Motown India August 2014

50

VOL-4 • ISSUE-11 • AUGUST 2014

INDIA

WWW.MOTOWNINDIA.COM

lamborghini huracan NOW IN INDIA FOR 3 Cr. PLUS

Porsche Macan for 98.18 lakh

BMW ActiveHybrid 7

FIRST DRIVE

FIRST DRIVE

in India for 1.35 crore

Tata Zest

2014 Volkswagen Polo FIRST DRIVE

Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG

Sonalika Group Tractors on a high, Rhino takes a beating

SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL Auto components industry

B2B SECTION PAGES 63-86

National Engineering Industries Ltd., Khatipura Road, Jaipur – 302006 CIN: L29130WB1946PLC013643 | Phone: +91 141 222 3221 | Fax: +91 141 222 1926 | E-mail: neisales@nbcbearings.in

EDITOR’S NOTE

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he July 2014 issue of Motown India was a resounding success. We had not only reduced the price of the magazine to 50 but also repackaged the entire magazine in order to make it more youthful and contemporary. As a result we

enhanced our readership and surprisingly got new subscriptions too.

In this issue we have driven the Audi A3 and the Tata Zest, cars which will soon be available for sale in India. We also drove the new Polo from Volkswagen. We tested the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG on the F1 race track at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. We also got to do some off-roading with the Audi Q7. We rode the TVS Star City + motorcycle and came back very impressed by the two-wheeler from the TVS Group. The Volvo S60 which we drove impressed us with its features and styling.

The Lamborghini Huracan is now in India. The car was launched globally in March this year. For the uber rich in India, it could cost upwards of 3 crore. We have a brief report

on this latest development. Meanwhile, the new Porsche Macan has been launched in Mumbai and we felt both these cars deserve a place on the cover of the magazine.

There is also plenty of news on the motorsport front with F1 dominating the section.

The B2B section has an in depth South India Special report on the auto component industry. It’s exhaustive and interesting. There is also exclusive news on the Sonalika Group of Punjab. We are the first ones to report on the company’s failed experience with the Rhino multi utility vehicle project. While the company’s tractor business is doing well, its MUV project has not been able to cope with modern day competition.

Even though the company did not share the exact details we had sought from them, we have put together a realistic picture of their passenger vehicle project.

We wish our readers a very happy Independence Day!

P. Tharyan ptharyan@motownindia.com ptharyan@gmail.com

EDITOR P. Tharyan -------------------------News Coordinator & Design Head Jisha P Senior Photographer Mohd. Nasir Sr. Correspondents Avdesh Kumar, Seema Paul Correspondents Joshua David Luther, Rahul Kapoor S. Madhavan, Tripti Singh, Jasbeer Kohli -------------------------For Editorial, contact (editorial@motownindia.com editorial.motown@gmail.com) -------------------------For Marketing & Sales contact Anuj Srivastava, Kunal Choksi (sales@motownindia.com +91-9958125645) -------------------------For Accounts Contact Ankit Sharma (ankit@motownindia.com +91-9654005547) -------------------------For Circulation & Subscription Contact Dalip Singh Bagdwal (subscription@motownindia.com +91-9811305822) -------------------------EDITORIAL DELHI OFFICE 145 B/9, First Floor, Kishangarh, Next to United Free Church, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110070, Tel: 011-26122758/59, Tele Fax: 011-26122757 -------------------------DISTRIBUTED BY Central News Agency, New Delhi -------------------------EDITORIAL CONTENT The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the contents in the magazine are correct. However, he can accept no responsibility for any effects from errors or omissions.

Any unauthorised reproduction of Motown India content is strictly forbidden.

-------------------------Motown India is printed, published, edited and owned by Punnoose Tharyan and published from 4058 / D-4, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070.

Printed at Pearl Printers, C-105, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi.

This issue of Motown India magazine contains 88 pages including both covers.

August 2014 I 3

Contents B2C SECTION

PAGES 6-62

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN

NOW IN INDIA FOR 3 CR. PLUS

10

NEWS

FIRST DRIVE MERCEDES-BENZ CLA 45 AMG

LUNACY AT ITS BEST WHEELZ & ROADZ

38

MOTORSPORT

14

Porsche Macan now in India for 98.18 lakh

26

First Drive : Audi A3 Sedan 35TDI - Global Star

48

Daniel Ricciardo takes season’s 2nd win in Hungary

16

BMW ActiveHybrid 7 in India for 1.35 crore

30

First Drive : Tata Zest Almost the best

50

Fourth win of season for Nico Rosberg

22

Honda Mobilio for 6.49 lakh onward

34

First Drive : New Volkswagen Polo - Simply Delightful!

53

Quadruple victory for MINI at Baja Aragon (Spain)

B2B SECTION SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL

68

PAGES 63-86 SONALIKA GROUP

TRACTORS ON A HIGH, RHINO TAKES A BEATING

AUTO COMPONENTS: SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL Closer To ‘Detroit’

TECHNOLOGY

78

BMW Motorrad brings out first ever cornering ABS

79

Volvo Buses and ABB in electromobility cooperation

81

Now a truck that drives itself from Mercedes-Benz

4 I August 2014

65

MOTOWN TAKE

01

Celebration time!! Photo by Matthias Hangst

Germany, home to some of the best automobile brands in the world, defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Pictures courtesy: Getty Images for Sony

German players celebrate winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Final match between Germany and Argentina at Maracana on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images for Sony)

6 I August 2014

Singer Shakira at the closing ceremony.

Photo by Matthias Hangst

Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany celebrates. Photo by Laurence Griffiths.

Mario Goetze of Germany scores his team’s first and only goal. Photo by Jamie McDonald

August 2014 I 7

MOTOWN TAKE

02

With 707hp, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat features the most powerful V-8 engine ever produced

by Chrysler Group – the supercharged 6.2-litre HEMI V-8. The all-new V-8 engine can be mated with an upgraded six-speed manual transmission or a beefy, new TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic – the first such gearbox ever offered in the Dodge Challenger SRT’s timehonoured segment. Chrysler of US is now part of the Fiat Group of Italy.

8 I August 2014

August 2014 I 9

NEWS

Lamborghini Huracan now in India for 3 crore plus E

Pictures courtesy : Lamborghini

ven before it was officially launched in March 2014, the Lamborghini Huracán obtained 700 orders globally.

The Huracán LP 610-4, successor to the iconic Gallardo, will now be available in India.

According to sources, a couple of cars have landed at the Mumbai airport and would make their way to dealerships in Mumbai and Delhi.

In Europe, the Huracán is priced at 169,500.00 Euro, excluding taxes ( 1.44 crore approx).

In India, with a 100pc import duty and other margins, the car is expected to cost upwards of

10 I August 2014

3 crore. The Indian dealership of Lamborghini currently sells the Aventador LP 700-4 and the LP 700-4 Roadster at a price of 3.69 crore and 4.77 crore approximately.

The name Huracán is that of a fighting bull of the Spanish Conte de la Patilla breed who fought in August 1879 in Alicante. The bull was almost invincible. And so is the Huracán LP 610-4. From complete LED technology for its lights to an innovative cockpit with 12.3-inch TFT display that can be configured in a number of different modes and provides the driver

with all key information in a virtual format, the car has a lot to offer. It has a newly conceived hybrid chassis that unites carbon-fiber and aluminum components. As for the engine, the new V10 engine in the Huracán generates its phenomenal propulsion from a displacement of 5.2 litres. It produces a power output of 610bhp at 8,250rpm and a maximum torque of 560Nm at 6,500rpm. It has a top speed of more than 325kmph and the acceleration figures – zero to 100kmph in 3.2 seconds, zero to 200kmph in 9.9 seconds .

NEWS

New Generation Porsche Cayenne to come in 4 versions

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he new generation of the Cayenne will be launched in four versions in the United States. These will be the Cayenne Diesel, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, and the world premiere of the Cayenne S E-Hybrid. The S E-Hybrid is the first plug-in hybrid in the premium SUV segment. Thus, now, along with the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the 918 Spyder, Porsche becomes the world’s only car manufacturer to offer three plug-in hybrid models.

The new Porsche Cayenne S comes with an entirely new 3.6 litre twin-turbo V6 engine.

Developed entirely by Porsche, the engine shows both improved performance and fuel economy compared to its predecessor.

Ever since Cayenne was introduced by Porsche, the sports car in the SUV segment has done well for itself. It produced over 276,000 first generation vehicles from 2002 to 2010. The company produced approximately 303000 units of the second generation Cayenne from 2010 onward.

The design of the front body, the front fenders and the hood are entirely new.

Another new feature are the airblades, which

12 I August 2014

are air fins located on the right and left of the vehicle’s front end used to guide air to the intercoolers for cooling, while also making a strong visual statement.

The car comes fitted with Bi-Xenon headlights, which are standard on the Diesel, S, and S E-Hybrid models, with “hovering” four-point LED daytime running lights.

Standard on the top model, the Cayenne Turbo, are high performance LED headlights with the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS).

The layout of the rear lights creates a three-dimensional effect; the brake lights – like the LED daytime running lights in front – are designed in four elements. The license plate recess, tailgate handle and lights are now integrated more elegantly into the tailgate lid. The vehicle’s horizontal lines were also re-designed, giving the vehicle an even fuller stance on the road. The newly designed exhaust tailpipes are now integrated in the lower rear fascia.

The Cayenne S E-Hybrid has a lithium-ion traction battery with an

energy capacity of 10.8 kWh, which enables pure electric driving. The power of the electric motor was more than doubled, from 47 hp to 95 hp, resulting in an all-electric top speed of around 125kmph. Combined with the 3.0 litre supercharged V6 (333 hp), a total system power of 416 hp at 5,500 rpm and a total system torque of 435 lb.-ft. from 1,250 to 4,000 rpm is available. Zero to 100kmph takes 5.4 seconds and the SUV has a top speed of 243kmph. The traction battery can be charged from the electric power grid or while driving. Porsche Car Connect is standard on this vehicle, and allows the driver to pull relevant vehicle data from a smart phone.

RNI No DEL ENG/2010/34562

NEWS

Porsche Macan now in India for 98.18 lakh

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hile globally a new Cayenne is being introduced, in India Porsche has introduced an all-new Macan (the Indonesian name for tiger), the world’s first sports car in the compact SUV segment.

This marks the company’s move into a new segment, following in the footsteps of the brand’s most successful model in the luxury SUV range, the Cayenne.

The Macan Turbo will cost 1,08,98,000 while the Macan S Diesel will cost 98,18,000. The prices are ex showroom Maharahstra. Anil Reddi, Director of Porsche India, said that with the introduction of the Macan, Porsche offers a real sports car in the dynamically growing compact SUV segment for the first time.

14 I August 2014

The new Macan boasts of sporty handling characteristics that have become synonymous with the Porsche brand. Many of the design and performance elements in the Macan have been inspired by the brand’s sports cars, including the iconic 911 and the revolutionary 918 Spyder.

Two models are available for order in India, the Macan Turbo and the Macan S Diesel.

The Macan Turbo is the most powerful petrol-powered vehicle in the compact SUV segment. The 3.6-litre V6 biturbo engine, which is being used in a Porsche model for the very first time, generates 400 hp of power and pushes the vehicle from 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.6 seconds (with Sport Chrono package), reaching a top speed of 266 km/h.

The Macan S Diesel with its 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel engine achieves a fuel consumption figure of just 6.9 litres/100 km (14.4 kmpl) as per the European driving cycle. The vehicle accelerates from 0 to 100 km in just 6.1 seconds, when fitted with the Sport Chrono package, with engine output at 245bhp. It achieves a top speed of 230kmph.

The standard fitments in the Macan include the all-wheel drive, PDK, multi-function sport steering wheel with shift paddles, highperformance audio system and an electrically operated tailgate. In India, further standard features include air suspension system, lighting package, bi-xenon headlamps as well as three-zone climate control.

Jamna Auto Industries is India’s largest and world’s 2nd Largest Tapered Leaf Spring and Parabolic Spring manufacturer with focus on heavy commercial vehicles. JAI products are trusted by prestigious brands like Ashok Leyland, Asia Motor Works, Force Motors, Kamaz Vectra Motors, Leyland Nissan, Mahindra Trucks and Buses, MAN Trucks India, SML ISUZU, Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles to name a few. JAI has also diversified into Lift Axle and Air Suspension Systems. JAI has taken the Suspension Systems to a new level in terms of technology, quality and unmatched customer support.

SALES & MARKETING OFFICE Jamna Auto Industries Limited, 1-B, Bhawani Kunj, Near Heritage School, Opp. Pocket D-1, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi Toll Free No. – 1800 180 1371 Regd. Office JAI Springs Road, Industrial Area, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana – 135 001 Ph. & Fax - 01732 – 251810 / 11 / 14 CIN No. L39511HR1965PLC004485 www.jaispring.com

NEWS

BMW ActiveHybrid 7 in India for 1.35 crore B

MW India has launched the all-new BMW ActiveHybrid 7. The car was launched in the presence of Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India at the company dealership in Gurgaon, Bird Automotive. The car will be available at BMW dealerships in Delhi NCR (National Capital Region), Mumbai and Chennai as a CBU (Completely built-Up).

The all-new BMW ActiveHybrid 7 that has a combustion engine and an energy-saving electric motor is available at an all India ex-showroom price of 1,35,00,000. This full hybrid car has the latest and most innovative BMW ActiveHybrid technology.

Using intelligent energy management, it captures and stores surplus energy and then converts it back into motion whenever required. Philipp von Sahr said that the all-new BMW ActiveHybrid 7 introduces a fundamentally new driving experience in the luxury segment that India has never seen before.

The electric motor and petrol engine of the car work in tandem supported by a lithium-ion high-performance battery and coordinated by an intelligent hybrid system. The car has a TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder in-line petrol engine with 320hp of power and 450Nm of torque.

The car gets a temporary support from the 40 kW electric motor via the boost function, such as when overtaking. It provides impromptu extra power without any additional fuel consumption.

The car accelerates from 0 to 100kmph in only 5.7 seconds with a system output of up to 500Nm of torque. In pure electric mode, the vehicle can be driven without generating local emissions at up to 60kmph, with a range of up to four kilometres. The high-performance lithium-ion battery supplies the energy needed to run on electric motor alone with maximum efficiency. The innovative battery is charged on every journey and with the help of energy regeneration as soon as you lift off or apply the brake.

The driving modes include ECO PRO, Comfort, Sport and Sport+. In the ECO PRO mode, all the on-board systems are set to maximum efficiency to dramatically minimise fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. On the other hand, the SPORT or SPORT+ driving

16 I August 2014

modes reveal maximum dynamism for the driver.

The engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission that accommodates the electric engine and the separating clutch. The latter disengages the combustion engine during purely electric driving and coasting in the ECO PRO Mode or engages it again whenever power is needed.

The luxurious interiors are of exclusive Nappa

lighting transforms the mood of the interior with its individual colour.

The all-new BMW ActiveHybrid 7 is one of the most advanced cars of its time. The next generation of BMW iDrive (the on-board Driver Information System); and the BMW Navigation Professional (integrated Global Positioning System - GPS) with hard drive storage and 25.9cm high-resolution display come as standard. The rear seat entertainment package

leather upholstery which is available in Black, Oyster, Ivory White/ Black, Saddle Brown light/ Black and Veneto Beige colour combinations.

Interior trims offered are Fine-wood trim Burr Walnut with inlays, Fine-wood trim Ash Grain Anthracite, Fine-wood trim Fineline high-gloss and Fine-wood trim Polar Grain Light high-gloss.

The car has new Adaptive LED Headlights, new kidney grille slats and chrome accents on the front apron. The large air inlets reinforce the muscular overall effect. The car has standard 19 inch rims, while there is the ActiveHybrid 7 specific lettering on the rear, on the C pillars, in the interior and on the engine cover.

The cockpit is angled towards the driver thereby making it easier for the driver to reach out to all the important controls. Ambient

brings the world of BMW ConnectedDrive to the back seats with two newly designed 23.3cm colour screens and a personal iDrive Controller.

Luxury features in the car include generously sized folding tables integrated in the backrest of the front seats, massage function in rear seat backrests and automatic tailgate operation. The automatic air conditioning with air re-circulation filter, fogging and solar sensors regulates temperature, air flow, air distribution and air layering separately to four zones.

The colours to choose from include Alpine White as non-metallic paintwork and in nine metallic paintworks. These include Glacier Silver, Havanna, Sapphire Black, Cashmere Silver, Milano Beige, Space Grey, Imperial Blue Brilliant Effect, Sophisto Grey II Brilliant Effect and Mineral White.

Window Vacuum

The Home & Garden cleaning equipment range covers primarily smaller products than the Professional sector.

Home & Garden offers basically cleaning equipment for cleanliness in and around the house. In this segment you’ll find the well-known yellow Kärcher products.

Karcher Cleaning System Pvt. Ltd. Head Office: D-120, Sector 63, Noida - 201301, U.P. India.

Ph: +91-120-7111800 I Fax: +91-120-7111900 I e-mail: home.garden@karcher.in /karcher.india.33 /Karcher Toll Free Number :1800 1234 180 Follow us Ahmedabad I Baroda I Bangalore I Chennai I Cochin I Hyderabad I Kolkata I Mumbai I Noida I Panchkula

NEWS

World premiere of all-new Jaguar Etios Xclusive Limited Edition for XE in Sept 2014 598140 J

aguar’s sports saloon car family, the Jaguar XE, will be unveiled at an event in London on September 8, 2014. Jaguar will bring levels of innovation never seen before in this segment – with its lightweight construction expertise and sophisticated chassis technology. This will be in addition to the new family of Ingenium engines.

These will be designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK. Built around an all-new, aluminiumintensive architecture, the XE combines great performance, agile handling and precise, responsive steering, all dove tailed with high levels of refinement.

The Integral link rear suspension of the vehicle delivers major benefits over conventional multi-link designs. By providing lateral and longitudinal stiffness, it delivers sharp response and handling while retaining a refined, luxurious ride.

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Several components of the Integral Link suspension have been forged or hollowcast in aluminium.

The front suspension of the vehicle is based on F-Type sportscar. Mounted to a subframe with cast aluminium suspension towers, the XE’s double wishbone front suspension delivers high levels of handling and road holding.

The advanced design is based on Jaguar’s flagship F-Type sportscar and includes some key components designed to deliver Jaguar XFR-levels of stiffness.

oyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. has launched an all new Etios Xclusive Limited Edition. While the petrol version of the car will cost 5,98,140, the diesel version will cost 7,10,240 (Delhi Ex-Showroom Prices). The company will only produce 900 units of the Etios Xclusive Limited Edition will be on sale.

The Etios series has a strong base of more than two lakh customers in India. The New Etios Xclusive comes with features like a new front full-chrome grille, new chrome garnish on the taillamp, headlamp and ORVM. The car also has a new Bluetooth Audio system and a limited edition - Xclusive- badge The new vehicles are available in two existing colours - Classic Grey and Symphony Silver.

The company through its financial arm Toyota Financial Services, is offering Etios Xclusive customers to avail a 100pc on road funding for seven years on a zero down payment scheme. The customers can also avail free Smile Service Package for upto 50pc discount on service related services.

All-new Volvo XC90 is world’s most powerful and cleanest SUV

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olvo Cars’ all-new XC90 will offer a great combination of power and clean operation when it is launched late 2014. The all-wheel drive seven seater offers drivers up to 400hp but with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of around 60 g/km (NEDC driving cycle). There has never been an SUV offering this level of

18 I August 2014

power in such a clean manner in terms of emissions.

According to Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development of Volvo Car Group, there are no compromises when one drives the all-new XC90. He noted that in the past one could either have power or low CO2 emissions. But with the allnew XC90 one can have both, he said.

The new XC90 offers a range of Drive-E engine options, all of which provide a great combination of performance and fuelefficiency. The main distinguishing feature of the Drive-E engine range is that they are all four-cylinder engines.

Maruti Ertiga Limited Edition for 6,76,836

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aruti Suzuki has introduced Ertiga Limited Edition at a starting price of 6,76,836.

It also marked the milestone of 150,000 units ales of the Ertiga in the Indian market. Eritga Limited Edition will soon be available in petrol, CNG and diesel. The Ertiga Limited Edition will be available in an all new Pearl Blaze Blue colour, besides Superior White and Silky Silver Metallic.

While the Ertiga Limited Edition petrol vehicle costs 6,76,836, the CNG variant costs 7,34,872 and the diesel variant 6,05,677. The prices are all exshowroom Delhi and it excludes MGA kit worth 6,190/- fitted at dealer showroom.

NEWS

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster

I

f you want power, beauty and soul all fitted together beautifully in one car, then it ought to be an Aston Martin. The Aston Martin car line up consists of gorgeous looking and fast going performance cars in coupés and convertibles. Aston Martin has recent started making scary versions of all of those with the V8 Vantage S, the V12 Vantage S and the V8 Vantage N430. The company has now decided to remove the roof of its most desirable car from the Vantage line up.

Aston has launched the 2015 V12 Vantage S Roadster.

The Coupé version of the V12 Vantage S was launched worldwide in 2013, by having a clear view of the trend of the British marquee; it was inevitable that one could see a Roaster version soon making it the

fastest accelerating roadster Aston Martin has ever made.

The car is equipped with the latest 565 bhp Aston Martin AM28 6.0-litre V12 engine, featuring state-of-the-art Bosch engine management. It can reach 323.48kmph and achieve a 0 to almost a 100kmph in a mere 3.9 seconds. Peak torque is around 620 Nm at around 5750rpm. There is no denying the fact that the race car technology runs right through the DNA of the V12 Vantage S Roadster.

CNC machined combustion chambers and hollow cam shafts are examples of this technological prowess. As for the car’s gearbox, the Sportshift III ASM (auto-shift manual) transmission, it is engineered to exploit the full sporting potential of the V12 engine.

