Archive for the ‘Automotive’ Category
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Sunday, November 30th, 2008
The Nissan 370Z as expected stole all the limelight in the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Japanese auto giant has once again proved to the world that when it comes to offering the best, it is the only right choice. A judicious mix of well conceived design and the best-in-class technology, Nissan 370Z offers all that you wanted in a sports car.
Since the launch of the fifth generation in 2003, the 370Z is the first full redesign in the Z series. Hailed by the experts as evolutionary, the 370Z is shaped much like the current 350Z with a new look and feel. The power plant is the same as that in the Infiniti G37. The V6 displacing 3.7-liter is capable of delivering 332 horsepower and 26 mpg on highways. Nissan 370Z offers a downshift rev matching system synchronized with a manual transmission. Built with more light weight materials, the 370Z has a shorter wheelbase thus ensuring better acceleration, cornering, and braking. The 18 and 19 inch wheels and the Brembo brakes are adjusted on a powerful suspension handled by a multi-link setup in the back and a double wishbone setup in the front.
Though shorter in length the Nissan 370Z offers more cargo room as compared to the other models in the Z series. The front and the rear tracks are wider and overall this new Z series is 1.1 inches broader than its predecessor. The design resembles the boomerang-style headlights and taillights with Z-branded side marker lights. So gear yourself up for a more luxurious interior experience. The steering wheel is a direct import from the new ’09 Maxima and so are the HVAC and navigation controls. Seats are equipped with larger bolsters and the extruding aluminum brace behind the seats comes in the place of the larger strut-tower brace thus increasing the cargo space.
The 370Z is fresh and handsome in many ways – just try it out. The 370Z launch will come in two trim levels – base and Touring. It seems that Yutaka Katayama has been the biggest influencer on 370Z. The design criterion is based on a style that sets it apart from other coupes, whereby the coupe is designed for safety and comfort. The cut in length has added to the horsepower making it the perfect sports car once again. The main gauge cluster is adjustable with the tachometer in the centre, the speedometer on the right a new driver information display on the left. The push button start and the cup holder are the other interior features. At the top of the center stack is the triple gauge pod that houses the volt and oil gauges. At the farthest binnacle is the clock. This new addition in the Z series is crisper, more purposeful, and even more muscular. The long hood of Nissan 370Z is a sure shot attention grabber. This wider and shorter car enhances the car’s stance and is real fun to drive.
New 2009 Nissan 370Z Road Test
httpv://in.youtube.com/watch?v=o4dzg7ZJ4B8
This powerful car is a real treat for driving enthusiasts.
Porsche Panamera 2009
Sunday, November 30th, 2008
All set for the launch, Porsche Panamera is expected to become an instant hit among the car enthusiasts worldwide. The four-door and the four-seated luxury sedan will be a front engined rear wheel drive car. Expectations are rife that the Panamera will offer three engine choices – a 3.6 L V6 which is found in the 2008 Cayenne with a 300 hp in the base Panamera, a turbocharged 4.8 L V8 with 500 hp in the Panamera Turbo, and a 4.8 L V8 with 405 hp in the Panamera S. Experts also anticipate the V-10 and the V-12 engine in the near future.
Scheduled to be pitched against the likes of Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and Maserati Quattroporte, the Panamera is planning to enter the market as a less expensive alternative. Panamera is going to be the first V8 engine sports car by Porsche ever since 1995. However, it’s interesting to know that the earlier prototypes of four-door sedans such as the 4 door 911 based prototype or the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype never went into production.
Panamera incorporates some of the best styling features and this coupled with state-of-the-art technological specifications would make this car a real bonanza for the potential customers. At 76 inches it is indeed a wide sedan even wider than Mercedes-Benz S-class. The height measures 55.8 inches and the length is 195.7 inches. The power plant is the Volkswagen’s 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine with 300 horsepower. The Porsche’s new PDK dual-clutch gearbox is expected to appear in all the proposed models.
The rear wheel drive will be the standard though the turbocharged version will be coming with an all-wheel-drive. The interior is cozy and seems to be more driver-friendly. The driver-oriented dashboard and the folding rear seat for increased cargo space are some of the other attractions in this model. The 911-style window arc is much more evident and the elongated headlight seems to be an import from those of the earlier generations of 911s. The front design suggests a very similar front to that of 911 and Boxster. Though the design elements are taken from the 911 range yet there are significant differences. The taillights are comparatively larger and they move into the car’s rear flanks. The four door coupe keeps pace with the design offered by most of its competitors in this segment.
