Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga launched at Delhi Auto Show

*Updated on 8/1/12 with new Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga gallery.
The Maruti-Suzuki group has launched the Ertiga MPV at Delhi Auto show today. Aside from the much-awaited MPV, Suzuki attended the Delhi auto show with all its car line-up such as the Dzire, Estilo, Ritz apart from more recognizable names such as Grand Vitara, SX4 and Kizashi. Themed "Way of life", Suzuki aimed to capture the dynamics state of today's life - one which is packed with many joyful moments. They have cars for every category of the market, segregated as Excitement(YL8, new Dzire, Mini SUV), Superbike, Spirit(Estilo, Wagon R, Alto, Swift), Value (MR Wagon, Solio and Palette), Sporty(Kizashi, Grand Vitara, SX4) and and Straightforward(Eeco, Omni).   

Ertiga sits on the stretched Suzuki Swift platform, which has seen the wheelbase lengthened to 2,745mm. 3 rows of seat are cleverly packaged within the 4,265mm of total length. The width stands at 1,695mm while height is capped at 1,685mm. 

The styling is unmistakably Suzuki, with elongated headlight flanking the large radiator grille. The pronounced wheelarches are among styling cues borrowed from the smaller Swift. The rear end meanwhile is neatly styled with small rear light. 

The cabin housed 3 row of seats, arranged in typical 2+3+2 layout. The flexibility of both rear rows allow the tuning of compromised between people and luggage. The IP carries similar design theme to the new Suzuki Swift, albeit it is trimmed in beige in Ertiga, as Maruti-Suzuki attempts to lift the interior ambiance to the near premium level. Twin aircond unit is featured across the range to cool down the occupants right to the last row.

The interior is visibly for stylish compared to, lets say, a Perodua Alza/Daihatsu Boon Luminas. The two-tone IP, where the darker upper portion is accented with silver linings really lifts the ambiance. The front door trim has a silver insert too. I guess this is the Japanese design prowess, which differs greatly from Malaysian-grown designer.

Suzuki debuted its new small powertrain unit, dubbed K14B. Displacing 1.4L, the new powertrain produced 94bhp@6000rpm and 130Nm@4000rpm. Fuel consumption is quoted to be 16 km/L. 1.3L DDiS diesel engine will be made available too, with 89bhp and 200Nm of power and torque available on tap.

The new Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga will be available in the Indian market beginning in March or early April 2012. More after the jump.

Ford EcoSport CUV unveiled in Delhi

Ford has unveiled its latest CUV, called the EcoSport concept in Delhi prior to the auto show. The new CUV previewed the  "One Ford" latest evolution of Kinetic design, first seen on the Evos concept. The EcoSport is underpinned by the Fiesta platfrom, the B-Class challenger from Ford.

Ford new CUV is designed to cater the young, urban buyer looking for a prominent upgrade for their hatchback, but not quite into the SUV trend. The EcoSport sports (no pun intended) a chunky detailing, comprises of technical looking headlight graphic, huge trapezoidal grille, pronounced cladding around the lower bumper edge, sills and surround the mascular wheelarches, and an outside-fitted spare wheel, mounted on the tail gate. These elements impart an off-road aspiration, complemented further with the roof rail.

Underneath the sleek skin, the EcoSport housed the latest, smallest EcoBoost powertrain, at just 1.0L in capacity arranged in 3-cylinder in-line format. The modern-downsizing of 1.6L equivalent in performance, the smallest EcoBoost boast 118bhp and 170Nm of torque. However, the 1.5L diesel from current Fiesta is also destinated to reside under the EcoSport hood in the near future.

The EcoBoost engine capitalized on the turbocharging and direct injection to achieve an efficient blend between power and reduction of fuel consumption. The quick spooling turbo has further aided the availability of 170Nm from as low as 1,300 rpm. The cylinder block is made of cast-iron. Not only this is cheaper material-wise, but aided with split coolant circuit design, the engine can be warmed up quicker, further helped by in-cast exhaust manifold in the cylinder head (similar in concept with Honda R18,20).  More after the jump.

Bajaj RE60 - a whole new meaning of basic transportation

Bajaj Auto has revealed the first detail of its basic motoring, the RE60 ahead of the opening day of Delhi Autoshow 2012. The "car" is set to be latest India's answer to the current needs for safe, convenient and economical form of modern transportation. So "out-of-the-box" is the concept that Bajaj MD, Rajiv Bajaj said the RE60 is not a car, but a "four-wheeler" transport. The concept was first shown in Delhi 2008 Auto Expo.

RE60 is constructed based on a monocoque metal polymer hybrid structure which contribute to lightweight 400kg overall kerb weight. The 4 seater is 2,752mm long, 1,312mm wide and 1,650mm tall. It has seating for four occupants. 

The dashboard is as basic as it can get, with central mounted meter. The gear level is mounted high up, just beneath the meter panel. As the RE60 is targeted primarily for commercial sector, the fare meter is integrated within the dashboard too. Speaking of the commercial sector, Bajaj Auto aimed to displace the three-wheeler auto rickshaw, but with an added safety in the forms of proper enclosed cabin.

Minimalist equipment, simple transmission, non-textured plastic drive the cost down. Door pocket taken care by the net

The no-frills cabin states the firm intent of low-cost, but sufficiently equipped where it matter the most. The dashboard for instance, has a storage space on both side of the meter. More storage space, suitable for auto rickshaw kind of storage, is within the cabin. With all seats up, and due to the rear-mounted engine, boot space is limited to meager 44L. However, further 7L is available under the hood. With rear seat folded, 400L is available (slightly less than the volume of enclosed Proton Saga BLM).

Flat seat, but belted. Notice flat metal panel to reduce tooling complexity and material susage, Basic door trim

The need to slash cost means that the side windows don't wind down. Instead, they are split in the middle, with the upper part flipped down. Just like our old days buses. Headrest are missing all around too. Other things deemed unnecessary include headlining and seat belt inertia reel. More photo and detail after the jump.