Sound taken to new dimensions in Audi TT

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he Bang & Olufsen sound system with Symphoria is used in the top-of-the-line version of the new Audi TT. A processor analyses intrusive cabin noise detected by a microphone to optimise the sound image. When combined with MMI navigation plus, sound is also output in 5.1 surround format. With 680 watts of power, the amplifier controls 12 speakers, including two centre speakers and two encapsulated bass boxes in the doors.

The sound system is visually accentuated by the strip of anodized aluminum bearing the logo of the Danish hi-fi specialists that runs along the edge of the woofer. White LED light emanates from a narrow LED

20 I August 2014

New VW Polo for 4.99 lakh onward

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erman car maker Volkswagen has launched a new Polo. The car will be available with three-cylinder 1.2-litre MPI, four-cylinder turbocharged 1.2-litre TSI and all-new four-cylinder 1.5-litre TDI engines. The Polo GT TSI and Polo GT TDI are also part of the new Polo range, as is the stylish new Cross Polo.

The ex-showroom (New Delhi) prices of the new Polo are 4.99 - 6.07 lakh for the new Polo 1.2 MPI, 6.27 - 7.37 lakh for the Polo 1.5 TDI, 7.90 lakh for the Cross Polo, 7.99 lakh for the Polo GT TDI and 7.99 lakh for the Polo GT TSI. These are introductory prices.

light guide.

With this system, Audi has once again substantially enhanced the premium audio experience. In collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen, the automaker developed the Symphoria software for the post-processing and rendering of audio signals.

NEWS

Maserati Ghibli to run on Continental tyres

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ontinental tyres will now roll on with the Maserati Ghibli. The Italian sports car manufacturer has approved the ContiSportContact 5 tyre for the new Ghibli saloon. This is the second approval that the Hanover based tyre company has received from the maker of thoroughbred sports cars.

It had got an approval for the Quattroporte last year.

Continental will manufacture the ContiSportContact 5 in eight sizes between 18 and 21 inches for the Maserati Ghibli. To distinguish it from other versions of the premium sports tyre, the OE models for the Ghibli will feature the “MGT” marking on the side wall.

The Ghibli will be fitted with the ContiSportContact 5 in size 235/50 R 18 97 Y, with the axles on more powerful models fitted with 19, 20, and 21-inch tyres. Wider tyres will be fitted on the rear axle of the Ghibli. This is to ensure that the sports saloon delivers high performance on the road with precise handling.

The product range starts with tyres from 18 inches.

MiCar service

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here is now one more option available for Delhi-ites in the selfdrive car service segment. The service has been started by 25-year-old entrepreneur and computer engineer Suyaghya Aggarwal. The service was launched in Delhi recently.

Honda 2014 edition CB Shine; Prices unchanged

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onda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd (HMSI) has introduced the latest style upgrade for CB Shine. The CB Shine is India’s No.1 selling 125cc motorcycle.

The upgraded motorcycle now comes in new standout graphics and two new colours. These are Pearl Amazing White

22 I August 2014

and Dual Tone Red & Black. The bike already comes in colours like Black, Geny Grey Metallic and Rebel Red Metallic colours. This value addition in styling comes without any additional cost.

Y.S. Guleria, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, HMSI said that the CB Shine, which is the largest selling 125cc motorcycle in India, with its new style sheet will further up the style quotient of CB Shine and reaffirm it as a true Winners’ Choice The bike was launched in 2006, and to date is has sold to 30 lakh customers.

The new CB Shine is available in three variants.

These are Kick Drum Spoke, Self-Drum Alloy and Self Disc Alloy.

Honda Mobilio for 6.49 lakh onward

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he new Honda Mobilio multi utility vehicle was launched on July 23, 2014 in New Delhi at a price beginning 6.49 lakh and going up to 10.86 lakh. The car will be available in both petrol as well as diesel variants. In both petrol as well as diesel, the car will be available in E, S and V models. The E model will cost 6.49 lakh for petrol and 7.89 lakh for diesel. The S model will cost 7.50 lakh for petrol and 8.60 lakh for diesel. The V model will cost 8.76 lakh for petrol and 9.76 lakh for diesel.

The diesel will also have another variant RS which will cost 10.86 lakh. The RS model will be available from September 2014 onward. The prices are ex showroom Delhi.

The Mobilio’s closest competitor is the Ertiga from Maruti Suzuki which is currently priced in the range of 5.80 lakh to 8.49 lakh.

The Mobilio is powered by the 1.5 litre iVTEC petrol and iDTEC diesel. (The Eritga has a 1.4 litre petrol engine and a 1.3 litre diesel engine).

Mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox, the engines produce117bhp@6600rpm (petrol ) and 98bhp@3600rpm (diesel). What Indians will love more about this MPV is that it churns out with mind boggling fuel economy of 17.3km/l for petrol and 24.2km/l for the diesel. But the Mobilio RS will only be available in the 98bhp diesel.

New Nissan Sunny for 6.99 lakh

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issan has priced the new Sunny in the range of 6.99 lakh to 9.80 lakh, ex-showroom, New Delhi. The new model goes on sale immediately at all Nissan dealerships across the country.The 10th generation new Sunny sees several changes both inside as well outside the car. There is a bigger front grille and boomerang shaped headlamps.

The car comes with subtle chrome detailing around it.

The New Sunny retains its power plants from the tenth generation model. The 1.5-litre HR15 petrol engine and 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine continue to serve under the New Sunny’s hood. The petrol engine will be available with a choice of 5-speed manual and Xtronic CVT automatic transmission, while the diesel variants are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

NEWS

Tata Motors cars in ‘Singham Returns’ Hindi movie

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ars are many a times an integral part of a movie, especially action packed movies.

Bollywood movie Singham saw a lot of action with lead star Ajay Devgn when it was released years ago.

Now SIngham Returns is the sequel to it and Tata Motors vehicles are a part of it. The movie stars Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor. The movie has been directed by Rohit Shetty. The cars which form a part of this moview include the Safari Storme, Sumo, Aria, Sumo Grande, Xenon, and the Nano.

Delna Avari, Head (Marketing Communications and Services) Tata Motors remarked that in India, Bollywood holds a cult status and an association of this nature is yet another example of Tata Motors’ long-standing relationship with Bollywood. The company’s recent successful partnerships include the mini-series ‘24’ and the presence of the upcoming Zest and Bolt at the IIFA

2014. Celebrity engagement is vital for successful brand placements and the attributes of the brand have to be carved appropriately into the script of the movie, she added.

Director Rohit Shetty said that in the movie Ajay is playing Bajirao Singham again, and his macho image is enhanced by the Tata Safari Storme, his vehicle in the film. The movie has been produced

by Ajay Devgn Films, Rohit Shetty Productions and Reliance Entertainment.

Singham Returns is slated to hit the theatres worldwide on August 15, 2014.

Suzuki is bike partner for ‘Kick’

B

ollywood star Salman Khan will once again be seen riding Suzuki bikes in the Hindi movie ‘Kick’.

The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez.

Suzuki Motorcycle India is the official bike partner for the movie slated for a release in July 2014. Salman Khan is incidentally the brand ambassador for Suzuki two-wheeler brand.As a part

24 I August 2014

of the association, Suzuki will also be launching a digital contest built around the movie and the same will be promoted on the social media network and on Suzuki’s website. Suzuki will also take up co-branded promotion across media channels such as print media, electronic channels and virtual space to reach out to its customers and movie buffs.

Nationwide campaign for Revotron engine

O

n July 4, 2014,Tata Motors launched an innovative, nation-wide campaign to showcase its new Revotron engine. The company will soon be launching its new cars Zest and Bolt fitted with this new engine.

The Revotron 1.2T is India’s first 1.2 Litre MPFi Turbocharged petrol engine. The company unveiled the Revotron Lab simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ludhiana and Hyderabad.

The Revotron Lab has has several interactive elements for customers to experience dedicated zones. The Binaural Sound Zone offers the virtual sound experience. This zone transports participants onto the road where they experience three different drive modes of the engine –Sport, Eco and City.

There is also the Revotron Challenge game, a futuristic 3D game which allows a participant to travel in a Zest where they can experience first-in-class multi-drive modes. While the game is available for free download on Apple App Store and Google Play Store for mobile devices, it can also be played online, from the Revotron microsite.

The Interactive Touch Glass educates customers on the benefits of India’s first 1.2Litre MPFi Turbocharger petrol engine in the most interactive medium.

Through the Augmented Reality application, visitors can also capture their picture with a virtual image of Indian race driver Narain Karthikeyan in the Lab. The picture gets uploaded onto the Facebook page of the user with an interesting caption. There are other fun and engaging activities planned by geeky scientists at the Lab. Ranjit Yadav of Tata Motors said the Revotron1.2T has been developed by the company with inputs from global players like AVL, Bosch, Honeywell, Mahle, INA in the area of combustion, boosting, friction and calibration. Narain Karthikeyan said that he was very closely involved in the development of the Revotron 1.2T.

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WHEELZ & ROADZ

A driving experience FIRST DRIVE - AUDI A3 SEDAN 35TDI

GLOBAL STAR O Report & Photography: Rahul Kapoor

f late there has been quite a lot of noise about a new Audi that’s on its way to India.

There have been many hash tags on social media sites claiming #thenextbigAudi will soon make it to the Indian market in a couple of months’ time. So the Next Big Audi is actually the second of the smallest cars that Audi makes. The idea is to fill the gap in the small premium compact segment that has been exploited by BMW and Mercedes for quite a while.

It’s in this segment that some rivals have made a slight mistake. Audi’s German counterparts have brought out hatchbacks, which are not as favourable as sedans in India. Audi has made a smart move to bring in the A3 Sedan. On the inside it’s the same chassis that you get in an Octavia and the same engine and transmission you get in every VW group models just tuned differently. So at first glance it looks like a Volkswagen with some Audi bits on it. I went down

26 I August 2014

30

FIRST DRIVE TATA ZEST After several years of hard work, Tata Motors has launched its sub-4 meter sedan Zest. The exterior looks very stylish but it is the interior which is really “Wow”.

It’s brand new and never seen before in a Tata car.

Detailed review on page 30.

34

TEST DRIVE NEW VOLKSWAGEN POLO

FIRST DRIVE MERCEDES-BENZ CLA 45 AMG

The Germans are known for their obsession with quality and the new VW Polo is just another tribute to their legacy. Is it better than the old version?

Find out on page 34.

The styling of the entire car is just breathtaking. From the giant front grille, the perfectly tailored headlamps and tail lamps, the coupĂŠ styled roof, and spacious interior.

Read the detailed report on page 38.

38

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AUDI A3 SEDAN 35TDI SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE : 1968cc, 4-cylinder TDI TRANSMISSION : 6-speed S Tronic MAX POWER : 143bhp @3500-4000rpm MAX TORQUE : 320Nm @1750-3000 SUSPENSION (FRONT/REAR) : McPherson Strut with lower wishbone/ Four link with separate springs TOP SPEED : 224kmph TYRES (FRONT/REAR) : 205/55 R16

to Udaipur to find out what the fuss was all about.

Once you lay your eyes on it, the A3 looks like just another Audi, the signature diamond designed grill at the front and sharply cut and shaped headlamps, an integrated spoiler on the boot lid and split narrow rear wrap around tail lights with 17” allow wheels. What also seems to play into the A3 Sedans hands is that it looks longer than it actually is like most Audis. This begs the question; does it just look like an Audi, or does it feel like one as well?

And the answer will blow your mind.

You may think it’s a halfhearted job by Audi for the A3, just to fill in a price bracket to tap a market. But when you get inside you get the same feel as you would get in an A4, A6, A7 or even an A8. Maybe not as many features as

28 I August 2014

0-100 kmph

8.6 seconds

the A8 and A7 but you do get the feel you’re in an Audi. The plush leather seats, the familiar Audi dash and instrument cluster, the 7” infotainment monitor that pops out of the top of the dash just like in the A4 all feels like an Audi should.

One of the really nice features is the Bluetooth connectivity which is really easy to pair with an iPhone, and the easy access

Fuel Efficiency

20.38 Kmpl

Fuel Tank Capacity

50 Litres

buttons and the single knob to control the entertainment system which is really easy to use with Audi’s MMI Touch.

The four-spoke steering wheel comes with multifunction buttons and scroll on either side for the entertainment system, the Navigation, voice command and controls for the infotainment system as well. The panoramic sunroof also gives a bright feel in daylight to the cabin, the air conditioning is chilling as the air blows from the neatly turbine designed air vents which also have a diffuse system and dual zone climate control, the grey shiny plastic accent that runs across the dash adds quite a nice feel to the entire cabin and all of that finished with millimeter perfect German precision. All in all, it’s a nice comfortable place to be in. But what the base model lacks are

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

some features like daytime running LED lights, the Bi Xenon headlamps, Navigation and a rear camera for parking assistance.

To drive though, it’s another animal all together. Driving it on the gorgeous and nearly empty Mount Abu Highway, the 2 Litre TDI engine is insanely impressive. Paired with the 6 speed S-tronic Gearbox, the Diesel engine generates 143bhp with 320Nm of torque which is why doing 0-100 takes just 8.6 seconds.

It’s nice on paper, but on the road however it feels like it wants to be driven. You floor the throttle and you just easily cruise at 180kmph on the highway and it only feels like you’re doing 80Kmph. you just don’t realise it until you glance at the speedo. The car feels just so planted like it has its own magnetic field around the earth. You gun it on the straights to about 220 to 240kmph and you brake to slowdown to turn and when you feel it’s enough you realise you’re at 140kmph.

As you turn in with the perfectly weighted steering wheel you get a confidence boost and the light-weight aluminium bonnet and aluminium suspension components that reduces the weight at the front and the load on the front wheels making its turn in quite nicely. It taunts you to go faster and put the power down even at tight corners and you’re at 140 and it still tells you to go faster. Even in the rain it holds station. No loss of grip at over 160kmph at turns, if it does slide the traction control kicks in and take care of it instantly. I’m sure I could do the turns at over 200km/h but due to the village population and commercial vehicle traffic, I decided to skip that test. The

transmission is smooth and instant, you don’t realise when you change up or down even in Manual Sport mode with the sequential shifter.

The only problem is, it rides a bit too hard for my liking. A slightly softer suspension would make it comfortable. But honestly, you’d be having so much fun you wouldn’t notice the hard ride.

At low speeds in city traffic it’s actually more comfortable. It rides nice in city driving.

Fuel economy is insane with 20kmpl from the diesel and 16.6kmpl from the 40TFSI 1.8 litre, four cylinder TFSI petrol which is even more powerful, is mated to a 7 speed S tronic gearbox, produces 180 horses and does 0-100kmph in 7.3 seconds which means it’s probably more fun to drive. But unfortunately, I only drove the diesel version and I loved it.

In conclusion the A3 is a serious threat

to competition. But it all depends on how Audi plans to price it. If too close to the A4, then the Germans will have some problem justifying it. My prediction of the price will be anything under 27Lakhs for the top variant.

But whatever may the price be, I’d say go for it. It’s after all a global star too (World Car of the Year).

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FIRST DRIVE - TATA ZEST

ALMOST THE BEST Report: P. Tharyan, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

I

f I were a catholic and were to kneel before a priest in the confession box and confess everything I know about the Tata Zest to him, my confession would go like this: Father, I drove the Tata Zest the other day.

It looks stylish, the interiors are refreshingly comfortable, grabbing the steering wheel gave me a great feeling, throttling it made

30 I August 2014

me feel heady, the car has plenty of exciting features and I loved driving the both the petrol and diesel models. But Father, I am not too confident with the Tata quality because…” I would then excuse myself and walk out of the church unable to hold back my tears.

From far, the Zest reminds you of an existing Tata car, an Indigo perhaps. I asked a taxi

driver standing near me as to how he felt about the Zest. “This looks like an Indica… what’s new about this car?” In the world of taxis in India, Tata cars were once much in demand, but now it's more of cars like the Toyota Innova, Maruti Dzire, Hyundai Santro, etc that offer better mileage with hardly any maintenance. In the private world of passenger

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

The Zest comes with a new styling but with loads of carryover from one of its existing models.

Projector headlamps are complemented by chrome accents and day-time running lights.

The rear LED lamps and a bold chrome accent bumper make the Zest stylish from the rear too. cars, Tata sales are slipping like the vanishing monsoon clouds in India.

To be fair to the House of Tatas, the company has put in several years of hard work behind the new Zest. It’s a sub-4 meter sedan. The company says that it exemplifies the Horizonext themes of Designext, Drivenext & Connectnext for its passenger vehicle business. These words mean nothing to an ordinary car buyer in India where terms like mileage, durability, value for money, resale value, maintenance and performance matter.

The Zest comes with a new styling but with loads of carryover from one of its existing models. Projector headlamps are complemented by chrome accents and day-time running lights. The rear LED

lamps and a bold chrome accent bumper make the Zest stylish from the rear too. It rolls on sporty 15” alloy wheels.

More than the exterior, it is the interior which is really “Wow”. It’s brand new and never seen before in a Tata car. There’s a neatly-layered dashboard with dual-tone - Java Black & Latte. Integrated within is an infotainment screen and Tata Motors next-generation 3-spoke steering wheel.

Let me tell you, once you grip this wheel with your bare hands, you actually feel you are a zillion times smarter than F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan who is the car’s brand ambassador. Not to miss are the wingshaped central instrument cluster Bezel, gear knob, precisely detailed air vents and sculpturally designed console, connected

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ZEST PETROL ENGINE : 1193 cc, Revotron 1.2T, 4 cylinder, Turbocharged MPFi Petrol engine

Fuel Tank Capacity

TRANSMISSION : Synchromesh with overdrive, 5 Forward + 1 Reverse MAX POWER : 89 bhp@ 5000 rpm MAX TORQUE : 140 Nm @ 1750 – 3500 rpm

Price

SUSPENSION (FRONT/REAR) : Independent; Lower Wishbone; McPherson Strut with anti-roll bar and Coil Spring / Semi-Independent; Twist beam with Coil Spring and Shock

TBA

44 Litres

BRAKES : Disc/Drums TYRES (FRONT/REAR) : 185/60 R15 + Tubeless

in a single wing-shaped graphic.

There are plenty of chrome embellishments on the instrument panel, vents, gear knob and on-door release handles. The centre console comes with an exciting infotainment experience and a Fully Automatic Temperature Control, finished in Piano Black, with a painted metal feel.

There is ample room for everyone in the car. The boot offers decent space for all your travel bags. The Zest comes in both petrol and diesel engine options. As we stepped into rain-soaked Goa to drive the petrol and diesel Zest, we were confident that both would offer us enough delight in some form or other.

32 I August 2014

The turbocharged multi-point Fuel Injected (MPFi) petrol engine, Revotron 1.2T engine, delivers around 89 bhp of power @ 5000 RPM and a peak torque of 140 Nm @ 1750-3500 RPM. The Revotron 1.2T has a water-cooled turbo-charger which delivers great response.

The beauty about the petrol car is that it comes in three modes: Sport, City and Eco. The throttle response in the Sport mode is mind blowing. On an empty road, this car in this mode can make you feel like a race driver. The diesel car comes with an F-Tronic technologyenabled, 5-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), with both Automatic and Sequential mode of gear-shifting, developed in

collaboration with Magneti Marelli. Here too the power is around 89bhp and a fancy torque of 200 Nm. This AMT too has dual drive modes: City and Sports mode. Needless to say, it’s the Sport mode which I loved the most.

The Zest comes with EPAS (Electronic Power Assisted System), with speed sensitivity and ‘Active Return’ function – a first in the segment.

It also has the most advanced ninth generation ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) for improved braking efficiency. Ride quality is excellent which can be attributed to dualpath suspension, coupled with a zero-pivot sub-frame and anti-roll bar. Along with acoustic champions Harman, the company has

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

ZEST DIESEL F-TRONIC AMT ENGINE : 1248 cc, 4 cylinder, Turbo intercooled, diesel

Fuel Tank Capacity

TRANSMISSION : 5-speed F-Tronic AMT with Shift Assist Manual MAX POWER : 89 bhp@ 5000 rpm MAX TORQUE : 200 Nm @ 1750 – 3500 rpm

Price

SUSPENSION (FRONT/REAR) : Independent; Lower Wishbone; McPherson Strut with anti-roll bar and Coil Spring / Semi-Independent; Twist beam with Coil Spring and Shock Absorber

TBA

44 Litres

BRAKES : Disc/Drums TYRES (FRONT/REAR) : 185/60 R15 + Tubeless

designed and engineered a brilliant audio and infotainment system.

The 5-inch touchscreen supports meaningful multimedia experience while there is also advanced Bluetooth technology for smartphone integration. The car comes with four speakers plus 4 tweeters. The system enables smart voice recognition which understands user commands, SMS notification and read-outs.

The Zest, in my opinion, may not be the segment best, but it has definitely raised the bar for all future Tata car models!

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FIRST DRIVE - NEW VOLKSWAGEN POLO

SIMPLY DELIGHTFUL! Report: Joshua David Luther, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

T

he Germans are known for their obsession with quality and the new VW Polo is just another tribute to their legacy. For a fan (and owner) of the previous version of this car, the new Polo is a basket full of delights. From a more aggressive looking front grill and bumper, to sophisticated chrome trims the latest from the stables of

34 I August 2014

Volkswagen is all set to thrill.

The New Polo is being offered now with a 1.5 litre pepped up diesel mill that churns out an astounding 88bhp revving at 4200 revolutions per minute, enough to throw you back in your seat when you are in the mood to take off.

The engine is smoother now than the previous version and torque flows well from 1400 rpm

up to 5000 rpm after which it begins to tail off.

The steering of the car is more responsive than the previous one and it handles better on curbs and bends. The suspension does not crash over potholes now as it did in the previous version of the car, while the brakes have been tweaked to be more reliable than before.

Volkswagen has changed the interiors

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

NEW VOLKSWAGEN POLO SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE : 1,498cc, TDI TRANSMISSION : 5-speed Manual MAX POWER : 88 bhp@ 4200rpm MAX TORQUE : 230 Nm@ 1500-2500rpm SUSPENSION (FRONT/REAR) : McPherson Strut /Semi-independent trailing arm BRAKE: FRONT/ REAR : Disc /Drum

Price

7.37 lakh

Fuel Efficiency

20.14 Kmpl

Fuel Tank Capacity

45 Litres

TYRES (FRONT/REAR) : 185/60 R15

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considerably, with a restyled flat bottom steering wheel which is standard while on the Highline it comes with piano black and chrome accent finishing.