2009 Porsche Panamera Spy Footage
httpv://in.youtube.com/watch?v=vQHCSk4TZQI
Porsche is launching the model with a two-fold objective – marketing it both as a true sports car and also as a family car with the four full seats and increased cargo space with sliding rear seat. The initial reports suggest that the base car will come with a sticker price of $127,000. Leipzig is all geared to do the final assembly. Though the price tag seems to be quite on the higher side yet Porsche is hopeful of selling 20,000 Leipzig, Germany-built Panameras annually. As per the current reports the production will start in April 2009 and at least during the start, Porsche will keep the production rate at around 20,000 cars per year.
Yamaha FZ 16 India
Monday, November 10th, 2008India Yamaha Motors has come up all guns blazing in its new avatar; a macho street fighter. Yamaha FZ 16 is a stern, red-liveried machine which makes adventurers look for escape. The bike seems all “geared up” to transform the biking scene in the country. It has the right kind of potential that can give aggressive fun to its various users.
To begin, Yamaha FZ 16 has 4 stroke, single-cylinder, high torque engine. Apart from this, it is 153 cc cooled. This gives great privilege for riding the bike in the city. The single axis balancer gives more feasible riding facility.
Handsome engine response is guaranteed through throttle position sensor and a negative pressure carburetor. It has used new wave techniques like keeping the “Midship Muffler” at the center. This gives a superb concentration of mass, exhaust prowess and handling.
The bike also adds on to the smoothness meter. The cream touch is provided by 5-speed transmission. The gear ratio is another aspect which can make the people with know-how very enthusiastic.
The bike looks a picture in its various shades. The red and black mix puts it in a different league and adds an aura of splendor to it.
New Toyota Vios 2008
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008Toyota wants to push stronger into the South East Asian and Chinese markets. It has built its new 4-door subcompact sedan for this specific purpose.
Toyota Vios 2008 looks to replace Toyota Soluna which has done well in the 1.5 liter subcompact market for Asia. Few years ago, Soluna was rated just below Toyota Camry and Toyota Corolla.
US love its Vios. There it is known as Toyota Yaris hatchback or Toyota Belta.
Toyota Vios is found in three grades. The most economical grade is the ‘E’ grade. It is a relatively cheap, beginner’s model available at around RM 78900. This grade finds the car in its most stripped form; unlike G and S which are state-of-art models.
Vios E grade has rear drum brakes instead of the all-disc set up available for the G and S grades. It has14 inch alloy wheels; this again is an inch lesser than what the G and S models have to offer. The advanced grades have dual-front airbags whereas the E variant has a side only air-bag.
Vios line has lately introduced the S grade. It is replete with appearance enhancements. Performance wise it is just as good as the G grade or perhaps only a shade better.
New Vios 2008 Interiors
Toyota New Vios
httpv://in.youtube.com/watch?v=F1yHn_CYutI
Driven by Motive of Excellence
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008Two of America’s top three manufacturers, Daimler and GM are merging. This is the very latest. Top companies like Toyota and Ford have launched their updated hybrid versions. Small car-trucks are churned out with clinical efficiency.
Latest addition to the automotive technology is the hydrogen fuel cells. The cells are touted to be an answer to persistent oil deficits. Cars have also introduced state-of-art heat-resistant circuits. This would provide the cars with greater capacity of bearing engine friction. We have attained land-speed breakthroughs. Cars are being known to get faster and the 0-100 speed can be reached more expeditiously. Catalytic and wind tunnel tests are going on at the manufacturing plants. Something hot is expected soon.
Automotive accessories are looking up. Gone are the days when fundamental was the best. Today is the age of the intricate. Buffers of today are extremely competent in taking away tremors, impact and noise from the machines. The latest rubber products provide greater stability and dimensional precision.
Latest hood latch are new wave products. They provide fantastic bonnet locking for the cars. Latest power handles can be easily customized and add another level of power steering to our vehicles.
New Renault Megane 2009
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
Renault Megane is the second offering from the French Auto maker to the Indian market. Logan being the debutant in India had a few drawbacks with its plain looks & features. It had ample room space but it failed to impress with its odd boxy looks. Now with the stylish new Megane, it enters the executive segment, and is all geared up to take on Corolla, Civic, Jetta & The Laura. With its alliance with Mahindra, Renault has enough reach to its customers through its dealership outlets.
