2010 Ford Fusion

2010 Ford Fusion

2010 Ford Fusio

Soon after catching its Mercury sibling out in the wild, the first photo of the 2010 Ford Fusion made its way to the internet, along with details on the revised powertrain offerings.

A Bold Front

Though much of the sheetmetal between the A- and C-pillars carries over unchanged, the fore and aft ends of the 2010 Fusion do receive considerable cosmetic changes. The three-bar grille grows larger and plays into a large power bulge on the hood, similar to the Interceptor concept shown at the 2008 Detroit auto show.

Ford only showed a camouflaged example during our preview, but from what we could tell, change in back is rather limited. We're expecting slightly larger taillights (with an interesting honeycomb pattern) and large, chrome exhaust tips - even on the hybrid model.

Yeah, that thing's got a hybrid.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Fusion Hybrid. For 2010, Ford's fitted the hybrid powertrain from the Escape Hybrid cute-ute to both the Fusion and the Mercury Milan - though it's also added a few new features for the sedan.

For starters, there's the issue of the battery pack. Yes, it's still a nickel metal hydride pack supplied by Sanyo, but chemistry changes allow it to carry 20 percent more power than the Escape's pack. That's a significant feat, considering it's 23 percent lighter and considerably smaller, allowing it to tuck in behind the Fusion's rear seats.

But the biggest change lies with the transmission itself. Yes, it's mated to the same 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4 found in the Escape/Mariner hybrids, but the hybrid electric CVT (e-CVT) has been substantially recalibrated. With a gentle right foot, drivers will be capable of accelerating up to 47 mph in pure electric mode. An impressive figure, but Ford promises equally exciting numbers when it comes to fuel economy. The Fusion Hybrid should best the Toyota Camry Hybrid - which already attains 33 mpg in the city - by at least 5 mpg.

Suzuki A-star Interiors

Suzuki officially unwrapped the covers of new Alto the A-star at the ongoing paris auto show. Styled with european customers in mind, A-star is the true global to be produced solely in India. Suzuki will market this car under various names and various badges in almost 150 countries. Result the Indian customers gets a product on par with European customers after the Hyundai’s i10.

Suzuki A-star: The funkily styled new Alto is 3500mm long, 1600mm wide and 1470mm high and is meant to urban runabout. With a wheelbase of 2360mm the front passengers are given prominence over the rear. The boot space of 129L is abysmally low but can be expanded to 774L.

Suzuki A-star: An Euro 5 compliant three cylinder 1.0L petrol engine which produces 68PS at 6000rpm and 90Nm of torque at 4800rpm powers the A-star. A five speed manual/automatic will complete the powertrain of the A-star. According to Suzuki,A-star (new alto) has a combined fuel consumption of 22kmpl and the top speed is claimed as 155kmph.

Interior pictures of Suzuki A-star

Suzuki A-star: The two tone dashboard and aptly placed items gives the A-star an upmarket look. Space is efficiently used, the vertical glove box is the nice design thought, it occupies less space and should be found highly useful by Indian customer. Ergonomics should be ideal as Suzuki engineers claim.A/C louvres and integrated music player is placed on the upper part of the dashboard and the A/C control knobs on the lower part of it. Instrument binnacle houses the speedo and other tell tales as the rev counter is shelved into a different unit. However the Swift sourced steering wheel and gear knob inhibits the A-star interiors from giving an all new look. Cost cutting is a bit overtoned. Suzuki should try something different, hereafter, A-star,swift,swift Dzire, SX4,Grand Vitara and upcoming splash all features the same steering wheel and gear knob.

Suzuki A-star: Suzuki says an emphasis has been put on ensuring the ride and handling progressive and the steering light, while a turning circle of 4.5 metres adds to its appeal for city car users. Front suspension is by Macpherson struts and at the rear is the three-link rigid axle.

Suzuki A-star: Expect the Maruti Suzuki A-star before the end of this October and will be priced between Rs3-4 lakhs. The good news is Maruti Suzuki has said it would be carefully monitoring the condition and if the demand spurts it will offer more number of cars to the domestic market from the planned 50000 units a year.

