Driveblog

Sebastian Vettel strolled to his 11th victory of the season at the Buddh International Circuit to become the winner of Formula 1's first ever Indian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver's latest triumph was one of his most straightforward of his ultra-successful year. As his front row partner and team-mate Mark Webber was attacked by Jenson Button's McLaren and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari at the start, Vettel was free to pull clear. He sat on a four to five second lead for most of the distance, as he led every lap and completed a perfect performance with the fastest lap of the race as well. Button got through to second at the first corner, as Alonso twitched under braking and ran wide, letting Webber keep third. The Australian mounted some vigorous attacks on Button over the opening laps, before the McLaren managed to escape and head off for an ultimately uncontested second. Webber then lost third to Alonso at the final stops, when being the first of the frontrunners t...

Jaguar Land Rover, the Tata Motors-owned marque, is expected to bring in two new cars by mid-November.  Auto enthusiasts said the Range Rover Evoque, a luxury SUV, is expected to hit Indian roads in the first week of November, followed by the Jaguar XF, a mid-sized luxury saloon, by the third week on November.  JLR is expected to offer both, petrol and diesel versions of these cars which are expected to be priced between Rs. 50-60 lakh, according to people who have booked the cars.  According to global websites, the Jaguar XF which comes to India will be the face lifted version shown at the New York International Auto Show in April 2011, with a new 2.2 litre, four cylinder diesel engine. The new XF has three variants, a sports, petrol and diesel

British motorsports brand Caterham Cars is entering India with the Burmans, promoters of FMCG company Dabur, at the helm of the operations here.  The company will start selling its Caterham Seven, built- to-order models priced ranging from Rs 28 lakh up to Rs 90 lakh by the first half of next year.  It also plans to bring its latest sports car SP300, that is priced at 66,000 pounds, to India by next year.  "We think we are entering India at the right time when the country is set to host its first Formula One race. Caterham being motorsports oriented, we think we can provide an affordable option to motorsports enthusiasts here," said Caterham Cars Managing Director Ansar Ali.  The Indian operations of Caterham Cars will be handled by an independent company -- Caterham Cars India, which is owned by Burman family scions,Mohit Burman and Gaurav Burman, in partnership with a UK citizen, Matt Cummings.  Caterham Cars India will set up an assembly ...

Renault took a big step towards becoming a serious player in the small car market by revealing it's all new hatchback for India. Known as the Pulse, this car is basically a mildly altered version of Nissan's rather clever Micra. Under the skin, the two are basically the same. They share the same lightweight  V platform chassis, the same basic suspension, the same gearbox and the same set if engines as well. These include a 1.2 three cylinder petrol and a 1.5 turbo diesel. What Renault has altered however are the looks. While the basic architecture of the car, with it's large arched roof and big cabin, remains Renault has changed the nose dramatically. The front end is now much sharper looking, with its raised crisply styled lights, almost Hyundai like hexagonal grille and a typical Renault matt black center section.  The car has a much stronger chin than the Micra, the rear has been mildly altered and Renault say there could be an even sportier version of the car on t...

Hatchbacks are where the action is and Nissan is pulling all the stops to roll-out as many  Micra s as possible in the coming weeks. The petrol models get a flat Rs 50,000 discount on every variant. Maruti too is selling the  Alto  with a Rs 25,000 cash discount. The imminent threat from Hyundai’s  Eon  must be giving Maruti sleepless nights, which is why it is offering a further Rs 15,000 cash discount if you exchange your old car plus a Rs 3,000 discount for corporate buyers, totalling to a whopping Rs 43,000 discount on its best-seller. And if you love Fiats but have been sceptical about buying one lately, this could be the best time to check out the  Grande Punto . Fiat is offering a Rs 90,000 cash discount, insurance at Re.1 and roadside assistance for 50 months making it an irresistible deal. If you are seeking a warmed-up hatch, then the Skoda  Fabia  1.6 is the best bargain. The Czech carmaker is offering a huge Rs 62,000 discount on...

