Honda plans to produce Smaller car below Honda Jazz/Fit as A-segment category to hit small car market.Unknown Small car is 2 CV Codename will be built at India and Thailand early 2012,Especially Thailand entry to ECO-CAR Project get 17% tax priced.

The 2CV  would be the first model from Honda that will be developed with India as a lead market. While Japan was the lead market for the Jazz, US was the lead market for the Accord and Civic and Thailand for City.

Honda, leading premium car manufacturer in India, is soon going to start work on another small car for Indian roads, reports says. The car will be priced around Rs 5 lakh and will make Honda a major player in small car segment.

EVEN AS Honda Siel Cars India prepares itself for launch of premium small car Jazz, the parent company Honda has started to work on another small car for India.

Just like the Tata’s, the Japanese car manufacturer is starting its work wit the price. It has been learnt that a new research and development team will arrive in India and start work on the new small cars, said to be priced below Rs 5 Lakh. In comparison, the upcoming car Jazz has a price tag of Rs 7 Lakh. Honda hopes to unveil the new car in three years time.

The new car will make Honda a prominent player in the small car segment, which generates big volumes of sales. Currently, the premium car segment includes Hyundai Getz, Skoda Fabia and Chevrolet U-VA and Maruti Suzuki Swift in bother variants.

India will be the lead market for the new small car. Honda expects the large volumes of the new small car to compensate the slow selling Jazz in terms of revenue. Since, the new car will have high localisation content resulting in less expenditure. Also the production facility will be kept busy between the two small cars.

The research and development team comprising of 25 members will be headed by a senior official from Japan. The priority of the team will be to develop a car within Rs 4.5 Lakh margin. The new plant in Rajasthan will be the production centre for Jazz and the new car. Currently, it has a capacity to produce 60,000 units but this number could go up to 2.5 Lakh units annually, indicating the big plans by Honda.

Honda is launching Jazz in June this year. It will be the first small car from Honda Motors for the Indian car market. Apart from this product the company sells – CR-V, Accord, Accord 3.5L, Civic and City.

Honda plans to produce first Global A-segment range to sitmulate entry low-priced target car,Thailand and India are mainly produce for this project on early 2010 as ecocar/small car tax prolect.”Global A Project” is a A-segment for global launching small car 1.0-1.2 Litre five seaters supply for demanding on the world,This model you can choose sedan and hatchback.

The nimble, dynamic and ingenious C1 is easy to live with and a practical all-round performer. The city car’s innovative compact design, economy and environmental respect underline Citroën’s creative approach. The C1 earned the highest mark in the “essential car” category in a 2008 survey conducted by JD Power and L’Automobile Magazine on customer satisfaction in France.

Since launch in June 2005, Citroën has sold 310,000 C1s worldwide. The Marque is taking advantage of the years’ end to unveil an upgraded version of its popular city car. The new model keeps all the assets that made the original such a success – compact, appealing and playful body styling, excellent roadholding, uncompromising safety and impressive quality levels – while gaining a redesigned, more expressive front end. Fuel consumption and emissions remain outstanding. The 68 bhp 1.0i petrol model equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox consumes just 4.5 l/100 km over a combined cycle, emitting a mere 106 g/km of CO2.

Spirited and refined styling
The redesigned C1 is set for launch in November. The styling upgrade enhances the car’s cheerful, curvaceous looks with several changes to the front end, including stronger bumper outlines that underline the C1’s get-up-and-go spirit. Citroën has made several changes inside, notably in terms of trim and interior design scheme. The C1 is now available, depending on the market, with a third, particularly refined trim level that adds to the car’s seductive powers.

Economical and environmental prowess
The C1 is fitted with high-performance engines that make it equally at home in the city or out on the open road. Combined with the light weight of the C1, these powerplants also ensure low fuel consumption. The 68 bhp 1.0i petrol model equipped with a 5-speed gearbox is an environmental benchmark, consuming a miserly 4.5 l/100 km over a combined cycle and emitting just 106 g/km of CO2.

