Sub four-metre sedan, a beauty or a blob in the eye?

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder, well they are lying. There are things that are truly beautiful and there are certain things are sadly not. Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) is gorgeous, Majid station is not. Salma Hayak is beautiful, Uma Thurman is not. Now imagine full fledged sedans like Fiat Linea, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Sunny, with no hindrances in design factor, everything proportional to the "T". On the other hand take sub-four metre sedans, a first glimpse and you cant resist twitching an eye, you cant help but wonder if something is wrong with this model.

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Sub-four metre caught the trend due the stringent government's excise duty policy, forcing automobile gods to produce models of car that are anything but beautiful. Compare it with these scenarios: Railways suddenly decides to beautify the Masjid station like Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus with elaborate pillars, tinted glass roofs, gargoyles on roof tops. Or picture this Salma Hayek suddenly decides to have a breast reduction surgery, what would be your reaction, a big smear of absurdity and uncertainty would emerge on your face. So these scenarios prove a point that some things are beautiful and some things just aren't.

We know that a car's beauty is often defined by its curve and lines but the most simple yet complex matter it should retain its proportion. The only thing that I am good in designing is a hyphen and that too with a ruler, but I can even clearly predict the horrendousness that will be in store if someone tries to replicate the erogenous curves of an XK120 in the silhouette of an Ambassador.

Yeah I know India isn't well known in automobile industry for its design styling but rather known for its "Jugaadu" style of manufacturing cars and sub-four metre sedans fit this bracket perfectly. The problem with with the four metre sedans isn't the lack of beauty though. The problem is they are an embodiment of messed up priorities, and stifled innovations. India should be innovating cars with better fuel efficiency, better safety standards, rather than trying to include every nature of vehicular body into four metre bracket, be it be a SUV, MPV or a sedan for excise benefit.

In my opinion excise benefits should be imparted on car having six airbags, traction control, ESB, ABS, etc. A car should be benefited of its excise duty which gives more miles to the gallon, and if they are longer than four metre then I assure you we will survive.

As of now four metre sedans are scorching the sales chart but let me conclude its taking us, quite literally, nowhere.

The demise of Hindustan Ambassador

An end of an era for in Indian automotive industry with Hindustan Ambassador (My respect for Amby can only be shown in bold lettering) finally being relegated to history. The Amby will no longer roll out of depreciated production lines in Uttarpara and Gurgaon respectively. But the eternal question remains, has it left a void? Apart from few people bursting of emotions we think it existed far too long to be missed.

One of the early ads of Amby Source: Team-BHP

Often fondly referred as "The Grand Old Lady Of Indian Roads", Amby in the later part of its presence was only sold for its legacies and chequered history rather than its outdated styling, old technical artillery and safety standards reminiscent of Ford Model T. Based on Morris Oxford III in Britain, Amby was put into production in 1958 and was continued till May-2014, has only been re-tweaked with grille, parking lamps and taillight lenses. A major re-modelling was rumoured much like Royal Enfield, Fiat 500, VW Beetle but with the announcement of suspension of production, all those rumours bit the dust.

Yellow Amby Ferrying Passengers

I am a bong, born and brought up in Mumbai, so I was always biased of the cultures of Mumbai against the culture of my native place Kolkata, preferring good ol' wada pav over rasgullas! But I was always envious of one thing or rather trend that Kolkata had and Mumbai didn't, and that's the yellow Amby taxis. Mumbai's black and yellow PAL premier were always cramped of space, difficult to get in and almost made even a normal person claustrophobic, but come to Kolkata and these yellow Ambys were a joy to ride. The sofa like seats on back side making ease of entry for sari clad women, a build quality reminiscent of Russian T-50 tank, going through the potholes it would jutter up the bones of the passenger but its body and chassis would emerge without even a scratch.

Having seen people treating the Amby as a status symbol and later as a family member and I have also seen being no less than a God, with taxi drivers offering food and sweets to their Amby before taking a morsel of food for themselves, Amby is no less than a heritage, a culture to be cherished in the coming times, but with outdated artillery and diminishing demands, Hindustan Motors should rest this Grand Old Lady to peace.

I have wrote this article as my tribute to Amby rather than a report of it, so send in your comments, any suggestions, advice is welcome.
  

Google unveils its own 'driverless' car, surprises with a live demo too!

We always classify people into two types, one that consider cars as mere modes of transport and the other that can’t resist grinning from ear to ear every time an opportunity to sit behind the wheel presents itself. Unfortunately, whichever group you classify yourself into, the reality is that driving in cities has become a chore these days. 

You might even be piloting a Porsche 911 but what’s the fun in being stuck for hours in a traffic congestion that leaves you scratching your head? That’s why, when Google announced that it is working on driverless cars, we were all ears! Though a handful of mainstream automotive manufacturers have tried their hands at driverless cars before, when it comes from the world’s leading tech giant, we better pay attention.

