine-options-available-in.html
and
http://boyracer.blogspot.in/2013/10/list-of-1000cc-petrol-cars-available-in.html

Motorcycles in the market these days have upped the technology stakes compared to cars when it comes to extracting BHP's out of engines. Taking cues from Motorcycles makers, carmakers have started to tone down engine sizes while extracting double the power than previously possible.

This has also been possible after the governments of various countries have started slapping car makers with duties and taxes if the engine sizes go above a certain size. Here's a list of 1200cc petrol cars available in India which might fit your requirements.


Chevrolet Smartech II engine: Chevrolet's trump card for the mass small car market has helped the company keep its marketshare stable. The 1199cc engine is actually a part of the GM family 0 engines developed by Opel for developing markets. It develops 80.5bhp and 108nm in the Chevrolet Beat. In the Chevrolet Sail sedan and U-va hatchback the engine makes 86bhp and 113nm of torque with the help of twinport technology. Cars powered by this engine are

Chevrolet Sail

Chevrolet Beat

Fiat Fire Engines: F.I.R.E. in the name stands for Fully Integrated Robotised Engines.While it might sound techy, all it means is that the engine has been built by a fully robotic facility. The engine is old school and there is not much to talk about. One car is powered by the Fiat engine, the Fiat Punto where it produces 66bhp and 96nm of torque.

Fiat Punto

Ford Duratec engine: Ford names its petrol engines Duratec while naming its diesel engines Duratorq. This particular engine is basically a smaller version of the 1.4 duratec family of Ford engines developed for India. The engine makes 71 bhp and 102nm of torque

Honda L12B i-VTEC:  Honda's L series of engines are what the company needed since a long time. The petrol engine is fuel effcient but lacks low end torque. The engine powers Honda's Brio hatchback, Amaze sedan and to be relaunched Honda Jazz. The engine makes 90bhp of power and 109nm of torque.

Honda Jazz

Honda Amaze

Honda Brio

Hyundai Kappa : The Kappa engine from Hyundai is the most advanced work from the company in the small engines segment. The DOHC VVT  1200cc engine develops a healthy 82 bhp alongwith 113 nm of torque. Many owners have complained of lower fuel efficiency on these engines. Three cars are powered by the Kappa engine.

Hyundai i10

i10 grand

i20

Suzuki K12 engine: Suzuki rebadged maruti in India is the largest carmaker in the country. This alone makes the engine a major player in the game. The k12 engine is the torquiest of the 1200 cc engines. The engine makes 86bhp of power and 114nm of torque. Four cars are powered by this engine.


Ritz

Swift

Dzire

EECO

Nissan-Renault HR Engine: Nissan has banked on its HR engine for gaining a major market share in the country. Its Micra range of cars have been helped by Renault to bring economies of scale. The engine is a 3-cyl option. Two cars are powered by this engine.

Nissan Micra

Renault Pulse

Premier MPFI engine: Premier marks its re-entry into the passenger car market with the rebadged Zoyte Nomad (rebadged Daihatsu Terios). The car is as old as the Premier Padmini days. The engine makes 77bhp and 104nm or torque.  It sure makes for a practical buy for those looking for a cheaper ecosport replacement. One car is powered by this engine.

Premier Rio

Toyota 3NR-FE: Toyota is the largest carmaker in the world but It hasnt been able to make a breakthrough in the top ranks. Toyota has tried to make a dent with the Toyota Etios Liva economy hatch. The engine makes 80 bhp and 104nm of torque. One car is powered by this engine.

Toyota Etios Liva

TaTa Safire engine:  Tata has given the country the most spacious hatch for an affordable price. The car has given wheels to the whole families of India. The engine makes 64 bhp and 96nm or torque. The engine is developed in collabration with Fiat. One car is powered by this engine.

Tata Vista

VW TSI engine: VW has finally learnt to make engines which are competitive in its bid to dethrone toyota worldwide. The 1.2 engine gets TSi and turbocharged to make power and torque equivalent to a 1.6 engine. The engine produces 105 bhp and 175 nm of torque. Two cars are powered by this engine.