The upgraded C1 retains all of the strong points that made it a success, namely excellent road manners, top-level safety, compact proportions for city driving and low retail price and running costs.

More sparkling and refined styling

Like the original model, the new C1 is part of Citroën’s strategy to market a range of compact vehicles with different styles and concepts. This is why the revamped model remains available in two body styles:
# a 3-door version for people who mainly used the front seats,
# a 5-door model to make life more practical for four passengers.

Singular body styling
The C1’s restyled front end gives it more vitality and punch. The new bumper, larger and more curvaceous, confers a snappy, energetic look and a touch of elegance. From the second trim level, the new model sports a chrome strip that highlights the curves of the bumper and confirms the vivacious, contemporary feel. The new C1’s revitalised look is further enhanced by new wheel embellishers with more emphatic and sculptural lines.

The three- and five-door versions also retain the innovative transparent styling feature at the rear. Designed to be as big as possible, the all-glass tailgate is framed by harmonious crystal and anthracite lights that merge naturally with the bumper.

Depending on the country, the new C1 ships with two new body colours, Mica grey and Electra blue, rounding out the range of paint options.

Attractive interior design
Several upgrades have also been made to the C1 cabin, particularly in terms of the interior design scheme. Two new fabric trims in dominant dark blue and Bordeaux red lend vitality and elegance to the cabin. Depending on the market, a third trim level, in leather and alcantara, is now available. This interior scheme tops up the existing offer and enhances onboard sophistication. The new trim level also features a leather steering wheel and gearstick knob, together with gloss black surrounds for the speedometer, rev counter, air vents and door handles. Air conditioning, alloy wheels and a CD audio system are fitted as standard on this trim level.

The barrel-shaped display below the central console features new screen-printing for more clarity and modernity. This upgrade applies to all models in the range. In other changes, boot access has been optimised through greater clearance for the rear parcel shelf.

Boundless creativity

Perfectly proportioned for city life
At 3.43 m long, 1.63 m wide and 1.47 m high, the C1 is perfectly proportioned for the city. Considering these exterior dimensions, the interior is impressively roomy, with plenty of space for four passengers. A the front, elbow room of 1.38 m and head room of 0.87 m enhance the well-being of occupants. Rear passengers are treated to generous leg room and 0.84 m head room. The C1 houses some 12 stowage compartments, fitted in the dashboard, central console and doors. All of them keep objects exactly where drivers and passengers want them to be.

Exemplary road manners
The C1 boasts impeccable road manners and is as pleasant to drive in the country as in town. Its running gear provides excellent roadholding and contributes effectively to active security. Other top-level safety features include ventilated front brake discs, ABS, EBD and cornering stability control (CSC), together with standard-fit driver and passenger airbags from the first trim level.

Efficient engines that respect the environment
To respond to the diverse needs of its customers, the C1 is available in petrol and diesel versions, mated to an automatic gearbox or a SensoDrive 5-speed automated manual. This kind of complete offering remains rare in the city car segment.

# The HDi 55 diesel unit develops 40 kW at 4,000 rpm and torque of 130 Nm at 1,750 rpm. It boasts impressive combined-cycle fuel consumption of 4.1 l/100 km and emits just 109 g/km of CO2. The HDi 55 is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

# The 68 hp 1.0i petrol engine is a flexible performer offering enthusiastic, linear acceleration. It generates power of 50 kW at 6,000 rpm and 93 Nm of torque at 3,600 rpm. This unit boasts lower fuel consumption – 4.5 l/100 km over a combined cycle – and lower CO2 emissions, at just 106 g/km for the 5-speed manual version and 107 g/km for the 5-speed SensoDrive model.

