The Future of the Indian Automobile Industry

A more powerful version of the Chevrolet Cruze was launched this Wednesday, for the Indian market . In the wake of the overall sluggishness of the automobile industry, one must say that it is surely an aggressive move by General Motors India. This year, the vehicle has incorporated a brand new 2.0 L VCDi (diesel) engine, with VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) technology. Engine power has been pumped up to 166 ps with a peak torque of 380 Nm. Performance and refinement levels have been significantly improved, with the car accelerating from 0-100 kmph in less than 10 seconds. In terms of features added, the variants LT and LTZ get a brand new 6-speed Manual Transmission, as opposed to the earlier 5 speed MT. Surround sound audio as well as a 6-way power adjustable driver’s seat have been included in all variants. Interestingly the LT also gets a PEPS (Passive Entry Passive Start with Push button start/stop), telescopic steering and smart screen display.                

The Fiat Grande Punto Sport was revealed at the Fiat Caffe in New Delhi in May, in front of a select audience. At the heart, the Grande Punto Sport  boasts of a 93 ps 1.3 L Multijet engine, making it one of the most powerful hatchbacks in India today. This car has red coloured decals, as well as door strips on the front, with the name Punto. The gearshift is coloured , and the car has also been furbished with sportier pedals . However, the vehicle is a little steeply priced, at Rs 7.36 lakhs, and is available in three colours. Two days prior to the above event, the car has been revealed at the Pune Fiat Caffe.  With the intention of building customer awareness, a second Fiat Caffe has also been opened in Pune. Under the new management, it has been decided that the commercial and distribution activities of the Fiat brand will be handled by a Fiat-owned subsidiary. Due to the existing product portfolio, and ease of promotio

  a)        The Audi Q3, having been revealed at the 11 th Auto Expo, was officially launched. Priced at a sumptuous Rs 26.21 lakhs (ex showroom Mumbai), the vehicle has been projected more as a lifestyle off roader, rather than a full fledged off roader. The top variant of this vehicle is slated to cost Rs 31.49 lakhs. The 2.0 TDi Quattro engine, is capable of  177 ps of power at 4200 rpm. Having generated much hype at the Expo, it remains to be seen whether the performance of this vehicle will live up to expectations of its discerning customers, especially those seeking  luxurious mobility in a compact form. However, in the initial phase of booking, only 500 vehicles are available.    b  b)   The 200cc Bajaj NS (Naked Sport) was launched all over Maharashtra, as a performance vehicle, at Rs 84,096 (ex showroom Maharashtra). The bike boasts of a central mono suspension and disk brakes for both tyres. It also has a triple spark engine, which is claime

After covering the previous sets of music, here are some more styles with their interpretations. 4. Bollywood music: Music from Bollywood films is another one of its kind, truly appreciated by one and all. Under this strata, there is a common notion that from old movies have more meaningful lyrics, whereas contemporary is more beat-oriented. In fact, Bollywood is one of the rare kinds, that draws influence from all the genres.  If you are one of these kinds, you either like to listen to meaningful and melodious sounds, or you choose this as the most easily available form (FM). 5. Reggae/House Music: You are more of the clubbing kinds. You love the beats, and it doesn't really matter whether you understand the music or not. This kind of music tends to make you a "moods based" listener. Besides the above, you maybe a good dancer as well. 6. Love ballads: This is a great indicator of the "romantic" within your heart. You are of the sort who believes in the

Swinging around in a Volkswagen Petrol Race Polo, crafted for racing, isn't something that one would do every day. However, coming this July at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, 20 drivers will get a chance to race this mean machine, at the Polo R Cup 2012. The new Petrol car is a whole 50 hp more powerful than the current 1.6 L R4 Common rail Diesel Engine. The vehicle will now be powered by a 180 hp 1.4L Direct TSI, with a dual clutch Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG). The maximum torque available is 250 Nm @ 1500-2500 rpm. This year, there will be three categories for Registration: 1) Junior - Drivers aged between 16-26 years, with experience of 8 races or less, in the last 5 years.  ex 2) Pro -   Drivers aged between 16-26 years, with experience of 8 races or more. 3) Master - Drivers above the age of 26 years, at the time of Registration. Among the drivers, 11 of them have participated previously, and 9 are new. Prize money will be Rs 50,000, Rs 40,000 and

