| Car sales will surge in 2007, declare optimists. Pessimists insist that 2006 was an exceptional year for car manufacturers in India, and, therefore, 2007 will not be so hot. Realists, however, reason that since there's a decent bunch of new cars coming up this calendar year, it means that there'll be no let-up in growth in the sector. |
| In 2006, the finance minister announced a reduction in excise duty on small cars with the objective of driving India towards becoming a small car hub. The effects of the announcement will be visible this year. |
| Automaker General Motors India, for instance, that did not have a serious compact car in its portfolio, the Opel Sail notwithstanding, is ready with two of them this year. The Chevrolet U-VA, a grown-up, sorted-out hatchback will have company in Chevrolet Spark, a suitably freshened up Daewoo Matiz with a bigger 1000cc engine. |
| Hyundai, on the other hand, which has been highly successful with the Santro Xing, will complement it with another model, which will be positioned between the Santro Xing and the bigger Getz. It will also give the Getz a facelift, like the international version, and add a CRDi motor too. |
| But Maruti Udyog, the biggest small car player of all, is not going to let go of its market share so easily. It added the Zen Estilo to fit between the Alto and the Wagon R late last year, and very soon, it will introduce the car that, perhaps, all other small car makers fear "" the Swift JTD, with a 1300cc diesel motor. |
| This means that between the Getz CRDi and the Swift JTD, the Indian workhorse Tata Indica may get squeezed. Not to worry. The all-new Indica with a common-rail diesel motor is also ready for Indian roads this year. And please remember, its partner Fiat will begin its new innings with the revised Palio. |
| Skoda Auto, which has been talking about getting the Fabia to India for a long time, will finally have an excuse to get the hatchback version "" it has the all-new Fabia ready for European roads, you see. But considering the heat generated in the compact car category, it may decide to wait till things cool down. |
| Optimists believe that what the finance minister did for small cars last year, will be repeated for the mid-size cars during the February budget. Pessimists say that things are hunky-dory, so why upset the apple cart. Realists, however, say that you can still get some reasonably priced three-box sedans. |
| Before Tata gets ready with the all-new Indigo with a common-rail motor, the Mahindra-Renault combine will introduce the Logan in the country. |
| It will be affordable and it will have a fuel-efficient diesel motor, so Tata better watch out. Since it owns almost half of the small car segment in the country, Maruti Udyog will move upwards and introduce the new Baleno, based on the Suzuki SX4. |
| Optimists say that fuel prices will come down, while for pessimists, it's never the case. Realists say that it won't matter since there will be a fresh bunch of diesel cars and not just in the compact and entry-level three-box segments. |
| Chevrolet will introduce the Optra diesel this May, while Hyundai has plonked a 2000cc-diesel motor in the Sonata Embera, which has been readied for launch. And the Mahindra Scorpio will get a fuel-efficient, more powerful 2200cc turbodiesel motor. Meanwhile, Tata will not just have an all-new Safari, it will be with an improved common-rail motor as well. |
| Optimists say that presence of luxury cars is a sign of a maturing market. Pessimists' view: not many people can buy them in India. It simply means that everybody now has a wider choice, say realists. |
| The makers of the Ultimate Driving Machine will launch the BMW 3 and 5 Series in the country, with both diesel and petrol motors and automatic gearboxes. Audi will make the A6 a wee bit affordable by assembling it at the Skoda plant at Aurangabad, while parent company Volkswagen will start its Indian summer with the Passat. |
| Fellow German DaimlerChrysler won't just sit doing nothing. So it will introduce the all-new C-Class, its volume-seller this year. And then of course, the hyper-rich folks have an entire gamut of Porsches, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Ferraris to choose from, so it's some kind of a status quo. |
| Optimists predict that 2008 will be even hotter for car makers. Pessimists dismiss it as impossible. Realists will wait for the end of 2007. |
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