Carma. Volume 1 Issue 1 by Praveen Srikanth

INDIA’S FIRST FREE AUTO MAGAZINE

VOLUME:1 ISSUE:1 DECEMBER 2011

CARMA.

ISSUE #1 !! Debut of India’s first free auto magazine ! What has gone into making this a success ? The Team gets candid on CARMA ! Page 5

Slow, Fast, Rapid ! Skoda’s hottest midsizer tested ! Is it just a nip and tuck ? Page 7

Welcome 2012 ! Whats hot , Whats not ? We bring you everything 2012 has to offer ! Find out what to buy and what to avoid ! Page 22

Fiesta Automatic !

Find out if India’s cheapest DSG is worth it or not ! Page 11

Ritz Diesel !

NANO SPEAK UP !

We get our hands on an used Ritz diesel ! Find out how it fares inside !

Whats new in the Nano 2012 ? Find out ! We also have a Nano user on his Nano experience ! Page 15

Page 16

Slow, Fast, Rapid ! Fiesta DSG Auto

Nano 2012

Page 11

Page 15

Ritz Diesel

Page 7

Page 16

Directors Cut ! What we have to say about ourselves

Page 5

New for 2012 The newest and the latest headed your way !

Page 22

Trick or Treat Increase your fuel efficiency

Page 32

Accessories Satguide Navigation

Page 34

So What do you think For a change, we shut up

Page 36

The News Whats going on ?

Page 39

Watch it Movie buffs will like us

Page 44

All in pics Pictures speak louder than words !

Page 45 3

vignesh ramakrishnan praveen srikanth anjan ravi Aravind Venkatakrishnan Â Raghavan Ravi Sai Srinivasan Arvind Ramanathan

Publicity Correspondents Abishek Ananth Ruchira Suresh Janani Venkatesh Dhanya Ramaswamy Dheeraj Murramshetti R S Raja A Adarsh Sriram Murali R K Kailash Avinash Rajendran Ahamed Rasmi Nanda Kiran CARMA. is on facebook. Just click the link ! facebook.com/PitstopPublications Contact us at www.autocarma.in or mail us at carma.automagazine@gmail.com For advertising, contact Anjan or Vignesh at +91-9840847120 or +91-8489553684 Logo created by Praveen Srikanth Magazine designed and edited by Anjan Ravi The CARMA. logo and magazine are property of their respective owners. No part of it can be copied without permission from the Editor . 4

Directors Cut ! Us talking !

‘Being a team consisting mainly of Mechanical Engineers, we know the intensity of planning that takes place behind the walls of the showrooms’

Coming from the house of 'The Pitstop' that first started as an auto related blog which undertook evaluation of existing cars to aid second hand and first hand buyers, CARMA.is Indiaʼs first free automotive magazine in the electronic format. Team CARMA. is driven by the passion for anything that runs on four wheels and an engine. We see each and every vehicle as a marvel of engineering . Building a car is no childʼs play or as Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear would put it “How hard could it be?” We appreciate the pain, effort and the brains behind the construction of a car. Being a team consisting mainly of Mechanical Engineers, we know the intensity of planning that takes place behind the walls of the showrooms. However, when it comes to the Indian market, where competition would cut your throat before one can even try to speak, criticism and judgement is of utmost requirement and that is what we do here. We are not optimists, and at the same time nor are we pessimists, but we do know where to draw the line of balance, thanks to all that 'The Pitstop' experience taught us. I completely agree that talking and judging cars is a gig that anyone can do, but what gives us the edge over the others is knowledge and a certain level of qualification in engineering. We have articles on every need of an automobile owner – be it new cars, used cars,

car accessories, driving tips, what not. Our motive here is to keep you informed and help you with your car purchase. With our used car reviews, we hope to convey some good piece of information to second hand car buyers on existing cars and also let the first hand buyers know the condition their vehicle is going to be in, a few years from purchase. You can also ask us for our suggestions on what car to buy on our website or facebook page or you can mail us at whatcar@autocarma.in. You can also view our articles appearing in our issues online. They will be uploaded on our website 3 days after issue release. With this note, I present you our very first issue ! I request you to give us your feedback on this issue. You can either post on the website or mail us at feedback@autocarma.in

Vignesh V Ramakrishnan vigneshvramakrishnan@yahoo.in

Directors Cut ! Us talking !

‘It took us 12 years to switch from the Walkman to the iPod . Whereas it took us only 6 years to switch from letters to email’

Hi there! So first and foremost let me welcome you to CARMA. which genuinely is Indiaʼs first free automobile magazine and naturally its an online edition. You see the difference is we are a magazine and the rest of them on the net are Blogs! So Iʼm sure youʼre reading this with much skepticism and I understand that. “ Do these guys know what they are doing or are they just another bunch of enthusiastic college teens who are bored?” Well, I can assure you, NO we are not those guys. We have actually taken this pretty seriously and you would be the ultimate judge of that. So what do we do? Well, we take new cars for test drives and let you know if they are worth buying. We take cars which are used and test them to let you know what you can expect .And so, we are good at giving advice on a new car as well as an old one. So online magazine and not a printed one. Yes, I know what youʼre saying. Then again its quite difficult for a start up such as ours to directly start with the printed media. And there is another theory which suggests online magazines such as ours will be the next big thing .It 6

took us 12 years to switch from the Walkman to the iPod. Whereas it took us only 6 years to switch from letters to email! Lets go at the same rate, and soon we will be reading online content exclusively! And thereʼs the issue of Green Movement which has made paper quite expensive and the printing cost is just absurd. And if we were to get past these hurdles, we will have to charge you for the magazine! I am an Indian as much as you are and I would not ʻpayʼ for a car magazine which has just released. Keeping all this in mind, we have (I think) done the sensible thing. And once you read CARMA., you will figure out what I have mentioned at the beginning. Its not a blog. Its the real deal; a magazine which has been created like any other with the only difference being that instead of giving the final pdf file to a printer and binder, we have given it to you! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed making it! Oh, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Anjan Ravi anjan.ravi@yahoo.co.in

Slow,Fast,Rapid !

Words : Anjan Ravi

koda has been in the

Indian shores for quite sometime now. They started with the Octavia. The catchphrase for the Octavia was and I quote “Built to last for decades.If handled carefully, who knows”.This has to be the best slogan in advertising.You know why? Cuz’ they meant it!

feel good factor to it which no other car delivers. Its like all your life you’ve been using Microsoft and suddenly you start using

Apple. I’m guessing you And ever since then Skoda know what I’m talking about. Volkswagen’s Polo has been known to make cars with exceptional build is the only other hatch which has a similar feel quality. Take the small like the Fabia. Naturally as Fabia for instance. It may be a hatch but there is this VW owns Skoda and one would expect them to have

the similar component suppliers. So when VW came out with the Vento it was a

So is this just a rebadged Vento with a nose job ? Nope. Without a doubt .

runaway success. It has made Honda reduce the price of the City twice and I love the Vento for that very reason. So the obvious next thing Skoda had to do was call their elder brother,request a

Vento, give it a nose job, stick a few Skoda badges and call it the Rapid! However, the Rapid is more than just a Vento with Skoda stickers as I shall be explaining in this road test.

