The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.

• Volkswagen India have launched the 2012 race Polo that will run for the Polo Cup season. The new car Polo R has a 1.4 litre 180bhp petrol engine mated to a 6 -speed sequential paddle shift gear-box, a significant development over the outgoing version.

• Indian racing prodigee Aditya Patel has won the Nurburgring 24 hours event with his team Pro Handicap e.V. driving the iconic Audi TTS in Germany.
• Market analysts IHS Automotive and Cyrrus AS have derived that it would be better for Fiat to tie-up with Suzuki after the Tata-Fiat JV ended earlier this month. With a lot to gain for Fiat and not much for the market leader Suzuki except for the engines, we wonder if Maruti Suzuki would be open for such an alliance. Globally though, the alliance could be a win -win with Suzuki going ahead to break-up with Volkswagen and Fiat's acquisition of Chrysler.
• Fiat auctioned its first car of the limited edition Fiat 500 America series via Twitter. German Twitter user Adelheid D. Keiper won the number one car of the limited edition series with the winning tweet for 15,165 Euros.
• The 1991 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II coupe, one of the only four ever made, was sold for $10.3 million i.e. about Rs 54 crore at the Bonhams auction yesterday.

The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.

The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.

• Mahindra launched the Thar AC version at its Mumbai headquarters for Rs 6.75 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai along with the highly customised Thar Expedition that would cost more as per the customisation.

• Mahindra and Mahindra also unveiled the Adventure calender for 2012 starting this July. With single day as well as multiple day events, motorsports participation and a Mahindra off-road championship, Mahindra is going from strength to strength in its off-road arena.

• SBI is the largest financer for passenger car segment in India on basis of its 11.25% car loan offer. With an average loan amount of Rs 3.5 lakh, the bank is working towards online sanctioning of loans,

• Mercedes M-class facelift was launched yesterday in Delhi with the AMG kit CBU at Rs 66 lakh ex-showroom. Only this model will be available for the first six months after which the India assembled CKD M-class will be available for Rs 56.9 lakh ex-showroom, Delhi.

• Honda Siel's Indian partner, Usha International, is unhappy with Honda's valuation of their share for buyout. Saying that the shares are being grossly undervalued, the Siddharth Shriram led company is planning to increase its shareholding using the next rights issue.

• Tata Motors' global sales figures were flat for April as the increasing demand for Jaguar and Land Rover was dampened by the falling commercial vehicle sales.

• Karnataka Inspector General of Police has served a 31^st May ultimatum for car owners to remove the window tints on their cars. Offenders are liable to be fined and their cars seized for removal of tints. Till 31^st, the police will campaign for educating car owners about the new ruling and will suggest them to remove tints without fine.

• Volvo is planning for the long wheel base (LWB) S60 for the Chinese market after global leaders like Audi, BMW, Volkswagen have opted for LWB models for China. Volvo already has the LWB S80 on sale in China.

• A leading global car manufacturer is developing a system where the driver is induced by the car to have a power nap by using aroma-therapy and music. Initially targeted for the trucker segment, the technology may trickle down to passenger cars. A 20 minute power-nap is said to enhance concentration and reduce stress while driving long hours.

• Porsche is showing off the 918 Spyder after the final finishing touches that include the 917 inspired black and white paint scheme. The 500bhp 4.0 litre V8 hybrid combines with two electric motors is expected to do a 0-100kmph in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of about 320 kmph. The approximately Rs 4.5 crore car, in spite of its performance is expected to return a whopping 33 kms per litre.

• General Motors USA has decided to stop advertising on Facebook after analysts saw a very little impact on consumers. This is contrary to what US car manufacturers in India are doing - for example, the Blue Oval is investing heavily in the web medium to reach out to a wider audience.

• Formula One plans of a French GP have become dicey after the supporting Sarkozy government lost elections. The new government is not keen on subsidising the event as proposed by its predecessors citing the need of funds to combat the economic crisis in the EU.

