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      • ‘Jimny, Swift not for sharing with Toyota': Suzuki

      ‘Jimny, Swift not for sharing with Toyota': Suzuki

      Toyota is keen to badge engineer the cars, but Suzuki believes this could dilute their iconic status.

      Published On Dec 29, 2023 12:42:00 PM

      35,318 Views

      Maruti Jimny Swift

      img By Autocar India News Desk

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      Toyota is understood to have been quite keen to have its own versions of Maruti Suzuki’s iconic Jimny and Swift for its model line-up in much the same way the two companies currently share the Baleno and Glanza, the Ertiga and Rumion, and the Grand Vitara and Urban Cruiser Hyryder. Suzuki, on the other hand, has gently refused, stating that the two models are integral to its DNA and are not for sharing as selling them with a Toyota badge could dilute their iconic status. “Toyota wanted to badge engineer the Jimny and Swift, but we politely declined,” said a Suzuki source.

      1. Toyota wants Maruti to share Jimny and Swift
      2. Suzuki says both models intrinsic to its brand identity
      3. Badge-engineered products could benefit both carmakers

      It’s clear why Toyota would like its own versions of the lifestyle SUV. With a Toyota badge, the very-capable Jimny could be a far cheaper 4x4 alternative to the Fortuner, which is exorbitantly priced and out of reach for many.

      From one perspective, sharing the Jimny with Toyota could give Maruti Suzuki much-needed volumes, since Jimny sales are sputtering after the initial euphoria has worn off. Maruti has sold only 15,476 units of the Jimny in the June-November 2023 period; in fact, in November, sales were down to just 1,020 units. However, despite Jimny’s sales being lower than expected, the company isn’t inclined to share it with Toyota just to boost volumes.

      “It’s like asking Toyota to let us badge engineer the Land Cruiser. Models that are at the heart of our brand are not meant for sharing and both companies respect that,” said a company source. 

      For the same reason, the Swift is off the table. However, it's understandable why Toyota, which has only retailed Maruti Suzuki's premium Nexa products under its own brand, is also keen on acquiring the highly popular and iconic Swift. The Swift, sold through Maruti's mass-market Arena channel, consistently records an average of over 17,100 units every month. Given that the Maruti-supplied Glanza and Rumion contribute, on average, 25 percent to Toyota's total monthly sales, introducing a Toyota-badged Swift could potentially see sales increase by 25 percent.

      The Toyota-Maruti Suzuki partnership in India, where they share models and platforms, has proved to be a win-win for both the Japanese carmakers that have successfully leveraged the economies of scale with low-investment badge engineering exercises. This has given both companies a significantly larger portfolio across various price points with a solid uptick in sales. Maruti will also be building EVs for Toyota and Suzuki’s global markets, and the deep ties between the two companies are set to become only stronger.

      Also see:

      Maruti Suzuki Invicto review: The Rs 30 lakh Maruti

      Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

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      Sanil C Sunny - 219 days ago

      Looks like they tried a rebadged Land Cruiser

      Mahindra XUV400 EV new trims, features leaked

      Dashboard will get a new dual-tone finish and larger touchscreen, among other updates.

      Published on Dec 28, 2023 04:46:00 PM

      18,613 Views

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      imgBy Saptarshi Mondal

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      We have already reported to you that the Mahindra XUV400 EV is due for an equipment upgrade that’ll be introduced sometime in early 2024. Now, a leaked internal document has revealed all the new features that the XUV400 will receive, chief among which will be dual 10.25-inch screens for the infotainment system and instrument cluster.

      1. XUV400 EV to get dual 10.25-inch screens with Adrenox software
      2. Dashboard to get new dual-tone finish, rear AC vents
      3. Launch expected in early 2024

      Mahindra XUV400 EV new features revealed

      The leaked document reveals the XUV400 EV will get two new trims – EC Pro and EL Pro. It remains to be seen if these new trims will be introduced alongside the existing EC and EL trims, or it replaces them altogether.

      The higher-spec EL Pro trim will get the new 10.25-inch screen running Mahindra’s Adrenox software. It will also receive a new 10.25-inch fully digital instrument cluster – the current model uses two analogue dials with a small digital MID in between. And while this will necessitate a major redesign of the dashboard, spy shots suggest that it will not be the twin connected screens as we see on the XUV700.

      Other feature additions will include dual-zone climate control with a memory function, wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Alexa connectivity, rear USB ports as well as rear AC vents which had been sorely missing from the XUV400 so far. The all-black dashboard in the current model will make way for a new dual-tone finish, and there will be a new flat-bottomed steering wheel as well.

      We, however, do not expect major cosmetic updates to the extent of the XUV300 facelift that’s also due sometime in early 2024. There could be minor updates here and there, but the overall design will likely remain unchanged.

      Mahindra XUV400 EV: no mechanical updates

      There will also be no updates on the mechanical front. The leaked document reveals the EC Pro will get the 34.5kWh battery while the EL Pro will get the larger 39.4kWh battery. The former has a claimed range of 375km while the latter has a claimed range of 456km, both on the MIDC cycle. Mahindra could, however, consolidate the lineup by offering the faster 7.2kW AC charger as standard on both variants.