Looks Looks Looks The first thing in any car buyers list are the looks and appearance. The Vento doesn’t look like a Polo with a huge ass celotaped.And thats good. Similarly, the Rapid looks very good too. The nose is a distinct Skoda and the headlamps resemble the

Fabia. Overall I really like the design Features and I think it has the assets to go The Rapid is loaded with everything well with us Indians here. essential. Its not overloaded like the However that said, I would have Verna which even has a cocktail preferred if the car had looked a waitress in the glove compartment. little bit differently from the front.Its No, the Rapid has the stuff which just that it looks too similar to the will keep you comfortable when you Fabia and sometimes that may be a want to feel comfortable, it’ll keep bad thing. But then again, I stand by you safe when you’re going to crash what I said and I think the car looks and it’ll keep you entertained when gorgeous!(especially in red,and yes, your girlfriend doesn't. I know red is a gay color on this sort You get climate control, remote of a car but I don’t care! ) locking, CD system with SD card Interiors and AUX-in. You also get 2 Airbags, ABS and alloy wheels on the top end The interiors are similar to the Vento variant. Where the Vento ‘one-UP's’ with a few Skoda parts like the the Rapid is giving you the option of gearlever and steering wheel. So is steering mounted audio controls. the space and its a comfortable car. Then again you don’t need them Quality is very good and as I said unless your hand is very very short earlier the car has a feel good factor like a midget. So 10/10 as of now. and I simply love that.

The Drive The Rapid is available with a 1.6 Petrol which puts out 105bhp and you can have this in manual or auto transmissions. The one I’m interested in is the 1.6 Diesel with 105bhp and 25kgm of torque. In other words, the Vento’s engine with some special tuning. The result, Brilliant! The Vento Diesel was very good to drive. People who know diesel cars know what I’m on about. When you put your foot down, you get shoved back in the seat. The

The Skoda vs Volkswagen fight is getting intense ! We’re loving it !

m Sa

h S e

. . . ip

t n e r e f f i d ! t s s Ju lor i sa shove which you get when an aeroplane is about to take-off! And its bonkers to drive the car this way. You are exceeding the speed limit before you know it! The Rapid is no diferent, if not better. The in-gear accleration times are like a road rocket! No other way of saying this better.

Ride & Handling The Vento was just decent in this deparment. It used to bob around unnecessarily even on flat roads. The Rapid seems to be a bit better. You know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in control when travelling at high speeds. Its not like the Verna though and thats a good thing. The Vernaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s handling is like that of a drunken ballerina

doing pushups. In fact, my overweight Daschund dog, Scooby handles better than a Hyundai Verna and that is saying something. So no issues with the Rapid.

Fuel Economy & Price Well, it runs on diesel so are you really bothered about efficiency? Nevertheless, expect in excess of 12kpl in the city and about 17kpl on the highway. Price wise this car is a very good investment. Even your wife might agree. Its priced a little lower than the Vento and at a price of about 10 lacs for the fully loaded Elegance Diesel, its terrific value. We will let you be the judge of the interior. Whatever works for you !

Ford Fiesta Diesel

Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDi

Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDi

So this is a very easy question. The cars you see on this page are going to be the most sought after as we Indians like a big sedan with a cheap diesel engine. But, which one do you buy? Not the Verna for obvious reasons.Next off the list is

Maruti Suzuki SX4 DDis

Fiat Linea Multijet

Volkswagen Vento 1.6 TDi

the Fiesta. Why? Stupid pricing. At 12 lacs + we’re not stupid. That leaves the SX4, Linea and the two cousins. If it were my money, it would go for the Skoda. The Rapid is simply what we want. Sensible, not ostentacious, elegant

and what is more important a car you can’t go wrong with! 10/10 Skoda!

Final Verdict

+ Superb Diesel Exceptional interior finish Good equipment Correct Pricing Safe Handling Feel good factor

Nose design could have been better Skoda’s customer care and service are not all that good. In fact Air India people are better to talk to

Don’t Fiesta on this automatically ! We review the soon to be launched Ford Fiesta Automatic DSG Words : Anjan Ravi

— Quisque Massa

There are a few things you must

Well, you’re wrong. The new Fiesta looks futuristic. It handles a know about me before you read this any further. I was a huge fan lil’ bit better. The engine, I cannot of the old Fiesta. It had everything sugarcoat this one, is abysmal. The old one has a 1600cc Petrol. The a petrolhead like me wanted in a new one has a 1498cc. Ford says car. A brutally fast engine which this was done to increase fuel could kick you in the face and economy. I say, screw fuel hold you in that same position until you scream like a girl and let economy. Seriously Ford, do you think I’ll be concerned about that go of the acclerator! It had the when I’m spending a million handling and driving rupees on a petrol car? And what characterisitcs of a Russian pole good has it done? The old one dancer; composed,taut,energetic and more importantly fun! Inspite does 9.5kpl and the new one manages 11. What it has done is of all this it was a very this: the old one did 100kmph understated car which meant it from standstill in 10.5secs. The wouldn’t look vulgar in a 5 Star new one takes nearly 14! The car Hotel parking lot or a funeral. In has exceptional handling and short I love that car and you stability with a good steering, but would expect me to like the new one as well.

you’ll never get to those speeds in the first place ! Its like a stalker having access to all the facebook profiles, but he can’t view any of the pictures! What good is that? Apart from all this, the Fiesta has interiors which look pretty good, but are made from the cheapest plastics. And all this comes to you at a price of 10 lacs! As a result the sales of this car is pretty bad as well, you don’t encounter them very frequently. Ford is going allout to improve sales. So you might think Ford has learned its lesson. Well, not quite. They have decided 11

to introduce an automatic transmission in the petrol variant.

with a 6 speed DSG which Ford calls PowerShift or some nonsense.

So why is that bad, you may ask. First of all an auto transmission reduces fuel efficiency. Next the price of the car goes up considerably. Finally, auto’s are known for reducing power. The only reason you choose an automatic is becuase you’ve no clue how to shift gears or you don’t have a left leg to press the clutch. There are other negatives too such as higher maintainence and spare parts are expensive. So the decent thing to do would be to introduce an automatic in a diesel. Fuel efficiency goes down but you’re not hurt by that. The car would still be peppy to drive as diesels produce high torque at low speeds. However, thats not the case here, so lets talk about the Fiesta DSG.

The gearbox obviously tends to stay in a higher gear to improve efficiency and this can be irritating when you want to get a quick move on. Tiptronic option is unavailable which is quite

Well, DSG stands for Direct Shift Gearbox. It has two clutches instead of one and each of them operate alternate gears. Well, let me skip the specifics as they are boring.Basically by some witchcraft the car seems smoother and the gear shifts are very fast. At the same time efficiency does not go down all that much. So this car comes

However the engine revs to its redline when you give the pedal a full boot and this is a short respite. Gear shifts are pretty smooth and its easy to drive the car in city. Fuel efficiency will be lower than the manual, even though Ford says it will be nearly similar. The price is expected to be about a lakh more. That means 11 lacs plus the taxes and insurance which is both absurd and stupid.

Feature wise this gearbox has a function which disengages the clutch while coasting and that improves fuel efficiency. However there is a button on the gear lever which will disable this function in case you’re driving downhill. This Fiesta even has Hill Assist

shocking in a Ford. This means that there is a higher power than you in the car, the computer and you have absolutely no manual input.

which keeps the brakes engaged for about 2 seconds after you release them. Useful when you’re going up a slope. Another thing is that Ford says this gearbox has a unique dry sump system which will give it a life of 200,000kms without any problems and this is good. So thats about the Fiesta Auto, now lets see the competition.

Ford Fiesta DSG

Honda City 1.5 i-VTEC AT

Maruti Suzuki SX4 VVT AT

Hyundai Verna 1.6 VTVT AT

Volkswagen Vento 1.6 AT

Skoda Rapid 1.6 AT

The next one out of the list is the Fiesta DSG.Whats the point of paying 11lacs for a car, which I’ve established is pointless?

