Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i Car India

LETTER OF THE MONTH CAR COLLECTOR’S UNIQUE INITIATIVE I am a vintage car collector living in Kota, Rajasthan. I had organized a vintage car rally and display in my city concurrently with the recent Auto Expo so that people could get to know such cars and motorcycles and relate to the field of automobiles in a better way. The event was a huge success. The response was very good, with a turnout of about 20,000 people from different states. We had about 22 cars and 25 motorcycles and scooters on display. I am happy to share the pictures of this event. Devashish Jethwani, via social media Dear Devashish, That is quite a collection you have and it appears the event was also quite successful. Thank you for sharing the images…

‘SOME PEOPLE THINK LUXURY IS THE OPPOSITE OF POVERTY,’ Coco Chanel once opined. ‘It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.’ Food for thought, that. Because it’s Germany that is perceived to have cornered the market in luxury motor cars (Rolls and Bentley apart, obviously. Oh, hang on…). This is the same nation noted for donning sport coats of entirely dubious hues, wanton nose-vole growth and the blatant wearing of budgie smugglers in a public place. Lob into the equation a burgeoning Chinese market, wherein both four-door flagship limousines and excessive bling continue to prove all the rage, and it’s interesting to note —in the context of a brand-new, fourth-generation Audi A8, Mercedes’ heavily facelifted, sixth-generation S-Class, and BMW’s sixth-generation 7 Series from 2015 — the extent to which…

AMG couldn’t be more on a roll if it were seeds sprinkled on a granary brötchen ‘EVERYTHING YOU SEE FROM US — THE HYPERCAR, the GT — is considered a piece of the puzzle,’ says AMG’s Tobias Moers. ‘Take the two-seat GT. We repositioned that car compared to the SLS before it. We’ve also extended the AMG portfolio, moving up with the hypercar and down with the AMG 43s. Previously, we didn’t have the breadth or the volume. And now the GT 4-Door takes us in another direction. For now, it’s as luxurious as an AMG should be.’ Saloons are out, four-door coupés are in, and so the AMG GT 4-Door joins the line-up, just months after the new CLS. Unveiled at the recent Geneva show, this is the production…

Localization of Electrified Vehicle Systems Recently Bosch showcased their latest mobility solutions for the Indian market. These include drive components and intelligent charging infrastructures geared towards making electro-mobility a sustainable reality for vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators in India. Bosch showcased scalable solutions from 0.25 kW to 300 kW (0.34 to 407 PS) across segments from two-wheelers to commercial vehicles to make the powertrain more powerful and, at the same time, energy-efficient. With these green technologies, Bosch are in line to support the Indian government’s initiative to go all-electric by 2030. Going Local In India Bosch have just set up a new “Agile Project House” division, which is responsible for responding to local requirements efficiently. The project house is working on prototype development and system integration to feasibly get electric…

WHEN I WAS LAST AT FORMULA 1 HQ, I WAS USHERED INTO THE “PENTHOUSE” meeting room. It wasn’t situated on the top floor, with panoramic views over central London; its walls were merely adorned with every Penthouse front cover from the last 50 years. It was Bernie Ecclestone’s little joke. Something to talk to heads of state about when they visited him in London. As was the pile of $100 notes (amounting to $1 million) in the meeting room opposite. Thirteen months on and I’m back at F1 HQ, but that’s where the similarities end. The meeting room in which I sit, with coffee, tea, biscuits and water all at hand, is on the top floor — the penthouse, you could say — and its walls are white. No magazines…

ALL SET FOR ACTION DOWN UNDER WAS the world and, following an incident involving going too fast during a red flag in practice, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was handed a three-place penalty — not an ideal way to start the new season, for sure. Following a smashing pole position snatching lap by Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes-AMG, a good start for all the front-runners was marred by a spin from Verstappen that dropped the young gun out of contention at the front. The Haas cars were genuinely on the pace, running in fourth and fifth positions until the pit-stops happened. A bad wheel-gun had the mechanic crossing his arms, but Kevin Magnussen was released. He soon was on the sidelines, retired. The very next lap, in came Grosjean. Exiting the…

