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H. Kishie Singh looks at the new cars coming to Indian roads

THE crystal ball is full. There are a large number of new cars that would be available to the Indian buyer this year. With Hyundai introducing the super-B segment Getz, could Maruti be far behind. No, of course not. Any day now Maruti will be introducing the Suzuki Swift. The car was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show late last year. It’s a super Mini that will probably replace the long-in-the-tooth M 800. Maruti has been a leader in the small car section and with Swift, Maruti hopes to keep its position with the other bestseller. It is a very good-looking hatch-back designed for Europe.

Catering to European taste means having a global appeal, but the car is being targeted for India. In its original form it will have a 1300 cc or 1500 cc engine with MPFI. It will have either 14-inch or 15-inch tyres to give it a ground clearance of 140 mm. At some later stage, a diesel power plant may also be available. Which ever, it promises to be a bombshell of a car.

Honda will be bringing in Civic. It was the original compact car when sky-high fuel prices redefined cars. Honda took the lead and for almost 30 years Civic has maintained its position in this category. It will compete with the Toyota Corolla.

Another interesting offering from Honda will be Jazz. It shares the same platform as City but is shorter. The rear end is chopped off so it becomes a large hatch-back. The interior space is the same for passengers. It has been sold as Fit in Japan. It is Japan’s best-selling car and a good seller in Europe. It could be the card up Honda’s long sleeve.

Maruti will also be introducing the 3-door shorter wheel base Grand Vitara. This is aimed at the Honda CR-V market. Again, Hyundai is not far behind. Hyundai has plans to launch Tucson. It is a small SUV with a two-litre in-line four-cylinder engine or a 2.7 litre V-6.The difference will be 140 hp to 173 hp.

Fiat seems to have got its house in order as far as the after sales service goes. Fiat has always had good cars; it has always had bad service. Fiat Panda was the European Car of 2004. Panda may be in India later this year. Fiat is also contemplating on Multipla, which is a funny-looking MUV and is supposed to drive like a car. Panda will be 1.1 litre or 1.3 litre and the Multipla is 1.6 litre. Fiat also has Petra, Punto and a newer edition of Palio with a diesel engine.

The prettiest car on our roads is Matiz. Sadly it went the dodo way due to Daewoo’s demise in Korea. However, GM has taken over the Daewoo plant and like the Phoenix; Matiz will rise again as Chevrolet Spark. It will have a 1000 cc four-cylinder engine.

Chevrolet also has an ace up its sleeve with Aveo. It is likely to compete with Palio and Getz. It will come with a 1200 cc engine (aimed at Palio) and 1400 cc engine (aimed at Getz). The European cars are three-door or five-door hatch-backs. It also has a four-door Sedan. Since three-doors are not to the Indian taste, it is a five-door hatch or four-door Sedan that we will see here this year.

Incidentally, the prettiest car, Matiz or Spark was designed by the famous Giorgetto Guigiaro of Italdesign. He is also responsible for the lines of Aveo.

Buying out companies that could be going belly up seems one way of increasing production and market share. In 1999 Renault of France bought out Dacia of Romania. The first offering from this marriage is the Renault Logan. It is a simple and rugged-looking (that means Com-Con manufactured) compact notchback. Neither are its specifications available nor is the price but it is being said that Logan would be the roomiest saloon in the market for its price.

Skoda has surprised itself with its success in the Indian market. There should be a new Octavia on the roads by mid 2005. Skoda is also introducing Fabia later this year. Fabia is expected to repeat the success of Octavia and Superb, especially if it has a diesel variant.

The biggest surprise could be from Toyota. If rumours come true, the new Qualis is going to knock competition for a six. The launch in India will see the chairman of Toyota Motors do the honours because it would be a global launch. Toyota will also introduce Fortuner. It is hailed as an Innovative International Multi Utility Vehicle-IMV whatever that means; it’s a brand new description. The vehicle is a replacement for the 4-Runner or Hi-Lux, two of Toyota’s best selling models that have become dated. So expect a near perfect SUV from Toyota. It will be available with a petrol 2.7 litre VVT-i engine with square pistons. Yes, square. What will definitely have customers grinning and the competition groaning is the 3 litre D-4D diesel engine. It uses common rail diesel technology, inter-cooler with a variable geometry turbo. All this means that the nozzles are smaller and contain more holes for the atomisation of the fuel. Simply put this means that the fuel will combust more efficiently, giving better performance in fuel average, power and torque. Fortuner will be available in 2-wheel and 4-wheel drives. Expected in the third quarter of this year.

Other news from Toyota. A car that can reverse and park itself.

Happy motoring.