Here’s a list of news featuring on other blogs.
The 2009 BMW M3 is released in Australia. Check it out
30-inch tires is insane and unnecessary. Find them here
The special offer on the Civic Hybrid is no more. Now, you have to pay a sum of 25 lakh to get a brand new Civic Hybrid. Read report on Motorbeam
Honda Accord Diesel Automatic released in Europe. Check it out here
Everyday there are new gadgets to make life easier and here’s another one that makes expressing your emotions a breeze, when you are behind the wheel.
So, have you got bored of your simple looking car and need something interesting and exciting which you will like and also other road users! If yes, then read further-
With this gadget you can create different shapes of a hand on the rear windshield of your car using electroluminescent technology and it is combined with animation with just a push of a button.
If you get struck in heavy traffic then this gadget will amuse and entertain the others without doubt.
This R/C hand has popular hand signs such as - I love you, Hang Loose, Devil Horns, The Bird, Loser, Power and Peace gestures and yes, it also includes the middle finger if you want to deal with those drunken drivers! Use of this gadget at night for best and more effective results. Isn’t this wacky?
This exciting gadget is 9″ tall x 6″ wide. You can control your emotions from the driver’s seat using a remote. Cursing the auto rickshaw driver who veered into your lane abruptly, without uttering a word or rolling down your window is so simple (we don’t recommend it though) with this gadget which comes at $40 (excluding shipping charges).
Source- Perpetual Kid
Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has been awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by the much respected Autocar magazine in the United Kingdom.
The reasons for the magazine to present him with the award was his creation, the Tata Nano, a car that’s set to transfigure the way people are going to travel, and the acquisition of the then-financially troubled Land Rover- Jaguar, and devising a new strategy that is clearly going to change the fate Land Rover Jaguar once in for all.
IAB Comment- I’ve come across a saying that reads “Great Leader don’t follow a path, they create paths for other to follow.” Ratan Tata’s Nano has provoked International manufacturers like Renault and GM, as well as localites like Bajaj to follow his path to make an ultra-cheap car for the masses. He’s proven that cheap can be charming with the Nano.
As for the Land Rover-Jaguar deal, I feel that the face of British Motoring is heading for a revolution. UK has great motoring journalists like Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond to boast of, but no successful car brands. Ratan Tata should make cars that people relate to when think of the brand, like for example the stylish and racy Jaguar XF sedan, and not follow what the market demands or what the competition is doing.
Jaguar has had a great relationship with racing, a very rich heritage which arrived at a standstill after the it met with bankruptcy and the companies which took chage over the years have abandoned the racing division for good. I earlier read that Ratan Tata is working on getting Jaguar back on the racing circuits of the acclaimed LeMans racing series, which it dominated in the 60’s. Now, that’s a good sign. His leadership skills are responsible for what Tata Motors is today after it met with reliability problems with the Indica shortly after its launch. He achieved with the same Indica, what others thought was impossible and reviving the Land Rover-Jaguar image will be a piece of cake for him. All we have to say is “Go Tata, Go!”
Source- Autocar UK
The Geman Auto giant Audi has just introduced the Extended Wheel Base(EWB) version of its popular car -The A4, in China.
Its EWB version will be known as the Audi A4L. What EWB translates into is acres of inside space and legroom. EWB or Long Wheel Base (LWB) versions are usually seen in high-end cars such as Audi A8 , BMW 7-series etc.
Audi has plans to locally assemble this EWB version of A4L in China , as this kind of spacious luxury cars are in great demand in the Chinese market.
Audi has designed this version of A4L exclusively for the Chinese market. The rear seat of provides acres of legroom now for this 4.76 meter long car! which quite much for it! Something similar to the Tata Indigo XL.
The Audi A4L now has 60mm longer wheelbase at 2868mm compared to the normal A4’s 2808mm wheelbase, which is even longer than its big bro - The Audi A6 which has got only 2843mm of wheelbase!.
Audi has provided 2 engine choices for chinese buyers, which is - 2.0 litre TFSi that has got power of 180 horses in front of it and another engine available is the big 3.2 litre V6 FSi that produces 265 BHP.
For now Audi doesn’t have any plan to launch it with diesel version as the diesel versions are not very popular with the Chinese
A chauffeur driven Audi A4 or BMW 3-Series is a common sight in China and the A4L is for the same purpose. I have witnessed the same sight in India. A BMW or an Audi in India is more of a status symbol than anything else. Ask the Germans and they’ll tell you that it’s a driver’s car and the best place to be in it is behind the wheel. But then, BMW isn’t complaining. All they want is their cars to be bought in large numbers. Let’s wait and watch and I am sure we will get to see the A4L in India as well.
Source- Motor Authority
Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited unveiled the much-awaited, World Strategic Model, A-star here today.
Powered by the new, state-of-the-art, light weight, 998cc K10B petrol engine, A-star is the best in class fuel-efficient car with a mileage of 19.59 kilometers per litre, as tested by ARAI, Pune, country’s premier automotive research agency.
