The Future of the Indian Automobile Industry

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

A lot of us may not be aware of a Fiat Caffe being present on Janpath (New Delhi), next to the McDonalds' outlet. Looking at th Caffe, with the Fiat Linea and the Punto omnipresent, one may assume it to be a car showroom. But that is precisely what it is not! Starting with the entry, one would find a collection of Fiat memorabilia, which include a cycle, few mugs, key chains and books. Even a naked engine is kept, for all petroheads! With LCD monitors on the walls, it gives the Caffe a classy ambience. The red cushions on the seats look very attractive, though it does tend to give an out-of-this-world experience. Numerous books have been kept, such as those about Ferrari, world super cars, international editions of food and wine magazines, and many many others. One may tend to get lost, as you are an auto freak like me! After completing my initial few rounds within the premises, it was time to take the machines to the road. I drove the Grande Punto up to Akbar Road, and then