So obviously we have one clear winner. The Honda City AT, if you must then .But why, you may ask? Well, first of all the car impresses with a good 5 speed unit. Being a Honda gearbox, the issues of efficiency and power lag are well sorted out. This is so good that it even comes with paddle shifts like its bigger sister the Civic and at this price it simply ‘Texas Chainsaws’ the rest of the competition!

As I stated earlier you would have to be crazy to buy any of the cars above in these respective versions. However if you must, we feel its our duty to tell you which one is the best among them.

The Vento and Rapid are basically the same cars here in this avatar. Lets start with eliminating the Both have a decent 6 speed auto baddies first. Don’t buy the SX4 or with tiptronic. They are reasonably Verna Auto. There is no softer way good and at the price they come at of saying they suck! These have only are pretty reasonable. They are 4 gears and the SX4 doesn’t even ‘cheap’ compared to the Fiesta! have a tiptronic. More than that, these feel like a generation older as they lag and efficieny is pretty low.

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Final Verdict

Hassle free Auto

Engine lacks grunt

Good for city driving

Very Expensive

Will be problem-free

Not an upgrade to the old Fiesta

DSG is super quick in gearshifts

Cheap plastics You’ll have to get yourself checked if you bought this car

So thats my take on the Fiesta especially the Fiesta DSG. Now you may think that I’m being unreasonable and the car is not as bad as I say it is. Maybe. But the reason for this negative criticism is because Ford calls this an upgrade to the old Fiesta and thats the part which pisses me off. Its like this. Lets say Godfather Part 3 came out first. If you were asked to rate it, you would give it a good score as it was a good movie. But thats not the case is it? Compared to Parts 1 & 2, 3 was thrash from last week. And thats just the way it is here also! The New Fiesta maybe a decent car. But compare it to the old one and things start going downhill completely. Then there is the absurd price and cheap plastics you deal with. I say, not worth it.

Did you know that when the Bugatti Veyron runs at its top speed, the 100lts fuel tank is emptied in 12 minutes !! To get more of these whacky updates, “like” us on Facebook. Just click the link, its that simple ! facebook.com/PitstopPublications

A Nano for the next Gen ! Words : Raghavan Ravi

additional pep in the city and will be hen Tata Motors released the appreciated by many! This power increase has an effect of Nano they were greeted with fuel economy too and for the good. bouquets and brickbats. Some loved ARAI figures the car will do 25.4kpl it, some did not. However we can as against 23.6 . With rising fuel easily tell you that the car was more costs, every extra kpl counts and the than adequately powerful for the city Nano continues to amaze us with its and decent on the highway as well. efficiency! The car will also be the The fact that it offered more space least polluting vehicle on Indian than cars double the price such as the roads at just about 92 gms of CO2 Swift and i10 amazed us. So when per km! Tata updated the Nano we just had to Exterior wise, the car now features take a look! 10 color choices. Apart from that, the Lets start with one of the most CX and LX get new wheel covers important upgrade which deals with and a passenger side rear view the performance. Power has gone up mirror. from 35 to 37bhp and it twists Inside the car features some rich 5.2kgm of torque as compared to textures. The central console comes 4.8kgm. This power upgrade is more in different shades such as Silver, than enough to give the Nano an Black and Graphite for the LX, CX and Standard respectively. The door

trims are also covered with a good fabric as are the seats. More than what we could ask for! Mechanically the Nano features a new suspension setup with anti roll bars in the front. Booster assisted brakes which were only available on the CX and LX are now standard as well. All these updates have been carried out without any increase in price! So looking at it from any point, the Nano is still the fabulous little car. Its like how the iPhone 4 was updated to the iPhone 4S! It got some essentials and a little bit more to retain its position. The Nano update is like that, all that you could ask for!

bRITZkreig! Fastest review that we ever did! The Ritz review was something that was long overdue. Ever since we did the Swift, the Ritz was in the pipeline. But it stood there for quite some time and when we finally got our hands on one last week, we wanted it to feature in our first issue. Vehicle Courtesy: Mr. S. Mohan Kumar, Owner, System Furniture. The Maruti Suzuki Ritz Diesel LDi

Words : Vignesh Ramakrishnan & Sai Srinivasan

ODO Reading : 34,488km

Pics : Arvind Ramanathan

Overall rating: 7.5 Advice: International material. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let it go. Note: The car featured is a LDi variant. Power windows, music system and alloy wheels were an aftermarket fitment.

Exterior: Design The Ritz is a typical tall boy from the Maruti stable. From a distance, it could be mistaken for the old 2010 model of the Swift due to mild similarities in the headlamp design. The unusual design of the rear C pillar definitely turned some eyes soon after its launch resulting in a rather funky design. Of course, there are two different opinions to that, but it works with us. â&#x20AC;˘

The huge front radiator grille definitely earned some brownie points for the visual appeal. It adds to the sporty feel of the vehicle. The side view mirrors are pretty huge which would supplement the view ability. Going towards the rear, the design signatures are exposed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The rear wheel arches are made more significant which is not an easy feature talking from the design point of view.

â&#x20AC;˘

Ground Clearance

The tall boy stance results in a high ground clearance and reduces the spinal ache in case of long drives. It can clear those road irregularities with ease. No complaints at all in this case. â&#x20AC;˘

Headlight and Tail light styling

The headlamps resemble that of the 2010 Swift and the tail lamps start from the top and go down till the rear bumper very similar fashion to the Tata Indica. The arrangement of the bulb and the reflectors inside the tail lamp units are to be commended on. They look beautiful when illuminated. Both the headlights and tail lights work fine.

•

Wipers

The Ritz comes with standard front wipers which work well. One of the sprayers was clogged and was just coughing out washer liquid. Interiors •

Features

The features include tubeless tyres, body coloured bumpers, rear fog lamp, an3glare interior rear view mirror,

internally adjustable manual ORVM (both sides) Power Steering, etc. It doesn’t come with inbuilt music players and steering wheel angle adjustments. Dash Quality The dash gives a very premium feel. It makes the vehicle look very expensive (It really is, actually, in Maruti terms). There isn’t any chrome strips splattered here and there like the Swift Diesel 2012 model we tested. Maruti has moved on from the primitive knobs and latches used in the cheaper products. There is a lot of utility space available which adds to the practicality.

•

Instrument Cluster

The instrument cluster is quite impressive – except for the sticker that is used in the speedo which is quite a mood kill. The odometer and fuel gauge are digital. No tachometer is available in this variant of the Ritz. •

Interior Design

The Ritz doesn’t come with a flat chassis. The rear seats are mounted on a higher platform and slightly lower than the front seats. The levers work well. They are easily identifiable and locatable. Knobs are available for adjusting the side view mirror angles. •

Driving Position

Tall boy stance vehicles always give you a good driving position. You can see more of the road than usual, if you are used to low stance vehicle. •

Rear Leg Room

The rear leg room is a disappointment. When the front seats are pushed back to the maximum, there is hardly any space for the legs which is not the case with other vehicles from Maruti. It is obvious that this vehicle is designed only for a family of 2 adults and 2 children. •

Comfort and Ride Quality

The comfort and ride quality factors are still very much in the positive side. The air-con is good and cools the cabin quite fast. The front seats are comfortable and the rear seats are satisfactory as well. However, there is no head rest for the rear seats. Given that this one is a diesel drinker, some engine noise does leak into the cabin, but that’s quite within the acceptable range. The ride is smooth and the suspensions are well damped making this a good package. •

Boot Space

The boot space is sufficient if you are going on a family picnic. The rear seats are splitable 60-40. One negative here is that there is no light provided for the boot.

