Hyundai Motor India may have the big guns in the hatchback segment, but they’ve been unable to successfully move up the hierarchy in the Indian car market – especially in relation to the SUV segment. Strike one was the Terracan, which failed miserably, and then it was strike two with the Tucson, which had a loyal following but failed to capture a large chunk of the market. They’re hoping to avoid strike three as they prepare to launch the Sante Fe in India.

Currently, the Santa Fe, which will compete against the Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Fortuner and the Mitsubishi Outlander, is undergoing homologation for the Indian market, and is expected to hit the road any moment now. The Korean manufacturer aims to use to Sante Fe to demonstrate its technological prowess and cutting edge design. The Santa Fe will be available with the latest tech toys, and a 2.2 litre, turbocharged, diesel engine capable of 148bhp and 335Nm.

The Sante Fe will be brought in as a CBU, so expect it to be pricey – at least as pricey as those that it’ll be competing furiously against.

General Motors is thinking big – about small packages. This new mantra seems to be working well for the American manufacturer with special reference to India, where the Beat is well accepted. With small cars in demand across the globe, the company is set to showcase hatchback versions of their next generation Aveo and existing Cruze at this year’s Paris Motor Show.

The new Aveo, which will be available in both petrol and diesel, is expected to feature a 1.2 litre four-cylinder engine producing 70 horsepower. However, the relatively exciting variant will be the 115bhp 1.6 litre gasoline engine. Dimensionally, the vehicle is said to be a bit longer and wider than its predecessor in order to provide for better interior space.

The Cruze, meanwhile, will be shown as a five-door hatchback – with blue headlamps, big wheels, and LED daytime running lights. The front end remains largely as is, but the silhouette features a sweeping coupe-like roofline and a sporty rear hatch.

While both hatches will likely make it to the showroom floor in Europe – although with the Cruze it’s still too early to say – it’s unlikely that either will make it as far as the Indian market. Nevertheless, get used to the new face of GM, as that’s something we should see on our roads in the near future.

Redesigned and re-engineered, yet at its heart the new Continental GT remains a four seat, all-wheel-drive supercar that provides the unparalleled Bentley driving experience. It also represents the latest evolution of Bentley’s acclaimed 12-cylinder, 6 litre power unit, which has greater than before torque, power and fuel efficiency. Power from the new twin-turbo W12 will be increased from 560 to 575bhp, and torque is up from 648 to 698Nm.

The new GT will also have a new six-speed Quickshift transmission with steering mounted paddle shifts, which reduces gearshift times by 50%. Bentley have also introduced Flex Fuel technology, which gives the W12 engine the ability to run on bio-ethanol, petrol, or any mix of the two fuels from the same tank without any compromise on performance. The new range of GT’s will boast a new body design with a much more aggressive attitude. The changes may be subtle, but feature wider front and rear tracks, a lower set grille and hood, and a shorter rear deck lid that visually stretches the new GT to look longer and wider.

Bentley is also ready to add a 4 litre V8 model to the Continental GT range. The newly planned GT will be unveiled at this year at the Paris Motor Show, but will hit the market in about 18 months. The V8 is a brand new engine developed in collaboration with Audi, but the engine will be built in Britain just like the W12.

Two variants will be available, the X5 xDrive50i (petrol), and the X5 xDrive30d (diesel). Both variants will be brought in as CBU’s, and will cost Rs. 69.5 lakhs and Rs. 52.9 lakhs respectively. Three new colours have been added, along with a large variety of interior trim to choose from. All versions of the X5 include brake energy regeneration. The V8 petrol power unit features direct injection and BMW’s TwinPower turbo – giving it a power output of 407bhp and torque of 600Nm. The six-cylinder diesel engine provides 245bhp and torque of 540Nm. All models are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Bavarian giant also announced that they’re already taking orders for the new BMW X1, which will be launched in India by the end of 2010. More importantly, the X1 will be a CKD produced at their Chennai plant alongside the 3 and 5 Series, which are already assembled there. BMW is also planning to double capacity at their Chennai plant in the near future.

Dr. Andreas Schaaf, President, BMW India, further announced the introduction of BMW’s pre-owned car business with the launch of BMW Premium Selection by the end of 2010. The company will, for the first time in the Indian luxury car segment, begin opening up exclusive pre-owned car showrooms in Gurgaon, Mumbai and Chennai.

In addition to this, the BMW Group will also introduce BMW Financial Services India as a 100% subsidiary, headquartered in Gurgaon. BMW Financial Services will operate as a Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC), and focus on its three business lines – retail finance, commercial finance and insurance – through cooperative partners. The services offered will allow them to offer more flexible options to prospective clients, which could be quite an asset in a market that’s getting increasingly competitive.

The new i10 also has a host of new design elements. There are turn indicators on the electrically adjustable outside mirrors, a micro roof antenna, blue interior illumination, a gear shift indicator, and electronic fuel indicator. The higher variants will also feature bluetooth connectivity, reverse parking sensors, a height adjustable driver’s seat, electrically heated outside mirrors, AUX and USB ports, and steering mounted controls.

The prices start at Rs. 3.6 lakhs for the base variant, while the highest Kappa variant, loaded with all the goodies, will cost Rs. 5.9 lakhs.

Kawasaki seems to be shaking things up in the biking world. Recently, the Japanese manufacturer has been busy with a few new product launches, including the resurrection of a classic Kawasaki motorcycle.

Last month, Kawasaki unveiled their brand new 2011 ZX-10R race bike at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany – in advance of the full launch of the production machine, which is scheduled to be launched by the time you read this. The racing version of the Ninja ZX-10R (showed here) is eagerly anticipated by everyone involved in the Superbike racing project. The Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team are extremely keen to start working on the new Ninja ZX-10R. The new superbike has already been put through development testing by noted WSB racers Akira Yanagawa and Tom Sykes. The duo found the new machine to be more responsive and better handling than the existing 10R.

Also, back from the dead is the all new classic W650, which was discontinued in 2006 – although now it’s called the W800 because of the additional 150cc engine displacement. The bike will produce more power – around 70bhp – and will compete head-to-head with the also newly revived Triumph Bonneville 865. The price for one of these retro beauties would be around $9,000 (Rs. 4 lakhs), but there is still speculation on exactly when and where the bike will be launched. With Royal Enfield gaining considerable traction with its motorcycles, and the Yamaha RD350 and Yezdi going as cult classics, we’re sure that there is a market possibility for such a product in India too. Kawasaki, are you reading?