The Highline also comes with a new gear knob which also has piano black finishing. The two tone beige interiors remain the same but are still enough to pamper you with leather wrapped steering and hand brake or comfortable seats courtesy Volkswagen and their quality obsession. The leg room in the rear seats however has not changed and is insufficient, while visibility in the rear view mirror still remains poor. The shape of the dash hasn’t changed but there is a new audio console which is more user-friendly and has a lot more features such as aux-in, USB, SD card input which comes in the Highline and the Comfortline. The Highline gets Bluetooth connectivity and voice command for you mobile devices.

The Highline also comes with an automatic air conditioning console, while the Trendline and the Comfortline come with a manual air conditioning. There are some more additional features like one touch up-down for all four windows on the car. The fuel gauge console has

36 I August 2014

bigger characters which are now white in color, the diesel variants of the car also come with a shift indicator. The brightness of all the digital displays in the car now increases when headlights are off and decreases when headlights are in use for a more convenient drive experience.

On the outside the car has a few changes which may be easy to miss unless you look closer. There is a new front bumper which has a remodeled air dam and a chrome accent over it leaving it looking sleeker than ever. While the back has a sportier bumper with rear reflectors and a new license plate carrier.

The tail lamp has been made more edgy which goes well with the overall flow of the car, while there are new dual beam headlamps in the front. The front grill has been modified slightly with a chrome accent and the fog lamps are now redesigned with cornering lights.

Quality, comfort and convenience are what the company has stressed on since the beginning and continue to do so with the new Polo. The drive on city roads is pleasant even on potholes and broken roads. The car holds its ground boasting of Volkswagen’s build quality.

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

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FIRST DRIVE - MERCEDES-BENZ CLA 45 AMG

LUNACY AT ITS BEST

Report: Rahul Kapoor, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

I

f you have ever been to a rally stage, then you might have heard the sounds which the cars make at high revs hitting the limiters almost at the starting point during the launch. These are normal road going hatchbacks that are heavily modified, lightened, fitted with bigger engines and sequential gearboxes and a really long handbrake. With the new CLA 45 AMG, the Mercedes-Benz front wheel driven sedan, the

38 I August 2014

sounds can now be heard on the normal Indian roads It’s a small luxury sedan, by Mercedes; it’s probably a comfortable little family car with German finesse and good looks. It has nothing to do with rallying. But then the MercedesBenz CLA 45 AMG is no ordinary family sedan.

It’s primarily a front wheel drive car, but if you lose your rear grip, 50pc of the power is sent to the rear wheels. So that solves the problem.

Now to address the elephant in the room, which is actually under the bonnet and quite literally it is an elephant. AMG have fitted this CLA with a 2 litre 4 cylinder turbo that churns out 355 bhp making it the most powerful 2 litre 4cylinder engine…in the world!

AMG is known for making the 6.3 litre V8 that they put in the SLS. Then they decided to put it in every single car they could possibly find in the Mercedes fleet. They tried in on

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

Only lunatics can make something like the CLA 45 AMG and I’m sure they tried putting the same 6.3L V8 in the CLA, but it probably didn’t fit, so after putting

`68.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

some bandages on their egos they decided to build the most powerful 4 cylinder 2 litre engine in the world.

0-100 kmph

4.6

seconds

SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE AMG 2.0 4-cylinder Turbo Petrol TRANSMISSION AMG SPEEDSHIFT DTC 7-speed sports MAX POWER 355 bhp@ 6000rpm

MAX TORQUE 450 Nm@ 2250-5000rpm

FUEL TANK CAPACITY 56 Litres TOP SPEED 250km/h (electronically limited) SUSPENSION (FRONT/REAR) AMG sports suspension with independent front and rear axle

TYRES 235/40 R18 95 XL

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If you ever want to know what time travel feels like, put it in Sport mode and all you have to do is floor the throttle. The surge of power will make you see the future flashing in your head...

an S-Class with the S63 AMG and the E-Class with the E63 AMG. They even fitted their SUVs and the G wagon with the same engine and the GL 63 AMG. And for all of them they also made a 6.5 litre version as well. This made me think. AMG stands for Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach, which loosely translated probably means “We Are Some German Lunatics”. Only lunatics can make something like the CLA 45 AMG and I’m sure they tried putting the same 6.3 litre V8 in the CLA, but it probably didn’t fit, so after putting some bandages on their egos they decided to build the most powerful 4 cylinder 2 litre engine in the world.

But then again you’d wonder, if the engine is a 2 litre, what is the 45 on the badge at the back stand for then?

With all that power, comes enormous amounts of torque and the nuclear power station under the hood of the

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CLA makes staggering 450 Nm of them letting you reach from 0-100km/h in just 4.3 seconds that’s as quick as a V12 Aston Martin.

So all that power, all that torque, in a chassis of size of a match box is probably something that can kill you is what you might think and so did I. So I decided to risk my life for all the readers of this magazine to do them a service.

I came down to the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida to test it out and see for myself. Mind you, this was my first time driving on a track, therefore I left the manual gearbox alone and the traction control on as advised by the professional driver from Mercedes. And let me tell you this, if you ever want to know what time travel feels like, put it in Sport mode and all you have to do is floor the throttle. The surge of power will make you see the future flashing in your head thinking you’d probably break through the barriers of the track and kill yourself in the next couple of minutes. But as soon as you lift-off and brake, you come drastically down to almost a standstill in a matter of a few seconds with the 4 cylinder engine screaming at you and everyone around.

The growls at every upshift just melt your heart, but on track there was no time to stop and catch your breath, as the car kept searching for corners. It darts in as you turn, and nibbles the apexes, devouring corners.

Tyre squeals are momentary when you turn in

as when the back starts stepping out, 50pc of the power is sent to the rear to keep you alive and to ensure that you do not need a change of underwear.

The ride is fantastic on the track, there is no body roll, the nose or the rear doesn’t pitch at all on acceleration or braking, but I can only confirm when I see how it copes with pimply Indian roads.

The steering is light but has a slight heaviness to it making you actually drive the car, and turning into a corner it just knows what you want.

It feels like it knows what tracks it’s on and what corner it’s at and what I want from it. Yaw rotation is just perfect, not too much that you get oversteer, and not too little that you end up with understeer.

The styling of the entire car is just breathtaking. From the giant front grille, the perfectly tailored headlamps and tail lamps, the coupé styled roof, the interestingly designed and spacious interior as dash panel, the twin 5 spoke 18 inch alloy wheels, and the millimeter perfect lines along the gorgeous body, the Quad exhaust pipes and the diffuser. I fail to find anything that looks as good as this in its segment in the Indian market today.

So for the CLA 45 AMG, the lunatics at AMG

have done a fantastic job. Their hours, days and years’ worth of work has paid off. Now it’s my time to work as hard as the engineers at AMG did to afford the 68.5Lakh rupees price tag, I have never wanted anything as badly as I want this. That’s how good this car really is.

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VOLVO S60 SUMMUM

CLASSI-FIED Report: Rahul Kapoor, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

I

t is presumed that Volvo cars are driven by intellectuals and people with some amount of sophistication and class. Not a fuddy duddy property dealer with a thick gold chain around his ugly neck. You seldom get a teenager trying to show-off in his Volvo, which is sad for the company.

From the outside, the Volvo S60 is actually quite stunning. The LED daytime running lights at the front add a bit of a cool touch to the S60 and active bending lights which change the Xenon head light direction according to the steering wheel is actually quite helpful.

From the outside it is gorgeous, perfectly shaped, contoured and aggressive with the chrome and black rims to enhance its sporty looks. When you get inside you feel as though you are in a whole new world of comfort you have never experienced before. The seats of the S60 are so comfortable, I’d sell my bed and buy a bunch of these seats and sleep in them every day. The adjustable lumbar support is just so soft and fluffy, lined with the best leather I have ever seen in a car. The stitching is just

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perfect. If you’re looking to buy new living room furniture, go to a Volvo dealer right now and buy these seats. That’s how good they are. To add a little more, both the front seats are electronically adjustable with a memory function for the driver seat.

The room in the rear can’t get any better. Leg room, under thigh support and lumbar support even in the back is damn near perfect; I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. The sunroof also adds to the feel of roominess.

But the sad bit comes when you have a look at the instrument cluster in the centre console.

Even though it’s designed beautifully and

made with finesse and detail, it’s just too many buttons and far too many knobs. It took me a while to get used to it and to get my phone paired with the Bluetooth connectivity. But once connected, making calls is really easy as you can navigate with the scroll dial on the steering wheel through your contacts and call them, or use the buttons to dial directly. once

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

you get used to these features, it’s fine.

If you are sitting at the back, you get a big remote to control everything yourself, including calls, stereo, and car functions and displays on the 7 inch screen which is available in the mid D4 Summum and D5 Summum V60s.

The base D4 Kinetic gets a smaller 5 inch screen and lacks a remote.

Parking assist is really handy and easy to turn on and off with a touch of a small button in the cluster of the many. But if you do get overwhelmed with the confusing controls, knobs and buttons, this is the car you’d want to be in as its probably the safest cars on the road today, as it comes fitted as standard with what Volvo call “InteliSafe system” which will automatically apply the brakes if you’re about to hit a car in front under the speed of 50Kmph. If you were to crash at a higher speed, you have Dual stage airbags at the front for both driver and passengers and ABS to keep you safe.

The S60 also comes with a passenger side airbag cut off switch for child safety. But what I do find annoying is that the passenger seat belt sensor is too sensitive which if you are carrying a heavy beverage bottle, the alarm starts off. Features that keep your car secure include panic alarms, remote immobilisation and personal car communicator with the key.

On the road it is one of the most comfortable cars to drive. It has a sporty feel to it with a perfectly heavy weighted steering wheel which I actually prefer as it makes you actually drive the car instead of making suggestions with the steering wheel. The ride is a bit firm but the seats are too comfortable for you to realise it, but that being said, I guess the 17 inch wheels would have been better, instead of the 18 inch making you feel the road a little more than I would like.

When you get to the engine, it’s a majestic, yet one of a kind 5 cylinder 2 liter Turbo Diesel engine that produces 163bhp with 400Nm of torque so if you put your foot down it will do a 100km/h from standstill in 9.2 seconds which is a bit slow compared to its German rivals, but none of the rivals can growl the way this engine does when you floor the throttle. The sound gives you goose bumps. The only thing holding it back is the 6 speed automatic transmission. Even if you put it into manual sport, when you use the sequential lever to upshift, it feels just a tad bit slow to

respond. The D5 Summum is probably faster. Volvo has also recently announced to replace this engine with a 4cylinder 2.0 litre Turbo Diesel engine with more power all the way up to 181Bhp and an 8-speed automatic transmission soon. I just hope the growl of the engine still remains. The throttle responds with immediacy, it’s always on alert in every mode, eco, comfort or sport and you can see how much power is being generated next to the digital speedometer which actually is quite interesting, and neatly designed.

To Summum then, the Volvo S60 D4 Summum is quite amazing, I’d recommend and force anyone to buy it, but it would probably be the D5 version. Because it would probably perform a tad better.

`34.40 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

0-100 kmph

9.2

seconds

SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE 1984cc, 5 Cylinder TurboDiesel, FWD TRANSMISSION 6-speed Automatic Geartronic MAX POWER 163bhp@ 3500rpm MAX TORQUE 400 Nm@ 1500-2750rpm FUEL TANK CAPACITY 67.5 Litres TOTAL WEIGHT 2110 Kg

Fuel Efficiency

17.24 Kmpl

TYRES YMIR, 235/40 R18Y

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AN AUDI F FOR THE ROAD AND BEYOND

Report: Joshua David Luther, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

or Audi their crowning jewel for long has been the quattro technology, an all wheel drive engineered into their Q series. Is this meant for the city or for a lack of proper city roads, of which India has plenty to offer.

The Q7 at first sight does intimidate one due to the sheer road presence it holds, probably the ‘king kong’ of Indian roads. Once inside though you can definitely relate to the exquisite luxury patterns found in all your Audis on the road.

The Audi Q7 is powered by a 3.0 L diesel mill churning out 200bhp of power, sufficient? I think not. For a city drive if you don’t mind tagging along with other vehicles in traffic one can settle for the V6 engine or a significant bump up to the 4.2 L V8 which does not fail to excite you with acceleration or speed going from 0-100 in just 6.4 seconds.

44 I August 2014

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

This mighty ‘king kong’ has a 8-speed automatic gear box coupled with their quattro technology to provide best torque options to wheels with the most traction. The big question still remains.

Does the Q7 have what it takes to beat what lies beyond the road?

On an off road condition the vehicle is enabled with a lift option to increase the ride height giving it better ground clearance, thus leveling the playing field when it comes to the grimmest of off road obstacles. All four wheels are on an adjustable-height air suspension which makes the ride very comfortable even at the meanest of angles and negative banks unless you get carried away and set it to dynamic mode. The Q7 sailed through chicken holes and rumble strips courtesy its well engineered air suspension, but when it comes to 35 and 38 degree tilt angles one has to be extremely cautious as this vehicle is over five meters in length and almost two meters in width thus making visibility of all four ends a challenge.

On the dirt it is advisable to keep the revs low for higher torque especially

on axle twisters where traction for suspended wheels can become a major issue. An advantage to the Q7 is its mind blasting length enabling it to cover more ground when one or two wheels may be suspended. This however is probably its biggest disadvantage on a steep hill climb or descent where visibility is significantly compromised, not to mention the roll caused due to its bulky nature.

On the inside the Q7 feels nothing less than a MiG 16 with enough buttons and knobs to keep you entertained for hours. It has a panoramic sun roof for the 1st and 2nd rows as well as a smaller one for the 3rd row. Cabin comfort and space without a doubt carries the Audi trademark for excellence and quality even when it is not on solid tarmac. Its plush leather interiors and inbuilt Audi entertainment system are enough to keep the snob within you calm.

All in all it can be said that even though one would not want to take an Audi specifically for an off road adventure, but if presented with the challenge it will not fail you.

August 2014 I 45

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

TVS STAR CITY+

STYLISH PERFORMER

46 I August 2014

WHEELZ & ROADZ A driving experience

Report: Kunal Choksi, Photography: Mohd. Nasir

F

irst of all let me tell you that I ride a 20 bhp motorcycle. So anything below that (yes I am a bit biased) I find pretty boring.

So when my editor told me to take a look at the new edition TVS Star City+, I wore a big (non-convincing) smile on my face and I said 'ok'.

When I saw the bike, it looked attractive (the test vehicle we got was red in colour). The paint job was immaculate. No spots, no bubbles just bright shiny red. Then my eyes fell on the headlamp which I must confess was stylish. (Later while riding it at night I realised it also threw a decent beam).

I was by then quite impressed with the styling of the bike. Pushing myself further to explore this red gleaming star, I realised how much importance TVS had given to little things on the bike.

It has stylish honeycomb textured grills on top of the 3d emblem embossed logo on both the side panels. The odometer is white in colour (a bit like the big daddy in their arsenal RTR 180) with digital reading of kilometres and fuel. It also has a service indicator which informs you when your bike is due for service. The switches (also like the RTR 180) are neat and stylish. Finally it also comes with coloured rear shock absorbers (for style) and with five different settings for the potholed roads and lanes of our country.

I started the bike and the engine came to life with a gentle sound (couldn't really manage to roar with the power it has).

But it was still a soothing sound. The Star City+ comes with a 109cc, 4-stroke, EcoThrust engine. It offers boost in fuel efficiency and boasts a mileage of 86 kmpl (in the real world it might be a bit less). With 8.28 bhp it has decent power to offer in its class. In the segment that it is in, the Star City+ cannot afford to have too much power and too little fuel average.

The bike also comes with an Econometer feature, which indicates if one is riding in the power mode or the economy mode, thus helping further to enhance the mileage. With a 4 speed (constant mesh) gearbox the gear shift is so smooth that accidentally one can end up changing 2 gears at a time.

Also, hitting the neutral position comes as easy as saying “Yes�. It has a very comfortable sitting position and a top speed of about 90 kmph. Braking from

that 90kmph might become an issue as it has drum brakes at both ends. But if you are not at 90 kmph it offers decent braking. With tyre sizes of 2.75 x 17 (front) and 3.00 x17 (rear) it give decent stability. For some odd reason TVS chose to take out the option of Mobile charging from the current model.

All this at a price of Rs 44,000 (ex Delhi showroom) does sound like a deal to me. The motorcycle on the whole delivers a very smooth and comfortable ride, churns out decent power and comes with some good styling. The Star City+ definitely will have a say in its competition.

With the Star City+, TVS is trying to rejuvenate its presence in the entry-level competition. The styling, ride quality and pricing does make it seem that TVS will be able to grab a decent market share with the Star City+. If that happens, it will be a major plus for this South India based company in a market dominated by the likes of Hero MotoCorp and others.

`44,000 (ex-showroom Delhi)

Fuel Efficiency

86 Kmpl

SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE 109.7cc TRANSMISSION 4-speed constant mesh MAX POWER 8.28 bhp@ 7000rpm MAX TORQUE 8.7 Nm@ 5000rpm FUEL TANK CAPACITY 10 litres (including reserve) Reserve 2 litres KERB WEIGHT 109 kg (Electric start)) 105 kg (Kick start) SUSPENSION (FRONT/REAR) Telescopic oil damped front suspension / 5 step adjustable hydraulic shock absorber BRAKES Hand operated, Internally expanding, 130 mm dia /Foot operated, Internally expanding, 110 mm dia TYRES (FRONT/REAR) 2.75 x 17 3.00 x 17

August 2014 I 47

MOTORSPORT

Pictures courtesy: Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo takes season’s 2nd win in Hungary

Report : Rahul Kapoor

T

he Aussie Grin, Daniel Ricciardo took the chequered flag at the Hungarian Grand Prix to take his 2nd victory of the season and his career, fighting in his Red Bull Racing-Renault car with Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and getting the job done with 3 laps to go just like he did in Canada on Rosberg.

It’s been 24 races since Ferrari last won a grand prix in Spain in 2013 with Alonso. It was almost meant to be a win with the Spaniard leading the race until the point where he struggled for grip leaving the Aussie to take advantage and take it away. Alonso finished 2nd. After starting from the pit lane due to a fire-soaked qualifying, Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Petronas crossed the finish line in 3rd ahead of his team mate Nico Rosberg in 4th place.

Nico Rosberg’s race went to shambles after a 4.9 second long pitstop on lap 33 leaving him to drop down further as he was in 5th after the 2nd safety car.

On the damp and wet track in Hungaroring, Marcus Ericson had a massive crash at turn 3 in his Caterham-Renault on lap 9 bringing out the safety car, as everyone pit for new tyres.

Lotus-Renault’s’ Romain Grosjean crashed out under the safety car at the same turn on lap 11 extending the safety car. McLaren-Mercedes took a gamble to stay on the Intermediate tyres for both cars while everyone changed to dry which failed to pay off as after a couple of laps since the safety car came in, Jenson Button pitted

48 I August 2014

MOTORSPORT

to change tyres again and so did Kevin Magunussen as both drivers changed to softs. The entire incident was the pivot point for the final outcome of the race.

Nico Hulkenburg crashed into his teammate at the final corner on lap 16 and retired his Force India car. Sergio Perez managed to control his car and continue the race only to crash out at turn 14 as he lost control and brought out the safety car again on lap 24 leaving both cars of Force India to retire for the first time this year.

Pastor Maldonado maintains his record of crashing his Lotus into another car, with Marussia’s Jules Bianchi being his victim of the day.

Both cars pitted subsequently.

The rest of the pack finished with Massa (Williams Martini) in 5th, the Iceman Kimi Raikkonen, the Finish driver finished 6th for Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel behind him in his RedBull-Renault only managed 7th, Valtteri Bottas finished 8th for Williams Martini, with Jean Eric Vergne and Jenson Button finishing the top 10 for Torro Rosso and McLaren respectively taking the final point scoring positions.

With 4 massive crashes, 2 retirements and a spin from Vettel who still managed 7th, only 16 drivers finished the race with Gutierez and Kobayashi retiring.

With the 2nd longest stint for Ferrari not winning a grand prix of 441 days, just prompts the question, are they losing interest? It’s not the drivers for sure, with Alonso taking 2nd and Raikkonen 6thafter a horrible grid position at the start seems more like the car at fault, especially with both cars struggling for grip and lack of power from the engine. So if the Santander sponsorship from Alonso isn’t helping Ferrari, replacing Raikkonen will not contribute much as well, so what’s next?

The Driver’s Championship stands with Rosberg leading with 202pts, Hamilton with 191pts in 2ndand Daniel Ricciardo with 131pts in 3rd. the Constructors Champion chase is still being led by Mercedes extending their gap with 393pts, RedBull Racing Renault in 2nd with 219pts, and Ferrari back in 3rd with 142pts as we head to the summer break for the season heading to Spa in Belgium in a month’s time from August 22 to 24.

August 2014 I 49

MOTORSPORT

Fourth win of season for Nico Rosberg

N

ico Rosberg added a another star to his tally at the German Grand Prix for the 2014 Formula 1 season at Hockenheim with his fourth win of the year in his Mercedes AMG Petronas followed by Valtteri Bottas in his WilliamsMercedes in 2nd and Lewis Hamilton taking the final place on the podium in his Mercedes AMG. Lewis Hamilton muscled his way all the way up to the third place after a massive tussle with Sergio Perez of Force India-Mercedes, Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing-Renault and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari.

Hamilton, in fact, collided with the Finn’s Ferrari and later colliding with Jenson Button’s (McLaren-Mercedes) car’s side pod at the hairpin damaging his own front wing on lap 30. The Iceman didn’t have a terrific day in his Ferrari after the collision with Hamilton. Another collision occurred when he was battling with Vettel’s Red Bull Racing-Renault and his teammate Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari. Raikonen’s car collided with the back of the Red Bull car and in the process losing more bits of his front wing, leaving him to finish just out of the points in 11th.