Actor John Abraham welcomed bikers from “the Grand Indian Road Trip”, after them having completed a journey of 13000 kms, over 25 cities in a matter of 52 days . Castrol Power 1 engine oil associated itself with this arduous journey. Castrol has been associated with the moto world for a long time, and so the POWER1 , with over 500 engine tests and 10,000 hours of testing, became the choice of fuel. To say that the trip was grueling, is at best putting it mildly. The six superbikers- Sundeep Gajjar, Sunil Gupta, Sandeep  Goswami, Himanshu Gupta, Abhishek Bhatt and Shivanshu Singh, were overjoyed with the whole experience, a sense of which was evidently palpable at the Press Conference in New Delhi. It is quite interesting to note how, before the event was flagged off, the organizers did a mind mapping session, in which biker’s psyche was analysed. With each such session, the desire to be involved grew even higher.  Each one of the bikers had their own story to tel

The future of luxury brand Mercedes Benz sure seems bright in 2012, going by the nature of recent events. On 15th  May, Mercedes launched the new ML-350, a rugged looking SUV. The mammoth vehicle, at present, has been launched at Rs 66 lakhs , but this is in combination with the AMG drive package. Without the drive package, the car will cost Rs 56 lakhs. At 255 bhp, the new vehicle is a whole 31 bhp more than the previous outgoing ML-350 CDI. She is now  a lot more aggressive on the exteriors, and has been suitably matched with leather in her interiors. May technologies, such as Airmatic Air Suspension, 20 inches AMG body styling and alloy wheels, Easy Pack Tailagate, and the mini sp are wheel have been included as Standard Fitments. Standard technology such as Blue Efficiency, ABS, ESP (Electronic Stability Program)and Electronic Traction System, can all be engaged at the simple touch of an off button. Despite the aggressive nature, Mercedes also has maintained high levels

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) launched the new Dream Yuga, a 110cc bike, primarily aimed to capture the attention of the mass market. Incidentally, this is also the cheapest bike by them, priced at Rs 44,642 (ex-showroom Delhi). Some new features of this bike are: 1. Honda Intelligent Ignition Control system s- Prevents the vehicle from unnecessary stalling. 2. Best in class Mileage 3. Low maintenance With this significant launch, HMSI wishes to unveil a new corporate direction, having dissociated with Hero Motor Corp almost a year ago. From "The Power of Dreams" they wish to move on to "Sach kar denge Sapne" and its subsequent lingual modifications, and possibly reach levels of penetration, as well as Hero did. On a cue, regional launches for this two wheeler would begin from June 2012 The brand ambassador chosen was Akshay Kumar. The target audience for this series of motorcycles is the Self Income/Salaried working mi

The competition in the mid size sedan segment in India is fast heating up. The Linea, Maruti SX4 and the Honda City are the top vehicles, leading the rivalry. How does one compare against the other? Let us try and find out. The Fiat Linea It seems as though every year, the Linea appears to become a better car, but is bogged down by the problems with respect to its dealership. In 2012, the Linea has got a class leading ground clearance of 185 mm, coupled with certain new features such as rain-sensing wipers and auto on/off headlamps. Regular features such as ABS and EBD are also part of the equipment. Upon closing of doors, one gets a crunchy “thud” sound, which shows proof of the fact the vehicle is built like a tank. The innovative “Blue & Me” is a cutting edge innovation, which allows you to integrate your phone with the system, using Bluetooth technology. Probably the only grouch I can find here is that- it is unable to collect all the contacts. T

On 5 th May 2012, journalists were given a rare chance of being able to drive the Mahindra XUV 500 on the Buddh International Circuit (BIC), Greater Noida. The event, known as “Torque Day” was organised as a follow-up to the two XUV 500s that won at the Dakhshin Dare 2012 rally. After quickly wrapping up breakfast, there was a quick round of Do’s and Dont’s to be followed on the circuit while driving. As a co-driver, I got my second hand feel of the car and its handling, but still I wasn’t sure until I got my own hands on the steering wheel. In the second round, I got the feel of the car myself, as there was no co driver. Appearing as a puma from the front, the W8 XUV looks set to gobble up the roads, and teach all the other cars a lesson or two. However, the gear shift probably may need a smoothening, and the unique feature here is that Reverse gear is enabled by moving the lever forward! Once started, the XUV lurches forward with the sligh