Top-down motoring seems to be getting more and more popular these days, or at least this is what premium car manufacturers are expecting. BMW India has introduced its third convertible for India, the 330d. The 3-series convertible will join the Z4 (launched in 2009) and the new 6-series (March 2011) to round off their convertible range. The 330d convertible features a folding metal hardtop and gets the same engine from the bigger 530d saloon. The 2993cc,straight-six diesel motor develops 243bhp and 55.1kgm of torque and that will mean that the light 3-series will perform like a scalded cat. The 330d will be imported to India as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and will cost Rs 57 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which is Rs 25 lakh more than the top-end 320d exclusive saloon. There is no doubting the style quotient and exclusivity of the convertible, though and it will be the most affordable convertible in BMW's Indian range, priced nearly Rs 5 lakh lower than the Z4. It also has an...

Ducati has unveiled the Monster 795, an ‘Asia special’ motorcycle that is an aggressively priced version of the world’s best-known naked bike. The 795 will be priced significantly lower than the Monster 796 already sold in India, but will retain all the Monster DNA, thanks to being assembled at Ducati’s new Thailand plant.   Don’t think of the 795 as a cheap Ducati though. The Italian manufacturer plans to retain quality standards in terms of design, engineering and performance on the new bike. Motorcycles built in Thailand will be designed and engineered in Italy, their engines to be brought in from the Borgo Panigale factory, Bologna. Assembly of motorcycles in Thailand will be entrusted to Ducati-trained technicians and subject to the highest quality standards, with major use of European components.   The Monster 795 deploys a triple-parabola headlight and digital instruments with a cascading rev counter reading upto 12000rpm. There’s a handy stopwatch function that can be...

To make a place for any car maker in India, it is very important for it to launch a small car here. And that is exactly what Renault is planning with the Modus.  Earlier this year, Renault revealed its plans of adding five cars to their portfolio in the next year and a half. The Fluence and the Koleos have already made its way into the Indian market but what the French automobile manufacturer really needs is a small car for the Indian market.  A lot of spy shot of the Renault Modus have been flying around in the media off late with the car being spotted in Chennai near the Ranault-Nissan plant.  Globally, the car has two body type variants - Modus and the Grand Modus, but the Grand Modus however will not make its way to India. Under the hood, the Modus may carry the same engine as the petrol and the diesel Nissan Micra.  A 1.2-litre petrol power plant and a 1.5-litre dCi engine that also powers the Fluence are the most likely candidates to find its...

If you're looking for fuel efficiency, your best bet is a small car. If adventure and a muscular look and feel are what you prefer to trip out on, a sports utility vehicle (SUV) would be your choice of wheels. But what if you're seeking both mileage and the pleasures of off-road driving - at a jawdropping price?  Say hello to the mini-SUV, a first-of-its kind vehicle in India - and perhaps the world - that utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is developing with Ssangyong, the South Korean SUV maker it acquired last year. Codenamed the S101, the 'Nano' SUV - as it is being dubbed by some workers on M&M's shop floors - will be powered by 1-1.2 litre petrol engines and 1.5-litre diesel engines. Work on the project began a year ago, say people working on it; and the vehicles are expected to roll out of M&M's plant in Chakan on the outskirts of Pune - where the newlylaunched XUV500 is being produced - in 26-28 months. Estimated price range...

Bajaj Auto has announced they will unveil the latest Pulsar model in early December 2011. Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj has revealed “The new Pulsar will be 100 percent brand new and will come with technology better than the current DTS-i”. Importantly, he also added, “The new technology is the next level for motorcycles, not just the next level for Bajaj.” While refraining from divulging further detail on the new technology used by the new Pulsars, Rajiv Bajaj has said this will first debut on all the new Pulsars, after which the Discover products could benefit the same. The runaway success Pulsar brand originally launched in November 2001, so next month marks its 10 th  anniversary. The second quarter of FY12 has been particularly good for Bajaj Auto, which sold a million motorcycles for the first time, a rise of 16 percent over the same period last year. Likewise, a 44 percent gain in exports has kept their sales numbers up to register an overall 17 percent gain. Bajaj ...

