New Car: 2013 Mahindra Verito

Mahindra has launched the facelifted Verito, giving it a much-needed revision to its exterior and interior styling.

Like the earlier model, the new Verito comes in both petrol and diesel versions. The base petrol variant is priced at Rs 5.21 lakh, while the diesel variant starts at Rs 6.05 lakh.

With the facelift, Mahindra has done away with the boxy looks that plagued the erstwhile Logan. The car gets an almost Skoda-like new front grille (complete with chrome strip and vertical slats), the chin is now more rounded and the new Verito gets re-profiled angular headlamps as well. Look closely and you’ll see that the wipers now correctly sweep left-to-right as well.

The rear has also been made less boxy. The number plate is now at the centre of the bootlid, while horizontal slashes across the rear help break up the mass of the squarish boot.

There are some significant improvements to the interior design and a Scorpio-like music system now dominates the centre console. The power window switches are now in a more convenient position on the doors.

This fresh new look is sure to enhance the Verito’s appeal, which, in this guise, should stand up much better to its direct rivals like the Toyota Etios and Maruti Dzire.

The new Verito is available in both BSIII and BSIV guises.

Thanks to: Autocar India

Spied: 2013 Toyota Auris

These are the exclusive first pictures of the all-new Toyota Auris. The new British-built hatchback, including its hybrid variant, was caught taking part in a marketing shoot in the Netherlands.

As the pictures show, the new Auris gets a much more distinctive design than the current model, which replaced the Corolla in 2007 and has never really stood out from the class-leading Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

Toyota boss Akio Toyoda has long spoken of his desire for the world’s largest manufacturer to build cars with more character, and the designers of the new Auris have certainly created a car with more visual presence than its predecessor.

The new front end is most striking. Recent designs signed off under Toyoda, who took the reins at Toyota 2009, have all shared more angular bumpers, prominent grilles and sleek, technical headlights, and the new Auris is no exception.

The front end of the standard car is not visible in the pictures, but the next-gen Auris Hybrid reveals the direction the standard car will take. There’s a lower trapezoidal grille and a chrome-trimmed single-bar grille running into the slim headlights. Foglights flank each side of the front bumper and are housed in angular mounts.

Toyota’s hybrid models have traditionally been more visually striking than the standard cars on which they are based. This was seen most recently with the Yaris, which was criticised for its dowdy looks in base form but praised for its greater flair as a hybrid. It’s unlikely that Toyota will make the same mistake with the Auris.

The new Auris features a sharply raked windscreen, rising shoulder lines and kinked C-pillars. At the rear, the lights stand proud of the tailgate, which has a strongly defined boot release handle. The angular rear bumper is also very pronounced.

Thanks to: Autocar

Hot News: Cadillac Confirms S-Class Rival by 2016

General Motors has finally given the green light for Cadillac to develop a new flagship saloon aimed at taking on the likes of the BMW 7-series and Mercedes-Benz S-class. GM’s luxury brand has been struggling to convince management to come up with the necessary cash since it rolled out the over-the-top Caddy Sixteen concept nearly a decade ago.

However, it was the strong response to another Cadillac prototype, the Cadillac Ciel cabriolet revealed at last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, that convinced the maker it could move upmarket and reposition the once-dominant marque as a serious global player.

The flagship is not expected to be quite as bold as the Ciel concept but will push for a level of “premiumness,” according to one company source, that would be more in line with ultra-premium brands such as Bentley.

Cadillac is likely to power the new model with a V8 that can compete with the likes of the BMW 750i or Mercedes-Benz S550. A smaller and more fuel-efficient V6 is a likelihood and may came in turbocharged-only form. A new eight-speed gearbox is reportedly in the works. Whether the Detroit maker would also offer a hardcore V-series entry to compete with the likes of the Mercedes S63 AMG is uncertain.

A new concept, updating the Ciel, is expected to be revealed early next year and Cadillac hopes to have the new flagship model in showrooms by 2016.

The maker is just launching the new Cadillac ATS, a compact premium saloon aimed at the BMW 3-Series. The new Cadillac XTS saloon is also coming to market for 2013 and a small crossover is reportedly in the works, too, with Cadillac officials confirming they are looking at the possibilities for an ATS coupé, V-series variant and even a convertible.

Cadillac has had reasonable success in several markets, including China and Russia, but the maker is hoping the ATS and next-generation Cadillac CTS in particular, will finally give it traction in Europe. That could open the door for the flagship saloon to take aim at the dominant German brands later in the decade.

Thanks to: Autocar