Tech stuff •

Engine

This one runs on an inline 4 cylinder turbo charged common rail diesel engine mounted longitudinally. It is definitely not a quiet engine and is a bit on a high decibel level. The car is still nice to drive and has not lost its enthusiasm.

•

Transmission

The car has a 5 speed manual gearbox. The shifting is slightly glitchy. This is probably due to rough usage but it wouldn’t make a difference once you get used to it. • Tyres and brakes The stock tyres are 165/80 R14s steel wheels. However the owner had replaced them with alloy wheels. They are evenly worn. Coming to the brakes, the front ones have discs and the rear ones have drums – the usual combination. The brakes work well too.

•

Manoeuvring

The power steering was in a really good condition and it adds to the driver’s confidence. It is very easy to drive around corners. ‘U’ turns are a piece of cake. • Suspension The suspensions are in excellent condition. They are soft and prove very good for city driving. The road irregularities are countered very well. The Judgement The Ritz is an international model brought to India. Unlike other international models from European manufacturers, Maruti’s formula for the Indian roads and people has clicked again with the Ritz. If you find a Ritz for a good deal, do not let it go. It is a wonderful piece of international material. Above all, it comes with the reliability of Maruti with service stations all over the country. There is no reason for you to not buy it.

The Usual Suspects ! Whats coming next year ? Don’t buy a new car without reading this first ! Words : Vignesh Ramakrishnan

f you thought 2011 saw a hell

lot of cars coming in, you are in for a heart ache now. When we ﬁrst decided to have an ar3cle on the upcoming cars 2012 has to oﬀer, liKle did we know that there is a whole army wai3ng to brutally aKack the Indian market. Auto majors keep coming out with new variants and launches all through the year, but this 3me

it looks like everybody’s wai3ng for the grand opening of 2012. I have goose bumps when I write this. You’ve no clue what is in stock. AOer a lot of discussion on how to categorize this list in a way that helps you the best, we decided to classify it in terms of vehicle type synchronized with the es3mated cost. There are too many coming in, but we decided to go forth with only those that

can create an impact in your hearts as well as in the market. There are a lot of super cars that are awai3ng launch as well, but we decided to avoid that sec3on because of its Indian imprac3cality. We strongly suggest you wait un3l 2012 for car shopping because it is deﬁnitely going to be worth it.

Stacking the Hatches If you are a ﬁrst 3me buyer, you have too many to look at. Analyze your monthly usage and your requirements. That should help you decide whether you need a diesel or a petrol and the type of vehicle you are looking for.

The Nano Diesel. Well, I honestly ﬁnd the Nano very amusing. It is like seeing a really tall person on very, very short legs, thanks to the really 3ny wheels. Early 2012, the Nano will have a diesel drinking brother to boast about. There are absolutely no changes made with the exterior cosme3cs and it is quite possible that Tata will give it a 800cc diesel heart which they have developed with Bosch. Price – About 2 lakhs.

Maru1 Suzuki 800. This one is going to be Maru3’s slap on the Nano’s and Eon’s face. Maru3 already won over the Eon with their new Alto K-‐10 Explore, but looks like Maru3 is making sure that their ruling region is leO untouched. Yes, the 800 is back and how. Interna3onally called the Suzuki Cervo, it uses the Alto’s skeleton with a mild tall boy stance, but the same 800 cc engine, up-‐ed to Bharat stage V compa3bility. Maru3 is sure to price it below INR 2 lakh and should be available early 2012.

The Chevy Spark 800. Yes, it’s a 800 again. The Chevy Spark sparked a lot of minds on its debut and is coming back with a 800cc petrol heart. It stands compe33on to the Maru3 800, but the pricing maKers a lot. We expect it to be priced somewhere between INR 2.3 lakhs to 2.5 lakhs. GM should launch it early 2012.

The Renault Pulse. Looks like Renault wants to try and put its legs in every segment possible. 2011 saw the Fluence, which did moderately. January 2012 will see the Pulse’s launch. It looks very similar to the parent Nissan’s micra, especially the rear. Renault’s plans are to bring in only the diesel variant. Good strategy there. The Pulse is a premium hatchback and should be priced a notch above the rest in its category at around INR 6 to 7 lakh.

Mahindra Reva NXR –Electric (Obviously) The Reva is not leO behind too. Mahindra will be launching its Reva NXR somewhere in the middle of 2012. Prices may vary with the type of baKery installed with it. The NXR city version comes with more aﬀordable Lead-‐acid baKeries and should give a range of 85 kms to a full charge when driven in economy condi3ons, of course. Prices might vary from 3 to 5 lakh INR. BeKer oﬀ with the 800cc ones eh?

Fiat Punto FaceliI The Punto was always a great car to begin with. The ride and handling was superb, the styling was chic and the car came loaded with features. It even has decent engines though the diesel is the one to buy. The car is scheduled to get a faceliO in early 2012 with marginal price revisions. It includes new bumpers and possibly a refreshed interior as well.

Chevrolet Sail Chevy will replace the Aveo U-‐VA with the Sail next year. The Aveo was a very spacious car which was let down by a pathe3c engine. Hopefully this will be addressed in the Sail which will have the same trump card as the U-‐VA-‐ Space, and lots of it ! Ideally it should be launched in petrol and diesel at a price of about 4-‐6 lacs. At this price, it would be a very formidable contender to the Toyota E3os Liva.

The Minis! I purposely saved this for the last. How can we forget the Minis? BMW wants a share of the hatchback market as well and it looks like they are targe3ng their own customers for this mega-‐premium chick. Italian job anyone? Es3mated star3ng price-‐ INR 20 lakh.

The C-segment. The C segment is the sec3on of vehicles with overall length below the 4 meter mark. 2012 will see manufacturers trying to dominate this sec3on as well. You are bound to come across a lot of cars that already exist, but are reduced in length to fall in the C-‐segment category. Makes any sense? Well, think this way – The smaller, the sexier. Kidding. This is just for capitalizing on the excise duty regula3ons.

The Mahindra Verito. Yes, the same diesel drinking Mahindra Verito with some liposuc3on and fat removal. As you can see, the boot is chopped oﬀ by quite a measure. Good move? Let’s wait and judge. It is placed under the INR 5 lakh margin and is awai3ng launch in early 2012.

The Mahindra mini Xylo. Smaller chassis, smaller engine, smaller budget. Describes it well, I guess. This one scores high in the prac3cality scale, given the fact that it runs on diesel as well. Again, priced under the INR 5 lakh and its launch is expected in early 2012. Our taxi drivers’ new all 3me favorite.

The SwiI D-‐zire. The SwiO D-‐zire is set to capitalize the excise duty regula3ons in the C-‐segment as well. It has a small por3on of the boot chopped oﬀ, just like the Verito to match the category requirements. Will the propor3ons look right at least now?It will carry over the interiors and the nose from the new SwiO hatch. The Dzire is expected in January 2012 and will be posi3oned slightly above the INR 5 lakh margin. Let us wait and watch.