Polo GT

vento tsi

List of 1000cc Petrol cars available in India

As discussed in the previous article,  Increasing traffic and petrol prices have led to a shift in the buying choices of the Indian customer. People are now buying cheapers cars that give better mileage to offset the running costs. This has led to even The American muscle car makers to enter the smaller engine segment. Most companies now have a 1200cc petrol engine but many cars now also have a smaller engine capacity thus saving money and making city commutes hassle free. Let's discuss the options available.

1. GM S-TeC 1.0:  General Motors bet on the entry level hatchback cars has been the company's most successful car to date. The S-Tec 1000 cc engine has been more powerful than the Alto 0.8 and 800DX cars from Maruti. The car has a 65bhp engine with a 91nm of Torque. The engine is good enough for the city and the occassional highway run. The engine is a carryover from the Daewoo buyout.The engine is available on one car

Chevrolet Spark 1.0

2. Ford Ecoboost 1.0: Fords trumpcard in India to enter maintstream segment and garner a huge marketshare has got a lot of takers. Small engine with big power is the mantra and Ford has worshipped it big time. The Engine makes 123bhp and 170nm of torque with the help of a Turbocharger. Ford markets the engine as being the size of an A4 size paper. The engine is currently available on one car right now.

Ford EcoSport 1.0

Hyundai 1.1 Epsilon (Irde): Hyundai is currently the second largest carmaker in the country. A major reason is the Hyundai Santro. Hyundai's mainstream car at one point in time. The car is powered by a 1100cc engine making 64 bhp  and 97nm of torque.The engine upgrade is now called IRDE. Two cars are powered by this engine.

Hyundai I10
Hyundai Santro.

 Hyundai 0.8 Epsilon: Hyundai has long played the cat and mouse game with Maruti Suzuki for entry level hatches. Finally they launched the smaller Hyundai Eon with a 0.8 Epsilon engine which is basically a smaller engine from the Santro, I10 lineup. The Engine makes 55bhp and 75nm from 1000cc. One car is currently powered by this engine.

Hyundai Eon

Maruti Suzuki K10B: A major part of the Maruti Modernization program was engine sharing amongst its entry level Models.  This led to the introduction of the K10 engine. The engine makes 67bhp of power and 91nm of Torque. Currently four models are powered by this engine.

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10
Maruti Suzuki A-Star
Maruti  Suzuki Zen Estilo
Maruti Suzuki Wagon R

Maruti Suzuki F8B:  800cc engines have been synonymous with Maruti Suzuki cars. But the company has been working overtime replacing the F8B with the K10B. The engine  makes 46bhp and and 62nm of torque. The engine is currently available in two cars.

Maruti Suzuki Alto
Maruti Suzuki Omni

Tata Nano Petrol: Tata's Value for money engine for the world has shaken the biggest of the carmakers by showing what is possible for a small price. The 624cc engine makes 38 bhp and 51nm of Torque. The engine powers three tata cars .

Tata Nano
Tata Magic Iris
Tata Ace Zip

A decade of romance with a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. Long term ownership review.

My daily commute to work lasts about 45 mins one way. Add to that another 30 mins of evening drives here and there and I can safely say that 2 hours of my daily life are spent inside the car. No wonder its an important part of my life. So to give credits where they are due, the Mitsubishi Lancer SFXI petrol has served me as a good friend for more than 10 years now.

After finishing school, college to me like everybody else was a dream come true. New clothes, New friends, new adventures, new love and what not. But above all for me it was the car that came into my life. I turned 18 and got my drivers license. The next obvious step was getting a car.

With two bikes parked in the garage, the choice was definitely not easy. But the hunt began. We looked at the Maruti-Suzuki Esteem, Chevrolet Optra petrol, Skoda Octavia, Hyundai accent, Opel Astra Club,  Honda City V-tec, Ford Mondeo and the Mitsubishi Lancer. I read everything there was to these cars and got test drives again and again.