Low retail price and running costs
The C1 is attractively priced and inexpensive to run, with low fuel consumption and reasonable maintenance costs (service frequency is 30,000 km for the diesel). During development, major focus was placed on low-speed impact to protect vehicle parts and keep repair times to a minimum.

Tata’s Nano may face stiff competition on its home turf as Japan’s Honda Motor Co. plans to launch a four or five-seat car in early 2010 in the booming Indian market.

Honda Motor Co. President, Mr Takeo Fukui said the Japanese car-maker plans to launch a very small car in Europe as well as emerging countries such as China and India in the early 2010.

“We are developing a small car that would be even smaller than the Fit subcompact,” he told a news conference.

The engine displacement for the four- or five-seat car would be less than 1 litre, against 1.3 litres for the smallest version of the Fit subcompact series, he was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.

Honda expects growing demand for such very small cars in response to gasoline price hikes.

Mr Fukui said the very small car would be difficult to sell in Japan where mini-vehicles with the engine displacement of up to 660 cc have been available for tax incentives.

On General Motors Corp. and two other big U.S. automakers plagued with a serious sales slump, Mr Fukui said Honda has not planned or been requested to help any of them.

Against a backdrop of record oil prices, fears of a global recession and demand for ever lower greenhouse gas emissions, buyers are looking for an inexpensive and fuel-efficient car with a low CO2 output. They need look no further. The new Nissan Pixo, a four-seater producing 103 g/km of CO2, will offer genuinely environmentally-conscious motoring at an accessible price.

With oil prices fluctuating in a volatile global market and governments worldwide agreeing to set ever lower targets for emissions from all sources, the arrival of the Pixo underlines Nissan’s commitment to providing affordable, urban transport which is efficient in terms of consumption and emissions. Its arrival on the Nissan range complements the Micra and Note, giving the company a strong, diverse selection of compact, spacious and efficient cars which are well equipped for the reality of modern urban driving. And when it is launched in Europe, the Nissan Pixo will wear the newly announced Pure Drive badge, which will help car-buyers to identify the most efficient models in Nissan’s range.

Thanks to exceptional fuel economy and with CO2 emissions that are among the lowest in comparison with its competitors, Nissan Pixo makes a strong case for itself.

And when the price position is taken into account, this combination becomes very compelling. It will compete head-to-head with popular small city-cars but at a price that will bring eco-friendly motoring to an even wider audience given its accessible price.

Nissan Pixo is a five-door, four-seater with a roomy interior and generous luggage space thanks to its efficient design and packaging.

It wants for little in terms of standard equipment, also. There are two versions of Nissan Pixo available: Visia and Acenta. Power steering, anti-lock brakes and dual front airbags are standard on every model while keyless entry, power front windows, split folding rear seats, side airbags and front fog lamps are standard on Acenta.

Options include manual air conditioning, electronic stability control and curtain airbags, while a four-speed automatic transmission is also available. And with the Nissan badge on its nose, Nissan Pixo benefits from the company’s strong brand image, which is backed by a comprehensive three-year warranty.

But alongside these big car features, Nissan Pixo enjoys small car attributes. Thanks to its lively three cylinder 1.0-litre engine and lightweight construction, it produces just 103 g/km CO2 and delivers fuel economy of 4.6 l/100km (61.4 mpg) on the combined cycle. These figures will position Nissan Pixo among the most affordable eco-cars in the small city car category.

“There can be little doubt that our attitudes to the car are changing. Thanks to the spiralling cost of fuel we want better economy and we want to reduce our personal impact on the environment as much as possible. But at the same we are unwilling to sacrifice space, comfort and safety or forgo the trust we have in a brand such as Nissan,” says Pierre Loing, Nissan’s European Vice President of Product Planning.

“With Pixo, there need be no sacrifices. It has many of the attributes of a larger car but with low emissions and excellent economy all at an extremely competitive price.”

Nissan Pixo in detail

The birth of Pixo represents a collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation, enabling Nissan to bring Pixo to market as quickly as possible.