Megane with its amazing looks, is way ahead of its competitors & would surely appeal to the Indian market. Its dynamic & elegant styling is just too much for a sports enthusiastic to have his hands on it.
New Renault Megane’s interior is extensively loaded with practical features like :
- Analogue/digital instruments
- Color-Coded cruise control/speed limiter interface
- Hands-free entry and ignition
- Automatic locking as the driver walks away from the car
- Carminat Bluetooth DVD navigation system
- Custom-developed audio system (3D Sound by Arkamys®)
- Double side impact sensors
- Dual-chamber airbags
Megane would surely make competitors in India to think on their product lineup. It would make its way to India in 2009 & lets hope it has a healthy competition.
The Images seen are of the hatch back version of the Megane. India would get a saloon variant as the demand for premium hatch is quite remote.
The Saloon Variant images of the Megane would be updated soon.
Chrysler GM Merger
Thursday, October 16th, 2008The rising gasoline prices and increasing credit crunch has lead to the squeezing of the auto industry, with stocks dropping and mergers being considered. In fact, auto sales have dropped 12.8% for this year, with a sharp fall of 27% for the month of September. This is the worst month for the auto industry since February 1993.
With this fall in the auto industry, Ford stocks had fallen 8.9% on Monday 13Th October 2008; a drop of 36 cents per Ford share. Similarly, GM stocks had a drop of 52 cents or a 5.8% fall to reach the rate of $8.48 per share. In fact, it was this declining stock price that had led to the removal of GM from the S&P 100. However GM still remains in the S&P 500 and is still a part of Dow Industrials.
GM bankruptcy is not in the cards
Nevertheless, although GM stocks had suffered such a major drop in their prices, General Motors Corp has stated that they are in no way considering GM bankruptcy for protection sakes. The main reasons for the drop in the GM stocks and the auto industry in general are a forecaster’s report stating that the global auto market would soon suffer from an outright collapse in during 2009.
By not considering GM bankruptcy, GM had considered announcing plans in July 2008 for improving its liquidity by $15 billion by the end of 2009. With this move, they intend to make up for two thirds of the costs through cost cuts and through asset sales as well as fresh borrowing.
GM stated in an announcement that it is true that they are facing numerous challenges in the global financial markets and low economic fundamentals of some key markets. However despite all this, they firmly state that GM bankruptcy is not on their minds at all as it would not in any way be in the interests of stockholders, suppliers, employees or customers.
Increased Cash Requirements of GM
Moreover, industry forecaster, J.D. Power and Associates have issued a warning stating that auto sales in the US would be even lower next year. In addition to this, they state that the global auto markets face the danger of going through an outright collapse in 2009.
According to Barclays, all this will collectively lead to an increased risk of strong drops in the auto sales internationally; leading to an increase in the cash requirements of GM.
In fact, Barclay’s analyst Brian Johnson forecasts that as a consequence, GM would have to raise $10.3 billion so that it can at least maintain its liquidity of $14 billion throughout the next fiscal year. This figure is an escalated one from the previous estimate of GM requiring bringing up $7.3 billion within the same time frame.
Talks for a Chrysler GM Merger
So as a refuge, it is said a deal materialized that would have a great impact on the global auto industry. This deal is that the American giant (GM) has held preliminary talks with its rival auto company, Chrysler about the chances of the two forming a merger.
This GM Chrysler Merger has not been made official so far but is considered to be ‘50-50’ as of Friday. However it is speculated that things would work out in the next few weeks. People familiar with these talks, state that negotiations and meetings between GM and Chrysler was not something new and were started more than a month ago.
As a consequence, the two companies have held a few talks between their senior executives. The New York Times had reported on Saturday that as both GM and Chrysler are struggling financially with the auto market collapse, the GM Chrysler merger may actually not be in their best interests.
httpv://in.youtube.com/watch?v=kA7qghheIIQ
New Tata Xover
Sunday, October 12th, 2008
A VAN & an SUV merged, result – Tata Xover. The growth of Tata’s is enormous & this time they are giving an other landmark product named Tata Xover. This cross over car would create ample space for 7 adults to travel. The production version car displayed in this years Paris Motor show could be seen on roads any time from now on. Powered by 2.2 Liter DICOR engine, similar to the one in Sumo Grande & Indigo, this would be tuned & refined further to fit into the SUV bonnet. Designed at the IDEA design school in Italy, it has the looks to match its competitors Mahindra Ingenio & Toyota Innova. Looks at the front is quite similar to the New Vista & it fits well on the bonnet.The rear looks impressive with its sweeping rear glass panel wrapping itself around. Tail lamp though is similar to the the Vista.