The first choice came out to be Ford Mondeo. The 2003 Ford Mondeo was the biggest car in our selection and obviously the most expensive. Spacious and fun to drive it almost ticket all the boxes. The car was also a looker back in 2003. But the issues with stereo and electric power seats and lack of availability of spares (imported from Belgium) marred the otherwise excellent car. The brand killed the resale further and hence I had to let go.

Naturally, the next best car was the Skoda Octavia. The new entrant had taken the luxury car market by storm with its space and power. German engineering was a plus. This was the second most expensive car of the lot. Due to a relatively new name, we let go of this option.  Sadly, the company launched a VRS version with a 1.8 TPI engine with 150 BHP on tap and lots of goodies on offer in just six months after our purchase of the Lancer SFXI.

The third car on the list was the Stonker of a vehicle. The Honda City 1.5 Vtec. It was the most powerful car in its segment and the quickest amongst those on sale. The problem was with the dealer. Being the only dealer in town, he had resorted to bad selling tactics and many honda owners had problems. Also, at the time, a new honda city had already entered the market with only 77bhp on tap to cater to the Fuel efficiency fans. This was the closest competitor to the Mitsubishi Lancer SFXI back in the day and trumped in most factors.

The fourth car also belongs on the list of my favorite cars. The Opel Astra. The Germans were the first to give India a taste of what the hoopla about german engineering is. The Astra had many firsts during its time. The list includes, hood scoops, sunroof, Dual tone metallic paint job, spoiler, alloy wheels and a display computer. But the downsides were the launch of the Chevrolet Badge replacing the opel. Astra was also on its last legs in India and Europe had already seen the second model replacement of the Astra. High maintainence and low resale marked this car out.

As mentioned above, that the Chevrolet brand was replacing the Opel Astra, The company had just launched the Chevrolet Optra. A rebadged Daewoo the car was the perfect replacement for the Astra with its spacious and feature packed cabin. The car had a powerful 1.6 petrol engine, sunroof, leather seats, spoiler alloy wheels and a comfortable ride. But the car was not a looker and I did not like the dull driving experience. So it was ruled out.

Hyundai Accent features here only because it was the cheapest option and made a sensible choice. The GTX Tornado and the Accent Viva  were the powerful petrol cousins. I did like the way the Accent Viva looked with its Notchback design a la the Octavia. The car was easy to maintain, didnt look that bad and still had enough bells and whistles. This car being the jack of all trades was second on the list of confirmed buys after the Lancer.

The first time I saw the lancer, it was at a display stall at a shopping mall. The glistening red car completely decked with body kit took my heart away at first glance. I reached the dealership for a test drive and they were prompt with their service. The HM-Mitsubishi of 2003 was at the end of its best levels of quality service and cars. I was impressed with the car in the first test drive itself. Though not exactly a sales topper, the car still had what it takes to win hearts. It was no Mondeo to drive but the Handling beat the Ford Hands down. It was no Octavia VRS but had enough bodykit and accessories to win the heart of the boyracer. The car was no 0-100 champion like the Vtec but was stable even at 160 kmph thanks to the Evo VI chassis. The result was the cheque written in favour of the three pointed diamond star.

I have driven the lancer for more than 10 years now and the car has saved my family from a disastrous accident, won the heart of my girl for me and cheered me up on the long drives when life acted like a bitch. The car still retains the orginal paintjob and runs like a charm returning 13kmpl in city and touching 17kmpl on the highway.

The car has seen two tyre changes
Stock tyres 185/60 R14 MRF ZVTS
Michelin XM1+ 185/65 R14
Goodyear Assurance 195/60 R14

A suspension change replacing stock gabriel Oil Struts to KYB Excel G gas struts.

And a stonker audio update
Pioneer 7950UB with USB with wireless remote control
Rockford Fosgate Prime co-axial speakers
Soundstream xtc 6.5" components
Soundstream Picasso Pw12L DVC sub
Bassworx sub enclosure
Soundstream Lil Wonder 4.480 4channel amp.
Connecxion 8-guage amp wiring kit.