Maruti Suzuki A-Star

The A-Star will be the fifth world strategic model from Suzuki which means the same car can be manufactured simultaneously in other countries. Suzuki will sell the same car in Europe but under the Alto as well as under the Celerio names.

The car manufacturer will use the K-series engine for the gasoline driven car and the engine production will begin in October this year. The official said the A-Star has been positioned as an A2 premium segment car. The A2 segment has a 71 per cent share of the Indian passenger car market which is about 1.3 million units.

The official said the A-Star model will be the eighth car launched by the company in four years. He said time to market for Maruti Suzuki had come down significantly. Earlier, Maruti Suzuki used to take between two and three years to launch a new model.

The A-Star model is part of the Rs 9,000-crore investment plan spread across five years (ending 2010).

According to the plan, Rs 2,500 crore is being invested in setting up a diesel facility which will have the capacity to produce 3 lakh engines by 2010. Another Rs 2,500 crore is being invested for the Manesar plant for expansion and upgradation and the rest for setting up the K-series engine plant and for upgradation and expansion of the Gurgaon plant.

The A-Star will be the fifth car platform for Maruti Suzuki.

Maruti 800 Uniq - Pictorial Review

Maruti has upgraded / facelifted its decade old work horse 800 and named it as 800 uniq. Some see this as preparation of Maruti to suit the upcoming Tata’s Nano (will be out in september or october). Others believe this move by Maruti as a bid to extend the life of the 800 till the mandatory crash norms comes in. Anyway, India’s long-running hatchback is getting refreshed with few new features and cosmetic upgrades.
1) Maruti 800 Uniq: On the exterior gets stylish graphics on body panels and doors and a ‘uniq’ badge at the rear. There are also ‘Uniq’ on the body panels to tell that your 800 is a new one. The 800 uniq is available only in two exclusive colours to distinguish it.

2) Maruti 800 Uniq: Open the door you will be surprised. Even the hotselling swift is devoid beige upholsteries but the new 800 uniq gets it. Door trims also get a fabric touch. The all grey interiors is finally over and we wish Maruti to introduce this in other hatchbacks as well.



3) Maruti 800 Uniq: The practical additions in the new 800 uniq are lower console box and a rear parcel tray.


4) Maruti 800 Uniq: comes only in two colours - wine red and silver. Maruti’s new 800 is priced RsRs2,16,000 (Rs5200 premium over the regular model).

Maruti Suzuki Splash

Hyundai has launched their i10 model in the Indian market. Now, it's the turn of market leaders Maruti Suzuki to respond with a brand new vehicle for the Indian market. Maruti may replace its aging Wagon R with splash or may launch it as new model.
It will be 4th new model for the Maruti Suzuki after the launch of Swift, Grand Vitara and SX4. Based on an all-new platform, the production version has some hints of the Swift and SX4, interspersed with a C-pillar design that harks back to the concept. Unlike traditional hatchbacks, the rear end has allowed for a thicker C-pillar and made provision for a smaller quarter glass that is not very different from the Swift.
The tailgate has an inward obtuse angle to it, something seen more often on French hatchbacks. On the inside, the Splash continues the raid on Suzuki's parts bin with the steering wheel, gear knob, door handles, indicator switches, etc first seen on the Swift/SX4. Though, that is where the raid ends.
The Splash uses two new petrol engines and a common-rail diesel. A 1000cc, 65 bhp 3-cylinder and a 1200cc, 86 bhp 4-cylinder engine will power Suzuki's gasoline aspirations while the 1248cc, 75 bhp multi-jet engine manufactured at Manesar in India will complete the engine lineup. All these engines will be mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Market sources suggest that the company could be working on plans to bring the Suzuki Splash model here in India.
The new flexible compact car combines the sportiness of Suzuki's successful model Swift with the technologies and immense know-how of the Japanese world market leader in the mini car segment. The Splash is not the successor of any specific former Suzuki model, but a brand-new concept to satisfy the needs of customers in terms of roominess, compactness, modern design, aerodynamics, quality, driveability, performance and environmental friendliness.