• Another setback to Bernie Ecclestone has come after the Singapore market, where F1 was to offer its Initial Public Offering (IPO), is not very enthusiastic after the depressed stock markets. If the IPO is not conducted by June, you have to wait to buy your stake in F1 till next year.

• Sea Lion, claimed to be the fastest amphibious car by its creator Marc Witt, is capable of clocking 200 kmph on road and around 100 kmph in water. You could own the water proof amphibian racer for about Rs 1.35 crore without taxes in US.

The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.

• Mahindra is working on the Verito facelift as the product’s life cycle is reaching maturity a bit too fast. Expected to be in line with the new Xylo and XUV design style, the new Verito should appeal to the Indian customer.
• Mahindra is launching the Thar AC version, with a factory-fitted AC. Watch this space.
• Mercedes Benz India is officially launching the new facelifted ML 350 SUV, today, in Delhi. The Blue-Tec diesel Mercedes, launched globally in January, prices will be announced by noon.
• The Tamil Nadu government scored an ace amidst policy paralysis by signing pacts with five automotive giants ensuring a total investment of Rs 5700 crore in the state and roughly 10000 job opportunities. Companies like Daimler CV, Yamaha, Nissan-Ashok Leyland, Eicher Motors and Philips Carbon Black are investing in Oragadam near Chennai which is developing as an extensive automotive hub in south India.
• India’s first online store for tyres, ChangeMyTyre.com, has started business with its launch and will deliver tyres across all major cities in India. CEO and co-founder, Mr. Neeraj Chauhan hopes to make the tyre market transparent and convenient thereby gaining big business.
• The Audi A3 Sedan, based on the A3 MQB platform will be positioned just below the Audi A4. Technically competing with the VW Passat, Skoda Superb, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, the speculated Mercedes CLA, Audi hopes to take the segment head on.
• Mercedes Benz India is beaming after registering a 30 per cent growth in sales year on year in spite of the said global slowdown. Around 7430 Mercs went on sale compared to last year’s 5810 units.
• Hyundai is now offering the rear-view camera as standard fitment on the fluidic Verna albeit at increased cost for the customer.
• General Motors have forayed into the competition by revealing pictures of the Trax, a mini-SUV that competes with the Ford EcoSport and Maruti XA-Alpha. The Trax will be showcased at the Paris Motor Show in September this year. They will have to rename the model when it comes to India given the existence of Force Trax.
• The Mercedes Benz E-class facelift was spotted testing in Europe. Though heavily camouflaged, the new E-class gave up a few details. Integrated daytime running lights into the headlamp, re-styled bumpers and tail are some of the features. We expect this car to debut in India with its world debut as the new A6 and current ruling BMW 5-series are eating away at Mercedes’ share in the segment.
• An American military research facility is working on using the exhaust gas thermodynamics of battle tanks to generate electricity to run the on board computers and other systems as far as possible. This would improve the efficiencies and also reduce emissions. It sounds similar to the electrical turbocharger that is rumoured to debut on the next Subaru Impreza WRX.
• Porsche has denied that it will develop a sports car that will slot under the Boxster. The Pajun, which we reported just days ago will compete with the E-Class, ‘may become reality’ in five or six years.
• McLaren has developed a convertible MP4-12C. It will go on sale after the McLaren F1 successor, we imagine. 
• Eterniti Motors has garnered their first sale of the Artemis super-SUV at the Bejing Auto Show.
• The US senate has okayed the installation of ‘black boxes’ in cars from 2015 onwards. This should help settle more than a few lawsuits quickly! 
• Jay Leno has added a Tata Nano to his garage. This wouldn’t have been remarkable if his garage didn’t house over 200 cars, some of them one-offs and really rare masterpieces. 

The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.

Tata Motors' project of running a car on compressed air has gone one step closer to reality. Tata had signed a licence agreement with MDI of Luxembourg in 2007 that allowed Tata to sell cars equipped with the technology to be produced and sold in India. The proof of technical concept in Tata vehicles has been successful in two Tata cars. Both companies will now work towards developing the processes for mass production of the technology. 