What I liked
- Reliability
- fun to drive factor
- robust engine
-  Awesome ergonomic interiors.Everything falls into hand and seating position is perfect
- Still commands attention
- Good ground clearance makes it easy to take on bad roads.
- precise and well weighted steering
- Chilling AC
- slick gearbox but with normal ratios

What I dont like
- Mediocre power
- premium rear space
- low seating a problem for parents
- Company support and  dealership service problems
- Weak power windows
- Cabin sound insulation

What I miss today
- New age dashboard.
- Stereo Mounter audio controls
- Fuel efficiency details meter
- All windows one touch power down

Ten things Tata should do to turn into a global manufacturer Part II

I had written about  the problems at Tata motors back in September 2011. Tata motors although a major fighter for the second spot after Maruti in the Indian market back then, was already losing its edge over competition.  Today  Tata Motors has fell to fifth place and might soon fall to sixth if things don't improve.

 Here's an article I wrote in 2011 that all is not well in Tata Motors.

http://boyracer.blogspot.in/2011/09/ten-things-tata-should-do-to-turn-into.html

Mr.Ratan Tata, an avid car lover at heart (Parsi genes you see..) has during his tenure put everything in the company to keep it fighting fit. Now post his departure Tata motos has tried to rope in the MD of GM, India Mr. Karl Slym who has started working right away at trying to arrest sales, but minor facelifts have not work for Maruti, Ford, Honda or Tata ever. What else can Mr. Slym do for Tata Motors remains to be seen.

1. Image: Is your next car going to be one from Tata Motors? A majority will say No without hesitation.  Tata Motors has an image of a cheap truck and car maker. Customers buy Tata cars mostly because it is the cheapest in the segment or because they expect the product to withstand abuse.  In the Indian Market where people do not trust their own nations products, Tata has an uphill battle. Constant quality niggles make things worse.

Logo: The First and foremost thing Tata Motors should do is design a desirable Logo. The current logo has an industrial feel to it. Another major step in image upgrade is to renovate dealerships. Subway sandwich chain of restaurants have the same cooking stove, same breads, same wallpapers, same chairs and tables and menu all over the world. This is something that goes a long way in building an image.

Brand Ambassador: Chevrolet used Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherji, Renault uses Anil Kapoor for its Scala, Nissan used Ranbir Kapoors services, Mahindra used the services of Jimmy Shergill for its Verito. Tata needs to do the same. An actor who is smooth and refined will do wonders for the brand. Amir Khan is a known as a perfectionist and is already endorsing Titan brand for Tata.

Pricing: Pricing the car decides the impression it will create on the masses. A Tata Manza with more features and space is still viewed as a cheaper car than Honda City or Chevrolet Sail. Especially at a time when Tata Motors has taken a hit and is revamping its product portfolio, now is the best time to reposition their cars. A company that doesn't make profit is not doing business but charity. Tata can Price higher end models with more features over segment leaders in a bid to take away a chunk of their market share. With the use of Brand ambassadors, the company should target ads right at segment leaders.

2. Model perception: When tata launched the Upgrade to its Sumo, the Sumo Grande, the excellent car could not bring in customers. The problem was not with the model but with the image associated with Tata Sumo. The marketers were quick to rebrand it as just the Tata Grande but the damage was done. Today while the Innova sells in huge numbers, Tata Grande has been a tame seller.

The same issue has plagued Tata Indica Vista and Tata Indigo Manza.  The rebrand came too late for both the cars. The Manza is still seen as an upgrade to the Indigo and that is where the image of the car takes a huge hit. A strong awareness campaign needs to be put in place differentiating between the cars. Indigo Ecs (entry level compact sedan around 5 lacs), Indigo XL(re brand it lounge XL removing the INdigo name) (mid-size sedan around 7.5 lacs) and Tata Manza (c-segment at 8+ lacs). The same also holds true for the Nano, Indica and Vista and the Sumo and Grande.

3. Corporate grille:  What is common in a Chevrolet Beat, Sail and Cruze cars or Hyundai I10, i20, Verna, Elantra and Sonata cars? The grille and headlights that make up the front have a generalized design making it easy for customers to recognize the cars with the brand. Tata cars lack such a similar uniform grille and Headlamp combination. It brings a company brand recall when they see the look on many cars.