Built on a brand new platform, the A-star is an excellent city car with best in class turning radius, power, flat torque (minimum gearshifts) and performance.
A-star is truly a green car with no compromise. The newest model meets the European ELV norms, which implies that 85 per cent of the car is recyclable. In addition, it is free from hazardous materials like Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and Chromium.
The A-star was launched in the city by Mr. RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Limited and other senior company officials.
The A-star has been designed keeping in mind aspirations of the urban economy-conscious customers, who seek best-in-class fuel efficiency, lower emission, and high quality and high performance alongwith style. It also takes the engine technology in India to the next level. A-star is the most relevant car that addresses the needs of today’s customers be it India or any other part of the world.
A-star is Maruti Suzuki’s eighth vehicle launched in less than 40 months. It reinforces Maruti Suzuki’s dominance in the highly competitive A2 segment where Maruti Suzuki holds a whopping 55% market share.
Positioned in the premium A2 segment and targeted towards urban young professionals, the stylish, sporty and youthful A-star delivers a fantastic driving experience with futuristic looks.
This new car, built under the slogan - small cars for big future - stems from Suzuki’s commitment to make India the global hub for small cars. This car is Suzuki’s fifth World Strategic Model.
The A-star, produced at company’s Manesar plant is being launched with a high 95 per cent indigenization levels.
More details and prices after the Jump
Ford-Mazda is set to debut its all-new Ford Fiesta sedan and hatchback at the Guangzhou auto show this week in China. According to a sales executive of the joint venture, the new Ford Fiesta will hit the China market in early 2009 and rumors are floating that Indian entry is only months away from the Chinese launch date.
First things first and we find its not all that pretty. It has lost all the charm and character of the hatchback that made it such a hit. The addition of some luggage space might have made it practical for developing market like ours but the prettiness of the hatchback is all gone and this is sad news.
Hatchbacks are not meant to be converted to sedans and this must be a rule. The Dzire is so hideous and this one is very close to that (but then this is Ford and hence they have done a better job compared to Maruti). Viewed from the rear three-quarters, the Fiesta looks downside ugly. The wheels are too small and the rising window line doesn’t help matters either. It will sell in India though, if it had a diesel engine and came at a good price.
The New Ford Fiesta will hold its global appeal because of its dynamic features created by the bold “kinetic design.” Ford’s acclaimed dynamics engineers responsible for fine-tuning the Focus and Mondeo model’s driving dynamics have worked extensively to enhance Fiesta’s ride comfort and to give the new model an impressively quiet driving quality.
a lot more after the break
Speculation has it that the Audi R4 (a.k.a. baby R8) is the ongoing hot topic in the Audi Conference room. Which is very true because, Audi has green-lighted its plans to produce an R4 model, months after it was supposedly put on hold by VW’s new Porsche overlords. The mid-engined R4 will slot above the Audi TT but steer clear of the R8’s performance territory. The R4’s styling will also be highly reminiscent of the R8, including LED headlights, similar air intakes and the same overall body lines.
The Audi R4 will be a driver-focused two-seater with a price of around £35,000 (40- 50Lakhs app).
To spread the cost of the R4’s development, Porsche will use the car’s architecture as the foundation for the next-generation Porsche Cayman and Boxster. The next-gen Porshces will likely bow before the R4, with the Audi model hitting the market sometime in 2011.
It’s the result of a rumoured joint venture with Porsche – so the project will produce a new platform to underpin Coupé and Roadster versions of the R4, and also provide the basis for the next Boxster and Cayman. It’s these core sellers in the Porsche line-up that the R4 will target.
The new Audi R4 takes all of its visual inspiration from the R8 supercar, the LED lights, deep air intakes and a sweeping profile. But this similarity is no coincidence. The Porsche joint venture is all part of Audi’s plan to launch a range of R-badged sports cars, which will follow in the wake of the range-topper.
Audi also plans an R6 to rival Jaguar’s new E-Type replacement and the Porsche 911, plus an R10 model based on the V12 TDI R8 diesel concept. Of course, just Audi does’nt take all benefits, Porsche will be able to share Audi’s engines and reduce the costs associated with developing a new platform.
Source: Greman Car Blog
India’s well known car maker Maruti Suzuki is moving very close to 1 MILLION sales mark of its best seller - The Maruti Suzuki Alto. Shortly after its launch 8 years ago, the Maruti Suzuki Alto kicked off its own sister car, the Maruti Suzuki 800 which was MSIL’s best seller until that point in time.
The Alto’s sales has grown up rapidly over the past 24-30 months. MSIL sold about 500,000 units of Alto within 6 years of launch and about the same number over the last 2 years.
Additonally, MSIL also exported about 180,000 units of Alto to other European markets.
Soon, India along with a host of other countries will be getting the all new “avatar” of this MSIL’s best seller! the new “avatar” of Alto will be known as A-Star in Indian market and Nissan Pixo in other European markets but MSIL doesn’t have any plans to discontinue the current version of the Alto. We know that MSIL hates to throw away its cars. But why throw away a successful car? Completley Justified.
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