Nissan India has announced cash discounts on the X-Trail SUV. Nissan is offering Rs 1 lakh off on the X-Trail which is available in three variants. The Nissan X-Trail range in India starts at Rs 22.2 lakh for the base manual variant and Rs 26.5 lakh for the top-of-the-line automatic variant. The alternatives to the Nissan X-Trail include the Toyota Fortuner and Chevrolet Captiva among others.

Since, Nissan import the X-Trail as a CBU, the prices haven’t been competitive from the beginning. This has been one of the reason why the X-Trail hasn’t been a success. Last months Nissan sold just 35 units of the X-Trail while the Toyota Fortuner clocked 1060 units and 113 units of the  Chevrolet Captiva were sold. The BMW X1, which compared to its competition, is a bit expensive clocked 484 units in the month of July.

In fact, the Nissan X-Trail is similarly priced as the BMW X1. However, for Rs 25 lakh ex-showroom, the X-Trail has to do with a 6-Speed manual while in the BMW you get an automatic. Also, the 2.0 litre, four cylinder diesel engine in the X-Trail puts out 150 PS of maximum power compared to the 2.0 litre diesel in the BMW which churns out 177 PS of power. Thus, the Nissan X-Trail is expensive, less powerful, packs-in a fair bit of kit (hill descent and ascent control, four-wheel drive which the BMW lacks, rear A/C).

Compare the X-Trail with the other players in this segment like, the Fortuner, Captiva and Endeavour the shortcomings of the SUV come to light. All the other products in the segment beat the Nissan X-Trail to its price. An X-Trail brought to India via CBU routes just does not make any sense whatsoever. The announcement of the hefty discount on the SUV does not come as a surprise either.

This is something folks at BMW wouldn’t have expected at least, not so early. Some eagle eyed chap was able to capture the next generation BMW 3 Series in his camera. This is the first time the new car has been seen without the usual psychedelic stickers. Although, the shots are blurry and have been taken from a weird angle, most of the design details can be clearly seen. A few bits of the interior can also be seen clearly, almost.

The new F30 BMW 3 Series is set to debut at the Geneva Motor show next year. A couple of days back we brought you the first spy shots of the next generation BMW M3 which will be based on this very car pictured here. However, the BMW M3 will be here only after 2013. Coming to the new 3-Series, the car appears to have undergone a total makeover. Its way ahead of the bland design of the current 3-Series.

The twin-kidney grille is now more upright and protrudes out slightly. The headlights which we saw on the spy shots of the BMW M3 have been designed on the lines of the headlights of the latest i-brand cars from BMW. The front bumper has been redesigned and BMW designers have now got rid of the feature lines which plunged towards the bottom in the facelifted BMW 3-Series. BMW has also opted for a bit of chrome to finish off the front end.

At the rear, the tail lamps resemble those on the F10 BMW 5-Series and in fact, the overall look is very much similar to its big brother. The profile of the car too has similar defining lines, first seen on the F10 BMW 5-Series. All of these design tweaks do make the car stand out but has BMW made the new 3-Series a bit too like the 5er? Have the BMW designers taken a leaf out of their compatriots at Audi?

From the images, it does seem so. That said, the designers have also been at work on the interior. BMW has also added some new features on the 3-Series including the HUD from its more premium models. The HUD projector can be seen clearly on the dashboard just behind the instrument cluster. The door mirrors now house the turning lights unlike on the old version rather, the current model.

Also, the interior seems to have been finished in a single shade of beige. Even the dashboard and the steering wheel are of similar colour. Obviously, there will be some contrasting trim on the dashboard as well as on the door panels. But, the beige could also make the interior feel much airy compared the current model of the 3-Series. If you look closely, the trim on the transmission tunnel has been finished in brushed steel which is a descent touch as well.

Overall, the changes BMW has made to the cars design is appreciable. The BMW 3-Series did deserve a better exterior after all. In India, BMW offers the current 3-Series with two petrol and a diesel engine. The 320i has a 2.o litre 115 KW motor while the 330i Sport gets a 190 KW of punch from a 3.0 litre petrol engine and 2.0 litre, 135 KW diesel engine goes under the 320d.

Mercedes-Benz top boss, Dieter Zetsche has confirmed the CLS and CLC Shooting Brake for 2012 and 2013 respectively. The German automaker recently launched the new CLS sedan and the CLS Shooting Brake will be based on the new CLC which will be a four door coupe. “Shooting brake” is the word folks at Mercedes-Benz associate with a four-door estate with a coupe-like roof line. The design does make the car stand out from the rest of the crown.

The CLS Shooting Brake will get a front end from the current CLS saloon. Towards the rear the roof line plunges down to form a steeply raked rear boot lid. The elegant lines of CLS neatly blend into the Shooting Brake design. One can view it as an expensive four-door estate along the lines of the Audi A5 Sportback and the upcoming BMW 3 Series GT. The CLC will also be designed on similar lines. The CLC will be based on the new CLC coupe that could debut in 2013.

The CLC Shooting Brake will thus follow the CLC coupe. The coupe too will be a four-door saloon that could be placed under the CLS in terms of price. Also, the CLC Shooting brake will get new direct injection petrol as well as frugal four-cylinder engines. Power will drive the front wheels in standard guise but, the customers will also be able to choose an all-wheel drive variant as well. The CLC and the CLS Shooting Brake will thus offer a better option in terms of exterior design.