THE HYUNDAI i20 HAS SOLD OVER FOUR LAKH units worldwide. That says a lot about the hatchback’s global acceptance and popularity. Earlier this year at the Auto Expo, the Korean car manufacturers unveiled yet another updated version of the Hyundai Elite i20 Asta and here we are test-driving it on Pune roads. You may have to look closer to identify the changes in the design. It now comes with projector headlamps which feature LED daytime running lights (DRL), signature positioning lights and the very useful cornering lights which illuminate the turning-in side of road by sensing the steering input. There are some more cosmetic updates such as the high-gloss front grille which is very similar to the existing one but, more importantly, the front bumper has been redesigned to accommodate…

THE SWIFT AND THE POLO ARE TWO MUCH vaunted lineages in India’s hatchback market. Two names easily recognized and two cars easily spotted in India’s urban jungle. By virtue of their longevity, both had also begun to feel a little dated of late. To counter that, the Polo has been refreshed in the recent past, and the Swift has essentially changed in every respect apart from the name and the engine options. They’re both priced within a few thousand rupees of each other, which means that if you’re looking to buy one, you will probably consider the other too. So it only makes sense that we put them to the test and see which one comes out on top. In terms of aesthetics, the Polo is still distinctively familiar. The…

THE DRIVE TO HAMPI FROM PUNE STARTED like all these drives usually do, until it didn’t. We departed at the crack of dawn as usual, but we had hardly clocked 10 km on the odo before a warning went off on the instrument cluster: a low tyre pressure warning for the rear left tyre. I pulled over at the first puncture repair place I saw, gently roused the guy working there and, 15 minutes later, we were back on the road. Turns out somewhere between collecting the car and leaving the following morning a nail had wedged itself into the tyre. The A3 may be Audi’s most cost-effective offering in India, but that doesn’t mean it misses out on and of the German tech goodness; the tyre pressure sensors are…

S MOTORING JOURNALISTS, WE get to drive and experience some brilliant machines. Some are engineered to such a level of perfection that we have to pinch ourselves to make sure we are not dreaming. Some of those masterpieces may have had a humble beginning, perhaps starting out as a dream in some young mind. We were at IIT-Ropar, Punjab, for the 11th edition of Baja SAE India to witness similarly motivated youngsters put their creations to the test. Saluting the struggle behind the creation of automotive marvels, this year the theme was “Ground to Glory”. Since 2007, Baja SAE India have been giving engineering students across the country a platform to showcase their intellect and grit, and their vehicles’ mettle. Due to the large turnout, this year it was conducted…

Goodbye Maruti-Suzuki Ignis Variant: 1.2 Zeta AGS Driven: 7,239 km Like: Convenience, proportions, ride height Dislike: Price ALMOST A YEAR HAS GONE BY SINCE THE IGNIS ARRIVED and I’ve actually enjoyed every day of its presence. From the outset, I was impressed by its utter lack of overhangs, making parking a breeze. The proportions make it so easy to get used to. Furthermore, the tapering lines top to bottom not only give it a more squat stance, but also make it feel more planted and sure-footed. Another aspect that needs special mention is the Ignis’s ground clearance. Sitting 180 mm off the ground, together with its rather compact 2,435-mm wheelbase and those minimal overhangs, means that the Ignis has some impressive obstacle tackling cred. An approach angle of 20° and…

PERHAPS, ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED CARS BY many has been the Touareg. Yes, it was built to blend in and deliver luxury from a plane above; just as its next-of-kin, the Phaeton, was created to do. Clean, functional lines, powerful engines, engineering and build quality to rival the best where it mattered, and the sacrifice of bling meant they were both up there. However, for many, the price tags and the design simply didn’t do it for them. Enter the 3.0. The latest Touareg is built on the new MLBevo platform and shares its underpinnings with some big names ― the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, and Lamborghini Urus. That inherently gives it the technological potential to be far better than it ever was, and probably more than…

