Honda to launch its Nano version in India

NEW DELHI, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Luxury car maker Honda is all set to light up the small vehicle segment by launching its Nano version called Jazz in India next month, said the company on Monday.

"Jazz will sport a new 1.2 liter engine, designed for the Indian market and will be in direct competition with Skoda Fabia, Ford Fusion, Hyundai i20 and Tata Indigo," a company spokesperson said.

Jazz will have ample legroom and headroom space and also a special engine for India to ensure high fuel efficiency.

"The suspension has also been worked upon to meet the tough road conditions in India," he said.

The Jazz will be a premium car and the manufacturer said that it will carry at least 80 percent of the features present in a large car.

"To entice the customers, the Jazz will include a powerful motor, high efficiency, more space and a price tag somewhere between 5 to 7 lakhs rupees (10,000 to 14,000 U.S. dollars)," he said.

Slovenian car sales drop by 22% in first quarter

BELGRADE, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Car sales in Slovenia fell by some 22 percent to 14,648 in the first quarter of 2009, the Slovenian news agency STA reported on Wednesday.

The car sales in March also fell by 22 percent compared to the same period last year, dropping to 5,731, the agency reported, citing a report of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce.

Renault remained the top-selling brand in Slovenia in March with 753 cars sold. This is 29.4 percent less than in the same month of 2008.

The only car maker to increase its sales in March was Kia, which sold 337 cars, which is up 98.2 percent year-on-year.