      Both variants are powered by a front axle-mounted electric motor that produces 150hp and 310Nm of torque. It also will also continue with disc brakes for all four wheels, regenerative braking and three drive modes.

      These updates should help the XUV400 close the gap to the Tata Nexon EV, which recently took a huge leap with a mid-lifecycle facelift. Expect a notable step up in prices as well.

      Source 

      Also See:

      Mahindra lines up six SUVs for 2024

      Mahindra Thar Armada among 7 names trademarked for upcoming SUV

      Mahindra Cars

      Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

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      9 cars, SUVs discontinued in India in 2023

      Most were taken off the shelves with the RDE norms coming into effect in April.

      Published on Dec 28, 2023 08:00:00 AM

      35,052 Views

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      imgBy Saptarshi Mondal

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      The implementation of the BS6 2.0 emissions norms, also known as the RDE norms, was a major event in the automotive landscape in 2023. The stricter regulations spelt the end of several cars in the market, especially small-capacity diesels in compact cars. Some vehicles were also taken off the shelves for being at the end of their lifecycle. We take a close look at all cars and SUVs that were discontinued in India in 2023.

      Do note, for this list, we have only considered vehicles that were discontinued altogether, and not if a particular variant of a model was discontinued. Therefore, models such as the i20 diesel, the Kwid 800, the Honda City or Amaze diesels do not feature on this list.

      Maruti Suzuki Alto 800

      The venerable Maruti Alto 800, which was the most affordable model in the carmaker’s line-up, was discontinued this year, also putting an end to the iconic 3-cylinder, 796cc petrol engine (codenamed F8D) that served the brand for four decades in India. With the newer Alto K10 coming in in August 2022, there was a price overlap between both models. Maruti, therefore, consolidated the Alto line-up to just the K10 model, rather than keeping a low-demand 800cc engine alive that wasn’t used by any of its other models.

      Mahindra KUV100 NXT

      Offered with a sole petrol powertrain option, the KUV100 was Mahindra’s smallest and most affordable model of the time, and uniquely, came with a 6-seater layout with first-row bench seats in some variants. However, without any significant upgrades over the years, it was quite long in the tooth, and with sales of only a few hundred units a month, Mahindra clearly didn’t see a business case in updating the model to meet the stricter emissions norms.

      Honda Jazz, City Gen 4 and WR-V 

      The carmaker that saw the most number of models disappear from its line-up due to the RDE norms was Honda. It killed three Honda models altogether: the Jazz, the WR-V and the City Gen-4. The City Gen-4 was at the end of its lifecycle – the City Gen-5 was on sale, and with dwindling sedan sales, an overlap across two generations was not needed. Meanwhile, the Jazz was on an extended lifecycle as the fourth-gen Jazz unveiled in 2020 never made it to India due to high development costs and small projected volume.

      The WR-V was also a slow-selling product in the face of newer and more competent models in the compact SUV segment, and has eventually come to be replaced by the larger and more premium Elevate. The RDE norms also completely killed Honda’s diesel engines in India which, as mentioned above, meant that the City Gen-5 and Amaze also lost their diesel variants.  

      Nissan Kicks

      Nissan discontinued the Kicks midsize SUV in the run-up to the RDE norms in 2023, and the brand is currently only survived by the Magnite in India. The Kicks was introduced in 2019 as a rival to the likes of the Creta in the midsize SUV segment, but it never really took off in terms of sales despite being priced competitively. It was available with a range of petrol and diesel engines throughout its lifetime, including a 156hp, 1.3-litre turbo-petrol unit, which was once the most powerful engine in the segment. Still, the lack of periodic updates meant it quickly became dated as newer rivals emerged. 

      Skoda Superb and Octavia

      Both Superb and Octavia shared a 190hp, 2.0-litre petrol engine, but with sales of only a few hundred units combined and with waning interest in the executive sedan segment altogether, Skoda slowly phased them out. The 2.0-litre TSI engine, however, continues to serve the Kodiaq SUV.

      There were talks of Skoda bringing back the Octavia nameplate in RS guise with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, although that hasn’t materialised it. Meanwhile, the Superb is expected to make a comeback as a CBU with an updated engine, likely as a stop-gap measure before the fourth-gen model that globally debuted a couple of months ago eventually makes it to our market.

      Kia Carnival

      The last model that was taken off the shelves this year was the Kia Carnival, which was delisted from the carmaker's website around June this year. In fact, most dealers had already stopped taking fresh orders back in April at the onset of the RDE norms, and only a handful of unsold units were available for a couple of more months. However, an all-new generation of the Carnival is headed to India in the second half of 2024, and this time, the India-spec model will be in sync with what’s available abroad – the outgoing Carnival was a generation behind in India. The upcoming Carnival is larger, a lot more premium and could see a notable step up in price as well.

      Also See:

      Automotive headlines that defined 2023

      Maruti Suzuki Cars

      Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

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