Garware Motors has added a third motorcycle to their Hyosung range in India. The new Hyosung GT650 N which is essentially a GT650 R without its front fairing. The GT650 N is available with a new design headlamp, and floating instrument cluster. The bike has an exposed chassis, as well as taller handlebars that should help it maneuver more easily. The GT650 N’s 647cc engine is identical to its sportsbike sibling, producing 76.2bhp of power and 6.1kgm of torque. Its lighter weight, torque laden midrange and taller handlebars should make the GT650 N better suited for daily duties than the GT650 R. Garware Motors has launched the Hyosung GT650 N at a price tag of Rs 4.39lakh, (ex-showroom Delhi). 

Tata Motors today celebrated the silver jubilee of its market-leading light commercial vehicle, the Tata 407. Launched in 1986, the Tata 407 family clocks 7 out of every 10 vehicles sold in the category with a close to 75% market share. About 55% of its owners are first-time users, indicating the self-employment it generates, a goal pursued by the Tata Group and Tata Motors. Recollecting the introduction and progress of the Tata 407, Mr. P.M. Telang, Tata Motors' Managing Director - India Operations, said, "The Tata 407 was among the first, cutting across industries, to have demonstrated the supremacy of indigenously developed products in the face of international competition. We are grateful to our customers who have acknowledged our understanding of their needs and our engineering capabilities. We will continue to add new features to the range matching customer requirements." Mr. Ravi Pisharody, President - Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, said, "The Tata...

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, on Monday launched its first motorcycle under the new “Hero” brand name, providing an all-new riding experience for its customers this festive season. The company started despatches of the 150cc “Impulse” – the country’s only dual-purpose on-road-off-road bike, thereby launching an entirely new segment in the Indian two-wheeler market. The launch of “Impulse” creates a new experience in the Indian biking industry. Impulse comes with the power of the 150 cc engine, loaded with versatile features including  nitrox-gas filled mono-shock rear suspension which ensures a smooth ride on roughest of terrains, high ground clearance with large front wheel with stud-type tread pattern tyres and large front disc brakes which lets the rider traverse any road or any stretch. Anil Dua, Sr. Vice President (Marketing & Sales), Hero MotoCorp said, “Impulse - the first model to be launched under our new brand identity – is not j...

Tata Motors-owned British marquee Jaguar Land Rover is revving up to assemble two more models in India, which will increase its competitiveness in the fast-growing domestic luxury automotive market.  JLR is looking to roll out locally-assembled Jaguar XF sedana and Range Rover Evoque SUV within 12-18 months, a vendor familiar with the matter told ET. The company's India spokesperson declined to comment. The new offerings will beef up JLR's presence in the segment where German rivals BMW, Mercedes and Audi hold sway. The company currently sells the SUV Freelander 2 assembled at its factory in Chikhale, Maharasthra while the rest of its portfolio comprises completely-built units or fully-imported vehicles.   Assembled cars attract a lower import duty of 10-30%, while imported vehicles are slapped a duty of more than 100%. JLR organised a meeting of vendors last week in Pune, the first time such a meet was held outside Britain, where 20 key vendors fro...

Korean auto major Hyundai Motor India(HMIL) is aiming to sell 1.5 lakh units of its latest entry level compact car 'Eon' by the end of 2012, a top company official said today.  It plans to sell 1,500 cars per month in Kerala, HMILVice President (Production) T Sarangarajan told reporters at the launch of 'Eon' in the state.  The car has been built keeping in mind varied Indian conditions and special requirements of the customers, he said, adding that it will help expand HMIL's market share in the fast growing small car segment.  Hyundai's design and development centre at Namyang in Korea has worked in sync with its Hyderabad based R&D centre to firm up on the design of Eon, which would be available in six colours, he said.  HMIL sells eight car models across segments. The A2 segment has the Eon, Santro, i10 and i20, the A3 includes Accent and the Verna and the A5 segment includes the Sonata Transofrm and the Santa Fe is in the SUV segment, the...

The Centre has said it will not intervene in the ongoing labour strike at Maruti Suzuki India's Manesar plant till the Haryana government asks for help, but has called for scrutiny of the present system of verification of membership of trade unions through secret ballots to ensure transparency and recognition.  This assumes importance in the context of the strike, as Maruti Suzuki's refusal to recognise a new trade union is one of the main reasons behind the labour unrest that began in June this year.  "As long as the state government is handling the Maruti issue, we will not interfere, but if they refer this case to us, then we will take some measures," labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters at the 44th session of the standing labour committee meet on Monday. The strike at India's largest carmaker's plant in Manesar entered its 11th day on Monday. The workers are demanding the reinstatement of about 1,100 casual workers who were not allowed to joi...