Filipe Massa in his Wiliams-Mercedes Martini crashed out on the first lap after a massive contact with Kevin Magnussen’s McLaren bringing out the safety car. Magnussen survived without damage to continue the race.

Vettel finished behind Hamilton in 4th, Alonso followed him in 5th, Ricciardo took his RBR Renault in 6th, Nico Hulkenburg finished 7th for Force India, Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen finished 8th and 9th respectively for McLaren and Sergio Perez took the final point for Force India in 10th.

Daniil Kvyat of STR-Renault tried a move on Sergio Perez’s Force India on lap 9, but lost control after he collided with the Mexican in his Torro Rosso dropping further down while fighting for 7th place. But Kvyat eventually retired on lap 46 after his Renault engine caught fire. Romain Grosjean also brought his Lotus into retirement on lap 28 at turn 2 due to loss of power and Adrian Sutil brought his Sauber-Ferrari into retirement after spinning and stalling his car at the final turn on the 50th lap at his home race.

With the 10th round of the Formula 1 season concluded, the Championship is still led by Nico Rosberg with 190 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton with 176 points and Daniel Ricciardo with 106 points. Mercedes AMG still hold the top position for the constructor’s tittle with 366 points, Redbull Racing Renault with 188 points and Williams with 121 points.

Daimler CEO, Dr. Dieter Zetsche hugging a victorious Nico Rosberg. Pictures courtesy - Daimler

50 I August 2014

MOTORSPORT

Homeboy Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix

E

xactly six years since Lewis Hamilton first claimed his first British Grand Prix victory, he won his second Formula One race on July 6, 2014 for Mercedes AMG Petronas at Silverstone.

Valtteri Bottas finished 2nd for Williams Mercedes, the highest of his career with Daniel Ricciardo taking the final podium place for Red Bull Racing Renault to conclude the 50th British Grand Prix.

The drama filled race saw action of all sorts from the word go as in the first lap itself Kimi Raikkonen driving his Ferrari went wide on the turn to the Wellington straight, losing control and crashing his car into the barriers, damaging Max Chilton’s MarussiaFerrari and Kamui Kobayashi’s Caterham-Renault. In fact, Kobayashi did some excellent driving to avoid the tumbling Ferrari car.

Fillipe Massa showcased his reflexes by heroically avoiding a head-on collision with the Finn’s scarlet Ferrari during the incident but did have an impact on the rear of his Williams leading him to retire from the race before the race restarted. The Finn limped away into the medical car. Ferrari claims the impact generated 47G force on the driver which is a horrific number and it was a relief to all to learn that Kimi did withstand it and walked away from a near fatal crash.

The race start was delayed for an hour with Niki Lauda, (former world champion) stating that Formula 1 is over regulated. Once the race was restated, Fernando Alonso of Ferrari was awarded a 5 second penalty for being out of position during the restart which was a blow for the Spaniard . He fought a hard battle with Sebastian Vettel for the 5th place but the latter eventually defeated Alonso for the position leaving the Ferrari driver quite unhappy and complaining in 6th place.

On lap 29, then race leader Nico Rosberg faced gearbox issues in his Mercedes AMG Petronas being stuck in 6th gear and eventually retiring after being over taken by his team mate Lewis Hamilton who went on to win the race.

Esteban Gutierez in his Sauber seemed to return the favour to Maldonado in his Lotus, after colliding into the back of the Lotus driver just like the Columbian did at Bahrain to Gutierez, sending him flying into the air and Gutierez breaking his front wing and retiring on lap 11.

Jenson Button in his Mclaren finished 4th ahead of Vettel and Alonso, followed

by Magnussen (Mclaren), Hulkenburg (Force India), Kvyat and Vergne for Torro Rosso to complete the top 10.

With Rosberg’s first DNF this year, Hamilton closes the gap in the championship. The Driver’s championship stand as: Rosberg with 165 points, Hamilton 4 points behind with 161 and the Aussie Daniel Riccairdo in 3rd with 98. The constructors Championship stand with Mercedes leading with 326 points, followed by Redbull Racing with 168 and Ferrari with 106 points as we head to the German Grand Prix at Pictures courtesy - Daimler Hockenhiem on the 18th–20th of July.

August 2014 I 51

MOTORSPORT

Heikkinen wins 6th round of World Rallycross Championship

T

opi Heikkinen became the 6th different winner of the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship in the sixth round in Mettet in Belgium at the wheel of a Volkswagen Polo RX Supercar of Marklund Motorsport team. Timmy Hansen of Team Peugeot Hansen finished second with Johan Kristofferson third in a VW Polo.

With mixed weather conditions on the brand new Jules Tacheny Rallycross circuit the former WRC champion Petter Solberg driving his Cirtoen for PSRX team missed a podium spot due to a broken suspension which hindered the Norwegian’s progress during the event’s closing laps finishing fourth and collecting crucial points is now Championship leader, three points ahead of Reinis Nitiss.

The winner Mettet RX winner Topi Heikkinen who showed consistent form Topi Heikkinen throughout the weekend thanked the team for helping him win the race after making a huge effort to build an excellent car. He feels that he can catch up in the 2nd half of the season as the competition keeps category, Belgium’s Filip Baelus took a home win in front of an ecstatic getting more and more exciting. home crowd at the wheel of a Volvo C30. After a heat and semi-final Team Championship leaders Ford Olsbergs MSE had a horrible win, Anders Braten finished runner-up with Torleif Lona third. At the weekend who were plagued by a series of misfortunate events. Andreas season’s half-way point Daniel Lundh leads Lona by 11 points.

Bakkerud was first to hit trouble when an engine problem on his Ford Following two heat wins and a semi-final victory Latvia’s Janis Fiesta Supercar forced the Norwegian into an early retirement. On the Baumanis took his second win in the Super1600 category this next heat Nitiss tore the right rear wheel off his car after colliding with season. Timur Shigaboutdinov and Janno Ligur were second and third Henning Solberg. The team worked flat out overnight to repair the respectively. Sergey Zagumennov continues to lead the Fiestas but more bad luck was to follow when Bakkerud withdrew from Super1600 standings with a total of heat three. Nitiss went on to take the heat win but was knocked out of 145 points. his semi-final race along with Euro RX points leader Robin Larsson and Peter Hedstrom.

In the TouringCar

The winning car. Pictures courtesy: rallycrossrx.com 52 I August 2014

MOTORSPORT

Quadruple victory for MINI at Baja Aragon (Spain)

J

oan “Nani” Roma (ES) in his striking yellow MINI ALL4 Racing car won the sixth round of the 2014 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies. The sweet victory came in after four demanding special stages and 666.13 competitive kilometres during the 2014 Baja Aragón in Spain. The Spaniard and his co-driver Michel Périn (FR) claimed the victory for the Monster Energy X-raid Team. The three cars behind them were also MINI ALL4Racing car.

Those who came in after Roma included team-mates Orlando Terranova/Moi Torrallardona (AR/ES), Martin Kaczmarski/Tappio Suominen (PL/FI) and the current World Cup leader Vladimir Vasilyev/ Konstantin Zhiltsov (RU/RU) in positions 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

Roma had won the 2014 Dakar Rally in the MINI ALL4 Racing. Now it was his fourth Baja Aragón victory of his career and a successful repeat of his 2013 Baja Aragón victory. “The Baja Aragón is always something special,” he said.

After his victory Roma said, “It is a home race for me, but in 2009 it was also the first rally I did for the X-raid Team – and I won it right away.

Last year, it also was a trouble-free event for me. So being able to repeat last year’s victory definitely feels good.”

Roma has earned three consecutive Dakar Rally victories in his MINI ALL4 Racing car which is based on the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman. Reliablility, speed and durability were the keys to success on the demanding gravel roads in the northeast of Spain.

After a mixed start into the rally when Roma finished eighth, the reigning Dakar champion quickly bounced back on the first special stage by being the fastest driver of the 61 starters which also got the Spaniard the overall lead. On special stages 2 and 3 he continued to convincingly extend his lead to 1:37.0 minutes on his team-mate Terranova. During the fourth and final special stage Roma decided to take a controlled approach to ensure the victory.

August 2014 I 53

MOTORSPORT

Goa is tourism partner for Force Gurkha RFC India 2014

T

he Goa government has come forward to lend support to the launch edition of India’s first ever international level off-road motorsport event. Goa Tourism has joined hands with the Force Gurkha Rainforest Challenge (RFC) India 2014, which is set to take place from August 8-14, as the Tourism Partner.

The upcoming motorsport extravaganza is an offshoot of Malaysia’s Rainforest Challenge, which is one of the toughest and the most internationally represented motorsport events in the world.

With seven editions held across different parts of the world, India is the eight country to join the international chapters of the RFC. Over 40 teams, both domestic and international, are expected to participate in the launch edition of Force Gurkha RFC India.

Moreover, hundreds of off-road enthusiasts representing all major off-road clubs of the country as well as a large number of touring adventurers will be converging to Goa to witness this historic occasion when India takes its first step towards becoming an international sporting destination for the global off-road community.

Gaurav Gill wins Rally of Coimbatore in Mahindra XUV 500

O

vernight leaders Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif, won the JK Tyre-powered Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the FMSCI-Indian Rally Championship (IRC), by over two minutes, on July 13 2014. The winners were driving a Mahindra XUV 500. The second spot was won by Karnataka’s Arjun Rao and Satish Rajagopal in a VW Polo. They also took the top spot in the IRC 1600 category, while reigning Asia Pacific champion Gill’s Mahindra Adventure teammates Sunny Sidhu and PV Srinivas Murthy were third. A run over the two Special Stages of 26.10 kms and 12.65 kms comprised Sunday’s Leg 2. “I didn’t want to take any risks as I already had a good lead overnight,” Gill said. “I wanted to hold on to the lead and it just so happened that I was fastest in both the stages today,” added India’s top rally driver after the race.

While the top three overnight leaders finished in that order, Team Yokohama’s Vikram Devadasen and Shrikanth in a VW Polo turned in faster times in both Super Stages to finish fourth overall ahead of their Team Yokohama mates Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhatt in a Mitsubishi Cedia. According to an FMSCI press release, Kantharaj and Bhatt topped the IRC 2000cc class, while Devadasen and Shrikanth finished second in the IRC 1600cc category. Arjun Rao and Sathish were returning to action after missing the opening round in Nashik and the pair, winners of the INRC 1600 class last season and second in the overall category, turned in another impressive show.

“The gap between Gill and us was big, but that didn’t change my approach. I was aggressive and I am happy to have finished second overall with a 1600 cc car,” he said. B Raghu Nandan and K Suraj topped the FMSCI 1600cc Cup category.

54 I August 2014

Picture for representation purpose only

Bonnie Thomas wins Round 2 of JK Tyre VW Polo R Cup race

E

ven though Karthik Tharani Singh had won Race 1 of Round 2 of the JK Tyre VW Polo R Cup 2014, the Race 2 on July 13, 2014 in Coimbatore was won by Bonnie Thomas.

The latter registered his second victory of the season.

Starting second on the grid, he maintained the first position from the first corner itself till the end. Bonnie was followed by Karminder Pal Singh and Yatin Magu respectively.

The monsoon rains hit the circuit half an hour before the race which promoted the drivers to opt for wet tyres. In the wet tracks, driving became difficult for all the drivers.

Karminder Pal Singh started in the sixth position but drove his way up to the second position by lap five. He held on to this position till the end of the race. Yatin who started in the fifth position climbed up to number two at one point but then slipped to the third position which he retained till the end. Yatin faced strong competition from Anshul Manoj Shah, Utsav Shah and Lee Keshav Gupta as all four of them fought neck to neck till the very end of the race Bonnie Thomas admitted that the condition were challenging at the circuit and he really did not know how the tyres would react.

“Volkswagen has put together a fantastic race car which is pure fun to compete in,” he said.

Sirish Vissa, head of Volkswagen Motorsport noted that the start of the race was difficult for the drivers as they did not have prior experience with such tricky conditions. Round 3 of the race will now be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from Oct 3 to Oct 5, 2014, followed by Round 4 from November 28 to 30, 2014 at the same venue.

BUYERS’ GUIDE

Buyers’ Guide * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi)

August 2014 I 55

2011 Aston Martin Virage

2011 Rolls Royce Ghost

2011 Jaguar XJL

2010 Jaguar XKR Supercharged

2011 Mercedes Benz G55

sales@bigboytoyz.com www.bigboytoyz.com

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

ASHOK LEYLAND Stile

ASTON MARTIN DB9 Rapide Vantage

Vanquish AUDI A4

A6

A7 A8 L

Q3

Q5

Q7

S4 S6 TT RS5 R7 Sportback R8 R8 Spyder BENTLEY MOTORS Continental

Flying Spur Mulsanne BMW 1 Series

3 Series

5 Series

6 Series

7 Series

X1

LE - 8 Seater LS - 7 Seater LX - 7 Seater

1.5 1.5 1.5

D D D

20.07 20.07 20.07

7.49 8.49 8.99

DB9 Rapide S V8 Vantage V8 Vantage S

6.0 6.0 4.8 4.8

P P P P

NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA

V8 Vantage N430

4.8

P

NA

NA

V12 Vantage S V12 Vanquish

6.0 6.0

P P

NA NA

NA NA

1.8 TFSI Premium 1.8 TFSI Premium Plus 1.8 TFSI Technology 2.0 TDI Premium 2.0 TDI Premium Plus 2.0 TDI Technology 3.0 TDI Quattro Premium Plus 3.0 TDI Quattro Technology 2.0 TFSI Premium 2.0 TFSI Premium Plus 2.0 TFSI Technology 2.0 TDI Premium 2.0 TDI Premium Plus 2.0 TDI Technology 3.0 TDI Quattro Premium 3.0 TDI Quattro Premium Plus 3.0 TDI QuattroTechnology 3.0 TDI quattro 4 .0 TFSI quattro 3.0 TDI quattro 4.2 TDI quattro S 2.0 TDI 2.0 TDI Quatrro Premium 2.0 TDI Quatrro Premium Plus 2.0 TDI Quatrro Premium 2.0 TDI Quatrro Premium Plus 2.0 TDI Quatrro Technology 3.0 TDI Quattro Premium Plus 3.0 TDI QuattroTechnology 3.0 TDI Quattro Premium 3.0 TDI Quattro Premium Plus 3.0 TDI QuattroTechnology 4.2 TDI quattro Technology 3.0 TFSI Quatrro 4.0 TFSI Quattro 2.0 TFSI Quattro 4.2 FSI Quattro 4.0 TFSI Quattro V8 4.2 FSI V10 5.2 FSI V10 5.2 FSI

1.8 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 4.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.2 3.0 4.0 2.0 4.2 4.0 4.2 5.2 5.2

P P P D D D D D P P P D D D D D D D P D D D D D D D D D D D D D D P P D P P P P P

15.64 15.64 15.64 17.11 17.11 17.11 14.94 14.94 NA NA NA 17.60 17.60 17.60 14.50 14.50 14.50 14.40 9.20 6 NA 17.3 15.73 15.73 14.10 14.10 14.10 13.20 13.20 12 12 12 11.30 10.30 NA 12.40 9.20 NA 8 7.60 7.70

29.86 32.11 34.91 33.96 36.21 39.01 55.02 57.82 42.63 47.61 49.96 44.91 48.29 50.64 55.80 60.78 63.13 88.46 1.28 (Cr.) 1.13 (Cr.) 1.23 (Cr.) 25.35 31.51 36.36 46.86 49.86 52.27 57.32 60.11 60.30 65.69 72.35 79.88 52.64 89.95 54.59 1.01 (Cr.) 1.31 (Cr.) 1.64 (Cr.) 1.88 (Cr.) 2.12 (Cr.)

GT W12 GT V8 GT Speed W12 GT V8 S GTC W12 GTC V8 GT Speed Convertible GT V8S Convertible Flying Spur V8 Flying Spur W12 Mulsanne

6.0 4.0 6.0 4.0 6.0 4.0 6.0 6.0 4.0 6.0 6.8

P P P P P P P P P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

116i Prestige 118d Prestige 118d Sport Line 118d Sport Plus 328i Sport Plus 320d Prestige 320d Sport Line 320d Luxury Line 320d GT Luxury Line 520d Prestige 520d Modern Line 520d Luxury Line 525d Luxury Plus 530d M Sport 640d Convertible 650i Convertible 640d Coupé 650i Coupé 640d Gran Coupé Eminence 730 Ld Eminence ActiveHybrid 7L 750Li Eminence 760Li Eminence sDrive20d Expedition

1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 6.0 2.0

P D D D P D D D D D D D D D D P D P D D P P P D

16.28 20.58 20.58 20.58 14.59 18.88 18.88 18.88 19.59 18.48 18.48 18.48 17.09 14.69 17.54 10.86 11.23 18.18 17.54 16.46 13.85 11.62 7.46 17.05

22.65 25.60 28.55 32.50 42.50 33.65 37.15 37.15 42.75 46.20 49.20 49.20 54.50 58.60 NA NA NA NA 1.11 (Cr.) 1.03 (Cr.) 1.35 (Cr.) 1. 40 (Cr.) 1.87 (Cr.) 30.75

MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

X3

X5

M Z4

BUGATTI Veyron CHEVROLET Beat

Captiva Cruze

Enjoy

Sail U-VA

Sail

Spark

DATSUN Go

FIAT Grande Punto

Linea

Linea Classic

FORCE Force One

Gurkha

sDrive20d Sport Line sDrive20d xLine sDrive20d Advantage sDrive20d Expedition sDrive30d Expedition xDrive30d Expedition xDrive30d Design Pure Experience M5 M6 Gran Coupé sDrive 35i sDrive 35i Design Pure Traction

2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0

D D D D D D

17.05 17.05 16.75 16.75 16.55 NA

36 36 42.70 47.90 54.90 64.90

3.0

D

15.35

71

5.0 4.3 3.0

P P P

10.10 10.10 10.37

1.30 (Cr.) 1.75 (Cr.) 71

3.0

P

10.37

72

Veyron Grand Sport

8.0

P

NA

12 (Cr.)

1.2 PS 1.2 LS 1.2 LT 1.2 LT Option 1.0 PS 1.0 LS 1.0 LT 1.0 LT Option 1.2 LS LPG 1.2 LT LPG LT LTZ LT (MT) LTZ (MT) LTZ (AT) 1.4 LS - 8 Seater 1.4 LS -7 Seater 1.4 LT - 8 Seater 1.4 LT - 7 Seater 1.4 LTZ - 8 Seater 1.4 LTZ - 7 Seater 1.3 TCDi LS - 8 Seater 1.3 TCDi LS -7 Seater 1.3 TCDi LT - 8 Seater 1.3 TCDi LT - 7 Seater 1.3 TCDi LTZ - 8 Seater 1.3 TCDi LTZ - 7 Seater 1.2 PS 1.2 LS 1.2 LS ABS 1.2 LT ABS 1.3 TCDi PS 1.3 TCDi LS 1.3 TCDi LS ABS 1.3 TCDi LT ABS 1.2 PS 1.2 LS 1.2 LS ABS 1.2 LT ABS 1.3 TCDi PS 1.3 TCDi LS 1.3 TCDi LS ABS 1.3 TCDi LT ABS Spark 1.0 LS LT

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0

P P P P D D D D LPG LPG D D D D D P P P P P P D D D D D D P P P P D D D D P P P P D D D D P P P

18.61 18.61 18.61 18.61 25.44 25.44 25.44 25.44 13.30 13.30 14.60 12.12 17.30 17.30 NA 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 22.10 22.10 22.10 22.10 18.20 18.20 18.20 18.20 22.10 22.10 22.10 22.10 16.20 16.20 16.20

3.97 4.22 4.63 5.11 4.77 5.05 5.45 5.93 4.47 4.91 23.13 25.23 13.80 15.28 16.30 5.74 5.76 6.28 6.31 7.08 7.10 6.98 7 7.41 7.44 8.10 8.13 4.28 4.72 4.94 5.58 5.25 5.72 5.86 6.62 5.15 5.61 5.88 6.38 6.34 6.66 6.93 7.54 3.44 3.71 3.99

D D1 A T

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

P P P P

20.63 20.63 20.63 20.63

3.12 3.14 3.46 3.69

Active Fire Dynamic Fire Emotion Fire Active Multijet Dynamic Multijet Emotion Multijet 90 HP Multijet Active Fire Active T-Jet Dynamic T-Jet Emotion T-Jet Active Multijet Dynamic Multijet Emotion Multijet Classic Fire Classic Multijet Classic Plus Multijet

1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3

P P P D D D D P P P P D D D P D D

15.70 15.70 15.70 20.30 20.30 20.30 20.50 14.90 15.70 15.70 15.70 20.40 20.40 20.40 14.90 19.50 19.50

4.93 5.16 6.70 5.61 6.26 6.87 7.24 7 7.45 8.54 9.03 8.17 9.29 9.74 5.88 6.86 7.40

EX 6 Seater LX-ABS 6 Seater SX-ABS 6 Seater SX-ABS 5 Seater Hard Top (4x4) Soft Top (4x2)

2.6 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.6 2.6

D D D D D D

NA NA NA NA NA NA

9.27 13.98 12.28 12.35 8.51 6.26

August 2014 I 57

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

FORD Classic

Ecosport

Endeavour

Fiesta

Figo

HONDA Amaze

Brio

City

CR-V

Mobilio

HYUNDAI Elantra

Eon

Grand i10

Soft Top (4x4)

2.6

D

NA

8.36

LXi Duratec CLXi Duratec Titanium Duratec LXi Duratorq CLXi Duratorq Titanium Duratorq Ambiente M/T Trend M/T Titanium M/T Titanium A/T Titanium Ecoboost Titanium (O) Ecoboost Ambiente (D) Trend (D) Titanium (D) Titanium (O) (D) 2.5L 4x2 M/T 3.0L 4x2 A/T 3.0L 4x4 A/T Ambiente Trend Titanium LXi Duratec EXi Duratec ZXi Duratec Titanium Duratec LXi Duratorq EXi Duratorq ZXi Duratorq Titanium Duratorq