The HM Amby. Woah. Look who wants the C segment aKen3on as well. It is our very own Amby with a chopped boot! HM has a separate group of enthusiasts who buy only Ambassadors. Watch it there, HM. Tricky move. They may not like it anymore. It is priced below the INR 5 lakh margin and is set to release early in 2012. The image shows a spy picture captured by ‘burnyourfuel’

The TATA Manza CS. The TATAs have already tested this par3cular move with the Indigo CS. It’s 3me for the Manza’s boot now to face the axe. Probably, this is what ass kicking would mean to the Manza. Nevertheless, the Manza is a great vehicle and ﬁlled up the gap between the Indigo SL and the SUVs very well thereby strengthening the company’s domina3on in this sector. The image shows a comparison of the old and the new CS version compiled by the guys at ‘teambhp’

Chevrolet Sail Sedan This is the sedan version of the Chevrolet Sail. The nose is very similar to the hatch as well. This car would most likely come out with a 1.4 Petrol and a diesel may follow. This will replace the poor selling Chevrolet Aveo. Priced about 6 lakhs upwards, this will go head on with the E3os, Indigo and the Fiesta Classic.

Ford Eco Sport We are eagerly wai3ng for this Ford ! It will be a mini SUV which looks very exci3ng in the ﬂesh. Though the car may not be capable of going oﬀ road, it will be very prac3cal for our Indian roads. The ride and handling will be like that of a Figo which is very good. Expected to be priced about 6 lakhs upwards.

The Executives The Honda Civic 2012 Looks like the City’s bigger bro is gemng a faceliO as well. Introducing the Civic 2012 -‐ It comes packed with new head lamps and tail lamps and standing a liKle taller than the current version. Honda seems to have recovered from the Thailand ﬂoods preKy fast! No previews on the interiors are available at the moment. It is expected at a star3ng price of INR 12 lakh and launched early 2012.

The Audi A4 face liI The new Audi A4 for 2012 will have diﬀerent LED ligh3ng in the front. Engine op3ons of 2.0L and 3.0L Diesel engines along with a 2.0 and 3.2 petrol will be available. It is expected some3me soon in 2012; around the same 3me as the BMW 3 series launch. The expected star3ng cost is INR 27 lakh.

New BMW 3 series The BMW’s 3 series is the star3ng range of BMW’s saloon stable in India. BMW has already updated the car interna3onally and we should get it soon. The interiors are now a class beKer and resemble a 5 Series! Engine will be tweaked a bit for enhanced economy. The car will be on display at the Auto Show. Es3mated prices begin from INR 25 lakh.

Chevy Cruze 2012 This update for the Chevy’s super seller is just to boost the sales even further. We personally think it’s because the Civic is gemng an update as well. This update will give the Cruze a minor scale exteriors upgrade. It is expected early in 2012 along with the Civic and is compe33vely priced star3ng at around INR 12 lakhs.This image shows the 2011 Cruze version.

Toyota Camry 2012 The Toyota Camry is not a popular vehicle you come across. The Camry is not an in-‐house assembled vehicle and this shows the eﬀect on its cost. Nevertheless, the Camry is a brilliant machine and is respected for its trouble free nature. The exteriors of the new Camry are slightly modiﬁed and there is a good chance that Toyota will boost the engine power output as well. It is expected in August 2012 and starts at INR 22 lakhs.

Hyundai Elantra Yes you read it right. Hyundai is expected to launch the new ﬂuidic Elantra some3me soon. The car will feature a 1.8 petrol and diesel and will be a worthy bigger brother for the current Verna. It looks outstanding and at an expected price of 13 lakhs will be hard to miss !

Hyundai Sonata or i45 Hyundai has not given up on the Sonata yet and the new car is proof enough ! It looks gorgeous and will be available soon next year with a 2.4 petrol and a similar diesel. It will be priced around 17 lakhs and, both the Elantra as well as the Sonata will be on display at the Auto Show. Its unclear if it will be called the i45 or the Sonata.

Jaguar XF FaceliI The Jaguar XF will also receive a faceliO. It will mainly include a new set of head and tail lamps with some minor changes to the interior.The price will be revised slightly.

The SUVs and MPVs Mahindra Ssangyong Korando Partnering with Ssangyong of South Korea, M & M will be launching the Kornado which is more of a mid-‐sized SUV. This may come with both four wheel drive and two wheel drive op3ons. FWD or RWD s3ll remains an unanswered ques3on. We feel it is stupidly priced at INR 15 lakh, because it is more sensible to go for the even bigger and powerful XUV 500 having its highest end variant close to INR 14.5 lakhs.

Audi Q3 Yes, Audi has gone one segment lower to the Q3. With a brilliant price tag of INR 21 lakhs, Audi is sure to kill the Hondra CRV-‐2012. It doesn’t come with SUV ambi3ons, but it is sure to get the aKen3on of the muscle body design lovers. It is expected to be launched in the middle of 2012. Now, this is something exci3ng from the Audi stable.

Toyota Innova 2012 This is the reason why we advised you to not go for the Innova on our facebook page 2 weeks back. The Innova is awai3ng a faceliO early next year with minor exterior and interior changes along with a possible automa3c transmission as well. Price revisions will be minimal.

Toyota Fortuner 2012 Toyota wants to upgrade the Fortuner too. The Fortuner is very popular among the Gulf and Asian countries. The changes can be no3ced in the headlights, bumper and grille, along with diﬀerent tail lamps, rear bumper and alloy wheels. The air-‐ intake duct on the bonnet is also a new feature added in this faceliO. Price is expected to go up.

Honda CRV 2012 The Honda CRV is back with a new skeleton and more muscle lines. There are a lot of exterior modiﬁca3ons made, but the iden3ty is s3ll maintained. You can s3ll make out that it’s a CRV. This 3me, Honda is bringing out a i-‐DTEC diesel engine as well and thats the only possible way to increase their sales. This one is a global version and is not India speciﬁc. It is expected early in 2012 with a star3ng price tag of INR 21 lakh.

TATA Safari Merlin It is high 3me the Safari got a faceliO. I guess TATA almost forgot about this product from their stable. The 2012 version will have new headlamps and tail lamps. The front bumper also seems to have some modiﬁca3ons. Prices are expected to start at INR 8 lakh. We can expect the launch some3me in early 2012.

Renault Duster The Duster is a mini soO road SUV from the house of Nissan-‐Renault. It is built on the same Logan plaqorm. It is expected to be available in 2 separate diesel versions and have a sub-‐ INR 10 lakh price tag. It is expected some3me mid-‐2012. Prices will start at 8 lakhs.

Chevy Cap1va faceliI The Cap3va will recieve a faceliO very soon and the car is expected to be released in the Auto Show. Price changes may be minimal and what is important is the nosejob the car has received. It now corresponds to the interna3onal version in terms of looks.

Maru1 Suzuki Er1ga This will be a 7 Seater car from MSIL which will be launched in the Auto Expo. Priced at about 7 lakhs, it will be terriﬁc value. This will also be the ﬁrst car to feature the 1.4 Petrol K-‐Series . A 1.3 DDiS will also be included. Cau3on Innova, you have compe33on !