Hyundai has launched its all-new baby hatch, the Eon, at a competitive price tag of Rs 2.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base D-Lite variant. The Eon has been launched in six variants: D-Lite, D-Lite (O), Era, Magna, Magna (O) and Sportz; designations similar to those of the company’s i10 and i20 models. All variants come with an efficient 814cc 55.2bhp, three-cylinder petrol engine, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. And the company claims the Eon will return a segment-topping 21.1kpl (ARAI test conditions). The base D-Lite model comes with 145/80 R12 tyres wrapped around silver-finish steel wheels with hub caps. It features an engine immobiliser and child locks, but only a driver’s side wing mirror (with manual internal adjust) and a single horn. You still get the two-tone, beige-brown interior though, with semi-cloth seat trim and fixed headrests, front and rear. Other convenient bits are a single-piece folding rear bench, a cup-holder in the central console, inter...

Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) today said it is temporarily suspending booking for its newly-launched XUV500, as the vehicle is sold out four long months. "This (temporary suspension of booking) has been necessitated due to the overwhelming response to the newly- launched XUV5OO," the company said in a statement. The new vehicle is available only in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Pune. The company has temporarily deferred new bookings since October 11. The XUV5OO has received over 8,000 bookings in just ten days, which is probably one of the most overwhelming responses to a new car launch in recent times, the company said. The SUV designed and developed by the company's Chennai-based research team, has also been launched in South Africa. Powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, the XUV500 has a six-speed transmission and is also available in a four-wheel drive variant. The SUV, priced Rs 10.8 to 11.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), was launched o...

UB Group's Vijay Mallya has sold 42.5% stake in his Force India F1 team to Sahara Group, headed by Subroto Roy, according to a report. Earlier reports stated that Vijay Mallya has denied selling Force India stakes to Sahara India. Mallya, who also owns the Kingfisher airline, has announced plans to shut down the carrier's budget arm. Force India was formed in 2007 when a consortium led by Mallya and Dutch entrepreneur Michiel Mol bought the loss-making Spyker Formula One team and later renamed it Force India, says report. There are reports that India is set to host its maiden Grand Prix on Oct. 30 at the 120,000-capacity circuit on the outskirts of Delhi.

India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki will halt production of some of its popular models, including the best-selling Swift hatchback, with the ongoing strike at one of its plants disrupting supply of critical components.  The other models affected by the strike at Manesar include the latest version of its small car Alto and the mid-sized sedans Swift Dzire and SX4. Until the supply of components resumes, the company will roll out only the Maruti 800, the Eeco, the Omni and the Gypsy models which do not use components made in Manesar.  The state government, on Wednesday, declared the strike illegal and asked the agitating workers to immediately vacate the company premises. Though Maruti's Gurgaon plant remains functional, it is operating at just over a fifth of its capacity due to shortage of components - from the Manesar-based engine and transmission maker Suzuki Powertrain India (SPIL), in particular, which has remained shut since Oct...

NDTV’s long-running automobile based programme, The Car and Bike Show has completed 400 episodes, and 8 years on-air. To celebrate this unique and India-first milestone, NDTV will broadcast the show’s first-ever studio based format programming. Considering the show as the right platform to debut its new car, ŠKODA unveiled the Rapid on the sets of the show. The special two part series would be aired on Saturday, October 15 at 1:30pm and Sunday, October 16 at 7:00pm on NDTV Profit. Hosted by Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, NDTV The Car & Bike Show is one of India’s most awarded automobile programme It has been the most watched show in its genre and has pioneer status since inception. Has spawned other hit programming like 'A Very Ferrari Summer', 'Love Life & Lamborghini', 'Autobahn', 'Another Ferrari Summer', 'Freewheeling', 'Freewheeling: A Big Dream', and an auto quiz show called 'Mahindra AQ' . [Source:indiainfoline.co...