Its arrival coincides with an ever-increasing demand for cleaner, greener cars as a result of the volatility of oil prices and, as a result, the global economy.

Built in state-of-the art facilities in Delhi, India, Nissan Pixo is a brand new four-seater competing in the fast growing A-segment. Unlike some of its immediate rivals, however, Nissan Pixo is far from a micro car. It has five doors to ease ingress and egress to and from the rear seats but remains sufficiently compact to be agile to be ideal for city driving.

Nissan Pixo is 3565 mm long, 1470 mm tall and 1600 mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2360 mm. It weighs about 855 kg (depending on grade and specification), making it one of the lightest cars in its class, with resulting benefits in performance, fuel consumption and emissions.

The result offers ample interior space for four adults and their luggage. With the rear seats in place, load space is 129 litres (VDA).

Design

The Nissan Pixo’s unique design elements include the front end styling, which features the Nissan family double-deck six slot grille either side of a centre U-shaped section housing the Nissan roundel. Either side of that is a pair of bold headlamps.

Following the lead set by Micra and NOTE, the top of the tall triangular-shaped headlamps are slightly raised so they can be easily seen from the driving seat to help the driver ‘place’ the car when parking. The light assemblies sit above a full width bumper bar, coloured black in contrast with the body colour. The bumper itself is located within a deep front spoiler incorporating an air intake.

Giving Nissan Pixo a visual dynamic edge, the beltline gently rises towards the rear of the car, where it wraps around the upswept rear side window. This is further accentuated by the lower swage line which links the extended wheel arches, underlining the car’s wide footprint and long wheelbase.

The Nissan Pixo also has a distinctive downward sweep of the roofline towards the rear of the vehicle from its highest point just ahead of the B-Pillar. The large greenhouse helps outward visibility and ensures an airy interior.

At the rear, similar treatment to the front end sees a wide black-coloured bumper bar stretching the full width of the vehicle to give protection from bumps and scrapes. As with the front, one of the most striking styling features is the bold treatment of the light assemblies, helping to give Pixo a distinctive character. The entire bumper and lower valence section is unique to the Nissan version of the car.

The exterior story is completed by the split-spoke styling of the wheel covers on the standard 14 inch wheels, which are designed to make the wheels look like alloys… alloy wheels are available as an option, however.

Interior

With its roomy interior, Nissan Pixo is spacious, practical and comfortable. The instrument panel is comparatively simple in its layout, the two-tone grey/black treatment and modern styling match the air of sophistication of the car.

A single dial faces the driver and incorporates an easy-to-read conventional circular speedometer with digital read-outs for fuel level plus overall and trip mileages. The dashboard also incorporates a centre stack with integrated single DIN audio system and heating and ventilation (HVAC) controls. Fresh air vents can be found in the centre of the dash with two further vents at either end. When fitted, the air conditioning system comes with a pollen filter.

There’s ample storage space, with an upper box ahead of the front seat passenger and a box and cup holder in the centre of the console ahead of the gear lever. There is a further practical cubbyhole – this time illuminated – in the middle of the stack above the HVAC controls.

Great attention has been paid to ensuring passenger comfort. The fabric-covered seats are wider than usually to be found in this class of car, and benefit from thicker seat cushions. The front seats have long slide bars making them easier to adjust and are covered with a subtle contrasting stripe pattern for their centre sections.

Grades and equipment

There will be two versions of Nissan Pixo available when sales start in the second quarter of 2009: Visia and Acenta. The entry grade Visia includes power steering, anti-lock brakes, driver and passenger airbags, ISOFIX child seat fixings and a rear wiper. Other standard features include a rear parcel shelf, tilt adjustable steering column and no fewer than four cup holders – two in the front and two in the rear.