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Trick or Treat ! This is a different sort though. This month, Aravind tells you something about fuel economy. Words : Aravind

Here are a few things you can do today to get better fuel efficiency from your existing vehicle: 1. Start tracking ! If you don't know where you started, how do you know the distance ? Starting today track your fuel mileage. This is the first step in improving your mileage. 2. Bhaag D.K Bose ! Accelerating gradually and smoothly conserves a great deal of fuel. Wheel spinning starts, weaving in and out of traffic and hard braking wastes fuel and wears out some of the car components such as brakes and tires quickly. Maintain a safe distance between vehicles and anticipate traffic conditions to allow for more time to brake and accelerate gradually. 3. Don't hurry to the next signal Do not attain speed unless there is room to use it. If there is another stop light in a short distance, there is no use of going fast. Why pay for acceleration only to brake and waste the gas required ? 4. Don’t have a ‘Panga’ with aggressive drivers Let aggressive drivers pass by at the first opportunity. It's easier that way. If they keep honking, you may find yourself driving in an unsafe and inefficient way as well. It's better to let them by, smile and wave as they storm by in hasty frustration; letting them waste their own fuel to going nowhere fast. 5. Coast down hills Whenever you get the chance, let gravity (that mysterious and wonderful force that affects all earthbound bodies) naturally drag you and your car downhill . The beauty here is that the steeper the hill, the faster you go (and this is with your foot nowhere near the gas pedal). It's like a free ride as long as the road is clear of traffic and you're not exceeding the speed limit. Of course - keep a watchful eye ! 6. Check your tyre pressure regularly Keep tires properly inflated. This alone can reduce the average amount of fuel used by 3-4 percent. Under-inflated tires increase rolling resistance and reduce fuel economy. Check the vehicle's door-post sticker for minimum cold tyre inflation pressure. 7. Switch off your engine at the signal When your vehicle’s engine is idling its 0 kpl. It is more efficient to turn the engine off while you wait and start the car when you move. It is recommended that you switch off your car anytime you are waiting for more than 10 seconds. 32

8. Use the Highest Gear Possible

To improve your fuel economy, drive in the highest gear possible while cruising. 9. Slow before entering a curve When you see a curve ahead, lift off the throttle and let friction between your tires and the road surface reduce your speed. At about halfway through, gently begin to accelerate for the straight stretch ahead. If you do this just so, you never have to touch the brake pedal. 10. Keep Your Car Clean

Keeping your car washed and waxed may reduce drag and improve aerodynamics. Highly aerodynamic cars will yield noticeable improvement, and the cleaner they are the better they look! 11. Consider Replacing Worn Out Tires with Low Rolling Resistance Tires

Low rolling resistance tires are designed to improve fuel economy by reducing the amount of friction it takes to push the car along the road. The tyre's inflation pressure, weight, tread design, and materials contribute to how easy the tyre rolls along. 12. Choose the correct oil Use good quality oil with the viscosity grade recommended in the owner guide.

Need a ‘Trick or Treat’ on any specific topic ? Do not hesitate to ask us ! Just mail us at feedback@autocarma.in with your query and we will get back to you . Its that simple !

Am I lost ?? Women drivers aren’t the only one’s with no sense of direction. Thankfully Sai Srinivasan is here to help out !

Words : Sai Srinivasan

SATGUIDE 5.0 Navigator with Bluetooth and Media Design: This navigator is like a typical tablet, though it is very sleek and easily fixable to your car as it is very thin. The wide screen helps accessing the device easier. Navigation: This device comes with pre-built turn by turn voice guidance for almost any place within India and in case if some place is left out we can input the co-ordinates of a required destination and it will calculate the route based on existing roads. We can mark our favourite destinations for easy access and rerouting is pretty fast. Bluetooth Connectivity: This helps the device to be synced up with your phone to make calls and reading texts directly on your device which is quite helpful while driving. It is compatible with a wide range of phones from iPhones to basic Nokia phones with Bluetooth! J Media: The Satguide can also double up as a media player for music, videos and for viewing images. Additional features: Rear-view camera support through AV-in, e-book reader, FM transmitter to stream your music at a particular frequency within a short range and a calculator.

Technical specs : Price: Rs.10,990/Display & type: 5” touchscreen TFT touchscreen Dimensions: 180(L) x 125(W) X 95 (H) mm Weight: 198g CPU: MT3351 468MHz with Atlas IV GRF 3i+ GPS chipset+ Memory: 2Gb flash with 64Mb RAM with upto 8Gb extendable memory Battery: 1100 mAh Display resolution: 480 x 272 Pixels Other Info: USB V2.0 Wall and car charger included

Final Verdict This product serves your requirement for a navigator as well as a media player and comes with everything you’d need including maps, device holder, car charger etc. The ba<ery life is good enough for long drives. It will be cheaper to go for a basic variant that comes without media op>ons. A worthy buy overall.

LIFTOFF ! Nissan has opened bookings for the Sunny Diesel. Has a 1.5 Diesel with 85BHP. Available in two variants: XL @ 7.98lacs and XV @ 8.78lacs . For more of these instant updates “like” us on fb. Just click the link below !

facebook.com/PitstopPublications

So,What do you think ? is what we asked a few people. Here’s what they had to say . Firstly we have Shreyas Hande who is a proud Tata Nano owner. Here’s what he shares with us.

When I was asked whether I would

and slim tail lights and a big rear bumper (and a spoiler which is only write something on my TATA for higher end version) with a sporty NANO, I immediately answered with mesh adds much more aesthetics to a big fat smile on my face. I thought the USP of the car. this is one article which I would Another reason why I like this car is thoroughly enjoy writing. When Ratan Tata announced that he would that you sit much higher and the view through the wide windscreen is be making a ‘People’s car’ costing superb, with visibility that is better only one lakh, it was immediately met with skepticism and criticism but than many of the other small cars in he proved them all wrong during the the market. This is due to the higher seating position, which incidentally Auto show at Delhi in Jan 2008 by revealing the TATA NANO. It was a also makes the whole business of proper car and a good looking one at getting in and getting out much more that. Representatives of international simpler and easy. car manufacturers crowded around it and it was splashed in the media all over the world. The car was an immediate hit. Orders started pouring in and the critics were silenced by the excellent reviews.

response thereby removing the need for power steering. The gear shifting is also smooth and light. This is one of the reasons why this car is quite a hit in the cities; it can easily maneuver out of traffic and is also quite good in highways. The car reaches a maximum speed of 110kmph and at this speed it starts wobbling and shaking a little but it can easily cruise at 90kmph in highways.

And as a city commuter it is excellent, the fact of the matter is that it takes the smallest amount of road space amongst all cars in India which should be seen a big plus because of the congestions and traffic jams in the Indian scenario. The fuel efficiency of this lightweight car is one very attractive feature; it is rumored that the car manages almost One look at the car and you get the 25-30kpl but I have managed only an sense of space which is much more average of 22kpl. This car also than that of Maruti 800, in fact it is satisfies the social aspect of more spacious than Hyundai i10 or producing lesser carbon foot print any other cars in its class. The first producing as much CO2 as that of a and most striking feature of the car is Toyota Prius. A major plus point for air intake behind the sharp recess in The interiors are also not bad and are eco friendly buffs like me. Though the rear door very much like the actually quite good with properly the engine noise may sound a bit like Lamborghini Murcielago. Not only placed knobs which are placed quite that of an auto rickshaw (sometimes does it make this small car look high along with the instrument it is like Tata Indica), the rear terrifically sporty for its price and cluster which do not obstruct the location of the engine helps in size, it also feeds much needed air vision of the driver. Moreover the leg reducing the noise level. In fact, with into the engine which is cramped in room at the front and the back is very the windows rolled up, the noise the rear of the car. The very impressive. The steering is level is also quite low and even at aerodynamically curvy rear with tall fairly good and it gives a good 36

max speed it’s quite refined. It has only one windshield wiper and no side view mirror on the left door. It is the only compromise on safety features. Other than this, the safety features of the Nano are quite commendable. The seats are not of split type and are made up of one single mold. They look like bucket seats and have a racy feel in them. These above reasons are more than enough for a person to like any car besides, this is the car in which I

learnt to drive thereby justifying my love for this car. Many people compare this car to be a fancy soap box having E.T’s face. Actually it does look like E.T courtesy the bonnet (actually should be called a nose as it doesn’t have an engine beneath it) with a sharp crease and the head lights. Many people even compare it to a soap box (even the CEO of carma calls it this way) because of its looks but these are what makes this car beautiful and sporty and quite frankly a world wide hit.