1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

P P P D D D P P P P P P D D D D D D D D D D P P P P D D D D

14.09 14.09 14.09 19.68 19.68 19.68 15.80 15.80 15.80 15.60 18.90 18.90 22.70 22.70 22.70 22.70 12.67 10.70 10.70 25.01 25.01 25.01 15.22 15.22 15.22 15.22 19.99 19.99 19.99 19.99

4.88 5.57 6.35 6.19 6.65 7.35 6.30 7.25 8.22 9.16 8.61 9.14 7.34 8.15 9.15 9.69 19.84 21.28 23.06 7.69 8.56 9.29 3.86 4.34 4.69 5.06 4.81 5.30 5.66 6

E M/T EX M/T S M/T SX M/T VX M/T S A/T VX A/T E M/T EX M/T S M/T SX M/T VX M/T E M/T EX M/T S M/T V M/T VX M/T VX A/T E M/T S M/T SV M/T V M/T VX M/T SV CVT VX CVT EMT SMT SVMT VMT VXMT 2WD M/T 2WD A/T AWD A/T AWD A/T AVN E S V E S V RS

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

P P P P P P P D D D D D P P P P P P P P P P P P P D D D D D P P P P P P P D D D D

18 18 18 18 18 15.50 15.50 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 25.80 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 19.40 16.50 17.80 17.80 17.80 17.80 17.80 18 18 26 26 26 26 25.10 13.70 13.70 12 12 17.30 17.30 17.30 24.20 24.20 24.20 24.20

5 5.30 5.69 6.04 6.64 6.70 7.55 5.97 6.24 6.65 6.90 7.49 4 4.20 4.52 4.94 5.22 6 7.20 7.83 8.41 8.97 9.91 9.41 10.96 8.38 9.01 9.55 10.11 11.05 20.25 21.25 22.88 24.36 6.49 7.51 8.77 7.89 8.60 9.76 10.86

S M/T SX M/T SX A/T L M/T S M/T SX M/T SX A/T D-Lite D-Lite+ D-Lite+ LPG Era+ Era+ Lpg Magna+ Magna+ LPG Magna+ 1.0L Kappa Sportz Kappa Era

1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.2

P P P D D D D P P P/LPG P P/LPG P P/LPG P P P

16.30 16.30 14.30 22.70 22.70 22.70 19.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 21.10 20.30 21.10 18.90

12.73 13.94 14.91 13.15 13.87 15.05 16.03 2.83 3.11 3.37 3.25 3.51 3.54 3.80 3.83 3.82 4.33

58 I August 2014

MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

i10

i20

Santa Fe

Santro Xing

Sonata Verna

Xcent

ISUZU MU-7

D-Max

JAGUAR F-Type

XF

XJ

XK

LAMBORGHINI Aventador LAND ROVER Discovery 4

Kappa Magna Kappa Sportz Kappa Sportz A/T Kappa Asta Kappa Asta A/T Kappa Asta (O) CRDi Era CRDi Magna CRDi Sportz CRDi Asta CRDi Asta (O) 1.1 Era 1.1 Magna 1.1 Magna LPG 1.1 Sportz 1.1 Sportz LPG 1.2 Kappa Era 1.2 Kappa Magna 1.2 Kappa Sportz 1.2 Kappa Asta 1.2 Kappa Asta (O) 1.2 Kappa Sportz A/T 1.4 CRDi Era 1.4 CRDi Magna 1.4 CRDi Sportz 1.4 CRDi Asta 2WD M/T 2WD A/T 4WD A/T GL Plus GL Plus LPG GLS GLS LPG 2.4 GDI M/T 2.4 GDI A/T GL CX EX SX SX A/T SX (O) CRDi GL CRDi CX CRDi EX CRDi SX CRDi SX A/T CRDi SX (O) CRDi SX (O) A/T 1.2 Kappa Base 1.2 Kappa S 1.2 Kappa S (O) 1.2 Kappa S (O) A/T 1.2 Kappa SX 1.2 Kappa SX (O) 1.2 Kappa SX (O) A/T 1.1 CRDi Base 1.1 CRDi S 1.1 CRDi S (O) 1.1 CRDi SX 1.1 CRDi SX (O)

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 2.2 2.2 2.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 2.4 2.4 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1

P P P P P P D D D D D P P P/LPG P P/LPG P P P P P P D D D D D D D P P/LPG P P/LPG P P P P P P P P D D D D D D D P P P P P P P D D D D D

18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 18.90 24 24 24 24 24 19.81 19.81 19.20 19.81 19.20 18.15 18.15 18.15 18.15 18.15 15.04 21.93 21.93 21.93 21.93 14.74 13.01 13.01 17.92 13.45 17.92 13..45 13.04 12.35 17.43 17.43 17.01 17.01 15.74 17.01 23.50 23.50 22.32 22.32 19.08 22.32 19.08 19.10 19.10 19.10 16.90 19.10 19.10 16.90 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40 24.40

4.51 4.89 5.61 5.15 5.87 5.46 5.21 5.40 5.78 6.04 6.35 3.87 4.07 4.34 4.35 4.63 4.81 5.33 5.79 6.31 6.74 7.76 5.95 6.54 7.09 7.53 25.08 25.89 27.90 3.66 3.86 3.87 4.06 18.73 20.77 7.18 8.07 8.13 8.57 9.29 9.51 8.35 9.29 9.42 9.76 10.47 10.80 11.51 4.66 5.32 5.57 6.28 6.22 6.47 7.19 5.57 6.23 6.48 7.13 7.38

BS3 4x2 MT BS3 4x2 MT HI Pack BS4 4x2 MT BS4 4x2 MT HI Pack D-Max Single Cab D-Max Space Cab Flat Deck D-Max Space Cab Arched Deck

3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5

D D D D D D

NA NA NA NA NA NA

19.69 21.65 19.99 21.95 5.89 6.09

2.5

D

NA

6.99

F-Type Coupe F-Type S Coupe F-Type R Coupe F-Type V6 S Covertible F-Type V8 S Covertible XF 2.0 XF 2.2 XF 3.0 XFR 5.0 2.0 Premium Luxury 2.0 Portfolio 3.0 Premium Luxury 3.0 Portfolio XKR Coupe XKR Convertible XKR - S

3.0 3.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.2 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

P P P P P P D D P P P D D P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

1.22 (Cr.) 1.34 (Cr.) 1.82 (Cr.) 1.49 (Cr.) 1.75 (Cr.) 49.08 49.39 55.39 NA NA NA 92.62 99.21 NA NA NA

LP 700-4 LP 700-4 Roadster

6.5 6.5

P P

6.3 6.3

3.69 (Cr.) 4.77 (Cr.)

3.0 V6 SE 3.0 V6 HSE

3.0 3.0

P P

NA NA

1.05 (Cr.) 1.14 (Cr.)

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

Freelander 2

Range Rover

Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover Sport

MAHINDRA Bolero

Getaway Quanto

Rexton

Scorpio

Thar Verito

Verito Vibe

XUV 500

XYLO

MAHINDRA REVA e2o

MARUTI Alto 800

Alto K10 Celerio

TD4 S BE TD4 SE TD4 HSE TDV6 HSE TDV6 Vogue SDV6 Vogue SE SDV8 Autobiography V8 SC Autobiography TDV6 Vogue LWB SDV8 Vogue SE LWB SDV8 Autobiography LWB V8 SC Autobiography LWB

2.2 2.2 2.2 3.0 3.0 4.4 4.4 5.0 3.0 4.4 4.4 5.0

D D D D D D D P D D D P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

39.74 43.38 48.72 1.73 (Cr.) 1.97 (Cr.) 2.35 (Cr.) 2.43 (Cr.) 2.50 (Cr.) 2.08 (Cr.) 2.44 (Cr.) 2.56 (Cr.) 2.63 (Cr.)

Pure

2.2

D

NA

55.36

Prestige Dynamic Dynamic Coupe

2.2 2.2 2.0

D D P

NA NA NA

65.47 64.64 NA

SDV6 S

3.0

D

NA

1.10 (Cr.)

SDV6 SE SDV6 HSE SC Autobiography

3.0 3.0 5.0

D D P

NA NA NA

1.25 (Cr.) 1.43 (Cr.) 1.66 (Cr.)

Plus Non Ac BS3 / BS4 Plus Ac BS3 / BS4 Ex Non Ac BS4 Ex Ac BS4 DI Non Ac BS3 / 4WD Non Ac BS3 DI Ac BS3 SLE BS3 / BS4 SLX BS3 / BS4 ZLX BS3 / BS4 Getaway 2WD / 4WD C2 C4 C6 C8 RX5 MT RX6 MT RX7 AT EX BS3-1 / BS4-1

2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

D D D D

15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96

6.24 / 6.51 6.60 / 6.89 6.15 6.54

2.5

D

15.96

5.99 / 6.40

2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.5

D D D D D D D D D D D D D

15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96 15.96 17.21 17.21 17.21 17.21 11.18 11.18 11.18 14

LX BS3-1 / BS4-1 / 4WD BS4-1

2.2

D

12.88 / 12.05

SLE BS3-1 / BS4-1 VLX / VLX AT Thar DI 2WD / 4WD 4x4 CRDE D2 D4 D6 ABS D6 ABS EXECUTIVE D2 D4 D6 W4 FWD W6 FWD W8 FWD W8 AWD W8 FWD SPORTZ D2 BS III / BS IV D2 MAXX BS III / BS IV D4 BS III / BS IV H4 BS IV / ABS BS IV H8 ABS BS IV / ABS AIRBAG BS IV H9 BS IV / PEARL WHITE BS IV

2.2 2.2 2.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.2

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

12.88 12.88 18.06 18.06 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 20.08 15.10 15.10 15.10 15.10 15.10 14.88 14.88 14.88 14.02

6.25 6.78 / 6.92 7.28 / 7.42 7.43 / 7.57 7.91 / 8.85 6.08 6.92 7.37 7.86 18.88 19.96 21.11 8.11 / 8.20 8.75 / 8.76 / 10.02 9.83 / 9.93 11.16 / 12.17 4.81 / 5.30 7.35 6.40 6.62 7.29 7.75 5.69 5.96 6.55 10.79 12.02 13.60 14.65 13.85 7.69 / 7.83 7.49 / 7.63 8.11 / 8.24 8.48 / 8.71

2.2

D

14.02

9.60 / 9.97

2.2

D

14.02

10.78 / 10.84

T01 T2 T20 Quick 2 Charge

NA NA NA

E E E

NA NA NA

4.82 5.60 6

Alto 800 STD Alto 800 LX Alto 800 LXI Alto 800 LXI Airbag Alto 800 VXI Alto 800 VXI Airbag Alto 800 STD CNG Alto 800 LX CNG Alto 800 LXI CNG Alto 800 LXI Anniversary Edition Alto K10 LXI Alto K10 VXI Celerio LXI Celerio LXI AMT Celerio VXI Celerio VXI AMT Celerio GREEN VXI Celerio ZXI Celerio ZXI (O)

0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8

P P P P P P CNG CNG CNG

22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 22.74 30.46 30.46 30.46

2.37 2.73 2.94 3.10 3.07 3.25 3.1 3.31 3.49

0.8

P

22.74

2.98

1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

P P P P P P CNG P P

20.92 20.92 23.10 23.10 23.10 23.10 31.79 23.10 23.10

3.15 3.28 3.76 4.14 4.05 4.43 4.68 4.34 4.79

MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

Eeco 5 Seater Eeco 5 Seater Ac Eeco 7 Seater Eeco Flexi Green Eeco Green 5 Seater Non Ac Eeco Green 5 Seater Ac Ertiga Ertiga LXI Ertiga LXI CNG Ertiga VXI Ertiga VXI ABS Ertiga VXI CNG Ertiga ZXI Ertiga LDI Ertiga VDI Ertiga ZDI Grand Vitara MT Grand Vitara Grand Vitara AT Gypsy King Soft Top King Hard Top Omni Omni 5 Seater Omni 8 Seater Ritz Ritz Lxi Ritz Vxi Ritz Vxi ABS Ritz Vxi AT ABS Ritz Zxi Ritz Mc Ldi Ritz Mc Vdi Ritz Mc Vdi ABS Ritz Mc Zdi Swift Swift Lxi Swift Vxi Swift Zxi Swift Ldi Swift Vdi Swift Zdi Swift Dzire Swift DzireLxi Swift Dzire Vxi Swift Dzire Vxi AT Swift Dzire Vxi Limited Edition Swift Dzire Zxi Swift Dzire Ldi Swift Dzire Vdi Swift Dzire Zdi SX4 SX4 MC VXI SX4 MC VXI CNG SX4 MC ZXI SX4 MC ZXI (O) SX4 MC VDI SX4 MC ZDI SX4 MC ZDI (O) WagonR WagonR Mc Lx WagonR Mc Lxi WagonR Mc Lxi CNG WagonR Mc Vxi WagonR Mc Vxi ABS WagonR Duo LPG Stingray Lxi WagonR Stingray Stingray Vxi Stingray Vxi (O) MASERATI Gran Turismo Gran Turismo Gran Turismo Sport Gran Turismo MC Stradale Gran Cabrio Gran Cabrio Sport Gran Cabrio MC Quattroporte Quattroporte S Quattroporte S Q4 Quattroporte GTS MERCEDES-BENZ A-class A 180 Sport A 180 CDI Style B 180 Sport B-class B 180 CDI C-class C 200 Avantgarde C 220 CDI Classic C 220 CDI Sports C 220 CDI Avantgarde C 250 CDI Avantgarde C 63 AMG CL-class CLA 45AMG CLS 350 E-class E 200 Avantgarde E 250 CDI Avantgarde E 63 AMG G-class G 63 AMG GL-class GL 350 CDI GL 63 AMG M-class ML 250 CDI ML 350 CDI S-class S350 CDI Eeco

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.4 2.4 1.3 1.3 0.8 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

P P P CNG CNG CNG P CNG P P CNG P D D D P P P P LPG P P P P P P D D D D P P P D D D P P P P P D D D P CNG P P D D D P P CNG P P LPG P P P

15.10 15.10 15.10 20 20 20 16.02 22.80 16.02 16.02 22.80 16.02 20.77 20.77 20.77 10.40 9.24 11.96 11.96 10.90 14.70 18.50 18.50 18.50 17.16 18.50 23.20 23.20 23.20 23.20 18.60 18.60 18.60 22.90 22.90 22.90 19.10 19.10 17.40 19.10 19.10 23.40 23.40 23.40 16.51 22.10 16.51 16.51 21.79 21.79 21.79 20.51 20.51 26.60 20.51 20.51 14.60 20.51 20.51 20.51

2.98 3.27 3.15 4 3.62 3.97 5.80 6.40 6.56 6.64 7.14 7.35 7.22 7.85 8.49 22.68 24.60 5.79 5.93 2.47 2.40 4.23 4.57 4.80 5.76 5.15 5.27 5.59 5.76 6.15 4.42 4.90 5.66 5.46 5.78 6.71 4.85 5.44 6.34 5.50 6.31 5.78 6.51 7.32 7.15 7.74 7.98 8.54 8.06 8.97 9.54 3.48 3.79 4.31 4.04 4.34 4.13 4 4.28 4.55

4.2 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 3.0 3.0 3.8

P P P P P P P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

1.6 2.1 1.6 2.1 1.8 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 6.2 2.0 3.5 2.0 2.1 5.5 5.5 3.0 5.5 2.1 3.0 3.5

P D P D P D D D D P P P P D P P D P D D D

15.50 20.06 14.91 18.98 11.74 NA NA 14.84 NA NA NA 9.26 13.82 14.21 NA NA NA NA 14.80 8.70 NA

26.56 25.64 28.87 27.75 32.85 NA NA 39.90 NA 1.06 (Cr.) 68.50 91.90 45.53 47.67 1.29 (Cr.) 1.85 (Cr.) 73.95 1.70 (Cr.) 54.80 65.80 1.07 (Cr.)

August 2014 I 59

CAR PRICES * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

SLK-class SLS-class MINI Mini Cooper

Mini Cooper Countryman

MITSUBISHI Pajero Sport NISSAN Evalia

Micra

Micra Active

Sunny

Teana Terrano

PORSCHE 911

Boxter Cayenne

Cayman Macan Panamera

S500L SLK 350 SLK 55 AMG SLS AMG

4.7 3.5 5.5 6.3

P P P P

NA NA NA NA

1.57 (Cr.) 71.90 1.26 (Cr.) NA

Mini Cooper Mini Cooper S Mini Convertible

1.6 1.6 1.6

P P P

NA NA NA

27.90 31.50 34.80

Mini One Countryman

1.6

P

NA

26.55

Mini D Countryman Mini D Countryman Hightrim Mini S Countryman

2.0 2.0 1.6

D D P

NA NA NA

28.55 31.40 38.75

Di-D

2.5

D

NA

23.50

Evalia XE Evalia XE+ Evalia XL Evalia XL Option Evalia XV Evalia XV Option Micra XL Micra XL COMFORT Micra XV CVT Micra DCI XE Micra DCI XL Micra DCI XL COMFORT Micra DCI XV Micra DCI XV PREMIUM Micra Active XL Micra Active XV Micra Active XV S Sunny XE Sunny XL Sunny XL CVT Sunny XV Sunny XL D Sunny XV D Sunny XV D PREMIUM Teana MID Teana UPPER Terrano XL Terrano XE D Terrano XL D Terrano XL D PLUS Terrano XL D THP Terrano XV OPTION D THP Terrano XV OPTION D THP Premium

1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 2.5 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

D D D D D D P P P D D D D D P P P P P P P D D D P P P D D D D D

NA NA NA NA NA NA 18.44 18.44 19.34 23.08 23.08 23.08 23.08 23.08 19.49 19.49 19.49 16.95 16.95 17.97 16.95 22.71 22.71 22.71 11.07 11.07 13.24 20.45 20.45 20.45 19.01 19.01

8.50 9 9.78 10.02 10.43 10.68 4.82 5.44 6.42 5.45 5.78 6.42 6.81 7.04 4.13 4.42 4.72 6.28 7.41 8.62 8.17 8.48 9.05 9.55 21.14 24.89 9.53 9.48 10.49 10.85 11.09 12

1.5

D

19.01

12.30

Careera Careera S Careera 4 Careera 4S Careera Cabriolet Careera S Cabriolet Careera 4 Cabriolet Careera 4S Cabriolet ''50 Years 911'' GT3 Turbo Turbo S Boxter S Cayenne Diesel Cayenne S Cayenne S Diesel Cayenne S Hybrid Cayenne GTS Cayenne Tiptronic Cayenne Turbo Cayenne Turbo S Cayman S Turbo S Diesel Panamera Panamera Diesel Panamera 4 Panamera GTS Panamera Turbo

3.4 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.4 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.4 3.0 4.8 4.1 3.0 4.8 3.6 4.8 4.8 3.4 3.6 3.0 3.6 3.0 3.6 4.8 4.8

P P P P P P P P P P P P P D P D P P P P P P D D P D P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 10.80 15.80 NA NA NA NA NA

1.28 (Cr.) 1.50 (Cr.) 1.38 (Cr.) 1.60 (Cr.) 1.46 (Cr.) 1.67 (Cr.) 1.56 (Cr.) 1.77 (Cr.) 1.72 (Cr.) 2.13 (Cr.) 2.19 (Cr.) 2.66 (Cr.) 91.51 79.06 99.92 1.02 (Cr.) 91.05 1.16 (Cr.) 71.17 1.60 (Cr.) 2.09 (Cr.) 93.99 NA 85 1.19 (Cr.) 1.23 (Cr.) 1.22 (Cr.) 1.60 (Cr.) 1.99 (Cr.)