The VW Group is looking at bringing its Seat brand to India to further increase its footprint on the sub-continent. With the launch of Seat products in India, the VW Group could benefit from even greater economies of scale which is crucial in driving down costs and increasing market share.  However, VW concedes that it will be difficult for the Spanish brand to establish a unique identity in the Indian market, especially since there is already an overlap between VW and Skoda products. But VW is hoping that Seat’s distinctive styling and Mediterranean character will find favour with younger, free-wheeling car buyers. Seat is all set to make its debut in China, after which India is likely the next big market for the Spanish brand. While VW’s worldwide sales have gone up by 12.1 percent this year, Seat has shown a slower growth rate of 2.3 percent. Entering emerging markets seems to be the way to boost numbers. Seat has a model line-up that could be introduced in India...

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has reportedly launched a limited edition of its Verito sedan called Verito Executive, priced in the range of  Rs.  5.95-7.09 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). According to reports, Verito Executive, available in pearl white and walnut brown colour has been design to target corporate professionals or businessmen. The new variant diesel have been priced at  Rs.  6.94 lakh (Diesel BS3) and  Rs.  7.09 lakh (Diesel BS4), while the petrol variants with 1.6 litre engine are priced at  Rs.  5.95 lakh (BS 3) and  Rs.  5.99 lakh (BS4). Vivek Nayer, Senior Vice-President for Marketing, Automotive Sector, M&M was quoted as saying “The launch of the Verito Executive Edition will add a more premium status quotient to the sedan. Together, with the propositions of space and mileage, which Verito is already known for, this new edition will provide premium interior and exterior features to our customers.” 

Audi India has launched a more efficient, smaller capacity variant of its A6 saloon, the A6 2.0 TDI. With the addition of the 2-litre diesel motor, the A6 now has a total of four engine options – 2.0 TDI, 3.0 TDI, 2.8 FSI and 3.0 TFSI. Base variants are a preferred choice among luxury car buyers who want a higher segment model but are also looking for affordability and low running costs. This is evident from the sales of the BMW 5-series, where a major chunk of the numbers comes from the base 520d. Audi hopes to emulate this success with its new entry-level 177bhp 2.0 TDI. The technology-laden new Audi A6 features intelligently built light-weight body shell, owing to a significant proportion of aluminium components. It also sports an intuitive and user-friendly range of assistance and multimedia systems. Audi India has tested the saloon in a coast-to-coast drive and claims an efficiency figure of 18.9kpl under real Indian road conditions. This may have been achieved with the he...

Mahindra’s latest global SUV, the XUV500, has managed to clock 5000-plus bookings in the first week of its launch. Bookings for the XUV500 had opened across five cities - Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai - from October 1, 2011, with a starting price of Rs 10.8 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base 2WD (W6) version. The company registered a mammoth 35,000-plus test-drive requests in the initial week itself. Powering the XUV is the 2.2-litre mHawk engine developing 140bhp and 33.33kgm of torque. The XUV is available in front-wheel-drive as well as all-wheel-drive versions and there is a new cable-operated six-speed manual gearbox. The XUV500 has a tough build, plenty of space on the inside and is well equipped too. The feature list includes LED reading lights, ESP, tyre-pressure monitoring, six airbags, traction control, ESP, hill-descent control, voice commands, cruise and audio controls on steering wheel, six-inch touchscreen Infotainment System with sat-nav, USB an...

Ultra-luxury car-maker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today launched a new variant of its Ghost model at a starting price of Rs 3.05 crore to tap the growing luxury car market in the country. The Ghost Extended Wheelbase is powered by a 6.6 litre petrol engine and will be available in the market soon, the British company said here. "Demand for luxury cars is growing in India and we want to tap the market with the launch of the new Ghost model," Rolls-Royce India Business Development Head Herfried Hasenoehrl told reporters. The company expects every third car it sells in the country to be the new Ghost Extended Wheelbase, he said but did not put a number to it. "I can't say the exact numbers, but we are very optimistic for this year. We are working on how we can expand this market," Hasenoehrl said. The company sold around 80 units in the country last year. It also plans to expand its network in the country. "India is one of the maj...