A proud Shreyas with his Nano. Notice how he’s pinned up the Indian flag as well ! Are you reading this Tata ?

If you have any queries on this article, Shreyas Hande can be contacted at shreyas1991@gmail.com We would like to take this oppurtunity to thank Shreyas for taking time to write that exhaustive report. It delights us to read what you people think !

So you read Shreyas’ article on the Nano ? Think you can write something too ? Then quit yabbin’ and start writin’ already ! We would love to hear from you ! Mail us at carma.automagazine@gmail.com

So,What do you think ? is what we asked a few people. Here’s what they had to say . Our next person is rather different. She knows that cars have four wheels. So how are cars viewed from a “non-auto” enthusiast ? Well we had to find out. This is Namrata Ganti on her take of our four wheeled friends.

CARS!! Well what can I say?? I’m not a car enthusiast or a fana>c as many of you are!! For me cars are a means of geFng to where you want to go. They are a safer means of transport than two wheelers. But yes I will agree on one point. I ﬁnd cars fascina>ng. I may not know the model, type etc, but I deﬁnitely share the love that your average person may have for cars and know how to appreciate them. On any normal day especially from geFng to college and back, I pass the BMW showroom and gosh I love the cars. I look out at the showroom >ll we cross it! I admit openly I have no idea about the model or the mileage or anything for that ma<er. But I love the

style, the image and the elegance of the best way to travel around and be cars. independent, not depending on parents or public transport. I can go anywhere I Okay back there I got carried away by want at my convenience. What’s more the high end names. I do for instance driving around with friends and imagine and wonder what it would be spending >me on all those long drives is like to own a Porsche or a Lamborghini, something I miss out on which I’d love how it would be to open the door of a to experience. Those moments of fun, Ferrari and walk out onto the street driving around with music on full with everyone staring at me and my car. volume and screaming your head oﬀ!! But let me stop here for a second and Wow!! Those are the kind of memories back track. Forget those cars. I can just we can make and retain with us forever. look at the normal cars anyone would drive around especially on the streets of Okay I guess I’ve said enough. I just our city, and no I don’t count those want to say that even though I may not driving around in Volkswagen’s, and I be a car fana>c, I am a car lover and I admire them for what they are. admire cars as much as the next person does!! Well let me be frank here. If I were earning and I had an opportunity to buy a car that would be awesome! It’s the

Once again we would like to thank Namrata for sending that in. She can be contacted at nammu91@gmail.com

Topic of cars comes up and the movie is the only thing you can think of ? Never mind, we would still love to hear from you ! Especially our female audience who have no clue about the car you want to buy. Just shoot the questions ! Write in to us at carma.automagazine@gmail.com or visit our

website autocarma.in

The News Words & Design : Anjan Ravi

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA For the first time after recession, the auto industry has shown a positive growth. Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revival plan seems to be working finally!

UNITED KINGDOM The new series of TopGear will start soon. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an India Special as well on December 28th.

INDIA The Auto Expo 2012 will be held in Delhi from January 7-11 .We are as excited as you are !

JAPAN GERMANY BMW has unveiled its latest 6 Series Gran Coupe. Its a four door version of the 6 Series and will compete head on with the Audi A7 and Mercedes CLS Class. Coming to India soon!

A supercar pile up involving Ferraris, Lambhorghini and Mercedes. This is said to be the worst supercar accident of all times . May their horses rest in piece.

We bring you highlights of the F1 Season that was.

Words : Praveen Srikanth

'The Iceman returns to F1'

enault had a pretty bad season last year after

Robert Kubica crashed in a rally competition sustaining multiple fractures and failed to make an impact last season. But this is about to change as Renault have managed to sign Kimi Raikkonen on a two year contract as a replacement for Kubica. Raikkonen was a world champion in 2007 when he was racing for Ferrari. This would mean that next year we would be seeing six world champions face off in the track. Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Racing, Michael Schumacher for Mercedes GP, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton for Mclaren Mercedes and Fernando Alonso for Ferrari would be the other world champions alongside Raikkonen. Raikkonen was racing in the World Rally Championships and had this to say on his return to F1. “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault

TN - 07 -

GP for offering me this opportunity,” said Raikkonen. “My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming.” “It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team's ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid,” he added. He would be racing along side Frenchman Romain Grosjean who was earlier with them in 2009. Will Renault be able to recreate the magic they once did with Alonso is something only time will tell.

' Pirelli P Zero tyres – A story in statistics'

this year’s 19 Grand Prix weekends. But sometimes a healthy dose of facts and figures can press a point home.

Did you know, for example, that the highest speed reached by a Pirelli tyre in 2011 was 349.2 km/h, which was set by Sauber’s Sergio Perez during qualifying at Monza; or that 10,200 kilogrammes of rubber was deposited on tracks during this season? And that’s just for starters…

ou don’t need to be a number-crunching

statistics fan to appreciate how successful Pirelli’s debut season as Formula One racing’s official tyre supplier has been. The impact the Italian manufacturer has had on the sport has been pretty clear throughout

Tyres - Total number of tyres provided for the season (dry and wets): race tyres: 24,000 dry tyres; 4,600 wet tyres plus an additional 6,000 for the tests - Total number of tyres used: dry tyres: 21,100; wet tyres: 2,900 - Total kilogrammes of rubber deposited on track in 2011: 10,200 - Number of tyres recycled during 2011: All, i.e. 28,600 race tyres plus 6,000 test tyres - Average life span of a dry compound this season: 120 kilometres

Tracks and races - Tracks which puts the most energy into a tyre per km (lateral, braking, traction, etc.): Barcelona and Suzuka - Track which puts the least energy into a tyre per km (lateral, braking, traction, etc.): Monza - Longest continuous energy input into a tyre: Istanbul (Turn Eight) - Track with the ‘easiest’ corners in terms of tyres: Montreal - Longest race of the year: Montreal at 4hours 4 minutes and 39.537 seconds - Shortest races of the year: Monza at 1hr 20m 46.272s - Pole position lap records broken: 11 - Race lap records broken: two - Most laps led on Pirelli tyres: 739 (Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel) - Highest speed reached by a P Zero F1 tyre: 349.2 km/h (Sauber’s Sergio Perez during Monza qualifying)

Pit stops - Total number of pit stops for the year: 1,111 (of which 22 were for drive-through penalties and four for stop-go penalties) - Average number of total stops per race: 58.4, i.e. 2.25 per driver - Most pit stops in a race: Hungary (88 - of which three were drive-through penalties) - Least pit stops in a race: Italy (35) - Fastest pit-stop time: 2.82 seconds (Mercedes, Chinese Grand Prix)

Overtaking - Number of overtaking manoeuvres (most in world championship history): 1,120 (after Abu Dhabi) - Most overtaking manoeuvres in a dry race (= most ever): 126 at the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix - Most overtaking manoeuvres in a wet race (= most ever): 125 at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix

'The 2011 season' The 2011 season was perhaps the best we have seen in quite some time. For a moment one might think that it was all about Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull Racing team . But there was a lot more to the season than just that. There was a continuous battle between the top 8 drivers and it reached a peak with the incidents involving Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa. The season featured 5 World Champions and 3 new drivers. The season started off on a grim note with Robert Kubica pulling out of the season due to injuries sustained in a crash in a rally race. Some key changes in the technical aspects of the cars were the re

introduction of the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which gives an extra 80bhp per lap for a short amount of time. This reduced the lap times by about 0.3 of a second which is considerable in F1. However this technology was implemented by only the major teams. The biggest attraction of the season and probably the reason why it was such an exciting one was the unlimited overtaking action on the track. The credit for this goes to the DRS (Drag Reduction System) and the tyres provided by Pirelli who were named as the sole tyre supplier for the season. The DRS implemented an adjustable rear wing which could be operated from the 41

cockpit in certain sections of the race track in order to make the car more aerodynamically slippery.