GX GLX DX LX Multijet

1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5

P P D D D

15 15 13 13 20

6.31 6.59 7.02 7.30 6.70

RXE RXL 85 PS RXE 85 PS RXE Adventure 85 PS RXL

1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5

P P D D D

13.24 13.24 20.64 20.64 20.64

7.86 9.12 8.70 9.26 9.69

PREMIER Rio

RENAULT Duster

60 I August 2014

MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

Fluence Koleos

Pulse

Scala

ROLLS-ROYCE Ghost

Phantom Series II

Wraith SKODA Fabia

Octavia

Rapid

Superb

Yeti

TATA Aria

Indica

Indigo eCS

Manza

85 PS RXL Plus 85 PS RXL Option 110 PS RXL 110 PS RXL Adventure 110 PS RXZ 110 PS RXZ Plus 110 PS RXZ Option E2 E4 4x2 MT 4X4 MT 4X4 AT RXE RXL RXZ RXL RXL ABS RXZ RXE RXL RXL CVT RXL CVT Travelogue RXL Travelogue RXZ CVT RXZ CVT Travelogue RXE RXL Travelogue RXZ RXZ Travelogue

1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

D D D D D D D D D D D D P P P D D D P P P P P P P D D D D

20.64 20.64 19.01 19.01 19.01 19.01 19.01 20.04 20.04 17.15 16.26 14.56 18.06 18.06 18.06 23.08 23.08 23.08 16.95 16.95 17.97 16.95 16.95 17.97 16.95 21.64 21.64 21.64 21.64

9.99 10.93 10.80 11.91 11.39 11.86 11.91 13.99 15.49 22 25 26 4.46 5.19 5.77 6.16 6.34 6.99 7.24 8.02 9.16 9.70 8.56 10.07 10.61 8.35 9.39 9.75 10.29

Ghost SWB Ghost EWB Ghost V-Specification Phantom Phantom EWB Drophead Coupe Coupe Wraith

6.6 6.6 6.6 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.6

P P P P P P P P

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

Active Plus 1.2 MPI Ambition Plus 1.2 MPI Elegance 1.2 MPI Elegance 1.6 MPI Active Plus 1.2 TDI CR Ambition Plus 1.2 TDI CR Elegance 1.2 TDI Active 1.4 TSI Ambition 1.4 TSI Elegance 1.8 TSI AT Active 2.0 TDI CR Ambition 2.0 TDI CR Ambition 2.0 TDI CR AT Elegance 2.0 TDI CR AT Active 1.6 MPI MT Ambition 1.6 MPI MT Plus Elegance 1.6 MPI MT Ambition 1.6 MPI AT Plus Elegance 1.6 MPI AT Active 1.6 TDI CR MT Ambition 1.6 TDI CR MT Plus Elegance 1.6 TDI CR MT Ambition 1.8 TSI MT Elegance 1.8 TSI MT Elegance 1.8 TSI AT Ambition 2.0 TDI CR AT Elegance 2.0 TDI CR AT Active 2.0 TDI CR 4x2 Ambition 2.0 TDI CR 4x2 Ambition 2.0 TDI CR 4x4 Elegance 2.0 TDI CR 4x4

1.2 1.2 1.2 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

P P P P D D D P P P D D D D P P P P P D D D P P P D D D D D D

16.4 16.4 16.4 14.8 21 21 21 16.80 16.80 14.70 20.60 20.60 19.30 19.30 15 15 15 14.30 14.30 20.50 20.50 20.50 13.10 13.10 13.70 17.20 17.20 17.72 17.72 17.67 17.67

5.03 5.43 6.29 6.60 6.24 6.65 7.51 14.25 15.25 18.55 15.85 16.85 17.85 19.75 7.10 7.99 8.59 8.97 9.55 8.26 9.07 9.61 18.62 20.66 22.23 23.07 25.09 15.19 16 17.17 18.82

Pure LX 4x2 BS IV Pleasure LX 4x2 BS IV Pride 4x4 BS IV ev2 LS BS III / BS IV ev2 LX BS III / BS IV emax GLS BS IV emax GLX BS IV GLX BS IV GVX BS IV LS LX VX emax GLS emax GLX Safire GLS Safire GLX Safire GVX Safire GEX Quadrajet LS Quadrajet LX Quadrajet VX

2.2 2.2 2.2 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3

D D D D D P/CNG P/CNG P P D D D P/CNG P/CNG P P P P D D D

15.05 15.05 15.05 25 25 NA NA 15.64 15.64 25 25 25 NA NA 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 21.02 21.02 21.02

9.95 12 14.74 4.13 / 4.39 4.47 / 4.80 3.86 4.12 4.92 5.20 5 / 5.38 5.34 / 5.51 5.89 4.82 5.09 5.92 5.95 6.34 7.28 5.86 6.49 7.13

CARS/TWO WHEELERS * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

Nano

Safari Safari Storme

Sumo Gold

Vista

Xenon XT TOYOTA Camry Corolla Altis

Etios

Etios Liva

Etios Cross

Fortuner

Innova

Land Cruiser LC 200 Land Cruiser Parado Prius

Quadrajet EX Nano STD Nano CX Nano LX New Nano CX New Nano LX Nano Twist XT Nano CX CNG Nano LX CNG Dicor EX BS 3 / BS 4 Dicor LX BS 3 / BS 4 Storme EX BS 4 Storme VX BS 4 (4x2 / 4x4) Storme LX BS 4 CX BS 4 CX - PS BS 4 LX BS 4 EX BS 4 FX BS 4 GX BS 4 LS BS 3 LX BS 3 Quadrajet LS BS 4 Quadrajet VX Tech BS 4 XT EX 4x2 XT EX 4x4

1.3 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 2.2 2.2

D P P P P P P P/CNG P/CNG D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

21.02 25.34 25.34 25.34 25.34 25.34 25.34 NA NA 11.57 11.57 14 14 14 15.30 15.30 15.30 15.30 15.30 15.30 22.30 22.30 16.70 21.12 13.49 13.49

8.07 1.41 1.86 2.10 1.94 2.19 2.31 2.33 2.58 9.28 / 9.60 8.25 / 8.42 10.97 12.31 / 13.57 9.84 6.18 6.35 6.44 6.87 7.21 7.48 4.78 5.21 5.22 5.90 9.98 11.01

2.5 A/T Hybrid 1.8JS 1.8G 1.8G (CVT) 1.8GL 1.8 VL A/T D4-DJ D4-DJS D4-DG D4-DGL J PS G G SP* V V SP* D-4D JD D-4D GD D-4D GD SP* D-4D VD D-4D VD SP* J PS G G SP* V V SP* TRD Sportivo D-4D JD D-4D GD D-4D GD SP* D-4D TRD Sportivo VD VD SP* Cross G Cross V D-4D GD D-4D VD 4x2 M/T 4x4 M/T 4x2 M/T (TRD Sportivo) 4x2 A/T 4x2 A/T (TRD Sportivo) G Euro IV 8 Seater GX Euro IV 8 Seater VX Euro IV 8 Seater E Euro IV / Euro III Non AC 8 Seater E Euro IV / Euro III Non AC 7 Seater E Euro IV / Euro III PS 8 Seater E Euro IV / Euro III PS 7 Seater G Euro IV / Euro III 8 Seater G Euro IV / Euro III 7 Seater GX Euro IV / Euro III 8 Seater GX Euro IV / Euro III 7 Seater VX Euro IV / Euro III 8 Seater VX Euro IV / Euro III 7 Seater ZX Euro IV / Euro III 7 Seater

2.5 2.5 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

P P P P P P P D D D D P P P P P D D D D D P P P P P P D D D D D D P P D D D D D D D P P P

12.98 19.16 14.05 14.05 15.22 14.05 15.22 21.45 21.45 21.45 21.45 16.78 16.78 16.78 16.78 16.78 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 17.71 17.71 17.71 17.71 17.71 16.78 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 23.59 17.71 16.78 23.59 23.59 12.55 12.55 12.55 11.88 11.88 10.35 10.35 10.35

25.09 29.12 11.99 13.74 15.04 15.38 16.89 13.07 13.64 15.04 16.68 5.38 5.88 6.44 6.65 7.04 6.64 7 7.47 7.69 8.08 4.40 4.83 5.31 5.52 5.91 6.05 5.74 5.99 6.41 6.62 6.51 6.90 5.76 7.35 6.90 7.40 21.81 23.06 22.43 22.80 23.41 10.10 11.47 13.56

2.5

D

13.31

9.97 / 9.72

2.5

D

13.31

10.01 / 9.76

2.5

D

13.31

10.50 / 10.25

2.5

D

13.31

10.54 / 10.29

2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

D D D D D D D

13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31 13.31

10.83 / 10.58 10.79 / 10.54 12.38 / 12.13 12.33 / 12.08 14.44 / 14.19 14.39 / 14.14 14.92 / 14.67

VX 200 Premium

4.5

D

9.65

1.13 (Cr.)

Parado VX-L

3.0

D

11.13

84.57

Z5

1.8

P

23.91

36.63

MODEL

VARIANTS

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

FUEL*

PRICE*

* Engine in Litres | Fuel - Petrol (P), Diesel (D), CNG, LPG, Hybrid (H), Electric (E) | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs/Crore

VOLKSWAGEN Jetta

Polo

Vento

VOLVO S60

S80 V40 XC 60

XC 90

Z6

1.8

P

23.91

38.27

TSI Trendline M/T TSI Comfortline M/T TDI Trendline M/T TDI Comfortline M/T TDI Highline M/T TDI Highline A/T Trendline Comfortline Highline Trendline (Diesel) Comfortline (Diesel) Highline (Diesel) GT TSI GT TDI Cross Polo 1.2 TSI Trendline Comfortline Highline Highline A/T Trendline (Diesel) Comfortline (Diesel) Highline (Diesel)

1.4 1.4 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6

P P D D D D P P P D D D P D D P P P P P D D D

14.69 14.69 19.33 19.33 19.33 16.96 16.47 16.47 16.47 20.14 20.14 20.14 17.21 19.78 22.07 16.93 15.04 15.04 15.04 14.40 20.54 20.54 20.54

13.20 14.66 14.65 16.12 18.18 19.02 4.99 5.77 6.07 6.27 6.86 7.37 7.99 7.99 7.90 10.02 7.19 7.80 8.70 9.67 8.31 8.92 9.76

D4 Kinetic D4 Summum D5 Summum D4 Summum D5 Summum D3 Cross Country D4 Kinetic D4 Summum D5 Summum D5 Summum

2.0 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.4 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.4 2.4

D D D D D D D D D D

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

31.90 34.40 37.50 41.80 45.50 31.90 41.50 44.60 48 55

TWO WHEELER PRICES MODEL

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

99.27 94.38 102 102 124.6 124.6 124.6 124.6 144.8 134.66 149 178.6 199.5 220 219.89 200 373 296 649 998 1441 1043 806 1043

90 91 76 87 82 82 72 77.10 72.30 68.10 65 58.10 58 54.20 49.80 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

0.37 0.44 0.46 0.48 0.47 0.49 0.55 0.52 NA 0.59 0.67 0.70 0.85 0.82 0.77 1.31 (Lakh) 1.81 (Lakh) 3.38 (Lakh) 4.92 (Lakh) 15.60 (Lakh) 16.80 (Lakh) 12.45 (Lakh) 8.05 (Lakh) 12.45 (Lakh)

1170 1170 1170 1170 1293 1293 999 1170 1649 1649

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

24.13 (Lakh) 27.14 (Lakh) 27.79 (Lakh) 29.73 (Lakh) 27.25 (Lakh) 48.12 (Lakh) 29.41 (Lakh) NA 34.35 (Lakh) 37.04 (Lakh)

803 803 1078 1078 803 1078 1078 992 1198 1198 1198

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs

BAJAJ AUTO Platina Discover 100 4G Discover 100 M Discover 100 T Discover 125 DTS-i (Drum) Discover 125 DTS-i (Disc) Discover 125 ST Discover 125 T Discover 150 DTS-i Pulsar 135LS Pulsar 150 DTS-i Pulsar 180 DTS-i Pulsar 200 NS Pulsar 220 Avenger 220 DTS-i KTM 200 Duke KTM 390 Duke Ninja 300 Ninja 650 R Ninja ZX 10R Ninja ZX 14R Ninja 1000 Ninja Z800 Ninja Z1000 BMW MOTORRAD R 1200 R R 1200 GS R 1200 GS Adventure R 1200 RT K 1300 R K 1300 S S 1000 RR HP2 Sport K 1600 GT K 1600 GTL DUCATI Monster 795 Monster 796 Monster 1100 Monster 1100 S Hypermotard 796 Hypermotard 1100 Evo Hypermotard 1100 Evo SP GT 1000 Multistrada 1200 Multistrada 1200 ABS Multistrada 1200 S

August 2014 I 61

TWO WHEELERS * Prices (Ex-Showroom Delhi) MODEL

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs

Multistrada 1200 T Streetfighter Streetfighter S Diavel Diavel Carbon 848 1198 1198 S HARLEY DAVIDSON Street Super Low Iron 883 Forty - Eight Night Rod Special Street Bob Fat Bob Fat Boy Fat Boy Special Heritage Softail Classic Street Glide HERO MOTOCORP Pleasure Maestro HF Dawn HF Deluxe HF Deluxe Eco Splendor+ Splendor NXG Splendor PRO Splendor ISMART Super Splendor Passion Pro Passion XPro Glamour Glamour PGM - FI Ignitor Achiever CBZ Xtreme Hunk Impulse Karizma Karizma ZMR HONDA Dio DLX Activa DLX Activa i Activa 125 Aviator CB Twister Dream Neo Dream Yuga CB Shine CBF Stunner CB Unicorn CB Trigger CBR 150R CBR 250R CB 1000R CB 1000RR VFR 1200F VT 1300 CX HYOUSUNG GT 250R Aquila 250 GT 650R GT 650N Aquila PRO ST7 INDIAN MOTORCYCLE Chief Classic Chief Vintage Chieftain LML NV DLX KS NV ES NV KS NV ES NV LS NV LS SELECT 4 KS SELECT 4 ES MAHINDRA 2 WHEELERS Kine Flyte Duro DZ Rodeo RZ Pantero Centuro PIAGGIO Vespa LX Vespa VX Vespa S

62 I August 2014

MODEL

ENGINE*

FUEL EFFICIENCY*

PRICE*

346 499 346 346 500 346 499 499 499 535

53.40 NA 53.40 NA NA 53.40 53.40 39.35 39.35 NA

0.98 1.42 (Lakh) 1.10 (Lakh) 1.28 (Lakh) 1.63 (Lakh) 1.18 (Lakh) 1.51 (Lakh) 1.53 (Lakh) 1.60 (Lakh) 1.84 (Lakh)

124 124 112.8 124 149.5 250 1255 805 1783 1340 999 999 1037

50.22 51 72 68.50 55.70 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

0.47 0.48 0.41 0.51 0.69 2.09 (Lakh) 10.75 (Lakh) 10.05 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 15.95 (Lakh) 16.45 (Lakh) 14.95 (Lakh)

865 865 865 675 1050 675 675 1215 800 1699 2294

18.12 18.13 NA NA NA 16.37 16.37 15.93 17.56 NA NA

5.68 (Lakh) 6.57 (Lakh) 6.66 (Lakh) 7.45 (Lakh) 10.31 (Lakh) 9.98 (Lakh) 11.29 (Lakh) 11.83 (Lakh) 17.62 (Lakh) 13.08(Lakh) 20.08(Lakh)

87.8 87.8 109.7 99.7 109.7 109.7 125 159.7 177.4

65 65 62 87.70 83.90 62 67 NA NA

0.41 0.43 0.47 0.40 0.42 0.44 0.50 0.69 0.73

113 113 113 106 106 123 123 149 149 153 153 153 998 998 1498 1679

NA 53 53 75.74 70.03 71.50 NA NA NA 62.40 NA 50.81 NA NA NA NA

0.48 0.45 0.48 0.38 0.45 0.51 NA 0.76 0.78 0.54 NA 0.77 NA 15 NA 22.03

* Engine in CC | Fuel Efficiency in kmpl/kmpkg | Prices in lakhs

1198 1055 1055 1198 1198 849 1198 1198

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

749 883 883 1202 1247 1585 1690 1690 1690 1690 1690

NA 21.70 21.70 NA 15.80 18.18 17.85 17.85 NA 17.85 17.85

4.10 (Lakh) 5.85 (Lakh) 6.64 (Lakh) 8.67 (Lakh) 21.75 (Lakh) 10.20 (Lakh) 12.82 (Lakh) 14.84 (Lakh) 15.54 (Lakh) 16.19 (Lakh) 29 (Lakh)

102 109 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 97.2 124.7 97.2 109.1 124.7 124.8 124.7 149.1 149.2 149.2 149.2 223 223

NA NA 80 80 80 81 81 81 NA 83.10 79 60 81.10 NA 52.40 68 65.10 65.10 55 48.50 51

0.43 0.47 0.38 0.40 0.44 0.43 0.43 0.44 0.47 0.51 0.45 0.47 0.53 0.59 0.57 0.58 0.66 0.66 0.69 0.78 0.97

109 109 109.2 124.9 109 109 109 109 124.7 124.7 149.1 149.1 149.4 249 998 999 1237 1312

60 60 60 NA 60 70 74 74 65 NA NA NA NA 30 NA NA NA NA

0.44 0.46 0.43 0.52 0.47 0.47 0.42 0.44 0.47 0.56 0.63 0.65 1.17 (Lakh) 1.52 (Lakh) 11.81 (Lakh) 15.21 (Lakh) 17.63 (Lakh) 13.99 (Lakh)

249 249 647 647 647 678.2

NA NA NA NA NA NA

NA NA 4.79 (Lakh) 3.96 (Lakh) 4.99 (Lakh) 6.12 (Lakh)

1811 1811 1811

NA NA NA

25.50 (Lakh) 28.50 (Lakh) 32 (Lakh)

147.5 147.5 149.5 149.5 147.5 149.5 147.5 147.5

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

0.50 0.54 0.44 0.49 0.67 0.62 0.53 0.57

71.5 124.6 124.6 124.6 106.7 106.7

63.25 40 56.25 59.38 79.40 85.40

0.34 0.41 0.44 0.45 0.39 0.45

125 125 125

62 60 NA

0.67 0.71 0.75

ROYAL ENFIELD Bullet 350 Bullet 500 Electra Twinspark Thunderbird 350 Thunderbird 500 Classic 350 Classic 500 Desert Storm Classic- Chrome Continental GT SUZUKI Access 125 Swish 125 Hayate Slingshot GS 150R Inazuma Bandit 1250 SA Intruder M800 Intruder M1800R Hayabusa GSX - R1000 GSX - R1000 Z V- Storm 1000 TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES Bonneville A3 Bonneville T 100 Thruxton A2 Street Triple ABS A2 Speed Triple ABS A1 Daytona 675 ABS Daytona 675 R Tiger Explorer Tiger 800 XC Thunderbird Storm Rocket III Roadster TVS Scooty Pep+ Scooty Streak Wego Star Sport Star City Jupiter Phoenix Apache RTR 160 Apache RTR 180 YAMAHA Alpha Ray Ray Z Crux YBR 110 YBR 125 SS 125 FZ (Version 2) FZ-S (Version 2) SZ-RR SZ-S FAZER FZ 1 YZF R1 YZF R15 VMAX

OFF-ROAD VEHICLE PRICES SEGMENT POLARIS ATV & Youth Model

Ranger

Ranger RZR

Snowmobile

MODEL

ENGINE (CC)

PRICE (RS.)

Outlaw 50 Phoenix 200 RZR 170 Sportsman 400 H.O Sportsman 500 H.O Sportsman 570 EFI Sportsman 850 H.O Sportsman Big Boss 800 400 Crew 500 EFI Crew 800 Ranger Diesel Ranger EV RZR S 800 RZR XP 900 RZR XP4 900 Widetrak LS

49 196 169 445 498 567 850 760 455 498 760 904 NA 760 875 875 488

2.64 4.89 5.29 7.25 7.67 7.91 14.72 15.35 11.14 13.97 18 20.48 12.82 22.85 21.13 24.10 10.86

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PAGES 63 - 86

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COVER REPORT

SONALIKA GROUP

TRACTORS ON A HIGH...

...RHINO TAKES A BEATING EXCLUSIVE

August 2014 I 65

COVER REPORT

File Photo : For representation purpose only Report: AVDESH KUMAR & SEEMA PAUL

F

or Hoshiarpur-based Sonalika Group, a debt-free and Rs 1000 crore cash surplus company, controlled by the LD Mittal family of Punjab, there is a reason to smile and reasons to frown. The group’s tractor business under International Tractors Ltd (ITL) is growing by leaps and bounds. It is now the third largest tractor manufacturer in the country after Mahindra and TAFE. But its ambitious plans to become a significant player in the SUV/MUV segment with its Rhino vehicle have come a cropper. Well almost. Sonalika group company International Cars & Motors Ltd (ICML) manufactures the Rhino vehicle. A related plan to bring out a world car with Italy based design firm Pininfarina too seems to have not got anywhere. The world car was slated to be launched around 2012. Insiders vouch that the car was made and was kept under wraps in the Group’s plant in Hoshiarpur. It was never shown to the media nor was anyone allowed to take any pictures of the vehicle.

66 I August 2014

ICML was also at one point contemplating tying up with Great Wall of China to bring in their sports utility vehicles. That plan too seems to have been scrapped.

Several years down the line with an unsuccessful product and loads of cash outflow, Sonalika continues to be a debt-free company with a huge cash surplus. But the company has definitely got wiser and is betting big on its core strength, that of making tractors.

Deepak Mittal, Managing Director of ITL and the brain behind ICML is now busy putting all his energies in the export business of tractor. His son Raman Mittal, a car enthusiast and once a keen promoter of ICML, keeps himself busy with tractors. For the Mittal family the ICML dream is almost but dead.

ICML has not been furnishing its sales results to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) for the last several months.

Sales figures for the Rhino vehicle were recorded as “NA” in the SIAM sales chart for almost a year. Also, for the last couple of months the name of the company has stopped

appearing in the SIAM sales data. The last recorded figures of productions and sales were for the year 2012-13 when the company produced and sold a little more than 200 units for the entire year.

A set of questions emailed to the Sonalika top management has remained unanswered. Raman Mittal, Executive Director of ITL, however, responded briefly to Motown India. Raman Mittal was on the defensive and noted that the “Rhino is doing as per our expectation”. He further admitted that a “single model is not easy business”, stating that “there are many cars / SUVs selling less than 100 units per month”. Mittal said that the company is selling on an average 75 units of the Rhino every month.

He further stated that the company is still investing in improving the Rhino and “will continue to do so”. As for his plans to tie up with the Chinese company, he merely stated that “bringing Chinese cars to India is not a straight forward process”.

Mittal refrained from commenting

on the outcome of the Pininfarina project.

For the Rhino vehicle, Mittal had incidentally told Motown India in 2010 that “We are looking at a volume of 6000 units per annum within a short span. Therein we need to take it to 10,000 units within a span of one and a half years”.

The same year the company’s Chairman L D Mittal had stated, “We are also developing a world car with Pininfarina and it is likely to come out in one and a half years. That will meet the standards of Mercedes and BMW at half the price. It will be designed in Italy and produced in India.”

ITL, THE CASH COW The cash cow in the group is ITL, the flagship company, which is based in Hoshiarpur in Punjab. The company makes tractors, agricultural implements, engines for utility vehicles, auto components, pick and carry cranes and generators. The company is on a roll and it got a shot in the arm in late 2012 when Blackstone

COVER REPORT

File Photo : For representation purpose only Capital Partners, a premier global investment and advisory firm invested Rs 520 crore in the company. ITL which was till recently the fourth player in the tractor segment after Mahindra, TAFE and Escorts has now moved up to the third position.

“We have grown to 12pc market share in tractors, becoming No. 3 by a big margin,” affirmed Raman Mittal. “We are doing great,” he added. Raman Mittal’s father Deepak Mittal is the Managing Director of ITL while Deepak’s brother A S Mittal is the Vice Chairman of the company.