The 'Air car' as it is sometimes called, is a car that gets its motive power from compressed air. It could get up to 56kmph on compressed air alone, reach a top speed in excess of 140kmph and go over 1600km on a single tank of petrol.

• Hyundai has announced the '5-star Assurance Program' for the Santro and i10, providing free maintenance, low insurance costs, extendable warranty, loyalty benefits and road-side assistance. The program is aimed at consolidating the customer base in the small hatch segment owing to the ever increasing competition.

• Tata declares successful completion of the first phase of developing, producing and selling cars based on the compressed air engine technology with its Luxemburg based partner, MDI technology. The proof of technology concept has been successfully demonstrated in two Tata Motors' vehicles.

• Suzuki Motor Corp. has recalled around 109,000 Swift cars globally citing a possible fuel leakage problem. The recall will not affect the Indian bestseller as the cars sold in India are locally produced.

• Mahindra and Mahindra have launched the Alfa Plus, the extended bed version of its popular commercial 3-wheeler Alfa, with better torque and transmission to supplement the enhanced load carrying capacity.

• Toyota dealers in Bangalore are showcasing the Etios motor racing (EMR) concept cars to connect to the adrenalin pumping young customer. It is also aimed at popularizing the EMR, a motorsports activity, in India.

• Volkswagen India has said that it aims sales of 1 million cars annually in India by 2018, to contribute to the global aim of Volkswagen group to sell 10 million cars annually over the globe. Volkswagen owners in India can relax as this means lots of schemes and after sales support.

• Daimler Trucks, global leaders in the commercial vehicle segment, are investing about Rs. 4400 crore in India as BharatBenz. The investments are based on an ambitious growth plan involving competitive products and commitment. With the state of art facility for production near Chennai, BharatBenz is also investing heavily in sales and services.

• India bound Mercedes B-class was spotted testing on roads in Pune, Maharashtra without any camouflage or cladding. Indian customers will not have to wait much longer for the budget(?) sports tourer.

• The 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 was seen at the Nurburgring, the proving ground for performance car manufacturers over the globe. The 662PS power horse would certainly be eager to get a one up over its nemesis the Chevrolet Camarro ZL1 that clocked some seriously fast times at the 'Ring.

• Ford cries foul over Japan's intentions of joining the Trans Pacific Partnership for free trade among the Asia-Pacific countries. They say that the already protected Japanese market should be restructured before any such incident. Given the 'zero per cent' import taxes on cars in Japan, we wonder where Ford is driving at.

• The in-house project of an Australian, Mr. Russle Sutton of building a 9 cylinder rotary engine based on he Honda XR600 finally bore fruit after four long years of dedicated effort and skills. The joy of finally firing the 9 cylinder rotary engine was short-lived as the engine stalled due to mechanical reasons. Mr. Sutton has decided to keep on working till he manages to d\run it successfully.

• Volkswagen has replied strongly to the Greenpeace declaration of them as the 'Dirtiest car-makers in Europe'. Volkswagen has announced that, by 2015, volkswagens will emit less than 120 gms of carbon per kilometer while burning a measly 5.3 litres of fuel for every 100 kilometers run.

  The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution. 

One Mr. Blijdatikrij, an online spare parts provider from the Netherlands, imported a Tata Nano into his country and got it registered privately for use. They spent 2400 Euros to buy the car, another 625 to transport the car into the Netherlands and another 600 euros to upgrade the car to comply to the standards of the land.

The car has now been deemed safe to ply on the Netherlands roads by the RW (Rijksdienst voor het wegverkeer), the NL authority to homologate foreign cars.

This will serve as a boost to Tata's efforts to make a EU compliant Nano and go on sale in the European market. The Nano's universal appeal of a safe, comfortable and economical mode of private transport will help Tata turn around the Nano story.

• A prospective Ferrari California buyer, drove the $ 200,000 car into the bay after going a bit to hot on the pedal during the test drive. The incident was confirmed just to the north of San Francisco, CA and is the second such incident involving an exotic car in the state of California. Earlier, a Lamborghini Aventador got burnt while on test drive.

The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.