THE AFTERNOON SUN IS CREEPING HIGHER IN THE SKY. The heat is getting more intense, as is the battle in the premium luxury segment. That’s seen a lot more action of late, with all major manufacturers vying for a piece of the coveted pie. The three-pointed star has always been considered the best of the best, without heading into luxury yacht space, and the reasons behind that are several. With the facelift S-Class, the W/X222, Mercedes-Benz have made multiple changes — some evolutionary, some revolutionary — in a bid to make it stand out even in a very distinguished crowd. So, what’s new? Head on, the new Mercedes S-Class bears a bold, chromed radiator-grille with the three-pointed star sitting pretty atop. The new LED Multibeam headlamps look cutting-edge and sport…

T’S ABOUT 6,000 MILES (9,655 KM) FROM THE COAST OF California to Portofino, a fishing village on the Italian Riviera. One glance at the new Ferrari Portofino’s taut aluminium bodywork — and a quick scan of its specification — suggests there’s a similarly large gulf between Ferrari’s new entry-level model and its predecessor, the California T. Squeeze the throttle, feel the twin-turbo V8’s huge swell of mid-range torque morph seamlessly into a frantic rush to the red-line, then pull back on paddle-shifters that engage gears like they’re firing ammunition. And suddenly the subjective gloss of style and the empirical detachment of stats become real with one noisy burst of acceleration. If foot-to-the-floor first impressions suggest the Portofino is a sizeable step on from the California T, it promises to be…

Obviously, it was meant to be GTO. 488 GTO. You know, like 288 GTO or 250 GTO HARDER, FASTER, STRONGER, AND STICKIER, Ferrari’s most powerful V8 sports car ever draws on F1 and Le Mans know-how as it picks up the baton from the old 458 Speciale. Power is up by 7.5 per cent, downforce by 20 per cent. And the name is at least five times more annoying. Because obviously it was meant to be GTO. 488 GTO. You know, like 288 GTO, itself a homage to the legendary 250 GTO racer from 1962. Or, at least, we all assumed it was going to be GTO. But then the Italians, who don’t like anyone telling them what to do, went and Pista on everyone’s chips by naming the hot…

THE FIRST SOUTH AMERICAN RALLY OF the 2018 WRC season witnessed a lot of action, including the return of former nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb with Citröen Total Abu Dhabi WRT. Loeb made a strong return indeed while his team-mate, Kris Meeke, missed the second place on the podium following a last-minute drama. Rally Mexico witnessed a lot of action when the battle for the top spot heated up after ace drivers like Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT’s Thierry Neuville, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Ott Tanak, and M-Sport Ford’s Sébastien Ogier engaged in a three-way battle during the opening stages of the rally. Hyundai’s second driver, Dani Sordo, and Sébastien Loeb also joined the fight on Friday. After an intense battle between the top five, the order at the end of Friday…

The 2018 cars are fast. Even the Williams, its infamously tricky rear end tamed, rampaged through Barcelona’s ultra-quick corners PIRELLI MAY HAVE EXPANDED their range of compounds for the 2018 season but stopped short of a winter tyre. Shame, since the first 2018 test in Barcelona in late February was bitterly cold, with rain and flurries of snow. Grip? Not so much. Drivers complained of wheelspin in fifth gear. But the conditions were the same for everyone and, as expected, it was last year’s top three that headed the time sheets. Red Bull “won” day one, the Ferraris were the cars to beat at times and the Silver Arrows — clearly sand-bagging to disguise their true pace — set the fastest lap of the final day, with champion Hamilton at…

NEW THIS MONTH FERRARI 812 SUPERFAST The ultimate Ferrari road car... ...with just a petrol engine, providing a wholesome 800 PS. Available from Rs 5.20 crore (ex) VOLKSWAGEN POLO 1.0 MPI Downsized motor, more efficiency, and a Highline+ model with more goodies. The range starts from Rs 5.42 lakh (ex) LEGENDS PRICES Ex-showroom, Pune (subject to change) BO: Available only by order NA: Price not available FEATURES F: Front only D: Driver airbag only O: Optional equipment ASTON MARTIN BENTLEY BENTLEY FERRARI FERRARI HONDA HONDA HYUNDAI ISUZU LAND ROVER LAND ROVER MAHINDRA MARUTI SUZUKI MASERATI MERCEDES-BENZ MINI NISSAN RENAULT ROLLS-ROYCE TATA TATA VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN VOLVO…