Is the 1.6-liter diesel engine on your Volkswagen Vento insufficient? Is your Volkswagen Vento making you yawn everytime you look at it?

We have a potential fix to your problem.

Renowned Indian car performance expert Pete has come up with a package to spruce up the VW Vento. The modifications are both visual and mechanical.

Pete offers the following items as part of the Volkswagen Vento 130 package -

1) Pete’s Tuning Box
2) Bilstein B14 height adjustable suspension
3) Tarox Front and Rear rotor + pads (Includes rear conversion to Rotors)
4) Stanley custom leather seating
5) 17” Forged Wheels

It is said that the Vento after Pete’s treatment, produces 130bhp and with the new suspension in place will be able to handle corners better than the stock car.

Source – Motorbeam.com via Petes.in

Tagged as: Volkswagen Vento, Volkswagen Vento Pete

View the original article here

Ford India is hard at celebrations after winning all major Car Awards for its uber-popular hatch – The Figo. But away from all the Indian action, Ford Brazil is developing the new successor for the mini SUV –the Ecosport.

Mechanically, the new Ecosport draws inspiration from two of Ford’s newest, internationally successful cars, the new Fiesta and the Focus 2012.

Artist impression of the upcoming EcoSport

The exterior design reveals so many elements of the ‘Kinetic Design’. There are cleaner lines throughout the body, dominated by large bumper air intakes. The grill is influenced by the recently launched Ford Ranger. Overall, this is certainly an extension of the ‘One Ford’ philosophy.

The engine duties will be performed by 1.6L and 2.0L Ecoboost engines configured with manual gearbox or automatic gearbox with optional 4WD. Ford plans to sells this SUV is Brazil, China, Thailand and some European countries. Ford might manufacture this car in China, India and Brazil in the next couple of years.

New generation Fiesta styling cues aplenty on this urban SUV

But does the Ecosport make sense for India? One cannot forget that the mini SUV market is something that has been attracting attention of a lot of manufacturers in India. Even the largest auto manufacturer in India – Maruti Suzuki is readying a Gypsy-like model. Skoda took the plunge with their Yeti last year but it was a pricier option.

Ford Fiesta hatch also expected in India this year

Current Ecosport (based on Figo platform) will cost you around 20K Euros which the same as 11 lakh INR. If the product costing is done right (a la Figo) and the Ecosport is brought to India under 10 lakhs, it will certainly sit as a unique lifestyle.

What do you think? Should the Ecosport invade the Indian streets? Will you pay around 10 lakh for an urban SUV?

Source – automocionblog.com via AutoEsporte

Tagged as: 2012 EcoSport, EcoSport, Ford B515, Ford EcoSport

View the original article here

Unlike the Indian scenario, Skoda has always been perceived as the common man’s car. It does its job and quietly sits in the corner of the VW home without drawing too much attention. The reason being if it attracted too much attention, it would invade big daddy VW’s target market.

Most Skodas are essentially nothing but skimped up VWs. And the place where the cost cutting is more evident is the design of the car. Skodas exterior design boys have to be the most under paid designers in the world. Leaving beside the Superb and perhaps the Yeti, all other Skodas present in the Indian market are a bit damp in their respective segments.

2013 Octavia should be okay to tackle new Civic

But all of that can sure change if they hire this guy who made this exclusive rendering of the 2013 Skoda Octavia. WOW!! It the sort of a thing even Tony Stark wouldn’t mind as a company car.

The new car is expected to be a bit longer (+60mm) and a bit wider (+40mm) than the outgoing model. The car will receive a 1.4L TSI and 1.6L TDI engine along with a Start-Stop technology. Tradition will continue with a RS model and a Wagon with 4WD. The car will come equipped with new parking assistant and adaptive cruise control.

Back home, it will be a bit different. Obviously, this car will not come to India as an Octavia but will rather make it as as the next generation Laura (because some marketing nunty in the past thought that selling the same car with 2 different name would be more appropriate for the Indian scenario)

In fact sources also confirm of another sedan which will be priced below this Octavia for the emerging markets using the VW Vento platform. This means there may be a possibility of a revival of the Octavia – Laura product mix for India.

Tagged as: 2013 Laura, 2013 Octavia, 2013 Skoda Octavia, skoda laura, Skoda Octavia

View the original article here

TV Advertising is big among the auto makers. And the undoubted king of this segment is Volkswagen (or should we say used to be). Volkswagen commercials have always been class apart. Yes, we were initially a bit disappointed with their Indian efforts but they soon got it right with the new Vento commercial.

Turns out the king is starting to loosen his grip over the kingdom. The new Polo commercial is hardly anything to talk about. The chief reason being there is NOTHING about the car in it.

The old VW commercials used to make you “Oh, cool…now I understand”. This one makes you go “Ok ..What??”

The Ad called ‘Tough. Beautiful. Polo’ starts with the world championship tango dancers – Manuela Rossi and Gaspar Godoy doing a really fantastic and aggressive dance and end with the picture of the car. That is it!

Throughout the commercial there is absolutely NO car in it. I actually thought it was a commercial for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ until finally they showed the car.

The abstract meaning that (I THINK) the Ad is trying to convey is that just as the dance is tough and beautiful so is the Polo. But yea, this is not VW’s finest hour. Time to change Ad agency? I suppose..Yes!

Do you like it?

- For more updates on this topic, subscribe via email or RSS Feed -

View the original article here