It would be loaded with various safety & comfort features like:
1. ABS
2. Airbags
3. Independent controls for the aircons
4. Independent double wishbone with anti-rollbar at the front & a 5 link setup at the rear
5. Option of Diesel & Petrol engines
As this is a new concept adopted by the Tata’s, lets hope it succeeds & gives a tough fight for the Mahindra’s & Toyota’s.
New Toyota Fortuner 2009
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
The Much Awaited SUV from Toyota’s stable is all set to roll out in India. The Toyota Fortuner which has kept the Indian market waiting for quite sometime now would be screaming through the Indian terrain by this year end. This one would be the face lifted version which was recently launched in Malaysia & it would for sure be a treat to drive. Built on the IMV platform as the Innova & Hilux, it would be assembled in India at its Bidadi factory in Bangalore. This would result in an aggressive pricing to compete with CRV & the Captiva. It would be available in 2.7V Petrol & 2.5G Diesel variants. The petrol version would have 4-cylinder, in-line 16-valve, DOHC, VVT-i engine where-as the diesel one would have DOHC Turbo diesel. Both the variants would come with only auto transmission in its 2009 face lifted version.
Some of the key features would be:
1. New projector headlamps and fascia,
2. New rear lights
3. DVD Navigation system
4. Blue-tooth connectivity
5. New light sand interior
6. Electronic-adjustable driver seat,
7. Rear cool air conditioning from ceiling for second and third row
8. Vehicle Stability Control with Traction Control
9. Electronic Brake Force Distribution with Brake Assist
10. All Wheel Drive (AWD)
11. Redesigned front grille and Headlamps lamps
Its being assembled in India. The pricing is the key factor & it is most likely to be in the range of 16 – 17 lakhs. If Toyota India succeeds with this pricing it would give Honda & Chevrolet run for its money. With Toyota’s known reliability & technology the new toyota fortuner 2009 is gonna create waves in the Indian market.
Toyota New Fortuner Promo in Thailand
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOWMN7epp88
All New City Launched in Delhi – India
Thursday, September 25th, 2008Honda Siel Cars unveils 3rd Gen New Honda City in Delhi
September 25th, 2008
President and CEO of Honda Motors, Takeo Fukui
So its official. Honda Seil Cars India launched its latest 2008 Honda City in India on 25th September 2008. The new Honda City was just launched a couple of days back in Thailand. its now geared-up to launch in Delhi on Thursday evening. This New City is much larger than the current one & it has loads of Interior space. One thing which the Indian market would be disappointed of is that, this 2008 Honda City would come only with the topmost version i.e the i-VTEC engine with both MT & AT.
It would be powered with the refined 1.5 Litre engine keeping in mind the fuel economy. The other economy variants would be launched sometime around January 2009 in India hoping to keep the new model in the limelight.
The new generation 2008 Honda City which is powered with 1.5L VTEC engine pumping out 120 BHP of power, has some other exciting features like:
- ABS
- Dual airbags
- All wheel disc brakes
- In Dash CD Player
- Retractable outer rear view mirrors
- Electronic power steering
- Glass-printed antenna
- Fog lamps
- Ultra seats
- Sport rims
- Alloys
- Driver seat arm-rest
- and optitron meter cluster
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tXPSpQTAko
The new Honda City is based on the latest Jazz compact hatchback. The design is strangely upright and narrow-tracked & with its smooth flowing exterior design it gives the car a sporty and dynamic look. The car is 4395mm long, 1715mm wide, 1470mm tall & is longer and wider by 5mm and 25mm respectively compared to the old model (the old Honda City) but is 15mm shorter. On the other hand the wheelbase has grown by a whopping 100mm over its predecessor resulting in ample room space.
The Indian version would have minor changes though, but its more likely that we would have the same features. Once launched the enthusiastic Honda customers would have to wait further till November 15th to take their delivery as Honda would start the delivery process only then.
Before India, Honda Siel Cars had recently introduced its new Honda City 2009 in Thailand.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI_CBJLEQag
For more Details about the Car Check out New Honda City Details here.
Also check out the Official All New City Hompage for more information