Move up to Acenta grade and standard equipment also encompasses keyless entry with power locking, an MP3 compatible CD player, electric front windows, split folding rear seats, front fog lamps, and body coloured door handles and mirrors. The safety story is enhanced further by the inclusion of side airbags as standard.

Principal options include electronic stability control (ESP), manual air conditioning, curtain airbags, alloy wheels and metallic or pearlescent paint.

Drivetrain

There is just one engine option available for Nissan Pixo. It’s powered by a compact 1.0-litre three-cylinder all-alloy 12-valve petrol unit developing 65 PS (48 kW) at 6,000rpm and 90 Nm at 4,000rpm.

More significant, however, are the exceptionally low fuel consumption and emissions figures. The five-speed manual version uses 4.6 l/100km on the combined cycle, 4.3 l/100km on the extra urban cycle and only 5.1 l/100km on the urban cycle. Equivalent figures for urban, extra urban and combined cycles are 55.4, 65.7 and 61.4 mpg. CO2 emissions are just 103 g/km.

Unusually in this class, Nissan Pixo is also available with a full four-speed automatic, reinforcing its suitability as a town car that’s perfectly capable of longer journeys when needed.

Chassis layout is a combination of tried and trusted components that provide stable handling with good ride comfort characteristics, especially when linked with a long wheelbase and 14 inch wheels. The front suspension uses MacPherson strut while at the rear, a three link isolated trailing link arrangement can be found.

Power assisted rack and pinion steering is standard, while the braking system has front discs and rear drums with the latest anti-lock software. Electronic stability control (ESP) is an option.

Market

Pixo marks Nissan’s first venture into the A-segment of the European market and its arrival coincides with a huge increase in sales. In France, for example, sales of A-segment cars sales jumped 36 per cent from January to June this year compared to the same period in 2007. Overall, the European market saw a rise of 30 per cent between 2005 and 2007. This was partly due to new models stimulating showroom traffic, but also can be linked to rising fuel prices and environmental concerns.

More than half of the cars sold in the segment produce between 60-70 PS. Nissan Pixo develops 65 PS, right in the heartland of the sector. And while the vast majority of the sales are of cars with manual transmission, that is more down to the lack of availability of an automatic than a lack of demand. With the option of a ‘real’ torque converter automatic, Nissan Pixo is perfectly placed to dominate a potentially lucrative niche within the sector. At launch, Pixo is expected to be Europe’s most affordable automatic.

More importantly, however, are Nissan Pixo’s low CO2 emissions. At just 103 g/km, Pixo is currently among the most efficient petrol-powered cars in the segment.

TYCHY, Poland : September 25, 2008 — The first volume production example of the new Ford Ka rolled off the production line at a special ceremony today in Tychy, Poland, 12 years after the original Ka was launched to great acclaim.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak was guest of honour at the ceremony.

With sales due to begin across Europe from early next year, the new Ka will be fully revealed to the public at the Paris Motor Show next week.

The new Ka is the result of a joint vehicle development and production co-operation agreement between Ford and Fiat.

While it shares some components with the Fiat 500, which is also built in the Tychy plant, both vehicles look completely different and are true to the individual brands’ identities.

The new Ka is unmistakably a Ford. It captures the same youthful and cheeky spirit of the model it replaces and retains all of the qualities which made the Ka so popular — its compact size, great looks, lively dynamics and fun personality — but presents them in a fresh new package.

Ford designers have given the new Ka a fashionable, modern appearance based around the company’s ‘kinetic design’ form language. A number of visual cues provide a connection to the original Ka, but with its distinctive face and chunky proportions the new model has its own unique character.

“It was three years ago that we reached agreement with Fiat to produce the new Ka here in Tychy,” explained Ian Slater, vice-president communications and public affairs, Ford of Europe. “One of the strengths of this co-operation has been that both parties wanted to produce vehicles which would be very different in looks and character. I’m satisfied that in doing so, we’ve set up a ‘win-win’ opportunity for both companies.”