PS: A honecomb design with led taillights is a rare combination and should help Tata motors step up its image.

Also helpful would be bringing uniforms for sales staff, uniform brochures and catchy coloured led lightings that brighten up the showroom and look welcoming enough. Half the battle is won if the customer walks into the showroom.

4. Tata Nano: When Tata Nano was launched in India in 2008, it was the most talked about car in the world. But today, the car averages 1000-2000 units a month. In contrast, hyundai eon and i10 cars average 8000 units a month. Maruti Alto Averages 20000 units a month. So what went wrong? The car is much smaller than the models it competes with. To add insult to injury Tata motors decided to price it cheaper than the competing cars leading to lack of any image for this small wonder. Those who cannot afford a car still see Nano as a car and those who can have image issues.

A quick and extremely effective remedy will be to have a cheap base model but raise the price of other models with added features to compete with competitors at the same price. Targeting the college going youth will also add to the cars personality. Some extremely well marketed kei cars are  the Mitsubishi-i,  Toyota IQ and the Smart car. A custom accessories program where customers can customize the car for different colours, alloy wheels, upholstery, stereo etc will also help strengthen the cars appeal. Also instrumental to the cars success is a doze of premiumness like a 2-seater convertible. DC designs has shown a nice convertible concept based on the Nano recently.

PS: A fasttrack edition Nano?

5. Comeptitive pricing and segmentation: Hyundai as a carmaker has successfully played the pricing card over time. The initial models of Hyundai (Accent, Santro) were priced below competition to lure in sales. But over time Hyundai has increased the prices of its cars slowly and gradually. Now Some of their cars are also priced higher then segment leaders. For e.g. When Honda City used to sell at 8-10 lacs price range, Hyundai sold the Accent at 6-8 lacs price range with competitive features. The accent replacement (Verna) saw prices rise higher at 7-9 lacs. The latest Hyundai Verna is now priced on par with Honda city and even higher. Correct compeitive pricing is an important aspect as it helps the carmaker make the customer see how they have envisioned the car and the level at which it is targeted.

Tata's flagship Aria falls in a no mans land. While most people compare Xuv500 to Safari Storme. Aria sales are also dismal. This is a big opportunity for Tata to peg the Aria straight into the Ford Endeavour/ Ssangyong Rexton/ Toyota Fortuner territory. Although Quality levels and feature list needs to be improved. This will help the company command better profit margins and enter the premium market.

I would also strongly suggest the company to launch Magic Iris to help Nano compete with the 800/Alto/K10, Eon and Spark cars. I've mentioned before on numerous occassions how maruti has succesfully played the two car card for each competing segment. Alto-Astar, Estilo-WagonR, Ritz-Swift are strong examples. Hence Magic Iris can help Nano increase the product visibility and bring in volumes.

PricingAria higher brings Storme right into the XUV500 territory which is selling like hot cakes. Another excellent opportunity to increase profit margins. Tata Aria has not been able to sustain sales against the XUV500 but Tata Safari is a succesful platform and commands respect and legacy. This will help Safari storme rake in higher sales by eating into the XUV500 sales. It is given that Safari needs to be kitted to the gills just like the XUV500 to keep the fight strong.

Similary Tata Grande MKII should be targeted at Mahindra Scorpio (both have similar size and engine power and tall UV stance), maruti Ertiga and Renault Duster. while Tata Sumo should be targeted at Mahindra Bolero and Maruti Eeco.

To tap into the potential customer market, Tata motors should Bring in Tata Winger in retail sales to compete with the likes of Chevrolet Enjoy, Nissan Evalia, Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo. Similarly Toyota Venture should be introduced to compete with Mahindra Quanto and Maruti Omni.

It is visible how the stress is more on Mahindra Cars mostly and then Maruti cars. The reason is both Tata and Mahindra are basically UV makers and hence their vehicles share lots of segmentation. While maruti on the other hand is the largest car maker with presence in most segments.

