Mahindra and Mahindra gave the existing Xylo a facelift treatment, and the utility-vehicle manufacturer will now be launching the compact version of the Xylo. The Xylo compact is based on the Xylo platform and will be less than 4 metres in length.

The Xylo compact will have a three-cylinder 1.5-litre diesel engine, which will help Mahindra further to get the excise cut even on the cubic capacity. Mahindra announced that the Xylo compact will be on sale during Diwali.

The award is one of most coveted award for Customer & Brand Loyalty in the automobile sector. Volkswagen represented the award in the four wheeler category and was pitted against country’s leading automobile manufacturers.

Volkswagen introduced customer focused marketing initiatives like Prospect Dialogue Program (PDP) and Customer Dialogue Program (CDP) to increase customer engagement to reiterate brand commitment. Prospect Dialogue Program (PDP) included Lead processing activity - a 10-minute call back facility to customers in an effort to reach out to their needs. 

Commenting on this achievement Mr. Lutz Kothe, Head of Marketing & PR, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. said “At Volkswagen we believe in not only meeting but exceeding customer expectations in terms of their experience from our cars and services. The campaigns initiated were designed to bring Volkswagen closer to its consumers. This award is an acknowledgement of our efforts to achieve the best in customer satisfaction.”

The Loyalty awards by AIMIA are the outcome of a combination of consumer research undertaken across 5 major cities of India aided by nominations received from various organizations.

The engine on the Wagon Estate version will be the 1.7-litre VCDi that produces 130bhp of power with Start-Stop as a standard fitment. At 4,678mm, the Station Wagon is slightly longer than the hatchback (4,510 mm) and saloon (4,597 mm) models. Load space ranges from 500 litres up to the window line in the rear to nearly 1,500 litres up to the roof top with the rear seats folded down.

The first-generation Outlander (earlier known as Airtrek) first went into production in 2001 and now Mitsubishi will unveil the third-generation of the Outlander at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March. The next-generation Outlander will be similar in dimension as the current model. 

The engine options on the new-gen Outlander will be the 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel rather than the 2.4-litre petrol that currently propels the Outlander. The Outlander will even get an all-new 6-speed automatic gearbox and some countries will get the StopGo feature as well.

The new crossover will first go on sale in Russia this summer, followed by European, Japanese and North American markets. From 2013 in Europe, Mitsubishi will also take advantage of the built-in possibilities of Outlander’s versatile architecture to add an EV-based plug-In hybrid powertrain.

Penguin has chosen the Ambassador as its celebratory mascot to mark the 25th anniversary of Penguin India. This customized Ambassador, in the iconic Penguin stripey design with the TWENTY5 logo on its sides, is Penguin India’s brand ambassador and apt visual representation of the joy of reading.

A visual treat, book lovers would instantly recognize the classics inspired design on India's very own classic, the Ambassador from Hindustan Motors. The car's interiors have been tastefully customized too in beige leather. The car carries a collection of the 25th anniversary special Popular Penguins, a series of books specially published to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Aptly attired for Penguin India’s celebrations, the Ambassador will visit bookstores and literary festivals around the country through the year. Having started its literary sojourn from the prestigious Jaipur Literature Festival recently, the car has made its way to the national capital and is expected to be present at the World Book Fair being launched in Delhi on February 25. The car will travel to other major metros as part of Penguin India’s festivities which will involve eminent authors and literary personalities. Ambassador has thus been transformed into, so to say, a knowledge vehicle for book lovers across the country.

The domestic car sales figures have seen an increase of 12.18 percent in January 2012 as compared to the previous year. The overall sales growth rate recorded for April-January 2012 was 12.51 percent.

Passenger Vehicles segment recovered marginally at 1.45 percent during April-January 2012 over same period last year. Passenger Cars recorded de-growth of (-) 1.19 percent, Utility Vehicles grew by 13.03 percent and Vans grew by 8.40 percent in this period. In January 2012, Passenger Cars, Vans and Utility Vehicles recorded growth at 7.20 percent, 14.15 percent and 15.72 percent respectively. And growth in overall Passenger Vehicles was at 8.86 percent in the month of January 2012. 

The new Xylo will now be available with the new E9 version which gets the mHawk engine that even powers the Scorpio. This mHawk engine is the 2.2-litre common rail diesel that churns out 120bhp of power and a maximum torque of 280Nm. The mEagle and the mDI CRDe engine options will still be available on the lower versions of the Xylo. The E9 even gets Italian Leather wrapped seats and gear-knob and also the cruise control.

To reduce the body roll of the Xylo, Mahindra has introduced the E.S.T. (Extra Stability Technology), which improves the stability of the Xylo. The suspension of all the variants have been tweaked and not just the range topper. The digital display system has become sleeker than before. 

The pricing of the Xylo is as follows:

Version	Prices (Ex-showroom, Delhi)
D2	Rs 7.37lakh
D4	Rs 7.77lakh
E4	Rs 8.11bhp
E4 +ABS	Rs 8.34lakh
E8	Rs 9.1lakh
E8 + ABS	Rs 9.47lakh
E9	Rs 10.25lakh

The Nissan Invitation will be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March. The new car will be launched in Europe by next year. François Bancon, Deputy Division General Manager of Product Strategy and Product Planning Division, said: “The name we have given to this concept is self-explanatory. It is designed to be inviting thanks to its sensuous exterior design and generous and comfortable interior space, cleverly packaged within compact overall dimensions.”

The packaging challenge also demanded careful thought about the size and location of the nickel-metal hydride battery pack and the fuel tank, in order to minimise the impact on cabin space for rear seat passengers and the size of the boot. Both are positioned under the rear bench seat, which means the car’s loadspace capacity, and rear passenger space is unaffected. The car goes on sale in Europe in June.

Kia has released the first image of its Track'ster concept car. The Track'ster will be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The Korea auto manufacturer will soon release more images of the new Track'ster.

The Track'ster was created in the California Design Studio. Watch out this space for more details on the Track'ster.