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...