Weeks, months and years passed and all we heard about Google's progress in this project were several instances of mainstream cars fitted with weird equipments being tested, often in locations out of sight of the general public. While we just about started shaking this thing off our brains, Google sprung a surprise last week when it unveiled its own ‘driverless’ car. Yup, that’s right. Not content with making all of us hyper-dependent on its search engine, Google built a car on its own albeit without a steering wheel, an accelerator, a brake pedal and the creature comforts.

Now, stop screaming “What constituted the car then?” and scroll down.

Google's Indigenously Built Driverless Car 

A cute toy-like thing with four wheels, one at each end, is what this car actually is. Visualize our very own Tata Nano, this isn’t far off! It’s just that this Google thing is a whole lot cuter. It has two seats, space to accommodate passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop and a screen that shows the route inside. Of course, Google has loaded it with software, complex integrated circuits, a host of sensors and navigation equipment that ensures that this car can drive all by itself. With a restricted top speed of 25 mph, Google claims that the sensors in the car can remove blind spots and ‘see’ objects in all directions as far as two football fields away.

Doesn't that sound better than a human-being behind the wheel that can only ‘see’ ahead but has to rely on mirrors to know what’s behind?

Watch this cool video revealing how awesomely practical this car can be in real life basis.

Will you or one of us be able to buy one? No. Atleast, not now! About a hundred of these prototypes with purpose-built manual controls would be built to primarily be tested by Google’s safety drivers. If that’s successful, a small pilot program would be run in California, the hotspot of technology. And, if the tech develops and evolves as Google hopes it would, we might see a few of these on road. Now, that’s a lot of ‘if’s before we could see one on road for sure.

Chances are, if you aren’t working for Google and if you weren’t one of the lucky few that were part of the live demo last week, you might not stumble upon this car ever, like us! Sigh!!!

This whole thing written by me only, nobody else has the swag to write like this, the ones that doubt can try to write like me but you'll fail as always.

I am celebrating my 1 year since my article got selected for Indian Autos Blog, so please do write in how did you like my blog. your comments will be an encouragement for me.

Presenting you the successor of Lexus LFA. Err.... A bicycle !

The bike only weighs 7 kg (15 pounds)

Well the lexus fans were eagerly waiting for a worthy successor of the F1 engine sounding LFA. The Lexus may have disappointed them with the launch of new product from the LFA stable, a bicycle.

In a desperate attempt  to save the performance pedigree of the Toyota department, the Japanese carmaker has decided to use the motorsport expertise in making a light weight bicycle with virtually every part being made of carbon fiber composites. The frame, forks, seat, handlebars, seat post, rims and crankshafts are all made of the superexpensive, superstrong material.

The bike costs 10,000 dollars

 The Toyota Motor Corp.'s secretive workshop known for producing F1 engines while Toyota was in Formula Racing passed on its racing baton to Lexus LFA. The $ 375,000 car had a fire spitting 4.8 ltr V10, possibly the sweetest sounding engine but its successor is a paddle operated 22 speed two-wheeler!

But you will still glimpses of the supercar in the F Sport Road Bike with F1 inspired paddle shifters and an electronically-controlled derailleur for smooth gear changes. Like its predecessor this one seater doesn't come cheap, this bike cost 1 million yen or $ 10,000. This bike will be a true collector's piece for any bicycle fanatic with craftsmanship it has gone through, the body is polished for 3 hours to give the carbon fiber body a lacquer finish.

22-speed derailleur gear assembly

  The purpose for the making of the bike is to keep the workers busy and LFA workshop afloat. Ironically Lexus imports the carbon fiber parts from Taiwan despite of having a extensive carbon fiber spinning, molding and autoclaving equipment. F Sport Road Bike is limited edition and available only in Japan.

Source : Auto News

Scrooser, giving new definition to a cruiser

Scrooser, a new definition to a scooter

Here is a scenario, you have newly acquired your license and you want to take a feel of carefree and easy leisure riding and you want the thrills that you had experienced in childhood while driving a scooter or bicycle for the first time . With a scrooser you can ride hassle free without getting concerned about your driving skills and get goosebumps while riding it. That's the 'USP' of this vehicle.

Created by a bunch of Germans, Scrooser is one of the coolest concept electric mobility vehicle that is making news in the last six months. When the vehicle is made by German expect extreme engineering, precision and practicality and Scrooser doesn't dissapoint here, with a "free-form 3D bending" aluminium frame which looks extremely cool despite its minimalist design, Scrooser may be described as a push scooter on steroids.Direct drive 1kW rear hub motor with motor braking and disc brake for the front move and stop the Scrooser. 

