VIDEO: Tata Tries to Boost Nano Sales with New Ad

As previously reported, Tata Nano sales in India have dropped significantly in the past few month, with just 509 customers opting for the US $2,900 micro car, down from 9,000 in July. It seems that Indian buyers have higher aspirations and are moving away from the Nano, as the nation’s market is booming. Reliability issues and a few spontaneously combusting units didn’t help sales either.

To mend the situation, the automaker has extended the car’s warranty and launched a new TV ad, depicting the Nano as the most lovable thing of Earth. Hit the jump to watch the commercial.

Classic Flashback: The Ferrari-Powered 1986 Lancia Thema 8.32

All the talk about the Fiat Group's plans to re-badge the redesigned 2011 Chrysler 300 (see our high-res gallery here) and re-brand it as the Lancia Thema in Europe, brought to mind the original Thema of the mid-1980s and -1990s, and especially, the Ferrari V8-powered 8.32 model.

Introduced at the 1984 Turin Motor Show, the Thema was Lancia's flagship sedan, sharing the "Type Four" platform with the Fiat Croma, Alfa Romeo 164 and the Saab 9000.

Shaped by the hands of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the boxy sedan model featured a 0.32 drag coefficient, which was an impressive figure at the time. Being a luxury model, it featured a comprehensive list of standard and optional features, including automatic air conditioning and heated seats wrapped in leather or Alcantara.

It also came with a wide range of engine choices, while in 1986, Lancia enhanced the range with the introduction of the Pininfarina-styled Station Wagon. All in all, Lancia sold a total of 358,000 examples of the Thema between 1984 and 1994.

Two years after the launch of the model, Lancia executives decided to step it up a notch with the presentation of the Thema 8.32, perhaps better known as the "Thema Ferrari". The Italian Q-car was fitted with a 3.0-liter 32valve V8 engine (hence the 8.32 in the name) sourced from Ferrari. Power was sent to the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

There were two Thema 8.32 models, the Series 1, which was produced from 1986 to 1988 and featured a 215HP version of the Ferrari V8, and the Series 2, built from 1989 to 1992, which came with catalytic converters and was rated at 205 hp.

The Ferrari-powered Thema completed the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 6.8 seconds (Series 2: 7.2 seconds) and achieved a top speed of 240 km/h or 149mph (Series 2: 235 km/h). At the time, some argued that the available 2.0-liter turbocharged model was equally capable in terms of performance, while being lighter and more agile than the 8.32, but that's another story.

The styling of the Thema 8.32 was rather discreet with exterior upgrades being limited to the different grille, tailpipes, gold/yellow pinstripes on the sides, a retractable rear boot lid spoiler and the alloy wheel designs. Inside, the flagship Thema offered buyers a full leather treatment (or Alcantara) along with a wood trimmed dashboard featuring unique gauges and a three spoke leather steering wheel.

A total of 3,971 Thema 8.32s were built, out of which 32 Series 1 and 32 Series 2 models were offered in a special Ferrari-red finish. You can check out some used examples from Europe in the links below.

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VIDEO: Jaguar's Ian Callum Talks About New 2010 XJ Sedan Design

In early July, Jaguar will lift the covers off its Mercedes-Benz S-Class rivaling, 2010 XJ luxury sedan, ahead of the car's market debut at the end of the year. Following the release of a set of teaser photos at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, Jaguar has now published a short video interview with the British firm's design chief, Ian Callum who talks about the design philosophy behind the new XJ. Among other things, Callum claims that with the new XJ sedan, Jag's design team "took 30 years of learning and put it into something that is very complete." Hit the jump to watch the video but don't get too excited...

New 2012 Toyota Yaris / Vitz Breaks Cover in Japan [Photos and Video]

The new Toyota Vitz, or as we'll come to know it on both sides of the Atlantic, the third generation Yaris supermini, was unveiled Wednesday in Japan. Even though what you see pictured here is the Japanese domestic market (JDM) version, as was the case with the previous generations of the Vitz, we expect the European and North American Yaris to look more or less the same when it arrives in the market late next year.

Toyota's newcomer has grown 100mm in length and now measures 3,885mm long, but is 30mm lower while keeping the same width as its predecessor. The Japanese carmaker says numerous weight saving measures has shaved off 30kg or 66 pounds, with the car tipping the scales at 1,000kg or 2,204 pounds (depending on the model).

The exterior design of the new Yaris is more sculptured and edgier, borrowing numerous styling cues from the Prius as well as the recently introduced Verso-S, with Toyota claiming a coefficient drag value of 0.285. The Vitz will also be offered with a variety of styling kits and alloy wheel designs, all developed in-house by Toyota.

The subcompact model's interior has been redesigned from the ground up and is said to feature higher quality materials and more personalization options in terms of colors, trim and upholstery.

In Japan, the Vitz will be offered with three petrol engines with a displacement of 1.0-liters (69HP), 1.3-liters (95HP) and 1.5-liters (110HP), the latter powering the sportier RS model.

The 1.3-liter unit can be combined with four-wheel drive as well as with a start-stop system, in which case, fuel consumption drops to 3.8lt/100km or 62.3 mpg US.

The European range will also include a diesel model while Toyota is also planning to introduce a hybrid version of the Yaris within the next couple of years.

Videos: Youtube