The Scorpio’s pricing has been revised from November 2009 and the Mahindra SUV has now become dearer by atleast Rs 10,500 than before. All these options are available in the Scorpio VLX.

We headed from Bengaluru to Coimbatore passing Hosur on the way, and from Coimbatore to Munnar to Cochin. The drive was through some well maintained Karnataka highways to some good and bad Tamil Nadu state highways as well as some great Kerala roads, not to forget the beautiful scenery which can be seen in the pictures.

The drive has been conducted to focus on the reliability of the 1.3-litre multijet engines which powers all models from the current Fiat range in India. The so-called underpowered engines (critics) will get the answer once they drive these Italian blocks on the highways. All the multijets from the Fiat 500 to the Fiat Linea were clocking and maintaining 3-digit figures on the dash and we could cover good distances whenever required.

On our first day of the drive, we faced two back-to-back punctures due to a couple of large stones on the road. Our car was lucky enough to escape punctures or any damage to the tyres, although it was sandwiched between the two cars which got punctured.

The second day’s drive was through tea gardens to Munnar. The temperature on the hilltop was close to 15deg Celsius and the visibility was fairly low due to fog. We had a late lunch in Munnar and we headed to Cochin which was our stop for the next day. The Fiat powerplants responded every time we flexed our right feet and lived up to our expectations. Accompanied with the great handling of the Fiats, driving along single-lane roads and hills was thrilling yet easy.

CarWale left the Multijet drive on Sunday night in Cochin with a heavy heart – the cars that handled and rode well at high speeds, the reliable engines and the lovely roads and scenery gave us the Monday morning blues while writing this piece at our desk. How about a petrol drive next, Fiat? We’d love to sample the Palio 1.6 on the same roads!

The Honda CR-V will continue to be available in 2.0 L - MT 2WD and 2.4L MT /AT Real-time 4WD. The 2.4 L model now comes with a steering-mounted Cruise Control system with illuminated controls to ensure comfort and convenience for the customer with one-touch operation.

Interior improvements focus on new features and functionality. The occupants’ safety has been further enhanced as the new CR-V comes equipped with six airbags - Dual SRS Airbags, Side-Curtain airbags and Side Airbags with Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS). The music system features a new USB port in the upper glove compartment.  The new CR-V will be available in two new colours – Opal Sage Metallic and Premium Mystic Night Pearl along with the existing range of Polished Metal, Alabaster Silver, Crystal Black Pearl and Premium White.

The new Honda CR-V comes with a 2+2 year warranty and 24 - hr roadside assistance as standard value for all new CR-V buyers. The Honda CR-V is sold as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) import and will be available on confirmed order basis for the customers.

The Honda CR-V was first introduced in India in July 2003. The all new 3rd generation CR-V was introduced in India in November 2006 which offered its customers a distinctive combination of ‘the comfort of a sedan with the thrills of a SUV’. HSCI launched the 2.0L 2WD Honda CR-V in February 2008 which was a more agile vehicle with even sportier handling. The new lighter engine gives good fuel efficiency, without compromising on performance. Ever since its launch in 2003, nearly 12,500 units of the CR-Vs have been sold cumulatively in the country. The company has sold nearly 7,000 units of the 3rd generation model.

The prices of new Honda CR-V (ex showroom Delhi) is:

2.0L MT Rs 21,92,000

2.4L MT Rs 23,37,000

2.4L AT Rs 24,12,000

The LR-V8 engine has been developed to deliver more power and refinement, but without a corresponding increase in consumption and emissions. The result is a lightweight direct fuel injection engine with class-leading efficiency, which provides significantly more usable low end torque and superior dynamic responses without compromising power at higher RPM.

Land Rover’s Terrain Response and Stability Control Systems have been updated. The interior design of new Range Rover sports a combination of real wood veneers and leather.

Bollywood actor Shaihd Kapoor is the first customer to have bought the Range Rover model year 2010 and was handed over the keys of the SUV by Mr. Ratan Tata.

Mr. H. S. Lheem had joined Hyundai Motor India Ltd in December, 2005 and has lead the company to record sales and commissioning of the second manufacturing unit in Sreeperumbedur in 2008. Under his leadership HMIL launched new models like the Verna, i10 and the i20 which have become immensely successful in both the domestic and the international market.

Mr. Lheem will be succeeded by Mr. H. W. Park the current Senior Executive Director, Administration & CFO, HMIL who will now take over as the MD & CEO, HMIL.

Mr. Thomas Kuehl said, “Online shopping in India has been gaining importance day by day. Due to dearth of time and tedious ways of traditional shopping, customers are increasingly seeking the convenience of shopping from their home. Keeping in mind the customer profile we have launched “Fabia online sales project” (with CarWale.com) to make car buying a hassle free and a haggle free experience by providing complete and transparent information while also streamlining the buying process with the combination of online and offline activities. We believe that the Fabia online sales project has been a part of success for Fabia and in the past 2 months we have doubled our sales figures over last year in the same period.”

The SX4 has undergone some minor changes which include new honeycomb grille, an optional body-kit on the ZXI version, 10-spoke alloys, beige interiors, audio system with USB-input and audio controls on the steering wheel.

The SX4 gets a new 1.6-litre DOHC engine with variable valve timing, producing 103bhp and is Bharat Stage –IV ready. The automatic transmission will also be available with an option of leather upholstery.

The car will be available in three variants, and the base model will feature power steering, front power windows, central locking and an MP3 audio system. The highest variant will get ABS and alloy wheels. The colour variants will be red, white, silver, black and blue. Talking about the dealership network, the company has 30 dealers across the country and will soon expand to 100 within the next 6 months.

Through the extensive drive, Fiat will also look to reinforce the presence of their strong and ever growing network across India. Today, the Tata-Fiat network constitutes 99 dealerships and 6 points of sales spanning across 77 cities in the country. All these dealerships have a separate identity for Fiat and offer an international ownership experience for customers.

Nissan will produce three cars on this platform, of which two will be sold in India. The first one will be launched in India in May 2010 and the global inaugural of this car will happen in Thailand in March 2010. This car will be manufactured in five countries which include India, China and Thailand and be exported to over 150 countries. Eighty percent of the car spares will be locally produced for this car. Nissan has reduced the number of parts by 40% which has resulted in a saving of 18%. Approximately 50% of the cars produced in the Chennai plant will be exported. In 2010, the Micra which is currently manufactured in Europe will be manufactured at the Chennai plant and will be exported to Europe.