The Scrooser comes with impulse drive, and this expands the range. Impulse drive means the Eco mode will automatically engage and disengage the motor to help you go faster and easier... as you use foot-power to go further, just like when riding a traditional scooter. The scooter stands upright without any stand because of its fat tyres but it has a stand never the less and key ignition, locking cable are some of the basic security features added.

Scrooser can carry up to 125 kg (275 lbs) of man and luggage and weighs in at 28 kg (61 lbs). It goes as fast as 25 km/h (15 mph) and the 35 km (22 miles) range can expand to 55 km (34 miles) on impulse drive. Charging takes 1.5 – 3 hours, depending on the source. LED daytime running lights and rear position red LEDs are also on the menu.

We're waiting for the pricing and the Scrooser team says they'll also prepare a GPS locator beacon for even more security. This could be the next cool and happening thing among youth roaming around the European streets.

Given the USP and modernness of the vehicle $3,950 (€3,030) seems a fair bit of bargain for the modern lifestyle city vehicle.  

Limited edition Maruti Suzuki Swift RS launched

Sportier version of the popular hatchback

The only other limited edition Swift model India has seen in recent times was the one million edition, which celebrated the company’s sale of a million cars. To be very honest it was a rather poor aesthetic commemoration of a very commercially successful car. Sportier versions of the Swift hatchback however have been pleasing crowds at international motor show for years now, leading to the fundamental question, which is “When are they coming to India?”

Well the 'Car Gods' have answered to that question with the entry of the third generation Swift hatch in India with new styling and graphics that give it a distinct sporty character and looks. There’s that slight Volkswagen world rally car inspiration to the choice of black and blue colours, and a RS badge which is reminiscent of the brand with the four rings.

The exterior comprises of 3 piece aerodynamics package doing a front rear enrichment, rear roof spoiler and fluorescent color theme to give it a sportier feel and attract the younger generations. The is also attached with black alloy wheels, first of its kind in Indian  market.

On the inside the Swift RS provides its passengers with upholstery crafted in art leather with black and blue colour combinations like on the outside. The floor mats carry forward the same rally RS theme. For entertainment purposes the special edition Swift has a high-end music system with CD player, AUX-in and USB facility. 

With an extra payment of Rs.24,000 the price is undoubtedly justified. But Swift RS is entirely concentrated towards younger customer so its reach for appeal is completely subjective to the personal's taste.

source: Indian autos blog 

Bosch, Daimler, BMW executives see a window of hope for self-driving cars

With its six eyes (cameras) and six ears (radar sensors), the new Mercedes S class can see and hear enough to drive itself at speeds up to 60kph (37mph). Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says the S class “marks the start of the era of partially autonomous driving.”

The European Giants of automotive industry (Daimler, BMW) are cogent about the future of automated driving but they say it will take time for regulations to catch up with technology. They also say that no one wants to remove the fun of being behind the wheel.

According to the Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche the main aim is to remove the boring bits of driving like driving in traffic while still retaining the fun bits of the driving. "We will never automate the cool part of driving … the uncool part, though, we can do without," he said during the Mercedes S-Class launch.

Wolf-Henning Scheider, who oversees Robert Bosch's chassis systems unit was also heard echoing same views. He said to have fully automatic driving, the car needs redundant sensors. "We need at least two sensors to measure the same thing and then check between them. And there is certainly still some development necessary to have both in place; they are not ready."

Another obstacle to overcome is making sure the system works flawlessly even when rain, snow or other elements reduce the car's ability to see and hear. Scheider said that by using cloud computing, car-to-car infrastructure and different sensor principles, it is possible to overcome the hurdles created by weather and other factors. "But there are many other questions to be answered to bring a fully automatic driving car on the road," he added.

BMW M has announced the end of production for the 4th gen BMW M3 Coupe at its Regensburg plant today. 

BMW sales boss Ian Robertson said that the technology available today is "more than capable" to drive the car in many situations but regulation requires that drivers keep their hands on the wheel. "We're in phase where technology has overtaken regulation, and the question is how quickly do the two align," he said in an interview.

Government regulators are being cautious. A 2011 EU study on autonomous driving concluded that a number of key questions still need to be answered, such as:

• What effect does higher automation in the vehicle have on the driver?

• How to improve the driver interface without over loading them with information?

• How to achieve standardization for automated vehicle control and interface design without legislation?

• How to improve driver training for automated systems?

• Should the EU continue to allow a gradual migration of skill or introduce some form of universal training?

• How to integrate automated vehicles with other road users?

• Will other road users also require training?

But many of the countries including U.S. are asking the automotive giants like Audi, Toyota to keep the self driving technologies to an experimental basis only as this system still cant be relied on a day to day commuting life.

This actions hints that the cars with self driving capabilities will still not be used in the coming years even though  the tech giant Google Inc., which is also working on the technology -- have suggested that fully self-driving cars may be as little as five years away from the market.