But what the company hates to admit is that its group company ICML which is based in Amb in Himachal Pradesh is on a massive downhill journey. The Amb plant which has the capacity to manufacture around 24,000 multi utility vehicles barely makes a handful of cars a month. ICML, established in 2004, manufactures the Rhino multi utility vehicle. It has an R&D centre equipped with advanced design and testing facility spread over 2000 sq. meters area, the company claims.

Unconfirmed reports said that the plant is being utilised to make tractors for the company. Several

ICML has not been furnishing its sales results to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) for the last several months. Sales figures for the Rhino vehicle were recorded as “NA” in the SIAM sales chart for almost a year. Also, for the last couple of months the name of the company has stopped appearing in the SIAM sales data. senior executives who had been roped in from automotive majors like Mahindra & Mahindra for the ICML plant have quit the Sonalika firm and have either rejoined M&M or have found a job elsewhere.

ITL, incorporated in 1995, is one of the top three tractor companies in India in terms of volumes and leader in tractor production from a single manufacturing unit. It has a domestic market share of more than 11pc currently, according to the company website. The company has its presence in more than 75 countries all over the world with a network of 1800 distributors and dealers worldwide.

The company manufactures a wide range of tractors and farm equipment from 20 HP to 120 HP, under two different brands named Sonalika and Solis.

It is the tractor business that is growing by leaps and bounds for Sonalika. In the recent past LD Mittal, Chairman of the Sonalika group has been quoted as saying that his company is targeting to sell 100000 tractors per year.

His company is also looking at increasing its export share. ITL already exports to more than 70 countries and has set up assembly lines in several countries including Nigeria, Algeria, Brazil, Germany

“Rhino is doing as per our expectation....

A single model is not easy business....

There are many cars / SUVs selling less than 100 units per month”, says Raman Mittal, Executive Director of ITL and Argentina. These are coowned with local distributors.

Currently exports constitute around 17pc of total revenues.

Mittal is confident that this will almost double in the coming years.

The company sold roughly around 60,000 tractors in 20013-14 fiscal.

According to a recent ICRA report, the Indian tractor industry sales are likely to abate in the current fiscal (FY15). It says that untimely rains in some parts of the country during the months of February and March 2014 have impacted Rabi crop as well as consumer sentiments.

The agency revised its FY15 growth outlook downwards to 4pc-6pc. It, however, continues to maintain a volume CAGR of (8-9pc) for the tractor Industry over the next five years as long term industry drivers remain favourable.

In its report it mentioned that ITL continued to register market share gains in FY14, notably across all regions in the country. Escorts Ltd was, however, on the losing end, it said.

August 2014 I 67

SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL

AUTO COMPONENTS: SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL

CLOSER TO ‘DETROIT’

Report: Joshua David Luther, Rahul Kapoor (inputs from S. Madhavan, Tripti Singh)

T

he Indian auto components industry recorded a turnover of Rs 2,11,765 crore (US $ 35.13 billion) in the financial year ended March 31, 2014. Exports grew by 16.7pc to Rs 61,487 crore (US $ 10.2 billion) with Europe accounting for 38pc of exports followed by Asia at 25pc and North America at 21pc.

For the fiscal 2013-14, an estimated investment of around $ 500 million to $ 700 million was witnessed in the auto component industry.

Despite the last two years of dull economic activity and tardy growth of the Indian automobile industry, the auto components industry too faced a slowdown in the domestic market. Among the four major regions in India—North, West, South and East—the southern region comprising mainly of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh has attracted significant investment from both Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) as well as auto component manufacturers in the last couple of decades. In fact, it’s only when an OEM moves into a region that auto component players tag behind. That makes significant business sense for them.

The ancillary manufacturers can then directly supply to these OEMs. It’s a clear case of unhindered logistics, besides catering to the export market as well as other regions in the country.

Several major OEMs have set up base in South India. These include Ashok Leyland (plant in Hosur and Ennore in Tamil Nadu), Hyundai (Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), BMW India (Chengalpattu near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (Oragadam, near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), Ford India (Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), Caterpillar (Thiruvallur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), Hindustan Motors (Thiruvallur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), Renault Nissan

68 I August 2014

Chennai

Automotive India (Oragadam near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), Royal Enfield (Thiruvottiyur and Oragadam in Tamil Nadu), Same Deutz Fahr (SDF) (Ranipet near Chennai in Tamil Nadu), TAFE (Sembium near Chennai inTamil Nadu), Tata Motors ( Dharwal in Karnataka), Toyota Kirloskar (Bidadi near Bengaluru in Karnataka), TVS (Hosur in Tamil Nadu, Mysore in Karnataka) and Volvo Buses (Hoskote near Bengaluru in

Karnataka). Kamaz Vectra makers of the Tatra trucks has a plant in Hosur in Tamil Nadu.

Isuzu Motors India, the makers of the D-Max pick-up trucks are setting up a new plant in Sricity in Chittoor and Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Yamaha Motor India will also be setting up a new plant in Vallam Vadagal near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Honda Motorcycle Scooter India (HMSI) has set up a plant in

SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL

Nissan plant in Chennai, coutesy : Nissan. Picture for representation purpose only Narasapura in Kolar district of Karnataka. In this Kolar district there are other OEMs too that have a plant. These include Scania AB and Mahindra Aerospace. It is obvious from the above list that Tamil Nadu is a major force to reckon with in India. It’s primarily for this reason that the state is often referred to as the “Detroit of India”.

REASONS FOR GROWTH Tamil Nadu is not only known for being a major auto cluster of India but is home to some great motor racing tracks as well as racers. The Irungattukottai Race Track is a permanent motor racing circuit located in Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. It was built in the late 1980s and was inaugurated in 1990. It is owned and operated by the Madras Motor Sports Club. Then there is the famous Kari Motor Speedway, a purpose built auto racing circuit or race track, located in Orratukuppai, Chettipalayam, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

It was constructed in memory of late S. Karivardhan or “Kari” as he was affectionately known. Kari, a legendary motorsport racer died in an air crash at the age of 41.

Tamil Nadu, thus is a state which has some great links with the motoring world. There are over 350 Tier 1 to Tier 3 suppliers apart from 4000 SME’s in Tier 4, in the State. Tamil Nadu

70 I August 2014

has good infrastructure capabilities like power, roads, communications, water availability and disposal aiding in the speedy development of the industry.

Tamil Nadu offers major logistic advantages and resource availability. Being a water facing state Tamil Nadu has developed three modern ports in Chennai and one in Tuticorin thus giving manufacturers ease of accessibility and economy in logistics for import and export. The Chennai port is known to be the most efficient in India while the ports in both Chennai and Ennore have separate dedicated berths for automotive exports.

Tamil Nadu is in the top 10 most literate states of India and has an abundant pool of man power and skilled labor for various levels such as shop floor workers, technicians, diploma holders and graduate engineers.

The state also has many good educational institutions which provide knowledge and skill development in the area of automotive engineering, like Hindustan University (Chennai), SASTRA University (Thanjavur) and PSG College of Technology (Coimbatore).

The Sengunthar Engineering College in Tiruchengode is associated with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) from where a lot of talent is picked up for Formula 1, while Manipal university has its own motor sports

division called Formula Manipal who have component sponsors like SKF India Ltd. and ZF India.

The government of India has their testing and certificate facility NATRiP in Oragadam near Chennai, which has test tracks to facilitate the evaluation of vehicular safety, collision impact, emission and performance standards which are to be met by the auto manufacturers.

Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai is the new “Research Valley” of India, which caters to design, prototype development and testing of new vehicle models. This facility is 8, 00,000 sq. feet in built-up area and is Asia’s largest facility for R&D. In April 2012, Mahindra & Mahindra inaugurated a world class engineering and research and development centre in Chennai. The Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) facility houses the company’s engineering research and product development wings for automobiles and tractors, all under one roof.

Perhaps the only R&D facility of its kind in the world for automobiles and tractors alike, MRV is spread over 125 acres in Mahindra World City, Chennai and was created at an investment of over Rs. 650 crore. Home to over 1500 employees, it has experts who are leading various technology and product development projects. In future, this number can be scaled

SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL AUTO COMPONENT INDUSTRY TURNOVER

up to 3000.

MRV’s research, design and development facilities allows engineers and designers the freedom to proactively pursue activities in areas like environment friendly advanced propulsion systems - hydrogen, fuel cells, bio-diesels and hybrids. Embedded systems, infotronics, artificial intelligence, mechatronics and advanced telematics will be other areas that engineers at MRV will be able to pursue.

CHENNAI, AN AUTO CITY With the aim of making Chennai one of the top five global automotive clusters, the government of Tamil Nadu recently unveiled a first of a kind government policy in India with the aim of developing an auto city mirrored to some western concepts like Detroit.

Although for long Chennai has been known as the Detroit of India, there has been stiff competition from other clusters within the country. “Recognizing the importance of automobile and auto- components sector to State, my government has brought out a separate Tamil Nadu Automobile and Auto

72 I August 2014

Component Policy 2014,” said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha.

The policy for the development of this auto city has been designed in a manner to give Chennai a competitive advantage over the rest of the clusters due to a consolidated formation of automobile and auto component sector.

The auto component manufacturers industry in Chennai alone contributes to 22pc of the components production in the country. Three major tyre manufacturing facilities are coming up in Tamil Nadu with already existing facilities making Chennai one of the largest tyre manufacturing hubs at a global scale.

There are hundreds of auto component suppliers in the Southern region of India.

Among them is Tyrolit, a leading manufacturer of grinding tools, cut-off tools, sawing tools and drilling tools, Tyrolit has been present in the automotive industry for close to a century now.

Over the years the company has perfected the process of collaborations with machine manufacturers, technical universities and the end customer to develop improved versions of existing products and for innovation of new ones.

With the whole auto industry moving towards more fuel efficient vehicles Tyrolit is spearheading the movement, with an aim to solve problems like fuel consumption and range or be it Co2

SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL

File Photo. Picture for representation purpose only

to understand, implement and deliver products to surpass the expectations of its customers; they do so by understanding customer requirements, maintaining current product benchmarks and design of the product on the basis of what the customers want.

Elofic currently produces spin on, cartridge, strainers and metal free filters to clean the contaminants in lubricating oils from reaching sensitive engine parts, without restricting normal oil flow. For petrol engines Elofic produces plastic in line, metallic in line and in tank while for a diesel engine the company is producing coarse and fine diesel, coil type, spin on diesel and metal free fuel filters to prevent the clogging of drilled or cored passages in the carburetor, which decreases metering performance causing loss of power. In the air filter department they produce metal end cap, PU panel type, PU cylindrical and plastic injection filters which prevent impurities from the air to flow into the combustion chamber of the engine. They are currently producing spin on, assemblies and multi-layered pleated media cartridge hydraulic filters.

The Rane TRW group is today synonymous in the auto-component industry with steering gear and occupant safety. The company entered a 50:50 joint venture with TRW Automotive of Livonia, Michigan, USA to produce steering systems and occupant safety equipment and have customers like

emissions and driving performance. They are working on improving the surface quality and accuracy in terms of geometric precision to develop a generation of motor engines requiring lower fuel consumption, reduced vibration and improved performance.

Tyrolit has been developing and using carbon fibre cores in various engine parts in order to decrease weight and cubic capacity of the engine thus maintaining performance and improving the power to weight ratio of the engines. With an endeavor to move toward the future Tyrolit is working on precision engineering and flexibility.

Filter maker Elofic has plants in Faridabad near Delhi, Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh and Hosur in Tamil Nadu. A company with modest beginnings, Elofic was set up in India in 1951

by M. S. Sahni. At the time it produced only 100 filters per day and today has reached a production level of 42 million filters per year. Its tag line is synonymous with its position in the industry “If its Filters. Its Elofic” The filters produced

by Elofic have a diverse applicability from automotive application to industrial, agricultural, marine and air conditioning applications. The R&D department of Elofic is also recognised by the Department of Science & Technology of the Government of India. They use a perfect blend of Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology and highly qualified design engineers to deliver and strive towards enhancement of existing products. The company Coutesy : Continental. Picture for representation purpose only uses a three-step formula

74 I August 2014

Ashok Leyland, M&M, Tata, Tafe and Volvo.

The company’s vision is to be a Rs 1000 crore company in the automotive business by 2018 for their steering systems division and to be a preferred supplier of occupant safety systems, with a commitment to safety for their occupant safety division.

Rane TRW has independent units to design, test and manufacture a complete range of power steering systems and seat belt solutions. They currently have a plant in Trichy which manufactures fully integrated gear, three plants in Chennai-- two for their pump and power rack & pinion division and one for their occupant safety division. They have another plant in Uttrakhand for their steering gears and pumps division.

Continental Automotive India comprises of interior, powertrain and chassis & safety division. The company has 14 different SBU’s and develops a wide range of electronics in their Bangalore plant including engine management and power steering ECUs, immobilisers, body control modules and instrument clusters for all vehicle segments.

It also manufactures actuation drum brakes, calipers, Powertrain and Chassis sensors, fuel supply modules and fuel rail assemblies in its other locations in India.

Continental Automotive Components India has a customer base spanning all major local and global OEM manufacturers who have their presence here in India. Besides supply to the domestic market the company also supplies to international clients through their highly advanced engineering centre, Tech Centre India (TCI) which was set up in 2009.

SOUTH INDIA SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH ARVINDER GILL

Vice President of Business Development, Varroc Group.

One of the biggest names in two wheeler segment Varroc Engineering is based out of Pune while they have a plant in Bangalore and another coming up in Chennai to cater to the massive demand which is coming from the South India cluster. Motorcycle major Yamaha is planning a Rs 1500 crore investment in Chennai for which Varroc is also setting up a facility near-by. Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) has their plant in the Bangalore region for which Varroc is already established itself there as phase 1 of their expansion plan.

Please take us through Varroc’s presence in south India.

Around July 2013 we started operations in our Bangalore plant in Narasapura region.

Our plant is very close to our prime customer Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI).

This is the first phase of our plant. The plant is already undergoing expansion there. This year will be the first full year of operations and we should cross about Rs 70 crore turnover in our Bangalore facility.

We are now in the construction phase of our Chennai plant. The plant launch is planned around November this year and one of our existing customers Yamaha is setting up base there for which Varroc has been chosen as one of the leading suppliers for four types of components --Seats, Air filters, Mirrors and injection molded plastic parts.

We will be catering to about 5600 seats per day, and we have added certain capacity for bumpers from our Bangalore plant The first task was to set up the Bangalore facility. Last year, HMSI as a customer was producing close to about 2000-3000 bikes per day on an average and this year they have ramped up to 6000 bikes per day. So our capacity and share is about 5500 for which we have completed the expansion.

Now we are looking at customers from the Bangalore region to be added to our customer base in the expansion we will be doing this year.

programmes with them and we will be in discussion for more programmes.

We are also associated with tier one customers like Valeo. These are our customers in the west. We will be doing business from west which will then be transferred to south region.

On technology front for two wheeler segment we are doing concurrent engineering and we are doing several new designs with Yamaha. We are working together with the OEMs to give them desired solutions. As far as seating is considered, we are looking at how to reduce weight while ensuring that current comfort levels are achieved.

What is the R&D being done by your company to facilitate these new and innovative technologies in India?

We have a polymer technology centre in Aurangabad. This centre has close to about 98 design engineers and programme management engineers. Here we also have

One of the major clusters in India lies in the south, majorly in Tamil Nadu. Can you talk about the companies you would be catering to there?

We are very strong in the two-wheeler segment. We also have RenalutNissan as our customer currently and we supply them out of our Ranjangaon plant. When we complete our Chennai facility we will be shifting the production base to Chennai for those parts and we will look at more business as we will have a plant next door to them. Besides, we have Daimler India Commercial Vehicles as File Photo. Picture for representation purpose only our customer and we are doing three

a tool room with another 100 employees.

Between the two, we co-design the tools with the OEMs, design the part as well as the tool. These tools also go for production therefore the productivity and the design of tool, its longevity of life and the performance of parts are all harmonised together. As far as technology is concerned our R&D centre is doing a lot of work on CTU, air filtration technology, light weighting of parts and co-designing with the OEMs. We are also working as a full systems solution provider for OEMs. In February 2014 the Tamil Nadu government announced a policy to make an auto city replicating a motor city like Detroit. What are the business prospects for your company?

We are not too concerned on this proposition. Our focus is on our current customers, both OEMs as well as tier 1 customer. For us, the main focus is not on what industrial benefit we can get from the government schemes. All we are looking at is ease in expansion and acquisition of land for the industry. More than that just clearing of the projects should happen in time.

August 2014 I 75

NEWS

Gearing up for ACMA Automechanika New Delhi 2015

File Photo.

A

s India prepares to be among the top three global automotive markets by 2020 from its current sixth position, auto component suppliers are gearing up to a brighter future. In order to harness the burgeoning opportunity, ACMA and Messe Frankfurt are jointly organising the 2nd edition of ACMA Automechanika New Delhi from February 26 – March 1, 2015 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, with an aim to bring technology advancements to the forefront and stimulate demand in the auto parts business. The event will bring leading domestic and international brands together on one platform creating a trade hub of automotive parts and accessories.

Preet Singh, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Sigma Corporation India Ltd said, the show “will offer the right platform for us to showcase products and launch our new line of anti-vibrationrubber parts, and the complete line of strut mounts and kits for the Indian Aftermarket at the 2015 edition.”

Faisal Matin, Country Director, Delphi Automotive Systems Pvt Ltd noted, “The Aftermarket for auto component industry is fragmented in India. Thus, reaching to the right consumer and the level of awareness in the channel are the biggest challenges faced. ACMA Automechanika New Delhi will provide the componentplayers a much-needed boost in terms of establishing brand presence and increasing mileage.”

76 I August 2014

Bringing their OE expertise, Delphi Automotive Systems Pvt. Ltd intends to showcase their range of fuel modules – MRA & pumps, ignition wire sets, thermal compressors, heat exchangers, brakes, half shafts etc. at the show.

Manufacturers of steering and suspension parts for automobiles, Ample Auto Tech Pvt Ltd, will bring their latest and most comprehensive array of auto parts at the show and believesthat the event will provide ‘invaluable opportunities’ for SME manufacturers to exhibit their products.

Another leading auto component supplier, Mansons International Pvt Ltd, which has been associated with Automechanika in Frankfurt for over two-decades, has now added ACMA Automechanika New Delhi to its exhibition calendar. Confirming their participation for 2015, Gautam Khanduja, Managing Director said, “The Independent OEM, Tier 1 and aftermarket components industry in India was in need of an exclusive exhibition platform for many years and finally have found the ideal event in ACMA Automechanika New Delhi. ” The 2nd edition of the show which will be spread across 16000 gross sqm, is expected to welcome over 10,000 visitors including OEMs, Tier 1 manufacturers, engineers, aftermarket distributers and suppliers, decision makers and professionals from the industry.

Messe Frankfurt expands presence in India

G

ermany based trade fair specialists Messe Frankfurt has acquired two of the India’s leading trade fair brands. Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd, the Indian operation and subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt, will acquire the rights to organise and manage the LED Expo and Media Expo fairs from Media Exposition & Events being promoted

by MEX Exhibitions Pvt Ltd. The total number of events organised by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India now goes up to 14. The LED Expo takes place annually in both Delhi and Mumbai, in December and May respectively. It is the only event in the industry focused solely on LED products. The most recent event in Delhi in 2013 featured above 250 exhibitors from over 14 countries and attracted around 22,000 plus visitors. The 2014 Mumbai fair had 80 exhibitors and attracted 6,620 visitors. LED Expo will continue to be held separately from Messe Frankfurt’s Light India fair for the foreseeable future. Media Expo occurs once a year in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and is the largest exhibition for the Signage & Advertising industry, presenting products for indoor & outdoor advertising, printing, textile printing and digital signage solutions, as well as visual merchandising.

It’s a Plain Jane Budget

A

lot was expected from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the automotive sector but none of that figured in the Union Budget 2014-15 announced on July 10, 2014. The Budget focussed on infrastructure and simplification in taxation. The industry was hoping to see some demand stimulation measures for the commercial vehicle sector which has been reeling under severe gloom for over 27 months.

But unfortunately nothing was announced for the CV industry. An extension on reduction of excise duty on motor vehicles had already been notified. The industry was hoping that a slew of incentives for electric vehicles which sadly did not come through. Neither was a firm date for GST implementation announced.

The automotive industry, however, praised the Budget in a guarded manner and hoped that in the near future a lot more would be done for the industry to grow.

SIAM welcomes focussed approach: Vikram Kirloskar, President, SIAM welcomed the focused approach on infrastructure development and on simplified taxation in the General Budget 201415. Kirloskar said that under the current tight fiscal situation, the Finance Minister has tried to balance and manage the expectations from different quarters with a need for growth and fiscal prudence. The budget has rightly given a positive direction on issues like implementation of GST, retrospective taxation as well as simplification of the tax regime.

NEWS

Auto component exports increase by 16.7pc

T

he Indian auto components industry has come of age. This was clearly reflected in the fact that the industry recorded a 16.7pc growth at 61,487 crore (US $ 10.2 billion) for the year 2013-14 as compared to 52,690 crore (US $ 9.7 billion) in 201213. Europe accounted for 38 pc of exports followed by Asia at 25 pc, North America at 21 pc. Exports to Europe increased by 14.5 pc over the previous fiscal, while exports to Latin America and Asia registered a growth of 16.5 pc and 5.4 pc respectively. The key export items included engine parts, transmission parts, brake system and components, body parts, exhaust systems, turbochargers etc.

While the exports came as a silver lining to the industry, the overall turnover of the Indian auto component industry declined by 2pc in FY 2013-14 with a turnover of 2,11,765 crores, as compared to Rs. 216K crores in the previous fiscal. It, however, recorded a CAGR of 14 percent over the last six years. This data represents the entire supplies from the auto component industry to the on-road and offroad vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket in India as well as overseas from ACMA member and non-member companies. This includes component suppliers captive to the OEMs and the unorganized & smaller players.