That said, those cannot afford the CLS, the CLC Shooting Brake could be a good option since it will be priced lower. Now, BMW’s 5 Series GT was designed on similar lines but let down to an extent for its love-or-hate looks. Now, the Bavarians will come up with a GT model of the 3-Series. Design will be crucial for the 3-Series GT given the competition it faces. Mercedes-Benz will roll out the CLS Shootin Brake next year while the CLC will follow a year later.

Maruti Suzuki has made an announcement to cut output due to the sluggish demand for four of its products. The company has cut production of Alto, WagonR, Estilo and Ritz cars this month as the market for these cars slowed down. The month of July saw a 16 percent drop in sales of cars in India which could be mainly attributed to the rising interest rates and fuel prices. Still, sales are predicted to pick up over the next month during the festive season.

The Maruti Suzuki Swift will be launched on the 17 th of August and has clocked record bookings already. The new car is could see huge demand and to cater to the ever growing orders, Maruti will concentrate on the production of the new Swift and the Dzire which are still in great demand.

Brenda Priddy & Co. have this time succeeded capturing the next generation BMW M3 sedan. Thanks to their shutterbugs, we are able to bring you the first heavily disguised images of the 2014 BMW M3. Now, the new BMW M3 is going to be a totally different brute when compared with the present generation. The E90 BMW M3 boasts a thumping V8 under its bulging hood. The new M3 though is rumoured to go back to its old ways.

An in-line six-cylinder configuration might make return to the BMW M3 this time either with one or two turbochargers. Whatever may be the configuration of the powerplant under the bonnet, don’t expect power figures under 450 bhp and stratospheric amounts of torque to pulverize your spine the moment to step on the power pedal. Now, the next generation of the BMW M3 will be based on the upcoming standard 3 Series sedan.

Also, it is believed that the new BMW M3 will get a few touches from the recently unveiled i-brand cars from BMW. This would include new “angle eye” LED daytime running lamps and keeping with the design tradition, the twin-kidney grille will be more upright. That said, being an M3 the car will also have few winglets jutting out from the body surface for extra bit of downforce which will be crucial.

The test mules pictured here featured black 19 inch rims. If you look closely you might notice the subtle design cues that BMW designers have adopted from the i-brand cars showcased earlier. The twin-kidney grille has been pulled back towards each of its ends which gives the car a more hunkered down look similar to the BMW i8 Concept seem before. The new 3-Series might debut later this year with the M3 rolling off in 2013-14.

Automakers in India have been struggling to sell their products due the recent hike in interest rates. Also, the rise in fuel prices have also affected the sales of petrol cars. Along with the aforementioned reasons, a few more could be listed out when it comes to the Maruti Suzuki A-Star. Maruti is now offering Rs 45,000 off on the A-Star hatchback which hasn’t been able to sell well in the past few months. This includes a cash discount worth Rs. 28,000 and an exchange bonus of Rs. 15,000.

At the beginning of the year, Maruti Suzuki was selling more than 4000 A-Stars a month but this figure gradually fell. By the end of May, Maruti clocked just 1734 units of the A-Star and in the months that followed the figure dropped below the 1000 mark. For the month of July, the number of units sold of the A-Star stood at just 779 units. This shows, that sales of the car are clearly on the decline as the A-Star could now be regarded as one of the worst performing Marutis.

Hence, the discounts don’t come as a surprise as Maruti had to do something to try and revive the sales of the hatchback. Now, what might be the reasons for the sharp decline in sales of the car? One major drawback of the Maruti A-Star has been the lack of space. The car is too cramped at the back making the passengers on the back seat feel a bit claustrophobic. Also, the A-Star has to do with a very small boot. It was also seen over the past months that the rather dowdy Maruti Estilo outsold the A-Star which has more space to offer.

Apart from this the A-Star has is a brilliant handling hatchback. The peppy yet frugal petrol engine is impressive and so is the responsive gearbox. We would recommend to Maruti A-Star if you are single or newly married but, for a family of four it will be a tad small and you are better-off with the Estilo (if you like the looks) or the Wagon R. If practicality is what you want from your car then the A-Star won’t fit the bill.

One of the biggest car launches of the year is the new Maruti Suzuki Swift and given the massive hype surrounding the new model, it has translated into a whopping 40,000 bookings even before Maruti has officially launched the car let alone announced the car’s prices. Soon, prospective new Maruti Swift buyers will be able to test drive the car before making their buying decision and this is something that we recommend very strongly.

The latest crop of new Maruti Swift test drive cars have slowly began appearing at Maruti dealer stockyards across the country, although the cars officially haven’t gotten around to the Maruti showrooms yet, to offer prospective Swift buyers test drives. In the next few days though, some persuasion and sweet talk at your nearest Maruti dealership might just result in the dealer letting you experience the new Swift even before the official launch of the car, which is scheduled for the 17th of August.

The new Maruti Swift is bigger and better than the current model in many ways. Fuel efficiency has marginally gone up on both the petrol and diesel models of the car. The petrol engine gets some more power due to dual variable valve timing making it to the 1.2 Liter K-Series engine while the Fiat derived multijet diesel engine continues to motor on unchanged in the new Swift. The new Swift will also get a plastic fuel tank in place of the metal unit to reduce weight.

Since the new Swift’s wheelbase has increased by 40mm, the rear passengers will get a little more legroom, 24mm to be precise. However, the bigger wheelbase hasn’t resulted in a bigger boot, which actually gets smaller in the new Swift, at 205 Liters, when compared to 232 liters of the outgoing model. One change that is very unique to the Indian Swift are the turn indicators on the the outer rear view mirror. The new Swift Diesel also gets the airbags-ABS equipped ZDI top end variant, which was previously missing in the outgoing Swift’s line up.