Fiat launches its premium small car Grande Punto in India

Italian car maker Fiat has launched Grande Punto, its first premium small car in India, in both petrol and diesel variants. The models are priced between Rs3.99 lakh and Rs6.11 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The launch of the Grande Punto comes a week after Honda introduced its small car Jazz. Grande Punto was first launched in Europe in 2005. The small car segment comprises 70 per cent of the Indian market

The car would be rolled out from Fiat's plant at Ranjangaon in Maharashtra in four variants each in both petrol (1.2 / 1.4 litre) and diesel versions (1.3 litre).

Commenting on the launch of the car, Fiat India Automobiles' chief executive officer Rajeev Kapoor said, "The launch of Grande Punto marks a new milestone for Fiat in India as we bring the quintessentially Italian designs to Indian shores."

Fiat believes the small-car segment is under-tapped, and there is demand for international brands on Indian roads, he added.

Grande Punto is a hatchback and a joint venture Fiat and Tata Motors. The car comes with premium features like anti-lock braking system and electronic brake distribution.

The petrol version has 1.2 litre and 1.4 litre engines delivering 65hp and 77hp respectively and would cost Rs3.99-5.61 lakh. The diesel variant comes with a 1.3 litre multijet diesel engine and would cost Rs4.85-6.11 lakh.

Fiat India Automobiles is a 50:50 joint venture between Italy-based Fiat SpA and Tata Motors.

The new car will have as competition other premium hatchback models like Honda Siel's Jazz, Skoda's Fabia, Maruti Suzuki's Ritz, and Hyundai's i20. (See: Maruti Suzuki launches India's first BS-IV compliant small car, Ritz)

Toyota Kirloskar is also set to enter the small car market by end-2010. (See: Toyota Kirloskar to join small car bandwagon by end-2010, launches Land Cruiser)

Grande Punto would be available at over 100 Tata-Fiat dealers network across India.

The Ranjangaon facility can produce two lakh cars and three lakh engines in a year. Palio Stile and Linea are currently manufactured at the plant.

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Bollywood Actor Shiney Ahuja Arrested On Rape Charges

The girl informed that on Sunday when Shiney Ahuja’s wife was not present in the house, the actor took her to his bedroom and physically assaulted her. Earlier on Sunday evening, the 18-year-old filed an FIR against the actor in the Oshiwara police station in Andheri (West). According to police sources, the investigation is on and Shiney Ahuja will be produced before a magistrate’s court later today.

While interacting with the media, additional commissioner of police, Amitabh Gupta informed that the maidservant had been working in Ahuja’s house for nearly a year. He added that on Sunday evening, she approached the Oshiwara police station and complained that the actor had raped her. The girl informed that on Sunday when Shiney Ahuja’s wife was not present in the house, the actor took her to his bedroom and physically assaulted her.

After the incident, the 18-year-old went to her relatives’ place and from there she went to police station accompanied with other girls. After the FIR, the police called Shiney Ahuja for an enquiry. Meanwhile, the maidservant was sent to the Nagpada police hospital for a medical examination. As per a senior police official, the preliminary tests conducted on the maidservant confirmed sexual assault. Shiney Ahuja is a married man and got much of fame for his roles in films like ‘Hazaroon Khwaishe

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Agatha Sangma: Youngest minister fumbles, but earns applause

She went slow and fumbled twice, but the entire hall at Rashtrapati Bhavan erupted in applause and smiles as Agatha Sangma, the

Agatha Sangma, daughter of former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma, waits to take the oath as the youngest minister in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cabinet. (AFP Photo)
youngest minister in the Manmohan Singh government, took oath on Thursday.

Wearing a traditional stole and sarong in beige and white, 28-year-old Sangma folded her hands into a gentle namaste for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi sitting in the front row, before taking her place beside President Prathibha Patil to take oath in Hindi.

However the mike had to be specially adjusted for the petite first-time minister.

Daughter of former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma, who was present at the swearing-in ceremony Thursday and looked on appreciatively as his daughter took oath, Agatha hails from Meghalaya and is a lawyer by profession.

Quite a few faces had an anticipatory look as Agatha Sangma fumbled more than once mid-sentence. However, Sonia Gandhi kept smiling throughout her oath taking, nodding appreciatively and then clapping with everyone else as Agatha completed her oath taking.

Walking back to take her seat, a number of people either folded their hands into a namaste to greet her or shook hands with the young minister.

Team Manmohan was finally inducted on Thursday with 14 cabinet ministers and 45 ministers of state taking oath at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to wrap up the 79-member council of ministers that will shepherd the Congress-led UPA's second tenure in office.

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