6. Timely Innovations: To beat competition, you have to excel the competition. Tata motors has offlate only played catch up with other companies. Whether its adopting a Common rail engine or climate control features, navigation functions or automatic transmission. I had mentioned two years ago how Tata motors strongly needs an Automatic transmission in its portfolio. Even today the company doesnt have an AT gearbox while all other carmakers including Archaic Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra also have one. Tata needs to pay attention to certain necessary points such as

-. Turbopetrol configurations: Turbopetrol engine are becoming the norm since carmakers are restricted by government to stick to smaller engines. Turbochargers provide higher power and fuel efficiency at the same time. Succesful cars are Fiat Linea T-jet, Ford Ecosport, Skoda Laura, Vw Polo GT and Vw Jetta. THis should help Tata motors compete with competition on power and fuel efficiency figures. Also minor upgrades to the engine weights and performance will go a long way in helping the company get back into consideration of the family car buyers.

-. Weight control: All Tata cars weigh higher than competing cars affecting overall performance of the cars. With ABS and Airbags becoming the norm, Steel guage is no more the measure of safety. The company needs to control weight on all its cars from Nano to Aria.

-Advanced transmission boxes: Newer cars are coming up with 6-speed gearbox, the higher ratios helping cars achieve better fuel efficiency figures. In such situation Tata should take the first step towards bringing 6-sp manual boxes to the entry level cars such as Indica and Vista. The company has recently announced a 6-sp Automatic transmissions for its Aria. Tata can easily achieve higher sales by introducing an automatic with its diesel engines for hatchbacks, a segment where Automatics are completely absent.

- Newer grille designs and bumper designs are no considered innovation and car manufacturers should accept that fact quickly. Blacked out headlights are a thing of the past. Better Try honeycomb lights with led bulbs, sunroof and adjustable rear seatbacks.

7. Design: Humans define beauty by what they see. Apart from Tata Safari Storme, no other car is commended for its looks. Also disrupting sales is the fact that the Manza, XL and ECS and Indica and Vista look very similar. The Tata Nano has a very unique design but its association as a cheap car is washing up any benefits it should receive. It might cost the company huge investments to get help from a reputed design house but refreshing designs are the need of the day.

 
 Fine tune performances to match the market leaders including the European car makers to match fuel efficiency and performance figures. weight loss for each model. One cannot beat a deadbat and expect it to fly in daylight and the same applies to the outdated models in the lineup such as ECs, Indica and Indigo XL. Snazzy colours and Designs, upholstery. Hyundai has creatively used the Accent to fill in the void of a sedan below its Verna till date.

8. Cost saving: Saving costs is a crucial part of a business. Tata motors has also seen loss pile up year over year affecting sustainability. The company should use unofirm parts for multiple platforms to save costs and work on improving Panel gaps and interior quality. Steering wheel coloums on the Aria, Sumo, Safari, Grande and Winger and Ecs, XL, Manza, Indica, Vista and Nano cars should be a start.Similarly Safety belts, Tyres, Emblems, Upholstry material can be used effectively.

9. Marketing: Only sales cannot sustain sales for a company. Tata motors need to put in place a strong marketing strategy. Tata motors has a huge existing customer base so it can be utilized via customer loyalty to boost sales. As suggested before Tata motors needs to cover the higher margins with competing cars but needs to keep a similarly equipped cars priced marginally low. Hold customer loyalty events and reward them with non automobile related gifts such as titan watches or Tata Steel stocks. Tie-up with non auto premium brands like Titan watches and Tanishq jewelry .

10.  Business: No company is a business if it is not making profits. Loss making operations and manpower needs to be trimmed. The company needs to think profits first and customer service later.No fixes can take care of sales in the short term but being prepared for the fight when the recession is over will help the company survive in the long run.

Random thoughts

A 1400CC Dicor SUMO?
A 6-sp AT Safari Storme (along with the Aria)?
A Turbo Vista Petrol (from the Fiat T-jet)?
A mini Aria to fight the bigger hatchbacks with a 1.3 Multijet?