A few days ago we carried a report about Tata being keen on buying a stake in the famous Italian design house, Pininfarina. Luck, it seems, did not favour the Indian auto giant, but there still is good reason to be happy. Read the rest of this entry »
Ever heard that song California Dreaming? Nice one, isn’t it, specially while you are on the road. There’s also an automotive product, a namesake of this song, albeit without the dreaming part of it! It is called Ferrari California. Just when we thought things are becoming dull and everyone is thinking “green”, Ferrari has showcased a car that evokes nostalgic sentiments. Read the rest of this entry »
The times are here for the auto manufacturers to highlight frugality as one of their premier talking points and USPs. There were times when you would keep an eye on the speed gauge as you accelerate, but now there are lights that pop up indicating the mileage you would expect if such exuberance is persisted with. I have been a proponent of perfecting the engines and technology on offer now rather than turning our attention towards hybrids and alternative fuels. Read the rest of this entry »
The small car segment has traditionally been the one which has made up for highest numbers and the trend is only going to continue for some decades to come. There have been quite a few car makers that have tried their hands at introducing ultra compact cars at low cost, but only Maruti clicked with their 800 and went on to make merry as hundreds of thousand of people laid down their cheque books for this car. Read the rest of this entry »
The automotive enthusiast loves a ‘straight six’ – so does a cricket fan. The preference of the automobile manufacturer for the inline six-cylinder engine is gradually diminishing, as they give in to the packaging and safety requirements that a V6 meets much more easily. However, a select few still persist with the layout – BMW is one such manufacturer. Read the rest of this entry »
An increasing number of cars are running on ethanol to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, and a US-based company called the E-Fuel Corporation has unveiled a product that will let you make 100% ethanol. The EFuel 100 MicroFueler will ferment the ethanol out of sugar, yeast and water in a few days of the ingredients being put into it. Read the rest of this entry »
The Caparo Group, which also manufactures the Caparo T1, will begin work on a Rs 3500 crore project in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. The facility’s first product will be the assembly of luxury buses in conjunction with Hyundai – namely, the Hyundai Aerobus – from CKD kits. These buses will go on sale next year and will feature Euro 3/4 compliant engines with power outputs from 320-380bhp, air-wide suspension systems and ABS. The buses will have joint branding in the Indian market, but marketing will be solely Caparo’s responsibility. The company plans to produce 1500 units annually.
Do you recall that one television soap – the splendid (yeah, whatever!) Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki (or is it Kii? Sorry if I spelt it incorrectly, for I am not into tarot or numerology etc), by one Ms Ekta Kapoor? It reached millions of homes and even the people in the remotest of towns were all gaga over it. Read the rest of this entry »
Tesla motors, manufacturers of the world’s first electric supercar, have opened their first dealership in the city of Los Angeles, near the University of California.
The Tesla roadster is an all-electric car; it uses batteries to drive an electric motor that powers the rear wheels. It is capable of 0-100kph in under 4 seconds, and a top speed of 200kph. Read the rest of this entry »
Those who drive Hyundai Verna please stand up. Thank you. Ever wondered about the maximum fuel efficiency that your car can return? Well, even we, the automotive journalists, during our road tests give more of ‘real-world’ mileage figures but it makes for a good sense to see what’s the best (or close to best) mileage figure that a car is capable of. Read the rest of this entry »
Now you can keep the wife happy while buying a car – Bengaluru is going to have a car mall, which does exactly what it sounds like: all car brands will be sold under its roof. Auto dealers in the city are joining hands to set up the multi-brand car mall near the city’s international airport. Read the rest of this entry »
Skoda has launched the 1.2l petrol version of the Fabia to complement the 1.4l petrol and diesel versions that were launched earlier. The variants on offer are the same – Classic, Ambiente, and Elegance. The 1198cc engine will signal a conscious effort to highlight fuel efficiency as a priority, something new to the Fabia. Read the rest of this entry »
The Economic Times reported in the first week of April that the German luxury car manufacturer BMW sold a record 351,787 vehicles in the first quarter of 2008, it said on Monday, pointing to a boom in demand in India. BMW reported overall sales of 351,787 units, an increase of 5.7 percent from the first quarter of 2007, a statement said. Domestic rival Mercedes-Benz said it sold 320,000 vehicles in the same period. Read the rest of this entry »
Diesel seems to be the here and now of automobiles, but electricity seems to be the immediate future. I have recently had the opportunity to ride two electric scooters, and drive an electric car as well, and the only thing I can think of is the lack of power they have. No, I’m not going to badmouth them – everything we ‘need’ in today’s world depends on electrons filing this way or that in an orderly fashion. In fact, if it wasn’t for electricity, you probably wouldn’t be reading this on your computer, and I would’ve had to bang out the words with no spellcheck on a Remington. Read the rest of this entry »
Nicolas J. Cugnot may have invented the first automobile in the world in the 17th century, but the first car in India was rolled out on the streets of Mumbai in 1898. And since then, the Indian automobile industry has come a long way. In fact, the industry, currently 11th in the world, is slated to be the fastest growing automobile industry in the world. Read the rest of this entry »
It is quite clear that the rising crude oil prices have put heavy pressure on governments all over the world to curb fuel costs. One must be clear that a major chunk of the fuel is taken in by the facilities that they offer to the citizens, like the trains and road transport vehicles, carrying essential goods and other requirements. Read the rest of this entry »
The crude oil prices have been on the rise. The automotive manufacturers decided to hike up the prices of their offerings owing to increasing material cost. And now, it is the turn of the financial institutions to play the party trick. Read the rest of this entry »
Expected in: September 2008
Estimated Price: 18-20 Lakh
The Honda CRV is being challenged. Finally! Everyone has been eyeing the growing SUV market here and there have been competitors but none of them have been able to even create a false alarm or a mild tremor. Enter the Outlander. Why do you think should this entrant be taken seriously? First of all, it’s a Mitsubishi with rallying and Paris – Dakar pedigree. That should take care of the off roading doubts. But seriously, looking at the price range and what the SUV history in India has taught us is that there is not much off road activity happening as such. It’s more of a lifestyle statement and a good vehicle to own for out of town trips or even within the city because of its macho stance. Read the rest of this entry »
Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo etc… are you a fan of these automotive brands? Well, I am. So, any news relating to Pininfarina is quite important to me since a lot of cars belonging to niche brands like the ones mentioned are designed at this very Italian design house. Read the rest of this entry »
General Motors came to India with its Opel brand in 1996. Being a contemporary luxury car, Opel Astra became an instant hit. But the party got over as soon as people started realizing the maintenance cost of the German Astra. GM introduced Corsa which proved to have the same problem. Opel Vectra, not to mention, never sold in encouraging numbers. Despite of being fantastic products, all the Opel cars were discontinued one after the other. Blame high maintenance cost for their disappearance. Read the rest of this entry »