Annual production of Ford Ka will be 120,000 units a year.

The introduction of the Ka to Tychy has resulted in 1,000 extra jobs being created in the plant and many more among locally-based suppliers.

Ford investment in the project amounted to 210 million Euros. A new paint shop represents the biggest single investment. Using water-based paint and very low levels of solvent, it is a state of the art, environmentally friendly, facility.

Throughout its 12-year life the Ka has remained tremendously popular among small-car buyers, inspiring fierce loyalty from its owners. In total, Ka production has exceeded 1.4 million vehicles.

With the introduction of the new Ka, Ford of Europe will have changed its entire car range in record time. In 2008 alone, the company has brought more than 20 new and improved models to market.

The new Ka will also feature from November in the highly-anticipated new James Bond adventure, ‘Quantum of Solace’. The car will make its screen debut being driven by Camille, the film’s beautiful leading lady played by Olga Kurylenko.

Japanese automakers insist they will move forward with eco-car manufacturing as planned despite their failure to obtain changes in some specifications.

According to an automotive industry source, the Japanese carmakers expressed disappointment that Industry Ministry officials had turned down their requests, but confirmed the project would continue.

“The first eco-cars will be introduced into the market as planned,” he said.

The manufacturers had asked the ministry to relax some of the strict and potentially costly environmental conditions set by the Board of Investment (BoI) when it approved their investment privileges.

“Even though the board approved privileges for the six automakers last year for their eco-car manufacturing projects, some of the firms were lobbying to see if some conditions could be altered,” said the source.

Representatives from Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi discussed their request with Chakramon Phasukvanich, the permanent secretary for the Industry Ministry, last week.

But the source said Mr Chakramon turned them down, saying that the cabinet had already approved the conditions for investment promotion.

The Japanese companies also asked if their eco-cars allocated for export need to abide by BoI requirements.

The eco-car programme stipulates a maximum engine size of 1.3 litres for petrol engines and 1.4 litres for diesel engines. The cars must also have fuel consumption of no more than five litres per 100 kilometres, meet Euro 4 emission standards or better and emit no more than 120 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre. The cars must also meet or exceed UNECE 94 and 95 safety standards.

If automakers did not have to follow the requirements for export, the lower production cost per unit would result in higher margins.

The manufacturers are also concerned that they might not be able to meet the BoI requirement that they produce 100,000 units within five years, so they asked if this target could be extended.

They are also seeking clarification on whether the special 17% excise tax imposed for engine imports would be applicable for all models of engines.

Source : VICHAYA PITSUWAN

Bangkokpost.com

 At The 2008 Paris motor show,Mazda will show a baby zoom-zoom is Mazda 1 Concept compete to Low prices small car ceompetition in late 2009

Peter Birthwhistle, chief designer at Mazda’s European Research and Development Centre, said: “The finished article will be even more radical than the car seen here. It will be aimed at young people and feature the likes of iPod connectivity, sat-nav and Blue- tooth. It will be environmentally friendly, and weigh as little as possible.”

 However The Mazda 1 will not to be produced in Thailand.Don’t wait!!

Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors says it is developing a low-priced car to be sold in China and Thailand as well as in the European market.

The car, expected to be priced at below one million yen ($9,650), would be based on a 660cc platform that is currently used only in Japan, Reuters quoted the company’s President, Osamu Masuko, as saying at the Beijing Auto Show.

The low-priced car was expected to be launched in 2010 in Japan, but the auto-maker has decided to extend the car’s sales to overseas markets, especially China, which could eventually become the supplier of Mitsubishi cars to other countries, Masuko said.

He added that the company aimed to increase engine production in China from 470,000 units a year to 900,000 over ’several years’ to match the country’s rising demand for cars.

China’s passenger-car sales surged 22 percent to a record 6.3 million units last year as economic expansion makes cars more affordable.

However, the auto-maker has predicted its US sales to fall by 10,000 units in 2008.