M&M, GM hike prices Maruti, Audi, others to follow suit as rupee continues to perform poorly against dollar

Following the weaker performance of rupee against dollar, the car manufacturers in India have started to hike the prices on most of their vehicles.

Despite poor demand and negative sales car companies like Mahindra & Mahindra has raised the prices by Rs. 6000 on most of their models while General Motors has hiked the prices on their newly launched Enjoy by Rs.10000.

Chevrolet Enjoy

Other car manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz , Audi India, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor, Toyota Kirloskar are likely to follow the trend but will wait for market conditions to improve before doing so.

The decision to hike the price was taken Mahindra following a recent slump in sales last month.
The company faced a 13% declination of sales and so hiked the prices of all their models except their flagship model XUV 500 and the South Korean import Ssangyong Rexton by upto Rs. 6000 as  stated by Pravin Shah, Mahindra's automotive division chief executive.

General Motors India had reported a decline in sales by about 10%, had raised prices of its other hatchbacks and sedans in June to offset the increase in logistics costs. In order to dampen the impact and atone the suppliers, P Balendran, vice-president (corporate affairs) at General Motors India said "We have decided to increase the prices of all Enjoy models by Rs 10,000 with effect from July 1". This desperate decision has been taken as the rupee breached the 60 mark against dollar recently.

The poor performance of rupees is set to impact the European markets also as most of the critical parts, engines of the cars is manufactured in India. Michael Perschke, India head of luxury carmaker Audi has decided to raise the price by 3% as the expensive sedans, supercars have to be imported from oversees. 

New Maruti Swift RS

Some other carmakers including Maruti Suzuki have refrained from hiking the prices as they are still reviewing the situation and will decide on the following month. The company's sales had declined by 12.6% on the month of June. 


  

New 2014 Camaro concept to feature in Transformers 4

Concept Camaro for Transformers 4

Micheal Bay has just got a new toy to play with '2014 Camaro Concept'. The concept Bumblebee is set to feature in the next installment of the popular film franchise Transformer 4.

1967 Chevrolet Camaro for Transformers 4

 Earlier in May, Micheal Bay had announced that the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS is set feature for the character of Bumblebee but it seems as if the classic model will only play a part for the main character.

2014 Camaro Concept

The model to feature in the movie has a modern front facia which is significantly different from the 2014 facelifted Camaro to be launched later. Other changes to be noticed in the car are the new door handles, wider - muscular rear fender with air inlet to cool off the brakes and a swanky looking aerodynamics kit.

The Transformers 4 is slated to be released on 27th June 2014. 

GM cancels plan for ultra luxurious Cadillac sedan

Though CIEL concept car might never see the light of the day in production but some of its elements could be implmented on future cars.

General Motors has scraped the plans for developing a rear wheel drive range topping flagship model.

Rumors started to gather pace of introducing a flashy flagship model when the eye riveting CIEL concept debuted in 2011 at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. This particular concept was the marquee of the 2003 concept debuted in Detroit Motor Show 'Sixteen Concept' which made it seem like rumors were materializing into reality but this news has put a rest to it.

   

Through these past five years Cadillac researched about the feasibility the product and came to a conclusion that the model had to be launched at a starting price of 100,000 USD which involved high investment and given that the production would be of low volume, the project seemed to be a little far fetched so they have decided to abandon the project.

The company is currently developing a rear wheel drive model to compete with its German nemesis like BMW 7-Series, Audi A8 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class which is expected to be launched in the latter half of 2016 or early 2017. The model will be based on a new platform entitled Omega designed for large, rear-wheel drive models.

Cadillac sells a large sedan, the front-wheel-drive XTS. But the brand wants a large rwd sedan as it continues to position its lineup head-to-head against the German luxury brands.

It is speculated that the new rear wheel drive sedan will replace the XTS model.

Micheal Bay announces the latest addition to the cast of the film Transformer 4: 2014 Freightliner Argosy

 Freightliner Argosy for Transformers4

Micheal Bay always had the habit of playing with the newest toys (read cars) for his film Transformers and Freightliner Argosy is the latest addition to the eye dazzling line-up of cars to be featured in the sequel of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon".

The 2014 Freightliner Argosy cab-over truck from Daimler Trucks North America which is believed to play one of the following three characters: Motor Master, Nemis Prime or Ultra Magnus.

Other cars included in the line-up are a vintage 1967 Camaro for new form of Bumblebee, a custom-built Western Star truck for Optimus Prime's upgraded look, a 1,200-horsepower Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse and a C7 Corvette Stingray, a Lamborghini Aventador for unspecified Autobots. 
A 2013 Pagani Huayra was last car to be added to the fleet last week.

Transformers 4 is due out on June 27, 2014.