The 2011 season was more of a statergic one as on the Pirelli tyres a car with tyres even one lap older would lose considerable time on the run. Thus the timing of the pitstops came to the forte as the pitstops can turn out to be the make or break event for a driver. There were of course numerous controversies but they are a part and parcel of the sport and is there every year. The season was won halfway by Vettel who scored 11 victories out of the 19 races. Of the remaining 8, six of them were equally shared by the two Mclaren drivers and Alonso and Webber took one apiece. Vettel made tremendous use of the machinery provided to him by the team and showed even greater maturity. He beat Nigel Mansell's record by taking 15 pole positions this season and was a contender for equalling Michael Schumacher's most race wins in a season. The Red Bull RB7, created by the Red Bull Team was an Engineering Masterpiece and it was undoubtedly the best car of the season. It made the cars of the established teams such as Ferrari and Mclaren look as a joke. Lewis Hamilton is quoted to have said that the current Red Bull car is impossible to keep up with. There were some minor problems with the car such as Webber's KERS problem earlier on in the season and the blown tyre and gearbox problem for Vettel in the last two races. But on the whole the car was solid gold. It was not all plain sailing for Mclaren as they had major problems in the preseason testing. But they came back to create a car which would possibly be the nearest competitor to the RB7. With victories from Hamilton in China, Germany and Abu Dhabi and Button in Canada, Hungary and Japan they finished second in the constructors table. Button's win in Canada was probably one of the best wet weather drives of the sport. First there was the terrible weather 42

at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, then the collision between the McLaren team mates which put Hamilton out. Then there was a drive-through penalty for Button for speeding behind the safety car, followed by stoppage of the race for two agonising hours because of the conditions. Then, as he fought back from last place after the restart, Button collided with Alonso, caught and passed a duelling Webber and Schumacher, then relentlessly pushed Vettel into a slide on the final lap which enabled him to slither by to snatch a sensational victory.

Ferrari's season was a story of agony and struggles with some brief moments of past glory. The 150 Italia's major problem was its performance with the harder Pirelli compounds which meant the drivers lost precious time each time they strapped on the harder tyres. Another major news concerning Ferrari was the history of collisions between Massa and Hamilton (where the fault was equally distributed on both the drivers). The other teams failed to make an impact with the next two best teams being Mercedes GP and Force India. For Mercedes both Rosberg and Schumacher were not able to keep up with the better and faster cars meaning Mercedes did not have a great season. Force India probably had their best season and resulted sixth overall. Di Resta clearly showed a lot of promise keeping in mind that it was his first season and along side Sutil they managed to make it a pretty good season comparitively.

'2012 Driver Lineups and Teams' The talk of the town has been the return of Kimi Raikkonen for Lotus Renault F1 which means that there will be six world champions facing off from the grid. Renault F1 has been renamed as Lotus and Lotus has been named Caterham after they solved their differences in quite an ugly court scene. Virgin has been renamed as Marussia. List of Drivers and Teams Red Bull Racing: 1. Sebastian Vettel (Deutschland) 2. Mark Webber (Australia) McLaren Mercedes: 1. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) 2. Jenson Button (Great Britain) Ferrari: 1. Fernando Alonso (Spain) 2. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Mercedes: 1. Michael Schumacher (Deutschland) 2. Nico Rosberg (Deutschland) Lotus Renault: 1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) 2. Romain Grosjean (France) Force India Mercedes: 1. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) 2. Paul di Resta (Great Britain) Sauber Ferrari: 1. Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) 2. Sergio Perez Mendoza (Mexico) STR Ferrari: 1. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) 2. Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Williams Renault: 1. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuala) 2. TBA Caterham Renault: 1. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) 2. Jarno Trulli (Italy) HRT: 1. Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) 2. TBA Marussia Cosworth: 1. Timo Glock (Deutschland) 2. Charles Pic (France)

'FIA gives green light for Austin GP' Formula 1 is set to return to the United States in 2012 as a place was confirmed in the Calendar after organisers revealed that they have reached agreement with the Formula One Management over the new race at Austin, Texas. “We want to thank the fans who supported us, the local officials and businesses who have encouraged us, the State of Texas, Circuit of The Americas staff and Bernie (Ecclestone) himself,” said Red McCombs, chairman of McCombs Enterprises and founding partner of Circuit of The Americas. Confirmation of Circuit of The Americas’ 10-year race contract means engineering and construction teams will now resume work on the track to ensure completion for its 2012 debut, scheduled on the FIA calendar for November 18. Circuit of The Americas will be the first purpose-built Formula One Grand Prix facility in the United States designed for any and all classes of racing. The master plan features a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and race use. Built around a state-of-the-art 3.4-mile circuit track with capacity for 120,000 fans and an elevation change of 133 feet, the facility is designed for any and all classes of racing.

The Car chase is EPIC !

Words : Anjan Ravi

enlists the help of his live-in artist girlfriend Cathy over the weekend igh profile San Francisco and as she sees for the first time Police Lieutenant Frank Bullitt is with what he deals every day, she asked personally by ambitious wonders if he is indeed the man Walter Chalmers, who is in town with whom she should be. to hold a US Senate This movie is the Godfather of all subcommittee hearing on those which have car organized crime, to guard chases. The car chase WATCH IT ! Johnny Ross, a Chicago scene in Bullitt is still If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re an auto-enthusiast youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re bound to love based mobster who is acknowledged to this movies on cars. This months movie is Bullitt. about to turn evidence day ! against the organization Steve Mc Queen at the hearing. Chalmers specially requested for wants Ross' safety at all cost, or Chalmers are not telling them the full story to protect Ross properly. the original exhaust sounds from else Bullitt will pay the the cars. Hence the sound which Without telling Bennet or an consequences. Bullitt and his you hear is actually the noise incensed Chalmers, Bullitt team of Sergeant Delgetti and which the car made and not an clandestinely moves Ross while Detective Carl Stanton have after effect . Ross in protective custody for 48 he tries to find out who is after All this in 1968 ! Encore please !! Ross, and why Ross has hours over the weekend until Ross provides his testimony that seemingly made it so easy for "them" to find him. As Bullitt upcoming Monday. Bullitt's

immediate superior, Captain Bennet, gives Bullitt full authority to lead the case, no questions asked for any move Bullitt makes. When an incident occurs early during their watch, Bullitt is certain that Ross and/or

All in Pics ! Reader Abishek Narayan sent us this picture of an Audi A4. More than the car, its the way the image has been captured with the background and the turn which captured our attention ! Great snap !

We want it more than you do ! This could be the worlds most expensive cardboard box !

Tom Cruise was publicising for the latest MI . This was his obvious choice the BMW i8 ! Caught in Mumbai during the shooting .

The Japan supercar tragedy . It really made us cry !

Caught a supercar or something interesting on cam ? Send it over ! Just mail it to carma.automagazine@gmail.com

Thats all folks ! Trust us, we wish we could go on ! However, we will be back next month ! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ! Drive sober !

- The CARMA. Team

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