Auto Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) President Harish Lakshman and Vice President Ramesh Suri announced the industry results in New Delhi. Lakshman commented that the last fiscal year was the most challenging for the Indian automotive industry with declining vehicle sales, high capital costs, high interest rates, currency fluctuations and slowing down of investment in manufacturing. All these factors, he said adversely impacted the growth of the auto component industry.

He, however, noted that with the automobile industry showing signs of revival in the last couple of months, the component industry is

ACMA President Harish Lakshman (C) flanked by Vice President Ramesh Suri (R) and Vinnie Mehta expected to grow in the range of 4-6 percent in the current fiscal 2014-15.

Laxman said that in order to achieve a robust component base in the country, there is a greater need for collaboration between the component manufacturers, OEMs, Machine Tool Suppliers and the Raw Material Industry.

Ramesh Suri said with the recent announcement of the Union Budget, the Government has taken a pragmatic approach of encouraging the MSMEs and investing in social and infrastructure sectors. “We expect the new government to provide an environment conducive for growth and reviving the investment climate particularly in the automotive sector. Further, with a new Foreign Trade Policy on the anvil, we urge the government to announce long-term and stable trade policies and accord export incentives that are critical for sustaining the industry in these times of global challenges,” he added.

According to ACMA, imports of auto components grew by 3.6 percent to 77,160 crores (US $ 12.8 billion) in 2013-14 from Rs 74,463 crores (US $ 13.7 billion) in 2012-13.

Asia and Europe contributed to 57 pc and 34 pc of the imports respectively. Within Asia - China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand contributed to maximum imports while from Europe the key contributors were Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain.

With increasing vehicle parc in the country, the aftermarket in 2013-14 grew by 12 pc to 35,603 crores from 31,788 crores in the previous fiscal.

For the fiscal 2013-14 an estimated investment of around US $ 0.5-0.7 billion was witnessed in the auto component sector. Due to moderation in vehicle sales and depressed market sentiments, the investment in 2013-14 declined compared to the previous year. Capex in 2012-13 stood at around $ 1.2-1.7 billion.

Hero MotoCorp 418cr project in Columbia

A

s part of its plans to expand its global footprint to as many as 50 countries by 2020, the Pawan Munjal controlled Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL) has formed a wholly-owned subsidiary in Colombia. The company will set up a manufacturing plant in the country. The total project cost is expected to be around US $ 70 million ( 418.53 crore).

Pawan Munjal, Managing Director & Chief

Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, laid the foundation stone for the plant at the project site. Also present on the occasion were senior representatives of the Colombian government, the senior leadership team from Hero MotoCorp and other associates.

With a project cost of US$ 70 million, HMCL will invest US$ 38 million ( 227 crore approx.) in capex, with the rest being utilised as working

capital over the next three-year period. The investment towards equity will be made through wholly-owned subsidiary of HMCL in the Netherlands –HMCL BV. The manufacturing plant will be spread over 17 acres (68,000 sq meters) of land at the Parque Sur Free Trade Zone at Villa Rica in the state of Cauca - about 500km south-west of Bogota.

August 2014 I 77

TECHNOLOGY

BMW Motorrad brings out first ever cornering ABS

S

traight line Antilock Braking System (ABS) on motorcycles provides great safety to motorcyclists on the road. But now there is a new ABS (ABS Pro) from BMW Motorrad that goes a step further that offers increased safety when motorcycles brake while on the bend.

ABS Pro is offered as a retrofit option which can be acquired through BMW Motorrad dealerships. The ABS is initially reserved exclusively for the top supersports model in the BMW Motorrad product range, the HP4.

It may be recalled that BMW Motorrad presented the S 1000 RR in 2009 which was not only its first supersports bike but also the first motorcycle of this type to be fitted with ABS. The year 2009 also saw the first racing victory by a supersports motorcycle with ABS at the 24-hour race in Barcelona.

Since then BMW Motorrad has offered an ABS tailored specifically to the needs of supersports bikes, providing a

78 I August 2014

significant increase in active braking safety in this segment,

too. The function was deliberately conceived for use on public roads.

ABS Pro prevents the wheels from locking even when the brakes are applied quickly.

This reduces abrupt changes in steering force on shock-braking manoeuvres and stops the motorcycle from rearing up unintentionally.

Technically

speaking, ABS Pro adapts ABS control to the motorcycle’s banking angle depending on the current situation on the road. In order to determine the bike’s banking angle, the system draws on the signals for roll rate, yaw rate and transverse acceleration as provided by the sensor cluster - which are already used for Dynamic Traction Control DTC and for the electronic suspension DDC Dynamic Damping Control.

As the banking angle increases, the brake pressure gradient is limited more and more at the start of the brake manoeuvre. This means that the pressure build-up is slower. In addition to this, pressure modulation within the ABS control range is more even. The benefits of ABS Pro to the rider are a sensitive response and a high level of brake and ride stability together with the best possible deceleration on bends.

TECHNOLOGY

Volvo Buses and ABB in electromobility cooperation

V

olvo Buses and ABB have signed a partnership agreement regarding automatic e-bus chargers for electric-hybrid and full-electric Volvo buses.

The cooperation enables the companies to deliver complete electrified bus solutions to cities.

Under the global partnership agreement, Volvo Buses will supply electric-hybrid buses and full-electric buses. ABB will supply standard-based fast-charging solutions for the electric vehicles.

Håkan Agnevall, President Volvo Buses said, “Electric-hybrid buses and full electric

buses are tomorrow’s solution for urban public transport. Volvo will team up with a few global actors in this field, and ABB is one of them.”

The partnership involves working towards a standardisation of automatic e-bus fast charging on the market.

This can include the communications protocol between infrastructure charging solution and e-bus, electrical interface, and specification of the automatic connection system (ACS). The ACS is located on the roof of the bus and connects the bus with the fast charger at selected charging stops.

The first joint project will be the implementation of Volvo Electric Hybrids and automatic e-bus chargers in the Luxembourg public transport system.

Potentially 12 Volvo Electric Hybrid buses operated by SalesLentz will be running on existing public bus lines in Luxembourg as of 2015.

Sales-Lentz has a history of being an early adopter and was the first European operator running Volvo Hybrids already in 2009.

Lanxess airbag housing 30pc lighter

L

anxess, a leading specialty chemicals company, has come out with a polyamide composite sheet hybrid technology that offers a value-added alternative over metals with regard to reducing the weight of structural parts which are subjected to high mechanical loads during the deployment of an airbag in a vehicle.

In comparison with polyamide 6, use of polyamide composite sheet cuts the weight of the housing by over 30pc.

In an airbag module, a very important role is played by the airbag housing. The airbag housing accommodates the gas generator and the folded airbag. Until now, such components

were made mainly of steel, aluminum, or by the injection moulding of thermoplastics.

When the airbag is triggered in an accident, the base and walls of the housing must be able to withstand the explosion and the pressure during inflation of the airbag. Although the side walls are so thin, they can withstand the sudden pressure because of the high strength and stiffness of the hybrid polyamide composite sheet.

Polyamide composite sheet hybrid technology is generally suitable for all

plastic automotive parts where high stiffness and strength are required in combination with low weight. Hybrid brake pedal

is one such example.

In this concept housing for the passenger airbag, the long side walls are made of moulded Tepex dynalite 102 RG 600 from Bond-Laminates, now a Lanxess subsidiary. This polyamide composite sheet of polyamide 6,

reinforced with 47pc continuous glass fibre by volume, is back-injected and reinforced in certain areas with Durethan DP BKV 240 H2.0, an impact-modified polyamide 6 copolymer from Lanxess. The design using polyamide composite sheet hybrid technology enables the wall thickness of the side walls to be reduced from 3 to 4 mm to 0.5 to 1 mm, resulting in considerable cost saving.

A recent global study by the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) has revealed that 1/5th of all cars sold in India aren’t

safe for either adult drivers or child passengers in the rear. It’s obvious that there are no airbags in these cars. Volkswagen, which was among the safest hatch backs sold in the country, recently announced that all variants of the Polo will have front airbags.

Sushmita Datta, Head of High Performance Material Business Unit in Lanxess India feels that the absence of airbags means putting the lives of Indian car users at risk.

Though the regulatory environment in India is complex and fluid, safety regulation by the European Commission - Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is likely to be made mandatory, from October 2015.

August 2014 I 79

TECHNOLOGY

BMW Group working towards faster e-recharging

B

MW’s electric dream is far from over with the all-electric BMW i3 and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. It is the recharging process that has taken the fancy of the company. The cars’ high-voltage batteries can be recharged quickly and easily by means of the BMW i Wallbox.

This is a sophisticated charging station with fastcharge facility for feeding cars with power either at home or at work. The BMW Group is pressing keenly ahead with the development of innovative technologies for making driving with zero tailpipe emissions more and more attractive. Systems for inductive charging of high-voltage batteries are the next step forward for energy supply. The development objective in the medium term is to put reliable, non-wearing and user-friendly solutions for inductive charging into production that have been tailored to both the batteries in the BMW i cars and the high-voltage batteries in future plug-in hybrid models from the BMW Group.

The crucial advantage of inductive power supply over conventional charging stations is the cable-free connection between the supply point and the vehicle’s highvoltage battery. Leading carmakers Daimler and the

80 I August 2014

BMW Group have signed an agreement on the joint development and

implementation of a standardised technology for inductive charging of e-cars and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The system consists of two components: a secondary coil in the vehicle floor as well as a base plate with integral primary coil that is located underneath the car, for example on the garage floor. The arrangement of the coils, and consequently of the field pattern, is based on a design derived from their circular shape that offers a number of crucial benefits. These include the extremely compact and lightweight construction along with effective spatial confinement of the magnetic field.

The electrical energy

is transmitted via an alternating magnetic field generated between the coils, contact-free, without charging cables and at a charging rate of 3.6 kW. With an efficiency factor of over 90pc, this method enables the high-voltage batteries in vehicles to be charged efficiently, conveniently and safely. A further development target is to minimise the charging time for contactless power transmission. At a charging rate of 3.6 kilowatts, the high-voltage batteries in many plug-in hybrid vehicles can be fully charged in under three hours. It takes less than two hours to charge the BMW i8 using a fully working prototype of an inductive charging station.

In order to make allowance

for the higher storage capacities of high-voltage batteries in pure-electric vehicles, the future technology standard also foresees the possibility of increasing the charging rate to 7 kW. This ensures that the battery in the BMW i3 could still be fully charged overnight when using the inductive system.

Inductive charging makes life considerably easier for the driver of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, as there is no need to connect any cables to top up the power reserves.

Once it has been correctly positioned above the primary coil, the driver can simply start the charging process at the push of a button using the vehicle’s own operating system.

Data is transmitted via a

WiFi connection between vehicle and charging station to help the driver even with parking.

The inductive charging facility can be used regardless of the weather conditions. Not even rain or snow has a negative effect on the power feed as all of the system’s conductive components are protected, which means the primary coil can even be installed outdoors. During charging, ambient electromagnetic radiation is also kept to an absolute minimum. The space between the primary and secondary coils is permanently monitored, allowing charging to be halted instantly if any foreign bodies are detected.

As with today’s BMW i Wallbox, the inductive power supply systems of the future will also make it possible to activate and monitor the charging process from a smartphone. The relevant smartphone app will let drivers call up the data transmitted online on the battery’s charge status, for instance, or the time remaining until charging is complete.

TECHNOLOGY

Now a truck that drives itself from Mercedes-Benz

“The truck of the future is a Mercedes-Benz that drives itself.” Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, the member of Daimler’s Board of Management responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses, came straight to the point in his description of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025, which had its world premiere recently.

The truck is equipped with the extremely intelligent Highway Pilot assistance system, which enables it to drive completely autonomously at speeds of up to 85 kmph.

Daimler Trucks recently demonstrated the vehicle on a trip along a section of the A14 autobahn near the city of Magdeburg, in which the Future Truck drove itself in completely realistic driving situations.

“The Future Truck 2025 is our response to the major challenges and opportunities associated with road freight transport in the future,” said Wolfgang Bernhard. The many advantages offered by self-driving trucks are clear. The Future Truck 2025 leads to more efficiency and better safety and connectivity.

This in turn results in a more sustainable transport system to the benefit of the economy, society and consumers. The focus is the connectivity of the truck with its complete environment. That starts with the driver and the hauler and includes the infrastructure and other traffic participants.

“With the Future Truck 2025, Daimler Trucks is

once again highlighting its pioneering role in innovative technologies and is opening up a new era in truck transport.

We aim to be the number one manufacturer in this market of the future, which we believe will offer solid revenue and earnings potential,” continues Bernhard.

The world premiere featured an impressive demonstration of the truck’s technology in the presence of several hundred media representatives, government officials, businesspeople, capitalmarket analysts and investors. In addition, Daimler AG held a conference on the future of freight transport with the involvement of renowned industry

experts. The goal of the event was to establish an ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders about the conditions for transport in the future, in which selfdriving trucks will play a major role.

“If the legislative framework for autonomous driving can be created quickly, the launch of the Highway Pilot is conceivable by the middle of the next decade,” Bernhard explained.

“That’s why Daimler Trucks is committed to maintain a dialogue with government officials and authorities, and with all other parties affected by this development.

We believe the chances of success are good, because autonomous driving combines the ability

to achieve business and technology objectives with the creation of benefits for society and the environment.”

The Future Truck 2025 offers solutions based on Daimler’s extensive technological expertise. MercedesBenz is already the industry leader for driver assistance technology in trucks, having installed hundreds of thousands of proximity cruise control, automatic braking, stability control and lane-keeping assistance systems.

Another new system known as “Predictive Powertrain Control” uses information about road topography and route characteristics to adjust the operation of the drivetrain in order to maximize fuel economy.

August 2014 I 81

TECHNOLOGY

Electric all-wheel drive and torque vectoring

I

t is a fact that electrification reduces fuel consumption in hybrid vehicles and enables electric vehicles to travel with zero emissions. Yet for Dr. Rolf Bulander, member of the board of management at Robert Bosch GmbH, there’s more to it than that.

“Electromobility is not just a matter of emissions and costs.

It’s also a question of dynamics, power and driving enjoyment. In short, electromobility is about going beyond pure calculation to generate more emotion,” says Bulander, who is in charge of powertrain technology at Bosch. The company is working on electric and hybrid drives that can do much more than cut fuel consumption. For example, a new torque-vectoring function features a separate motor to drive each axle or even each individual wheel.

Bosch has already put individual-axle drive into series production with PSA. In the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, the electric motor drives the rear axle, while the internal-combustion engine is connected to the front axle. That means anyone who buys this diesel hybrid model gets all-wheel drive as standard.

This arrangement is called the axle-split hybrid. Bosch prototypes show that the principle of individual-axle drive could be expanded still further in the future using compact electric motors. Such an expanded torque-vectoring function relies on giving each wheel on the front axle its own electric motor. Road holding is improved by the way these motors are

82 I August 2014

connected, which lets them brake and accelerate the wheels individually.

This function could eventually enhance sports cars’ cornering, even in borderline skid situations, as well as making it easier to handle SUVs on challenging terrain.

Purely electric

motors can also evoke considerably more emotion.

As soon as the driver hits the gas pedal, the torque is there immediately – which lets electric cars pull away from traffic lights as if they had a high-performance combustion engine. One example of this is the Bosch SMG 180/120

electric motor, which powers models such as the smart fortwo electric drive and the Fiat 500e. In hybrid vehicles, however, the electric motor often serves as support. That this can also increase driving enjoyment is shown by the boost-recuperation system. In Bosch’s new

48-volt hybrid, a generator supports the combustion engine with 150 newton meters of torque to deliver plenty of additional forward drive. Bosch’s high-voltage hybrid technology goes even further and enables purely electric driving, for example in the Porsche Panamera plug-in. What’s more, the electrical components support the combustion engine, allowing it to run at its most efficient operating point.

To demonstrate how emotive electrification can be, Bosch has produced prototypes featuring several electric motors that can accelerate individual wheels. This allows precise torque support, which greatly improves vehicle dynamics while also cutting fuel consumption by half.

“We’re putting the brakes on CO2 emissions and accelerating the driver’s pulse,” says Dr. Rolf Bulander.

CASE STUDY

Maruti Insurance Streamlines Business Processes

M

aruti Insurance Broking Private Limited (Maruti Insurance) is promoted

by Maruti Suzuki, the largest passenger car manufacturersin India.

Maruti Insurance has its focus on offering a comprehensive range of insurance products that are tailor made to meet the needs of Maruti Suzuki customers.

To provide seamless and efficient services to their customers, Maruti Insurance looked into various aspects ofimproving the efficiency of its back-end operations— specifically its printing and mailing processes, which can be timeconsuming and difficult to manage.

MAIN CHALLENGES The firm needed to ensure that its current processescan cope with the additional volumes of insurance policies without taking a toll on its administrative team.

The company decided to consolidate its in-house printing operations with the finishing processes to gain better control and improve overall operational efficiency. The company explored the available mailing automation solutions that support the increased print volumes of insurance policies as well as renewal reminders.

Some of the key challenges that Maruti Insurance needed to address include:

File Photo: For representation purpose only • Achieving process improvements and enhanced document management • Reducing incremental cost and manual workload associated with business expansion • Ensuring document integrity across the printing, finishing and dispatching processes

solution to cope with the increased print workloads.

“Pitney Bowes has the reputation of being a global leader in integrated mail and document management systems,” said Srivastava. “ Following an assessment conducted by the Pitney Bowes team, Maruti Insurance implemented the DI950 FastPac Inserting System—a fast and flexible Surendra Srivastava, inserting system designed CEO at Maruti Insurance, to meet a wide variety of said: “Our main goal was to print applications. find a solution that provided The DI950 system us with the capabilities to helped Maruti Insurance centralise our printing and to significantly improve finishing operations at one operational efficiency, single location.” by enabling its staff to run jobs with a variable SOLUTION number of pages directly to After seeing Pitney Bowes’ eliminate manual sorting, mail and document and allowing them to link management solutions, multiple feeders to the Maruti Insurance decided system to increase capacity to engage Pitney Bowes and reduce downtime. The to support their in-house DI950 is also designed to operations and develop a handle a wide rangeof print

jobs with varying output levels and help simplify complex mailing operations to save significant operator programming time.

To further accelerate print-to-mail logistics for Maruti Insurance, Pitney Bowes also recommended the DI950 to be connected with the Pitney Bowes high-volume DM550 Mailing Systems.

Built for performance and productivity, the DM550 franking machine helps automate mail operations, bringing cost controls, process improvements and accounting functions right to the mail centre. DM550 also provides mailers the ability to configure an information management solution—from tracking basic pieces and postage accounting to detailed reporting.

RESULTS With the mail and

document management solutions provided by Pitney Bowes, Maruti Insurance is now able to ensure seamless services across India and deliver hassle-free claims settlements through simplified back-end processes. The equipment also enabled Maruti Insurance to: • Gain operational efficiencies by streamlining business processes and workflows • Maintain a high level of accuracy and document integrity by reducing the reliance on manual sorting • Achieve significant cost savings and increased productivity through process improvements “We are now handling close to 250,000 mail items a month,” said Srivastava.

August 2014 I 83

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW PASSENGER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports - June 2014 = 2,06,268 Units)

COMPANY Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. Hyundai Motor India Pvt. Ltd. Honda Cars India Ltd. Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd. Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. Tata Motors Ltd. Ford India Pvt. Ltd. General Motors India Pvt.Ltd. Others Skoda Auto India Pvt. Ltd. (0.54%) Fiat India Automobiles Pvt. Ltd. (0.39%) Renault India Pvt. Ltd. (0.22%) Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (0.14%)

UTILITY VEHICLES MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports - June 2014 = 64,093 Units)

COMPANY Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. Ford India Pvt Ltd. Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. Tata Motors Ltd. Renault India Pvt. Ltd General Motors India Pvt. Ltd Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. Others Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (0.40%) Force Motors Ltd (0.40%) Hindustan Motors Finance Corp (0.16%) Honda Cars India Ltd. (0.12%) Ashok Leyland (0.05%) Isuzu Motors (0.03%)

84 I August 2014

% 29.11% 24.99% 13.29% 10.66% 8.04% 6.63% 3.50% 2.62% 1.16%

% 46.91% 24.37% 8.23% 6.08% 3.87% 3.18% 2.99% 1.66% 1.42% 1.29%

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW TWO WHEELER MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports - June 2014 = 14,43,397 Units) COMPANY

%

Hero MotoCorp Ltd. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (Pvt.) Ltd.

37.52% 22.38%

COMPANY Others Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd. (1.07%)

Bajaj Auto Ltd.

18.16%

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (0.15%)

TVS Motor Company Ltd.

13.50%

H-D Motor Company India Pvt. Ltd. (0.02%)

India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd.

3.71%

Triumph Motorcycles (India) Pvt. Ltd. (0.01%)

Royal Enfield

1.75%

Kawasaki India (0.01%)

Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd.

1.72%

% 1.26%

THREE WHEELERS MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA

(Total Domestic Sales + Exports - June 2014 = 77,899 Units)

COMPANY Bajaj Auto Ltd. Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. TVS Motor Company Ltd. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Atul Auto Ltd. Scooters India Ltd.

% 55.53% 21.47% 11.35% 5.99% 4.14% 1.52%

August 2014 I 85

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA (Total Domestic Sales + Exports - June 2014 = 37,073 Units)

COMPANY Tata Motors Ltd. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Ashok Leyland Ltd. Force Motors Ltd.

% 44.29% 38.86% 5.10% 4.54%

COMPANY VECVs - Eicher SML Isuzu Ltd. Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. Isuzu Motors

% 3.95% 1.62% 1.46% 0.18%

MEDIUM & HEAVY COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS IN INDIA (Total Domestic Sales + Exports - June 2014 = 20,702 Units) COMPANY Tata Motors Ltd. Ashok Leyland Ltd. VECVs - Eicher SML Isuzu Ltd.

86 I August 2014

% 52.24% 26.77% 13.15% 4.01%

COMPANY Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Asia Motor Works Ltd. VECVs - Volvo

% 2.16% 1.40% 0.27%

RNI No DEL ENG/2010/34562

The World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Automotive Industry

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